Postal cuts would hit rural community hardest

The move to introduce three-day-a-week postal delivery could unfairly disadvantage rural consumers and businesses in the remotest parts of New Zealand, say Rural Women New Zealand.
Rural Women NZ national president Liz Evans said she understood the need for NZ Post to reconsider its business model after a decrease in mail volumes, but the rural delivery service needed to be preserved.
She said rural contractors often delivered groceries, medicines, supplies or spare parts - which helped farmers, small businesses and families overcome the obstacles of living long distances from town.
NZ Post this week outlined plans to move to three-day-a-week letter deliveries and to replace some PostShops with self-service kiosks as letter volumes drop.
Rural Women NZ also opposed any fee being reintroduced for rural mail delivery services.
"Parcels posted to and from rural areas already incur extra costs, and we would not wish to see further targeting of rural customers who are so dependent on the mail service."

"Rural delivery service is a real lifeline for many people."
She said the changes would unfairly disadvantage rural businesses who need a rapid service for mail-order food at a reasonable cost, both to the supplier and the customer.
"Rural Women New Zealand actively supports and promotes such businesses and we need to be satisfied that the proposed NZ Post changes will not have a negative impact on rural enterprise and innovation."
Mrs Evans said for some living in remote areas, the rural delivery contractor is the only contact with the outside world for days at a time.
She said members mentioned how important contact with the rural delivery contractor was in combating loneliness, which can lead to depression - another very real problem.
Rural Women NZ will be further consulting with its members on the NZ Post proposals and making a formal submission.
NZ Post spokesman John Tulloch said it welcomed submissions from the rural sector, which would "help design the solution".
"We're fully aware of their concerns and we're very committed to engaging with them, but first and foremost let's let the process go, so we welcome, and the Government will welcome, their submissions ... and we'll be engaging closely with them."
He also said NZ Post would work with businesses who relied on mail deliveries to create a postal design which worked for them.
"If we went to a guaranteed minimum of say three days and we got to that point where we actually vote that, [businesses would] be paying a premium if they wanted it any more frequent," he said.
About 20 per cent of the sending customers made up 80 per cent of letter mail, he said.
"One of the first things we would look to do, for our big premium sending customers anyway, is to work with them about design."
He said it was too early to say how the proposed change would impact on PO Box mail.
"They do fall under the definition of a delivery point ... but it would be preemptive to say if we got the flexibility in the deed, what the design of the delivery network would be and how that would impact on PO Boxes."
The proposed change was a guaranteed minimum which did not mean that was what it would be for a PO Box, he said.
When asked if delivery days would be increased at peak times, such as Christmas, Mr Tulloch said: "The standard letter delivery timeframe is up to three working days, so it's not necessarily next day.
"The system takes up to three working days for the letter to be delivered so if you change delivery frequency that shouldn't necessarily impact on where we currently are."
By Hana Garrett-Walker Email Hana, Kate Shuttleworth K8Shuttleworth Email Kate

4:30 PM Wednesday Jan 30, 2013

4. Email
5. Print

San Francisco: Fogbound on Golden Gate

Waking up to the foghorn should have been a warning, but I was determined to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge before breakfast.
In my mind's eye I would get halfway across the 2.7km steel structure just in time to catch the sun rising over San Francisco - a perfect photo opportunity. A quick peek out of my unit window put paid to that idea.
Summertime in San Francisco apparently means fog most mornings as warm, moist air from the Central Pacific blows across the cool California current and is sucked into the Bay and the surrounding coastal area.
This morning brought the bonus of light drizzle, too.
Suitably rugged-up against the cold and damp, I dragged a friend along to tackle what is widely recognised as one of the great bridge walks. I'd promised a spectacular dawn, a lifelong memory to relate to the grandkids, complete with the aforementioned pictures. The fog didn't seem to faze her, however.
We crossed under the bridge at Fort Baker, Sausalito. The noise from the morning rush-hour traffic was deafening as commuters made their way from Marin County south, to the city of San Francisco and beyond.

About 120,000 vehicles cross the six-lane bridge every day: four lanes going south in the mornings and four going north in the afternoons - a moveable median barrier separates opposing traffic.
In addition, thousands of pedestrians and cyclists use the bridge daily, separated from the traffic by a steel barrier that was installed in 2003. But before then walkers and riders took their chances with only a concrete kerb for protection. One poor girl, 2-year-old Gauri Govil, even slipped through a gap between the pavement and the road falling more than 50m to her death in 1997. A plaque to her memory can be seen on the Marin side from the sidewalk.
On a damp weekday morning at 6.30 you probably wouldn't expect to see too many people. In bicycle-obsessed northern California the Golden Gate Bridge is both a commuter route and part of a larger circuit for the seriously fit. There were even a few joggers.
Cyclists and plodders share the fairly narrow walkway and there are numerous signs reminding everyone to keep to their respective sides.
Things get really interesting when the gang of road workers trundles to the next spot in need of a coat of paint - we have to press our bodies flat against the barrier to avoid their truck scooting along the footpath.
The crossing takes about half an hour, with one or two stops for a quick snap. The city appears and disappears with the rolling fog, as does the bridge at times.
And, as we pause on the southern end at Fort Point to review our efforts, looking back across the Gate, a ship glides silently out from the fog, under the bridge.
The warning foghorn sounds the city awake.
* Alex Robertson flew to San Francisco with Air New Zealand and was a guest of visitcalifornia.com.
By Alex Robertson

1. San Francisco: Pedalling through thin air 

 By Alex Robertson

4:00 PM Wednesday Jan 30, 2013

4. Email
5. Print

Alex Robertson searches for San Francisco's bridge.

 

Whats new in the news

Is about to be closed down. More's the pity.

Here's hoping it will survive the cull

Nelson Library evacuated in city blaze

Nelson’s Elma Turner library and staff and customers in the building housing Prego Mediterranean Foods were rapidly evacuated late this morning as a large fire took hold in the building.
Nelson City Council confirmed the fire was in an area of the council-owned building where stores of furniture and fixtures from the Nelson Arts Festival were kept.
The council has advised that the library will remain closed for the rest of the day.
Smoke from the fire closed businesses down in the immediate area, including the customer services centre of Civic House.
Library staff were able to get everyone out of the building within minutes, but several members of the public who were inside the emergency cordon were seen trying to gain entry to the library to drop off and collect books.
Fire Service Nelson District senior station officer Richard Lovering said there would be an investigation into the cause of the fire, probably later today.
There had been difficulties with access, and with locating the fire, due to the large quantities of smoke.
More appliances had been called to boost the manpower available, he said.
About seven appliances and 30 officers and firefighters had attended.
Crews had only been able to enter the building for short periods of time, and had to be rotated with others once their air supply ran out.
The fire had quickly been restricted to the ceiling space between the downstairs storeroom and the upstairs floor, he said.
The relocateable hazmat/command centre had been deployed to manage the operation.
Prego co-owner Claudia Kern said an off-duty fireman was in the shop at the time, and took over the phone after she had dialled emergency services.
‘‘The fire service got here very quickly. I was on the phone dialling 111 and an off-duty fireman took the phone and handled the situation,’’ she said.
Parents with children and foreign tourists in the library at the time said the evacuation went smoothly, but German tourists Lena Jobst and David Hack said it wasn’t until someone shouted in German that they knew the situation was serious.
‘‘I saw one woman with a child running out. It was handled well. I heard a woman cry, ‘fire’! then a German woman shouted it in German. At first I thought it was a joke, then we grabbed our stuff and left,’’ Ms Jobst said.
Mr Hack said he did not realise how bad it was until he got outside and saw all the dense smoke billowing from the building.
Library manager Ian Littleworth, who is on leave but turned up at the site, said while there was no fire damage in the library a lot of smoke had gone through it.
‘‘Anything like this you have to make sure the staff and customers are okay first then you worry about the stock.
‘‘It reinforces the importance of fire drills,’’ he said. http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/8184401/Nelson-Library-evacuated-in-city-blaze

Just call me Sir - Paul Holmes

Just call me Sir - Paul Holmes said after he was knighted at his Hawke's Bay home today.

The broadcaster was unashamedly proud of his new title after receiving his knighthood to a standing ovation from more than 100 people who gathered at his Poukawa, Hawke's Bay, home.

"It's nice to be Sir and Lady. I want everyone to call me Sir, I'm unashamed - as you would expect."
Holding on to his wife, Lady Deborah's, arm for support, he walked from their home to a marquee set up in their extensive backyard.
Holmes waved to his friends in the crowd and, pausing to hold on to the marquee, he showed his wicked sense of humour by swinging a leg around a pole. He then was helped on to the investiture stall by his family.
Governor-general Jerry Mateparae dubbed him with the sword before having a quiet word to him. Later Holmes said the governor-general told him one of his redeeming features was how he stuck up for his daughter when she got into trouble over drugs.

"A kid gets into trouble you've got to help them," he said.

Holmes said the ceremony meant a lot to him and his family and that his late parents would have been "over the moon".

"My mother would be immensely proud - she'd be giving me advice right up until the last minute."

He emphasised the love and support he'd received from his wife during his turbulent career and declining health.

"My wife and I've have grown closer and I want to thank you baby," he said reaching for her hand.
Holmes has been battling heart problems and the return of prostate cancer which he said was more aggressive than before.

"It's not good. There's a time limitation now - the old cancer found me out and is starting to do some funny things."
Holmes admitted he had some regrets from his long career. He earned notoriety by getting America's Cup sailor Dennis Conner to storm out of an interview, calling former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan a ''cheeky darkie'', and what he admits was an "obnoxious and unpleasant attack" on Tariana Turia.

"I made mistakes. I went too far, I thought I could do something and it was not accepted. But on the whole for a fellow who lived on his wits and lived live I think I did pretty well."
During the ceremony Mateparae paid tribute to Holmes' "considerable" legacy in New Zealand broadcasting.
"You have achieved excellence in broadcasting and helped in your community, and you have done those things in your own individual way," Mateparae said. 
"You once described yourself as a life-long rebel against those who were frightened of openess, colour and expressions of passion and individuality. Throughout your long and varied career ... you have celebrated the colourful, the passionate and the expressive side of our national psyche.  http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv/8183571/Sir-Paul-the-rebel-with-a-title