New Zealand Herald

Tanui Leader Stripped - Asian Migrants - New Beer Drink- Employee Awards- Gisborne Inquiry- Power Report- Accused Rapist Freed- End Of Golden Weather- Party Lines End- Illegal Truck Drivers- Cancer Improvements

Lead story:

TANUI LEADER STRIPPED: Tainui kingpin Sir Robert Mahuta is being stripped of his powers as controller of the cash-strapped tribe's companies. An ultimatum to resign by 5 pm yesterday or be sacked followed a meeting on Monday of Tainui's executive, Tekaumarua, and a string of revelations about investment blunders that have slashed $40 million off the tribe's balance sheet.

Other main stories:

- ASIAN MIGRANTS: A sharp fall in the numbers of Asian immigrants has driven the Government to introduce a better deal for business migrants. Business leaders say the drop has damaged the economy and property market, especially in Auckland.

- NEW BEER DRINK: They are the innocents in a marriage breakup - and they want to be heard. An Otago University study of 107 children whose parents have separated or divorced found the overwhelming majority felt their views were ignored or never sought by parents, family lawyers or the Family Court on their future.

- EMPLOYEE AWARDS: Two employees awarded huge sums of money because they were stressed were under no more pressure than many other workers, specialists say. A medical group is urging the courts to use more commonsense before making awards of the type given to probation officer Christopher Gilbert, who received about $1 million, and police video operator George Brickell, who was awarded $242,000.

- GISBORNE INQUIRY: Sharon Reid's job was to make sure that all Gisborne women were enrolled on the national cervical screening register and that they had regular smears. But it was not up to her to find out if the programme was working in reducing the number of women dying from cervical cancer in her region.

- POWER REPORT: Power consumers are paying about $200 million a year more than they should be, because of the inflated valuation of electricity networks. This averages about $120 per user.

- ACCUSED RAPIST FREED: A man accused of raping a schoolgirl in public toilets in South Auckland has been freed on court bail. Saan Pene Pomare, 35, of Manurewa, yesterday appeared in the Papakura District Court on three sex charges relating to the alleged daylight rape of a 15-year-old girl.

- END OF GOLDEN WEATHER: Make the most of the golden weather - it's going to end. That's the message from the MetService as a high pressure system over the North Island continues to bring golden sunshine and cloudless skies to Auckland and Wellington.

- PARTY LINES END: North Island party lines will be consigned to the history books later this year when Telecom disengages the last two in Northland. The shared telephone lines were once the bane of rural New Zealanders, with problems caused by phone-hoggers, eavesdroppers and endless ringing.

- ILLEGAL TRUCK DRIVERS: A New Zealander accused of sending truck drivers to work illegally in the United States has won an extra seven weeks for his fight against extradition. The Supreme Court in Brisbane was yesterday due to hear Hoani Everitt Harawira's appeal against extradition to Arkansas, but he won an adjournment until the end of next month because other connected cases are still being heard in Melbourne.

- CANCER IMPROVEMENTS: The father of a young woman who died at Middlemore Hospital wants independent checks on claims that improvements have been made since her death. Bill Garden's daughter Amanda died of a rare form of cancer in 1998.

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