Updates

Updates

Low Holiday Road Toll

Fewer drunk drivers and intense road policing are being hailed as contributing factors to the lowest Christmas-New Year holiday road death toll for 40 years. Twelve people died in car accidents between Christmas Eve and 6am, 5 January 2004. The road toll for this period has not been this low since the holiday of 1966/67. The previous year's holiday period recorded 17 road deaths (but note that this year's holiday period spanned 11.6 days, compared with 9.6 days last year). However, the total road toll for last year was 459, compared with an all-time low of 404 road deaths recorded in 2002.

By comparison, Australia has recorded its worst Christmas-New Year road toll for at least eight years. The toll period for 2003/04 ended at midnight, 4 January with 81 people dying on the nation's roads (71 lives were lost last year).

Thanks to "NewsRoom"

Lowest Drowning Toll in 24 Years

In 2003 104 people drowned in NZ, the lowest toll since 1980 when records began (the previous low was in 2001 when 122 people drowned). Some of the details of this figure include:

  • 21 accidental immersions, where the victim had no intention of being in the water, and three people drowned while attempting to rescue others;
  • 18 deaths were associated with recreational boating;
  • 15 people drowned while swimming (eight at beaches, two in rivers, two in lakes, and one each in a creek, a home pool, a public pool and a stream); and
  • 11 people drowned in scuba diving and snorkelling incidents (a figure higher than in previous years).

NZ Ranked Highest in Entrepreneurial Firms

NZ has discovered how entrepreneurial it is compared with 41 other countries in 2003. Preliminary results of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) NZ study were released recently. With 13.9 percent of the adult population counted as entrepreneurs, NZ's "Total Entrepreneurial Activity" (TEA) for the third year in a row is ranked highest amongst developed countries.

This year's GEM for the first time introduces a measure of firm-level entrepreneurship called the "Firm Entrepreneurial Activity" (FEA). It measures whether existing businesses are considered entrepreneurial, that is, provide new innovations and create jobs. In NZ, 16.82 percent of existing firms are entrepreneurial firms, again the highest amongst developed countries.

The GEM NZ 2003 report will be released at the end of February. It will include detailed analyses on the rate of female entrepreneurship; the unique dilemmas of home-based and necessity entrepreneurs; the impact of ethnicity on entrepreneurship; religion and entrepreneurship; family entrepreneurship; communication behaviour of entrepreneurs; entrepreneurship and economic growth; entrepreneurship policy; and informal investing.

Travel Survey Rates NZ

NZ has been rated the world's fifth most popular tourist destination in an online survey conducted by the Lonely Planet tourism company. More than 7,500 people from 134 countries took part in the survey. The top five countries, in order, were Thailand, Italy, Australia, India and NZ. On a continent-wide basis, one third of all travellers favoured Asia with Europe a close second. Thanks to "NewsRoom"

Mid Season Update: Dollar Nibbles at Good Farm Profits

Meat NZ says that farmers have made the fourth highest profit in 23 years. This is especially pleasing when one considers that the NZ dollar has been riding so high. Sheep and beef farm profits for 2003/04 will be down 12 percent from last season's level, mostly due to the rising NZ dollar. Profit on the average sheep and beef farm is estimated at $75,900 for 2003/04 and will be the fourth-highest in inflation-adjusted terms since 1979/80. Drought during the summer and autumn followed by adverse weather conditions at lambing caused lambing percentages overall to decline nearly 4 percent on last season's record. Product prices for lamb and beef have remained at good levels in overseas markets. However, the rising NZ dollar has pushed lamb prices down at the farm gate, and blunted the increase in beef prices.

Research into Maori Diabetes Launched

A project has been launched in Waikato aimed at slowing the rapid advance of type 2 diabetes among Maori. Te Wai o Rona Diabetes Prevention Strategy will target 15,000 randomly selected Maori aged 28 and over. They will be monitored for three years while they go on an improved diet and undertake more physical activity. If it is successful the strategy is likely to be rolled out nationally. One in three Maori will develop type 2 diabetes.

Thanks to "NewsRoom"

Latest Subsidies for Sewerage Schemes

Three more rural communities have received subsidies for sewerage schemes. The communities and values of subsidy provisionally approved in the latest round are:

  • Mangawhai Heads $6.63 million (total project cost $20.8 million);
  • Tahuna $0.58 million ($1.16 million); and
  • Lake Onoke (Lake Ferry) $440,000 ($875,000).

The provisionally-approved applicants will now obtain resource consents and prepare design and tender documents before applying for final approval from the Minister of Health.

Under the Sanitary Works Subsidy Scheme, a total of $46 million in subsidies for provisional applications have been approved. The subsidy scheme was announced in May 2002 to help disadvantaged small to medium-sized communities upgrade or build new sewerage systems or sewage treatment plants.

Free Video Conferencing for Schools

A new video conferencing bridge service will be available to 72 schools (most of which are rural) throughout NZ for the start of the 2004 school year, with a further 17 schools linking in later in the year. The video conferencing service will be available free of charge, and replaces the user pays service which currently costs schools an average $50 per 50 minutes of link-up, plus $150 per month for support.

The video conference bridge project involves:

  • hardware to allow all schools currently using video conferencing to continue to use it free of ongoing bridging charges;
  • hardware to allow the Ministry of Education to use video conferencing free of ongoing bridging charges across 25 Ministry sites, saving staff travel time and costs;
  • user support for all schools and the Ministry;
  • software and systems to make the scheduling and booking of sessions on the bridge as easy as possible for all users;
  • hardware to allow free bridging to audio and teleconferencing for schools and the Ministry; and
  • capacity to make future growth as simple as possible.

The service will cost $2.7 million over four years.

Bird Flu: Questions and Facts

Avian bird flu is becoming increasingly big news overseas, especially in parts of Asia. The bird flu affecting Asia has now swept into China and Laos. The virus has now hit 10 Asian countries and killed eight people - seven of them children. The following key facts and questions (courtesy of Reuters) may help you understand the nature of the disease and why it could be important.

What is Bird Flu? The poultry disease is an animal type of influenza - the H7N7 "classical" strain of avian influenza. Avian influenza can range from a mild disease that has only minor effects to a highly infectious version that is fatal. It spreads in the air and in manure. It can also be transmitted by contaminated feed, water, equipment and clothing. Clinically normal waterfowl and sea birds may introduce the virus into flocks. Broken contaminated eggs may infect chicks in the incubator.

Is Bird Flu Harmful to Humans? Human fatalities from avian influenza were unknown before 1997, when six people in Hong Kong died after being infected with the H5N1 strain. Last year it infected a father and son in the crowded city.

Last April, a Dutch veterinarian who had been working on a farm infected with bird flu became ill with an H7 strain of the disease and died of pneumonia. The vet did not take medication against avian and human flu. Rules have been tightened to ensure anyone who comes in contact with infected farms does so. Other Dutch farm workers have come down with eye infections caused by the virus and a few have also had influenza symptoms, but these have all been successfully treated with medication. Japan reported its first bird flu outbreak in years recently, and five people have died of the disease in Vietnam. South Korea has already culled over two million chickens and ducks.

Could Bird Flu Become a Human Epidemic? Although avian flu is very infectious in birds, it does not spread easily among humans. There is a danger, however, that an avian virus mixes with a human influenza and forms a new disease. The new virus could share genetic material from both viruses, being highly infectious like human flu and dangerously fatal like the avian variety.

A World Health Organisation spokesperson has said the consequences would be dire if the virus latched on to the human influenza virus and spread among people, who have little immune protection against the strain. New influenza strains have caused pandemics, most recently in 1956/57 and 1967/68, killing a combined 4.5 million people.

Clinical Diagnosis. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) says the incubation period for the disease in poultry is 3-5 days. It has various affects on birds, ranging from severe depression to drastic declines in egg production and sudden deaths. There is no treatment.

Student Numbers: Latest Figures

There were 761,755 students attending NZ schools in 2003 according to the latest roll information, an increase of just under two percent on 2002. The increase is most noticeable in the secondary (years 9-15) sector where numbers increased by 3.5 percent. This is consistent with the population bulge that is moving through the secondary sector and is expected to peak in 2006 before dropping.

The survey also shows that the number of foreign fee paying students continues to rise. A 14 percent increase means that there are now 17,448 foreign fee paying students attending NZ schools. The Auckland area shows the highest overall growth rate and nearly one third of NZ students now go to school in this region. Bay of Plenty and Canterbury (except Banks Peninsula, Timaru and Waitaki) also showed roll growth. Other points to note include:

  • as at July 2003 there are 2,693 schools in NZ - comprising 2177 primary and intermediate schools, 469 secondary and composite schools and 47 special schools;
  • the number of NZ European/Pakeha and other European students in the domestic school population decreased by just under 1 percent while the number of Maori increased by just over 3 percent and Pacific student numbers increased by 4 percent. The number of Asian students increased by 14 percent and this group now make up about 7.5 percent of the domestic school population;
  • just under 29,100 students participated in Maori medium education, an increase of 4.4 percent since last year;
  • a quarter of all Maori Year 1 students had attended Kohanga Reo;
  • about 91 percent of all Year 1 students had attended some form of early childhood education before starting school;
  • of the 14-year-old students in July 2001, an estimated 82 percent were still at school at age 16 in 2003; and
  • the total number of vacancies for full-time permanent teachers has decreased by nearly 18 percent since the July 2002 roll return collection.

To view the full report go to http://www.minedu.govt.nz/goto/julyschoolstatistics

More Children to Access Early Childhood Education

Funding of $8 million will create an extra 1236 new places for children (especially those from low socio-economic, rural, isolated, Maori or Pasifika communities) in licensed and chartered early childhood education centres over the next year. Seventy-two community-based non-profit early childhood services will receive this funding to establish new early childhood education centres, extend existing buildings or remove health and safety hazards.

Funding comes from a discretionary grants scheme that is divided into three pools: Maori, Pasifka and General. Funding details include:

  • Maori Pool - 19 grants for creating 497 new places in kohanga, immersion and bilingual services;
  • Pasifika Pool - funding given to 12 Pasifika groups to establish licensed and chartered early childhood education centres catering for about 120 children; and
  • General Pool - 27 grants for providing 619 new child places.

On top of this, 15 grants have been allocated to remove health and safety concerns in existing services.

Helping Students Move to Secondary School - Study

A new research study will explore how NZ students cope during and after their transition to secondary school, and identify how to better help students make the move. The study will build on the findings of a Waikato University review of international and NZ research on the subject (see box). This review of research highlighted:

  • a decline in achievement for many students during their transition to secondary school;
  • that the transition can be stressful for many students who are used to the more nurturing environment of primary school; and
  • that we have little NZ research evidence about the specific social and academic changes these students face, in particular, research about the experiences of Maori and Pacific Island students, and students at risk.

The Ministry of Education study will look at what factors might smooth or hinder a student's transition years and what can be done to better support them. It will follow a group of Auckland and Wellington students through their transition years. Students will be interviewed about their views on school, their own learning and achievement, extracurricular activities and their experiences of transition.

The literature review "Transition to Secondary School: Scoping the Issues and Research Directions" is available at:www.minedu.govt.nz/goto/transitions

Two Pilot Youth Training Programmes

The government has given the go-ahead this year for two pilot schemes that will assist teenagers from low-income families to study courses at Telford Rural Polytechnic in Balclutha and the Westport Deep Sea Fishing School. The pilots will involve up to 57 teenagers, aged 16 or 17, who have not completed Year 13 at school, and who need to live away from home to pursue training. They will be given a Targeted Training Grant to assist with living costs while they attend the courses.

It is expected that most of the young people assisted will study for the National Certificate in Equine Studies at Telford Rural Polytechnic, while the Westport Deep Sea Fishing School offers national certificates in seafood processing and vessel operations. The programmes are to be evaluated and expanded in future years if successful.

Students interested in applying for grants at Telford should contact the Tertiary Education Commission's (TEC) Dunedin office on (03) 477 4684, while those wishing to apply for a grant to attend the Westport Deep Sea Fishing School should contact TEC's Nelson office on (03) 546 8198

Student Loan Repayments and Interest Write-Offs: Changes

Income thresholds for student loan repayments and interest write-offs will rise from 1 April this year. The income level at which borrowers must begin to repay their loans will rise from $15,964 to $16,172. The maximum income level for a full interest write-off for part-time or part-year students will rise from $25,909 to $26,140.

Elite Scholarship Replaces Bursary

The existing system of financial rewards for successful senior high school pupils is to be abolished and replaced with a tightly targeted system worth up to $45,000 for NZ's top overall pupil. Last year's seventh formers were the last to sit for A and B Bursaries, which are worth just $200 or $100 a year each, and the present Scholarships, which are worth up to $5000 for top in subject. Existing Top Scholar awards, which pay $5000 one-off to the best in each subject and payments of between $2500 and $3000 for aggregate top scorers, will also be phased out along with the Bursary payments.

From this year, pupils sitting NCEA level three can try for a new university-level Scholarship - but only the very best need apply. Only about 100 are likely to win top honours, compared with about 10,000 who get rewards under the Bursary scheme. The aim is to focus in on a group of students who are excellent across three separate subjects. Those who gain an "outstanding performance" in three Scholarship subjects will be named as "NZ Scholars" and will win $5000 a year for three years. The top overall scholar will get $15,000 a year, and second place will get $10,000.

The top scholar in each subject or in an NCEA level-three subject where there is no Scholarship assessment will get $3000 a year for three years. The top student in each school who achieves Scholarship in three subjects will get $1500 a year.

Polytechnics Receive Regional Funding

The results of the third round of funding under the Polytechnic Regional Development Fund were announced at the end of last year. Whitireia Polytechnic, WELTEC, Open Polytechnic, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, Tai Poutini Polytechnic, Telford Rural Polytechnic and Southern Institute of Technology will receive funding totalling $1,133,266.

The fund is designed to enable and encourage polytechnics to collaborate with local industry and enterprise to develop skills-related initiatives that will support regional economic development. Two million dollars in 2002/03 and in 2003/04 and $1 million for 2004/05 has been allocated to the fund. The maximum grant for any one application is $300,000 (GST inclusive). Two funding rounds occurred in the 2002/03 financial year with $1,304,189 approved for nine polytechnics in November 2002 and $702,000 approved for seven polytechnics in May 2003.

E-Learning and Tertiary Innovation Projects Approved

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has given the go-ahead for 24 projects to receive a total of almost $34 million to improve e-learning and foster innovative ideas in tertiary education. Successful projects include:

  • Auckland College of Education, Te Reo o te Tai Tokerau, and Te Runanga o te Arawa Nga kiwai kete. "The e-Learning Toolbox". Working with other tertiary education organisations to develop a resource that will increase staff knowledge of e-Learning and better provide and support e-Learning initiatives within the organisation.
  • University of Auckland, Open Polytechnic of NZ, and Lincoln University. "The eLearning XML Editor (eXe) Project". Providing software that will enable academics and teachers at all NZ education institutions to easily publish e-Learning web pages and enable all institutions to cross-reference their e-Learning work.
  • Wellington Institute of Technology (Weltec), e-Learnz, Learning Media, and Southern Institute of Technology. "Generic Trade Training Modules (GeTT Mod)". Providing generic (and beginners) e-Learning modules for industry trainees, second chance learners and secondary school students.
  • Christchurch College of Education (CCE), University of Canterbury, Lincoln University, and Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. "Graduate Diploma in Applied e-Teaching and Support". Establish a Graduate Diploma of Applied e-Teaching and Support to help address the need for skilled teachers in e-Learning.
  • Association of Polytechnics of NZ (APNZ). "Critical success factors for effective use of e-Learning with Maori Learners". Train educators and identify critical factors to increase access, participation and achievement for Maori.

Round two of the funding will open for applications in the second half of 2004. Total funding available for this next round will be $17 million.

Police Establish Missing Persons Bureau

The police are establishing a specialist missing persons bureau to improve standards in the investigations of the 16,000 people reported missing each year. The new unit will maintain a national overview of missing persons investigations, and provide specialist knowledge, advice and assistance. Police districts will still investigate disappearances as usual, but anyone still missing after 14 days will be reported to the new unit. The Wellington-based bureau will monitor the investigation and help out where necessary.

Thanks to "NewsRoom"

Move against Importers of Ephedrine, P Pipes

Tougher penalties on importers of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine have been agreed by Cabinet along with a prohibition on the importation of "P" pipes. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are ingredients in the manufacture of the Class A drug methamphetamine and are to be classified as controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act. The classifications will give Customs wider powers to investigate importation.

Police have reported that increasing numbers of methamphetamine pipes (colloquially known as "P pipes") are being detected by frontline staff. Any person importing or supplying (including selling) "P" pipes will now be liable to imprisonment for up to three months or a fine up to $1,000, or both, or in the case of a body corporate, to a fine up to $5000.

Methamphetamine Use Increasing: Study

Drug treatment and enforcement authorities are reporting an increase in violence and theft by methamphetamine users. A new study by Massey University in Auckland interviewed 74 drug enforcement officers and 37 drug treatment workers around the country. Around 30 percent of respondents say they have noted an increase in burglary and general crime by people desperate to get money for drugs. Enforcement officials in particular are reporting more serious violence and domestic violence problems among drug users.

Methamphetamine is being sold in smaller, cheaper quantities, which is easing its spread within society. The drug is now not only found in the traditional dance party scene, but is being used by teenagers, businesspeople, boy racers and lower socio-economic groups.

Internet Child Pornography in 2003

2003 saw more NZers convicted and jailed for child pornography offending than in any previous year, and courts made important precedent-setting decisions. Department of Internal Affairs' statistics show its investigations resulted in 26 child pornography convictions in 2003. One case involved the sale of videos, while the other 25 involved trading or collecting images and movies from the Internet. Courts imposed jail terms in eight cases.

The Department had, and continues to have, between 20 and 25 cases before the courts at any one time. This compares with a total of five jail terms in the entire previous six years and, on average 16 or 17 convictions a year in those years.

Sponsorship: Community Treaty Initiatives

A new sponsorship scheme for community-based groups wanting to enhance their knowledge of the Treaty of Waitangi is up and running. This sponsorship scheme gives community-based groups access to government funding, in order to help them run seminars, workshops or hui centred around the Treaty.

To qualify for assistance, each proposal:

  • must have the Treaty of Waitangi as its main focus;
  • should be for a seminar, workshop, symposium or hui;
  • should be intended for a wide public audience and encourage community participation; and
  • should take an inclusive approach to the Treaty of Waitangi.

Given the community focus of the sponsorship programme, applications should be forwarded by local or community-based groups hosting the event. In general, applications from training deliverers would not normally qualify for assistance. Up to $400,000 in funds will be available in 2004 to support the sponsorship scheme.

People can apply at any time and decisions on sponsoring proposals will be taken every two months by an assessment panel. Application forms can be obtained as follows: by downloading a copy from the State Services Commission website at www.ssc.govt.nz; by emailing towinfo@ssc.govt.nz; by writing to The Director, Treaty of Waitangi Information Unit, State Services Commission, PO Box 329, Wellington; or by phoning (04) 495 6604

2003 Gambling Statistics

The gambling statistics for the year to 30 June 2003 released recently show continued growth in gambling expenditure. Gambling statistics for the 2002/03 financial year show gambling expenditure (the difference between the amount gambled and the amount returned as prizes) of $1.871 billion. This figure is a 12 percent increase on the previous year. Prize money was an estimated $11.527 billion, from an estimated turnover of $13.398 billion.

Overall gambling expenditure in 2002/03 was made up of:

Gambling product

Expenditure

Increase/decrease from 2001/02

$ million

%

  

Racing and sports betting

234

2.6

Lotteries Commission products

239

-4.8

Non-casino gaming machines

941 (estimate)

21.1

Casinos

457

11.5%

Contaminated Sites Funding

Grants to clean up of some of NZ's worst contaminated sites have been announced under the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund. Five regional councils will receive more than $100,000 to investigate and plan the remediation of high-risk sites around the country. The grants are:

  • Auckland Regional Council: $46,200 for site assessment of the former fertiliser works associated with the "Green Stream" and Onehunga aquifer contamination;
  • Environment Canterbury: $29,640 for remediation planning to clean up contaminated sediments in Lyttleton Harbour;
  • Wellington Regional Council: $15,749 for remediation planning to clean up contaminated sediments in the lower reach of the Waiwhetu Stream;
  • West Coast Regional Council: $25,076 for assessing a former gasworks site in Hokitika; and
  • Environment Bay of Plenty: $7,150 to plan the clean up of buried woodwaste contaminated with PCP and dioxin at the Toroa and Taiwhakaea marae sites.

Further applications to the fund are expected to fully clean up the sites and Regional Councils will be invited to apply for a second funding round early this year.

Molesworth Station to Become High Country Park

NZ's largest farm will be permanently protected as a unique high country park. Molesworth Station in South Marlborough spans an area the size of Stewart Island. The station covers more than 180,000 hectares of mountains, rivers, wetlands, lakes and tussock grasslands. About 7000 cattle graze on about a third of the station, which has been administered by Land Information NZ (LINZ) as a Crown special lease.

From July 2005, management of Molesworth will transfer from LINZ to the Department of Conservation (DOC). The station will be declared a reserve and more conservation, recreation and historic heritage preservation will be integrated alongside the existing farming operation. Landcorp, which has run Molesworth's farming operation to date, is expected to renew its lease to continue farming the station.

Molesworth is one of five "hotspots" for NZ's biodiviersity. A high proportion of species in the area are found no where else in the world. Molesworth itself sports 77 plant and lizard species that are threatened with extinction, including one plant species that lives only in the station and nowhere else in NZ.

Government Buys High Country Station

A large high country station in the South Island has been bought for the conservation estate at a cost of $10 million. The Birchwood Station covers more than 23,000 hectares in the Ahuriri Valley in North Otago. The $10 million price tag is the most ever spent by the government's Nature Heritage Fund on a single purchase. Ownership of the station will transfer in July.

The station is seen as a crucial breeding area for black stilt or kaki, of which there are only about 250 left in the world, and several other severely threatened species, such as the black-fronted tern and wrybill. Birchwood also contains a beautiful alpine landscape criss-crossed by rivers and streams teeming with trout and native fish. The climbing, fishing, walking and hunting in the area is also particularly good.

Government Buys Westport Farmland

The government has bought a $90,000 section of land from farmers near Westport in order to protect an important coastal and estuarine environment for seabirds, and for Maori heritage.

The purchase covers just under 24 hectares of coastal and estuarine dunelands at Okari Spit, Nine Mile Beach. It was made through the government's Nature Heritage Fund.

DOC says the 400 hectare Okari Lagoon next to the sandspit is one of the largest tidal flat estuaries on the West Coast, and the area is recognised in the Ngai Tahu Deed of Settlement as a Statutory Acknowledgement Area.

Thanks to "NewsRoom"

Trans-Tasman Action on Climate Change

Details of the first projects to be undertaken under the Australia-NZ Bilateral Climate Change Partnership were announced recently. The Partnership, formally announced by the two governments in July 2003, aims to focus on concrete ways to address climate change, particularly at a regional level. The first Partnership projects include:

  • work to enhance climate monitoring and prediction in the South-West Pacific region;
  • measures to facilitate local government engagement and action on greenhouse gas abatement and other climate change issues;
  • developing common energy efficiency regulatory requirements;
  • measures to develop a better understanding of Australian/NZ climate variability and predictability;
  • analysing past climate behaviour at a regional level to help model future climate change scenarios; and
  • collaborative work to reduce emissions of synthetic greenhouse gases.

Protecting Lake Taupo

The government is committing up to $36.7 million to a joint fund to reduce nitrogen inputs to Lake Taupo, with the aim of protecting its water quality and clarity. Part of the funding will go toward a public fund that will buy, sell and covenant land so it can be changed to low nitrogen land uses like forestry. Other components of the package will include regulations to limit any increases in nitrogen lake inputs, higher environmental standards for new subdivisions and septic tanks, additional research and farm trials for improved pastoral farm systems and investigation of alternative low nitrogen land uses. The Taupo District Council has already proposed upgrades to community sewerage schemes.

Talks will continue with Taupo Lake Care farmer group and Landcorp on how to cost-effectively contribute to cutting nitrogen inputs to the lake from farms. The government is also talking with Tûwharetoa who collectively own most of the land around the lake, as well as the lakebed itself. This parallel process is needed to address mutual Treaty obligations and to help maintain the economic future of the tribe.

Wet Weather Takes Sting Out of Wasp Season

Landcare Research predicts that wasp numbers will be relatively low this summer. NZ has some of the highest densities of common wasps in the world. These introduced wasps compete with native birds, prey on invertebrates, disrupt tourism activities and reduce productivity of forestry and bee-keeping.

The Nelson region's honeydew beech forests are highly favoured by wasps, and are a key study site for wasp researchers. Landcare says the large amount of rain there during the spring, when nests are founded, is likely to result in reduced wasp numbers over summer. This is because rain can drown nests, or reduce the queens' ability to produce and rear their first brood of larvae. However, it is likely that there will still be "hotspots" in some areas of the country, as a wide range of factors can influence wasp populations.

NZ Gives $5 Million to Help Rebuild Niue

The $5 million recently earmarked for helping rebuild Niue will come from the NZ Agency for International Development (NZAID). Its exact use will depend on a needs assessment currently being carried out by the Niue Government, but the key aim will be restoring public institutions. Around $1 million of the total will be used to help re-start Niue's private sector, which was shattered by the cyclone. With no cyclone cover available, some businesses have lost virtually everything. Many are unable raise loans to rebuild their businesses because they now have no income.

Natural Disasters Cost Insurers

Natural disasters, most of them linked to extreme weather, are estimated to have cost the world's insurers more than US$60 billion in 2003. A new study released at a United Nations Climate Conference in Milan, says the biggest single event was Europe's summer heatwave, which killed about 20,000 people and cost more than $10 billion in agricultural losses alone. The report says that insured losses from natural disasters have increased tenfold since the 1960s.

Thanks to "NewsRoom"

Mineral Research Funded

Researchers will be looking at novel ways to develop NZ's mineral wealth with the help of more than $10 million over four years from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. Four major research programmes, spread around the country, will be focusing on new ways to use NZ's mineral wealth to underpin its economic development.

  • Gold-mining areas in Otago and Southland will be the focus of a University of Otago programme that will receive $355,000 per year for four years. The programme will focus on improving the extraction and exploration methods for gold mining, as well as lowering compliance costs for environmental maintenance and rehabilitation of mine sites.
  • The Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences Limited (IGNS) will receive around $1.4 million per year for six years, to help improve economic growth through environmentally sustainable development of the minerals industry.
  • Adopting environmentally acceptable practices has become a critical requirement for mining and minerals companies, and CRL Energy Ltd will receive $475,000 per year for six years to carry out research in Westland, Otago and Southland. A separate part of the study will focus on reducing environmental impacts from acid mine drainage and developing innovative restoration techniques.
  • The University of Auckland will look at research that fosters growth of two of NZ's important non-fuel commodities: aggregates and gold. The programme, which will receive $344,000 per year for four years, will provide solutions to the shortage of quality aggregate in the Auckland region and increase the probability of discovering new epithermal gold deposits in the North Island.

Business Mentoring Receives More Funding

Free mentoring services for small businesses have received a boost from the government with additional funding being approved. An extra $500,000 has been allocated, by NZ Trade and Enterprise, to ensure more companies can receive support. The mentoring services involved are delivered throughout the country by "Business In The Community" and "Company Rebuilders", supported by NZ Trade and Enterprise.

Business In The Community provides about 14,000 mentoring sessions annually to 3700 clients (averaging four sessions per client) and Company Rebuilders provides around 6000 mentoring sessions to 1,200 clients (averaging five sessions per client).

Business In The Community has developed a website to enable mentors to communicate more effectively with each other. The website contains an extensive range of business information to assist mentors with their work. The extra funding will assist with further development of this website. A proportion of the additional funding has been granted to Company Rebuilders to assist in expanding the number of volunteer mentors and to cover their expenses. Many of these mentors are retired senior executives who are dedicating substantial time each week for mentoring work.

Information on business mentoring is available from NZTE's Enterprise Hotline (0800 555 888), or online at www.nzte.govt.nz or www.biz.org.nz. Alternatively, clients can contact Business In The Community (www.businessmentor.org.nz) or Company Rebuilders directly

Television Advertising Breaks Records

Television advertising revenue totalled $591.7 million ($516 million in 2002) for the 12 months to 31 December 2003. This is an increase of $75.7 million or 14.7 percent over the same period in 2002 and breaks last year's record return. Revenue for the quarter ending 31 December 2003 was $176 million compared with $151.1 million in the same quarter in 2002, an increase of $24.9 million or 16.5 percent. Strong rises in spending on television advertising in the December quarter were reported by Nielsen Media Research in the categories of home improvements, banking and investment, leisure/entertainment, cosmetics, retail and telecommunications.

NZ/Chile Double Tax Agreement

Chile recently became the first Latin American country with which NZ has signed a double tax agreement (DTA). The DTA will come into force once both parties have completed domestic procedures to give legal effect to it, which in NZ's case will require an Order in Council.

Double tax agreements reduce impediments to cross-border trade and investment by preventing businesses being taxed twice, providing greater certainty of tax treatment, lowering taxes on some income and reducing compliance costs for some activities. They also help tax administrators to detect and prevent tax evasion. NZ is party to 27 such agreements.

NZ's exports to Chile in the year to June included dairy, seeds and some chemical products, for a total value of about NZ$33 million. Chilean exports to NZ for the same period consisted mainly of grapes, wine and copper, valued at NZ$31 million.

Phoenix Organics and the Fair Trading Act

In a settlement with the Commerce Commission, Phoenix Organics Limited has admitted the labelling of its 275ml Organic Orange, Mango and Apple Juice product was likely to breach the Fair Trading Act and has published a public apology on its website. Due to problems with the supply of imported organic mango puree in September and October 2003, Phoenix affixed a small label to the back of about 100,000 affected bottles, stating that the mango puree was temporarily non-organic. The label covered a BioGro Standard mark.

Despite the fact that Phoenix had made efforts to inform consumers that the mango puree was temporarily non-organic, the main representations made on the front of the product as to the organic nature of the product remained unchanged.

The Commerce Commission said that this case nevertheless sends a clear message to all businesses about the importance of ensuring that the claims they make about their products are accurate at all times. It is not good enough, the Commission spokesperson said, to continue to claim that a product has special qualities prominently on the front label while contradicting those claims on a back label that consumers may not be able to see.

Commerce Commission Cautions Car Dealers

The Commerce Commission is cautioning car dealers that interest-free deals that are not truly interest-free risk breach the Fair Trading Act, an offence which can attract fines of up to $200,000. A Commision spokesperson said that if an offer is advertised as being interest-free, then there must be no extra cost to the customer built into the price.

The caution follows a recent settlement between the Commission and a Christchurch-based car dealer in relation to what the Commission believed to be misleading advertising of interest-free prices. The company's website promoted a number of vehicles available for sale at prices described as "36 months, 0% interest free, conditions apply". If a customer chose to pay cash rather than enter into an interest free deal, however, the cars were offered for sale at reduced prices (a 1994 Mazda Lantis Sedan, for example, was available under the interest-free deal for $9,995, but a cash buyer would only have to pay $8,200 for the same car).

This is a no-no. It is now well established, through a number of cases taken by the Commission, that to offer a product at a particular price on an "interest-free" basis but at a lower price for cash is a breach of the Fair Trading Act. This is because the price difference is effectively the cost of the interest. An additional concern in the Christchurch case was a $300 booking fee which applied but was not disclosed in the website advertising.

Maori TV Transmission Platform Confirmed

The Maori Television Service has announced it has reached an agreement with Sky Television that will see the Maori channel broadcast free-to-air from an existing Sky analogue network channel. A Maori Television spokesperson said that anybody who has a UHF aerial or is a Sky TV subscriber should be able to receive the channel. A test signal is expected to be available on the UHF frequency from 1 March. Confirmation of the transmission frequency brings the channel closer to confirming its official launch date, which the Maori Affairs Minister has said will be by the end of March.

Oaths and Affirmations to be Reviewed

A review of NZ's oaths and affirmations (the first for almost 50 years) is to be undertaken by an inter-departmental working group led by the Ministry of Justice. The oaths to be reviewed include those taken by new citizens, public office holders and some employees in the state sector. Oaths taken by professional groups and by witnesses in court are not being reviewed.

The review will consider:

  • whether current oaths adequately reflect the values and beliefs important to NZers in the 21st century;
  • whether the language of oaths under review requires modernising; and
  • options for changing, modernising, replacing or removing the oaths under review.

The working group is to report back at the end of June 2004, with public submissions being sought in early 2005.

Hong Kong Still Tops List of Freest Economies

While the Asia-Pacific region became less economically free over the last year, Hong Kong is still the world's freest economy, according to a recent international report. Sixteen Asia-Pacific countries lost ground while 11 others improved, according to the editors of the 2004 "Index of Economic Freedom", published annually by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal.

The US came tenth in the index of free economies, ranked according to ten measures of economic freedom including trade policy, the fiscal burden of government and state intervention in the economy. Hong Kong, which took up the top slot for the tenth consecutive year, Singapore and NZ led the index of most free economies. Luxembourg, Ireland, Estonia, the UK, then Denmark and Switzerland.

Economic freedom in China, the world's fifth-largest economy, has worsened over the past four years. China ranked 128th out of 155 countries in the 2004 list against 100th in 2000, with the country turning to more protectionist policies, said the report. Among other major economies, Japan came in at 38, Germany at 18 and France at 44. The bottom five countries were Burma, Laos, Zimbabwe, Libya and North Korea.

Flying Safer Than Ever

Last year was the safest ever for the world's airline passengers. An independent organisation which tracks plane crashes says only 25 commercial airliners crashed in fatal accidents in 2003, by far the lowest number in modern aviation history. The Netherlands-based Aviation Safety Network says the 2003 performance was 26 percent lower than the previous record for fatal airline crashes - 34 in 2001. Between 1973 and 2002, the world averaged 50 fatal airliner accidents.

Thanks to "NewsRoom"

More Countries Growing GM Crops

More countries than ever are growing bigger genetically modified crops. A new report by International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAA) found the area planted in GM crops globally increased 15 percent in 2003. That followed a 12 percent increase the preceding year.

Globally, 67.7 million hectares of GM crops were planted last year. The number of farmers using GM crops increased to eight million from six million, while the technology was used in 18 countries, up from 16. The US continues to be the largest grower of GM crops, accounting for 42.8 million hectares, followed by Argentina (13.9 million hectares), Canada (4.4 million hectares), Brazil (three million hectares) and China (2.4 million hectares).

The report's author said it was likely that within five years, more than 100 million hectares would be under GM crops, with up to 10 million farmers in 25 countries using the technology.

Journalist Death Toll Rises

The Committee to Protect Journalists says 36 journalists were killed as a direct result of their work in 2003. But it should be noted that the US-led war in Iraq accounted for more than a third (13) of the casualties. Six others who died from illness or traffic accidents while covering the war were not included in the total. The death toll in Iraq is the highest from a single country since 24 journalists were killed in Algeria in 1995 during civil strife between the government and Islamist militants. In 2002, 19 journalists were killed worldwide.

Thanks to "NewsRoom"

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