NEWSROOM: 30 July - 05 August 2006

Statement by Taito Phillip Field to NZ Parliament
05 August 2006 - Source: NZ Labour Party

Madam Speaker, I seek the leave of the House to make a personal explanation under standing order 350.

(Speaker asks if there is any objection)

Madam Speaker, I thank the House for the opportunity to make this personal statement.

Madam Speaker, I accept wholeheartedly the New Zealand parliamentary principle of not accepting any consideration from constituents on whose behalf members are advocating, and I accept that members of this House have been concerned by some inferences which may have been drawn from reporting of the Ingram report.

While I do believe that because much of the evidence presented in the report was untested, some inferences which may be being drawn are inaccurate, I can understand the disquiet felt by colleagues.

I want to assure the House that for my part, I cooperated to the fullest extent with Dr Ingram’s inquiry, and he makes mention of that fact in his report and I must also make it clear that at no stage did I knowingly seek personal benefit from my relationship with my constituents.

However, I accept that issues raised in the report have brought the principle of not accepting any consideration from constituents on whose behalf members are advocating into question.

I also accept that not keeping an appropriate distance between my professional and personal relationships has contributed to the feeling of concern amongst my colleagues and members of the public and for that I apologise.

I understand I have to change the way I have operated and I want to sincerely express my regret to the Speaker, the Prime Minister, other honourable members of this House and the New Zealand public for any reduction in the public confidence in the institution of parliament that the issues raised by the Ingram report may have caused.
 

State farewell for Dame Silvia Cartwright
04 August 2006 - Source: NZ Government/eventpolynesia.com

New Zealand Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright completed her term of office on Wednesday and was given a state farewell.

The Governor-General-designate, Judge Anand Satyanand will be sworn in at Parliament on 23 August. He will become the first New Zealand governor-general of Pacific and Asian descent as he has both Fijian and Indian ancestry.

The Chief Justice, Dame Sian Elias, will act as Administrator of the Government until Judge Anand is sworn in.

A 100-person tri-service guard of honour greeted Dame Silvia as her motorcade made its way from to the Parliament buildings from Government House.

The central band of the Royal New Zealand Air Force in attendance and the 16 Field Regiment from Linton fired a 21-gun salute.

Dame Silvia and Peter Cartwright were met by Mr John Tahuparae, kaumatua to Parliament and Te Atiawa after the karanga.

The Maori leaders escorted Dame Silvia and Peter Cartwright as they were then welcomed by the Prime Minister Helen Clark and the Speaker, after which Dame Silvia took the Royal Salute and inspected the guard of honour.

The official party then entered Parliament Buildings by the main steps and proceeded to the Grand Hall before entering the Beehive banquet hall for the State Luncheon, where Dame Silvia delivered her farewell address.
 

National dismisses Field apology
03 August 2006 - Source: TVNZ

The National Party is dismissing an apology from Labour MP Taito Phillip Field as "totally inadequate," and says it will continue to push for a formal inquiry.

In a statement on Tuesday, Field apologised for any damage to parliament's image as a result of issues raised in the Ingram Report into allegations against him.

National blocked Field from reading his statement in parliament, saying that would have stopped it from asking further questions about the report.

It says Field's statement does not address the real issue of whether he benefited from seeking immigration favours for people working on his properties.
 

Greens move motion on findings of Ingram report
02 August 2006 - Source: Press Release - Green Party

The Green Party moved a motion in the House on Tuesday expressing concern at the findings of the Ingram report, and calling on Mangere MP Taito Phillip Field to apologise.

"It was suggested last week that a select committee inquiry be held into matters raised by the Ingram report. My colleagues and I have spent the last few days considering what such an inquiry would achieve," Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says.

"We are of the opinion that a select committee is very limited in what it can do. It cannot force witnesses to appear and cannot require an MP to resign or apologise. It is hard to see what it could add to the conclusions of the Ingram Report, incomplete as they are.

"Nevertheless, the Green Party believes it is important for the House to have an opportunity to reiterate the principle that Members must not receive, or appear to receive, personal gain from the exercise of their role as an MP.

"We also believe it is important to challenge Taito Phillip Field to take some responsibility for damaging the credibility of Parliament in the eyes of the public.

"We have therefore drafted the attached motion, which we will seek leave to move today.

We hope all parties will give leave for the motion to be moved, whether or not they intend to vote for it, as this important principle deserves the consideration of the House," Ms Fitzsimons says.

The motion is reproduced in full below:

Motion - 1 August 2006

Jeanette Fitzsimons

I move that this House:

* Reaffirms the principle of not accepting any consideration from constituents on whose behalf members are advocating or have advocated; and while accepting that much of the evidence in the Ingram report is untested -

* Notes Dr Ingram's expression of concern that people may have carried out work on the house of Taito Phillip Field in Samoa "out of gratitude for, or some other sense of obligation in relation to the assistance which Mr Field had provided in the immigration applications of those people"; and

* Notes Dr Ingram's finding that Mr Field, after writing to the Assoc Minister for Immigration to support Mr Siriwan's work permit application, failed to inform the minister that Mr Siriwan was working on his house in Samoa and was not being remunerated; and

* Notes Dr Ingram's concern at "the unsatisfactory nature of the explanations provided by Mr Field" in relation to the painting of his house in Otahuhu; and therefore

* Calls on Taito Phillip Field to apologise to the House for not ensuring a clearer separation between his private business and his duties as an MP, resulting in a perception that could reduce public confidence in the institution of Parliament; and

* Asks him to recommit to this principle.
 

Wiki cops ban as Warriors playoff hopes falter
01 August 2006 - Source: Newstalk ZB

New Zealand Warriors prop and vice captain Ruben Wiki has entered an early guilty plea against his grade three careless high tackle charge.

Wiki will serve a one match NRL suspension, missing the Warriors versus Cronulla game this weekend at Mt Smart Stadium.

He was charged with a grade three careless high tackle after a hit on Penrith forward Joel Clinton late in the second half of Saturday night's embarrassing 36-6 loss in Sydney.

Rhys Wesser grabbed a hat trick for the Panthers, while Tony Puletua, Luke Rooney and Matthew Cross also dotted down once each.

Manu Vatuvei opened the scoring for the Warriors but they never scored again in the game.

The loss all but ends the Warriors chances of making the 2006 NRL playoffs.

Warriors captain Steve Price wonders whether the Saturday off last week could have hurt them. He says they were a little bit rusty with the ball and the Panthers were a little more desperate.

He says while it is now far more difficult, achieving a place in the top eight is not necessarily impossible. Price says it does not really matter what they can or cannot do and they have to concentrate on next week.

He says they are disappointed and they will have to come home and dissect what went wrong.

The Warriors have also announced they have signed hooker George Gatis for another year."
 

Kiwi picked as future classical music superstar
31 July 2006 - Source: Gramophone Magazine

The venerable Gramophone magazine, founded way back in 1923, has announced Dunedin-born Bass-Baritone, Jonathan Lemalu as one of its 20 'Classical Music Superstars of the Future'.

The August 2006 Gramophone has a special cover feature spotlighting the stars that are quickly ascending the operatic and concert ladders, naming Lemalu with compatriots countertenor Philippe Jaroussky and violinist Julia Fischer. Lemalu is the only young performer named from the Asia-Pacific region among artists that predominately come from Europe, America and the United Kingdom.

The highly anticipated return to New Zealand of Dunedin-born Lemalu, following extremely successful debuts in New York, and Chicago's Lyric Opera, sees him performing concerts in Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington over the next week, with a concert in his home town tonight.

Thomas Allen from the Gramophone magazine writes, "It's not every month that a student's debut disc finds itself Gramophone Record of the Month but Jonathan Lemalu's debut disc did just that in 2002 - taking a Gramophone Award later that year. He continues to enjoy the poetry of songs with a simple no-nonsense approach. This is a mark of a fine artist who, God willing, will be with us for many years to come and in whom the future of song is safe."

Jonathan Lemalu was born and brought up in Dunedin, his Samoan background first nurturing his love of music as he sang in choirs and at church. A normal childhood meant that he "loved singing Bach, but I also loved running riot with my friends."

Jonathan has since gone on to be one of the brightest lights of the current young generation of singers. With the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra he represented New Zealand at the 2005 BBC Proms performing songs from Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn, the same repertoire he will showcase in these upcoming performances."

All Blacks retains Bledisloe Cup in thriller
30 July 2006 - Source: sportal.com

New Zealand's All Blacks retained the Bledisloe Cup, stonewalling the spirited Wallabies to win the second match of the rugby series 13-9 at Lang Park, Brisbane on Saturday night.

The All Blacks led 10-6 at half-time and held on for a gripping victory with Dan Carter's 58th-minute drop goal their only score of a fiercely-contested second half.

In front of a record 52,498 crowd at Lang Park, the Wallabies dominated long stretches of the second half and were camped for minutes inside the Kiwis' quarter, but could not breach the tenacious black defensive wall for the match-breaking try.

It was New Zealand's seventh win in nine encounters with the Wallabies in the last three years and they will go to Auckland on August 19 with the Bledisloe Cup safely in their keeping.

The All Blacks have now held on to the Bledisloe Cup, symbol of trans-Tasman rugby supremacy, for the fourth consecutive year.

The victory stretched New Zealand's lead in the Tri-Nations series to 13 points, seven points clear of the Wallabies, who gained a scoring bonus point with South Africa win-less in their two games.

It was outstanding defensive effort from world rugby's top-ranked team with skipper and open-side flanker Richie McCaw an inspiring man-of-the-match.

The Wallabies failed to score a try in a Test for almost four years.

The All Blacks, who did not perform their controversial ''throat-slitting'' version of the haka before the kick-off, dominated the opening half.

Winger Joe Rokocoko, who complained before the match of a lack of scoring opportunities, gave New Zealand an early advantage with the opening try in the 10th minute after a Stirling Mortlock penalty in the ninth minute.

Blindside flanker Jerry Collins gave Rokocoko the space and he shrugged off Rocky Elsom's tackle and stepped inside fullback Chris Latham to score a powerful try, converted by Dan Carter for a 7-3 lead. It was to prove the only try of a titanic struggle.

Carter kicked a penalty to stretch the All Blacks' lead to 10-3.

Mortlock edged the Wallabies to within four points at 10-6 when he converted a ruck penalty four minutes from halftime.

Australia had few tryscoring chances and winger Lote Tuqiri wasted a potential try when he was penalised for pushing hooker Keven Mealamu to the ground in the chase after a loose ball deep inside New Zealand's half nine minutes before the interval.

Twice in the opening minutes of the second half New Zealand's powerful scrum wheeled and destroyed Australia's tight five on the home side's put-in.

But the Australians came more into the match and had a great chance 14 minutes into the second half when Mortlock sliced through Aaron Mauger's tackle and sent winger Mark Gerrard clear, only to be collared 10m short by McCaw, who regained posession in the maul.

Carter gave the All Blacks a seven-point buffer with a drop goal midway through the half after the Wallabies had dominated possession.

Mortlock pulled back three points with his third penalty minutes later as replacements began to get playing time on the hour.

Australia pressured the All Blacks with a series of pick and drives before spreading the ball to ball to the right but Gerrard dropped the ball to give the Kiwis some respite.

Mortlock again broke the line but from the next ruck replacment Phil Waugh's pass went over the sideline.
 

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