It's been a long lay-off; too long. but needless to say it
hasn't been wasted, much research having been, reluctantly I
might add, undertaken in the interim.
In the middle of last year, Broadcasting Minister Jonathan
Coleman proudly told radio broadcasting students in a
deliberate and detailed speech at Auckland University of
Technology that the new Radio New Zealand Amendment Bill was
"a stronger statement than its predecessor about Radio New
Zealand's role as a public broadcaster".
If nothing else, the steep and unexpected rise in
unemployment figures to 7.3% - comprising in large part the
young - should give us an indication that all is not well out
there in the jobs market.
I found myself telling old friends the other day, when they
asked about Harry, that more than ever he had become a member
of the family; he seemed increasingly human with age.
On Friday May 2, 2003, George W. Bush, President of the
United States of America, stood on the deck of the aircraft
carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of
California and announced the end of fighting in Iraq.
