Three people have been charged with murdering Michael Wakefield Tokona in Kawerau on February 26 Three people, including two 15-year-olds, have denied murdering a man found dead on a doorstep in Kawerau two months ago was found at the front of an Onslow St home on February 26 The accused trio are all in custody and appeared via audio-visual link in the High Court at Tauranga on Wednesday Their lawyers entered not guilty pleas on their behalf to joint charges of murder can be named after his interim name suppression lapsed Ratahi was arrested in Hamilton on March 27 after a month-long police investigation Senior Crown prosecutor Richard Jenson told Justice Layne Harvey this was the first High Court appearance for the three defendants Jenson said the Crown filed a memorandum on Tuesday applying to join the three prosecution cases The defence lawyers did not oppose the request and Justice Layne granted it Ratahi’s lawyer Gerald Walsh said his client had not applied for continued name suppression Ratahi’s application for electronically monitored bail is set to be heard in the High Court at Hamilton on May 20 Jenson said applications for continued name suppression for the other two defendants would be heard the same day Justice Harvey said a seven-week jury trial slot was available in late 2027 A case-review hearing for the three defendants would be called in the High Court at Tauranga on July 2 Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year He piko he tuna is about resilience and love the despite challenges of life says the 2008 Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act is misrepresented as co-governance Ashby says that NZ First and ACT use the iwi as a political tool over a non-binding clause regarding a shared management board and Māori to work together to protect the Ranges “It’s unfortunate that we have some rednecks and Neo-Nazis from Hobson’s pledge and folks like that trying to push back,” says Ashby Enter your email address to receive regular updates from Waatea News Produced by iDigital The Bay of Plenty town also continues to fall well short in receiving its share of community grants from these profits. Kawerau District Council recently carried out a social impact assessment in the lead up to renewing its gambling policy. It showed that the council’s sinking lid gambling policy had been effective in reducing the number of gambling machines but profits derived from gambling in the district continued to rise. The policy, which did not allow for any new gambling venues or machines to be consented, has reduced numbers of machines from 54 across four venues in 2017 to 36 machines across two venues currently. However, total gaming machine profits generated from the district in 2023 was more than $3.1 million. This equated to an average of $546 for each adult, aged over 18 years and living in Kawerau. In 2024, this was estimated to have risen to more than $571 per adult. A graph showed quarterly profits had risen steadily since 2015, from about $500,000 per quarter to just below $800,000 per quarter, driven by an increase in the profits for each machine. Kawerau also generated the third highest gaming machine profits per gaming machine in New Zealand for the month of June 2024, at $22,250. At a full council meeting last week, councillor Warwick Godfery said the report was "not a good read". He asked what counselling services were provided in Kawerau for those affected by gambling harm. Regulatory and planning group manager Michaela Glaspey said while there were several national helplines, there were no face-to-face providers of gambling harm counselling in Kawerau. "I do understand that [Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau Hauora] used to provide gambling counselling, but the person who provided that is no longer there." Mayor Faylene Tunui noted that the nearest face-to-face service was in Rotorua, "not a dissimilar distance as to Tauranga from some other services". A comparison of profits per gaming machine across the Bay of Plenty showed that last year, Kawerau gaming machines had the second highest average profits per machine at $20,214, behind Tauranga City with $21,817. The lowest was Ōpōtiki district at an average profit of $11,400 for each of its 57 machines across four venues. Gaming societies were required to distribute a minimum of 40% of their net proceeds through distribution of community grants but there was no requirement for those grants to be made in the same district the profits were derived from. Of the profits made from Kawerau in 2023, a 40% share would have been $1,269,524, however, total grants to Kawerau from gaming societies was $640,006. A letter the council received from The Lion Foundation, which operated 18 machines out of Cayman Sports Bar in Kawerau, said its aim was to return at least 90% of the funds back to the community of origin and the other 10% to national organisations, but this was reliant on it receiving eligible funding applications. The foundation acknowledged that volunteer-based community organisations did not always have the ability to navigate the process involved in applying for the funding. It had tried to mitigate this by running educational webinars, interactive Q&A sessions and engaging with council representatives. At the recent council meeting, councillors opted to continue with its sinking lid policy. It also merged its two gambling related policies, the Gambling Venues Policy and the Board Venue Policy into one policy, instructing staff to make any amendments to maintain the focus on reducing gambling harm through the reduction in machine numbers. Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air A pokie machine in Kawerau. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) Profits from Kawerau’s electronic gambling machines continue to rise year by year in spite of a drop in the number of machines. Kawerau has two electronic gaming machine venues, Cayman Sports Bar and the Kawerau Hotel, each with 18 machines. 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Lady Gaga rocks Copacabana Beach with free concert for over 2 million fansSun, May 4 Lorde announces new album name, dateThu, May 1 Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris trial over 2016 armed robberyMon, Apr 28 Chubby Checker, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper join Rock & Roll Hall of FameMon, Apr 28 Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris trial over 2016 armed robberyMon Profits from Kawerau’s electronic gambling machines continue to rise year by year in spite of a drop in the number of machines The Bay of Plenty town also continues to fall well short in receiving its share of community grants from these profits Kawerau District Council recently carried out a social impact assessment in the lead up to renewing its gambling policy It showed that the council’s sinking lid gambling policy had been effective in reducing the number of gambling machines but profits derived from gambling in the district continued to rise which did not allow for any new gambling venues or machines to be consented has reduced numbers of machines from 54 across four venues in 2017 to 36 machines across two venues currently total gaming machine profits generated from the district in 2023 was more than $3.1 million This equated to an average of $546 for each adult this was estimated to have risen to more than $571 per adult A graph showed quarterly profits had risen steadily since 2015 from about $500,000 per quarter to just below $800,000 per quarter driven by an increase in the profits for each machine Kawerau also generated the third highest gaming machine profits per gaming machine in New Zealand for the month of June 2024 councillor Warwick Godfery said the report was "not a good read" He asked what counselling services were provided in Kawerau for those affected by gambling harm Regulatory and planning group manager Michaela Glaspey said while there were several national helplines there were no face-to-face providers of gambling harm counselling in Kawerau "I do understand that [Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau Hauora] used to provide gambling counselling but the person who provided that is no longer there." Mayor Faylene Tunui noted that the nearest face-to-face service was in Rotorua "not a dissimilar distance as to Tauranga from some other services" A comparison of profits per gaming machine across the Bay of Plenty showed that last year Kawerau gaming machines had the second highest average profits per machine at $20,214 The lowest was Ōpōtiki district at an average profit of $11,400 for each of its 57 machines across four venues Gaming societies were required to distribute a minimum of 40% of their net proceeds through distribution of community grants but there was no requirement for those grants to be made in the same district the profits were derived from total grants to Kawerau from gaming societies was $640,006 A letter the council received from The Lion Foundation which operated 18 machines out of Cayman Sports Bar in Kawerau said its aim was to return at least 90% of the funds back to the community of origin and the other 10% to national organisations but this was reliant on it receiving eligible funding applications The foundation acknowledged that volunteer-based community organisations did not always have the ability to navigate the process involved in applying for the funding It had tried to mitigate this by running educational webinars interactive Q&A sessions and engaging with council representatives councillors opted to continue with its sinking lid policy It also merged its two gambling related policies the Gambling Venues Policy and the Board Venue Policy into one policy instructing staff to make any amendments to maintain the focus on reducing gambling harm through the reduction in machine numbers Rotorua has hit its highest number of new build homes in 14 years It comes as a new assessment finds the city has more than enough future housing capacity Rotorua Lakes Council destination development group manager Jean-Paul Gaston told an April meeting many of the 522 houses were built in the central and western areas Net new homes reached 483 after accounting for homes removed to make way for developments It was the third year in a row that new home numbers peaked since 2011 and another 600 homes were in the pipeline for the next couple of years Data provided to Local Democracy Reporting showed 304 of the new houses were built in Rotorua's western and central areas: The council had a goal of building 3000 new homes in those areas by 2032 Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said improving housing options for the city remained a top priority for the council as it would have "huge benefits for our community" "These housing developments are not just public homes including affordable rentals and retirement options for our older residents "I know the economy has been uncertain but despite slower markets elsewhere we've got a strong number of building consents coming through in Rotorua." Tapsell said the council would continue to work to unlock land and opportunities for new homes Local Democracy Reporting wrote that $259 million worth of new residential and commercial buildings were consented in Rotorua in the year to September — more than double the $112.2m of consents issued in 2023 new dwelling consents nationwide in 2024 were down 9.8% on 2023 Gaston wrote in the meeting’s agenda the city avoided the national decline in building numbers because of multi-year investment by Kāinga Ora and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development support for Māori affordable rental development and significant staged developments such as Freedom Village The recent fast-track consenting of a new Summerset lifestyle village in Fairy Springs provided additional future certainty of 260 housing units within the short/medium-term Other projects included the first 16 homes in the Ōwhata Kōhanga Rākau iwi-led housing development on the east side of Rotorua which opened in November and will eventually have 93 homes including 38 affordable rentals and kaumātua housing A council spokesperson said it knew of 262 among last year's 522 new builds that were social housing or affordable rentals Among these were 17 two-bedroom and three three-bedroom homes on Lake Rd A Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga — Ministry of Housing and Urban Development spokesman said 101 homes were built as part of MHUD housing programmes including 80 iwi-led Māori affordable rentals Kāinga Ora added 104 new social housing places to its stock in Rotorua The spokesman said Rotorua's housing shortage resulted from a rapid increase in the resident population from 2013 and too few houses being built to meet the demand The rental market tightened and rents rose relative to incomes leading to more households on the Housing Register and large numbers in temporary or emergency accommodation This peaked at 699 households in December 2021 The ministry partnered with others including iwi and the council to make a plan for Rotorua including short-term and more permanent housing solutions The number of households in temporary and emergency housing had dropped to 96 as of March "This is a result of the Government's significant investment in Rotorua." The city remained a priority for the Ministry with a "strong pipeline" of additional housing places to be delivered — 170 state homes by mid-2025 and another 72 by July 2026 The Government was criticised for using Rotorua's motels as a "dumping ground" for the country's homeless during peak pandemic years but consistently denied actively bringing in out-of-towners The last Housing and Business Development Capacity Assessment in 2021 projected the city was heading for a 10,000-home shortage in the long-term An updated assessment from 2024 presented to a council meeting on Wednesday found an overall surplus of 300 — 1600 dwellings short-term This turnaround was broadly credited to work identifying and preparing new greenfield (undeveloped) land for housing "This puts the district in a good position to respond to what the community needs as it grows and to make adjustments if needed," Gaston said in a statement LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air the Emergency Management Minister's "cautiously optimistic" scientists will get back on Whakaari / White Island soon to fix broken technology They have previously been denied entry by the island's owners to repair the gear after the 2019 eruption killed 22 people The monitoring equipment was drastically damaged and eventually stopped working Te Herenga Waka Victoria University researcher Dr Finn Illsley-Kemp told 1News: "We're relying on seismometers that are on the mainland and they're just too far away to record the signals." when the island has erupted in bad weather or darkness "Eruptions have occurred and we didn't notice until we saw damage on solar panels," Illsley-Kemp said it's very strange to not be able to know anything about it." Normally our most active volcano has instruments showing shaking for experts watching 24/7 to help keep people in nearby boats planes and the mainland safe from hazards like ashfall University of Auckland geology professor Phil Shane said with the current blackspots "It doesn't really seem rational or logical to restrict access by scientists to volcanoes when it's part of our role." One of the complications was court action involving the Buttle family who were initially convicted of health and safety breaches which was then quashed Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell has been upping the urgency to now reinstate the technology "It's something that is complicated and I didn't anticipate that it would be," he told 1News "I'm cautiously optimistic that we're going to get equipment on there." The Buttles told 1News they met with government representatives in March from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Department of Internal Affairs the family wants to negotiate a formal licence instead of the verbal licence that existed previously They are waiting for further communication from the government on the proposed formal licence." They also said: "The Buttle family has always supported the activities of GNS [Science] in their monitoring and research on Whakaari." GNS Science would do the hands-on work to install the new gear A Lake Tarawera residents’ group says lowering sewerage scheme costs for homeowners at the lake is non-negotiable and unaffordability is "not a trivial matter" A member suggested homeowners not sign off on allowing connection works on their properties until they have funding certainty Rotorua Lakes Council is considering three funding options for the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme in its Annual Plan consultation The scheme connects lake properties to Rotorua’s reticulated sewerage replacing septic tanks blamed for declining lake water quality The most recent cost estimate is $32.2 million The council has said protests and court action added expense Tarawera ratepayers would need to fund $20.9m The council would borrow the money and households would pay it back over time Under the first funding option — the status quo — the lump-sum cost was $50,315 each it would be $3899 a year — including covering the cost of the council holding the debt one for the main pipeline and the other for connecting to the scheme with the latter only charged to households that connect About 446 existing properties and 104 more to be built in the future could be connected The figures reflected a $5286 discount if households agreed by June 1 to having installation work on their properties 65 properties have given approval for this Households that missed the deadline would need to pay for the connection themselves Any who refused to connect may have few options with the council previously saying septic tanks alone would be non-compliant and upgrades to be compliant were unlikely to get consent with reticulation available nearby The two other funding options reduced Tarawera households’ costs by increasing rates paid by all other Rotorua ratepayers Option two added $2.80 a year to all ratepayers’ bills for 25 years raising $1m and reducing Tarawera households’ contribution to $47,737 Option three raised $4m by increasing rates $11.20 per year the Lake Tarawera Sewerage Working Group recommended attendees support option three Group member Duncan Evans told the meeting option three did not "go far enough" He said the group had told council staff many could not afford the scheme and proposed three non-negotiable conditions These were to set the maximum cost for Tarawera ratepayers at $36,600; exclude all cost escalations from their bills; and ask Bay of Plenty Regional Council to increase its funding to $1.485m to match Rotorua Lakes Council’s contribution He advised attendees not to sign off on installation plans until they had certainty and a capped charge was agreed Evans suggested that if the group’s maximum was agreed then homeowners would agree to sign plans within two weeks of that decision In a statement to Local Democracy Reporting group chairman Sir Henry van der Heyden said the council must negotiate with the Tarawera community before the rates are struck Many community members simply cannot afford to pay for the options council is proposing." Submissions on the Annual Plan are open until May 5 The council’s infrastructure and assets group manager encouraged people to make submissions for elected members to consider "We continue to have discussions with Tarawera property owners and have continued to explore additional funding options to reduce the cost to ratepayers as much as possible." The council hosted a webinar on the scheme options last week Council chief executive Andrew Moraes answered questions including what happened when someone could not afford the 25-year rate "The council has a range of policies that address hardship for people who struggle to make rates payments." He encouraged people to reach out before making "significant life decisions" about their property Moraes said the council intended to seek more funding from the regional council and suggested people write to it for the same The owner of a cat fatally mauled by roaming dogs this week has been horrified to learn that her pet Stormy is not the only victim of this group of dogs in Whakatāne Whakatāne District Council dog control officers say they have impounded eight dogs over the past 10 days and are encouraging people to make formal complaints when they see roaming dogs rather than post about them on social media Trinaka Godsmark-Tawa's cat Stormy was found dead on Monday morning The James Street resident had been getting ready for work just after 5am when they heard loud and aggressive barking that lasted five minutes A neighbour told them he had just chased three dogs away outside his house and one of them had a cat in its mouth she went in search of Stormy and found him mauled to death about six houses away She posted about the attack on social media and soon learned that just minutes before Stormy was killed a nearby Riverside Drive resident had chased three dogs from their property where they had been terrorising their cat The dogs - one described as a husky and another as light-coloured - had been seen coming from Awatapu lagoon Local Democracy Reporting [The Beacon] has verified that at least four other cats have been attacked by dogs in Whakatāne this year One incident in Whakatāne south three weeks ago was witnessed by the cat’s owner and her two preschool children who did not want to be named for fear of repercussions said her two-year-old daughter had been feeding the cat when it was grabbed by two dogs She describes one as a liver-and-white husky-type dog and the other as a tall “It could have been [my daughter] they attacked,” she said It happened just before 7am while the cat waited for his food on the front doorstep “I opened the front door to let my two-year-old put the food down and all of a sudden “I quickly ushered [the girls] back inside and shut the door They watched out of the window as I chased after the dogs they were watching as [the cat] was being ripped by two dogs "He has some very big lacerations on his back." The children remain frightened to go outside their front door “They’ve only ever known this cat as their baby Now I’ve had to carry them to and from the car They won’t go out on the front porch anymore.” She urges people to call dog control as soon as they see these dogs roaming A dog control officer told her there have been multiple reports of the same dog Local Democracy Reporting [The Beacon] also heard from a Hinemoa Street resident whose cat was attacked by dogs a few weeks ago Two other cat owners have posted on social media that their cats were killed by dogs in January Godsmark-Tawa would like to see more dog control officers patrolling the area as it’s not the first time it’s happened in the area “It’s unfair that we have had to bury our cat because someone can’t keep their dogs in their own gate.” The council is currently advertising for a dog control officer on its careers website we voted for more staff for animal control One of the difficulties is that staff can’t be everywhere all the time .. so it does rely a lot on people contacting the council when they see it happening Any help with identifying the dogs is encouraged “Often the animal is gone by the time staff get there It’s not very easy to identify individual dogs and I think they are genuinely trying to do their best with the challenges that they’ve got,” he said He said most dog owners were responsible but a few owners needed to stop their dogs escaping He said other issues were whether dog control officers had the powers they needed under the council’s bylaws and how many dog control staff were needed but also people complain that there’s too many staff at council but people have to say how much extra they are prepared to pay in rates for that to happen." Council animal control team leader Verna Kinney said the council had received one formal complaint regarding a dog attack on a cat in the James Street area “As this matter is under active investigation it has received 20 service requests about roaming dogs in the Whakatāne township with several reports relating to the same incidents She urges people to report sightings of roaming dogs as soon as possible but Further severe weather is forecast to impact both islands tomorrow unusually strong winds for the capital and more disruption to transport A low-pressure system is deepening and moving across the country over the next 48 hours sparking a large number of weather warnings MetService has issued orange heavy rain warnings for Bay of Plenty east of Ōpōtiki Canterbury between Amberley and Timaru including Christchurch and Banks Peninsula An orange strong wind warning is in place from tomorrow for both sides of Cook Strait coastal areas of Wairarapa and coastal Marlborough south of Blenheim Gusts of up to 130km/h could hit the capital and further disruption was expected to Cook Strait ferry services NZTA has warned motorists of possible lane closures on the Auckland Harbour Bridge tomorrow SH1 would be blocked in Northland at the Mangamuka Gorge overnight into Thursday morning Damaging wind is a real concern for parts of the lower North Island, including Wellington, later today & Thursday.Gusts may reach 120+ km/h.Likely impacts include:🌬️ Damage to trees🌬️ Risk of power cuts🌬️ Difficult travelStay on top of weather warnings from @MetService. pic.twitter.com/E4OPApFHoQ Orange heavy snow warnings were in force overnight for the Canterbury High Country with 12 to 20cm of snow expected to fall above 800 metres including heavy rain watches for the eastern Bay of Plenty Strong wind watches were also forecast for Auckland MetService's Heather Keats said the storm was "very widespread" "It's covering almost the entire country," she said "Most of us will get at least a little taste of this system." There was a "large amount of impactful rain" forecast for the east coast of the South Island including a high chance of a red warning for Canterbury north and about Amberley which was "not to be ignored" but she said it was at "unusual levels even for them" with southerly gusts approaching 130km/h alongside high sustained wind speeds possible "When the wind is combined with the swell there will be elevated impacts from this weather coastal inundation and erosion just to name a couple," Keats said It’s about to get properly windy for parts of the country over the next day and a half💨In the capital, this looks like more than just a typical Windy Welly day - unusually strong southerlies could bring gusts of 130 km/h, making trees and structures more vulnerable to damage pic.twitter.com/KotAHrhoFa She said it had been a "really wet and warm April" "We did have a relatively quiet start to 2025 so it does feel like all the rough weather is now pushing over us but we are well into autumn now and we can expect the weather to become unstable at times." Forecast swells of up to seven metres have forced a large number of cancellations on both the Interislander and Bluebridge over the coming days SH1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has been closed since yesterday due to a slip NZTA said the road would remain closed overnight "Contractors will be on-site with specialist machinery tomorrow morning to remove loose material above the slip site in a safe and controlled manner," a spokesperson said the agency said contractors were monitoring the movement of the hillside following recent heavy rain and another slip was expected "The geology and varying terrain through the Mangamuka Gorge mean it will always be susceptible to some movement during severe weather like what we’ve seen over the past two to three weeks." NZTA has warned drivers to prepare for the possibility of short-notice lane closures or reduced speeds on the Auckland Harbour Bridge "Wind gusts of 75-89 km/h are forecast for the bridge between 4am and 9am tomorrow potentially triggering a red alert," a spokesperson said "Wind gusts of 75-85km/h are forecast for between midday and 7pm The bridge will remain in a four-by-four configuration during peak traffic tomorrow speed limits may be reduced and some lanes on the bridge may close we close all lanes because it’s unsafe for any vehicle to be on the bridge and the bridge structure is vulnerable to vehicle impacts." Drivers of high-sided vehicles and motorcyclists were urged to travel around the harbour using the Western Ring Route via State Highway 18 Bay of Plenty east of Ōpōtiki – 29 hours from 10am Wednesday to 3pm Thursday Canterbury about and north of Amberley – 35 hours from 10am Wednesday to 9pm Thursday including Christchurch and Banks Peninsula – 32 hours from 10am Wednesday to 6pm Thursday Kaikōura coast and ranges – 44 hours from 10am Wednesday to 6am Friday Wellington – 21 hours from 3am Thursday to midnight Coastal areas of Wairarapa – 15 hours from 9am Thursday to midnight including the Kaikōura Coast – 21 hours from 1am Thursday to 10pm Canterbury High Country south of the Rangitata River – 12 hours from 9pm Wednesday to 9am Thursday Bay of Plenty about and west of Ōpōtiki – 11 hours from 10am to 9pm Wednesday Wairarapa – 8 hours from 1pm to 9pm Wednesday Wellington – 45 hours from 6pm Wednesday to 3pm Friday and Waikato north of Hamilton – 5 hours from 7am Thursday to noon and Hawke's Bay south of Hastings – 12 hours from 1pm Thursday to 1am Friday Horowhenua and Kapiti Coast – 13 hours from 9am Thursday to 10pm Marlborough Sounds – 18 hours from 6pm Wednesday to noon Thursday also the Nelson Lakes – 27 hours from noon Wednesday to 3pm Thursday A search and rescue operation is underway for a Masterton man in his 70s missing since Sunday John Rafferty was last seen at Masterton Railway Station about midday on May 4 The 74-year-old did not board a train and left on foot about 20 minutes later Matheson said it was possible Rafferty was staying with a friend but police and loved ones "want to know he’s safe" and John doesn’t have his cell phone or wallet," he said A search team and a helicopter has been out looking for the missing man "We are really keen to know that he’s safe." Police have released an image from CCTV showing Rafferty on a station platform on the day of his disappearance He was wearing a blue jacket with 'NASA' written on the back Anyone who saw him was asked to contact police on 111 or online at 105 if there was Information after the fact The next top cop of the troubled Victoria police force embraces his "outsider" status to curb its leadership malaise and has a stern warning for crooks Former New Zealand Police commissioner Mike Bush won the race to become Victoria's chief commissioner after months of top-level staffing woes The 40-year police veteran steps into the role on June 27 with a five-year contract The Kiwi conceded the job will be no picnic with Victoria's crime rate hitting an almost decade-high in 2024 everyone knows that," he told reporters today "These crime issues are actually global they are quite similar wherever you go but it's not good enough just to turn up after the act Rising youth crime and high-profile cases of alleged offenders committing crimes while on bail spurred the Victorian government to strengthen laws in March Bush said he was familiar with the crackdown but bail laws were just one part of the solution to tackling youth crime along with a "prevention mindset" He retired from the NZ police force in 2020 after joining in 1978 and spending his final six years in the top job Whakaari/White Island volcano eruption and Covid-19 pandemic were among the biggest crises Bush confronted during his tenure Bush also made headlines in 2022 after it emerged he had a past drink-driving conviction when unsuccessfully applying to become head of the UK's Metropolitan Police Former New Zealand police minister Stuart Nash describedr Bush as hard but fair He said Bush regularly met with police forces across the Tasman in his previous role and recalled travelling with him to every district across New Zealand once a year to chew the fat with communities and then we all had biscuits and a cup of tea," Nash told AAP "Mike is someone who had deep credibility in policing." The state government has not handed the reins of Victoria Police to an outsider since former NSW Police assistant commissioner Christine Nixon in 2001 The Kiwi was happy to wear the "outsider" tag and is already hatching plans to hit the ground running "I've got a lot to do to come up to speed," Bush said "Culture is a consequence of leadership." establishing relationships with community groups amid rising tensions and increasing police visibility on the beat were among his other top initial priorities Victoria Police was thrust into leadership turmoil in February with a no-confidence vote from officers costing chief commissioner Shane Patton his job Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent became acting chief and expressed an interest in making the move permanent before throwing in the towel in April Deputy Commissioner Robert Hill will serve in an acting capacity until Bush takes over Bush intends to speak with Patton before starting and said he wouldn't shy away from pushing back if he disagreed with the government Premier Jacinta Allan said a recruitment agency was hired and instructed to find a leader capable of addressing the "challenges" plaguing the force "Mike Bush is the best person for the job," she said whose union led the no-confidence vote against Patton following a bitter pay dispute admitted there was a disconnect between members and leaders The state police union secretary welcomed Mr Bush's appointment and pledge to listen to the mounting workforce concerns "We have a police force that is currently under-resourced that needs fresh officers," he said The Commerce Commission has filed criminal charges against Woolworths NZ for alleged inaccurate pricing and misleading specials that may have breached the Fair Trading Act The commission filed the charges against Woolworths in the Auckland District Court It indicated in December last year that it would be filing separate criminal charges against Woolworths and two Pak'nSave supermarkets the commission said there were ongoing issues with pricing in the supermarket sector and the operators may have breached the Fair Trading Act deputy chair Anne Callinan said operators should know what the expectations were "Supermarkets have long been on notice about the importance of accurate and clear pricing and specials and we're not satisfied with the continuing issues we're seeing across the industry "Pricing accuracy is a consumer right and an expectation of a competitive market well-resourced businesses that should invest the time and effort to get pricing and promotions right." She said the charges were filed to remind all supermarkets that they are expected to fix the pricing accuracy issues and implement better processes In a statement when the charges were announced Woolworths managing director Spencer Sonn said it was important customers could trust prices advertised at their supermarkets Woolworths said it has cooperated with the Commerce Commission's pricing investigation for some time rnz.co.nz Former prime minister Sir John Key says he remains optimistic about Donald Trump's domestic economic policy despite opposing the tariff strategy that has sent global markets into turmoil in recent months who served as prime minister for eight years was the keynote speaker at an Auckland business summit earlier today Sir John told 1News he believed Trump would ultimately take a more moderate approach to tariffs than initially proposed "I'm not a fan of tariff policies I don't think they really work," he said as I think the stock market is telling you at the moment that actually there will be a more sensible landing place for the tariffs that he's wanting to impose." Sir John said he "wasn't entirely surprised" at Trump's call to go ahead with the policy "They're just a negotiating point I think he simply put on widespread and high rates of tariffs on every country to give himself a leverage point and a negotiating point "What I think he actually grossly underestimated was the stock market reaction You can actually make the case that his own strategy hasn't worked The reason the markets have recovered is because he's taken those tariffs off the most part 'I'm going to negotiate case by case'." Sir John suggested Trump's economic policies could still generally be positive for the US but the tariffs could be trickier for the global economy Asked whether he stood by his October comments that Trump would be good for the economy he said: "Do I think he's going to reduce regulatory burden in the United States It depends on where things shake down in terms of tariffs." Sir John acknowledged that for certain industries Trump's policies could be "a really negative thing" particularly if the president's proposed 100% tariff on the film industry were to be implemented "I can't see how it would be cost-competitive to make a movie in New Zealand with a 100% tariff on it," he said noting that films such as The Hobbit would not have been made in New Zealand without government subsidies who now served as a director of US tech company Palo Alto Networks said he had "always been opposed" to Trump's tariff policies but believes they won't be the "dominant part of his economic solutions" "I don't think it's perfect from New Zealand's point of view but I don't think we should panic either and America will still be a very big market for us to sell things to," he said "There are growing markets around the world It's not a great thing from New Zealand's point of view We've got a very sound economy with lots of options in front of us." Sir John suggested a belief that the Republican Trump was was better "on balance" for the US economy than Democratic opponent Kamala Harris he expressed concerns about Trump's tariff approach: "China doesn't pay those tariffs middle-income consumers or consumers in America do because when a tariff goes on a good that you bring into a country He added: "I don't agree with the massive tariffs and I don't think you'll follow through with all of that and I certainly don't agree with this view on trade." Audrey Backeberg disappeared from a small city in south-central Wisconsin after reportedly hitchhiking with her family’s babysitter and catching a bus to Indianapolis Nobody ever knew where she went or what happened to her All that changed last week when she was found alive and safe in another state thanks to the fresh eyes from a deputy who took over the case in February Detective Isaac Hanson discovered an out-of-state arrest record that matched Backeberg which triggered a series of investigative moves that led to finding her alive and safe in another state Turns out Backeberg chose to leave the town of Reedsburg on her own accord – likely due to an abusive husband safe and secure; And just kind of lived under the radar for that long,” he said Hanson was assigned the case in late February and he and other officials met with Backeberg’s family to see if they had a connection with that region They also started digging through Backeberg's sister's Ancestry.com account obituaries and marriage licenses from that region they found an address where a woman was living that Hanson said shared a lot of similarities with Backeberg including date of birth and social security number Hanson was able to get a deputy from that jurisdiction to go to the address "I was expecting the deputy to call me back and say ‘Oh nobody answered the door.’ And I thought it was the deputy calling me I could sense that she obviously had her reasons for leaving.” Most of the information he learned during that call he declined to share saying that it was still important to Backeberg that she not be found “I think it overwhelmed her of course with the emotions that she had having a deputy show up at her house and then kind of call her out and talk with her about what happened and kind of relive 62 years in 45 minutes,” he said Hanson described discovering her safe after more than six decades practically unheard of And while he doesn't know what will happen next in terms of her family reconnecting he said he was happy that she can reach out if she wants to so she has my contact number if she ever wants to reach out or needs anything any phone numbers of family members back here," he said "Ultimately she kind of holds the cards for that.” Shane William Pritchard has been charged with crimes he didn’t commit and chased for debts he doesn’t owe That’s because the Dunedin man is not the only Shane William Pritchard in town While the duo’s shared name and age has sometimes been a handy loophole for one Shane for the other it has caused problems for 36 years It’s been years of fearing every knock on the door Years of wondering if he’ll be hand-cuffed and taken to jail to be honest,” says Shane William Pritchard a scout and a member of the Air Training Corp remembers getting quite a shock when her friend called one evening She'd been acting as a referee for a gun licence for Shane whose friend informed her that the police had a long list of offences against Shane’s name Not long after that the police turned up to where Shane was working at the local tannery to arrest him “You're scrambling in your head to think of ways that you can prove it's not you.” Another Shane William Pritchard had been born in Otago They were separated by just two weeks and about 50 miles – one growing up in Mosgiel the other in Milton – but also by the lives they’d been leading To watch the full video story go to TVNZ+ Shane from Milton had huge problems focusing at school He was raised in foster care and then boys’ homes I just wanted to look cool and get in trouble,” he tells Fair Go Milton Shane was used to run-ins with police he got pulled over in his car and asked about his driving licence one’s got a licence and the other hasn’t.’ And I’m like ‘obviously it must be the one with a licence’.” he went to his bank to draw out an ACC payment and was asked which bank account was his He says that at that point he was trying to figure out what was going on “I thought it was just an error.” But he took advantage of the situation and withdrew a large sum of cash Mosgiel Shane became aware of the withdrawal when a scheduled car payment was declined and when Milton Shane turned up at the bank to withdraw more money Identity fraud was considered but Milton Shane was legitimately expecting an ACC payment so the withdrawal appeared to be a genuine mistake and the police couldn’t take any action 'Anything I could get away with Mosgiel Shane thought the bank incident would have alerted police to the problem But his nemesis had cottoned on to the advantages of having a second identity to use Milton Shane acquired a suite of furniture on hire-purchase Milton-Shane clocked up more driving offences Mosgiel Shane thought about changing his name but realised he’d have to provide his previous name in the process the courts and debt collectors such as Baycorp should be able to distinguish between himself and Milton Shane The police first addressed the issue in the 1990s after Mosgiel Shane went to the media He was given a letter to carry with him should he be apprehended He and his parents felt his situation wasn’t being taken seriously Mosgiel Shane went to the media a second time in the mid-2000s the police gave their word that a record in their system would stop the misidentification from happening again This does appear to have worked as far as police action goes But while Mosgiel Shane was given the same reassurance by the Ministry of Justice he continued to receive demands from the courts for unpaid fines He’d also get stopped and questioned whenever he left the country for work trips or holidays It took a huge toll on Mosgiel Shane’s mental health not realising the constant stress it placed on his life John Pritchard says that at times his son felt his life wasn’t worth living worrying about what he was going to do to himself and that really ate me up.” he and his son were in tears as Shane admitted he was at breaking point He described going for days at a time unable to eat or sleep wondering what might happen next "Am I going to be in a position where they've got me in handcuffs or I've got debt collectors coming to the door?" ...You're spiralling into this black hole." He started taking anti-anxiety medication which helped And events regarding Milton Shane seemed to settle Milton Shane was charged for fishing without a licence in Twizel and failing to comply with fisheries officers But a court registrar incorrectly entered the birth date of Mosgiel Shane in the system both Shanes were being chased to pay the $1530 fine It was Mosgiel Shane who spotted the error and rang the court He also sent a statement from his manager saying he’d not been fishing in Twizel that day The reply he got was to say he’d been given the wrong form and that they wouldn’t accept his proof They just wanted to know how I was going to pay the fine.” The first Milton Shane knew about this was when Fair Go told him Mosgiel Shane had been chased for the fine He was told to pay up or face the consequences feeling he shouldn’t have to pay good money to correct someone else’s mistake But it cost Mosgiel Shane over $5000 in legal fees and took months of back and forth between him “Why should anybody have to pay their own money to right somebody else's wrongs and prove who they are I’m sick and tired of proving who I am all the time.” He wanted the Ministry of Justice to take responsibility and reimburse him for his legal costs saying court staff such as the registrar in this case have immunity if they make mistakes such as the one made here and if I make a mistake and it's affecting my client that it's going to cost them money to rectify a mistake that I've made.” he deserves a million apologies from those guys,” she says Milton Shane told Fair Go he still gets in trouble but wants the other Shane to know he doesn’t use his birth date anymore And he had a message for him: “We’ve got to get it sorted for you so you can have a good life with you and your family because I’m trying to get my life together with my son and my grandson” He offers to meet to see if they can sort it out together but I’m not interested in meeting him,.” says Mosgiel Shane He says he doesn’t hold any grudges and accepts Milton Shane’s apology And he believes the only way for that to happen is for the courts and the Ministry of Justice to give him a guarantee that mix-ups won’t occur in the future Fair Go asked the Ministry of Justice to appear in person to apologise and provide reassurance to Shane of its plans to guard against these mistakes The Ministry declined our request to be on camera saying any comment on an individual case would compromise the independence of the courts as the Ministry operates separately But it did send a written apology directly to Mosgiel Shane It also admitted mistakes can occur in clerical records but said instructions were clear and the importance of getting things right had been emphasised to staff Mosgiel Shane isn’t totally convinced that’s the end of it “All I want is for the Ministry of Justice and the courts to do their job I'd like to live without this hanging over me all the time his criminal check has come back showing a clean slate A person has died following a crash on Auckland's south-western motorway this morning The single vehicle crash was reported to police shortly before 5am the sole occupant of this vehicle died at the scene," a police spokesperson said "Earlier closures of northbound lanes have now lifted and police advise motorists to continue to expect delays as earlier backlogs clear "We appreciate motorists' understanding this morning while emergency services carried out their work." Police said the serious crash unit examined the scene this morning and an investigation was underway into this morning's crash on behalf of the Coroner This is in addition to an earlier crash on Auckland's northern motorway near the Auckland Harbour Bridge Emergency services responded to a two-truck collision on the northern motorway near the Auckland Harbour Bridge shortly after 5am New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said all lanes south on State Highway 1 were open again following this earlier crash with five lanes available on the Harbour Bridge "Allow extra time for delays on the Northern Motorway to slowly ease this morning three lanes going south were now open again between Onewa Rd and the Harbour Bridge," NZTA said Kiwi motorcyclist Shane Richardson is one of two riders who died in an 11-bike crash at a British Supersport Championship event was fatally injured alongside Englishman Owen Jenner on the first corner of the race at Oulton Park A statement from British Superbikes said the race was immediately stopped and trackside medical services deployed "Due to the extreme severity of the incident and ongoing medical intervention the remainder of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship event was cancelled," a spokesperson said "This catastrophic accident has tragically resulted in two riders being fatally injured and another sustaining significant injuries." Richardson was initially treated trackside and then taken to the circuit's medical centre before he was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital with "severe chest injuries" Jenner was also initially treated trackside and then taken to the circuit medical centre where he died from a "catastrophic head injury" British rider Tom Tunstall suffered back and abdominal injuries and a further five riders including New Zealander Morgan McLaren-Wood were transferred to the circuit medical centre with minor injuries which did not require transfer to hospital Three more riders were also involved but were uninjured who was a previous New Zealand rider of the year Cemetery Circuit in Whanganui posted to its social media in tribute to Richardson a fantastic and talented racer and a genuine human" "Devastated to hear we have lost another of our racing family Our thoughts are with Hannah and the family along with our condolences to Owen’s family too." Richardson's sponsor Whites Powersports said the team was "extremely saddened" by the news of his death "Shane will be remembered by many as a great racer Our thoughts go out to Shane’s young family and friends during this tough time The New Zealand Superbike Championship said its "deepest sympathies" went out to Richardson's family and friends Lady Gaga gave a free concert Saturday night in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach for the biggest show of her career (...) Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd kicked off the show at around 22.10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary Cries of joy rose from the tightly-packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand Concert organisers said 2.1 million people attended the show switching between an array of dresses including one with the colours of the Brazilian flag Some fans – many of them young – arrived on the beach at the crack of dawn to secure a good spot “Today is the best day of my life,” said Manoela Dobes a 27-year-old designer who was wearing a dress plastered with a photograph from when she met Lady Gaga in the United States in 2019 Madonna also turned Copacabana Beach into a massive dance floor last year The large-scale performances are part of an effort led by City Hall to boost economic activity after Carnival and New Years’ Eve festivities and the upcoming month-long Saint John’s Day celebrations in June “It brings activity to the city during what was previously considered the low season – filling hotels and increasing spending in bars generating jobs and income for the population,” said Osmar Lima the city’s secretary of economic development in a statement released by Rio City Hall’s tourism department last month Rio’s City Hall said in a recent report that around 1.6 million people were expected to attend Lady Gaga's concert and that the show should inject at least 600 million reais (NZ$178.3 million) into Rio’s economy Similar concerts are scheduled to take place every year in May at least until 2028 Lady Gaga arrived in Rio in the early hours of Tuesday The city has been alive with Gaga-mania since as it geared up to welcome the pop star for her first show in the country since 2012 Rio’s metro employees danced to Lady Gaga’s 2008 hit song LoveGame and gave instructions for today in a video A free exhibition celebrating her career sold out While the vast majority of attendees were from Rio the event also attracted Brazilians from across the country and international visitors More than 500,000 tourists poured into the city in the days leading up to the show according to data from the local bus station and Tom Jobim airport Rio’s City Hall said in a statement yesterday made a cross-continent trip from Colombia to Brazil to attend the show “I’ve been a 100% fan of Lady Gaga my whole life,” said Serrano who was wearing a T-shirt featuring Lady Gaga’s outlandish costumes over the years the mega-star represents “total freedom of expression – being who one wants without shame” Rio officials have a history of organising huge concerts on Copacabana Beach Madonna’s show drew an estimated 1.6 million fans last year while 4 million people flooded onto the beach for a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart in 1994 that was the biggest free rock concert in history sixteen sound towers were spread along the beach Rio state’s security plan included the presence of 3300 military and 1500 police officers Among those present were Lady Gaga admirers who remember their disappointment in 2017 when the artist cancelled a performance scheduled in Rio at the last minute due to health issues “She's the best artist in the world,” the 25-year-old said I love you” in Portuguese rose from the crowd behind him whose real name is Ella Yelich O'Connor which also displayed what appears to be the album cover art — an X-ray of a pelvis "100% written in blood," the website read The new album's announcement came a week after she released her latest single What Was That The song's music video was filmed at a mysterious pop-up event in New York City's Washington Square Park that was initially shut down by police. The event ended up going ahead after all, and fans who stayed got to hear the new song for the first time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lorde (@lorde) It was the first sign of a follow-up to Lorde's previous album Her other albums were 2013's Pure Heroine and 2017's Melodrama she collaborated with British singer Charli XCX on a remix of Girl so confusing — on a re-release of the Grammy award-winning Brat Kim Kardashian thought she was going to be raped and killed when criminals broke into her bedroom in central Paris tied her up and stole more than US$6 million in jewellery 10 people will go on trial in Paris over the robbery abduction and kidnapping of the media personality and the concierge of the residence where she was staying during Paris Fashion Week the night of October 2 Kardashian’s lawyers said she will testify in person at the trial starting Monday and scheduled to run through May 23 "Ms Kardashian is reserving her testimony for the court and jury and does not wish to elaborate further at this time," they said "She has great respect and admiration for the French justice system and has been treated with great respect by the French authorities "She wishes the trial to proceed in an orderly fashion in accordance with French law and with respect for all parties to the case." In interviews and on her family’s reality TV show Kardashian has described being terrified as robbers pointed a gun at her In a 2020 appearance on David Letterman’s Netflix show she tearfully recalled thinking: "This is the time I’m going to get raped Twelve people were originally expected in the defendants’ box and another is seriously ill and can't be tried five of the 10 defendants were present at the scene of the robbery The French press has dubbed them The Granddad Robbers because the main defendants are elderly and have careers as bank robbers with long criminal records Kardashian told investigators she was taken to a bathroom next to her bedroom and placed in the bathtub Her attackers fled on bicycles or on foot and she managed to free herself by removing the tape from her hands and mouth She had also removed the tape from her feet and rushed to her stylist’s room She called her sister Kourtney to tell her about the theft Kardashian told investigators that she had not been injured adding that she wanted to leave France as soon as possible to be reunited with her children According to her testimony and that of the concierge at least one of the suspects had a handgun The gangsters stole many pieces of jewellery estimated to be worth more than US$6 million (NZ$10 million) Only one piece of jewellery — a diamond cross on platinum that was lost during the suspects' escape — has been recovered Two of the accused have partially confessed to the crime is one of two suspected robbers who allegedly entered the apartment his genetic profile was found on the tape used to gag Kardashian who was waiting for him in a parked car at a nearby train station The second robber said he tied up the concierge with cables but did not go up to Kardashian’s apartment said he acted as a lookout in the ground-floor reception area He said he was unarmed and did not personally threaten Kardashian but admitted he shared responsibility for the crime Abbas was arrested in January 2017 and spent 21 months in prison before being released under judicial supervision he co-authored a French-language book titled I Sequestered Kim Kardashian is the second alleged robber suspected of entering the flat although he was filmed by CCTV cameras and numerous telephone contacts with the other co-defendants show his involvement The other defendants are suspected of providing information about Kardashian’s presence in the apartment Others are accused of playing a role in the resale of the jewellery in Antwerp Joe Cocker and Bad Company will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — in a class that also includes pop star Cyndi Lauper the rock duo the White Stripes and grunge masters Soundgarden the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status and the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will get the Musical Influence Award pianist Nicky Hopkins and bassist Carol Kaye will each get the Musical Excellence Award who sang at Woodstock and was best known for his cover of The Beatles’ With a Little Help From My Friends a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions who argued that Cocker is "about as rock and roll as it gets" Soundgarden — with the late Chris Cornell as singer — get into the Hall on their third nomination They follow two other grunge acts in the Hall — Nirvana and Pearl Jam Bad Company get in having become radio fixtures with such arena-rock staples as Feel Like Makin’ Love Can’t Get Enough and Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy The Ahmet Ertegun Award — given to nonperforming industry professionals who had a major influence on music — will go to Lenny Waronker Some nominees that didn't get in this year included Mariah Carey and subsequent Let’s Twist Again are considered among the most popular songs in the history of rock 'n' roll The 83-year-old has expressed frustration that he hadn't been granted entry before including telling the AP in 2014: "I don’t want to get in there when I’m 85 years old so you better do it quick while I’m still smiling." Lauper rose to fame in the 1980s with hits such as Time After Time and Girls Just Want To Have Fun and went on to win a Tony Award for Kinky Boots have six Grammys and a reputation for pushing the boundaries of hip-hop The White Stripes — made up of Jack White and Meg White — were indie darlings in the early 2000s with such songs as Seven Nation Army Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall Nominees were voted on by more than 1200 artists historians and music industry professionals The selection criteria include "an artist’s impact on other musicians the scope and longevity of their career and body of work as well as their innovation and excellence in style and technique" Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton were inducted NZ First and ACT MPs Shane Jones and David Seymour need to "learn to read" the chief executive of a West Auckland iwi says after they criticised a proposal by Auckland Council to work more closely with the iwi as "co-governance" Edward Ashby said the central government MPs were up to "mischief" spreading "misinformation" and "scaremongering" Jones and Seymour are concerned about the potential for iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki to be part of a committee overseeing the Waitākere Ranges but Auckland Councillor Richard Hill said the proposal simply progresses something that was agreed to 17 years ago In 2008, the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act recognised the area as nationally significant, and specified it needed to be protected. It also said it would progress a Deed of Acknowledgement that the Auckland Council the Crown and the nominated iwi would enter into Now the council is moving forward to create that deed, with consultation on the proposal closing yesterday Auckland councillor Richard Hills explained the deed would "in practice" acknowledge the relationship and interest a range of parties have in the Waitākere Ranges enable more recreation and protection of the ranges into the future" "This was asked for unanimously by the local boards and also unanimously by the Auckland Council." Part of the proposal is to establish a joint committee under the Local Government Act with equal representation from Auckland Council the Crown and tangata whenua - in this case Te Kawerau ā Maki NZ First MP Shane Jones has condemned the idea saying his party will never agree to an iwi having "50 percent sovereignty over the Waitakere forest" no more co-governance of these public service orientated outcomes." He said the moment you have a "50/50 committee set up as part of the SuperCity" it will "morph in no time whatsover into shared sovereignty over the Waitākere" That is an asset that primarily must serve all the interests and all the needs of Auckland." Coalition partner and Epsom electorate MP David Seymour agreed saying the Waitākere Ranges is a "very special area to many Aucklanders" "The idea it should be governed half by people whose ancestors arrived 800 years ago and half by people whose ancestors arrived more recently He was also concerned about decisions being made to close tracks saying those needed to be made "according to the best science" "And the people with the best science are the people who have the skills experience and qualifications to make the decision is not actually a scientific qualification." CEO of Te Kawerau ā Maki Edward Ashby suggested the MPs "learn to read" because "that's not what the information out there says" Ashby pointed out it had taken 17 years to act on what the legislation had promised "acknowledges our association" and "identifies opportunities for us to contribute to the management of the public land" "And so one of the ways we wanted to do that was basically set up a forum or a table for us and the Crown and Council to talk." He said that would be a "non-statutory" body and would be used to coordinate a plan for the area Ashby maintained the proposal was not co-governance and said the MPs were up to "mischief" "It's obviously on trend for some members of this government He said he thought Te Kawerau ā Maki were being used as a "political football' and the idea that the proposal was co-governance was "misinformation" there would be land in a different structure there'd be decision making over money and things like that Power isn't being taken away from anyone." He explained the council would still make final decisions over land it manages He said the idea that there'll be "Kawerau police" telling people what they can and can't do on the property was an "absolute fairytale" saying "there's no change of ownership or change of decision making," and that it was simply about "doing what we're already doing in disparate ways" mana whenua together to "improve the future of the Waitākere Ranges and ensure the investment is going in the right places" He said this is "nothing like" the co-governance the government approved a couple of months ago for Taranaki Seymour acknowledged it was ultimately a decision for the local council and said that is why ACT plans to stand candidates in the local body elections for the first time "The legislation in question is actually a local bill which is quite difficult for Parliament to change without the local council asking for it to happen we're standing local candidates so precisely that can happen." Jones said he wouls be taking the issue to caucus and he will be taking it up with the Minister of Conservation - Tama Potaka RNZ approached the minister for comment but he declined because it is a local government issue Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday Urban Search and Rescue teams are relying on just three trucks two of them so old they keep breaking down and pose risks because they lack basic stability control The two firefighters stranded above the blaze made a rare mayday call when "everything that could go wrong did go wrong" Potentially toxic smoke is still billowing from a fire at a scrap metal yard in the Christchurch suburb of Woolston Professional Firefighters Union says two trucks failing on site caused delays and… Audio The Internal Affairs Minister says it is important Kiwis are not paying more than necessary for FENZ to maintain its high standards of frontline services Politics RSS Follow RNZ News Police have launched a homicide investigation following the death of a man in Kawerau Emergency services were called to an Onslow Street property about 8.45am on Wednesday after a man was found dead on the front doorstep of the address A police spokesperson said a scene guard remained in place while enquiries are carried out Anyone with information can phone the 105 number or contact police online New Zealand RSS Introduction has accused NZ First and ACT MPs of spreading misinformation about a proposal for Auckland Council to work more closely with the iwi labelling it as “co-governance.” A 21-year-old man has been charged with murdering a man who was found dead on a doorstep in Kawerau last month Police were called to a property on Onslow St at 8.45am on February 26 after a body was found at the front of an address. A homicide investigation had been ongoing since and, today, police arrested a 21-year-old man. He would be appearing in the Hamilton District Court tomorrow, facing one count of murder. "We are pleased to have been able to arrest someone in relation to this tragic incident," Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Wilson said. "We would also like to thank those members of the public who provided information, and would still like to hear from those yet to come forward." At the time the body was found, Kawerau District Mayor Faylene Tunui acknowledged the death "with deep sadness". "Our hearts go out to everyone affected, and to the community at large. "Please keep safe, and please do allow police to do the work they need to do." Wilson said police still wanted to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard something suspicious in the Onslow St area. "We are aware there were some other people in the general area specifically between 5.15am-5.50am that morning who haven’t yet come forward and we would ask them to please contact us." Anyone with information was asked to call police on 105. Crooks culture first order of business for Mike Bush in Victoria Bush picked to take over as Victoria's chief commissioner after months of top-level staffing woes Crime and Justice Police experts warn 'emerging risk' of 3D-printed firearms rising Technology has outpaced a currently underway review of the Arms Act and criminals are already taking advantage US prisons bureau has challenges — reopening Alcatraz is now another Juliana Herrera's family tell inquest: 'Stop repeating avoidable mistakes' was murdered in January 2022 by her neighbour Health Arrest after person assaulted A nurse leaving her shift last month was held up at gunpoint outside the grounds of the hospital More than 25kg cocaine seizure leads to four arrests across NZ Tauranga and Auckland as a result of the six-week investigation Eleven inmate deaths in less than two months A US$3 billion (NZ$5 billion) repair backlog a stunning directive from President Donald Trump for the crisis-plagued federal Bureau of Prisons to “REBUILD AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!” — the notorious penitentiary on an island in San Francisco Bay that last held inmates more than 60 years ago Even as the Bureau of Prisons struggles with short staffing chronic violence and crumbling infrastructure at its current facilities Trump is counting on the agency to fulfill his vision of rebooting the infamously inescapable prison known in movies and pop culture as The Rock Trump declared in a social media post that a “substantially enlarged and rebuilt” Alcatraz will house the nation’s “most ruthless and violent Offenders” Newly appointed Bureau of Prisons Director William K Marshall III said that the agency “will vigorously pursue all avenues to support and implement the President’s agenda” and that he has ordered “an immediate assessment to determine our needs and the next steps” We look forward to restoring this powerful symbol of law and justice,” Marshall said in a statement “We will be actively working with our law enforcement and other federal partners to reinstate this very important mission.” an 8.9-hectare spit of land with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline was once the crown jewel of the federal prison system and home to some of the nation’s most notorious criminals including gangsters Al Capone and George Machine Gun Kelly But skyrocketing repair and supply costs compelled the Justice Department to close the prison in 1963 and the Bureau of Prisons has long since replaced Alcatraz with modern penitentiaries including a maximum-security prison in Florence The former and perhaps future penitentiary is now a popular tourist attraction and a national historic landmark It’s controlled by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area meaning the Bureau of Prisons could be in for an interagency tug of war if it tries to wrest away control of the island Trump’s Alcatraz directive is yet another challenge for the Bureau of Prisons as it struggles to fix lingering problems while responding to the president’s priorities on incarceration and immigrant detention includes taking in thousands of immigration detainees under an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security The problems at the Bureau of Prisons transcend administrations and facilities An ongoing Associated Press investigation has uncovered deep previously unreported flaws within the Bureau of Prisons over the last few years including widespread criminal activity by employees and severe understaffing that has hampered responses to emergencies then-President Joe Biden signed a law strengthening oversight of the agency It remains the Justice Department’s largest agency 155,000 inmates and an annual budget of about US$8 billion (NZ$13.4 billion) but the Trump administration’s cost-cutting measures have eliminated some pay bonuses that were credited with retaining and attracting new staff That has resulted in long overtime shifts for some workers and the continued use of a policy known as augmentation teachers and other workers are pressed into duty to guard inmates A Bureau of Prisons official told Congress at a hearing in February that more than 4000 beds within the system — the equivalent of at least two full prisons — are unusable because of dangerous conditions like leaking or failing roofs a 37-year-old Florida businessman who was found dead April 28 in a suspected suicide at a federal jail in Miami He was awaiting trial on charges that he kidnapped and killed his estranged wife in Spain inmate Ramadhan Jaabir Justice was killed in a fight at the federal penitentiary in Pollock where he was serving a nearly 11-year sentence for a conviction related to an armed robbery As Trump was ordering Alcatraz’s reopening correctional officers at the same Miami jail were fighting to curb the spread of tuberculosis and Covid-19 isolating inmates after they tested positive for the diseases immigration detainees at the facility ripped out a fire sprinkler and flooded a holding cell during a lengthy intake process the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin has sat idle for more than a year after the Bureau of Prisons cleared it of inmates in the wake of rampant sexual abuse by employees the agency made the closure permanent and idled six prison camps across the country to address “significant challenges crumbling infrastructure and limited budgetary resources” While Trump hails Alcatraz as a paragon of the federal prison system’s cherished past other facilities stand as reminders of its recent troubles They include the federal jail in Manhattan which remains idle after Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide there in 2019 exposed deep flaws in its operations where 23 inmates have been charged in recent months with crimes ranging from smuggling weapons in a Doritos bag to the stabbing last month of a man convicted in the killing of hip-hop legend Jam Master Jay A person is in custody after an alleged theft which left a person injured on the grounds of Palmerston North Hospital Police said officers were called to a Ruahine St carpark about 1.30pm on Tuesday Police said the alleged offender left the scene and was found a short time later "Police would like to thank the members of the public who witnessed the incident and intervened to assist the victim," a police spokesperson said That same night a staff member was knocked unconscious Staff have been calling for security improvements Health NZ MidCentral operations group director Sarah Fenwick previously told RNZ it was committed to making staff feel safer She said these included a security escort to vehicles increasing security services on hospital grounds and "opening up" access to the staff carpark for people working afternoon and night shifts "Lighting has been audited in all outside carparking areas to ensure it is well maintained," she said "Interim access to well-lit parking onsite with dedicated security for staff working afternoon and night shifts while a more permanent solution for out-of-hours carparking is developed." rnz.co.nz More than 25kg of cocaine has been seized and four men arrested following an joint investigation into the importation of the drug into Christchurch Police and Customs received information about a "significant importation" of cocaine that had come through Lyttelton Port on March 29 Search warrants were then executed across the country by specialist teams to support investigators with evidence gathering including possession of cocaine for supply and burglary and will appear in various district courts across a range of dates Detective Senior Sergeant Phil Sparks said the seizure equated to more than 250,000 doses of cocaine and $9 million of harm "That is an enormous amount of damage and misery that had been heading into our communities that has now been halted through this investigation." Sparks said the success of the investigation was partly down to the "excellent partnership" between Customs and the police "We continue to have a focus on engaging with businesses and supporting their legitimate services by keeping them safe with prevention advice to deter drug trafficking organisations’ attempts to exploit their people and premises." Customs acting investigations manager Rachael Manning said the investigation resulted from quick action and close collaboration between the agencies as well as industry partners "We know that transnational and serious organised crime groups are actively targeting New Zealand to drive up both demand and supply of illegal drugs such as cocaine for maximum profit They’re using every method possible to exploit any vulnerabilities within international supply chains in secure areas or on vessels themselves." Three people have been charged with murdering Michael Tokona in Kawerau on February 26 A second 15-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with murder following the death of a man in Kawerau. The teenager is the third person arrested in relation to 52-year-old Michael Tokona’s February 26 death Eastern Bay of Plenty area investigations manager Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Wilson said a 15-year-old male was appearing in Whakatāne Youth Court this afternoon Another 15-year-old male and a 21-year-old male are also before the courts charged with murder after being arrested in recent weeks The trio would reappear in the High Court at Tauranga on April 30 The Waikato Times reported that the 21-year-old was granted interim name suppression Police previously reported that Tokona was found dead on the front doorstep of an Onslow Street property Police say a person tried to smash their way into the Kawerau Police Station on Friday morning Senior Sergeant Al Fenwick claims that at about 2.50am a person attempted to gain entry to the police station where an officer was inside Fenwick said windows were smashed and the alleged offender tried to smash a glass door He said no-one gained entry to the station and a person left the scene in a vehicle Fenwick said police identified and located a suspect in another part of town and at 6.25am the Armed Offenders Squad took a man into custody without incident All cordons in the area had now been lifted A 30-year-old man had appeared in the Whakatāne District Court today charged with intentional damage Fenwick thanked staff and the community for their response On 26 March a man allegedly smashed his way into the Murupara Police Station at 6.45am Police said the man barricaded himself inside and officers negotiated with him for several hours Members of the Armed Offenders Squad were at the scene Police said no-one else was inside the station An axe and machete were also found after he smashed his way through the Murupara Police Station's front door {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"/2025/04/17/paralysed-man-loses-cherished-care-team-in-so-far-failed-acc-bid-to-save-dollars/"},"datePublished":"2025-04-16T18:00:52.428Z","dateModified":"2025-04-16T23:43:33.301Z","headline":"Paralysed man loses cherished care team in so far failed ACC bid to save dollars","description":"FAIR GO: The Kawerau man has lost his long-standing team which meant hospital for him and the pound for his cherished dog 'I just want my own carers back': Watch this story on TVNZ+ It was 30 years ago that Dave* was paralysed after a cliff dive that went wrong It was just two weeks after his 21st birthday Dave has been totally reliant on his care team He admits to bouts of depression but says two things have made a big difference: his dog Zeus and his team of carers that became friends “They have been working for me for three years offering Dave home support with an alternative contracted agency called Healthvision ACC says it’s standard practice to review rates from time to time and that it gave Dave a choice given his former care team said they couldn’t afford to keep working due to their travel allowance having been cut That former team doesn’t want to be named saying they don’t want their other clients to worry felt it was only right to stand up for Dave “I just think ACC have treated their client wrongly.” It was Kirk who first got in touch with Fair Go saying the agency she worked for were fighting the changes imposed by ACC The key issue was that travel payments had been stopped and other rates were “ridiculously low” The travel payments were needed because Dave lives in the small Bay of Plenty town of Kawerau which has few carers appropriate to Dave’s specific needs The agency managed to employ one such carer but the other five in the team were based in Tauranga and had to travel 70km each way for shifts The travel costs came to about $2000 a week these payments were stopped and ACC says the flat rate was cut back to the standard non-contracted rate It had previously been higher in recognition of the difficulty finding local care The amount offered after the review was $4629 a week Kiwisaver contributions and holiday pay would mean the business had to operate at a loss of $2000 to $3000 a week ACC says it doesn’t expect any agency to suffer losses but it wasn’t willing to add travel costs back into the mix "We weren't asking for the world," says Kirk "We were asking for enough to pay our staff to have Dave's care." So for a few weeks ACC continued under the pre-review rates to keep them on board It gave Dave a chance to come to terms with the change and for Healthvision to find local carers ACC were no longer willing to pay his former carers the higher rate But Dave wasn’t willing to accept a different team a decision that meant he had to be hospitalised He stood his ground in hospital for a few days and then relented and came home to care for his dog “It's just turning to shit right now and i don't know what to do Dave doesn’t think ACC appreciates the value of continuity and friendship that carers can bring He stood his ground in hospital for a few days Now Dave's being cared for by Healthvision ACC say those carers are being paid $8070 per week but we confirmed they were also being paid travel costs Healthvision hadn’t been able to find a full local team either It was having to bring in carers from as far away as Auckland and Te Kuiti These extra travel payments took their weekly pay up to $11,570 That rate of $4629 was partly so low because it included 56 hours at an “oversight” rate of $13.98 an hour which Kirk describes as a kind of babysitting service hours during which carers were not obligated to do anything for Dave other than be there "What happens when he yells out for drink or we have to empty his catheter bag There was a big argument with his case manager about that rate saying is he supposed to get up and walk to the fridge and get himself his own drink?” We pushed ACC about this and it admitted it had made a mistake It said the use of this rate was down to “human error” and that it’s only intended as a contribution to a family member living in the same home Kirk doesn’t think that rate should exist at all With this rate increased to the standard carer rate it boosts the potential funding for this former agency to $4949 The carers made it clear they would be happy to accept that amount if travel could still be covered ACC acknowledged this was “disappointing” for Dave It also acknowledged that the pay to the former carers if travel was included would be similar to the $8070 basic pay for Healthvision But it said it expects more from a contracted business like Healthvision such as training provision and health and safety reports The problem is Dave feels he’s getting less We received another call one night in March “I've been left here since four o'clock by myself ACC confirmed he was left alone for about eight hours but said he’d been given a choice after a support person called in sick despite Dave having made it clear over the years that he felt uncomfortable receiving intimate care from a male which would mean his dog going back to the pound Or he could wait for a replacement carer from Auckland ACC said it made regular welfare checks during these hours and it expects fewer problems when more local carers are employed “They are still trying to put a team together This is what really frustrates our company *Dave chose to keep his second name private for this story Watch this story on our home for all news, indepth or consumer stories TVNZ+ contact Gill Higgins at gill.higgins@tvnz.co.nz A paralysed Kawerau man who needs 24/7 support was so frustrated by an ACC policy change that he took a stand that cost him dearly 'I just want my own carers back': Watch this story on TVNZ+ Hospital for Dave means the pound for Zeus.Hospital for Dave means the pound for Zeus Hospital is Dave's only option if he refuses to accept his new care situation ACC says it expects fewer problems when more local carers are employed Watch this story on our home for all news, indepth or consumer stories TVNZ+. If you have a similar situation, contact Gill Higgins at gill.higgins@tvnz.co.nz Good Sorts: The retired Feilding GP running a mobile medical service Dr Warren Nicholls has taken his skills on the road to increase access to healthcare Life-saving heart transplant technology a 'game changer' Doctors at Auckland City Hospital have been using a HOPE box for heart transplants – and they're showing promising results New air ambulance unveiled for Auckland and Northland The Leonardo AW169 swept into action as a welcome service for Auckland and Northland as one of nine new or near-new choppers to replace the ageing fleet More than 5000 senior doctors strike over pay dispute The strike followed months of unsuccessful negotiations with Health New Zealand Cancer survivor’s decade-long path to wellness: ‘Rongoā Māori saved me’ Northland educator Tanya Filia was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour that led to a terminal prognosis over 10 years ago Te Ao Māori Tonight's Good Sort is Dr Warren Nicholls a retired GP from Feilding who never quite stopped being a doctor Dr Nicholls took his skills on the road as part of a mobile medical service aimed at increasing access to healthcare There are no appointments needed – people just show up the team checks basic information like weight "There's a huge need for it," Dr Nicholls said The service began with local farmer Dean Williamson who wanted farmers to get more than their tractor checked up "To be able to book a health check in with the doctor you're looking at four or five weeks in advance and goodness knows what the weather's going to be like or what they're going to be doing on farming," Williamson said "I've signed a thousand death certificates but I've also delivered a thousand babies so the ledger of life is balanced," he said One caravan has now turned into a three and they've seen over a thousand patients He said one in four patients need further help "We've got a person who's probably a diabetic with a sugar of 12 and they don't know it." A mental health survey always finishes the visit it's their first doctor's visit in years "I haven't retired yet," Dr Nicholls said he wants to expand his operation into Northland "It's become my glorious obsession now." Taylor Keepa was like every other teenager full of plans for the future beyond the walls of Rototuna Senior High School But undergoing a heart transplantation was never one of them Taylor was in his final year of school in 2023 working a real estate internship and a part-time job at McDonald's when he began experiencing symptoms like shortness of breath and fatigue "I would have to take a break on my walk to school and even just doing nothing I would struggle to breathe," he told 1News What followed was a frustrating series of visits to the doctors and Waikato Hospital where he was initially diagnosed with pneumonia Taylor and his mother Michelle were given a devastating diagnosis – left and right ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy a rare condition which was causing his heart to fail that's when we were getting a chopper from Waikato Hospital to Auckland Hospital and then the very next day he was put on life support; he was put on an ECMO machine that took over the function of his heart," Michelle said And I just had to watch it all happen." Taylor was now facing the biggest battle of his life What followed was a series of surgeries to keep the teenager's heart beating as he awaited transplantation Just days after being rushed to Auckland Hospital doctors inserted a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) – a mechanical pump that helps circulate blood from his heart to the rest of his body "It's kind of like having two satchels and they both cross over you and you kind of wear them like bags There are two wires that attach to your heart and sort of come out of your stomach area and funnel into these batteries," he said including a portable mode which has a 12-hour battery life Taylor would have to plug the batteries – still attached to him – into a power outlet while he slept "They definitely did not make it easy You would constantly be thinking about them Did I charge them correctly?" he said Taylor was eventually put on the urgent donor list "When you're put on the urgent list that's basically saying there isn't much longer we need this now" But seven months later on New Years Day 2024 during an intense card game in the hospital cafeteria with his dad 'I don't want to get your hopes up "It was kind of like a 'finally' type moment a heart was transported from Australia using a Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion box A Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion box – also known as a HOPE box by staff at Auckland City Hospital – is a specialised device used in organ transplantations The technology helps preserve oxygen and blood flow to a heart keeping the donor organ viable for longer than other traditional methods "It's basically like a really fancy version of a chilly bin It has a cooling device that keeps the heart at 8C and then it is perfused with blood and nutrients to provide exactly what the heart needs," said Dr Jamie O'Loughlin clinical lead for the Auckland Heart and Lung Transplant programme "The cool temperature keeps the metabolic demands low but providing oxygen and blood keeps the heart in the best condition that we can prior to transplant." The device was part of a clinical trial at Auckland City Hospital from March 2021 to December 2022 and has been used for 18 transplantations in New Zealand – five of those involving donor hearts flown in from Australia Dr O'Loughlin described the HOPE box as a "game changer" "We're not up against a time frame knowing that the donor heart is deteriorating over time so it gives us a lot of leeway in terms of how fast we're progressing the operation and the surgeons can take their time and do it really carefully," she said But this type of technology doesn't come cheap The technology is currently funded through donations given to the Auckland Hospital Foundation which means patients must meet strict criteria to qualify Advocates hope the Government will one day help fund the device so more people can access it "It's enabling the teams to build the capacity enabling the teams to build the care pathways and then for it to be adopted in government budgets," said Candy Schroder the director of the Auckland Hospital Foundation The last thing Taylor remembers before his heart transplantation was fist-bumping the surgeons and anaesthesiologists "He'd become quite popular in there," his mum said Taylor had received what he calls "the gift of life" "I remember waking up a couple of days later and I was really high," he laughed "People were coming in and saying hi to me and I was like After surgery he was transferred to Greenlane Hospital's Hearty Towers for recovery and rehabilitation and to connect with other New Zealanders who had also received heart transplants "I'm doing pretty awesome," he said "I'm studying again and I'm working now" When asked about the donor who gave him his heart "I like to think their life continues on in me" His gratitude is echoed by his mother and his wider whānau I wake up and I'm just like 'I still have my son' I'm thankful for everything I have," Michelle said I don't think there are enough words to describe how grateful I am," Taylor added "It's really hard to describe this feeling." Auckland and Northland's emergency medical response capabilities have been boosted with a new air ambulance helicopter Associate Health Minister Hon Casey Costello and ACC Minister Scott Simpson unveiled the new helicopter as part of a national fleet upgrade designed to improve aeromedical services across the country Speaking at Northern Rescue's Ardmore base where the aircraft was now stationed Costello said the helicopter represented a "major advancement" in aeromedical service delivery "We are pleased to see it become operational in this part of the country." the first of its kind to enter service under this initiative important for missions in remote or challenging weather conditions The Auckland/Northland chopper is the third aircraft to be rolled out under the national Emergency Air Ambulance Helicopter Service renewal programme would deliver nine new or near-new helicopters across the country in 2024/25 Ageing helicopters were to be replaced in Auckland "It's great news that this helicopter will support people living in these regions as part of the Government’s investment to upgrade some of New Zealand’s air ambulance fleet." Simpson said the service played a "critical role" in time-sensitive care for people in urgent need particularly in regional and rural communities this is the first helicopter purchased using ACC Investment debt financing which has enabled the ageing helicopter replacement programme to progress at a faster pace "This financing arrangement has contributed to savings of around $500,000 per year." The next helicopter would enter into service in Auckland/Northland in July 2025 More than 5000 senior doctors have gone on strike following months of unsuccessful negotiations with Health New Zealand Health NZ put forward an updated offer last week but that was rejected by The Association of Senior Medical Specialists the rejected agreement would have meant senior doctors received increases to base pay ranging from $8093 to $29,911 Those on steps 4 to 15 would have received a $8000 lump sum payment a 1.5% cap on total salary increases over the two-year term The union said its proposed increase was crucial for attracting more doctors to fill understaffed roles in public health departments and keeping experienced doctors from moving overseas to places like Australia where pay was much higher and departments are less strained Health NZ said today’s strike would lead to 4300 planned procedures being postponed Hospitals and emergency departments would remain open would still be available to deliver services to those who needed them transplant nephrologist Dr Helen Pilmore said "we don’t want to strike" “We’ve never wanted to strike in the 35 years I’ve been a doctor and the 26 years I’ve been a senior doctor She said the health system was in "dire crisis" "It makes me sad every day when I see what’s going on And what I think people need to understand is that the public healthcare system is crucial for the well-being of all Kiwis." She said “people will die” if doctors didn’t have sustainable conditions to work in "This is an unsustainable system at the moment Obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Deralie Flower said those on strike today were actually fighting to save the public health system The ones who are on strike are actually the ones who are still here,” Flower said “They are the ones who actually believe our health system is worth fighting for.” said the biggest challenge with negotiations was the “financial gap” the system was experiencing “We know these are pretty tough economic times and we’ve been pretty public about our financial constraints we’ve been working hard with the union to try and come to an agreement and I guess we’ve just not managed to get there yet.“ He said the organisation had been struggling up and down the country Recruitment and retention were issues in places like Tairāwhiti the region experienced a 44% vacancy rate for senior doctors Nelson was also experiencing staffing difficulties. 1News spoke to multiple doctors at Nelson Hospital who had serious concerns that staff shortages were impacting patients Sullivan said Health NZ was still “really determined” to keep working with the union to try and reach an agreement He said the organisation had applied to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) for facilitation in the hopes of finding an agreement “I guess it’s really about working with our teams to lift that environment and make sure we can deliver the best services and get to a place that is acceptable to both parties.” Nelson woman Alley Papadopoulos was supposed to be in the hospital today but her surgery was postponed by two weeks due to the strike she spent her day handing out ice blocks and cups of frozen fruit to union members at a rally in the city centre She told 1News she had been on the surgical waiting list for more than a year but was "pretty joyous" to be at the rally and I was supposed to have had my surgery yesterday but to be able to be here and then get my surgery She said it was a "pretty good feeling" “I would hope that people who have been put off can really understand the importance of [doctors] being heard "It’s all for the greater good of all of us." Taupō mother Anya Devlin said her 4-year-old son was supposed to have an appointment with his paediatrician for an autism assessment and genetic testing She told 1News this was the fourth appointment that had been cancelled since January Despite the frustration around her son's cancelled appointments "I completely understand the position they’re in and completely agree with the fact that they do need to strike "We want to be able to do everything we can to retain our healthcare professionals in the country so they don’t go off overseas” In a Facebook post last night, Health Minister Simeon Brown said today’s strike would disrupt hospitals and delay healthcare He urged the union to return to the negotiating table Brown said the Government’s updated offer reflected the desire to avoid any delays to healthcare “Instead of putting this offer to members to vote on it deciding to go ahead with pre-planned strike action which will impact thousands of patients “The updated offer addressed a number of the key issues raised by the union to attract and retain Senior Doctors including offering bonding of $25,000 for senior doctors who move to hard to staff regions for two years.” The Minister would not appear on Breakfast saying the strike was operational and that Health NZ would be best suited to discuss it Finance Minister Nicola Willis did appear and said New Zealand’s doctors were valued Willis said she was “disappointed” that patients were having their procedures cancelled due to the strike “We would really like to see doctors back at the negotiating table in particular because in this case they haven’t taken the offer that the Government has made to their members Willis thought the dispute could be negotiated and resolved Labour MP Ginny Andersen said the Government was “clearly” not doing enough “The problem we have is that in this initial couple of stages for doctors but there’s not enough in that offer to keep the doctors who are employed in New Zealand here now “This Government has consistently made the wrong choices they’ve prioritised tax cuts for landlords and tax breaks for the tobacco lobby over properly funding our health system.” Willis said the Government was investing significantly in health calling it the "biggest increases to its funding it's ever seen" but there was no "endless money." "We do need to balance everything up." Tanya Filia (Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Tahu) was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour more than 10 years ago. When she was told it was terminal she turned to rongoā Māori – traditional Māori healing – a decision that she says saved her life. She shared her story with Leigh-Marama McLachlan on Marae rongoā Māori has had a life changing impact on her and her whānau she was diagnosed with a brain tumour after she experienced the inability to recall some words and suffered from massive headaches ended up in Whangārei Hospital where I had a scan and they found that I had a grade four glioblastoma brain tumour ‘what am I supposed to do with that?’ It’s devastating She underwent an intense treatment plan that included surgery to remove most of the mass followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy – a hard and fast approach she felt pressured to endure “No conversation at all about anything else We’re talking 42 treatments of radiation directly to my brain,” she said Initially she went into remission but in 2015 she was told the cancer was back and it had spread She refused to undergo further chemo and radiation therapy – “the mask on to my face where they pin you down to give you radiation I said 'I’m not doing that again'” – opting instead for rongoā Māori natural therapies and intravenous Vitamin C Rongoā Māori is a wide-ranging holistic approach When asked to describe what happens during a mirimiri session Tanya explains how it begins with karakia to cleanse and prepare her “for walking in that space” “I go to a place where I walk and speak and talk to my tupuna,” she said and absolutely it is beautiful for my tinana.” Rongoā Māori is undergoing a resurgence. In 2023, the failed Therapeutics Products Bill drew criticism from practitioners and whānau for its impact on rongoā Māori ACC has recognised the traditional Māori healing practice and offer rongoā as a recovery option Thousands of people have claimed for rongoā services since Speaking as part of a discussion panel following Tanya’s story said they work closely with the rongoā community and have an advisory panel to ensure controls “What we’ve found is as we’ve worked with the community through their leadership it’s kept us safe and ensures the integrity of rongoā is maintained.” ACC has partnered with more than 160 rongoā practitioners where the registration process includes an endorsement from mana whenua a police check and requirement for all practitioners to be subject to the Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994 Paea said it was about ensuring that clients are treated fairly and that there’s a good quality care of service When asked if rongoā Māori is valued in general leading practitioner Donna Kerridge (Ngāti Tahinga Ngāti Mahuta) said it is by those who use it but “maybe not” by others who don’t understand “I think it’s hard to value something that you don’t understand She said a lot more can be done to help improve collaboration “between those of us who will work towards the same goal” of serving people to the best of their abilities Tanya has been met with scepticism throughout her journey with people questioning rongoā Māori but is adamant that it is the patient’s choice wants and desires of the patient that’s been diagnosed When asked if she thinks she’s encouraging people to opt out of western treatments in favour of Māori healing approaches she strongly denies wanting to discourage anyone off radiotherapy or chemotherapy but only hopes to share her experience I don’t carry the responsibility of others All I do is share my journey so people can get a different perspective.” Tanya wants to see terminally ill patients given more treatment options and be allocated funds so they can access whatever healing method they believe in Going through the ordeal of a brain scan for official confirmation took courage on Tanya’s part What if I go and have a scan and they said it’s all over [that] it’s so widespread there’s nothing we can do about it She becomes emotional recalling what her daughter said to persuade her to go through with it Her bravery was rewarded with her doctor reporting back that there was no indication of cancer “[Rongoā Māori is] a choice that we made and it’s worked out for us I’ve been blessed enough to get longevity also there’s no other way to think about that.” Watch this episode of Marae on TVNZ+ for more on this story rongoā Māori – traditional Māori healing practice that takes a holistic approach to wellbeing Essity is unveiling the 'world’s first' tissue machine running entirely on geothermal steam at its Kawerau paper mill The “world’s first” tissue machine operating entirely on geothermal steam instead of gas is being unveiled today at Essity’s Kawerau paper mill More than 100 people were expected at the official opening of the newly-upgraded tissue machine including New Zealand and Australian business leaders from the manufacturing as well as Kawerau business and community representatives Essity’s Australasia managing director Sid Takla said it had invested $20 million to upgrade its paper machine “which is the world’s only tissue machine using 100% geothermal steam drying “This has enabled us to reduce the Kawerau paper mill’s carbon footprint by 66% since 2009 including a 25% reduction with our new technology upgrade “That’s the equivalent of removing 2200 cars from the road annually.” The company enlisted the help of 25 international experts in engineering The machine was upgraded over 12 weeks which included removal of old equipment installation of new equipment and then commissioning Essity - a global hygiene and health company headquartered in Sweden - is the only tissue manufacturer in New Zealand making paper on-site and converting it into finished product The mill produces products each year for brands such as Sorbent Takla said its operation contributed about $40m into the Bay of Plenty economy every year Kawerau had access to geothermal steam - a renewable energy resource managed by the company’s geothermal steam partner and supplier Ngāti Tūwharetoa Geothermal “The geothermal reservoir and the infrastructure in place through Ngāti Tūwharetoa Geothermal are unique to Kawerau and we are so pleased to invest more into this smart the project also delivers socio-economic benefits to the local economy with the partnership helping to fund local marae The New Zealand Geothermal Association acknowledged the significance of the project as an example of industrial decarbonisation “By replacing fossil fuels with geothermal steam this project demonstrates how New Zealand businesses can achieve energy security while significantly reducing carbon emissions,” chief executive Kennie Tsui said Essity commissioned local artist Sarah Hudson Tūhoe and Ngāti Pūkeko) to create two bespoke designs for the limited-edition packaging of Tork paper towels Hudson said her designs celebrated the “unique” geothermal energy that powered the mill - one drew on the natural elements symbolising sustainability and the other reflected the “swirling steam “It’s an honour to contribute my mahi to this project and support the future of sustainability in this industry.” A 15-year-old male has been arrested and charged with murder after the death of a man in Kawerau last month The man was found dead on the front doorstep of a home on 26 February Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Wilson said the teenager was taken into custody after police executed a warrant at an address in Ōtara He is due to appear in the Manukau Youth Court on Friday It comes after a 21-year-old man was arrested and charged with murder on 27 March The man is due to reappear in the Tauranga District Court on 30 April The man was found dead on the front doorstep of a home on Onslow St in Kawerau in February {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"/2025/03/13/tiwhatiwha-qr-codes-explain-new-street-names-in-kawerau/"},"datePublished":"2025-03-13T06:27:19.407Z","dateModified":"2025-03-13T06:46:45.756Z","headline":"Tiwhatiwha QR codes explain new street names in Kawerau","description":"The code gives a translation of the names into English The council created QR code signs attached to two new street signs – Tiwhatiwha Crescent in Central Cove subdivision and Piripiri Crescent in Porritt Glade Lifestyle Village Using a smartphone, the code can take readers to a page on the council website which provided a translation of the names into English along with a short history of the areas and the meaning behind the names Mayor Faylene Tunui and councillors attended an unveiling with residents of Tiwhatiwha and Piripiri crescents with a blessing led by Tūwharetoa kaumātua and council iwi liaison and cultural adviser Te Haukakawa (Boycie) Te Rire The two streets were created by the council as part of new residential developments The new street names were gifted by tangata whenua via Te Rire Some initial queries about the literal meaning of Tiwhatiwha and Piripiri led the council’s iwi liaison committee to raise the idea of the QR Codes meaning "gleaming light that guides the way" was a historical name for the area because glowworms lit the rocks guiding travellers across the river there referring to both a historical large landslide that forced rocks and boulders to come loose and flow together at the site Communication and engagement manager Tania Humberstone said the QR codes were easily generated and linked to a website which meant the whakapapa or history would always be secure "It also aims to capture all generations in that most people have a smartphone or know someone with one We tested that at the unveiling of the signs and it was lovely to see the reaction of those respective residents." Kawerau design and sign company Nexus completed the design of the signs "There has been discussion about using this concept for informative signs elsewhere in the district," Humberstone said Piripiri Crescent’s sign was unveiled by residents Russell Chase and Ben Rickard and followed by Mayor Faylene Tunui’s reading of the meaning Kawerau District Council has come up with a concept to help familiarise residents and visitors with new street names and the meanings behind them Using a smartphone, the code can take readers to a page on the council website which provided a translation of the names into English, along with a short history of the areas and the meaning behind the names. Mayor Faylene Tunui and councillors attended an unveiling with residents of Tiwhatiwha and Piripiri crescents, with a blessing led by Tūwharetoa kaumātua and council iwi liaison and cultural adviser Te Haukakawa (Boycie) Te Rire. The two streets were created by the council as part of new residential developments. The new street names were gifted by tangata whenua via Te Rire. Some initial queries about the literal meaning of Tiwhatiwha and Piripiri led the council’s iwi liaison committee to raise the idea of the QR Codes. he unveiling of the Tiwhatiwha QR information sign and reading was completed by resident Lynn Vowles with support by Mayor Faylene Tunui, left. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) Tiwhatiwha, meaning "gleaming light that guides the way", was a historical name for the area because glowworms lit the rocks guiding travellers across the river there. Piripiri means to keep close together, referring to both a historical large landslide that forced rocks and boulders to come loose and flow together at the site, and also the gathering of people. Communication and engagement manager Tania Humberstone said the QR codes were easily generated and linked to a website, which meant the whakapapa or history would always be secure. "It also aims to capture all generations in that most people have a smartphone or know someone with one. We tested that at the unveiling of the signs and it was lovely to see the reaction of those respective residents." Kawerau design and sign company Nexus completed the design of the signs. "There has been discussion about using this concept for informative signs elsewhere in the district," Humberstone said. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Iwi misses out on bid to buy back ancestral mountain The campaign to bring the Kahurānaki back into Māori ownership included a 10-day hīkoi from Māhia to Kahurānaki Erica Stanford concedes use of personal email 'untidy' Stanford said her practice of forwarding Government correspondence to a personal Gmail account Politics Iwi boss to head new board for Taranaki Maunga Wharehoka Wano will lead Te Tōpuni Ngārahu – a new body of representatives from the region’s eight iwi – to govern the park alongside the conservation minister National introduces members' bill to ban social media for under 16s Christopher Luxon announced the bill alongside Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd this morning Erica Stanford sent pre-Budget documents to her personal email There are multiple examples of Stanford using her personal email for ministerial business Puanga to take starring role at this year's Matariki celebrations The theme for this year's Matariki holiday is 'Matariki mā Puanga' highlighting the communities who observe the star Puanga in their astronomical traditions Hawke's Bay iwi Ngāti Kahungunu has been unsuccessful in its bid to buy back the mountain Kahurānaki but the iwi says its connection to the land will always remain Kahurānaki Station - a 1156 hectare sheep and beef farm south of Havelock North which includes the peak of the mountain - came up for sale earlier this year and the iwi launched a fundraising campaign to buy it The campaign to bring the Kahurānaki back into Māori ownership was called He Maunga Ka Taea and included a 10-day hīkoi from Māhia to Kahurānaki It raised more than $95,000 on crowd funding platform koha.kiwi Hastings-based post-settlement governance entity Tamatea Pōkai Whenua Trust submitted a tender on behalf of the iwi Chairman Pōhatu Paku said the trust was the only local entity to tender for the Station and they were saddened and disappointed by the outcome The trust had approached the tender on the basis it was presented Paku acknowledged the young and emerging iwi members who had generated the groundswell of support for the tender and for the longer term status of the mountain ki tēnā o tātau e titikaha nei ki tēnei kaupapa I just want to acknowledge and mihi to everybody that has connected with this kaupapa Paku said the trust would be engaging with the station's new owners at an appropriate time to convey the iwi's history and also set out their aspirations "The continuation of the protection of our wāhi tapu (sacred sites) is significantly important to us Continued access to the mountain would also be a high priority "The previous owners were quite open for Kura for people running kaupapa and also those that wished to ascend the maunga they allowed that they identified that it was culturally significant to us all." Paku said Tamatea Pōkai Whenua will need to foster the groundswell of support and leadership that the He Maunga Ka Taea campaign had generated "The whakapapa connections and taonga that is Kahurānaki maunga remain our greatest advantage is that we live in perpetuity and our maunga and our tīpuna live with us and they continue to be ours "And like all of our tūtohu whenua (landmarks) our maunga carries our traditions and our identity and our histories and we remain uncompromising to act in the best interests of our tūtohu whenua both for this generation and for future generations." Paku said the trust may look at legal personhood as another avenue to protect the mountain but ultimately he said the maunga remains an ancestor and retains its own mana which no one can ever own rnz.co.nz A trail-blazing tribal leader today starts a new job bringing together eight iwi to look after Taranaki Maunga Iwi now have equal say with the Crown in running the former Egmont National Park The Minister of Conservation will need iwi agreement to approve management plans for what is now called Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki The arrangement is laid out in Te Ture Whakatupua mō te Kāhui Maunga, the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Act passed unanimously by Parliament in January Another group called Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi – half appointed by iwi and half by the Crown – will develop management plans for Te Tōpuni Ngārahu and the minister to consider Wano has for nine years been the first chief executive of Te Kāhui o Taranaki the agency set up when Taranaki iwi settled its historical Treaty claims Wano has helped shape Taranaki iwi’s future and he’s also a trustee for the neighbouring iwi’s post-settlement agency Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa. He’s one of the dozen counsellors on the Kīngitanga’s Tekau-mā-rua the advisory body for Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po – as he was for her father the late Kīngi Tūheitia At Wano’s farewell from Te Kāhui o Taranaki veteran campaigner Peter Moeahu said Wano was “an ambassador a diplomat extraordinaire,” and reckoned he would need those skills “You might have thought handling one iwi was bad enough referring to South Taranaki’s Te Pakakohi and Tangahoe which are not recognised as iwi by the Crown Te Kāhui o Taranaki chair Jacqui King said Wano had dealt with arms of the Crown on many fronts really challenging because often you get so impassioned by the unjust behaviours and practices “You have to carry that in such a way that you can't be asked to leave - and Whare is an absolute expert at ensuring he says what needs to be said without being offensive.” Te Kāhui’s operations manager Mark Wipatene said he’d known many aggressive cut-throat chief executives – “silverback gorillas who have massive egos” “They wouldn’t last a day in this space because you can’t operate that way.” “Whare has the ability to navigate through that world and bring his kaimahi with him because he has no ego Liana Poutu helped negotiate the maunga settlement and said Wano’s calming influence wasn’t limited to dealings with government “And when we want to take on some whawhai (fight) Whare’s like ‘are you sure that's how you want to do it?’” Wano’s niece and former colleague Puna Wano-Bryant said he would bring impeccable communication to the Maunga job “He has the ability to open new ways for people to heal and reconcile their own relationships with each other.” Wano-Bryant said she often spotted surfboards in her uncle’s car and he would explain he was off to a “board hui” Fellow surfer and new Taranaki Regional Council chair Craig Williamson has known Wano for almost 20 years and praised his work for the betterment of Taranaki communities We’ve had three board meetings this week.” In 2016 the Crown accepted that Taranaki Maunga and the adjacent ranges would become a legal person and own itself as Te Kāhui Tupua the Crown agreed to share management of the national park Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki with iwi There's now a search on for four people to represent the iwi of Taranaki on Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi serving as the face and voice of Te Kāhui Tupua When Parliament passed the redress law in January it officially recognised the peaks as tupuna maunga – ancestral mountains LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ on Air The National Party has introduced a new members' bill to ban social media for those aged under 16 Christopher Luxon announced the bill alongside National Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd this morning Wedd said the My Social Media Age-Appropriate Users Bill "puts the onus on social media companies to verify that someone is over the age of 16 before they access social media platforms" Key aspects of the Bill would include obligations for the social media platforms defence for providers to rely on reasonable verification measures regulatory oversight and a review after three years there are no legally enforceable age verification measures for social media platforms in New Zealand Members' bills are introduced by MPs who are not Ministers and need to be drawn from a ballot to be debated in Parliament Luxon said he was hopeful of gaining bipartisan support He had spoken with coalition partners ACT and NZ First about it but would let them speak about their position He said this was an issue he had been passionate about since 2018 and as a dad he felt the party needed to do more to keep young people safe from online harm We want to protect our kids from the harms of social media. That’s why today National has introduced a members bill to ban social media for kids under 16 years old. pic.twitter.com/TiQJs87DhQ "It's time that New Zealand acknowledged that for all the good things that come from social media it's not always a safe place for our young people to be and we need to do something about it." He said teachers and parents had raised issues with him including cyber bullying exposure to inappropriate content and exploitation and social media addiction "Social media should not be exempt from social responsibility and it is time we put the onus on these platforms," he said Wedd said social media was "an extraordinary resource" “As a mother of four children I feel very strongly that families and parents should be better supported when it comes to overseeing their children's online exposure The bill closely mirrors the approach taken in Australia which passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill in December 2024 At the end of last year, a 1News Verian Poll found more than two-thirds of New Zealand voters supported restricting social media access for under-16s The poll results showed that 68% backed introducing similar legislation in New Zealand as in Australia and 10% were undecided or preferred not to say National Party supporters and women showed the strongest support for the proposed restrictions while opposition was highest among 18-34-year-olds and men Wedd said "other jurisdictions are also taking action" "Texas recently passed legislation which bans under 18s from social media use and the UK the EU and Canada all have similar work in train," she said "This bill builds on National’s successful and successful cell phone ban in schools and reinforces the Government's commitment to setting our children up for success." Family First chief executive Bob McCoskrie welcomed the introduction of the bill but questioned why it was not a government priority "or at the very least have a parliamentary and public discussion via a Select Committee process" "Family First thanks Catherine Wedd for drafting the Bill but once again calls on all the coalition parties in the Government (ACT and NZ First) to adopt the bill as a Government bill and ultimately walk the talk when it comes to protecting children online “This important discussion needs to be a priority for the Government and not left in a biscuit tin." ACT leader David Seymour said the party shared concerns over young people and social media but opposed the bill "because it is not workable" we ask the Education and Workforce Committee to hold an open The inquiry should hear all voices to find a workable solution that respects parental responsibility," he said He cited concerns about the practicalities of a ban including privacy issues and the general definition of ‘social media’ to encompass a large part of the internet "Similar legislation has been passed in Australia and no-one yet knows how the ban will be implemented We would be better to learn from the Aussies' mistakes than make the same mistakes at the same time as them." The theme for this year's Matariki holiday is 'Matariki mā Puanga' highlighting the communities who observe the star Puanga in their astronomical traditions the brightest star in the Orion constellation In the late autumn and early winter night sky Matariki is seen below Puanga and to the left of Tautoru (the three stars of Orion's Belt) Puanga becomes especially prominent in the evening sky towards the end of autumn and in the predawn sky during the first month of the Māori new year Puanga will feature at this year's nationally broadcast hautapu ceremony hosted by Ngāti Rangi at the base of Ruapehu Ngāti Rangi spokesperson and leading Puanga expert Che Wilson said it was an honour for the iwi to host the ceremony and to be a part of the work that has been done over the past few years by Professor Rangi Mātāmua and all the host iwi - from Te Āti Awa and Ngāti Toa to Te Arawa and last year Ngāi Tahu Traditional stories related to Puanga are shared across many iwi across Aotearoa but are prominent on the western side of Te Ika a Maui The North Island's main divide of the Tararua Ruahine and Kaimanawa ranges separates the island's weather systems so Puanga gives iwi on the western side a better read on how to prepare for the year ahead "The reason we look to Puanga isn't because we can't see Matariki there are parts of the region where you can't but actually the reason we look to Puanga is because Puanga gives us a better read for the weather on the west coast," he said Wilson said traditionally iwi on the west coast would start to observe changes in the weather during autumn while the months around Matariki were a time to wānanga "The thing is that Puanga and Matariki aren't that different We do have a separate ceremony done the month before called Te Maru o te Tau where we send all of our mate with the setting sun to the pō and that's when we call out our names." Matariki and Puanga have always gone together in karakia They also look to other celestial bodies such as the Southern Cross "In our karakia we acknowledge Matariki during the mate because they become part of te huihui o Matariki So that's our reference to Matariki but the remainder of the ceremony is actually focussed in on looking at Puanga." Wilson said it was a beautiful thing that New Zealand is starting to recognise both Matariki and Puanga "It's a chance for everybody to go out and send intention to whoever you may call your atua and to make that connection to nature Wilson said this year's hautapu ceremony will differ slightly from those broadcast in previous years After the opening of the ceremony the next step is te tākiritanga o ngā mate invoking those people who have died in the last year "We don't call out our mate but we then invoke them to transition to become stars." But Wilson said instead of offering food to the stars they are offered to four atua or deities "So we give to atua rather than stars though those atua are also shown in the sky at that time." The last part of the ceremony is the whakapūmautanga where a pou or post is placed into the ground Wilson said those reciting the karakia bind the pou with intention as they "commit ourselves to our tūpuna rnz.co.nz Fire crews were called to a “well involved” house fire on Kirk Cres in Kawerau 5.20pm: Fire and Emergency New Zealand communications centre shift manager Colin Underdown said fire crews have now left the scene of a house fire in Kawerau “We had brigades from Kawerau and Edgecumbe attend There was a command unit coming from Rotorua but that wasn’t needed and was sent back to Rotorua.” Underdown said he did not have information on the size of the fire or damage “That’s all in the hands of the fire investigator.” Earlier: 1.48pm: Fire crews are fighting a “well involved” house fire on Kirk Cres in Kawerau Kawerau and Edgecumbe brigades were at the fire “One full pressure and two lower pressure systems have been deployed.” The only high-reach ladder truck in Auckland broke down last night A 15-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with murder following the death of a man in Kawerau The teenager is the second person arrested concerning the death on 26 February He was taken into custody after Police executed a search warrant at an address in Ōtara Eastern Bay of Plenty Area Investigations Manager said the teenager is due to appear in the Manukau Youth Court tomorrow Today’s arrest comes after a 21-year-old man was arrested and charged with murder on March 27 The 21-year-old is due to reappear in the Tauranga District Court on April 30 Sign up to The Daily H a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday An officer was inside the station in Kawerau during the alleged attack A man allegedly smashed windows at a Bay of Plenty police station with an officer inside this morning Kawerau area response manager Senior Sergeant Al Fenwick said a 30-year-old man was arrested following an incident in Kawerau “A person attempted to gain entry to the Kawerau Police Station by smashing windows and attempting to smash a glass door” The person did not gain entry to the station and left in a vehicle cordoned an area around Cobham Drive and arrested a suspect just after 6.25am A 30-year-old local man is due to appear in Whakatāne District Court today “I would like to commend our attending staff for their rapid response to this incident and for taking the alleged offender into custody quickly,” Fenwick said “We would like to thank the Kawerau community for their cooperation and understanding while we resolved this incident.” Last month, a man is alleged to have broken into the unmanned Murupara Police Station by smashing the front door with an axe A second 15-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with murder after the death of Michael Tokona in Kawerau almost two months ago Tokona, 52, was found dead on the front doorstep of a home on 26 February Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Wilson said this was the third person arrested and charged with murder in the case - following the arrest of another 15-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man The 15-year-old would appear in Whakatane Youth Court on Tuesday afternoon "We are pleased to have been able to progress this matter and hold people to account," Wilson said The trio were expected to reappear in the High Court at Tauranga on 30 April He is the second person to be charged with the murder of a man in Kawerau last month A man was found dead on the doorstep of an Onslow Street house View this post on Instagram A post shared by Graham Hoete Mr G (@mrghoete.art) An official mayoral painting of Kawerau Mayor Faylene Tunui has been revealed via social media Papamoa-based contemporary artist Mr G Hoete recently posted a video and photo of himself walking into the Kawerau District Council chambers to present the painting to Tunui in person He said he had been honoured to be approached to paint the mayoral portrait for the mayor of his old hometown “Was an honour to meet her again to present the portrait to her in person and passionately serves her hapori and people.” He noted that she was Kawerau’s first mayor from local iwi Ngāti Tuwharetōa and thanked her for her service with the words “e mihi kau atu ana ki a koe e te Rangatira” The video was shown to a recording of Nikau Grace singing her waiata Toku Tuakiri The young singer-songwriter wrote the waiata at the age of 15 as a way to express her Māori identity The mayor’s office has paintings of all five former mayors Lyn Hartly 1986-2001 and Malcolm Campbell 2001-2022 who was the appointed town commissioner from 1954 The council released a statement saying it was looking forward to the karakia and unveiling of Tunui’s portrait by the council’s iwi liaison and cultural adviser Te Haukakawa Te Rire in accordance with tikanga - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air Tom McDowall's Kawerau vermicast operation which uses worms to turn biosolids from council wastewater treatment plants around the Bay of Plenty into fertiliser A worm farm that’s been the subject of more than 130 odour complaints has been given the green light to expand its Kawerau operations Vermicomposting company Ecocast has been granted a 25-year resource consent to grow its existing plant by 5.5ha Ecocast owner Tom McDowall said the expansion would allow the company to improve its control of smells coming from the site a former manager at the Kawerau District Council said he was pleased with the outcome of the consent renewal and expansion application to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council The worm farm takes biosolids from wastewater treatment plants throughout the Bay of Plenty mixes it with wood fibre from nearby mills and processes it into vermicast fertiliser The operation has been the subject of over 130 odour complaints to the regional council since September 2020 and there was a breach of an abatement notice in January 2024 At a hearing before independent commissioner Gina Sweetman on December 10 employees of the neighbouring log yard (operated by Manulife Forest Management) described the “nauseating” smells wafting from the worm farm during the past decade On one occasion it was found that the biosolids had not been mixed with wood waste material before being laid out into windrows as there had been insufficient wood fibre stockpiled it was made clear the odours were strongest when the biosolids were being unloaded from delivery trucks McDowall said the plant’s expansion would make it easier to control any odours from the Tarawera Rd site A further bunker for unloading the biosolids further from the neighbouring log yard will be part of the expansion on to a neighbouring property “We’re really pleased with the outcome of the consent renewal process,” McDowall said “I think we got on really well with the submitters - positive and negative for our neighbours because we will be able to control it better.” Conditions of the new consent include a limit of 32,000 tonnes of raw materials (not including the wood fibre) to be brought on to the property over any 12-month period It requires at least three days’ supply of inert substrate (wood fibre) to be stockpiled at all times and four days' supply of weed mat and lime to be stockpiled - to be placed over windrows in the event they become odorous There is to be no stockpiling of biosolids from wastewater treatment plants All raw material being delivered to the site is to be immediately covered by a layer of wood fibre to reduce odour A complaints register is also to be maintained on-site to record any reports of odours what caused them and what was done to mitigate the odour This register must be made available to Kawerau District Council on request Representatives of Ngāti Tuwharetoa (BOP) Settlement Group must also be invited to form a tangata whenua liaison group with the consent holder to provide cultural perspectives and mātauranga on all matters about the operation of the site McDowall said the company was happy to comply with all the conditions set out in the consent He said he had not had any complaints about the odour in recent weeks and the regional council had not made them aware of any complaints made through its Pollution Hotline People who made submissions on the consent application have until February 7 to appeal the decision A 21-year-old has been arrested and charged with the alleged murder of a man in Kawerau last month The man has been charged following the death on Onslow St on February 26 Emergency services were called to a property around 8.45am after a man was found dead on the front doorstep Eastern Bay of Plenty Area investigations manager Senior Sergeant Paul Wilson said police had been working hard to piece together the events surrounding the man’s death and today arrested and charged a man in Hamilton “We are pleased to have been able to arrest someone in relation to this tragic incident “We would also like to thank those members of the public who provided information and would still like to hear from those yet to come forward,” Wilson said The man will appear in Hamilton District Court tomorrow charged with one count of murder Police were continuing to appeal for anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in or around the Onslow St area around the time of the death to get in touch “We are aware there were some other people in the general area specifically between 5.15am-5.50am that morning who haven’t yet come forward and we would ask them to please contact us.” People could contact the investigations team via visiting 105.police.govt.nz and clicking “Update Report” or by calling 105 “Please use the reference number 250226/5646 “Information can also be provided through Crime Stoppers online at crimestoppers-nz.org or by calling 0800 555 111.” A 21-year-old man has been charged with murder following the death of a man in Kawerau a month ago The man was found dead on the front doorstep of a home on Onslow St on 26 February police have arrested a man in Hamilton on Thursday The man will appear in the Hamilton District Court on Friday charged with murder Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday Senior Sergeant Al Fenwick said a man smashed windows and attempted to smash a glass door at the station on Bledisloe St at around 2.50am. An officer was inside the station at the time and a pickaxe was located by staff nearby, he added. "The offender did not gain entry to the station and left the area in a vehicle." Police identified a suspect after making inquiries. He was located at an address in the Cobham Dr area. The area was cordoned off and the armed offenders squad took the man into custody just after 6.25am. Fenwick thanked the community for their cooperation and understanding while the incident was resolved. A 30-year-old man appeared in the Whakatāne District Court today, charged with intentional damage and possession of an offensive weapon. Kawerau Police Station. (Source: Google Maps) A man has been arrested after he allegedly damaged the Kawerau police station in an attempt to gain entry in the early hours of this morning. A man has been arrested after he allegedly damaged the Kawerau police station in an attempt to gain entry in the early hours of this morning Senior Sergeant Al Fenwick said a man smashed windows and attempted to smash a glass door at the station on Bledisloe St at around 2.50am An officer was inside the station at the time and a pickaxe was located by staff nearby Police identified a suspect after making inquiries He was located at an address in the Cobham Dr area The area was cordoned off and the armed offenders squad took the man into custody just after 6.25am Fenwick thanked the community for their cooperation and understanding while the incident was resolved A 30-year-old man appeared in the Whakatāne District Court today charged with intentional damage and possession of an offensive weapon Small eastern Bay of Plenty town Kawerau has had its hottest February since records began in 1954 Niwa’s monthly climate summary report showed Kawerau had a mean air temperature of 22C during February - a 2.3C departure from normal It also had a record mean maximum air temperature of 28.6C which was 3C higher than normal for the month and the third-highest on record Kawerau also scored the country’s highest temperature last month, 33C. It was the third month in a row Kawerau was the hottest place in the country. On January 24 the town recorded a temperature of 32.4C and on December 29 a scorching 34.8C “Daily maximum temperatures were higher than average for many parts of New Zealand,” the February climate summary said On the flip side, Te Puke and Whakatāne scored near-record lowest high temperatures for the month Te Puke’s maximum temperature of 18.2C and Whakatāne’s 19C on February 28 were the fourth-lowest daily highs on record for those towns Tauranga was rated the wettest main centre in the country for the month - but that was because the city had near-normal rainfall levels compared with the dry conditions elsewhere Christchurch and Dunedin all had rainfall levels rated well below normal except Tauranga where rainfall was near normal Auckland [Māngere] observed its third-driest February since records began in 1959,” the report said Temperatures in Tauranga were a little above average The mean of 20.9C for the month was 0.8C higher than average One extreme event highlighted in Niwa’s monthly report was in the Bay of Plenty “On 5 February, localised heavy rain resulted in flooding which closed SH2 between Matatā and Paengaroa,” the report said The severe thunderstorm in Taupō on February 7 that resulted in surface flooding on Lake Terrace and the CBD and power outages to 2000 people was also mentioned Taupō recorded a near-record mean temperature of 19.6C 2.2C higher than normal for February and the fourth-highest mean temperature since records began in 1949 Its mean maximum air temperature of 25.8C was also the fourth-highest on record Paying for clean-up means less money for the community Emergency services were called to an Onslow St property around 8.45am on Wednesday after a man was found dead on the front doorstep of the address A scene guard remained in place at the property while inquiries were carried out Anyone with information that may assist inquiries is asked to contact police via 105 Rawinia Whyman at one of her appearances via audio visual link in the Rotorua District Court last year A mother has been jailed after she went live on Facebook drinking alcohol and showing off her erratic driving that ended in a crash causing severe brain damage to her incorrectly restrained 12-week-old baby Rawinia Whyman, 33, formerly from Kawerau and then Auckland, appeared in the Rotorua District Court on Friday for sentencing after previously admitting 12 charges relating to a crash south of Rotorua on August 5 2023 and subsequent unrelated offending in the five months that followed Whyman’s lawyer, Taria Ngawhika, asked a home detention sentence be considered, but Judge Paul Geoghegan said the fact Whyman broadcast her offending on social media as if it were something to be proud of was one of the strong reasons he had to send a deterrent He sentenced her to two years and six months' imprisonment Whyman pleaded guilty to dangerous driving three counts of dangerous driving causing injury and two charges of ill-treatment and neglect of a child She also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and unlawfully using a motor vehicle on December 21 a further charge of unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle on January 4 The January offences were committed while on bail She also admitted two counts of failing to answer district court bail Crown prosecutor Kris Bucher described Whyman’s actions as “an accident waiting to happen” saying Whyman drank five to six alcoholic drinks before taking her two children The baby was in a baby capsule but it wasn’t attached to the car The 3-year-old was in the backseat but wasn’t in an approved car seat A 16-year-old known to Whyman was in the passenger seat Whyman started using her mobile phone to “go live” on Facebook This livestream showed her doing more than 130km/h on State Highway 5 as she flicked the camera between the odometer and self-portrait mode She drove like that for about 15 minutes while overtaking vehicles and speeding she turned into Settlers Rd and lost control on a straight Her car flipped and came to rest about 50m from the road she wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse when members of the public rushed to help The baby suffered a traumatic brain injury that required surgery pulmonary contusions and vertebral fractures Her 3-year-old suffered a subretinal haemorrhage and multiple lacerations to the face and head The 16-year-old suffered an injured pelvis a laceration to her spleen and kidney and a punctured lung Whyman’s blood alcohol level showed she had 38mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood She was recorded at just under the legal limit of 50mg Judge Geoghegan said it “defies belief” she went on to offend again in a similar way just a few months later on December 21 She was spotted by the police Eagle helicopter in Greenlane speeding and driving a stolen car with passengers inside She made a series of high-speed manoeuvres and narrowly missed oncoming vehicles She crossed the centre line several times and police had to use road spikes to stop her On January 4 and while on bail for her prior offending she was found driving another stolen vehicle in Auckland and on January 21 she was caught stealing $115 worth of diesel from a service station in Paeroa Whyman had convictions for failing to stop Judge Geoghegan said Whyman had seven children all of whom were now in the care of Oranga Tamariki – something he described as a “tragedy” for them all A victim impact statement received from a family member who now cared for the two children injured in the crash said the baby continued to exhibit severe psychological and physical challenges Judge Geoghegan said Whyman explained her offending by saying she was a solo parent and needed a break and couldn’t find anyone to look after her children so had no choice but to drive to Taupō But what you were not entitled to do was to consume alcohol and drive in the incredibly dangerous manner you did.” He said a key aggravating factor was she drove while distracted and “showing off” “This is an increasingly concerning aspect of road safety The compulsion people have to record dangerous driving such as yours and to broadcast it on a social media platform as though it is something to be proud of.” He said the children’s vulnerability was a factor “This is not a case where the children could shout out and protest in an endeavour to stop what was happening [They] were completely vulnerable to any decision you made that day around driving.” He gave a starting point of three years for the crash and uplifted it by 12 months for the other offending that followed He gave 15% discount for her guilty plea and 15% discount for factors in her upbringing and personal circumstances – including methamphetamine and alcohol issues He gave no discounts for remorse mainly because she didn’t plead guilty immediately He gave a further three-month discount for her time spent on electronically-monitored bail bringing her final jail term down to two years and six months' jail “Although I accept that is a burden you will carry for the rest of your life and is a penalty in itself.” Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues. He piko he tuna is about resilience and love the despite challenges of life. Police were called to the scene on Onslow Street at about 8.45am. It said the man was located deceased on the "front doorstep" of the address. "A scene guard remains in place at the property while inquiries are carried out." Police asked anyone who has information which can assist the investigation to get in touch via 105 or online. Kawerau District Mayor Faylene Tunui said the council acknowledged the death "with deep sadness". "Our hearts go out to everyone affected, and to the community at large. "Please keep safe, and please do allow police to do the work they need to do." A homicide investigation has been launched after a man was found deceased on a doorstep in Kawerau yesterday morning. A homicide investigation has been launched after a man was found deceased on a doorstep in Kawerau yesterday morning Police were called to the scene on Onslow Street at about 8.45am It said the man was located deceased on the "front doorstep" of the address Police asked anyone who has information which can assist the investigation to get in touch via 105 or online Kawerau District Mayor Faylene Tunui said the council acknowledged the death "with deep sadness" "Our hearts go out to everyone affected and please do allow police to do the work they need to do." NZ First are threatening to put a hold on the process, saying rather than just being a ‘deed of acknowledgement’ it is the implementation of a co-governance board overseeing the ranges. Te Kawerau ā Maki CEO, Edward Ashby, says he feels attacked. “It’s fearmongering, it’s not only uninformed, I’d say it’s actually misinformation, disinformation. “This is a non-statutory table for the parties, the parties that were set up in the legislation and in our treaty settlement, to get around the table and talk together. That’s it.” However, NZ First Minister, Shane Jones, says Te Kawerau ā Maki is one of many mana whenua over the ranges. “Pēnā e hiahia ana te hunga Maki nei ki te whakapūmau ētahi o ō rātou panga ki roto tonu i te wao, ki waenga tonu i tērā ngāherehere, horekau he raruraru, engari e kore māua e whakaae ki riro i a rātou te 50 paihēneti.” “Kāore mātou e pai kia riro mā tētahi hapū nohinohi noa iho nei e whakahau, me aha.” The Deed of Acknowledgement was created under the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008, which states: A deed of acknowledgement will acknowledge the particular historical, traditional, cultural, or spiritual relationship of tangata whenua of the heritage area, namely Ngāti Whātua and Te Kawerau ā Maki, with any land in the heritage area. Parties to a deed of acknowledgement will be the Crown or the Council and tangata whenua of the heritage area. A deed of acknowledgement will be entered into after consultation with, and with the agreement of, the parties to that deed.* According to Auckland Council, the deed focuses on four key elements: Ashby says there will be no transferring of power, despite claims to the contrary. “So the ‘Deed of Acknowledgement’ it’s a legal agreement between ourselves, the crown and council, it’s set out in the legislation that there will be one. What it will basically do is again two things: it’s an acknowledgement of our association with the area, our history, our values. And the second are opportunities for us to contribute to the management of the area. What it won’t mean is that suddenly people wake up and suddenly there is Kawerau police knocking on the door or telling what you can and can’t do." Fire and Emergency are responding to a house fire on Kirk Cres in Kawerau 5.20pm: Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager Colin Underdown said fire crews have now left the scene of a house fire in Kawerau we’ve all gone home,” Underdown said “We had brigades from Kawerau and Edgecumbe attend There was a command unit coming from Rotorua but that wasn't needed and was sent back to Rotorua.” Underdown said he didn’t have information on the size of the fire “That’s all in the hands of the fire investigator.” 1.48pm: Fire crews are fighting a “well-involved” house fire on Kirk Cres in Kawerau Brigades from Kawerau and Edgecumbe were attending the fire “One full pressure and two lower pressure systems have been deployed.” The size of the fire had yet to be determined How do you feel about Tauranga’s rapid population growth Back to top Kawerau Mayor Faylene Tunui said the benefits ratepayers received from Toi-EDA were not easily apparent Kawerau District Council has voted to pull funding from Eastern Bay of Plenty economic development agency ToiEDA The council had budgeted $25,000 for the agency in its current annual plan of which it has already paid $6250 The remaining funding would be redirected to the council’s in-house economic development budget Council-controlled trust formed by Kawerau Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne district councils and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa in 2005 The council delivered written notice to the Toi-EDA board on August 15 that it intended to withdraw funding to the agency and return its economic development function in-house including the board’s failure to formalise tangata whenua representation for Ngāti Tūwharetoa despite a request from the council to do so in November 2022 Difficulty in justifying continuing investment during the cost-of-living crisis ratepayers were experiencing and declining service levels and an uncertain strategy were other reasons given Mayor Faylene Tunui reiterated assurances that were sought about spending by submitters to its recent annual plan consultation What does that return give for Kawerau?” “Those were the major points that came out of the annual plan submissions From the discussion that we’ve had with the governance of ToiEDA and other colleague councils it was difficult to articulate what the benefits were.” Mrs Tunui pointed to a report from the Mayors Taskforce For Jobs received previously in the meeting which showed 84 employment placements had been made in the past year saying it was much easier to see what the benefits were Mr Godfery said feedback he received during a meeting with the board of industry advocacy organisation Industrial Symbiosis Kawerau was a desire that local economic development relationships be held locally Chief executive Morgan Godfery said the council would remain a settlor to the trust deed which would preserve the option for the council to redirect funding back to the agency in the future The council would still participate in the consultation and development of the Eastern Bay of Plenty Economic Development Strategy “on the principle that the ratepayers of Kawerau have already paid for that strategy” He said Ōpōtiki District Council had also indicated in its Long-term Plan 2024-2034 that it would not be funding the trust Stuart Stobie died on a hunting trip in Minginui in the Bay of Plenty on Friday March 21 A man has been charged with manslaughter following the death of Kawerau man Stuart Stobie in an alleged hunting incident A 46-year-old man is due to appear in the Rotorua District Court this morning facing three charges The manslaughter charge alleged the man caused the death of Stobie on March 21 at Minginui by unlawfully discharging a .308 firearm at Stobie and thereby committing manslaughter The man has also been charged with unlawful hunting and unlawful possession of a firearm Police confirmed the man killed was 72-year-old Stobie NZME has reported tributes are flowing for Stobie including from his family members and members of the Kawerau Bowling Club A notice about Stobie’s death said: “Stu will certainly be missed and remembered by many for the great man that he was “He had a great love for the outdoors and went hunting and gathering whenever he could Stu was undoubtedly one of those diligent men in this world.” gave me the strength to move forward” and remembered his kindness and intelligence Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years New rating valuations have been made for the Kawerau District Updated rating valuations values have been formulated for every property in Kawerau District Prepared by independent valuers Quotable Value (QV) on behalf of Kawerau District Council these new values reflect the likely price a property would have sold for on the effective revaluation date Since the district’s last revaluation in 2021 the value of residential housing has experienced a modest average decrease of 2.7% The average house value is now at $392,000 while the corresponding average residential land value has decreased by 3.8% to a new average of $156,000 QV registered valuer Michael Power said Kawerau wasn’t the only district to experience a small decrease in capital and land value this year and it would not be the last “Despite this small decrease in capital and land values within the district which reflects the status of the national economy generally Kawerau is showing signs of a resurgence with industrial and engineering support business projected to grow will provide another niche industry for the district,” he said “Kawerau is still regarded as an affordable place to live Its population has continued to increase over the past three years with more housing required to support continued growth into the future That includes the Stoneham Park residential development which has an additional 104 sections planned over 5.42 hectares of flat land “Since the district’s last revaluation residential property values increased throughout late 2021 and in to early 2022 Then there was a downward period caused by rising interest rates and a general increase in the cost of living “Values have remained fairly flat through 2024 and are generally back to similar levels that prevailed three years ago at the time of our last revaluation,” Power added Commercial and industrial property capital values have also shown a slight decrease of 2% with average decreases in land value of 9% and 2% respectively The total rateable value for the district is now $1.484 billion with the land value of those properties now valued at $532 million Rating valuations are usually carried out on all New Zealand properties every three years to help local councils assess rates for the following three-year period They are not intended to be used for any other purpose including raising finance with banks or as insurance valuations They reflect the likely selling price of a property at the effective revaluation date Any changes in the market since that time will not be included in the new rating valuations which often means that a sale price achieved today will be different to the new rating valuation Rating valuations are calculated using a highly complex and detailed process that utilises all relevant property sales from your area A large number of properties will also be physically assessed particularly those that have been issued building consents in the past three years The updated rating valuations are then independently audited by the Office of the Valuer General to ensure they meet rigorous quality standards before the new rating valuations are confirmed and posted to property owners If owners do not agree with their rating valuation they have a right to object through the objection process before December 24 A Māori name has been gifted to Henderson-Massey with the dual naming of Te Poi / Starling Park with a ceremony to share the story and celebrate with the community Te Poi was named by local iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki As part of Auckland Council’s commitment for te reo Māori to be seen a full suite of bilingual signage has been installed throughout this park this ceremony was a great chance to share the name with more people and celebrate the rich Māori history and culture More park name signs in the other sites selected for dual naming in Henderson-Massey are being updated over time The meaning behind the name Te Poi connects with Starling Park in a number of ways The modern whakaaro (understanding) of poi conjures up visions of waiata (songs) kapa haka and the action of swinging a white ball in a range of rhythmic and geometric patterns This movement is similar to the twisting and turning of the Tāringi Historically poi were used by both men and women The whakapapa (lineage) of poi dates back to Tāne Mahuta produced Repo (bullrush) and his relationship with Pakoti produced harakeke (flax) Poi toa of various lengths and weights helped develop strength hand-eye co-ordination and flexibility of the wrist A poi āwhiowhio is quite different from the poi toa and is made from the hue (gourd) plant Hue are significant to Te Kawerau ā Maki and were cultivated for use as food containers The poi āwhiowhio (whistling gourd) was made by hollowing out the hue and then drilling holes on either side A cord was attached so that it could be swung around creating a whistling sound used to attract birds Modern day whistles are commonly heard around this park on sports days The Māori names for the sports regularly played and practiced here also include poi baseball (poipapa) and poiwhana (soccer) both being competitive sports that link well to the whakatauki (proverb): sleep with your taiaha” Which means be ready for any challenge and expect the unexpected In 2017 Auckland Council launched the Te Kete Rukuruku (TKR) project a culture and identity programme to collect and share the stories unique to Māori in Auckland in partnership with the council and its local boards One component of this is a naming project which will see iwi and hapu names restored these names existed prior to the current names In other cases they may be more contemporary names that reflect an historical activity of the area prior to European settlement or sometimes have an environmental connection Short narratives explaining the significance of the names are also provided by mana whenua that explain the meaning and show the connection to the place being named This is one way for local communities to learn about their Māori history It provides a way of protecting and returning the names and the rich mana whenua stories of Auckland – some of which have been lost over many years Other local boards currently participating in te Kete Rukuruku are: Want to stay up to date with all the latest news from your area? Sign up for Henderson-Massey Local Board's E-News and get the latest direct to your inbox each month. © Auckland Council 2025 All rights reserved For more information on what data is contained in the cookies, please click the 'Find out more on the Auckland Council website' button. To accept cookies from this site, please click the 'I Agree' button. Sign up for our e-newsletter and be the first to know about exciting events and news. The hearing, held at Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Whakatāne office, was to hear submissions and reports on Ecocast’s application for resource consents from the regional council and Whakatāne District Council to expand its worm farm operation on the outskirts of Kawerau. The worm farm has been operating since 2008, but increased the amount of biosolids it received from council wastewater plants as it took on waste from more Bay of Plenty councils, including Rotorua in 2011 and Tauranga in 2022. The applicant, Ecocast owner Tom McDowall, said it took approximately one year from the time the raw material arrived on site until it was able to leave as fertiliser used in the horticulture industry. He said the expansion of the site would increase the amount of land to a greater degree than the volume of raw material received, and would allow operating practices that would significantly decrease odours. Manulife Forest Management environment manager Sally Strang spoke to her submission on the effects of the vermicast business on workers at the neighbouring log yard. “The objectionable nature of these odours ranges from very unpleasant to nauseating and unbearable.” “Several weeks can pass with no issues, but on other occasions the odour has occurred daily.” Attending the hearing with Strang was Kajavala Forestry owner Jacob Kajavala who has 25 staff working at Manulife’s Kawerau Processing Yard, and one of those employees, mechanic Winton Thompson. Kajavala said when the odours became severe, they found it more useful to communicate with Ecocast directly rather than make a complaint to the regional council because by the time someone from the council arrived on site, the smell had often dissipated. “Unfortunately, this meant there was no record of complaints to the council,” he said. To give a sense of the frequency of issues and level of impact and frustration it caused, example screen shots from Thompson’s phone were provided to Sweetman. The texts revealed smells so bad that staff weren’t able to eat during their breaks. It would linger inside buildings and vehicles. Strang’s original submission asked the commissioner to decline the submission. Since then, she and Kajavala had met with Ecocast staff who took them on a site visit, showing them proposed changes to biosolids deliveries to a bunker further from the log yard. They were shown that covering the raw materials with wood chip immediately after it was unloaded from the trucks significantly reduced the odour. “Which then gave me the impression that the odours in the past had been just because of them not having good work processes that ensure the solids that are dropped off are covered immediately – not five minutes or half an hour later.” She sought consent conditions that ensured this happened all the time. Kajavala said he was amazed on visiting the site to experience the effectiveness of mixing human waste with bark. “You could still smell it, but it wasn’t the stomach-churning, nauseating, throw-up sort of stuff. “We want that operation to work. It’s a good thing for the community if it works well, but it tramples our mana when we’re trying to have lunch, and we can’t.” Ngāti Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust kaumatua were unable to attend the hearing but trustee Sandie Rota and former trustee, Kawerau mayor Faylene Tunui, spoke on their behalf to support the iwi request for cultural consideration. She said the conversation with Ecocast at which the iwi first shared its concerns had been four years ago. The main concern of the iwi had been with blood, which was considered tapu, being present in human waste being trucked into the rohe from other areas. “Our kuia had real concerns that the tension is that the western science and Māori maatanga do not always meet in the middle. “One size does not fit all in te ao Māori and there is some location specific practices that need to be respected and understood a little bit more. Tunui said there was a willingness among the settlement trust to meet with Ecotrust to discuss a way forward. “I would just ask, commissioner, that it is resourced appropriately.” After some private discussion during an adjornment, Ecocast’s lead planner Simon Banks expressed the company’s commitment to better operational practices to reduce odour, on granting of the consent, and willingness to carry out and pay for cultural induction training for employees under the guidance of the settlement trust. Sweetman said once she had made a decision on the next steps she would let all the parties know in writing. Tom McDowall's vermicast farm, Ecocast, processes solid waste and sludge from council wastewater systems throughout the Bay of Plenty. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) Independent commissioner Gina Sweetman heard about “nauseating odours” endured by logging yard employees near the Kawerau worm farm over the past 10 years, at a hearing on Tuesday. Independent commissioner Gina Sweetman heard about “nauseating odours” endured by logging yard employees near the Kawerau worm farm over the past 10 years held at Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Whakatāne office was to hear submissions and reports on Ecocast’s application for resource consents from the regional council and Whakatāne District Council to expand its worm farm operation on the outskirts of Kawerau The worm farm has been operating since 2008 but increased the amount of biosolids it received from council wastewater plants as it took on waste from more Bay of Plenty councils including Rotorua in 2011 and Tauranga in 2022 said it took approximately one year from the time the raw material arrived on site until it was able to leave as fertiliser used in the horticulture industry He said the expansion of the site would increase the amount of land to a greater degree than the volume of raw material received and would allow operating practices that would significantly decrease odours Manulife Forest Management environment manager Sally Strang spoke to her submission on the effects of the vermicast business on workers at the neighbouring log yard but on other occasions the odour has occurred daily.” Attending the hearing with Strang was Kajavala Forestry owner Jacob Kajavala who has 25 staff working at Manulife’s Kawerau Processing Yard Kajavala said when the odours became severe they found it more useful to communicate with Ecocast directly rather than make a complaint to the regional council because by the time someone from the council arrived on site this meant there was no record of complaints to the council,” he said To give a sense of the frequency of issues and level of impact and frustration it caused example screen shots from Thompson’s phone were provided to Sweetman The texts revealed smells so bad that staff weren’t able to eat during their breaks It would linger inside buildings and vehicles Strang’s original submission asked the commissioner to decline the submission she and Kajavala had met with Ecocast staff who took them on a site visit showing them proposed changes to biosolids deliveries to a bunker further from the log yard They were shown that covering the raw materials with wood chip immediately after it was unloaded from the trucks significantly reduced the odour She sought consent conditions that ensured this happened all the time Kajavala said he was amazed on visiting the site to experience the effectiveness of mixing human waste with bark It’s a good thing for the community if it works well but it tramples our mana when we’re trying to have lunch Ngāti Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust kaumatua were unable to attend the hearing but trustee Sandie Rota and former trustee spoke on their behalf to support the iwi request for cultural consideration She said the conversation with Ecocast at which the iwi first shared its concerns had been four years ago The main concern of the iwi had been with blood being present in human waste being trucked into the rohe from other areas “Our kuia had real concerns that the tension is that the western science and Māori maatanga do not always meet in the middle “One size does not fit all in te ao Māori and there is some location specific practices that need to be respected and understood a little bit more Tunui said there was a willingness among the settlement trust to meet with Ecotrust to discuss a way forward After some private discussion during an adjornment Ecocast’s lead planner Simon Banks expressed the company’s commitment to better operational practices to reduce odour and willingness to carry out and pay for cultural induction training for employees under the guidance of the settlement trust Sweetman said once she had made a decision on the next steps she would let all the parties know in writing It was the first sign of a follow-up to Lorde's previous album, 2021's Solar Power. Her other albums were 2013's Pure Heroine and 2017's Melodrama. Last year, she collaborated with British singer Charli XCX on a remix of Girl, so confusing — on a re-release of the Grammy award-winning Brat. Virgin is Lorde's fourth studio album. Kim Kardashian thought she was going to be raped and killed when criminals broke into her bedroom in central Paris, tied her up and stole more than US$6 million in jewellery. More than eight years later, 10 people will go on trial in Paris over the robbery, abduction and kidnapping of the media personality and the concierge of the residence where she was staying during Paris Fashion Week the night of October 2, 2016. Kardashian’s lawyers said she will testify in person at the trial starting Monday and scheduled to run through May 23. "Ms Kardashian is reserving her testimony for the court and jury and does not wish to elaborate further at this time," they said. "She has great respect and admiration for the French justice system and has been treated with great respect by the French authorities. "She wishes the trial to proceed in an orderly fashion, in accordance with French law and with respect for all parties to the case." In interviews and on her family’s reality TV show, Kardashian has described being terrified as robbers pointed a gun at her. In a 2020 appearance on David Letterman’s Netflix show, she tearfully recalled thinking: "This is the time I’m going to get raped. I’m like, ‘What is happening? Are we gonna die? Just tell them I have children. I have babies, I have a husband, I have a family.'" Twelve people were originally expected in the defendants’ box. One of them has died, and another is seriously ill and can't be tried. According to the investigation, five of the 10 defendants were present at the scene of the robbery. The French press has dubbed them The Granddad Robbers because the main defendants are elderly and have careers as bank robbers with long criminal records. Kardashian told investigators she was taken to a bathroom next to her bedroom and placed in the bathtub. Her attackers fled on bicycles or on foot and she managed to free herself by removing the tape from her hands and mouth. She had also removed the tape from her feet and rushed to her stylist’s room. She called her sister Kourtney to tell her about the theft. Shortly afterwards, Kardashian told investigators that she had not been injured. She filed a complaint, adding that she wanted to leave France as soon as possible to be reunited with her children. According to her testimony and that of the concierge, at least one of the suspects had a handgun, with which he threatened the victims. The gangsters stole many pieces of jewellery, including a ring of great value, estimated to be worth more than US$6 million (NZ$10 million). Only one piece of jewellery — a diamond cross on platinum that was lost during the suspects' escape — has been recovered. Two of the accused have partially confessed to the crime, as their DNA was found at the crime scene. The alleged ringleader, 68-year-old Aomar Aït Khedache, is one of two suspected robbers who allegedly entered the apartment. Nicknamed "Old Omar", his genetic profile was found on the tape used to gag Kardashian. He left the hotel on a bicycle, as did two other robbers, then met his son, who was waiting for him in a parked car at a nearby train station. The second robber said he tied up the concierge with cables but did not go up to Kardashian’s apartment. Yunice Abbas, 71, said he acted as a lookout in the ground-floor reception area, making sure the escape route was clear. He said he was unarmed and did not personally threaten Kardashian, but admitted he shared responsibility for the crime. Abbas was arrested in January 2017 and spent 21 months in prison before being released under judicial supervision. In 2021, he co-authored a French-language book titled I Sequestered Kim Kardashian. Didier Dubreucq, 69, known as "Blue Eyes", is the second alleged robber suspected of entering the flat. He denies any involvement, although he was filmed by CCTV cameras and numerous telephone contacts with the other co-defendants show his involvement, according to the investigation. The other defendants are suspected of providing information about Kardashian’s presence in the apartment. Others are accused of playing a role in the resale of the jewellery in Antwerp, Belgium. First-time nominees Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker and Bad Company will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — in a class that also includes pop star Cyndi Lauper, the hip-hop pioneers Outkast, the rock duo the White Stripes and grunge masters Soundgarden. Salt-N-Pepa, the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status, and the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will get the Musical Influence Award. The late record producer Thom Bell, pianist Nicky Hopkins and bassist Carol Kaye will each get the Musical Excellence Award. The late Cocker, who sang at Woodstock and was best known for his cover of The Beatles’ With a Little Help From My Friends, had the backing of Billy Joel, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Pete Thomas, a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions, who argued that Cocker is "about as rock and roll as it gets". Soundgarden — with the late Chris Cornell as singer — get into the Hall on their third nomination. They follow two other grunge acts in the Hall — Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Bad Company get in having become radio fixtures with such arena-rock staples as Feel Like Makin’ Love, Can’t Get Enough and Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy. The Ahmet Ertegun Award — given to nonperforming industry professionals who had a major influence on music — will go to Lenny Waronker, a former head of Warner Bros. Records who signed Prince and R.E.M., and had a part in records from Madonna, Randy Newman, the Doobie Brothers, Rickie Lee Jones, Paul Simon and Gary Clark Jr. Some nominees that didn't get in this year included Mariah Carey, Phish, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, Maná, the Black Crowes and Oasis. Checker’s recording of The Twist, and subsequent Let’s Twist Again are considered among the most popular songs in the history of rock 'n' roll. The 83-year-old has expressed frustration that he hadn't been granted entry before, including telling the AP in 2014: "I don’t want to get in there when I’m 85 years old. I’ll tell them to drop dead, so you better do it quick while I’m still smiling." Lauper rose to fame in the 1980s with hits such as Time After Time and Girls Just Want To Have Fun and went on to win a Tony Award for Kinky Boots. OutKast, made up of André 3000 and Big Boi, have six Grammys and a reputation for pushing the boundaries of hip-hop. The White Stripes — made up of Jack White and Meg White — were indie darlings in the early 2000s with such songs as Seven Nation Army. Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction. The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall. Nominees were voted on by more than 1200 artists, historians and music industry professionals. The selection criteria include "an artist’s impact on other musicians, the scope and longevity of their career and body of work, as well as their innovation and excellence in style and technique". Last year, Mary J. Blige, Cher, Foreigner, A Tribe Called Quest, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton were inducted. North Shore CityPrice by Negotiation21260m²819m²Charming home with subdivision potentialSituated on a freehold 819sqm section this light-filled bungalow offers not only a tranquil living experience but also an exciting opportunity for future development a well-appointed family bathroom and a sunny dining and living area that opens onto a private sun-drenched deck - ideal for entertaining or unwinding in peace amongst the trees and listening to the abundant birdsong a versatile study or rumpus is tucked underneath providing an ideal spot for a home office or creative space There is plenty of parking space and a carport provides shelter for your vehicle Located close to some of Devonport’s top schools and the vibrant Devonport village this property offers both convenience and a serene A walkway situated close by provides easy access to ride a bike or walk all the way to Takapuna or the Bayswater marina and ferry to the city subdividing this property could unlock the potential for stunning inner harbour views making it an enticing prospect for land banking or further development for up to five townhouses (with resource consent) Whether you choose to move in and enjoy it as is or explore the development potential this house promises an exceptional lifestyle and investment opportunity Get in touch today to discover the potential of this unique property based on a borrower’s individual credit assessment.Canstar's Most Awarded Personal LoanGet a renovation loan up to $70K and bring your vision to life we can approve your home improvement loan quickly and get your renovation started A man has been arrested and charged following an ongoing homicide investigation in Kawerau The 21-year-old man has been charged following the death of a man in Onslow St on February 26 Emergency services were called to the property at around 8.45am after a body was located on the front doorstep of the address Police said they have been working hard to piece together the events surrounding the man’s death and today arrested and charged a man in Hamilton “We are pleased to have been able to arrest someone in relation to this tragic incident “We would also like to thank those members of the public who provided information and would still like to hear from those yet to come forward.” Police continue to appeal for anyone who may have heard or seen anything suspicious in or around the Onslow St area “We are aware there were some other people in the general area specifically between 5.15-5.50am that morning and we would ask them to please contact us.” Kawerau District Council has set its rates for the coming year the first of the three Eastern Bay councils to do so Kawerau District Council is the first council in the Eastern Bay to set its rates for the coming year The council adopted its annual plan for the coming financial year at a meeting on Wednesday setting an overall rates increase of 12.2 per cent This is a decrease of almost 3 percent on the 15.1 per cent increase that initially went out for consultation With 1.6 per cent of those reductions coming from the staffing budget Mayor Faylene Tunui said she didn’t feel "savings” was the right word to describe the cuts as residents might notice a reduction in service She asked that residents keep in mind that the council would be understaffed as that was what people asked for in submissions “Response times will be a lot different,” she said “We have responded to what was asked of us We now need Kawerau to sit with us in this decision.” Staff reductions including not establishing proposed new roles needed to maintain service levels and not filling existing vacancies in parks and reserves and events management Other cuts were made through alterations to depreciation funding lowering interest rates by changing the timing of uplifting loans resulting in lower interest rates Not carrying out any further viability studies on an asbestos containment plant was also a saving “We did get some very strong views on this (through submissions from the public),” Mrs Tunui said A report from finance and corporate services general manager Lee-Anne Butler said the main contributor to the rates increase was inflation The council also set its fees and charges for the coming financial year with most reflecting last year’s annual inflation rate of 4.7 per cent Kawerau Mayor Faylene Tunui warns response times from council staff may not be the same As part of central government’s repeal of the Water Services Act council’s were given the transitional option of delaying the long-term plan for the 2024-2034 period until next year when it is hoped that legislation that will have a large impact on their budgets will be clear Kawerau council has adopted an annual plan this year and will adopt a long-term plan covering the 2025-2034 period next year Whakatāne District Council had expected to adopt its long-term plan on Thursday but was delayed due to not yet receiving approval from its auditors The council said this was because of increased workloads at Audit New Zealand caused by delaying auditing of draft plans for consultation as the Whakatāne council did This was another of the options provided by central government to help councils manage timeframes for long-term planning in the wake of the repeal of the water services reforms Ōpōtiki District Council has chosen a third option of delaying adopting its long-term plan until September 30 A toilet paper manufacturer’s switch from using natural gas to geothermal steam will reduce carbon emissions by an amount equivalent to removing over 2200 cars from the road Essity said in a statement its Kawerau mill in the Bay of Plenty was the nation’s “only paper manufacturer and converter of toilet tissue and paper towels” producing around 55,000 tonnes of products each year for brands such as Sorbent The Sweden-headquartered company said by the end of this year its Kawerau paper machine would use renewable geothermal steam with the last natural gas component on the machine being replaced with a new drum dryer using geothermal steam for heat and drying The statement said the programme to reduce the mill’s emissions had been going more than a decade with Essity putting $20 million into decarbonising its Kawerau paper production the total carbon footprint for Essity’s Kawerau site will be about 66% lower in 2025 than it was in 2009 “The emissions reduction delivered by this shift to geothermal steam will be equivalent to removing over 2200 cars from the road.” Essity Australasia senior manager sustainability Jake Hatton said the geothermal project at Kawerau would also improve paper machine efficiency and product range capability “Consumers are demanding more sustainable products,” Hatton said “Kawerau is a great place for paper-making because of the access to geothermal steam a renewable energy resource that is sustainably managed by our geothermal steam partner and supplier The partnership with Ngāti Tūwharetoa was contributing to the socio-economic health of the local community The project would offer local businesses more opportunities with around 80 contracted staff involved plus 25 Essity engineering The decarbonisation project was largely co-funded by Essity and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) EECA group manager delivery and partnerships Richard Briggs said it had worked closely with Essity for several years and it was wonderful to see the PM3 dryer hood project reach the installation stage “Geothermal steam is a great renewable fuel solution for the Kawerau site and EECA is pleased to have supported Essity in the switch to clean and clever technology.” EECA had also supported Essity to reduce energy costs and improve productivity the biggest challenge isn't paying the electric bill: it's managing an expansion to double production When a log of pinus radiata goes through the Sequal Lumber mill in Kawerau parts of it can end up in six different countries State of the art software at the mill scans each log for its size and shape then cuts it precisely according to customers' orders In an industry overshadowed by news of forests and mills closing down Sequal is struggling to meet growing demand and is getting ready to double production Soaring power prices are nowhere near the biggest challenge for chief executive David Turner It is ensuring his customers do not run out of wood when the factory shuts down for six weeks to upgrade "Basically 60 percent of my supply goes to about 12 companies around the world and I need to make sure that they don't run out because once they get forced into a position where they have to find an alternative it will be difficult for us to reassert the relationship as it was." The upgrade will involve rebuilding the main sawline so that it can double production to meet growing demand from customers Demand is insatiable in Asia and the Middle East but Turner says Sequal is "competing with Russian wood "You need to have that presence and relationships to get that continuity of demand That investment includes the software programme that enables the mill to custom cut the logs and "maximise the yield" which overlooks the piles of logs and sawdust in the yard with the Kaingaroa Forest in the background Turner explains how the sawdust and woodchip make up 45 percent of the processed log then sawmilling's not a profitable industry." Turner points to trucks that are lining up to take away the waste to the neighbouring Oji pulp and paper factory which creates wood pellets for Fonterra to burn in its factories "So there is an integrated supply chain that's quite dependent on each other," he says Turner says Sequal does not face the same pressures of volatile power prices as other mills in part because it hedges the electricity price but also because his sawmill is not a high energy user in the same way as pulp and paper mills he says it is not the government's role to be directly engaged with independent businesses but it should take steps to shield companies from price extremes Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter The Detail RSS {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"/2024/12/18/fire-breaks-out-in-mt-edgecumbe-pine-plantation-near-kawerau/"},"datePublished":"2024-12-18T02:34:26.102Z","dateModified":"2024-12-18T05:13:49.509Z","headline":"Mt Edgecumbe pine plantation fire now fully contained FENZ says","description":"Fire and Emergency New Zealand received multiple calls about the blaze at around 2pm today which Fire and Emergency New Zealand says has been contained Fire and Emergency NZ received multiple calls about the blaze at around 2pm today In a post to Facebook at 4.35pm FENZ said the fire had been "fully contained" "Our crews will still be working in the area for some time today so please continue to avoid the area around this side of the mountain." one rural unit and a water tanker were dispatched it was found that a 100m by 100m section of pine plantation was ablaze and a support unit were called to respond to the scene FENZ said the fire was in a "very windy" area and there were no structures at risk Multiple crews are are at the scene of a pine plantation fire on Mount Edgecumbe near Kawerau In a post to Facebook at 4.35pm, FENZ said the fire had been "fully contained". Initially, two firetrucks, one rural unit and a water tanker were dispatched. On arrival, it was found that a 100m by 100m section of pine plantation was ablaze. Ten units, two helicopters, and a support unit were called to respond to the scene. FENZ said the fire was in a "very windy" area and there were no structures at risk. A 30-year-old man has been taken into custody following an incident in Kawerau this morning a person attempted to gain entry to the Kawerau Police Station by smashing windows and attempting to smash a glass door The offender did not gain entry to the station and left the area in a vehicle whom they located at an address in the Cobham Drive area and the Armed Offenders Squad took the man into custody without further incident A 30-year-old local man appeared in the Whakatāne District Court today I would like to commend our attending staff for their rapid response to this incident and for taking the alleged offender into custody quickly We would like to thank the Kawerau community for their cooperation and understanding while we resolved this incident A man's been sentenced to 12 years and six months' imprisonment for sexual offending against five cousins Warning: This story contains evidence of a sexual nature which some readers may find upsetting A 15-year-old boy had been forced to perform oral sex on his aunty’s partner so many times over a two-year period that he’d begun to get “used to it” But after the man returned from a church service in Hamilton and still threatened the boy with violence unless he gave him oral sex and then as soon as they got back he got me to [perform a sexual act].” upset and no longer wanted to feel afraid in his “own home” The man was found guilty at trial in the Tauranga District Court in May The full scale of the man’s offending was revealed at trial where he faced 27 charges related to five cousins – all his partner’s nieces and nephews The most serious offending related to the teenage boy The then-24-year-old would lead him out of sight take advantage of them being alone in a car or come into the room where he slept and “force him” to perform oral sex He also used family events as opportunities to pressure the boy to perform the sexual act He was threatened with a “hiding” if he didn’t give the man oral sex the court heard another victim was taken outside to a porch by her aunty’s partner late one night after he’d found her upset was asleep in the lounge next to her Nan when she had woken to find the man attempting to “wedge” his hand between her legs and touch her “private part” “I felt like if I screamed I would wake the house up I’d be in more trouble,” the girl said at trial The abuse escalated when he removed her pants and sexually violated her in a small shed on the property Two other victims saw the defendant expose his genitalia and play with it while staring at the younger of the two The victims were living or staying at a whānau home in Kawerau where the man and his partner The man had physically and sexually abused the victims through forced oral sex and the cousins were aged between 10 and 15 at the time of the offending The judge said the man had been assessed as having a high risk of reoffending The man was given an end sentence of 12 years and six months’ imprisonment The judge adopted a starting point of 16 years for the most serious charge – a representative charge for the repeated sexual offending against the teenage boy This was uplifted by two years to account for the offending against the other victims The judge gave the man a discount of 25% for personal circumstances which included his having no previous convictions and the fact that English is not his first language and he’d been in New Zealand only a short time before the offending happened and therefore prison was likely to be more difficult for him He was also given a further 5% discount to account for time spent on electronic-monitoring (EM) bail awaiting trial Hannah Bartlett is a Tauranga-based Open Justice reporter at NZME She previously covered court and local government for the Nelson Mail and before that was a radio reporter at Newstalk ZB Tom McDowall’s Ecocast operation takes bio-solids from all the Bay of Plenty council’s sewerage systems and processes it into vermicast on the outskirts of Kawerau Anyone wanting to have their say on the expansion of New Zealand’s biggest worm farm in Kawerau has until August 7 to make their submissions Ecocast Limited has applied to replace its existing resource consent It also seeks consent to expand operations on the existing site and on an adjoining site to the south Resource consent is sought for the discharge of contaminants to land where they may enter groundwater and surface water Ecocast uses vermicast (worm farming) methods to process bio-solids from council wastewater treatment plants throughout the Bay of Plenty which would otherwise have to be transported to landfills outside the region The bio-solids are mixed with waste material from the nearby wood mill and laid out into windrows to be processed by tiger worms into vermicast the vermicast operation made news headlines after multiple complaints to Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s pollution hotline from Kawerau residents about foul odours being emitted from the property Complaints included that the odour could be smelt from the town centre less than two kilometres away Compliance staff from the regional council visited the site at the time and found it to be non-compliant with resource consent conditions Owner Tom McDowall says he has since been working with the regional council to resolve these problems more diligence was given to how staff dealt with wind direction and the amount of wood chip that was mixed with the biosolid we changed the ratio of bio-solids to wood chip which acts as an odour suppressant.” The plant on Tarawera Road is the largest worm farming operation in New Zealand it had grown to 10 hectares and now covers 24ha The current resource consent allows for the discharge of 28,000 tonnes of biosolid material to land The new application seeks to increase this amount to 32,000 tonnes A community centre and connecting road expected to take big trucks off local roads were opened in the Bay of Plenty by Regional Development Minister Shane Jones on Friday Jones said in a statement that the new centre in Kaingaroa Village and road in Kawerau would “streamline industry in the region” “Both of these projects are part of wider development packages helping to re-energise these communities boost regional pride and increase economic growth,” he said Jones attended a ceremony to open the new Kaingaroa Community Centre, the final milestone in the $11.1 million Kaingaroa Community Development Project supported by $7.2m in regional development funding Kaingaroa is a forestry village southeast of Rotorua Te Puni Kōkiri - Ministry of Māori Development Te Tumu Paeroa (Office of the Māori Trustee) and the Ministry of Health together contributed $3.9m which manufactures and distributes timber products The community centre will house a medical centre with a kaumātua and rangatahi space and a digital hub to improve internet access and connectivity in the community decades of inadequate funding and maintenance meant infrastructure investment was greatly needed for the revitalisation of the village “The completion of the project enables the community to realise its aspirations to grow and thrive,” Jones said The development project created 306 full-time-equivalent jobs during construction was the main contractor for building the centre The Rotorua Daily Post reported on Thursday that Kaingaroa Village had been without water since Monday after its main water bore stopped working leaving many of its 450 residents without clean running water Fire chief and village councillor Kenneth Austin confirmed to the Rotorua Daily Post on Friday a new bore had been installed and water was back on Jones also opened the Kawerau Off-Highway Rd connecting Kawerau Industrial Park to a private forestry road removing big trucks from local roads and “providing efficient connectivity between the Putauaki Industrial Park and a planned container rail terminal” The project received $2.8m Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) funding and $785,000 from Kawerau-based Sequal Lumber Ltd The 1.6km road off State Highway 34 marked a milestone for the Kawerau Putauaki Industrial Development package which received $19.9m through the PGF and attracted $4.1m co-investment “This opening is the result of partnering with Māori landowners local businesses and the community to support growth for the town “The broader Kawerau Putauaki Industrial Development package is providing cost-effective roading and industrial solutions for established industries in Kawerau will attract new industries and further private sector investment.” Jones also attended the launch of a refreshed regional economic development strategy developed by Toi EDA the economic development agency for Eastern Bay of Plenty “These collaborative regional strategies are at the heart of what we need for prioritising further regional development investments “I hope to see more projects like these being funded through the new Regional Infrastructure Fund businesses and community organisations with infrastructure projects that supported regional priorities could apply to the fund The fund was $1.2 billion over three years with an initial $200 million committed in Budget 2024 to flood resilience infrastructure it would provide support through a mix of loan and equity investments and grants only in limited cases