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Neighbour rescues duo from Wellington fire
By MICHAEL FOX – Wednesday, 24 December 2008
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SMOKING: The house which went on fire in Camperdown Road in Miramar, Wellington.
Two people are lucky to be alive after they were dragged from their blazing home in the Wellington suburb of Miramar earlier today.
Wellington Fire Service spokesman Mike Wanoa said the pair were pulled to safety by a neighbour who entered the house before fire engines arrived.
Neighbours reported the fire to the Fire Service around 11am today after seeing smoke coming out of the door, Mr Wanoa said.
One person was admitted to hospital suffering from burns and smoke inhalation while the condition of the second person is unknown.
Five fire engines were needed to combat the blaze, though it is unclear at this stage how it started.
One neighbour had earlier unsuccessfully tried to alert the occupants by banging on the door.
Mr Wanoa said the house was “well damaged”.
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Hero pup saves the day
By MICHELLE LOTTER – Tuesday, 02 December 2008
TO THE RESCUE: Hearing dog Milu has made owner Gia Hoblyn proud with his rescue of an elderly woman trapped in a lift.
Cries for help coming from an elevator isn’t the usual sound hearing dog Milu responds to.
But luckily for an elderly woman stuck inside, Milu the miniature poodle came to the rescue.
On hearing the woman’s cries for help, Milu pawed Ms Hoblyn, which is the signal trained hearing dogs give when they hear a sound that they want their owner to respond to.
His profoundly deaf owner Gia Hoblyn who volunteers at the Hearing Dog office in Takapuna, was alerted to the situation by her dog.
But giving into Milu’s persistence, she opened the lift to find a woman who was upset after not being able to get out.
Thinking Milu wanted to go toilet, Ms Hoblyn was frustrated when Milu stopped at the lifts rather than follow their usual route downstairs, she says.
Ms Hoblyn cannot get over her admiration for 11-year-old Milu who has not been trained to respond to others’ cries for help."
Ms Hoblyn and her "super doggie" have been a team for almost seven years.
"Because of his smart, quick thinking and brilliant training he was a star and rescued the lady.
Hearing Dogs are trained to respond to sounds like smoke alarms, door knocks or door bells, fax and telephone rings, alarm clocks, baby monitors and oven timers.
Milu’s help allows the Takapuna resident to "feel safe and more independent".hearingdogs.
Visit the website www.org.org.
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Barmaid sent to jail for menacing victim
By GLENN McLEAN – Friday, 28 November 2008
A threat to shoot her victim and cut her up if she testified against her has put Courtney Leigh Chapman-Stone in jail for a year for attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Chapman-Stone, 18, barmaid of New Plymouth, was in tears for much of her sentencing after she admitted two charges of attempting to pervert justice, assault with intent to injure, theft and intimidation.
With her victim still on the floor, Chapman-Stone stole her wallet and tobacco and walked out the door.
Prosecutor Mark Wilton told the New Plymouth District Court that Chapman-Stone had kicked her young female victim several times in the head after they got into a fight.
She followed that text up with a bribe to pay the girl $200 if she dropped the charges.
After police laid assault charges against her, Chapman-Stone later texted her victim, threatening to shoot her and get her associates to cut her up.
Defence counsel Kylie Pascoe told the judge that her client had had an extremely difficult time after losing her eight-week-old baby.
Crown prosecutor Tim Walls told Judge Allan Roberts that the perverting justice charge be taken extremely seriously and asked for a jail sentence around the 18-month mark.
While Judge Roberts said he had a great deal of sympathy about what had happened, there was no way he could avoid sending her to jail. Her offending and behaviour had got out of control following the death.
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Easy rider a hit with wheelchair-bound
Saturday, 15 November 2008
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BIKIE CHICK: Catriona Williams tries out the Conquest, a motor tricycle especially designed to carry people in wheelchairs, at Wigram Air Base.
Easy-riding wheelchair users have become the fastest thing on wheels thanks to a speedy contraption which has been tearing up the country's roads.
It was gifted to the CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust by its British designer, and supporters have been taking turns in it.
For the past two weeks, the Conquest, a motor tricycle especially designed to carry people in wheelchairs, has been touring New Zealand the first and only machine of its type to visit the country.
"It's a high-powered vehicle.
Trust founder Catriona Williams said the design offered independence and something cool, which had been absent from disabled transport. Some of the riders were nervous and had never ridden a bike before. It's very capable of going at high speeds.
Riders roll onto the bike in their wheelchairs and it is totally hand operated. Within minutes they had a smile from to ear to ear and every single one has thought it was amazing," she said.
At an auction in Christchurch on Thursday night it sold for $50,000, along with other items raising a total of $214,250 to be put towards research into a cure for spinal injuries.
However, with a $50,000 price tag and costing $15,000 to import, it might be a while before the Conquest becomes a common sight on New Zealand roads.
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Call to rein in rodeo protesters
– Saturday, 15 November 2008
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STATEMENT: a helicopter flies past a banner protesting against tonight’s rodeo in Christchurch.
A rodeo promoter has hit out at animal rights campaigners lobbying Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker to ban rodeos.
Rodeo promoter Craig Douglas yesterday rubbished Safe's claims that rodeos were cruel.
The International Rodeo will be held in Christchurch today, but Save Animals From Exploitation (Safe) is urging Parker to follow the Auckland City Council's lead and ban rodeos on its land.
"I have been battling this for a couple of years," Douglas said.
He said only the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (Nawac) or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had any authority in the matter."
The rodeo had to meet Nawac guidelines and was inspected by SPCA officers to ensure the welfare of the animals involved.
"Why we are not listening to (Nawac or the SPCA) I don't know.
"This is no pony ride, we are not here with a couple of sheep mucking around.
"We spend $400,000 a year putting this together.
The Auckland City Council banned rodeos on its land this year after a submission from Safe, which says rodeo animals are tormented into behaviour such as bucking." Nearly all of the 8000 seats in the Westpac Arena had been sold ahead of tonight's event.
Safe launched a campaign yesterday in which a light plane flew a banner over Christchurch calling for a council ban on rodeos.
Although the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had voiced its disapproval of rodeos in the past, it said they were legal if they complied with animal welfare guidelines. .
Safe campaign director Hans Kriek said he had asked for a meeting with Parker to try to persuade him to take action.
Douglas has sent tickets to tonight's event to Parker, who said he was interested in attending.
Tight flank straps and spurs goaded rodeo animals into bucking and caused them distress, he said.
It was for bodies such as the SPCA to make judgments on animal welfare.
"I am interested in seeing for myself," he said.
. "If those bodies say there's no problem with the way the animals are treated then it seems to me that it would be a ridiculous situation if the council turned around and said: `There's a group of people against this and we shouldn't do it'," Parker said
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‘She was ugly and didn’t listen’ – Nia’s mum
The Saturday, 01 November 2008
Lisa Kuka, Nia Glassie's mother, was overheard at Starship children's hospital in Auckland telling a phone caller from Australia that she had seen Nia being picked up and thrown against a wall, a court has been told.
Crown witness Robyn Armstrong, an intensive care unit ward clerk, gave evidence during the murder trial in the High Court at Rotorua yesterday. She said that she took a call from Australia for Kuka at the hospital, two days after Nia was admitted in a coma.
"Lisa said [to the caller] `hang on a minute, it wasn't me'.
Under examination by prosecutor Amanda Gordon, Mrs Armstrong said she heard "someone yelling on the other end of the phone".. She then said: `I saw it happen … I saw it . I was there… He put her head between his legs and hit her head on the floor three times and then threw her . ..
Panama Le'au'anae, Kuka's lawyer, asked Mrs Armstrong if she was not mistaken."
Neither the caller, nor the person who allegedly harmed Nia, were identified by name in court. "Lisa spoke clearly, calmly and quite loud. Mrs Armstrong said she was not.. I was profoundly affected by what I heard . there's no way I was mistaken..
Earlier witness Nicole Kuka, Lisa Kuka's adult niece, said she discussed Nia's injuries with accused Oriwa Kemp at Starship on July 23, the next day Nia was admitted."
Mrs Armstrong said she later made notes on what she had heard and gave them to police.
The trial continues next week with evidence from medical specialists and forensic experts.
The trial continues next week with evidence from medical specialists and forensic experts.
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West Coast mothers sent to Dunedin for Caesers
Monday, 08 September 2008
West Coast women requiring routine elective caesareans will now have to travel more than 700km to Dunedin Hospital.
The West Coast District Health Board (WCDHB) revealed the new arrangements today.
Ms Fry had to give birth in Nelson after the WCDHB organised her transfer to Christchurch Hospital, which said it was too busy.
The move follows criticism in light of the experience of Westport woman Haylie Fry.
WCDHB secondary services general manager Chris Le Prou said today women requiring routine elective Caesareans would now have to go to Dunedin Hospital.
Ms Fry said on Friday that Nelson Hospital had also said it was too busy and would be providing no more elective Caesareans for West Coast women. Any emergency cases presenting at Grey Hospital would be transferred to Christchurch.
Christchurch would continue to take more complicated Caesarean cases.
Six Coast women were due to have planned Caesareans between now and the end of October, he said.
Mr Le Prou said Christchurch had previously been able to provide elective Caesareans to West Coast women but was now too busy as was Nelson/Marlborough DHB.
The DHB provides accommodation and subsidises travel for women forced to travel.
WCDHB has no specialist obstetric and gynaecology services for most of this month, forcing high-risk mothers to transfer a fortnight before their due date.