The families of top former All Blacks are likely to donate their loved ones’ brains to research so the effect of head impacts in sport can be studied; and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has accused his former party president Lester Gray of having “mental health problems” – a claim strongly denied by Gray, who has previously raised questions about the party’s finances.
* The New Zealand Herald
In the New Zealand Herald, the families of top former All Blacks are likely to donate their loved ones’ brains to research so the effect of head impacts in sport can be studied. New Zealand’s only human brain bank is today launching a collaboration with the US-based Concussion Legacy Foundation for the research into sport’s influence on brain health and brain disease.
In other news, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has accused his former party president Lester Gray of having “mental health problems” – a claim strongly denied by Gray, who has previously raised questions about the party’s finances.The accusation emerged after National’s electoral law spokesman Nick Smith told Parliament that Labour MPs on the justice select committee refused a request for Gray and former treasurer Colin Forster to appear before it in a private session during their inquiry into the 2017 election.
In business news, “good rams”‘ remain unsold after last Friday’s Canterbury A&P Association elite ram and ewe sale.PGG Wrightson upper South Island genetics rep Simon Eddington said while the sheep industry had been enjoying a resurgence, quality rams were proving hard to sell.
* The Dominion Post
In the Dominion Post, more than two years ago, then Energy Minister Judith Collins raised an eyebrow in apparent frustration and sent a nasty letter. She wrote to the nation’s fuel retailers that she was ‘‘disappointed’’ with their ‘‘cynical’’ price rises and perceived manipulation of profit margins.
In other news, Victoria University of Wellington is blatantly ignoring everyone when it comes to its name, a Wellington City Councillor says. The university’s rebrand kicked in recently with a new logo, shield and crest. The university’s website URL had also changed from “victoria” to “wgtn”.
In business news, the poultry industry does not operate under a veil of secrecy or shy away from animal welfare issues, the industry’s leader Michael Brooks says.An accusation of “secrecy and a lack of scrutiny” was levelled at the industry after almost 200,000 chickens suffocated on a farm near Auckland last week.
* The Press
In The Press, the Christchurch City Council consented a structural design for an eight-storey building that a rookie engineer could tell at a glance was flawed. The conclusion flows from a report released yesterday by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) about 230 High St, an eight-storey building in High St in central Christchurch.
In other news,Christchurch Hospital’s new state-of-the-art helipad is built and ready, but won’t be used until next year. The helipad sits atop the hospital’s new Hagley building and is good to go. The building’s opening has been delayed more than once meaning the helipad can’t be used yet.
In business news, Christchurch will get a new bridge across the Avon River by June, after the planned art bridge was scrapped.Construction of the $3 million, 32-metre bridge, to cross a span of the Avon/Ōtākaro River between Cambridge and Oxford terraces, is due to start in early February.
