In Brief (Press, 4 May 1989)

On 4 May 1989, several key news stories emerged. An Air New Zealand Boeing 747, carrying 317 passengers, had to return to Sydney shortly after takeoff due to a vibration that prompted the captain to shut down one of its engines. The aircraft was bound for Auckland and landed safely after about 30 minutes in the air. A maintenance crew was dispatched to investigate the engine issue, although the cause of the vibration was not immediately known. In a separate development, Parliamentarians and journalists will have the opportunity to view pornographic videos, although not within the Beehive. Initially scheduled for screening in Parliament’s theatrette, the showings are now set to take place at the National Library's auditorium, following the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Burke's, decision due to the films not being pre-screened by the Film Censor. The government announced a cost-of-living adjustment for student allowances. The Associate Minister of Education, Mr Goff, revealed that weekly allowances would increase by approximately $1.50, effective from 1 April 1989. The adjustments varied by age and living situation, with the maximum allowance for a 16 to 17-year-old now at $82.34, while other increases spanned from $44.84 to $109.79 depending on age and housing status. Sir Graham Latimer, chairman of the Maori Council, voiced intentions to seek clemency for Titewhai Harawira, a health worker at Carrington Hospital imprisoned for nine months. This decision came in light of concerns from many in the Maori community regarding the severity of her sentence, with a plea to the Governor-General, Sir Paul Reeves, being among possible steps forward. Minister of Energy, Mr Butcher, hinted at the potential for significant long-term reductions in petrol taxes, citing government budget surpluses that could facilitate this change. He noted that motorists were effectively subsidising the taxes that oil companies were obliged to pay to the government. In related news, Mobil became the final oil company to raise its wholesale petrol prices, with an increase of 2.97 cents per litre confirmed for service stations. In media changes, Karl du Fresne was appointed editor of the "Dominion" and "Dominion Sunday Times," succeeding Geoff Baylis, who transitioned to become chief executive of “The Listener.” The former National Party secretary-general, Max Bradford, has been nominated to join the party's Wellington divisional council, which will elect nine members during its annual conference scheduled for May 13 and 14 in Wanganui, amid a total of 17 nominations. Lastly, in a sobering health-related report, six-year-old Eve van Grafhorst, an Australian child who had relocated to New Zealand after facing discrimination due to her HIV status from a blood transfusion, has developed AIDS. She is noted as the first child and the second female in New Zealand registered with the disease, and is reported to have only two to three years left to live.

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