Sparkling idea, Te Pahu

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MONDAY,
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NEWS 3
SEPTEMBER 11, 2006
w w w.w a i k a t o t i m e s . c o . n z
Looking
into the
abyss
NOW
IT’S THE
AUKS
TRAVEL 8
SPORT 20
Minor Sparkling idea, Te Pahu
parties
threaten
walkout
By Aaron Leaman
vealing details of National MPs’ personal
lives.
Minor parties could
It’s known as “going
stage a walkout from
nuclear” as neither side
Parliament if National
could afford the mudand Labour resume “inslinging that would enf antile”
hosti l i tie s
sue. “We’ve got to find
tomorrow.
some way of damping it
The warning came
d o w n ,”
sa i d
Ms
today from the Greens’
Fitzsimons. “The smallco-leader, Coromandeler parties are all utterly
based
Jean e tte
fed up — except perIt’s
Fitzsimons.
h a p s Ne w Z e a l a n d
She has also called
First.”
abusive,
for MPs to stop behavSh e sa i d Sp e a k e r
veiled
ing like infants.
Margaret Wilson would
Experienced Waikato
threats and speak with National
MPs spoken to today
and Labour whips this
personal
said they had never
week.
seen Par l i ament as
Hamilton West Labattacks —
feisty as it was last
ou r
MP
Martin
it’s just
week. Ms Fitzsimons
Gallagher acknowledged
said she and other leaddebate was the most
infantile.
ers of smaller parties
“robust” he had seen
might stage a mass
since being first elected
walkout next time dein 1993.
Jeanette Fitzsimons
bate got out of hand.
He pleaded with the
The problems have
National caucus to quioccurred in the 90-minute daily eten down so he could hear minispar liamen tar y que s tio n tim e ters’ replies to opposition queswhere MPs tend to amp up ques- tions. “I have a real worry because
tions and answers as they look for the positive work keeps on going
media coverage.
in select committees but the public
Barracking has got so loud it’s get a distorted view because this is
hard to hear, and nasty insults all they see.”
have been hurled.
Hamilton East National MP
“It’s partly that they are delib- David Bennett predicted the situaerately shouting down each other tion would get even more intense
and its partly what they are say- with one week left before Parliaing,” said Ms Fitzsimons. “It’s abu- ment went into recess.
sive, veiled threats and personal
“It’s definitely going to escalate
attacks — it’s just infantile.”
— there’s no doubt about it.”
Hamilton Green MP Nandor
Mr Bennett said National would
Tanczos was told to “get your hair continue to focus on Labour MP
out of your ears” when he com- Taito Phillip Field and Labour’s
plained he couldn’t hear.
controversial pledge cards.
At another point last week, ForMr Bennett said the opposition
eign Affairs Minister Winston Pe- needed to ask difficult questions
ters stood up and said of National during the question time sessions.
MP Nick Smith: “He’s cruising for
“It is the way it gets printed (in
a bruising.”
newspapers) and that’s how you
On Wednesday, senior Labour change public opinion and Governminister Trevor Mallard said he ment policy.”
was tired of being called corrupt See Real life satire just too absurd,
and threatened to retaliate by re- page 4
By Geoff Taylor
A FAIRFAX MEDIA
NEWSPAPER
BRUSHING UP: Graeme Cairns hopes the toothbrush fence he has started at Te Pahu will attract
PICTURE: Bruce Mercer
visitors from around the world.
With any luck, a
roadside display of
toothbrushes in Te
Pahu will do more
t h a n j u s t d ra w a
t o o t h y g rin fro m
amused locals.
Laird McGillicuddy
Graeme Cairns has
wired toothbrushes to
a Limeworks Loop Rd
fence with the plan of
creating a display to
rival the Cardrona
Valley’s infamous bra
fence.
“All we need to do
is add a few more
hundred toothbrushes
and people will flock
fro m a ll o v e r t h e
world to see it, I’m
sure,” Mr Cairns said.
The collection grew
to 50 soon after it
was started.
Mr Cairns began
his latest project after
being inspired by his
p e rs o n a l h o a rd o f
used toothbrushes.
“I noticed toothb ru s h e s w e re lik e
tropical fish, as they
come in a bewildering
range of colours and
shapes. Toothbrushes
are something you
don’t usually display
but they’re actually
quite pretty.”
Fe e d b a ck a b o u t
Waikato’s latest touris t a t t ra ct io n h a s
been positive and Mr
Cairns said he hoped
visitors would leave
t h e ir o w n u n iq u e
mark on the fence.
Already there is a
variety of brushware
on the fence with peop le a d d in g b o t t le
brushes and kitchen
brushes, Mr Cairns
said.
Petrol tanker spill ‘contained’
By Reon Suddaby
Environment Waikato
is confident there will be
no residual contamination from petrol fouling a
drain after a tanker
crash near Pirongia yesterday.
The crash happened
on SH39 about 7am when
a BP tanker rolled, spilling 19,500 litres of petrol.
Environment Waikato
resource use manager
Chris McLay said all the
petrol was contained
within 50 metres of the
spill.
“We are confident we
have contained the spill
and there is no evidence
of any adverse environmental effects or longterm damage, ” he said.
Absorbent pads were
used to contain the spill
and petrol was sucked
out of the drain.
The tanker driver suffered moderate injuries
and was taken to Waikato Hospital.
The crashed tanker
blocked the road for several hours and diversions
were set up.
Police were unable to
say this morning whether
the tanker driver would
face charges.
KING TUPOU: His death
triggers period of national
mourning in Tonga.
Year of
mourning
for king
By Aaron Leaman
A “year of black” will be observed following the death of
Tonga’s King Taufa’ahau Tupou
IV last night.
Hala Rohorua said news of
King Tupou’s death would trigger a period of national mourning in the Pacific kingdom.
His heir, the Crown Prince
Tupouto’a, becomes king, but a
coronation could be a year
away. It had earlier been suggested his younger brother,
Prince ’Ulukalala Lavaka Ata,
was being groomed for the
position.
Mrs Rohorua, an economics
lecturer at Waikato University,
regularly visited her homeland
and said villages had been prepared for the 88-year-old monarch’s death.
King Tupou died in Auckland’s Mercy Hospital just before midnight, the Tongan
Government announced today.
He had received care in New
Zealand for heart problems for
several years.
Mrs Rohorua said the king’s
age and health problems had
made it difficult for him to govern in recent times.
He had ruled the island
kingdom for 41 years.
Last year Tonga was thrown
into turmoil by a prolonged
public servants’ strike which
was only ended when the Government agreed to wage increases of 60-80 per cent.
“I think King Tupou had
done his fair share for our people but at 88 he couldn’t continue running our country.”
See King dies, page 6
Offbeat
TOXIC THREAT: The BP tanker lies on its side after it crashed on SH39
near Pirongia yesterday.
PICTURE: Mark Taylor
The police chief, mayor and a
councillor in Snyder, Oklahoma,
have quit after the chief’s tattooed,
135kg wife Doris put nude pictures
of herself on the internet. Earlier,
people in the town of 1500 called
on Chief Tod Ozmun to go and the
district attorney recommended an
obscenity investigation. The council
said the pictures were protected by
the First Amendment.
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