Activist denies sending cruel email to Cabinet ministers

By HELEN TUNNAH

An anti-spray protester from West Auckland says she has no idea who sent Cabinet ministers an email saying GM scientists killed in an aircraft crash were "struck down" by the Lord.

Helen Wiseman-Dare says that while she does use the address the email was sent from, she did not know who had circulated the message.

She could not say if the email was in poor taste.

It concerns the deaths of eight people, including seven staff from the Crown agency Crop and Food Research, who were killed in a crash near Christchurch this month.

Headed "And the Lord struck them down", it contained a Herald news report saying those who died included a key team planning field trials of genetically modified plants.

It was sent to Prime Minister Helen Clark and members of the Cabinet.

The Herald wrote to the sender of the email, who signed only as "ralphw", and asked the person to telephone. Ms Wiseman-Dare responded.

Asked who ralphw was, she said: "That's me."

However, she said she had not sent the email and did not know who had.

"How come you got it? I'm not the only one that uses the address. I really can't comment on it because I haven't seen it."

She said she did not know what to think about the message.

Ms Wiseman-Dare said other people, including family members, sent emails from the address and she would "possibly" try to find out who had sent this one.

Ms Wiseman-Dare is chairwoman of West Aucklanders Against Aerial Spraying, a group which opposes the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's spraying of parts of Auckland with a pesticide to wipe out the painted apple moth.

In Christchurch yesterday, more than 1000 people, including the Governor-General, Dame Silvia Cartwright, attended a memorial service for those killed in the June 6 plane crash. More than 150 people also attended a service at All Saints Church in Palmerston North.

The plane was flying from Palmerston North, where the passengers had been attending a regular team leaders' meeting between staff from Lincoln and Massey.