Gisbourne & East Coast

Hawke's Bay people and the transport industry will reap the benefits of national company Big Save's expansion plans after the firm bought the British American Tobacco (BAT) site in Ahuriri, Napier.

The site, which boasts the iconic Art Deco former Rothmans headquarters, was sold to the furniture retailer for an undisclosed sum, believed to be more than $16 million. The 4.6ha block also includes warehousing, an administration centre and storage facilities.  Big Save Limited director Alison McKimm said today the company would immediately start operating a distribution centre from the site when it took over ownership in July, and jobs would be created.

"We aren't sure how many at this stage," she said.  "We have a number of existing warehouses in Hawke's Bay so we will be using key local people to train new staff."

The calibre of Big Save's current Hawke's Bay staff attracted the company to invest in Napier, she said. A large retail store would be built on the property and the heritage-listed old Rothmans building would remain accessible to the public.  It was a "huge" move for the New Zealand-owned company and Ms Mckimm said the Napier centre would become a distribution hub for its North Island stores.  Jobs would flow on to other firms such as the Port of Napier and transport firms.  Napier Mayor Barbara Arnott and Art Deco Trust executive director Robert McGregor have welcomed the sale.

Ms Arnott said the distribution centre would peg back some of the jobs that disappeared when BAT downsized its Napier business.  "It is bringing jobs to Napier, and it will be a working site and I think that's very important," she said.  Big Save's intention to allow public access boded well for the "jewel" of Napier - the Category One classified National Tobacco Company building.

"It will be preserved and retained, hopefully to the same quality. It's great for the city and I am very pleased," Mrs Arnott said.  Reports the building would be turned into a museum - possibly funded by the Napier City Council - were premature. "We haven't spoken with Big Save but it's not even on the horizon."

The council's priority was upgrading the Hawke's Bay Museum and Art Gallery but it would look at a proposal once the $10m project was completed, Mrs Arnott said.  "Whether it becomes a fully-fledged museum or not is a question for the future."

Mr McGregor said the Art Deco Trust looked forward to working with Big Save to keep the building accessible to tourists and the public.

Paramedic cut is a fight this region can’t really afford to lose
by Iain Gillies
Friday, 11 May, 2007

It is disturbing to learn that our emergency services could be compromised by the loss of a permanent advanced paramedic in Gisborne, while ambulance stations at Ruatoria and Te Puia will be managed from Tauranga.

And this at a time when St John Ambulance here has been two paramedics down since the end of last year.

Sometimes it is necessary for governments to come to the rescue and spend money they were saving for something else.

It all boils down to priorities. And in the build-up to Budget week everyone and every organisation, every arm of government services can come up with a "priority".

But health must always be right up there at the top of the list. And the Government is already pouring multi-millions of dollars into health services every year.

Even so, providing isolated areas such as the Gisborne-East Coast with the paramedic services we feel are necessary won’t start a new bout of inflation or empty the Government’s coffers.

New Zealanders, through the state, spend big on health. They rightly feel entitled to at least a satisfactory standard of health service in return.

But, whatever the causes, many no longer feel confident that services will be available to them when they need them.

They worry whether they are receiving a fair return for their outlay. They suspect unreasonable waste. And it hurts when they see an organisation as valuable as St John having to ration its resources.

National Distribution Union branch organiser Neil Chapman says there is "serious concern" about the staff shortage and further planned restructuring.

"We have argued for many years to get advanced paramedic positions in this area and we don’t want to see a dilution of that in any way. Gisborne has gone from having three advanced paramedics to two, and that is our concern."

Our view? The only area of health services that needs cutting is the bureaucracy. And there will be a lot of appreciation if steps are taken to ensure emergency services are kept at full strength.

A senior St John ambulance officer has been accused of giving deliberately misleading information about single- crewing of ambulances, which is said to be putting lives at risk.

National Distribution Union branch manager Neil Chapman says up to 70 percent of ambulance callouts in Gisborne are attended by a single crew member.

This is in response to claims made by Midland regional operations manager Brent Neilsen that Gisborne’s rate of single-crewing in ambulances matches that of the national average, at less than 20 percent.

"That is an absolute urban myth," Mr Chapman says.

"Those results are skewed due to the high volume of double-crewing in large centres like the Auckland metro area. In regional areas like Gisborne, it is much more than that."

In Gisborne, most callouts occurring during business hours are double-crewed, but night-time callouts are predominantly single-crewed, Mr Chapman says.

"This is definitely a concern that needs to be addressed," he says.

The situation is about to get worse, with permanent staffing levels dropping from 10 staff to nine before the end of the month, Mr Chapman says.

St John Gisborne area manager Shane Clapperton says he is not at all happy with single-crewing in any situation.

"We never want vehicles leaving single-crewed for a job, due to staff safety and patient care.

St John chief operations officer Kevin Tate acknowledges regional variations to the national statistic and says single-crewing always occurs due to a shortage of available staff.

"On the occasions that we single-crew, we have only one ambulance officer available in that area at that time. There can be several reasons for this and it is never a matter of choice," Mr Tate says.

"We rely on a combination of paid staff and volunteers to crew our ambulances within available funding.

"The most common reason for single-crewing is that, in a number of locations, we rely on a volunteer to be the second crew member.

Mr Clapperton says it is an ongoing process to recruit volunteer ambulance staff to fill shifts on the Gisborne roster.

"However, voluntary staff are exactly that — voluntary — and it is always difficult to recruit and retain a full complement of voluntary staff."

A new report from the New Zealand Ambulance Association says many patients have suffered as a result of single-crewing, and ambulance officers are also far more vulnerable in dangerous situations, Green Health spokeswoman Sue Kedgley says.

"Many aspects of an ambulance officer’s job cannot be handled alone, from performing CPR to lifting an immobile patient on
to a stretcher and into the ambulance, and it is putting
people’s lives at risk to send single-crewed ambulances to emergencies.

"Officers are turning up to car crashes and heart attack victims on their own, and staff are being forced to choose between tending a patient or driving.

"Ambulance officers tell of repeatedly stopping
en route to hospital, losing valuable time in the process, to monitor patients and administer treatments," Ms Kedgley says.

However Mr Tate says in circumstances where single-crewed responses do occur, most take place without incident, with the patient treated or stabilised by the ambulance officer before being transported to hospital.

"The St John position is clear — all emergency ambulance calls should be responded to by a vehicle with two ambulance officers," he says.

"Full-time ambulance officers are allocated throughout the country, based on available funding, an assessment of comparative workloads and local factors."

Gisborne staffing change seems ‘crazy’ after Wairoa’s experience
by Staff Reporters
Wednesday, 9 May, 2007

While the proposed Gisborne staff cuts are news to some people, to others it is a case of déjà vu, after Wairoa spent months last year and earlier this year battling similar staff cuts.

Just last month, the town won its long-fought battle to re-instate a fourth full-time ambulance officer after going without since 2000.

After fighting a staffing battle in her town, Wairoa paramedic Adrienne Andresen said proposed changes to Gisborne staffing was going to be a big problem for the whole East Coast region.

"It seems absolutely crazy. Gisborne definitely needs that third advanced paramedic — not just
to cover Gisborne, but also for the rescue helicopter and as back-up across the whole region.

"Having Ruatoria and Te Puia under Tauranga’s control is a crazy idea too. All their patients come down to Gisborne — they have absolutely no connection to Tauranga."

"From my experience in the battle we fought here, we did not win because of what we put forward, but from putting the battle to the community. It was only then St John management sat up and took notice," she said.

While rostered overtime had covered the shifts for six years, St John management proposed changing to a three-person roster with a part-time patient transfer officer staffing the second ambulance on weekdays.

St John’s initial assessment of Wairoa’s workload and demand had indicated two emergency ambulances were not required 24 hours a day.

That thinking was turned on its head on April 3 after the community and National Distribution Union rallied together, telling St John executives loud and clear they wanted nothing less than the return of a fourth full-time paramedic officer.

"We have looked at the circumstances again. Wairoa is quite a unique case with rural isolation features," St John Midland Region chief executive officer Eddie Jackson said at the time.

Emergency services in this region could be further compromised by the loss of a permanent advanced paramedic in Gisborne, while ambulance stations at Ruatoria and Te Puia will be managed from Tauranga.

St John Ambulance has been short of two paramedics in Gisborne since the end of last year, when an advanced paramedic and a paramedic relocated elsewhere.

The staff shortage and further planned restructuring for this region is a serious concern, says National Distribution Union branch organiser Neil Chapman.

"We have argued for many years to get advanced paramedic positions into this area and we don’t want to see a dilution of that in any way.

"Gisborne has gone from having three advanced paramedics to two, and that is our concern. It puts a huge amount of pressure on the remaining two advanced paramedics."

Advanced paramedics are able to administer medicines and carry out life support procedures that other staff are not qualified to do. They are also called on to attend emergencies that require the attendance of the Lion Foundation Rescue Helicopter, and often attend other incidents to support other paramedics.

"We are absolutely concerned that the number of paramedics able to carry out this role has been limited," Mr Chapman said.

"Gisborne is some way away from other centres — staff who are out there on their own with a seriously ill patient need to know with confidence the advanced paramedic is available to support them.

"There are times when ambulance staff know a patient will have a better chance of recovery with access to an advanced paramedic."

Proposed restructuring by St John Ambulance in the midland region means that Gisborne’s area manager position will be disestablished and replaced by a duty-based team manager.

Effectively, the Gisborne station loses a staff member, leaving it with just two advanced paramedics on staff.

The car-based area manager position has meant an extra vehicle with a full supply of medical equipment has been on the road at busy times, as well as providing a quick response by an advanced paramedic at trauma situations.

While it has been proposed the car will still be available for use in Gisborne without a car-based manager, it is likely to remain on-station, meaning delays in responding to emergency situations.

While the Gisborne station will still be managed by the team manager, this position will now be ambulance-based, with the manager working shifts as part of the station roster.

This means reduced availability to support other staff or attend as back-up to major incidents, Mr Chapman believes.

St John Gisborne area manager Shane Clapperton was unable to comment on the situation.

The proposed restructuring will be implemented by the end of May.

The decision to have Ruatoria and Te Puia managed from Tauranga rather than Gisborne meant local relationships and knowledge would be lost, Mr Chapman said.

"I am astounded these changes are happening and not one iota of consultation has taken place.

"They’ve just gone ahead and made decisions that have a big impact on our communities.

"The ambulance service is a public service, publicly-funded and therefore should consult the public.

"It has got to the stage where we at the union are considering going to the Government and asking the health select committee to carry out an investigation into the ambulance service provided by St John in this country."

• St John Midland regional ambulance service manager Brent Nielsen said the changes were being made as a result of months of consultation and extensive input from staff and management.

"The changes are part of a wider change programme designed to improve our management framework and help us better deliver services to the community.

"The changes are not about cutting costs, but about providing a better service for patients and customers.

"In fact, there will be more staff overall after the changes."

The Herald understands that while this might be true in other regions, Gisborne’s staffing level will drop from 10 to nine.

The ambulance service in Gisborne is also staffed with 15 volunteers and is always looking to recruit more.

"The service relies on a combination of volunteer and paid staff.

"Volunteers form an essential part of St John in New Zealand," Mr Neilsen said.

Patrick Wynn has been accused of bullying at the Whakatane ambulance station

A love triangle has left the eastern Bay of Plenty without an advanced paramedic after the area manager was stood down on bullying allegations - lodged by his estranged wife.

Patrick Wynne, the St John Whakatane area manager, has been stood down on full pay since he allegedly harassed his paramedic wife Linda in the ambulance station last October, after she accused him of having an affair with another St John staff member.

Married for just over a year, Linda Wynne took unpaid leave over the incident and has hired a top Auckland employment lawyer to act on her behalf in mediation meetings with St John Midlands.

She has since resigned and the couple has separated.

The situation has meant that for six months the eastern Bay of Plenty has been without an advanced paramedic - Patrick Wynne was the only one - and Whakatane has been reduced to only one ambulance that provides 24/7 cover.

St John Midland chief executive Eddie Jackson said he was unable to discuss why Wynne was stood down for privacy and legal reasons.

"However, we can say that St John takes the welfare of all of our staff, volunteers and the public seriously," Jackson said in a statement.

"We can assure the public that we have robust policies in place to ensure the welfare of our staff, volunteers and the public."

When asked whether it was safe that Whakatane was without an advanced paramedic, Jackson said Wynne's position had been filled by acting station managers who were "qualified and experienced ambulance officers".

However, advanced paramedics were clinically qualified to administer drugs and other lifesaving equipment which is critical in emergency situations.

"The whole concept of advanced paramedics is for extreme situations, like trauma and cardiac, they're the life support guys," said Neil Chapman, organiser for the ambulance workers in the National Distribution Union.

"One argument we've heard is that Whakatane is handy to a base hospital.

"You tell that to someone who's in an accident in the back of Opotiki which is an hour-and-a-half drive [away]."

Chapman said the union was concerned by the lack of advanced paramedic cover and that there was only enough staff rostered on to man one ambulance.

Pat Wynne confirmed to the Herald on Sunday he had stood himself down from the ambulance service, but refused to comment further, as did Linda Wynne, who did not want to affect her employment case.

Linda Wynne's lawyer Mark Ryan declined to discuss the case other than to confirm his client had raised employment related issues with her employer.

"We're working together to resolve them," Ryan said.

Pat Wynne is well known in the Whakatane region.

When storms lashed the beachside settlement of Matata, causing mudslides to wipe out most of the homes in 2004, Wynne was among those who risked his life to save Beverley Freeman, who was trapped among the wreckage of her home.

Wynne also was sent to the Melbourne Commonwealth Games last year to help attend to spectators' needs.

Bay of Plenty, 18 April 2006 - The first branch of The Warehouse Cellars opens inside the Fraser Cove store of The Warehouse at 10am today, which is good news for Bay of Plenty residents looking for an extensive range of beer and wine at competitive prices.

The Warehouse Cellars is an associated company of The Warehouse Group Limited, and branches will be situated inside The Warehouse stores.  The next branch will be situated inside The Warehouse Extra in Auckland. As well as The Warehouse Cellars, the 12,500m store will offer a fresh food offer, a bakery, a café and an in-store pharmacy. Located in a landmark retail development at Sylvia Park, The Warehouse Extra will be the first store to offer a full non-food and food offer all under one roof.

Cynthia Church, spokesperson for The Warehouse Cellars, says that opening the first branch is an exciting step in the development of both companies. “We’re looking forward to offering customers a new option when they’re looking for beer and wine. We have over 250 different products in our wine range, including leading brands such as Kim Crawford, Huntaway and Leeward Landing, and of course all the leading beer brands will be stocked as well.”

An important part of The Warehouse Cellars’ philosophy is helping customers decide which wine to buy for each occasion. “It can be daunting trying to figure out which wine goes best with which food, so at The Warehouse Cellars all our wine is labelled with ‘descriptors’ to outline the type of wine and the food it suits. We want to make shopping easy for our customers,” says Ms. Church.

There will be regular wine tastings where customers can have their questions answered by wine experts.  The opening week will see some first-rate deals throughout The Warehouse Cellars, and it’s not only for wine buffs as there will be great value specials on leading beer brands.

The Warehouse Cellars has been established as a responsible retailer, and will be asking for proof of ID from anyone who appears to be under the age of 25. The licence restrictions in place for The Warehouse Cellars require that customers under 18 can only enter if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, so the team will be checking this with shoppers as they enter.

The Warehouse Cellars branch opens at 10am on Tuesday 18 April, and opening hours from Wednesday 19 April onwards will be 8:30am to 8pm.
- ENDS -
For further information please contact Cynthia Church, Corporate Affairs Manager, The Warehouse Group, 09 488 3255 or 021 433 284.

Background information on Warehouse Cellars
The Warehouse Cellars is an associated company of The Warehouse Group Limited. It is a joint venture between The
Warehouse Group and business partner Reliance Wines Ltd. Reliance Wines is owned by Ed and Barbara Aster. Ed
Aster is joined as a Director of The Warehouse Cellars by independent director Laurie Doolan. Directors representing
The Warehouse Group are CEO Ian Morrice, CFO Luke Bunt, GM Commercial Development John Journee, GM Business
Development Phil Jamieson, and Director of Operations Richard Lewis.

Background information on The Warehouse
The Warehouse Group had sales of $NZ2.203 billion and profit of $NZ39.0 million for the year ended 31st July 2005.
The Warehouse Group comprises 85 Warehouse NZ stores and 43 Warehouse Stationery stores. The Warehouse
Group employs more than 9,000 people across New Zealand.