Two a penny

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Mangere residents are raising doubts about whether police have the right man in custody following a string of sex attacks in the South Auckland suburb in the last two months.

A teenage boy is due to appear in court today after being arrested in connection with a sex attack on a woman in South Auckland yesterday.

The 14-year-old is due to appear in Manukau Youth Court earlier today facing one count of indecent assault against a 29-year-old woman.The woman was knocked to the ground and sexually assaulted before her screams attracted the attention of residents.

In the incident yesterday, the woman was attacked in an alleyway running behind Nga Iwi Primary School as she on her way to pick up a child from school. .

Police have been investigating a string of four sex attacks on females since early last month, the youngest victim being an eight-year-old girl who was raped in an alleyway last week.

However, the description of the arrested man did not match that given by victims of a string of recent sex attacks, Mangere Maori Wardens chairman Thomas Henry told Radio New Zealand.Police have not yet said whether the man taken into custody was arrested in connection with four sex attacks in the alleyway since September 8, or whether charges have been laid.The assault yesterday may have been a copycat attack, Mr Henry said, although he did not understand why anyone would commit such an act.The daylight assaults have been described as “brazen” by police.Police were following up a strong lead from a resident who said they knew who the attacker was and further details would be released earlier today. She punched him and he fled.In an attack last Thursday, a man grabbed a 28-year-old woman pushing her son in a pram in the alleyway.The man was described as Polynesian, aged between 18 and 20, and 165cm tall.The man was described as Polynesian, aged between 18 and 20, and 165cm tall.The man was described as Polynesian and wore a black baseball cap, a white hooded sweatshirt with a black or dark collar.On Monday last week, an eight-year-old girl was raped by a Maori or Polynesian man while walking home from school with her six-year-old sister, who screamed for help. He grabbed her from behind and she was indecently assaulted.On September 8, a 12-year-old girl was attacked by a man in the alleyway.

.Police had received recent reports of an unidentified male approaching young females and asking to touch them in a sexual way

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The New Zealand dollar climbed above US75c for the first time in 15 months, rocketing up more than 1c to close to US75.50c in the two hours to 5am.

By 8am the kiwi was buying US75.37c at 5pm yesterday.37c from US74. .

The NZ dollar also reached a 15-month high of 0.5043 euro from 0.

Against the Japanese currency the kiwi peaked at a one-year high 68.4997 at 5pm.35 yen by the local open from 67.48 yen, easing to 68.

The ANZ bank said risk appetites appeared unquenched as markets expected interest rates in the United States to remain lower into 2010.54 yesterday evening.

After taking a breather at the end of last week, US equities pushed higher to start the week, with analysts’ expectations of earnings continuing to be exceeded, giving investors confidence to push equities higher.

After taking a breather at the end of last week, US equities pushed higher to start the week, with analysts’ expectations of earnings continuing to be exceeded, giving investors confidence to push equities higher.

The NZ dollar managed to outperform the aussie, largely due to a function of less liquidity on the NZ dollar side, ANZ said.

The correlation with equities looked to be back, as gains in the Dow Jones industrial average translated into gains in the antipodean currencies.”

That was especially so as the Reserve Bank of Australia had already started hiking interest rates and there was increasing talk that the next move would be 50 basis points.

“This continues to be a source of much frustration as the NZD side should be underperforming based on relative fundamentals.22c by 8am from A80.

The kiwi was up to A81.34 from 66.96c at 5pm, while the trade weighted index lifted to 67.

.74

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New figures showing Kiwi teens racked up $40 million in unpaid traffic fines in the past year alone have revived calls for tougher demerit penalties and a move away from issuing fines for traffic violations.

The teen tearaways include a 16-year-old Dunedin boy who received 158 fines in the year to June, making him one of the country’s worst teen traffic offenders.

The second biggest outstanding amount is is owed by an 18-year-old, also in Dunedin, who received 119 infringements and owed $38,811, followed by a Christchurch 15-year-old who owed $24,990 on 88 fines. According to Ministry of Justice figures released to the Sunday Star-Times, by the end of the previous month the teenager owed $49,123 in fines, which he has been paying off weekly.

Their fines are among 51,594 issued to drivers aged 14-19 during the same period, and totalling $55. Their offences include dangerous driving, driver licence offences, defective vehicles or no warrant of fitness, parking violations, not wearing a seatbelt and speeding. Of that, 56 percent was being paid by arrangement and 27 percent had been “resolved” either by payment, alternative sentences or being written-off.8m.

AA Driver Education Foundation chairman Mike Noon says the examples show “the current system is failing”.

Experts say the massive totals owed would be nearly impossible to pay off for teenagers, who “may be working at McDonald’s”, and that the only effective penalty for young traffic violators is the threat of forcing them off the road.

The Vehicle Confiscations and Seizures Bill (or “anti-cruising” measures) and Courts and Criminal Matters Bill look set to be passed into law by the end of the year and will give authorities greater powers to suspend driver licences and confiscate cars. . I think it’s likely that there will be more provisions for vehicle confiscations and possibly even crushing the vehicles of repeat dangerous offenders,” Noon says.

“There definitely is an interest in increasing demerit points; that is the way forward.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says the bill would see fines for such breaches reduced from $400 to $100 and demerit points increased from 25 to 35.

And the Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill, which aims to rebalance penalties for breaches of the driver-licensing system, reaches its second reading in parliament next month. This reflects evidence that young drivers often ignore fines or get their parents to pay them,” Joyce says.

“We believe loss of license and loss of vehicle are much more powerful deterrents than fines particularly for young people and those involved with illegal street racing.

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LATEST:
Former New Zealand Olympic rower Rob Hamill has confronted his brother’s killer at the trial of former Khmer Rouge official Duch in Phnom Penh.

An emotional Hamill testified before the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Phnom Penh about the “incredible” impact the horrific death of his brother Kerry, 27, had on his family here – a “massive and unquantifiable impact”.

Hamill, former Olympic and long-distance rower, said he had waited a long time to confront his brother’s killer and to tell the story about the impact on his parents and siblings.

The New Zealander’s wife Rachel and their two-year-old son were in the packed public gallery as Hamill spoke for a full hour.

Hamill’s mother is now dead and his father is in a nursing home.

Duch, 66, has pleaded guilty to murder but the five judges – New Zealander Dame Silvia Cartwright, a French national and three Cambodians – will decide Duch’s innocence or guilt after hearing all the evidence.

Kaing Guek Eav, or Duch as he is known, the man responsible for Kerry Hamill’s death, was in court and listened impassively to Hamill’s testimony as it was translated.

Dame Silvia was in courtto hear Hamill, who was accepted as a civil party.

Crewman Stuart Glass, a Canadian was shot while Hamill and Briton John Dewhirst were interrogated and tortured for two months before being killed in Phnom Penh’s notorious Tuol Sleng Prison run by Duch.

Kerry Hamill was captured by the Khmer Rouge when the yacht on which he and friends were sailing strayed into Cambodian waters in August 1978.

Duch has pleaded the same defence as some of the Nazis at the Nuremberg trials after World War 2, maintaining he was simply carrying out orders and would have been shot had he not done so.

Thousands of Cambodians were killed at the prison.

He noted that Duch used the phrase “smash them”, words meaning prisoners were to be tortured and then killed.

Hamill said Duch had dehumanised himself “the way he did so many people”.

“I’ve wanted to smash Duch,” he said.

“I’ve wanted to smash Duch,” he said.

“We all live and die but the way my brother died it is just so abominable and simply [incomprehensible] and he led that, he created the system that inflicted this terrible, terrible crime on people. I mean what he did, he dehumanised himself… he dehumanised so many thousands of people and the way he did it,” he told told Radio New Zealand.

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Wellington is seeing more people hospitalised with swine flu than Australia’s swine flu capital Victoria, with around 30 people currently admitted to its hospitals.

Victoria, with a population of about five million had 18 patients in hospital last Friday, compared with Wellington’s present number of almost 30 from a population of around 400,000.”It’s obviously been a brutal winter and the numbers here are going up very quickly but that’s probably not surprising,” he said. However, Wellington microbiologist Dr Tim Blackmore said the timing of the spike in infections, with New Zealand successfully containing the virus for almost two months, could be making the figures appear worse than they were. What the long term picture might be we don’t know yet but certainly at the moment there’s a lot of new cases emerging in the community and proportionally we’re seeing quite a few in the hospital.”If it was starting to slow down in Victoria then our numbers of patients on a particular day, compared to Victoria may be out of step.

However, accurate records of confirmed cases are no longer kept and the total number is likely to be much higher.”While instances of swine flu in New Zealand continue to increase, statistics show more that there have been 4,300 cases and nine deaths reported in Australia compared to 825 cases and no deaths here.”

“The hospital services are starting to struggle.Mr Blackmore told AAP that this was the “tip of the iceberg and it’s looking moderately severe to us.”

Sixty-nine people have been hospitalised in the Wellington region. We’ve never seen admission rates like this before and unfortunately it’s only going to get worse.He added that the majority of people were only in hospital for a day or two and asthma was playing a significant role in hospitalisations. Mr Blackmore said they were now only testing those who were believed to be in a more serious position..”There’s a proportion of people who are coming in with primary influenza pneumonia – viral pneumonia – but most have asthma or something like that underneath it . to make doctors more concerned about their health to have them in hospital..While it was difficult to know exactly how many people had been admitted in total, “it’s obviously something that we’re going to look at more carefully.”He said the average age of people being admitted was early-20s and there were “quite a few” children. A woman in her early twenties is still in a critical condition in Hawke’s Bay Hospital though it is not known whether she had any pre-existing medical conditions.”The condition of the 30-year-old woman in intensive care in Wellington Hospital was today down-graded from life-threatening to serious.”Once the virus established in Australia and as a result of the links New Zealand has with Australia .National Influenza Centre head Dr Sue Huang said that New Zealand’s links with Australia, which sent more than one million visitors here last year, had made containing the virus more difficult… it became really difficult to contain.”Meanwhile, swine flu is taking over from seasonal flu as the most commonly diagnosed influenza in the more serious cases this year.Mr Blackmore said of the 294 positive influenza tests carried out in Wellington since June 23, only 25 were seasonal influenza and the rest were the new strain.Since then, the lowest number of swine flu cases diagnosed in Wellington daily was ten and the highest was 37.However, he said the ratio was about even in Auckland, with Christchurch “somewhere in the middle”"The interesting thing about influenza is it does different patterns in different communities. .Mr Blackmore said he believed the number of infections could peak in a “few weeks” before easing, though the level of preparedness on behalf of health authorities meant they were well placed to cope.”I think overall for New Zealand it’s going to go on for a long time,” he warned.Ms Huang said they processed more than 1000 samples from suspected cases last week, which confirmed that swine flu was becoming more prevalent than other influenzas.She said all tests for Tamiflu resistance and virus mutations had so far come back negative.

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There are now 109 confirmed cases of swine flu in New Zealand with 23 of them coming in the last 24 hours.

Of the 23 latest cases, seven cases are in Auckland, three in Wellington and 13 in Christchurch.

The Ministry of Health said that while the number of cases was increasing, there are still relatively few cases and only isolated instances of community transmission.

Are you having a swine flu party or do you know of anyone deliberately exposing themselves or their children to swine flu? Email or phone 04-4740098.

SWINE FLU PARTIES

Meanwhile the Health Ministry has warned against hosting “swine flu parties” following overseas concerns parents are deliberately exposing children.

The public interest in swine flu had been significant with 1500 calls answered at Healthline yesterday, almost double the usual amount. That person contracted swine flu after visiting Victoria, Australia in early June.

The Canterbury District Health Board said all cases of the influenza A (H1N1) strain stemmed from a single case.

The trend has prompted the Australian government to warn against swine flu parties gatherings where people intentionally expose themselves to the flu, in order to become infected with the virus.

Meanwhile, media reports in Australia and the United States say some parents have intentionally exposed their children to swine flu, believing that infecting them now will save them from a potentially more virulent strain in the future.

New Zealand’s deputy director of public health Dr Fran McGrath said the tactic went completely against the Health Ministry’s efforts to contain the virus. The idea has also been panned by health experts here.

She said that if people deliberately made themselves ill this would have a huge impact on already-stretched health services.

“The reason we’re doing [containment] is because this is a brand new virus to which people don’t have immunity so there will be lots of people who get it,” she said.. “.swine flu parties are definitely not part of our public health advice..

“We don’t know what the nature of the mutation would be.”

There was also no guarantee that getting sick now would lead to immunity in the future.”"It may give you some [immunity] but we can’t be sure about that. If there were to be a second wave then it would be as a result of a mutation in the virus and you can’t tell how big that mutation might be and therefore how useful any immunity from an earlier version would be.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in United States, people hope to become affected from the mild form of the virus, in the hope of having natural immunity to a more virulent form that might circulate later.”

The concept appears to have stemmed from chickenpox parties where parents would deliberately infect their children in the knowledge the virus was less serious in children than adults. I understand the thinking, but I just fear we don’t know enough about how this virus would react in every individual. I understand the thinking, but I just fear we don’t know enough about how this virus would react in every individual.

“This is like the Middle Ages, when people deliberately infected themselves with smallpox. It’s vigilante vaccination you know, taking immunity into your own hands. .

All cases stemmed from a single person who had been in Victoria, Australia in early June and contracted swine flu.

All those affected were being treated with Tamiflu and recent contacts were being traced.

The cases included six pupils from three schools in Christchurch’s eastern suburbs, and a Minister in a Samoan Church who worked at Christchurch Hospital in the catering team.

A Christchurch seafood processing plant has also sent home all its factory staff after a second case of swine flu was discovered there.

Sea Products in Woolston sent home night shift workers yesterday after one staff member caught swine flu, but now the day shift has also been quarantined for three days with antiviral drug Tamiflu after a second case was confirmed.

The 100 workers will all be back to work by Friday.

“The catering team member had not been to work during the infectious stage of the illness,” Canterbury medical officer of health Alistair Humphrey said.

Swine flu was a highly contagious disease, he said.

“Once someone who is infected is amongst other members of the community, including students and workmates, it is inevitable others will get sick,” he said.

While most people do not become seriously unwell, the virus’ potential effect on businesses, schools and the community was starting to show itself, Mr Humphrey said. In East Auckland primary school St Patrick’s, in Panmure, yesterday sent all of its 145 pupils home for a week after having one confirmed case of swine flu, and a number of others suffering flu-like symptoms.

Bromley School in Christchurch has been closed for seven days by health officials to prevent the spread of swine flu.

A recorded message on the school’s phone said all families would be contacted by the weekend with further information.

“Huge apologies for the disruption to family life,” the message said.

The primary school has 320 pupils.

Other Auckland schools were also hit.

At Kowhai Intermediate, in central city Kingsland, one class of year eight students and a teacher were in quarantine.

Papatoetoe High School in South Auckland has one swine flu case, while on the North Shore at Westlake Girls’ High School some 450 year 12 students are away for a week, after one case.

Health Ministry planning was to enable health services to manage large numbers of cases as well as maintain services for those who most need them, Dr McGrath said.

“An important part of this approach will include advising individuals how to look after themselves at home where this is possible – in the same way they would with seasonal flu.”

Swine flu may be serious for some people and they should seek advice either from Healthline 0800 611 116 or their GP – but phone ahead first.

The new confirmed cases yesterday were in Auckland (two), Rotorua (one), Tauranga (two), Wellington (five) and Christchurch (five).

STOP THE SPREAD

The ministry has refined advice to arriving international travellers – only people with flu-like symptoms within four days of travel were now considered to be at risk of swine flu.

Workers should stay home only if they have flu-like symptoms or if they have had medical advice, the ministry said.

They should stay home for seven days after symptoms begin, or until symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer.

This was to keep them from infecting others.

Hand hygiene was still the most effective protection – wash hands with soap and water and dry them thoroughly, the ministry advised.

Alcohol-based cleaners were also effective, and people should avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth, as germs spread this way.

The Ministry of Health has moved its response to phase 6.2 which means restrictions could be placed on public gatherings and a state of emergency could be declared. It is the last phase before code red.

– , with

Young Aussie skiers pose swine flu concern

– World Homepage -

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National’s senior whip Nathan Guy has been appointed as Internal Affairs Minister to replace Richard Worth, Prime Minister John Key said today.

Mr Guy will be a minister outside Cabinet and take up Dr Worth’s portfolios of Archives NZ, National Library and associate justice minister.

Maurice Williamson, who temporarily looked after Dr Worth’s portfolios after he lost his ministerial positions, will retain Land Information. .

He was junior whip from November 2006 and has been senior whip since February last year.

Mr Guy is the MP for Otaki and first entered Parliament in 2005.

“He has proven himself to be an able senior whip and member of the National Party caucus,” Mr Key said.

Mr Key said he looked forward to welcoming Mr Guy to the executive.

“I was rapt to receive a phone call from the prime minister offering me the opportunity to become a minister outside Cabinet, which of course I accepted.

Mr Guy said the appointment was a huge honour.

The transport role is a new position and as a local MP he has come out strongly in favour of the Transmission Gully motorway route between Wellington and the Kapiti Coast.”

Mr Guy said he was looking forward to the internal affairs role and other associate jobs, though he did know his delegations yet.

The Wellington to Otaki road is one of the designated routes, but the Transmission Gully motorway is not defined as a solution to the region’s traffic congestion.

Mr Guy said he believed the transport appointment was a sign that the portfolio was a large one and Mr Key wanted to make progress on the designated routes of national significance. .

“There is a lot at stake for the Otaki electorate. but it is just one area around the country. .

A second allegation was also made against Dr Worth by a member of the Labour Party.”

Mr Guy gained the jobs after Dr Worth resigned as an MP late on Friday after earlier being asked to resign as a minister when it emerged that he was under police investigation over allegations of a sexual nature involving a Korean business woman.

In a public statement she also said Dr Worth offered her jobs in his ministerial capacity.

The woman involved, Neelam Choudary, alleged that between November and February, Dr Worth sent dozens of text messages, some sexually explicit, and called her numerous times.

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Sharing his joy with mum

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Tough choices in ‘Team of the Week’

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Ma’a Nonu in action against the Lions.

The Highlanders celebrate Matt Berquist’s try against the Bulls.

Todd Clever scores for the Lions against the Hurricanes.

Jamie Mackintosh is tackled just short of the line.

Jamie Mackintosh is tackled just short of the line. .

Keven Mealamu tackles hard against the Waratahs.

Ali Williams tries to tackle Luke Burgess.

A dejected Blues captain Keven Mealamu and coach Pat Lam.

« Previous« Previous Next »Next »

– Successful stretch for NZ S14 teams –

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S14 teams for week five

Our Super 14 team of week

Bulls’ stars likely to play Crusaders

Frustration with some Super 14 refereeing

Our team of the week

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There is no lack of contenders for the latest New Zealand team of the week after a solid weekend’s work from the Kiwi franchises in round seven.

The Blues were the only side to lose as a bit of New Zealand presence came to the points table.

The Crusaders showed true grit in edging the Stormers. But in times when the finger is being pointed at the Super 14 as being a dull affair in 2009, we are going for some flamboyance in our latest side and there was no lack of that in the way the Chiefs, Highlanders and Hurricanes won their matches to dominate our star XV.

Fullback is a toss-up between emerging Highlander Israel Dagg and Chiefs veteran Mils Muliaina.

Dagg backed up last week’s double with a late try in the stunning upset of the Bulls in Palmerston North. He runs the ball back strongly and his kicking game is on song. This young man is examining more and more comfortable in his surroundings.

But no one can underestimate Muliaina’s contribution to this remarkable turnaround by the Chiefs. He scored two tries himself in the big win over the Reds in Brisbane and organised the Chiefs’ attack from the back to get our nod.

His efforts certainly helped those around him. That’s why Sitiveni Sivivatu gets the left wing jersey. He was only on for just over 10 minutes. But he scored twice and should have had another but for an officiating balls-up. The guy is in magic form and now it’s only a shoulder injury that is holding him back.

There wasn’t much to celebrate in the Blues’ loss to the Tahs but we loved the effort of Anthony Tuitavake on the right wing. He scored a magical try. After spending much of the season at centre, he looked good value with a bit of space out wide and that finishing flourish earns him the No 14 slot.

Centre is a tough call this week with internationals Conrad Smith and Richard Kahui building form nicely as is Highlanders No 13 Jason Shoemark.

The Hurricanes got themselves into a heck of a battle with the Lions on the high veldt and Smith’s early double strike certainly set up this win. Take a bow Conrad.

Ma’a Nonu did the business alongside Smith as this pairing show the value of their long association. It’s enough for Nonu to edge worthy efforts from Daniel Bowden (Highlanders) and Callum Bruce who has been a quiet achiever in the star-studded Chiefs backline.

There’s a similar tight tussle at 10 where Steve Donald (Chiefs), Piri Weepu (Hurricanes) and Matt Berquist (Highlanders) directed their teams to crucial wins.

It’s hard to go past Donald though. The Chiefs backline has been outrageous over the last two weekends. Donald got things humming in Brisbane with a stunning solo try to open the floodgates. His goalkicking and field kicking were spot-on too.

The All Blacks selectors have got a job on their hands at halfback now that Brendon Leonard is firing up. He’s a ball of energy and his bullet pass has freed the Chiefs backline. But is there a more gritty character than Jimmy Cowan? He sparked the improving Highlanders’ attack with several strong runs and was there at the end to snuff out some dangerous revivals from the Bulls.

Sione Lauaki holds on to the No 8 jersey again with another barnstorming effort although Rodney So’oialo’s work rate in difficult circumstances in Johannesburg didn’t go unnoticed.

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The loose forwards, as usual, are a competitive area.

The super-consistent Adam Thomson (Highlanders) heads off Liam Messam (Chiefs) and Kieran Read (Crusaders) for our blindside role and Karl Lowe stepped up when he was needed for the Canes at No 7 in the absence of All Black Scott Waldrom.

Hayden Triggs (Highlanders) got geed up by his emotional homecoming in Palmerston North to produce arguably his biggest Super 14 effort. But in a close tussle he got edged by his team mate Tom Donnelly for one of our locking spots. The other goes to Brad Thorn (Crusaders) who was at the heart of the Crusaders’ haggle with the Stormers.

Clint Newland stood up to the test of the biggest pack in the championship at tighthead for the Highlanders and Jamie Mackintosh’s return to full action alongside him was highly energetic against the Bulls.

The same can be said of Hurricanes hooker Dane Coles who got through a ton of work in Jo’burg to shadow All Blacks Keven Mealamu, the Blues’ skipper and new Super rugby centurion, and Hika Elliott who made the most of a rare start for the Chiefs.

Here’s our team of the week for round 7 of the Super 14:

15 Mils Muliaina (Chiefs), 14 Anthony Tuitavake (Blues), 13 Conrad Smith (Hurricanes), 12 Ma’a Nonu (Hurricanes), 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu (Chiefs), 10 Stephen Donald (Chiefs), 9 Jimmy Cowan (Highlanders), 8 Sione Lauaki (Chiefs), 7 Karl Lowe (Hurricanes), 6 Adam Thomson (Highlanders), 5 Tom Donnelly (Highlanders), 4 Brad Thorn (Crusaders), 3 Clint Newland (Highlanders), 2 Dane Coles (Hurricanes), 1 Jamie Mackintosh (Highlanders).

Who do you think is missing from this team or have we got it right? below.

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All Black reveals heartache over son

By DAVID LONG – Sunday, 22 February 2009

ALL Blacks star Mils Muliaina has spoken of the emotional turmoil he and wife Hayley went through when their son was born with a hole in his heart.
Mils had stayed in Auckland for the birth of his first child, Max, in November when the rest of the national rugby team left for a four-test tour of the UK and Ireland plus a Bledisloe Cup match in Hong Kong.
But medical staff planning corrective surgery on Max's heart told Mils he would have time to take part in the tests before the operation.
The 68-test hero a vital member of the touring side immediately put plans to join his teammates on hold when he was told of the youngster's condition.
"If he needed to go in for an emergency operation they would need to get him stable for two to five days beforehand, so that would have given me plenty of time to come back from playing for the All Blacks.
"We had a talk with the doctors and the biggest thing was that he wasn't going to deteriorate overnight," Mils told . The All Blacks jersey is so precious and you don't ever want let it down or miss out on going on a tour.
"It's a pretty hard thing. .
"The defining moment was the doctor saying he wasn't going to deteriorate overnight and rather than me waiting and worrying about him I should go over (to Europe)."
Max had open-heart surgery at Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital over the Christmas holidays. She thought it was best that I go over and play for the All Blacks and then come back and we'll have the operation.
Mils and Hayley were recently given the all-clear over Max's health and the star fullback can now relax enough to reflect on the last few months. Doctors placed a piece of felt over the hole, which his heart will eventually grow over. I came back from the tour and we were in the ward at Starship over Christmas and he had his operation," Mils said.
"It was pretty tough. I look back now and I just can't believe how close it was back then how I felt and how hard it was.
"We were very fortunate. He had a check-up a couple of weeks ago and he's humming.
"Now he's a bubbly little kid and everything's so rosy.
"It was the hardest decision I've ever had to make to go on that tour. He's done really well and we're pretty stoked about that."
Mils says becoming a dad has been a life-changing experience for him. We came away with the Grand Slam again and hopefully, when Max is older, he'll look back at that tour and have something to be proud of his dad for going on. It's great for me," he said, beaming. It's great for me," he said, beaming.
"I really get excited about going home, seeing the little fella there. It puts a different perspective on life and makes you grow up a lot quicker."

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Children’s hospital stays put

Wednesday, 11 February 2009

MAARTEN HOLL/The
FAMILY ROOM: Anna, 21, Joshua, 13, and mum Helen Wood at Wellington Children’s Hospital. .

Plans to move Wellington Children's Hospital into an old tower block have been scrapped because patients would be worse off.
"We will not be able to provide a physical facility `significantly better than what we have now' which has always been the bottom line in any proposal to move from the current children's hospital.
In a memo from clinical director Graeme Lear and child health managers, staff were told the proposal to shift to the 30-year-old Grace Neill Block was no longer considered workable as a result of "a serious and insoluble" lack of storage and cramped rooms, which meant parents would have been unable to stay with their sick children. But Capital and Coast District Health Board was forced back to the drawing board when it was revealed the new hospital would not be big enough."
The 11-storey Grace Neill Block, being vacated by women's health and maternity services this week, was targeted for demolition with the opening of the new regional hospital.
Last April, interim chief executive Derek Milne announced plans to retain Grace Neill to house child health services, and convert the children's hospital into offices.
It depends, however, on "the availability of government funding, and this in turn depends on the ability of Capital and Coast to emerge from the financial troubles of the last few years".
The latest plan involves moving child outpatients to Grace Neill to free up space in the existing children's hospital, and bringing forward plans to build a new facility within 10 years.
The current children's hospital was built in 1988, but has struggled to accommodate services, including child cancer.
The board faces a $70 million budget blowout this year.
A board spokesperson said the change of plans would not jeopardise redevelopment of child cancer services.
It is believed a lack of progress on creating a separate unit was one factor in the resignations of the hospital's previous two child cancer specialists, which meant the hospital was unable to accept new cancer patients for 15 months.
Paediatric oncology has had its own "designated area" within the children's hospital for a year and management was working with the two paediatric oncologists to improve its layout.
Paediatric oncology has had its own "designated area" within the children's hospital for a year and management was working with the two paediatric oncologists to improve its layout. "But one thing I don't like is being so close to other kids with contagious diseases that I can catch because my immune system is not working so well.
Thirteen-year-old Joshua Wood, who has leukaemia, said he was impressed with the food and the nurses at the hospital."