EYEWITNESS NEWS. 27/04/1988

News and Current Affairs.

New Zealanders planning to travel to New Caledonia were officially warned tonight to be careful by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Road blocks have been set up by both Kanaks and extreme right French settlers.

The Opposition confirmed tonight it still plans to sell off TV 2 to private enterprise and keep TV1 as a non-commercial station. It also plans to sell off all Radio New Zealand’s commercial stations.

The Databank dispute which threatened the banking system has been settled. Staff voted to accept a redundancy package which the Bank Officer’s Union said is an improvement on Databank’s earlier offer.

Four men arrested for trespassing in Parliamentary grounds last December went to court today where charges against them were dropped. The men had camped on the steps of Parliament in demand of automatic prison visiting rights for Maori elders.

[Foreign news]

Finance and sharemarket news.

The Prime Minister has had what he calls reassuring talks with the British government over access for this country’s butter. But the word from Mrs Thatcher is not so encouraging. Professor Bruce Ross, agricultural economist is interviewed in the studio in Christchurch.

The quota system that affects butter affects other exports as well. For example, apples, which has lost business to the European Community because of quotas. The apple industry is also facing a challenge from the supermarket sector that wants to break its monopoly on the domestic market.

The Auckland property market that has undergone a seven year record boom, is showing signs of recession. In the past six months prices have been falling.

[World Watch]

Weather.