A hat-trick of wins at Rangiora yesterday continued a great start to the father-son training partnership of Greg and Ben Hope.  They have now won seven races since going into partnership on April 1 and finished a close second in the Group 1 Rowe Cup with Mr Love behind Bet N Win at Alexandra Park on Friday night.  My parents own him so it makes it even better “To be fair the rest of the team haven't had a lot of luck lately But they’re going good races and hopefully we can have a decent run through the winter,” said co-trainer and driver Ben Hope The first of the three winners yesterday came in Race 2 the Keith Woolley Fencing Handicap Pace with Blue Rock Dancer who came off a 20 metre back mark.  settling sixth in the running in what was a torrid first part of the race Driver Ben Hope worked into the one by one position before launching their attack from the quarter tackling the pacemakers who had worked a lot early and holding off late challengers to win by three quarters of a length at the line.  I thought if they go hard early and we can get an economical trip he’d be running on as good as any.”  That was Blue Rock Dancer’s ninth career win.  Kashanova made it back to back victories for the Hope team in Race 3 the third heat of the Anne Thompson Graduation Series for trotters Kashanova was on debut and sent out a warm favourite after some sound trials and workouts The Love You gelding is out of Sunny Kash who won six races making him a half brother to the well performed Eurokash and Eurostyle.  Beginning quickly from their inside draw or one Kashanove and Hope led all of the way and never looked in doubt winning comfortably by one and a quarter lengths.  I chased him a little bit from the barrier But he’s got a lot of improvement in him.” Rounding out the hat-trick was Zarlini in Race 10 the Canterbury Plains Challenge heat eight Hope and Zarlini then handed up to Lord Muldrick A textbook up the markers victory saw the five-year-old Bettor's Delight mare win with ease by one and a half lengths Other highlights on the card included a double in the sulky for drivers Ricky May (Timbimboo and Sunny Louis) and John Dunn (Times Are A Changin and Celestial Sea) and a powerful victory in the $25,000 feature the Kotare Downs Rangiora 3YO Stakes by the Regan Todd trained and Robbie Close driven Spirit Downunder.  A new 2YO pacing Colts and Geldings race has been added to Addington's meeting on Friday The National Racing Bureau now has its own dedicated email and phone accounts © 2025 Harness Racing New Zealand  |  Privacy Policy You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. Visit image gallery to purchase the image The Spark family say they are committed to working with the council to support the development of the new road which will help ease congestion for the growing town The road will help reduce congestion through Southbrook by diverting traffic at the ‘S-bend’ on Lineside Road passing to the west of the council’s waste treatment ponds and cutting through council-owned land and the Spark family farm The Spark family had proposed an alternative route to the east of the waste treatment ponds but Geoff Spark said the family supported the council’s decision and Rangiora is such a good town and it has good access to Christchurch ‘‘This road is a natural progression for the town.’’ Mr Spark said while the arterial route will link up with Spark Lane it will not have any impact on Rossburn Receptions He said the family has a long history of working with the council on projects including the 1.88km Northbrook Trail walking track which is planned alongside the North Brook Wetland The council’s business case will now be presented to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency for co-funding from the National Land Transport Programme Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said the proposed arterial route is critical to support Rangiora’s growth ‘‘The Rangiora eastern link road will reduce congestion through Southbrook provide an alternate link to State Highway 1 and further enable housing and business growth to the east of Rangiora ‘‘As one of the country’s growth districts Waimakariri needs this road and Rangiora residents cannot wait any longer ‘‘We need to show vision and to plan and invest in a district that has a high quality of life.’’ The proposed arterial route was first mooted in the 2001 Rangiora Transport Study with the proposed route being designated in 2021 Mr Gordon said four options were considered in developing the business case but sticking with the designated route made sense the arterial route will continue up McPhail Road and Bellgrove Boulevard to Coldstream Road The project will be funded from development contributions with ratepayers stumping up 25 percent and NZTA being asked to co-fund the balance NZTA provided funding of $500,000 for the business case and concept design Mr Gordon said the council will continue lobbying NZTA to co-fund other projects to support the growing district including replacing Skew Bridge in west Kaiapoi ■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air killing his six-year-old son in a fiery high-speed crash was driving his car with his son Lachlan in the back when it went off a rural road at a speed of 130 km/h hit a tree and burst into flames in November 2019 Gebhardt was pulled from the car by a member of the public but his son remained inside and died at the scene Once out of the vehicle, Gebhardt was heard to say "my son's in the back, he's such a good boy, he's such a nice boy, I want to swap" and "I need a bullet" facial injuries and burns to about 30 percent of his body He spent 10 days in a drug-induced coma and six weeks in hospital He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced in 2022 to five years imprisonment and disqualified from driving for seven years upon his release the Court of Appeal found the prison sentence and disqualification period were manifestly excessive and reduced his jail term by nine months and his disqualification period to 18 months Gebhardt's defence argued it could not be proven he deliberately crashed his vehicle and the court agreed to exclude that as an aggravating factor Parole Board chair Sir Ron Young said the board was satisfied Gebhardt was no longer an undue risk subject to a number of conditions including being electronically monitored for three months Gebhardt told the board he had no memory of the crash "When we spoke to Mr Gebhardt about the circumstances of the killing he tended to revert to an explanation of a possible mechanical fault that caused him to drive in the way he did There is no evidence to support that claim and the manslaughter conviction is on the basis of grossly irresponsible driving," Young said "Mr Gebhardt will clearly have to come to terms that it was his irresponsible driving which caused the death of his young child." No treatment was required because of Gebhardt's very low risk of general and violent reoffending He understands that he will not be able to drive for at least 18 months after any release He has good other professional support in the community He can take up grief counselling if he thinks that is necessary and we think it will be important." The Parole Board said Gebhardt also had one conviction for indecent exposure in 2020 which arose when he was unwell and went to the prison without any clothes asking he be arrested Gebhardt was encouraged to complete a safe driving course when his licence was returned Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday killing his six-year-old son in a fiery car crash A father who deliberately drove off the road at 130km/h killing his 6-year-old son in a fiery car crash New Zealand RSS Follow RNZ News Niklas Gebhardt was jailed for manslaughter in the High Court at Christchurch in 2022 A father who drove off the road at high speed and killed his 6-year-old son in a fiery car crash has been released from prison Niklas Gebhardt was jailed after being convicted of manslaughter causing the death of his son Lachlan in November 2019 a “coward” and a “monster” when he was jailed in 2022 Gebhardt – a former footballer who claimed he had amnesia and could not remember why he drove off the road – was sentenced to five years in prison with the Parole Board ruling that his risk of reoffending was low Parole Board chair Sir Ron Young called it a “tragic” situation Young said Gebhardt told the board he still had no memory of the crash and “tended to revert to an explanation of a possible mechanical fault that caused him to drive in the way he did There is no evidence to support that claim” “Mr Gebhardt will clearly have to come to terms that it was his irresponsible driving which caused the death of his young child,” the decision says The Parole Board were “satisfied he is no longer an undue risk” defence counsel Andrew McCormick acknowledged an “absolute tragedy” that had “affected many Justice Jan-Marie Doogue found his driving was “highly dangerous and reckless” telling Gebhardt that he breached the precious trust his young son would’ve had in him “Lachlan should’ve expected to be safe in the hands of his father “He was completely at the mercy of your decision-making that day.” The judge heard that Gebhardt lacked insight into his offending and had not taken responsibility for it McCormick said Gebhardt could not remember why he had driven off the road suffering from diagnosed “complicated grief” The court heard that Gebhardt drove off the road at high speed through the bend of Lehmans Rd and River Rd near Rangiora Racecourse The car launched 24m in the air before it hit a tree 7m higher than its take-off point It burst into flames and Lachlan died at the scene There were no signs that Gebhardt tried to brake or slow down As members of the public dragged Gebhardt out of the burning wreck he asked to be put back in to change places with his son I want to swap with him,” Gebhardt told them Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh earlier told the court Gebhardt shared custody of Lachlan with his ex-partner and one that defies explanation or description “There are really no words that can capture the loss caused by Lachlan’s death.” Gebhardt picked up Lachlan from Dudley Park swimming pool in Rangiora with Lachlan in the back seat of his Mazda Gebhardt drove along Lehmans Rd on the westerly outskirts of Rangiora He swerved sharply when he passed a vehicle and had to get back to avoid an oncoming vehicle At the end of the straight was a sharp right-hand corner with a 25km/h advised speed Police estimated his speed at about 130km/h when he reached the turn went up a stopbank and became airborne before hitting a tree The car spun to the ground and caught fire Members of the public called emergency services and dragged Gebhardt out But the fire prevented them from getting back to the car Gebhardt received burns to 30% of his body When he was interviewed by the police about seven weeks later Gebhardt said he could not recall anything about the crash he walked into the Christchurch Police Station took his clothes off and pleaded to be jailed He was arrested and charged with obscene exposure in public McCormick explained that Gebhardt was “having difficulty” with trauma issues Gebhardt insisted on pleading guilty immediately and was jailed for a month for obscene exposure The crash was across the road from Manson’s work at the racecourse and around the corner from where she lived with Lachlan She believes Gebhardt wanted to cause “maximum pain” and would never forgive him the family were led to believe it had been a tragic accident “I believe you murdered my grandson,” she said in her victim impact statement The only high-reach ladder truck in Auckland broke down last night {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"/2025/04/24/work-to-finally-begin-on-rangiora-after-hours-medical-centre/"},"datePublished":"2025-04-24T01:19:04.946Z","dateModified":"2025-04-24T01:19:04.946Z","headline":"Work to finally begin on Rangiora after-hours medical centre","description":"Work can finally begin on the promised medical centre at the Rangiora Hospital and Health Hub site in Ashley St a South Island healthcare provider is ready to build a new after-hours medical facility in Rangiora South Link Health chief executive Karl Andrews said work could finally begin on the promised medical centre at the Rangiora Hospital and Health Hub site in Ashley Street Local residents have been frustrated by the wait for after-hours healthcare in North Canterbury with local MP Matt Doocey demanding action in February on the stalled project The Waimakariri District Council confirmed it would invest up to $3.5 million in the medical facility at a closed-door session earlier this week and sod-turning expected in the coming weeks South Link Health proposed to build a new medical centre which would include general practice services seven days a week with after-hours and urgent healthcare Andrews said he anticipated the project would take 14 months to complete "We are ready to deliver this vital facility for the community," he said rising construction costs and commercial investment challenges South Link Health was formed by the Dunedin-based South Link Education Trust in 2010 as a not-for-profit healthcare provider South Link Education Trust would loan fund 50% of the construction costs with the council loan funding the remaining 50% The trust will be responsible for repaying both loans Trust chairperson and chief clinical advisor Murray Tilyard said the organisation is thrilled to partner with the council on this "vital initiative" "North Canterbury urgently needs robust seven-day-a-week extended primary healthcare services and we are committed to delivering them." Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said the council received independent advise from PwC New Zealand (Pricewaterhouse Coopers) Under the agreement with South Link Health Gordon and Deputy Mayor Neville Atkinson would represent the council on the project delivery group to oversee the build "This is an essential step forward for healthcare in North Canterbury," Gordon said "Our communities have long been waiting for access to urgent and after-hours healthcare and now we can ensure it will happen." Gordon paid tribute to retired Rangiora GP Dr Lorna Martin who was a driving force behind the project over several years "Although she has retired and is no longer directly involved her unwavering support has been invaluable in helping us reach this point "I would also like to recognise Murray Tilyard's personal commitment to this initiative "His passion and perseverance have been pivotal in bringing this project to fruition." The Ministry of Health entered into a lease agreement with South Link Health in 2021 to build an after-hours facility at the Ashley Street site South Link Health had been trying to extend the lease from 35-years to 50-years to ensure a better return for its funding partners But this would have required Te Whatu Ora Health NZ to subdivide the site in accordance with the Resource Management Act The council has already issued resource and building consents to allow the build to proceed South Link Health announced the merger of its two Rangiora-based practices in anticipation of the new facility North Canterbury residents requiring urgent after-hours care were advised to contact their GP to speak to a triage nurse or access a telehealth provider (for a charge) Durham Medical in Rangiora and Amberley Medical Centre offered Saturday morning clinics Ka Ora Telecare, which offered phone or video consultations with a doctor, was available to some North Canterbury residents here Residents could also access the Pegasus 24-Hour Surgery in Christchurch or call 111 in an emergency LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air An artist's impression of the proposed new after-hours facility to be built at the Rangiora Health Hub (Source: South Link Health Group/Local Democracy Reporting) Ka Ora Telecare, which offered phone or video consultations with a doctor, was available to some North Canterbury residents here. Council offers to bankroll Rangiora after-hours medical centreA proposed after-hours medical facility in Rangiora has some certainty after the Waimakariri District Council offered to help bankroll the long-awaited project Health 'Disappointed': Rangiora after-hours clinic promises fall flatThe wait is dragging on for a promised after-hours medical centre in Rangiora Residents could also access the Pegasus 24-Hour Surgery in Christchurch or call 111 in an emergency. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Juliana Herrera's family tell inquest: 'Stop repeating avoidable mistakes' was murdered in January 2022 by her neighbour More than 25kg cocaine seizure leads to four arrests across NZ Tauranga and Auckland as a result of the six-week investigation Crime and Justice Three in hospital after Christchurch house fire Emergency services were called to Warrington Street in Mairehau at around 8.05am New Zealand Stowaway weka catches ride across Southern Alps The native bird caught a ride after a couple left their car door open at their campsite Christchurch's Court Theatre makes grand return to the CBD It's been 14 years since the theatre lost its home in the Arts Centre to the earthquake 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 Film industry anxiously awaits details on Trump's 100% movie tariff 7:17pm Search underway for Masterton man, 74, missing since Sunday 7:07pm Crooks, culture first order of business for Mike Bush in Victoria 7:05pm Charges filed against Woolworths over pricing, misleading specials 6:45pm Police, experts warn 'emerging risk' of 3D-printed firearms rising 6:33pm Trade war: Sir John Key's 'optimism' on Trump's next tariff moves 7:28pm 1US woman who disappeared for more than six decades found safe Govt halts all current pay equity claims, makes it harder to lodge new ones NRL: Sharks centre Iro wants to be known by new name Two men's shared name brings years of trouble and a hefty bill to one Photos: Lorde among stars at 2025 Met Gala A$AP Rocky and Rihanna also revealed they are expecting their third child. Two arrested over alleged plot targeting Lady Gaga concert in RioBrazilian police said they thwarted an alleged bomb attack planned for Lady Gaga's concert on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. 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 A proposed after-hours medical facility in Rangiora has some certainty after the Waimakariri District Council offered to help bankroll the long-awaited project Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said the council had offered to invest in the project to get it back on track South Link Health is proposing to build a new medical centre which will include general practice services seven days a week with after-hours healthcare full radiology services including ultrasound The Ministry of Health entered into a lease agreement with South Link Health in 2021 to build an after-hours facility alongside the Rangiora Hospital and Health Hub in Ashley Street South Link Health chief executive Karl Andrews said the not-for-profit health provider has been trying to extend the lease from 35-years to 50-years to ensure a better return for its funding partners Changing the lease will require Te Whatu Ora Health NZ to subdivide the site in accordance with the Resource Management Act South Link Health has agreed to fund the resource consent process but it would likely delay the build by another six to eight months Andrews said the council’s offer could allow the project to stay within the 35-year lease and for building work to get under way ‘‘We are delighted to have this interest from the council and we are progressing those discussions to see what options we might have to achieve this partnership,’’ he said ‘‘We know this project has faced significant challenges and delays but most importantly we want to reassure the community that we are still committed to delivering on it.’’ Gordon said the facility will benefit residents all over North Canterbury ‘‘Every week I hear from residents who are concerned about a lack of provision for after-hours health care in our district council is looking at ways we might be able to help with financial investment to guarantee the building work commences imminently.’’ He said the council would take out a loan to invest in the construction of the facility with South Link Heath being responsible for meeting the loan repayments Gordon is also deputy chair of Waitaha Primary Health which is the funder of several medical practises in Canterbury said he met with Andrews this week and invited him to speak at a public meeting to update the community ‘‘I reminded South Link Health it’s not their after-hours ‘‘In my view they are treating the community with contempt ‘‘The community was promised after-hours healthcare We have been told repeatedly by both the council and South Link Health that things were on track yet there have been no shovels in the ground.’’ Doocey said he had ‘‘no confidence’’ the after-hours facility will be delivered soon South Link Health is a network of 23 medical practises around the country the provider announced it had completed the merger of its two Rangiora-based practices the practice will continue operating from two locations A community leader is frustrated over the lack of progress made on a promised after-hours medical centre in Rangiora Rangiora-Ashley Community Board chairperson Jim Gerard said there's been no progress on a new after-hours facility for North Canterbury The proposed Rangiora Medical facility was originally meant to open at the Rangiora Health Hub on Ashley St in 2022 "There is no sign of anything and it is really disappointing because it is a service North Canterbury really needs," Gerard said "I just want to express on behalf of the community my disappointment at the lack of progress "The community had expectations which at this stage have not been delivered." said he was disappointed at the lack of progress and he would be raising his concerns with Health New Zealand / Te Whatu Ora The Ministry of Health entered into an agreement with South Link Health Group in 2021 for an after-hours facility It followed a petition calling for after-hours healthcare being presented to the former Canterbury District Health Board two years earlier The Waimakariri District Council has issued resource and building consents for the project but the not-for-profit health provider has yet to announce when the build would start or set a timeframe for its completion was responsible for funding and constructing the new facility South Link Health chief executive Karl Andrews briefed the community board on plans to include full radiology services —ultrasound the provider announced it had completed the merger of two medical practices and to future proof the operation ahead of building the new medical centre the practice was continuing to operate from two locations A HealthNZ spokesperson said the new medical centre was being developed by a private health group and "we continue to work with them to progress their build" South Link Health Group has been contacted for comment or access a telehealth provider — for a charge Durham Medical in Rangiora and Amberley Medical Centre also offered Saturday morning clinics Ka Ora Telecare which offered phone or video consultations with a doctor was available to some North Canterbury residents Residents could also access the 24-Hour Surgery in Christchurch — or 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." A weka who travelled from the West Coast to Christchurch over the Alps has been returned home after his roadie adventure The endemic bird caught a ride after a couple left their car door open at their campsite in Buller Gorge while packing up from their Easter getaway The gear was split between campers Kim Ranger and her partner Ian's two vehicles hidden in dog blankets in Ian's ute despite multiple stops He got home to Christchurch and hopped out and didn’t notice the weka," Kim said I opened the back door of the Ranger to get something there it was in the rear passenger footwell what on earth do you do with a weka in Christchurch?”  Kim said they contacted the after-hours vet SPCA and DOC but were told to care for the bird until morning Apart from setting off the car alarm at 7am and covering the inside of the ute with poo Kim said the weka didn't seem distressed after her last name and given its temporary home Ranger was collected by DOC and checked over at the South Island Wildlife Hospital where — apart from being slightly dehydrated — was in good health and was released back to the area from where it hitched a ride DOC Biodiversity supervisor Craig Alexander said the episode was a reminder for people to check their vehicles for any wildlife when camping “There are no wild weka in Christchurch so we wouldn’t want to see them accidentally introduced here.”  we also had someone accidentally bring two wētā over from the West Coast in their wetsuits,” said Alexander If you find a native animal has snuck a ride somewhere it shouldn't be; contact DOC on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) for advice on what to do next Christchurch’s Court Theatre has made its grand return to the city more than a decade after losing its home due to damage caused caused by the February 2011 earthquake A new location was found in Addington following the quake people queued to get a look at its brand new forever home The first reactions as people walked through the doors were all very positive I’m really excited to see lots of shows here,” one theatregoer said It’s such a moment for the city," another added The state of the art facility on Gloucester St houses two theatres – one large auditorium that seats 377 stopped by with his family to give it a once-over "We thought we'd pop down and see the new opening and I’m quite interested in architecture and was quite excited to see the building," his father said Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger described the project as a turning point for the city “Its return to the CBD is more than symbolic – it’s a celebration of what we can achieve when we work together," he said the theatre is expected to grow significantly It currently produces 20 shows annually with a combined audience of 120,000 Court Theatre executive director Gretchen La Roche said the new building "represents a transformative moment for the city’s arts scene” Artistic director Alison Walls called it symbolic and stirring “It feels beautifully fitting we open our new home with this deeply personal national story." 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." 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.” The government is making it harder to make a claim for pay equity that will cut costs There have been massive pay equity claims in recent years for nurses and resthome workers Workplace Minister Brooke van Velden announced the moves to raise the threshold for proving work has been historically undervalued to support a claim on Tuesday saying changes back in 2020 had created problems "Claims have been able to progress without strong evidence of undervaluation and there have been very broad claims where it is difficult to tell whether differences in pay are due to sex-based discrimination or other factors." Claims were concentrated in the public sector with costs to the Crown of all settlements so far totalling $1.78 billion a year "The changes I am proposing will significantly reduce costs to the Crown," she said "The changes will discontinue current pay equity claims." Van Velden told Midday Report she believes in pay equity but the current thresholds were "a bit too loose" Asked how she ensure women were not hurt by this the minister said "I'm a woman and I support women who work" "I also support removing gender based discriminations from our workforces but what I don't support are muddied laws and unclear laws," she said "So these changes are better for all women who are working where we can genuinely say hand on heart that what they are finding with their claims is genuine gender based discrimination." Van Velden told reporters at Parliament any current claims would be stopped and need to restart under the new threshold to show "genuine" gender discrimination and make sure the comparators were right She gave a figure of 33 current claims that would be stopped as the legislation was put through under urgency "You have librarians who've been comparing themselves to transport engineers We have admin and clerical staff at Health New Zealand comparing themselves to mechanical engineers." Social workers had compared themselves to air traffic controllers "We don't believe we have that setting right." Any comparison would now be between female employees and male employees at the same employer "But you cannot go fishing for discrimination across the New Zealand workforce." All current settled claims would continue but the government was drawing "a line in the sand" "We're not stopping claims." The nurse's union has this year had at least 10 pay equity claims in play The PSA union has said pay equity claims and settlements had resulted in significant improvements in pay and working conditions for many workers The union said the changes would make it "impossible for people in female-dominated professions to be paid fairly" "Women across the country will pay the price for this," PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said "The government's changes today are a dark day for New Zealand women as the government says it will repeal the pay equity law and extinguish 33 existing claims in a constitutional overreach "The PSA is exploring all possible avenues to oppose these unconstitutional amendments and stop this attack on women We will not be deterred in our fight to achieve pay equity for all." "This is a blatant and shameful attack on women," New Zealand Nurses organisation chief executive Paul Goulter said "Women in workforces predominantly performed by female employees have been underpaid and undervalued for generations That is what pay equity claims seek to rectify," he said "This move by the government will widen the pay gap between men and women." The union had at least 10 pay current pay claims across Aged Care These cover many nurses and support workers The E tū union also called the changes an attack on women and a green light to pay them less for work of equal value The government was pulling the rug out from under a 13-year-long fight in aged care "These changes are not about evidence — they are about saving money by keeping women underpaid," national secretary Rachel Mackintosh said in a statement A number of unions have called a snap rally at Parliament at 1pm today in light of the announcement the Council of Trade Unions and representatives of other unions say they will be "protesting the government's attack on women and the destruction of progress on pay equity..." rnz.co.nz The Cronulla player formerly known as Kayal Iro has explained his decision to change his first name midway through the NRL season Iro made a tryscoring return from a hamstring injury in the Sharks' Magic Round win over Parramatta last Friday sporting a new name on Cronulla's team list The 25-year-old has now requested he be referred to as 'KL Iro' The centre is named after his father Kevin Leslie Iro who enjoyed a decorated career in England and represented New Zealand with distinction The left centre's official documents will still read "Kayal" but the Sharks flyer said he made the switch to 'KL' to avoid any doubt as to how his name should be pronounced "Mum didn't want it to be a two-letter name when I was a kid," Iro said "She's the one that changed it to 'Kayal' I think it was just foreign back then to have a two-letter name "But my dad always wanted it to be 'KL' and I like it that way too because it's easier to pronounce and there's no confusion I was too scared to step on anyone's toes "I guess I've built a bit of a relationship with these fellas now so I asked the question and got it done pretty quick." which was often mispronounced by commentators when his father and uncle Tony were playing "Even my dad and uncle when they were playing the Pommies would pronounce it 'aye-ro' rather than 'ear-ro'," Iro added he loved it but it's pretty cool to hear a commentator saying our family name." Iro was born in England while his father was playing for Leeds but spent most of his childhood growing up in the Cook Islands While he hinted he would be open to facing the Kangaroos in the end-of-season Ashes series "I wouldn't say no but my first thing is getting the Cook Islands qualified for the World Cup next year," he said Iro and the sixth-placed Sharks (5-4) will face one of the most daunting challenges of their season to date when they travel to take on Manly (4-4) at Brookvale Oval on Sunday "They've got a strong right edge and also [Tom] Trbojevic at the back," Iro said "[Trboejvic] is a strike weapon in attack and things happen around him we've got to be aware of him." 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 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 Join us for free park entry to Thundercorss BBQ lunch and the chance to trial Surron Farm Utility electric bikes and polaris UTVs The 2025 Deer Industry conference makes a return taking place in Queenstown and celebrates 50 years of NZ Deer Farmers Association Take a night off from cooking and join us and others at Pukuru School Hall for a community dinner.  The Waikato Primary Industry Adverse Event Cluster wish to invite you to join them for a relaxed BBQ lunch.  You can contact your local Trust using the email form on their page or call 0800 787 254, 8am - 6pm.   If you wish to donate directly to a region, you can find your region here and find donation details on their page ECan councillors and staff were joined by Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon local MPs and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency staff to mark the service uplift of the No 7 (Queenspark to Halswell) bus route on Monday with five new electric buses added to the route In thanking ECan’s partners for their support chairperson Craig Pauling reminded NZTA of its plans to add more electric buses to the No 1 (Rangiora to Cashmere) and 5 (Rolleston to New Brighton) bus routes to increase their frequency ECan is continuing to talk to NZTA about its plans to boost its five core bus routes The Orbiter and No 3 (Airport to Sumner) bus routes have already been given a service uplift ‘‘There is a massive process involved in getting these approved If you’ve done the work it is more likely to get approved.’’ The Greater Christchurch population is expected to pass 700,000 over the next decade and approach one million over 30 years Te Kaha Stadium and the Metro Sports Facility are due to open in the central city next year ‘‘I would say most people don’t know where the bus interchange is ‘‘During peak times those buses are already full and we know patronage is growing so by having more buses on the route it will ease the pressure.’’ Gordon regularly takes the bus to attend meetings in the city and said Waimakariri is ‘‘well served’’ by the bus network He is keen to explore trackless trams as an option to realise the goal of mass rapid transit for Greater Christchurch ‘‘It doesn’t require as much in-ground infrastructure or disruption to the transport network ‘‘It would be good to get one here and at least trial it.’’ He acknowledged residents in outlying towns like Amberley and Ashburton have made submissions for bus services to be extended ‘‘I do know with the park and ride service from Rangiora and Kaiapoi people from Amberley and further afield make use of the service ‘‘It is about being part of Canterbury and as we grow looking at how we can connect those districts Pauling said extending bus services to towns like Amberley or Ashburton will require targeted rates which is considerably more than the existing rate to support community vehicle trusts ECan supports community vehicle trusts in Amberley Rangiora and Kaiapoi residents will get the chance to have their say on what parking demand might look like in 2040 and whether they are willing to pay for a good spot The Waimakariri District Council will consult on how to address future parking needs in the two Canterbury town centres including the possibility of paid parking and a new parking building for Rangiora strategy and centres team leader Heike Downie said the feedback would help the council develop a parking management plan She said the proposed approaches for each town were different and reflected parking trends population projections and possible land use changes "We are a growing district and providing parking is an important asset to make our town centres successful," she said "Our future modelling shows parking supply is still reasonably comfortable in Kaiapoi but in Rangiora we are anticipating there will be high demand in the future." Proposed measures for Rangiora include piloting graduated priced parking with the first hour or two free and charges applying after that exploring all day parking options and a central parking building The council is looking to reconfigure the Blake Street car park and to acquire another centre site for parking by 2035 to meet Rangiora's growing demand The former police station site in High Street The proposals also take into consideration mobility needs The council also plans to consider future parking needs in other town centres Councillor Niki Mealings noted the council needed to develop a parking management plan as the National Policy Statement on Urban Development removed the requirement for private developers to provide parking which placed pressure on existing parking supply Mayor Dan Gordon said it was timely to consider future parking needs "I regularly get feedback around the town centres about how busy they are and particularly in Rangiora with the new retail experiences and it is the same in Kaiapoi "It is nice that we have the problem of our town centres being busy but it is something we need to keep an eye on." Consultation will be held later this month with the council due to adopt a parking management plan in May sustained increases in the use of alternative modes of transport remain elusive Wilson Parking says it's just supply and demand Masterton's council is considering "alternative approaches" to addressing the problem of businesses using public car parks for vehicle storage The fees would apply seven days a week and are expected to generate almost $2.1 million in annual revenue Local Democracy Reporting RSS Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said the council had offered, in principle, to invest in the project to get it back on track. The investment would be loan funded, with no rates impact, Gordon said. South Link Health is proposing to build a new medical centre, which will include general practice services seven days a week with after-hours healthcare, full radiology services including ultrasound, CT and MRI scans, and a pharmacy. The Ministry of Health entered into a lease agreement with South Link Health in 2021 to build an after-hours facility alongside the Rangiora Hospital and Health Hub in Ashley Street, Rangiora. But it has been beset by delays, due in part to Covid-19. South Link Health chief executive Karl Andrews said the not-for-profit health provider has been trying to extend the lease from 35-years to 50-years to ensure a better return for its funding partners. Changing the lease will require Te Whatu Ora Health NZ to subdivide the site in accordance with the Resource Management Act. South Link Health has agreed to fund the resource consent process, but it would likely delay the build by another six to eight months. Andrews said the council’s offer could allow the project to stay within the 35-year lease and for building work to get under way. ‘‘We are delighted to have this interest from the council, and we are progressing those discussions to see what options we might have to achieve this partnership,’’ he said. ‘‘We know this project has faced significant challenges and delays, but most importantly we want to reassure the community that we are still committed to delivering on it.’’ The council has already issued resource and building consents to allow the build to proceed. Gordon said the facility will benefit residents all over North Canterbury. ‘‘Every week I hear from residents who are concerned about a lack of provision for after-hours health care in our district. ‘‘Now, council is looking at ways we might be able to help with financial investment to guarantee the building work commences imminently.’’ He said the council would take out a loan to invest in the construction of the facility, with South Link Heath being responsible for meeting the loan repayments. Gordon is also deputy chair of Waitaha Primary Health, which is the funder of several medical practises in Canterbury, including Rangiora Medical. Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey, who is also Associate Health Minister, said he met with Andrews this week and invited him to speak at a public meeting to update the community. ‘‘I reminded South Link Health it’s not their after-hours, it’s the community’s, they are just the provider. ‘‘In my view they are treating the community with contempt. ‘‘The community was promised after-hours healthcare. We have been told repeatedly by both the council and South Link Health that things were on track, yet there have been no shovels in the ground.’’ Doocey said he had ‘‘no confidence’’ the after-hours facility will be delivered soon. South Link Health is a network of 23 medical practises around the country. Last year, the provider announced it had completed the merger of its two Rangiora-based practices. Now known as Rangiora Medical, the practice will continue operating from two locations, Good Street and Victoria Street, until the new facility is built. A proposed after-hours medical facility in Rangiora has some certainty after the Waimakariri District Council offered to help bankroll the long-awaited project. Waimakariri District Council and South Link Health met online to discuss the council investing in the new building during a closed-door session of the council meeting on Tuesday to invest in the "desperately needed" after-hours facility to get it back on track after years of delays and increasing community frustration which will include general practice services seven days a week with after-hours and urgent healthcare Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon said he was very keen to see them get a deal across the line ‘‘We know this facility is desperately needed by our growing district and we are committed to looking at all the options to ensure it happens and that extended and urgent care is offered to our community." The council has agreed in principle to loan fund the project at the Rangiora Hospital and Health Hub in Ashley Street Deputy Mayor Neville Atkinson and chief executive Jeff Millward have been delegated to progress the loan agreement and report back to the council for final approval ‘‘I am really happy with the unanimous decision by council to agree in principle to the loan – subject to due diligence Mr Gordon said there will be no rates impact Mr Andrews said he is pleased with the outcome of the meeting ‘‘We look forward to working with the council delegation to complete the due diligence required to reach full agreement.’’ South Link Health announced the merger of its two Rangiora-based practices Durham Medical in Rangiora and Amberley Medical Centre offer Saturday morning clinics which offers phone or video consultations with a doctor is available to some North Canterbury residents go to kaora.co.nz/app/services/sub-services/3 Residents can also access the Pegasus 24-Hour Surgery in Christchurch or call 111 in an emergency Rangiora-Ashley Community Board chair Jim Gerard said there has been no progress on a new after-hours facility for North Canterbury The proposed Rangiora Medical facility was originally meant to open at the Rangiora Health Hub on Ashley Street in 2022 ‘‘I just want to express on behalf of the community my disappointment at the lack of progress ‘‘The community had expectations which at this stage have not been delivered.’’ said he was disappointed at the lack of progress and he will be raising his concerns with Health New Zealand / Te Whatu Ora It followed a petition calling for afterhours healthcare being presented to the former Canterbury District Health Board two years earlier but the not-for-profit health provider has yet to announce when the build will start or set a timeframe for its completion which is a network of 26 medical practises is responsible for funding and constructing the new facility South Link Health Group chief executive Karl Andrews briefed the community board on plans to include full radiology services (ultrasound the provider announced it had completed the merger of two medical practices to future proof the operation ahead of building the new medical centre the practice is continuing to operate from two locations A HealthNZ spokesperson said the new medical centre is being developed by a private health group and ‘‘we continue to work with them to progress their build’’ North Canterbury residents requiring urgent after-hours care can contact their GP to speak to a triage nurse Durham Medical in Rangiora and Amberley Medical Centre also offer Saturday morning clinics go to kaora.co.nz/app/services/sub-services/3 Residents can also access the 24 Hour Surgery in Christchurch or call 111 in an emergency The gymnasiums were built in the 1980s and are starting to show their age "Having two gyms is a luxury and we know that and we are lucky to have access to a four-court stadium in North Canterbury (MainPower Stadium)," Green said "But our gyms are important learning spaces for sport and recreation so we want to make sure they are fit for purpose." The school roll sits at about 1700 and its 50-year master plan was updated two years ago The board of trustees completed the first stage of the revised master plan last year by opening a new $1.8 million cultural learning centre A review of the school’s farm has also been completed with all school faculties now making use of the farm Last year a new purpose-built classroom for building students opened and walls were installed in the Rakahuri building which was considered the largest open plan classroom in the South Island when it opened in 2017 has been working on some key performance indicators to get the best out of the school farm the school wants to replace its hall with an 800-seat performing arts centre in partnership with the community "We are not asking for any money at the moment," Green said "We’ve got a vision and now we’ve got to work out what we need and what the community needs and then we can link up with the council and community funders." No performing arts centre was included in last year’s Waimakariri District Council Long Term Plan but Green said he would like it to be included in the next one in 2027 "We know the Waimakariri Arts Strategy has provision for a performing arts centre so we want to align with that in a similar way to the North Canterbury Sport and Recreation Trust working with the council to develop MainPower Stadium." Ministry of Education regional infrastructure manager southern Simon Cruickshank said Rangiora High School recently completed ‘‘a light refurbishment’’ of its gymnasium "While further investment in the gymnasium or the replacement of the school hall are not identified in the current 10-year property plan we are aware of the school’s long-term aspirations for their gym and for a performing arts facility co-funded with the local authority." Cruickshank said the ministry expected growth to continue at both Rangiora and Kaiapoi High Schools over the next few years with residential development He said the ministry will be reviewing population projections from StatsNZ and is actively engaged in the Waimakariri District Plan Review process The paw hunt is just one of many fun teddy bear-themed activities planned for the Teddy Bears Picnic at Victoria Park on Sunday Rangiora Lion Lioness Club members will be hosting a variety of games face-painting and story corner for all those teddies taking a day off from caring for their owners It is a gold coin donation to attend and the money raised will go to Canterbury Plunket Bring a family picnic lunch and enjoy the day before the paw hunt starts Rangiora Lion Lioness Club president Anne Thorne says 45 paw prints have been made and they will be hidden around the gardens at the park hoping someone can find them and claim one of many prizes on offer Following the paw hunt there will be a grand parade which all teddy bears can take part in founder of the Kaiapoi-based Teddy Bear Hospital The annual competition is the rose grower community’s version of rugby's Ranfurly Shield and it is held in a different location every year around the South Island This year the competition is being hosted by the Canterbury Rose Society and will be open to the public from 1pm to 4pm on February 22 Each Rose Society member taking part in the competition will have their best roses on display in different classes These will include ‘‘variety of roses in three stages of development single blooms in specific stages of opening (exhibition and rose arrangement with other vegetation/flowers,’’ president of the Canterbury Rose Society ‘‘Most of the roses will be named so if you like a particular variety then you can take note of the name to buy it in the future.’’ Nelson and Southland will be represented at the show with 8-10 rose growers from each district attending and 100 large blooms,100 miniature types ‘‘The winning society by points accumulation will be awarded the Ranfurly Rose Shield,’’ Michael says The outstanding exhibit at the show will be awarded a special trophy To achieve champion status a rose must have ‘‘high substance and freshness Members of the Canterbury Rose Society will be available at the Rangiora event to answer questions and give advice about growing ‘‘The Canterbury Rose Society is an active group with monthly meetings regular speakers and outings,’’ Michael says Meetings are at 7.30pm on the third Thursday of every month at the Kiosk in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens (apart from June and July) It is a central venue with lots of parking ‘‘New members are warmly welcomed with a gratis rose plant given to each," Michael says ‘‘Please come along to a meeting to see what we are all about Russell Henson will leave Rangiora High for the final time at the end of the year - after 50 years of teaching at the school It is half a century of his life he did not expect to spend at the school because his first year turned out to be ‘‘a bit of a disaster in terms of classroom management’’ So much so that he contemplated giving up teaching altogether By then his classroom management had improved and he had met the love of his life and future wife Russell was initially attracted to the Rangiora teaching role because of the school’s rural location ‘‘I spent most of my years growing up on the South Shore (Christchurch’s South Brighton) with the beach and the forests along the estuary as my playground,’’ he says ‘‘It didn’t feel much like suburban city life so being able to secure a position in a country town seemed the best fit for me.’’ In those days there were about 800 pupils on the Rangiora High School (RHS) roll ‘‘Rangiora was a country town and the school had more of a family feel about it,’’ Russell says ‘‘Teacher work-loads were less than they are today ‘‘The majority of students were motivated to pass the dreaded exams and teachers were there to support them to do so rather than to assess them as is so often the case today banda machines (the precursor to photocopiers and laser printers) were the tools of trade Distractions via social media were not a thing.’’ who was 22 when he began teaching at Rangiora High School makes it more difficult for pupils to maintain their focus at school in today’s world I feel students now are far more tolerant of others more accepting of diversity and certainly more accepting of Maori cultural values ‘‘I also believe that students who want to Russell was inspired to become a teacher by ‘‘one or two influential role models’’ he had during his school years including a teacher ‘‘with the X-factor’’ named Mr Dalton He has enjoyed his time at Rangiora High School ‘‘Leading the social studies department for 30 years was a highlight ‘‘Being both the teacher in charge of canoe polo at school and the Canterbury secondary schools competition for a couple of decades was another highlight,’’ he says ‘‘Meeting past students from time to time who have kind words to say about their times spent in my classroom is another highlight ‘‘Seeing students succeed while at school and learning of their successes beyond school has made it all worthwhile.’’ Russell and Kay raised their family in Leithfield and all three of their children now also have their family homes in Leithfield ‘‘They all attended Rangiora HS and became secondary school teachers in their own right,’’ Russell says ‘‘Today our seven grandchildren live within 600 metres of our home ‘‘These are seven good reasons why staying in this area Being a part of my children's lives as they grew up and now my grandchildren's lives inspired me to stay teaching all this time.’’ Now retirement beckons he is looking forward to spending even more time with his close-knit whanau and being able to take more road trips with Kay “We are concerned at the apparent decline in monarch butterflies in NZ,” said Jacqui Knight founding trustee of the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust The New Zealand Plumbing Awards acknowledge the many positive achievements and success stories in the plumbing the national conference has been held for over 100 years "Insurers recognise that in the early stages of recovery many people may not be able to quickly lodge a claim," ICNZ chief executive Kris Faafoi said "While you should contact your insurer as soon as possible don’t wait to take steps to reduce further damage and begin recovery if it’s safe to do so." As most seasonal influenza vaccines are made using chicken eggs the SMC asked experts for background on seasonal flu vaccine manufacture and alternatives to the standard jab "ODF is much more than a technical specification: it is a symbol of freedom of choice support for interoperability and protection of users from the commercial strategies of Big Tech," said Eliane Domingos The Union says the loss of the rail-enabled Aratere a crucial link between the North and South Islands significantly weakens the resilience of New Zealand's national supply chain one neighbour liked their music - but the other didn’t and complained so they had to move A new home was found at the Trinity Church Hall in Rangiora many years ago The choir was formed more than 20 years ago and it has become well- known in the district for its prowess in singing an eclectic assortment of songs catering to all interests tenors and bass singers have all combined to fill halls and churches all over Waimakariri with renditions of classical and modern tunes sung by the choir to the enjoyment of many The choir was initially started by Russell and Doreen Hartley Doreen had been involved for 12 years with the Kaiapoi Singers choir that disbanded offered the choir the facilities of the Dale Hartley School of Performing Arts It started with 15 singers and today the choir numbers 39 registered singers and because of our average age being in the 70s we are also an ageing choir,’’ says Rita Moore ‘‘But don’t despair as we still get some younger people coming along to sing with us now and then.’’ Last year the choir put the call out for men to join them The response was very good allowing the choir to slowly build up its bass and tenor sections again and we’ve had several more come along and join us,’’ says Rita Choir committee member Marianne Whyte says the last concert was at Rossburn Hall as we need a new piano and also to find a pianist to play it — so if you know anyone?’’ The choir is striving to create a repertoire of music that includes religious but the sort of four part music they need to perform with is often hard to find and can cost a lot of money to use Rita says she spent hours on the internet just trying to find suitable pieces remember having to sing scales to audition for admission to the Kaiapoi Singers years ago as it was a very serious choir in those early days Marianne says the Rangiora Community Choir are a lot more fun loving ‘‘We are a very social group who meet weekly at the church at 176 King Street Come along and listen to us practice or join in the fun.’’ A Rangiora sports club is frustrated with the increasing maintenance and insurance costs of its 113-year-old pavilion which can't be demolished due to its historic importance The Rangiora Bowling Club approached the Waimakariri District Council last year for help but was yet to find a satisfactory solution for the pavilion It was registered with Heritage New Zealand and listed in the Waimakariri District Plan The club's ex-president Norman Hewett said the pavilion on Good Street Mr Hewett said the council had been supportive and Heritage New Zealand had offered advice ''Everybody thinks the building is worth preserving but there is a cost and it shouldn't be put on the bowling club ''As far as we are concerned it is not fit for purpose and we want to know how we can get round that ''We want to know what the community thinks and if they want to retain it The club had formed a sub-committee to explore what options were available Sub-committee member Rodger Wilton said the club had been unable to find any record that the club had a say when the building was given heritage status It cost 945 pounds and was opened on October 28 The three clubs purchased 1.25 acres on the corner of Blackett and Good Streets in April 1905 with tennis and croquet moving to new sites Mr Hewett believed it would cost more than $1 million to bring the pavilion up to code Ideally the club would like to demolish the pavilion so it could upgrade its main building and remain on site The stairwell was non-compliant and there was no wheel chair access meaning the club was unable to use the upstairs facilities There were loose tiles on the roof which need replacing An attached building behind the pavilion was sufficient to meet the needs of the 140 members and for hosting the largest bowls tournament in North Canterbury including a land swap or selling to a developer with the expertise to restore the pavilion Waimakariri District Council community and recreation manager Chris Brown said the council was working through various opportunities with the bowling club as part of a feasibility study Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga said it had ''expressed support for the adaptive reuse of the building and supported the club's intention to investigate options for the pavilion and the associated land parcel'' The Rangiora Bowling Club was keen to hear the views of the community shares and researches Christchurch’s archaeological heritage for everyone to explore and use Highlighting Kaiapoi and Rangiora is a project developed in collaboration with Waimakariri Libraries CAP also holds a lot of data about sites in Christchurch’s hinterland Christchurch has a rich archaeological archive owing to the incredible amount of archaeological work that took place following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes CAP holds a significant amount of the archaeological data - and the artefacts - from that work The archive holds the story of how Christchurch and the surrounding townships were built CAP and Museum of Archaeology Otautahi director Katharine Watson said the archive includes data from archaeological sites in both Kaiapoi and Rangiora ‘‘CAP wants to make this data more accessible to the people we have recently taken on an intern through the University of Canterbury's PACE programme is studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Heritage and she’s very passionate about researching and writing about Aotearoa's past.’’ Opie's project for CAP involves carrying out detailed historical research about some of the more significant archaeological sites of European origin in the Kaiapoi and Rangiora She writes up this information to appear on the Waimakariri Heritage website Opie says she has had a love for reading and research ever since she was little and over time this has translated into a passion for exploring the connections between people and understanding what can be done to keep these stories alive CAP also be curating an exhibition to be held at the Kaiapoi library in the second half of 2025 showcasing some of the artefacts found during this archaeological work and highlighting the stories they've revealed They will also be conducting a public talk Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon says it was ‘‘a strategic The two-story building at 309 High Street is on 2747sq m of land beside and behind the Rangiora Town Hall It was closed in 2019 for seismic strengthening investigations showed the building was irreparable and in 2021 police deemed it surplus to its needs Police then moved to a temporary location in Southbrook while continuing to look for a new site The property was offered to Ngāi Tahu under the Treaty of Waitangi settlement process The iwi had been working with the council on possible collaborative options for the site Ngāi Tahu sold the site to Paenga Kupenga Limited ( Ngāi Tuahuriri’s economic arm) which then on-sold the site to the council Gordon said properties like this seldom come up and the council decided to act to protect the space around the town hall and western gateway to Rangiora and put in place a plan that will make best use of ‘‘this great space’’ ‘‘When we put together the Rangiora Town Centre Strategy locals and business owners told us they wanted to see Rangiora remain inviting and be a pleasant and vibrant place for people to shop ‘‘This purchase will allow for both growth in population and demand for commercial and community spaces in the township as the community nears 100,000 residents by 2050 as well as provide for more parking spaces in the short term.’’ The sale was funded by transferring funds from an existing budget for Rangiora Town Centre development A council spokesman said it is looking at demolishing the 1240sq m building and will be tendering for this in September or October the demolition will take place later in the year or early next year and construction of additional car parking will be put in place shortly after that,’’ he said Rangiora-Ashley Community Board chair Jim Gerard said the land used to belong to the council before it was a police station so it is fitting to see it back in community ownership ‘‘The Town Hall has always been an anchor tenant of Rangiora and this purchase is an opportunity to further enhance this unique character area and make sure this entrance to the Rangiora town centre continues to thrive.’’ The new Loburn War Memorial has been officially opened The memorial at Loburn Domain in Loburn Whiterock Rd has been a work in progress for several years with help from many others including the Waimakariri District Council the RNZRSA (Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association) Loburn School pupils also contributed to the project by completing the planting around the memorial as part of their community service The war memorial will be used for annual Anzac and similar types of commemoration services for the community but it is hoped it will also provide a reflective space for individuals and groups to visit at any time to remember and learn from the past Advisory group chairman Duncan Lundy who was a guest speaker at the opening said: "Each name at this memorial has a story Their good action will live on in memory and continue to inspire others." Duncan said he hoped it would bring new life to the names of the men and women who served New Zealand in its time of need "There is a cost for democracy and we should not take it for granted." "Today we don't just officially open this wonderful community memorial that so many people have helped create those courageous individuals who served our country during the (two) world wars "You should all be very proud of what you have achieved here." said the community investment fund was "extremely thankful to be part of this unique project" It was "really rare" for a new war memorial to be opened "What the community has done here is so inspiring." died when the car she was in crashed into a house near Rangiora after fleeing police last September Police officers stopped a vehicle with three passengers in Christchurch in the early hours of 17 September last year and discovered the driver then 18-year-old learner driver Adam Michael Rapson was in breach of his licence conditions and the vehicle Police issued Rapson with an infringement notice and issued the vehicle with a pink sticker ordering it off the road and instructing him to drive it directly to his father's address The officers intended to escort Rapson home but a decision was made to attend a burglary that was underway at a liquor store in Lincoln The IPCA found the decision to allow Rapson to drive to a nearby address was lawful and reasonable in the circumstances Rapson continued to drive around Christchurch and then to the outskirts of Rangiora where the group joined a large group of car enthusiasts to do burnouts which led members of the public to call police to report disorderly behaviour Police arrived in the area to find most of the vehicles had left but saw the Falcon which they learnt had earlier been pink stickered Rapson did a U-turn and accelerated at high speed along Oxford Road towards Rangiora The officers responded by activating their lights and signalling the driver to stop When it became clear that the driver was fleeing Rapson later told told police after seeing the patrol car he and his friends got into the car and they began screaming at him to go so he "gassed it out of there" towards Rangiora He said he saw blue and red flashing lights behind him and when he asked his friends what he should do they slapped the back of his seat and screamed at him to go so he I took off out of there like my hair was on fire" The Falcon then hit a tree and crashed into the side of a house on McIvor Place Rapson was sentenced to three-and a-half-years' jail in the High Court at Christchurch in April one of driving unaccompanied on a learner licence and one of driving a vehicle ordered off the road The court heard how he had consumed cannabis throughout the day and was travelling at about 140kmh when he lost control of the vehicle The IPCA found the officers should have notified the Emergency Communications Centre (ECC) of their intention to signal the Falcon to stop before activating their lights and siren one of the officers misled the ECC by advising they had come to a stop on Acacia Avenue Both omissions were in breach of the Police Fleeing Driver Policy The policy states that in deciding whether to stop a driver: "Consideration should always be given to delaying the signal to stop while coordinating tactical options or waiting for the wider environment to become safer to reduce risk." It also states that if there are indications a driver is likely to flee the ECC must be advised of: "The reason for wanting to stop the driver; the intention to signal the driver to stop; and whether a pursuit is going to be initiated if the driver fails to stop." A pursuit must be abandoned if the officer determines that the risks outweigh the necessity to continue the pursuit Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said while some elements of its procedure were not followed in this case the overall decision-making had been sound and it was pleased the IPCA had found the officers did not cause the crash Hill said police were required to make quick decisions in high-pressure dynamic situations every day and he asked those who were signalled to stop by police "It's not worth risking the lives of yourselves or others and you are putting everyone in harm's way when you choose to flee." A born and bred Cantabrian, Matt lives in the electorate with his wife Viktoria and their daughter Emily and son James. After pursuing opportunities in the UK, Matt decided to return home to give something back after the Canterbury earthquakes and took up an opportunity to work at the Canterbury District Health Board. Matt went to St Bede’s College before studying a BSc (Hons) in Social Policy, an MA in Healthcare Management from Kingston University in London, and an MSc in Global Politics from Birkbeck College, University of London.  Matt had a long career in mental health and healthcare management, including in the delivery of community health, mental health and social care services both in voluntary and Government settings.  Matt is currently the Minister for Mental Health and Associate Minister of Health. Matt is honoured to be serving in Cabinet in a Christopher Luxon-led government. Matt was re-elected as Member of Parliament for Waimakariri in 2020 and in 2023 As your local Member of Parliament, Matt is committed to ensuring your views, problems and concerns are heard in Parliament. Some of you he will meet during visits to your area. Others may prefer to send Matt an email, give a call, or visit his offices in either Kaiapoi or Rangiora.  Matt is working hard to represent you and he welcomes you to get in touch at any time to discuss any issues, problems or assistance you may need. By clicking subscribe you agree to receive emails from Waimakariri and the National Party. Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey is pleased to announce today that the Women’s Refuge is the latest recipient of the Government’s Mental Health and Addiction... Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says it was excellent to meet with Christchurch Hospital Emergency Department staff and peer support specialists today to mark the start... Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Rural Health and Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey announced today he will be coming to 12 rural locations across... Health Minister Simeon Brown and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey have today officially opened Manaia House, a new community mental health and addictions facility in the... The man accused of murdering Richard Leman in Rangiora will go to trial in 2026 had been missing for about a week before he was was found dead in his own car parked in a garage of an abandoned house at Tyler Street on 17 April 2023 and was originally scheduled to stand trial last month The New Zealand Herald earlier reported Leman's body was dismembered and only his torso was found in the car's boot a woman pleaded pleaded guilty to a charge arising from the investigation into the death of Leman Morgan Grant appeared in the High Court at Christchurch on 11 September via audio-visual link but the details of the charge are suppressed Leman's sister Nicola called him "a big baby at heart" In a social media post following the arrest she said her family had "prayed for this day to come.. a brother and a father who loved his family with all that he had and in return his family loved him unconditionally The past seven weeks have been the most heart-breaking and stressful of all our lives "As Richard's book of life is written this chapter is now closed with the remaining chapters yet to be written they will be filled with more tears as we navigate the times ahead waiting and praying for justice to be served." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday Morgan Grant appeared in the High Court at Christchurch via audio-visual link A woman has been charged in relation to the death of Canterbury man Richard Leman whose body was found in a car in April Police are yet to locate some of the remains of Richard Leman who was found deceased in his car in April had been missing for about a week when he was found dead in a car Website intended for a New Zealand health professional readership fcassie@nzdoctor.co.nz Kia ora and welcome to New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Not a subscriber? Unlock this article by subscribing here. Hall discusses the evaluation of thyroid nodules which primarily aims to determine the likelihood of malignancy He then reviews the treatment of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Online is intended for a New Zealand health professional readership. Use of this site implies acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Statement New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Online is not a consumer medical advice service Consumers should seek advice from a health professional and not act in reliance on any statement contained in the information provided More than 50 North Canterbury firefighters have contained an out-of-control hedge-fire in Rangiora which saw one property evacuated as a precaution The Herald also understands one firefighter has been injured while battling the blaze A Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) spokesman said crews were called to Flaxton Rd about 2.30pm following “multiple calls” and found the blaze well-involved in about 200m of hedge line Two helicopters with monsoon buckets are assisting fire crews to extinguish the blaze which has caused the evacuation of one property nearby as a precaution The spokesman said he didn’t expect any other properties to be evacuated Fenz said the fire had been contained and the two helicopters were grounded “We’ve still got all our ground resources in attendance working to extinguish and dampen down the fire,” a spokesman said Crews would remain at the scene into the early evening and road closures remained in place One crew member has been treated for minor heat exhaustion Canterbury Fenz said it has attended “a number of out-of-control fires” on Wednesday “Do not light any fires this afternoon as the wind is forecast to become stronger Please check on any previous fires to ensure they are fully extinguished,” the post read It said a number of structures were under threat due to the Flaxton Rd fire A father who deliberately drove off the road at high speed and killed his 6-year-old son in a fiery car crash has been released from prison Niklas Gebhardt was jailed after being convicted of manslaughter Lachlan’s heartbroken mother Kim Manson called her ex-partner Niklas Gebhardt a “coward” and a “monster” when he was jailed in 2022 Gebhardt – a former footballer who claimed he had amnesia and could not remember why he drove off the road – was sentenced him to five years in prison was killed by his father Niklas Gebhardt following a fiery crash in North Canterbury in 2019 Parole Board chair Sir Ron Young called it was “tragic” situation Gebhardt told the board he still had no memory of the crash and “tended to revert to an explanation of a possible mechanical fault that caused him to drive in the way he did There is no evidence to support that claim.” but took issue with the Crown calling Gebhardt’s actions deliberate “This was a deliberate crash at very high speed,” she said at the time “He was completely at the mercy of your decision-making that day.” There were no signs Gebhardt tried to brake or slow down Niklas Gebhardt admitted causing the crash that claimed the life of his 6-year-old son “There are really no words that can capture the loss caused by Lachlan’s death,” he said Gebhardt picked up Lachlan from Dudley Swimming pool in Rangiora went up a stop-bank and became airborne before hitting a tree Gebhardt received burns to 30 per cent of his body Lachlan’s grandmother told the court today An exciting and even line-up will contest today’s $35,000 Robin & Geraldine Wilson Rangiora Classic The 2600m feature on the grass (3.14pm) sees Pinseeker a $4 favourite for trainer-driver Jonny Cox while last year's winner Franco Marek will be looking for back to back Classics after a powerful fresh up display at Addington Looking to spoil the party is the Mark and Nathan Purdon trained Vessem to be driven by Blair Orange The four-year-old Vincent gelding was gallant in defeat last time out behind a fresh up Franco Marek Having only his second start on the grass surface Nathan Purdon is happy leading into today.  “He’s come through the run very well,” said Purdon.  Veseem and Pinseeker will begin off 20 metres while Franco Marek has a big task from the 35 metre mark.  “He’s taken a lot of benefit from his last run fitness wise.”  Purdon agrees that Franco Marek will be a leading danger but is confident Veseem is up to the task “I think our guy is as good as any in the field.”  Other chances in the event include the Laurance Hanrahan trained Tanzania who will be piloted by Gerard O’Reilly who is just wins away from 700 career driving victories Biggles for trainer John Murdoch will face his stiffest test to date while the Amanda and Steve Telfer trained Cocktails And Caviar is fresh up after nearly a year and will look to remain unbeaten having won two from two.  The southerners have a representative in Still Rockin for Ricky Gutsell and Dance Til Dawn is looking for a hat trick and is the strongest of the three Jenna and Robert Dunn trained runners - the others being Bryce’s Meddle and Double Time.  To place a bet on the race click here  the highly-popular Metro Trotting and Pacing Series is back For a $2,800 purchase Les White is pretty chuffed with how well his mate Bettor Reaction has been performing as of late and the Auckland Reactor gelding could well add to his earnings at Cambridge today The Southbridge Shield will be up for contest on Fathers Day next weekend at the Rangiora Showgrounds as a double header for the Canterbury NPC game V Wellington Currently in North Canterbury’s possession the Ellesmere side will travel to Rangiora to play for the 101st year of the shield on Sunday 1 September Each year North Canterbury and Ellesmere lock heads on the field to fight for prestigious silverware often described as their equivalent of the Ranfurly shield The on field rivalry between the teams is fierce and once brought the esteemed Robbie Deans out from retirement to play one more game and bring the shield back to North Canterbury Last year’s 100th anniversary of the shield brought an enormous crowd of supporters including past players and those who have never missed a game in their lifetime North Canterbury were the ones to lift the Southbridge Shield at the end of the day They also took away the Tane Norton trophy which is played for across five rounds of representative footy colts and teenage teams will play each other at the grounds – forging a pathway to the future Shield challengers the U16s and U18s will play at the Rangiora High School The Colts and the Developments sides will begin shortly after at the Showgrounds allowing all final whistles to be called before the battle of the shield begins Tickets to watch all the Rangiora Showgrounds games are just $10 with kids 5 and under FREE info@crfu.co.nz(03) 379 8300 About Canterbury RugbyTerms of UsePrivacy PolicyHealth & Safety Hamish is pondering what to do when he leaves school later this year But while other students might consider going into further education Rangiora High School Lighthouse programme teacher Julia Malcolm said Hamish and other young people with special needs have a full programme at school but have willingness to learn and live meaningful lives The challenge is transitioning from school into the workforce "Trying to find places for these students to 'work' in some way - either volunteering or work experience is really hard." Malcolm said "They all really want to be doing something meaningful aside from their recreational activities in the future Malcolm is keen to hear from local employers willing to offer work experience for Hamish and other young people She said the students would be supported with a learning assistant "They just need people who are empathetic and prepared to give a bit of extra time and creativity to think how they could be included in the workplace." The school's Board of Trustees backs the programme Presiding member Simon Green said the board "is immensely proud" of the staff and students in the Lighthouse programme "The success stories emerging from this programme are a testament to the passion and hard work of our staff and the connection to our local community is critical ''We value the long standing relationships we have with our local businesses and hope that more will see the value of supporting our young people." There are 35 students in the Lighthouse programme including 16 in the senior transition class and 19 in the junior classes The students can stay at school until they turn 21 with many of the senior students supplementing their programme with mainstream classes in a range of subjects Last year senior students began working on the Duke of Edinburgh programme on top of their regular activities out in the community The Lighthouse programme students have interests similar to other students Jonty Campbell (19) likes art and gardening Jessica Higgs (20) likes spending time in the garden and Midge Walesby (16) likes learning French and te reo Māori Anyone wanting to help by offering opportunities for the Lighthouse students can contact Julia Malcolm on mmj@rangiorahigh.school.nz Young people are finding themselves pitted against hundreds of other applicants for entry-level positions One teenager told First Up he was rejected for an entry-level role at a fast food chain because the employer received 600 applications Imagine facing the choice of a quality education class or putting food on the table for your family That's the reality for over 15,000 teenagers taking on 20 to 50 hours of paid work a week on top of… Video Police are treating a fire at Hui Te Rangiora Marae early on Sunday morning as suspicious The interior of the meeting house on Clarence Street while the carvings on the outside have suffered some smoke damage but are still relatively intact Deputy chairperson of the Marae Committee Jack Keogh said whānau of the marae were in shock "I guess all the emotions that you experience when you lose a person," he said Keogh said the marae is a place that has given so much to the people of the local community from holding tangihanga to wānanga for schools "There's smoke damage to the koruru but the other [exterior] carvings seem to be ok so all the tukutuku panels and the photos inside are totally burnt down to the foundations "But the mahau (porch) and the carvings at this stage they look to have a bit of damage but considering the rest of the whare they're still ok." The marae was built in the 1960s and opened in 1966 by the Māori Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu It was originally associated with the Catholic Church the marae is open to everybody who needs a marae Many whānau and locals have come down to the marae since the fire to grieve "While we can't go inside the whare just being in front of it to deal with the shock I suppose So right now as a marae [we're] just looking to manaaki our community our whānau that are wishing to come down and grieve." Keogh said the immediate job of the marae committee was to support the whānau who are feeling the loss of the wharenui then work out what the next steps are we want to express our aroha to all those who have sent messages and their support so just a big thank you for all the kind words we're getting from the community." The Fire Service says more than half the marae they've visited lack even the most basic fire protections The service is continuing its investigation into the fire that destroyed Wellington's Tapu Te… Audio An investigation into a blaze that destroyed a Wellington marae has found the fire was accidental but the alarm system did not work on the night Te Huki Marae in Hawke's Bay has risen from the ashes of a fire that destroyed buildings in 2007 one of the most modern and sophisticated small drill manufacturing plants in the world has risen in Canterbury Sutton Tools New Zealand will officially open its new factory today (Thursday It will replace the company’s former Kaiapoi factory which was damaged beyond repair in an early morning fire in January 2022 General manager Kevin Donovan says the new site allows for diversification and further development ‘‘when we are ready’’ ‘‘First and foremost though the new building is a safe something they deserve as some of them have been working in tin sheds since the fire ‘‘It is full of new high-tech equipment so to a certain extent we are future-proofed and it has put us ahead of most of our competitors.’’ The new facility is also a $40 million vote of confidence in Rangiora as a place to do business as the company employs mainly Waimakariri staff ‘‘We had been at the Kaiapoi site since 1962 but in reality it is now surrounded by residential developments and not really suited to a large manufacturing facility,” he said ‘‘Rangiora is growing fast and the new site in the middle of a growing industrial area ‘‘It is not too far away for our Kaiapoi-based staff and closer for some who live in with staff moving into the new building about four months ago enabled the cost of the project to be completed for ‘‘much less than what it would have cost if our own team weren’t designing and building a lot of the equipment and managing projects required to make things happen’’ innovation and services are all part of plans for the new factory which employs about half the number of staff the company had in Kaiapoi before the fire ‘‘New technology and machinery mean less direct labour is required and some of the processes we are managing here were not possible in the temporary buildings we have been working in for the last few years so staff numbers will increase," Kevin said Although the company’s largest markets are Australia and New Zealand the business is growing and has ‘‘various manufacturing and distribution operations in the United Kingdom We export to the United States and our brands are well-established throughout southeast Asia” A redwood in the Rangiora Borough School’s playground has won the inaugural Waimakariri Tree of the Year award Principal Shane Buckner says the school community was excited to learn its beautiful tree had won the award which is believed to have been planted about 1860 when the school land was owned by William Sanson ‘‘means so much to our school ‘‘It has featured in many designs over the 150 years our school has been part of the community ‘‘Our updated uniform has a stylish representation of our tree in the side panels of the shirt It has a stage built around its trunk for the tamariki/children of Rangiora Borough School dance and play on for many generations to come It was dedicated to the memory of the late Alan Sutton who was principal at the school from 2001 to 2021 ‘‘The stage area provides a number of opportunities for our children to gather and use in a variety of ways from performance or just to relaxing,’’ Buckner said Six trees were nominated for the Waimakariri Tree of the Year award which was organised by the Waimakariri District Council’s Greenspace team Farm Forestry New Zealand member and former QEII National Trust representative Miles Giller Keep Rangiora Beautiful member Adrienne McGowan and Waimakariri district councillor Niki Mealings all agreed Rangiora Borough School’s redwood was the star among the six strong candidates ‘‘All of the trees have a very different story,’’ the judges said ‘‘They are all special trees and some were really unlucky to miss out.’’ Rangiora Borough School’s redwood really stood out because of its magnificent presence beauty and strong connection with the school and wider community it is part of the story of generations of children and is the focal point of the school.’’ The other five trees nominated for the Waimakariri Tree of the Year Award were a giant redwood on the wheelchair-friendly Lookout Track in the Ashley-Rakahuri Gorge Reserve which was built to showcase the tree in the Ashley Gorge an ornamental cherry tree in the Kaiapoi Food Forest and a memorial olive tree planted in the Rangiora RSA car park All three judges visited every tree to assess them which has challenging access on an advanced tramping track with steep sections All six trees will now be nominated for the 2025 New Zealand Tree of the Year award which will be announced on June 5 - Arbor Day A panel of judges will select six finalists for the award then the public will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite tree from May 1 until voting closes at midnight on May 31 Greenpeace has announced that it will be holding a public meeting in Rangiora on the 19th of October to discuss nitrate contamination of drinking water The organisation says after its last round of drinking water testing in North Canterbury it was clear that the problems around nitrate contamination are getting worse – with town water supplies in nearby Darfield and Oxford testing at levels near those associated with reproductive risk “Everyone should be able to safely drink the water coming out of their kitchen tap but what we’re seeing in Canterbury is that more and more public water supplies are reaching levels of nitrate that have been linked to adverse health impacts from long-term exposure Long-term exposure to nitrate contamination of drinking water at levels as low as 1 mg/L has been linked to increased risk of bowel cancer and the New Zealand College of Midwives advises that pregnant women should avoid water with nitrate levels over 5 mg/L due to an increased risk of pre-term birth “We’ve brought together a panel of local and national experts to help people across Canterbury understand what the impacts of nitrate contamination are – and how they can take action to stop the pollution of drinking water at the source.” The meeting is scheduled for 6.30pm at The Skurr Centre Attendees will hear a presentation from each speaker followed by a panel discussion and a Q&A session with the audience Greenpeace will also be holding two more free water testing events in Canterbury on the 18th and 20th October. These will be held in Amberley and Oxford, and more details are available here The Luxon Government has just introduced a bill into the House that would make it legal to kill protected wildlife Greenpeace understands the Bill is being rushed through all stages… The Australian election result has sent a clear message across the Tasman: voters will not tolerate Trump-style politics that fuel environmental destruction and ignore the climate crisis Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling out the Luxon Government for “leaving the gate wide open” to more dairy conversion with no plan to protect fresh water from pollution which is on the corner of Todds and Fernside Rds high-tech replacement for the company’s former Kaiapoi factory which was badly damaged by fire in January 2022 Sutton Tools (NZ) general manager Kevin Donovan says the company was expecting to take ownership of the new building at the end of October when the internal fit-out would begin in preparation for the gradual transfer but it is expected to be late February or early March This will give the company time to become fully operational and ready to showcase the facility to a large contingent of local and community groups with tours through the factory Work on the project began in October last year small-drill manufacturing facility in the world which will provide us with a lot of productivity and quality advantages,’’ Kevin says ‘‘All the machines and equipment are brand new along with all of the digital technology we will be installing.’’ The building has also been cleverly insulated to provide comfortable working conditions and reduce the environmental impact of the business ‘‘At the old building we burned 70,000 litres of diesel each year to keep the team warm in winter There is also a high-tech fire suppression system with a dedicated back-up power supply installed at the factory ‘‘We have a sophisticated stormwater retention and treatment plant and dedicated EV (electric vehicle) charging stations in the car park,’’ Kevin says the administration/office areas of the building exceed the company’s current requirements so there is a possibility parts of it such as meeting rooms and conference rooms could be used by other businesses and community groups in the future Although the January 2022 fire caused a massive upheaval for the company ‘‘one of the positive things to come from it is the benefit of skills development’’ ‘‘The team had to pivot to new types of work including our apprentices so we have all learnt a lot.’’ but the team has demonstrated remarkable resilience since the fire in less-than-ideal conditions ‘‘Simple things like connected locker rooms and bathroom area training rooms and a spacious cafeteria with outdoor areas for the team will be a real novelty for a while.’’ describes the building as a big open factory specifically designed to be very adaptable to what we want to do Australian managing director of Sutton Tools wanted something specifically from Kaiapoi for the new building so the boardroom will feature a table handcrafted in Kaiapoi by MODesign The council has delayed its proposed District Plan process with the new planning document not expected to become operational until later this year Meanwhile three proposed housing developments have been included in the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Act Mr McGowan said the council needed to be a bit more proactive ‘‘If people are moving to the district they need somewhere to live ‘‘There is a good supply of housing for the next five years but if there's 400 to 500 sections being sold in a year you need to be thinking about the next five years.’’ Mr McGowan said stage one of Rangiora’s 1300-section Bellgrove sub-division is selling well and he is waiting for consents for stages two to five Recent legislative changes require 15 sections per hectare to meet affordability criteria It means sections in stages two to five will be smaller The Bellgrove sub-division was fast-tracked under Covid-19 legislation and received a $5.7 million grant from Kainga Ora’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund to provide affordable housing Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said he met regularly with developers and real estate agents and understood Mr McGowan’s concerns The council has requested an extension to June 30 to complete its District Plan ‘‘The council wants this resolved so we can continue planning for our district’s future and provide our residents and developers with more certainty there is absolutely no sense in rushing something as important as the District Plan.’’ the District Plan will be in place in advance of meeting the district’s medium and long-term housing needs ‘‘The National Policy Statement for Urban Development requires councils to have sufficient housing supply to exceed demand over the short ‘‘Our monitoring shows we well are on track to meet future demand as a high growth district.’’ A recent report commissioned by the council found there is sufficient land available to meet housing needs in the short term Land identified in the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan and the proposed District Plan will more than meet demand over the next 30 years The district’s population of 70,000 is projected to grow to 100,000 over the next three decades Based on a formula of 2.6 people per house The proposed District Plan is set to open up more than 330 hectares of land for housing in Rangiora and Kaiapoi Canterbury trainer James McDonald's confidence in his horse was well placed when Echappe won at Rangiora yesterday The Always B Miki four-year-old raced parked for much of the Keith Woolley Fencing Mobile Pace only to run down the pace-making Newbiemains Arden "She is usually better coming off a horse's back with one run at them but we thought we would take luck out of play," says the Ladbroooks-based MacDonald it was the mare's first win in five race day starts though she has been hinting that a win was not far away just half a head behind Bad Habits and on December 15 she loomed  up like a winner at Rangiora before breaking at a crucial stage "She has a lot of ability but the thing about her is that she tries really hard," says McDonald The mare was named Echappe by two of McDonald's daughters "They are right into their dancing and they named her," says McDonald "they might to get to name a few more now!" Echappe (pronounced "ay-sha-PAY") is a move in ballet where both feet go from a closed to an open position She is the first foal out of unraced Bettor's Delight mare Hamsa "She had some ability too but had a sore fetlock," says McDonald.  Echappe was bred and is raced by James' wife Imogen and high profile breeders Paul and Pauline Renwick He has a long association with the Renwicks and is the stable foreman at their grandson Darren Keast's stables at Weedons "I train and break in a lot of horses for the Renwicks," says McDonald "and help Ash (Ashleigh Keast) with the yearling prep.  Echappe's full sister Real Velocity (Always B Miki- Hamsa) has had two race day starts but is yet to place while her third foal is a Captain Crunch colt called Ake Ake (1941.) Men from the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, after the retreat from Greece. #WW2 #HISTORY pic.twitter.com/GQ9B7RPZCI World War II sapper David Dawson (inset) survived the war but was mistakenly included among the war dead on the Rangiora War Memorial How did a Kiwi soldier who died in 1994 end up on two World War II memorials honouring our fallen soldiers Cherie Howie traces an 80-year-old family mystery My grandad is listed among the World War II dead on the Rangiora War Memorial He’s on the roll of honour at Rangiora High School for fallen former pupils But – spoiler alert – he was also married in 1947 and eventually counted 23 grandchildren among his legacy When he heard his name read out among the war dead old boys at a school reunion in 1984 “I thought about getting [the inscriptions] rubbed out ‘Why bother?‘,” he told a reporter when the error went public Grandad had been showing his relatives the mistaken inscription at the cenotaph on the corner of High and Ivory Sts for years What he couldn’t do was tell them how it happened Grandad made it out of the deadliest conflict in history with his life more than can be said of the 50 million-plus civilians and military personnel killed in an almighty clash that dragged on for almost six years But the experience was no dance among the daisies for the man I remember in his sunset years as a prolific reader grandad and his comrades would be sent ahead to build reliable routes and then kept back to make sure the enemy’s path was not so straightforward his unit was told to remain behind to blow up a bridge over the Corinth Canal But enemy tanks on their flank and paratroopers from above cut the unit off forcing grandad and hundreds more to retreat into the hills (1941.) Men from the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, after the retreat from Greece. #WW2 #HISTORY pic.twitter.com/GQ9B7RPZCI He’d later tell his kids how he hid as the Germans passed remaining silent and still as one stopped to relieve himself in the bush grandad was concealed in Grandad soon wound up part of a group of about eight New Zealand and Australian soldiers evading capture They were eventually discovered eating dinner at a local farmhouse In an act of kindness not shown to so many caught in a conflict not of their making the German soldiers let the men finish their meal before taking them prisoner Ten thousand Allied soldiers were captured in the military failure and sent to prisoner of war camps including the massive Stalag XVIII-A in Wolfsberg The camp was one of the biggest for prisoners of war in Austria with more than 50,000 incarcerated at its peak including more than 1500 Kiwis – among them prisoner 159 when asked if his experiences in a Nazi POW camp resembled any of the goofball antics on 1960s sitcom Hogan’s Heroes Prisoner 159 broke rocks as punishment and survived on meals as bleak as “cabbage water” or nothing at all (family would describe him as a “skeleton” when he arrived home from the war) Online histories of the camp include outbreaks of disease sparking months-long quarantines and mistreatment of those sent to work camps Grandad talked of laying cobblestones in one Austrian town and prisoner 159 is also included in records for Work Group 22 which laboured in a chalk quarry at Leitendorf He also helped build dams at Lavamund and in Schwabeck which still stand despite the prisoners being known to indulge in “petty sabotage” a poster to the stalag18a.org website writes POWs slept on bunks with straw-filled sacks for mattresses and British prisoners – in some histories a catch-all for those from the British Empire – each had just one blanket according to an October 1941 Red Cross report theatre and music – grandad teaching himself to play violin after winning one from a guard in a poker game He also drew likenesses of fellow prisoners so they could send them home to their families sourcing paper from “wherever he could get it – including pages torn from the Bible” six months before the end of the war in Europe the camp was mistakenly bombed by the US Air Force She didn’t live to see her youngest child return but my great-grandmother never doubted he would “The Prime Minister desires me to convey to you on behalf of the Government Minister of Defence Frederick Jones wrote in a May 25 telegram sent in his name to tell my great-grandmother that with “much regret” her soldier son was missing after the Battle of Greece It would be July 5 before the next telegram arrived with the news grandad This one came with the Prime Minister’s “sincere regrets” But 42 days of not knowing whether your child is dead or alive sounds like agony the only bullet that would enter grandad’s body came from his own .22 when it fired as he climbed through a fence while rabbit hunting far from any battlefield He was left with a flesh wound to his shoulder from the post-war mishap my great-grandmother never believed her son wouldn’t come home of the stories passed down through the family “And she always said her Davey would be back.” “I’ve searched the Online Cenotaph.” replies Auckland War Memorial Museum manager Victoria Passau to my email asking how a WWII survivor ended up on a WWII memorial “And [I] can’t find any World War II deaths under the name D Dawson that would match someone from Rangiora.” All the names listed alongside grandad appeared to be people killed in action or as a result of their service Dawson on the memorial does refer to your grandfather included in error when he was listed as missing.” A 1950 public notice lists names to be inscribed on the cenotaph after making what the RSA described as the “supreme sacrifice” but it doesn’t include anyone named Dawson “I notice some additions from this list on the final cenotaph so maybe someone sent information to the RSA It looks like it was updated sometime in the early 1950s.” according to the Ministry of Defence records’ office spokesman quoted in a 1984 Christchurch Press story ends with his capture in 1941 – even though he later received a Battle of Greece Medal army rehabilitation carpentry training and a war pension which may be where some of the confusion arose,” the records’ office spokesman said at the time Grandad was widely known in his hometown by his nickname Rangiora RSA’s then-secretary Harry James says in the same 1984 story “We sometimes get chipped about someone who was killed and whose name is not there but I have not heard of it happening the other way round.” It was the risk of the former that keeps grandad’s name on both memorials today Grandad might’ve laughed about the mistake with his old schoolmates Dawson from Rangiora did die in the war always lingered grandad didn’t dwell on his wartime experiences my uncle – grandad’s only son – later tells me “[But] he had a lot of sympathy for those who didn’t come back.” But I’ll still be thinking of grandad as Laurence Binyon’s elegy is heard across two countries this Anzac Day Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011 She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features Taking rugby back to the Rangiora Showgrounds was no mean feat for Canterbury Rugby not least because there hadn’t been rugby played at the historic home of Rangiora RFC for 13 years Stepping up to the plate to produce a world class pitch however were Grounds & Services LTD (GSL) who have looked after the Rugby Park training surface for both Canterbury and the Crusaders since 2015 it required a signifcant piece of work to turn the grounds around from the Showgrounds with GSL supported by the local groundsman too in creating a fantastic facility for last weekend’s Bunnings NPC fixture The result was a ground that could be rated up there as one of the best in Canterbury still looking a picture after two brutal and entertaining fixtures meaning they must have been doing something right who have been a partner of Canterbury Rugby’s since 2012 roading maintenance and construction industries specialising in turf maintenance and earthwork construction work that sees them operate from Rugby Park in St Albans Rangiora residents deserve to know when a new after-hours medical centre will finally be built But the not-for-profit health provider has yet to announce when the build will start or set a timeframe for its completion The community has been pushing for an after-hours medical clinic for more than five years The Ministry of Health entered into an agreement with South Link Health Group in 2021 following a petition calling for after hours healthcare being presented to the former Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) two years earlier It was initially announced the new facility would open in 2022 ‘‘It is now time the community got some clarity for when construction will start and when it will open because the community has been waiting for a long time,’’ Doocey said A South Link Health Group spokesperson said the recruitment of medical professionals remains a challenge ‘‘There just isn’t enough GPs to go around,’’ she said ‘‘We are in a good position of being a not-for-profit which is a real point of difference for us The provider has been busy completing the merger of two medical practices and future proofing the operation ahead of building the new medical centre the practice will continue to operate from two locations It will allow for more places at the Auckland and Otago University medical schools while a new medical school was opening at Waikato University ‘‘with a focus on serving rural and regional New Zealand’’ Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said he kept in regular contact with South Link Health Group and hoped to hear an update soon which received a building consent last month will mean our residents have access to extended hours of medical care as well as high-tech imaging radiology right here in North Canterbury ‘‘This project is the result of huge investment and commitment from South Link Health Group ‘‘There is no doubt Rangiora Medical has faced its fair share of setbacks but the passion and dedication from those involved in this project has been unwavering.’’ While there is limited after hours provision in North Canterbury for now most residents are having to travel into Christchurch for urgent care It will include full radiology services (ultrasound