NZTONIGHT WORLD MOVIES DISCOVERY Relief for Africa’s Quantum London beckons Agnew’s family ‘world war’ of dollars PAGE 2 PAGE 8 PAGE 13 PAGE 18 TGIFEDITION.TV Auckland Hamilton Wellington Christchurch Queenstown Dunedin Sat: 19°/11° Sun: 18°/12° Sat: 17°/8° Sun: 23°/10° Sat: 16°/9° Sun: 14°/10° Sat: 22°/3° Sun: 19°/9° Sat: 15°/3° Sun: 24°/7° Sat: 14°/8° Sun: 17°/9° FREE MOVIE TICKETS WITH TGIF SUBSCRIPTIONS, SUBSCRIBE TODAY, ONLY $3 PER MONTH SEE PAGE 20 FOR DETAILS www.tgifedition.com EDITION ISSN 1172-4153 | Volume 1 | Issue 13 | | 31 October 2008 on the IS PM planninG to Quit? INSIDE Clark refusing to confirm or deny By Ian Wishart get a Helen Clark-led Labour government for the observers are speculat- The Prime Minister is evading questions about next three years. An urgent confirmation would be ing Clark is simply try- whether she’ll stay on as leader, even if Labour wins appreciated.” ing to stitch up enough the election next week. Instead, the Prime Minister’s chief press secretary of a Labour victory to During the first leader’s debate Helen Clark told Kathryn Street told TGIF Clark would not be com- ensure the left wing of Summer viewers she was “seeking a mandate” for a fourth menting on the issue at all. the party is stronger Forecast term as leader, but wasn’t pressed on whether that And it’s not just TGIF Edition that’s noticed. than the Phil Goff- Page 4 meant she might not serve a full term. “Clark was extremely evasive when I put it to her supporting right of the Having accused National of having a hidden a couple of weeks ago if she would do a full fourth party. If that happens, agenda, and basing Labour’s campaign on “trust”, term as Prime Minister,” media commentator Bill Clark could comfortably TGIF Edition expected Clark to give a straight- Ralston wrote in the Herald recently. resign in the New Year forward answer to the question when we sought to “The chances are, having delivered Labour a his- and hand the Prime clarify it last week with her: toric fourth term, she would stand down after two Ministership to Michael “Please can the Prime Minister confirm that if years, head off to some plum international job, and Cullen or another left she wins a fourth term, she will not resign the lead- hand over the reins of government here to someone wing nominee. Hot Mercury ership of the Labour Party? In other words, she is else. This thought, if it occurs to Labour swingers, In an election dominated by“trust”, it seems odd Page 17 confirming that voters electing a Helen Clark-led might be a worry.” that the Prime Minister is keeping her post-election Labour government for the next three years will Or it could happen even sooner. Some political intentions secret. Kids, families labelled ‘abnormal’ Labour’s new social engineering initiative By Ian Wishart ous candidates the government has opted to turn and communicate, their social development, and teachers should be told the positive points: it into a nationwide screening programme of all their family/whanau circumstances are part of the “Emphasise to parents and teachers that the Schoolchildren are to be secretly labelled“normal”, children, and their families. Prime Minister Helen check. SDQ’s (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) “borderline” or“abnormal” in a new Labour-led gov- Clark specifically referred to the new programme “Functional assessment is the preferred method purpose in relation to the B4 School Check is not to ernment initiative to behaviour screen every child in her first TV debate with John Key, suggesting it for identifying the factors that need to be changed judge or label children, but to make sure the child and family in the country, due for a full rollout by would help prevent crime. during any intervention in a child’s life. Functional has no problems that might hinder the child from February. Briefing papers for schools and health profession- assessment attempts to identify environmental con- learning and to get appropriate support and help for Briefing papers for health officials carrying out als suggest B4SC is part of a ‘wedge’ strategy, that ditions (including other people’s behaviour) that the child and their family/whanau if any problems the new national screening programme warn nurses gets government officials increasingly involved with influence a child’s antisocial behaviour. are identified.” not to tell parents about the labels being given to families: “Effective assessment cannot be a one-off “Any intervention in a child’s life should aim to On the other hand, says the Ministry, don’t tell their children and families on the official file, and action, but is an ongoing process. The assessment change the circular processes of behaviour problems them the negatives: instead use more neutral language to keep families process is the beginning of the therapeutic relation- – the child affects the adult who affects the child “Avoid saying things like, ‘I need your permission onside. ship with the child and family/whanau.” who affects the adult – by altering communication, to administer the SDQ’ or ‘Sorry for having to put The project, known as B4SC, or “Before School “An assessment has many purposes. The informa- roles, perceptions and beliefs,” says the report. you through this’ or ‘You don’t have to do this if you Check”, aims to test every four year old or new tion gained from an assessment informs future work But while the government has been strong on don’t want to’. These statements may engender a entrant at school for psychological and behavioural and helps in the evaluation of interventions. playing up the benefits of B4SC, and encouraging negative or fearful reaction in parents.” issues that may warrant further investigations of “How an assessment is carried out is also impor- parental compliance as part of a“partnership” proc- But the Ministry’s position on not verbally tell- family circumstances and targeted state interven- tant. It should enable those involved to gain fresh ess, the Ministry of Health has told B4SC assessment ing parents their permission is required appears to tion for the child. It underwent a pilot testing pro- perspectives on their family/whanau situation and teams to keep some things hidden from parents: be deceptive, because the Ministry’s own briefing gramme last year, but on June first this year District consider opportunities for change.” “Although partnership between the health pro- paper acknowledges that parents retain the power Health Boards were told they had to be ready for a The report recommends“referral of the child to spe- fessional and the child and family/whanau being to refuse the assessment of their children. Teachers, national implementation by August or September cialist services if the child appears to have problems assessed is a fundamental principle, this does not for example, cannot fill out a questionnaire without this year – a deadline many DHBs missed because that need further investigation,” and adds that getting mean that every detail of information gained, or signed parental consent. But once consent is given, of the tight timeframes involved. families assessed is crucial to the project’s success. the practitioner’s judgment about that information, it is deemed to cover any interventions in the family Ostensibly, the programme is a response to calls “The B4 School Check is not solely a physical must be shared immediately and in full with those that authorities consider necessary. for greater intervention where kids are running off health check, but also considers the child’s com- being assessed.” The test itself asks parents and teachers of four the rails, but instead of selectively targeting obvi- munity and environment. A child’s ability to learn The Ministry of Health adds that parents and Continue reading Before and after... trust Olympus The new E-410 from Olympus For more information contact H.E. Perry Ltd.phone: 0800 10 33 88 | email: [email protected] | www.olympus.com NEW ZEALAND 2 31 October 2008 It took the jury just four hours -- three last night, one this morning -- to find Reid, 36, guilty of the rape and murder of Ms Agnew, and the rape, indecent off assault, robbery and attempted murder of a 21-year- old Dunedin student nine days later. BEAT The young woman, who has not been named, nar- rowly escaped death at the hands of Reid to testify GIRL FINDS $1,000 AT SALVATION ARMY against him in Christchurch. HONOLULU, (UPI) –The parents of an 11-year-old She told of being attacked in the street by a man Kona, Hawaii, girl who found $1,000 hidden inside a who put a rope around her neck and choked her. used video at a Salvation Army store said the girl turned Reid stood quietly and then nodded as Justice in the money. Lester Chisholm sentenced him to life, and then Terry Mercier said his daughter, Mikela, was checking remanded him to December 12 so the Crown’s appli- for mould on an exercise tape featuring fitness guru cation for preventive detention can be heard. Richard Simmons at the store when she discovered Two health assessors’ reports will be prepared $1,000 in $100 bills hidden in the video’s cardboard jacket, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported today. during the remand to assess his risk of future “Only Mikela would open a Richard Simmons video”, offending. Terry Mercier said. Members of the deaf community sobbed qui- Mikela Mercier said discovering the money gave her etly in the back of the court as the verdicts were chicken skin.