FYI, my email to Radio NZ news desk this morning, regarding the story below.

To the News desk, Radio New Zealand

I note that in your story about a group of pre-schoolers being walked through a dangerous tunnel, you referred only to “two adults” as the culprits. Was this because they were women? If so, was their gender kept from the public out of deference to feminism, fear of retribution from a feminist government, anachronistic special empathy for what used to be the downtrodden gender, feminist allegiance by the news writer, or some other reason? I bet that if it had been two men leading the children this would have been specified.

Hans Laven
Tauranga

(From Radio NZ website)
Children taken on “very dangerous” SH1 tunnel walk
Posted at 10:45am on 1 Jun 2006

Transit New Zealand says that taking a group of pre-schoolers through a State Highway One tunnel in Wellington yesterday, was very dangerous.

Motorists alerted police to a group of eight pre-schoolers being led through the Terrace Tunnel by two adults.

The children were from an Early Years Childcare centre in the central city, and were later picked up by police.

Wellington Operations Manager for Transit New Zealand, Mark Owen, says the speed limit in the tunnel is 100km an hour.

He told Morning Report the group would have had to climb over a barrier to enter the tunnel at its northern end.

There are signs at both ends of the tunnel prohibiting people from walking or cycling along there. There is no footpath – only a very narrow ledge beside the motorway.

One parent says she found out about the incident when she was called by the police. She says the officer told her that walking through the tunnel is extremely dangerous, and the police were looking into the incident.