The sheep, the Saudis and the circulars

It was a weekof big deals, tragedies and media manouevres, PHILIPMATTHEWSwrites.

The art of the deal

We all know that the Government likes to find ‘‘innovative’’ and ‘‘creative’’ solutions to political problems. That’s why we keep voting for them, right? They are the kings of the deal. There were the Sky City negotiations, the Hobbit negotiations, the TransPacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations and that murky story about the 900 or so sheep flown to Saudi Arabia and the ‘‘agrihub’’ in the desert that cost New Zealand around $11 million, $4m of which has been labelled a ‘‘bribe’’ paid to Saudi businessman Hamood Al-Ali Al Khalaf. Yes, that story. Ever get the feeling you have been fleeced? Hundreds of pages of documents were released this week which showed that Treasury strongly opposed the deal, Auditor-General Lyn Provost had doubts about its legality and Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully’s claims that New Zealand was exposed to a $30m lawsuit seem dubious at best. ‘‘Creative solutions’’ seems to mean cutting corners and pretending that black is white when the evidence finally appears. And that other big deal, the TPP? Negotiations fell over at the last minute.

Welcome to Christchurch

New Zealand, where tourists get beaten up or robbed and then we shower them with offers of help. English backpacker Nicholas Aubertin, 24, happened to be speaking French to a French friend when he was attacked by a group of eight young men in central Christchurch last weekend. They demanded to know if the English tourist spoke English as they bashed him. Aubertin was hospitalised and put on a liquid diet for three weeks. He still intends to extend his stay and work in New Zealand but, strangely enough, might do that somewhere other than Christchurch.

Media musical chairs

Campbell Live fans will remember the amazing timing which saw MediaWorks release its final and highly unpopular decision to can the long-running current affairs show just as a major Budget announcement was made. A coincidence, surely. There was something like karma on Thursday when coverage of Campbell Live’s eventual replacement on TV3, titled Story, was immediately overshadowed by the big news that John Campbell will be heading to Radio New Zealand to host a new afternoon drivetime show. Will it be titled Campbell Drive? Oh, and the Story presenters? They talked to Stuff about how their show was not going to be Campbell Live but they were not going to be Mike Hosking either. As co-host Duncan Garner put it: ‘‘I don’t see myself as some kind of pony who turns up in a Ferrari at 6pm in a $4000 suit to host a show at 7pm and then go home to some big mansion.’’ Ouch. Would you like some ice for that burn, Hosking?

Tragedy in Waimate

There were heartbreaking descriptions of the moments when fire tore through a flat above a Nepalese restaurant in Waimate on Wednesday morning. Three were killed and three survived. Tulsi Kafle, 24, talked of feeling as though a strong wind came through the bedroom she shared with her two sisters. Tulsi and Manisha, 17, and Mamata, 11, scrambled onto the roof after Tulsi broke a window, but their parents, Tika and Tej Kafle, and their brother Prem, 8, perished. Their father had been in New Zealand for eight years; the others joined him two years ago.