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Threats to pull the plug on an NZ Bus contract if the company refuses to end its lockout of 900 bus drivers are unrealistic, the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (Arta) says.
NZ Bus, which operates most bus services in Auckland, began the lockout on Thursday after drivers said they would work strictly to the rulebook in support of their wage claim.The company and four unions representing bus drivers are still in facilitation, but there has been little progress reported.No NZ Bus services have run since the n and the disruption became greater today on the first day of the fourth school term.”Like any commercial contract, NZ Bus contracts can be terminated for non-performance,” Mr Lee said.Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee today said the council would begin procedures to end its contract with NZ Bus in coming days if the lockout did not end. .”If this dispute is not settled, I will be calling on Arta to start the process of terminating the existing contracts and finding someone else who will deliver the services that Auckland expects and pays for.”We would need to find an operator that could come up with that level of service in 180 days – that’s fairly impossible.”If we terminated New Zealand Bus completely then we’d leave a 700-bus gap overnight, and we couldn’t do that to the public,” Ms Hunter told Radio New Zealand.”But at this point we’re not examining at that process,” she said.”Ms Hunter said she hoped there would be a resolution in the near future, but if there was no progress within the next few days the authority would look at intervening.”NZ Bus spokeswoman Megan McSweeney said Mr Lee’s comments were “not helpful”.”In terms of the services that we are running, with alternative operators including our train operators, we are actually managing to get people into work on time.
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The army is tonight rescuing hundreds of motorists trapped in their vehicles after heavy snow closed roads across the central North Island.
Up to 200 vehicles were trapped on Stage Highway 2 between Napier and Taupo, with most cars believed to have stopped because of snow and ice at Waipunga, at about the halfway point.”Police, the army and Civil Defence have activated and the army is sending in Unimogs to get people to buses waiting at a safe point on the road,” he said.About 150 people had made their way to the Te Pohue Hotel and a further 60 were at the Te Pohue Hall, Hastings Civil Defence controller Mike Maguire said.”People need to stay where they are and stay as warm as possible,” Mr Maguire said.He advised those waiting to stay put.”A welfare centre has been set up at Hukerere Girls College at Eskdale, and Red Cross and the Salvation Army workers were gathering there to make sure evacuees were warm and feed.”When they hear or see army vehicles approaching they need to flash their lights so they can be seen.Police central communications Inspector Kirsty Henson said about 120 cars had been stuck on State Highway 1 between Waiouru and the Three Sisters.The army also rescued motorists from SH1 close to Waiouru.Snow had also closed SH49 between Ohakune and Waiouru, and SH47 at Turangi, she said.Those rescued would be returned to their vehicles tomorrow, she told .”Snow is expected down to 400m, with heavy falls through to (tomorrow) morning, especially above 600m,” forecaster Andy Downs said.The MetService issued heavy snow warnings for the central North Island high country, from the Tongariro National Park and the hills and ranges of Hawkes Bay. .A heavy rain warning was also in place for the Eastern Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay.
.Heavy rain was expected in Gisborne until tomorrow morning, easing by evening
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Deputy Prime Minister Bill English has announced he will not receive any more taxpayer-funding housing allowances.
The finance minister this afternoon confirmed actions he had taken with the aim of putting the “unnecessary distraction” of the row over his housing expenses behind him.
His announcement comes ahead of an informal meeting scheduled with the Auditor-General’s office this evening to discuss an investigation into his housing allowances claim.
* Had not received any housing allowance payments since July 28.
Mr English said he:
* Would no longer receive a housing allowance.
* Had received a legal opinion from Stephen Kos, QC, that changes made to his family trust arrangements did not affect his eligibility for the housing allowance.
* Had repaid all housing allowance payments received since last November’s election to Ministerial Services.
“What I’m announcing today reflects a set of personal decisions I have made about my own situation,” Mr English said.
“At all times my decisions have been driven by my desire to keep my family together and provide them with as much stability as possible.
“It is in no way setting a precedent for others although I make the point here that I believe Parliament does have to think how it can accommodate the families of long-term politicians.”
A TV One poll showed that voters felt the issue was denting Mr English’s credibility. It’s now clear that the system has struggled to deal with my circumstances.
The Deputy Prime Minister considers the Southland town of Dipton, in his electorate, to be his primary residence under parliamentary rules, but his family has lived in, and owned, a house in Wellington for years.
Asked if the issue had damaged his credibility, 62 percent said yes and 27 percent no; asked if Mr English has acted with integrity, 54 percent said no and 30 percent yes.
He came under fire when it was revealed he was now claiming a much higher allowance to stay in the Wellington house than when he lived there as an opposition MP.
He came under fire when it was revealed he was now claiming a much higher allowance to stay in the Wellington house than when he lived there as an opposition MP.
Today, a spokesman for Mr English said the Auditor-General’s office wrote to the minister after receiving the complaint.
Auditor-General Lyn Provost has asked for more information before deciding whether to investigate a complaint by Progressive Party leader Jim Anderton into the matter.
He will meet with a team from the office tonight for informal talks which will not form part of the inquiry, the spokesman said.
They said “feel free” to get in touch and Mr English has done that. .
Mr English will be informed about what the Auditor-General’s office is doing
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A Christchurch City Council proposal to buy the ‘house of horrors’ where two bodies were found last Friday has been welcomed by the owner of the adjoining house, who says the offer has ‘lifted a huge weight’ off him.
The Christchurch house may be bought by the city council because no-one would want to live there, Mayor Bob Parker says.
“Nobody can go back and live there or, in the short term, would even want to consider being in that place,” he said.
In an announcement that surprised some councillors, Parker said that after watching the removal of one of the bodies on TV on Monday night, he believed the “only resolution” was for the council to buy the Aranui house and the adjoining home on the property.
Jason Hall said today Mr Parker’s proposal was a huge weight off his mind.
The Hall family, who lived in the other side of the semi-detached house have stayed in alternate accommodation, paid for by police, since the discovery of the bodies and have said they would never return to their home. .
“It felt like someone had lifted a car off of my back, the relief.” he told Radio New Zealand. .”
Parker said there was a “significant danger” the building would be attacked.
“There’s still all the horror of what’s actually happened there and that’s not gonna go away in a hurry at all.
One was an occupant of the house and the other is believed to be that of a neighbour, Tisha Lowry, who disappeared a year ago.
The bodies of two women were found buried under the floor of the two-storey Wainoni Rd home last Friday.
Police say he is likely to face a second murder charge when he reappears in the Christchurch District Court on Friday.
A 33-year-old man, who is listed with his wife as the home’s owners, has been charged with his wife’s murder.
“We need to cross that bridge when we get to it.
Parker was not aware the accused man co-owned the property and could not say whether that would stop a possible purchase.
“If it works out and we have a willing seller, then I think the council will be a willing buyer. The property itself is currently the scene of an investigation and we don’t know how long that will last,” he said.
“For the community to be able to climb back up from the shock of this event, there has to be a role for them in creating a positive outcome on that site,” he said.”
The community would decide the future of the site, Parker said, with options including a memorial park or a community support facility. For the city as a whole, we need to move on.
“There are lots of good people who are deeply hurt in the area at the moment and there needs to be a way that we can heal this for the sake of that community.
“We don’t want someone resolving this by themselves and potentially destroying the house in some way because that puts others in the community at risk.
“We don’t want someone resolving this by themselves and potentially destroying the house in some way because that puts others in the community at risk. .
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A man has died following a fight in the West Coast township of Kumara, just a fortnight after the mayor gained national attention for demanding a police presence in the town.
Police were called to a residence in the small town, 25km south of Greymouth, at 12.45am, and found the body of man.
He confirmed that the dead man lived in Kumara.
Inspector John Canning said several people at the house had been spoken to and one was was still helping with inquiries.
The town’s only pub, The Empire Hotel, lost its liquor licence in June following reported misbehaviour by local drinkers.
Kumara, on State Highway 73, has no community constable.
Westland mayor Maureen Pugh said it was a “real irony” that the killing had occurred just two weeks after she wrote to the West Coast police area commander John Canning outlining her concerns about the level of nuisance crime and trouble in the “usually lovely” town.
“I used the example of needless nuisance stuff that needs to be knocked on the head now before it turns into real crime.
Pugh said her letter had meant to outline the need for a community constable in Kumara.
However, it would be difficult for anyone to argue against the need for a constable in the town now, Pugh said.”
“But I doubt very much whether the people involved in this killing were the same people that had been involved in the minor stuff like throwing stones on people’s roofs.”
Ms Pugh said the impact of the man’s death would be felt throughout the town. .
“This is not a nice thing to happen on your back door step.
“This is not a nice thing to happen on your back door step
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The mother of murdered schoolgirl Marie Davis will ‘always feel anger, hatred and bitterness towards’ her killer Dean Cameron who has been sentenced to a minimum of 19 years in prison.
Cameron, 39, was found guilty of raping and murdering the 15-year-old Papanui High School pupil on April 6 last year. In the days following Marie’s disappearance, people – including Cameron – put up missing posters around Christchurch, while police launched an investigation. He was also sentenced earlier today to serve a minimum of 10 years for rape.
“I cannot understand why it had to happen.
Marie’s mother, Janet Davis, said in a victim impact statement that she read out in court earlier today that Cameron had “destroyed her family for no good reason”. I will always feel anger, hatred and bitterness towards Dean Cameron. It’s just an utter waste of her life.
Justice Lester Chisholm said Cameron’s apparent lack of remorse for Marie or Marie’s family was “despicable”.”
Davis’s life was “empty” without her daughter, she told the court.
“This current offence occurred only nine months after you had been released from prison in relation to the sexual violation of your former partner.
Aggravating features of the case included previous convictions, including a sexual violation against his former partner.
“It doesn’t take me to say that offending of this type against a young victim strikes at the very heart of our community.”
The community, along with Marie’s family, had “agonised” from Marie’s initial disappearance, then shared “unbridled anger” at her murder.”
On April 14, eight days after Marie’s disappearance, two young dirt-bikers found bedding snagged on a log on the northern banks of the Waimakariri River. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. .After an extensive land and water search, her body was found three days later on a braided section of the river, 5 kilometres downstream from where the bedding was found.The court was told Cameron, who had practised martial arts since childhood, knew how to use the hold. The Crown said Marie was most likely killed by a neck compression hold, known as the carotid hold or sleeper hold.
. On June 11 2009 a High Court jury in Christchurch found Cameron guilty of rape and murder
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Travellers between New Zealand and Australia will be able to use electronic passport control and bypass queues for baggage screening from the end of this year.
Prime Minister John Key and his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd have just outlined details of a new streamlined Trans-Tasman travel arrangement at a joint press conference in Canberra today. .
Australia already has the kiosks and New Zealand passport holders are able to use them now.
The kiosk will also be available to departing passengers in Auckland from late next year and in Wellington and Christchurch by mid-2011.
Only New Zealand and Australian passport holders are eligible and they must have one of the new biometric passports, issued since 2005.
Smart Gate allows travellers aged over 18 with a new electronic passport containing a biometric chip to be able to scan their own passports and use facial biometrics technology to identify themselves and proceed to departure gates without going through immigration control.
At the same time most Kiwi and Australian passengers arriving in New Zealand will no longer automatically have their baggage screened, under changes announced by MAF.
But an increase in passenger numbers has made this increasingly difficult.
All travellers arriving in New Zealand have had their luggage screened since 2001 when the government ordered 100 percent x-raying in response to a foot and mouth disease outbreak in Britain.
Instant fines for bringing risk goods into New Zealand will double, however, from $200 to $400.
Australia does not screen all luggage and already has a “direct exit” lane for low-risk passengers.
The change falls some way short of full passenger pre-clearance as occurs in EU countries and between Ireland and the United States but Queensland University is to undertake an “Airports of the Future” research project looking at full integration of Trans-Tasman travel.
Officials are also exploring the use of x-ray image transfer allowing bags to be screened in one country at departure and images viewed by arrivals officials while an aircraft is still in the air.
Key said the changes announced today were just the first step but would mean more people would get a faster exit from border control.
Key said the changes announced today were just the first step but would mean more people would get a faster exit from border control.”
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A man has been arrested after allegedly chasing a car with a replica pistol in the Wellington suburb of Island Bay.
Acting Senior Sergeant Corey Watts said the man, who gave himself up last night after police set up a cordon around his house, had been charged with presenting a firearm.
Police were called to Island Bay after 10pm yesterday after receiving calls that a man was seen running down a road after a car armed with a pistol.50pm.
Mr Watts said police then cordoned off a property in Eden St around 10.
Mr Watts said police had determined the firearm was an air pistol, and that it had been used to fire plastic BB pellets in the early stages of the incident. .
Though the Armed Offenders Squad was initially called out, officers were not deployed. We treated it very seriously,” Mr Watts said.
“It’s pretty provocative running down the street with one of those in your hand.
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A South Australian coroner has again called for a change of furnishings at the Adelaide Remand Centre after a New Zealand man hung himself from a bunk bed with a sheet in his cell.
Delivering his findings on Friday into the death of Marceilo Marstroianni Sciascia, State Coroner Mark Johns reviewed the circumstances that led to the 29-year-old taking his own life, including the screening of the provocative New Zealand film Once Were Warriors the day before his death.
“After all, they were both of Maori descent, they both had problems in abusing alcohol, and they both were physically violent towards their female partners,” Mr Johns said.
Mr Johns said there was some indirect evidence that Mr Sciascia appeared to identify himself with the main character of the film.”
Mr Johns noted that Mr Sciascia, who moved to Australia from Hastings in Hawke’s Bay, had been distressed at being separated from his three children.
“However, it is not possible to draw any conclusion about whether the screening of the film, the day prior to Mr Sciascia’s death by his own hand, had some significant influence upon his decision to take his own life.”
The film, which is rated MA, has a scene in which a young girl hangs herself.
“He may have proceeded to kill himself whether the film had been shown or not.
The court was told Mr Sciascia had been admitted to the Adelaide Remand Centre on April 2, 2007 in relation to domestic violence offences and property damage and was found dead by prison officers on April 29 that year with a sheet wrapped around his neck that was tied to a bunk bed in his cell.
Despite the screening of any film with a rating of MA or above being prohibited in the Adelaide Remand Centre, Mr Johns said he made no criticism of the officer responsible for the “oversight”.
The coroner’s court was told corrections officers had screened Mr Sciascia on his admittance and determined he was not at risk of harming himself despite his having given two affirmative answers.
It was Mr Sciascia’s first time in prison.
“I am empowered to make recommendations that in the opinion of the court might prevent, or reduce the likelihood of, a recurrence of a (similar) event,” he said in his findings.
Mr Johns recommended that the Department for Correctional Services revise the prison stress screening form.”
– AAP
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