INVESTIGATE NEW ZEALAND’S BEST NEWS MAGAZINE VITAMIN D New book blasts health authorities over vitamin D and sunscreen safety Power Play Democracy’s death by a thousand cuts Broken Silence What Chris Kahui told the Inquest, Booze Babies and why the Coroner Foetal Alcohol Syndrome didn’t believe him and its role in crime Aug/Sep 2012, $8.60 CURRENT AFFAIRS, TOYS, CARS, FRANKLY-EXPRESSED OPINIONS & MORE contents features Aug/Sep 2012 12 BROKEN SILENCE The long-awaited Coroner’s verdict on the deaths of the Kahui twins has finally been released. IAN WISHART lays out the testimony that became Chris Kahui’s downfall 20 BORN FREE We may have been born free, but we are creeping toward political slavery, writes AMY BROOKE 28 BOOZE BABIES Foetal alcohol syndrome is a the centre of a US death row debate, but how much does it contribute to New Zealand crime? MELISSA WISHART has more HERS VITAMIN D A new book blasts authorities on the safety of sunscreens and takes a long hard look at the vitamin D debate 12 contents departments OPINION EDITOR 4 Speaks for itself, really COMMUNIQUES 6 Your say EYES RIGHT 8 Richard Prosser STEYNPOST 10 Mark Steyn ACTION INVEST Peter Hensley on money 32 SCIENCE The shuffle is a giveaway 40 MUSIC Beachboys are back 42 GADGETS The latest toys 34 The Mall 35 42 Touch friendly office 36 Online with Chillisoft 38 MINDFUEL BOOKCASE 44 Michael Morrissey’s 34 winter picks CONSIDER THIS 46 Amy Brooke THE QUESTION 48 Matt Flannagan 40 32 CSEUPHORI A0511I 1219. pdf Page 1 11/ 05/ 11, 12: 31 PM Editor The book got it right A year ago, this country was in uproar at the prospect of a book published by yours truly on the truth behind the Kahui twins murders. They were baying for my blood in the streets. People cancelled their subscriptions. The public were egged on by Kahui’s credibility and not to be relied upon.” The hounds of hell were unleashed as legal team, not deliberately but purely in The Coroner has found that baby twins community fury reached a zenith. the way they hung Macsyna out to dry to Chris and Cru Kahui were killed while You know why it did? Because this the jury as an alternative suspect, with a they were in the sole care and custody of murder case had been tried by the series of badly woven conspiracy theories. their biological father Chris Kahui. media, and tried badly in the process. So now that we have waited a year, “There is not a scintilla of evidence” Fifty thousand armchair critics who what has the Coroner actually found? said the Coroner, that Macsyna King was thought they knew it all signed up to a Firstly, that the Kahui legal team’s involved in any way with the murders. Facebook page demanding a boycott of conspiracy theories about Macsyna Of the cellphone call conspiracy Breaking Silence. How dare the mother King having the opportunity to kill theory, the Coroner after hearing all speak. “We’ll wait for the Coroner’s were “not…evidentially tenable. the evidence from cellphone providers report, he’ll put King and Wishart in Accordingly, each falls to be rejected.” and traffic experts, says it is “inherently their place!,” said one. Of the claim that as a mother King implausible that Macsyna would have As this magazine was going to press, “must have known”, the Coroner says interrupted her evening out with her news broke that the Coroner’s verdict bluntly: sister to return to Courtenay Crescent, was finally being released. “The court finds that Macsyna King happened to arrive during the 20 min- We’ve devoted stories in both halves was materially misled by Chris Kahui ute period when her partner happened of this magazine to the case, both the as to the health of the twins,” despite to be out, fatally assaulted the twins details of the Coroner’s report, and her attempts to find out. and then left, devised an alibi that was separately the cross examination (or a Materially misled, as in “lied to”, consistent with cellphone records that portion of it extracted from the book false explanations, and a cover-up by she was unaware of [Coroner’s empha- Breaking Silence) of Chris Kahui. Chris Kahui. sis] and then successfully persuaded Much of New Zealand, relying on This is the same Chris Kahui who Stuart King, Emily King and Pou Hepi uninformed debate on talkback, at the never took the witness stand at his to cover this up.” pub, at work or on Facebook, and much murder trial. Who appeared every day Ironically, the book Breaking Silence of that fuelled by incorrect media reports in court, clean-shaven, baby-faced and remains the only place you are going of the original case, had assumed that shy. The jury never heard him lie. But to read most of the evidence in the because Chris Kahui was “not guilty” the Coroner and this journalist did. Kahui case. The Coroner’s ruling is 50% and had been acquitted in one minute, “The Court found his evidence seri- suppressed in places and is not being LOWER PRINTING that therefore it had to be Macsyna King. ously conflicting in nature, lacking in released to the public. COST VS COLOUR LASER* The Coroner has found that baby twins Chris and Cru Kahui were killed while they were in the sole care and custody of their biological father Chris Kahui 4 HISMAGAZINE.TV | Aug/Sep 2012 65773 65773 Epson Investigate 210x285.indd 1 23/11/11 3:57:11 PM 50% LOWER PRINTING COST VS COLOUR LASER* 65773 65773 Epson Investigate 210x285.indd 1 23/11/11 3:57:11 PM Communiques We need major investment in new roading infrastructure, but are New Zealanders being unwittingly fleeced of billions in the process? That’s the question IAN WISHART attempts to answer as he compares the cost of Auckland’s proposed new harbour crossing with similar projects overseas - ou hear the numbers being bat ted around in the news so much that it’s easy to become immune - to them: $3.9 billion, $5.6 bil nt lion, $6.7 billion. They represe r Y stings for either a new harbou various co nnel. Auckland, or a harbour tu bridge for her Throw in government reports of eit tunnel first BRIDGING $2.8 billion for the Waterview t Albert proposed for Helen Clark’s M rate, or $1.4 billion for a surface electo eventu- motorway on the same route (and ain, at half ally $1.4 billion for a tunnel ag the original planned length). Then add entral rail ARTICLE WENT A BRIDGE FINANCE $2.4 billion for the proposed c a highway between tunnel, $2.5 billion for - ARE WE PAYING FAR TOO MUCH Pakuranga and Onehu nga. If your eye in your head balls aren’t rolling around s on a one- FOR INFRASTRUCTURE? by now like the lemon icon y armed-bandit at Sky City, you’re probabl already comatose. It’s like Monopoly, but without the ng up a Community Chest chance of picki TOO FAR? card advising “Congratulations, bank . on error in your favour” makes $15 billi eams this expenditure planned, t With all ro- corporates are drafting p of boffins and users posals suggesting taxpayers and road h flat rate share the capital cost burden, wit considered tolls as high as $8 per trip being for any vehicle using the motorways. lly being With all this money potentia Firstly I have to say enjoy Investi- pockets each sucked out of the public’s you’d hope we were getting the best Volume 10, Issue 133, ISSN 1175-1290 [Print] day, re possible prices on our infrastructu projects, wouldn’t you? Maybe, maybe not. ate magazine A comparison by Investig of New Zealand infr astructure costs similar projects in Asia , compared with ues- the US, Australia and Europe raises q gate magazine very much and like w much fat is built into tions about just ho ets. the project budg of scene, let’s examine some To set the e the biggest engineering marvels of th last two decades. 13 the way some PC hot topics are not HISMAGAZINE.TV June/July 2012 June/July 2012 Chief Executive Officer Heidi Wishart 12 HISMAGAZINE.TV Group Managing Editor Ian Wishart shunned away from. I do have, as a civil engineer I reckon you get the point and I NZ EDITION with a bit of insight in these mat- was merely just somewhat disap- Advertising Josephine Martin ters, some comments to make on pointed with the article being less 09 373-3676 the article on infrastructure costs well investigated than the standard [email protected] ‘Bridging Finance’. (I hope) normally is or seems to be. Contributing Writers: Hal Colebatch, Amy Yes, the Waterview Connection Edwin Zwanenburg, via email Brooke, Chris Forster, Peter Hensley, Mark Steyn, has a budget of 1.4B, that is correct, Chris Philpott, Michael Morrissey, Miranda however it is not just the 2.5km of Editor responds: Devine, Richard Prosser, Claire Morrow, James tunnel but a full new interchange Thanks for your comment. Yes, Morrow, Len Restall, Laura Wilson, and the worldwide resources of MCTribune Group, UPI at the northern end tying into SH16 I tried to get a feel by talking to a and Newscom and a few km of motorway to the senior figure in the industry. Each south, tying into the current Maioro location has its hindrances, and Art Direction Heidi Wishart Street interchange as well.