Two a penny

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An Auckland man “reared up like a lion” after his good mate shot him in the chest at a dinner party gone wrong, a high court jury has been told.

The Crown alleges that Alan Christopher Paul Gundry, 30, killed Orewa man Gene Patrick Atkins, 28, on January 12 this year.

In his closing address at Auckland’s High Court, Crown prosecutor Kevin Glubb said the death of Mr Atkins had been the inevitable, tragic consequence of a bout of drinking and violence.

The girlfriend of the victim, Sarah Jane Dean,earlier told the courtshe had served a large meal of corned beef to the guests earlier in the evening.

Mr Glubb told the court that Mr Atkins and the accused had been friends for many years and on the afternoon of the killing had been enjoying the summer weather on Gundry’s back deck with friends. Once home he threw Ms Dean’s belongings outside the house and broke several objects.

Afterwards Mr Atkins had become drunk and angry, leaving the Gundry house and returning home.

Ms Dean discovered the mess and packed her things and returned to Gundry’s home to stay the night.

He strode through the house and started brawling with several people, demanding to know where his girlfriend was.

Minutes later Mr Atkins arrived at the Gundry house, furious and violent.

Finally Gundry went to the garage and retrieved his rifle. Several attempts by friends to calm him failed, the court was told.

“Without any warning whatsoever he fired two shots, almost at point blank range.

Mr Glubb told the court Gundry had deliberately grabbed his high powered hunting rifle and loaded six rounds into the magazine.”

Mr Atkins had been advancing at Gundry and yelling at him that he was going “to f*** him up”, the court heard.”

Mr Atkins had been advancing at Gundry and yelling at him that he was going “to f*** him up”, the court heard.

Gundry had said: “It was like a lion rearingup.

Gundry had described how Mr Atkins continued coming towards him after the first shot, bent over double, Mr Glubb said.”

Gundry had not warned Mr Atkins he had a gun, the court was told.”

Mr Glubb held up the rifle Gundry had used in the shooting and told the jury: “When you use a weapon like this they simply don’t get up.

“Just bang, bang and lights out.

“No opportunity to assess the situation, no backdown at all,” Mr Glubb said. .”

Gundry’s lawyer, Graeme Newell, earlier told the jury the case was matter of self-defence.

Mr Newell will give the closing argument for the defence later this afternoon.

Mr Newell said earlier spoke ofMr Atkins’ violent history and other “aggressive incidents” he had been involved with prior to his death.

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Three more teenagers have been charged with murdering 17-year-old Kaine Lewis in the Bay of Plenty town of Murupara this month.

Mr Lewis was beaten and dumped on a driveway of a Murupara house, where he was found dying on October 3.Two youths, aged 17 and 19, appeared in Rotorua District Court today while a 16-year-old was due to appear in the Youth Court.All five were last week charged with participation in a criminal gang activity.The trio join Honi Taoho Norton, 18, and Hemi Winitana, 17, who were yesterday remanded in custody after their own court appearances.”The investigation doesn’t end here with these arrests, there is a lot of work to be done and we continue to welcome any information from members of the public which may be relevant.Acting Rotorua Area Commander Inspector Greg Sparrow said police were still speaking with others who may have been involved.”Mr Lewis was the second teenager to die in Murupara gang violence in nine months, prompting a protest in which hundreds of residents took to the streets last week.

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An Auckland man murdered his friend with a high-powered rifle after the victim went “crazy” at a dinner party being held at the accused’s rural home, a High Court jury has heard.

The Crown alleges that Alan Christopher Paul Gundry, 30, killed Orewa man Gene Patrick Atkins, 28, on January 12 this year. .Gundry – who has been on bail until the start of today’s trial – appeared in the dock dressed neatly in a black suit and red tie. The accused had shot the unarmed Mr Atkins twice with his high-powered hunting rifle at close range, Mr Glubb said. Mr Glubb told the court that Mr Atkins and the accused had been friends for many years and on the afternoon of the murder had been enjoying the summer weather on Gundry’s back deck with their partners and other friends.He denies murdering Mr Atkins. Mr Atkins had become drunk and violent and after having an argument with his partner, Sarah Dean, and then went home, the court was told.Ms Dean had discovered the mess and packed her things and returned to the Gundry’s Rodney home to stay the night. Once home he had thrown Ms Dean’s belongings outside the house and broken several objects. He strode through the house and started brawling with several people, demanding to know where his partner, Ms Dean, was hiding.Minutes later Mr Atkins arrived at the Gundry house, furious and violent, Mr Glubb said. An enraged Mr Atkins had gone into Gundry’s five-year-old daughter’s room and pushed and threatened his partner.Ms Dean had locked herself in the bathroom, Mr Glubb said. Several attempts by friends to calm Mr Atkins had failed, the court heard. Several attempts by friends to calm Mr Atkins had failed, the court heard. Gundry replied: “I can’t do that, he’s threatening my kids and my family”.Mr Atkins’ partner, Ms Dean, had asked Gundry only to “scare” her partner with the rifle, Mr Glubb said.He died almost instantly.The Crown alleges Gundry came across Atkins on the stairwell and shot him twice. Gundry then called police, telling them: “his friend was drunk, he had gone crazy and he had shot him”, the court heard. Gundry had then apologised to Ms Dean for shooting Mr Atkins, Mr Glubb said.Self-defence was a complete defence to the charge of murder, the court heard. Defence lawyer Graeme Newell said his client had been acting in the self-defence and this would be the key focus of the trial.Around 35 friends and family of Gundry and Mr Atkins filled the courtroom’s public gallery. Mr Newell said he would also be exploring Mr Atkins history and other “aggressive incidents” he had been involved with prior to his death. The trial is expected to last for a week. The trial is expected to last for a week.

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A secret British police report into whether riot police were involved in the death of New Zealander Blair Peach will be made public within months.

Mr Peach, 33, was allegedly killed by a still-unidentified police officer while demonstrating against the far right National Front in Southall, West London in 1979. The full findings of his report have never been disclosed and the Director of Public Prosecutions decided that no charges should be brought.The death was investigated by Commander John Cass, whose report was thought to have named officers as suspects.A senior police officer has been put in charge of contacting those involved in the incident to warn them of the imminent publication, and to ask them whether any of its contents should be redacted.Legal advisers to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson have indicated he is obliged to publish the report under Britain’s Freedom of Information laws, which could happen before the end of the year, Britain’s Sky News reported.Mr Peach’s brother Roy Peach told Radio New Zealand that even if the report was published in its entirety, the family would never know exactly what happened. .

.He was allowed access to a part of the report a few years ago but said the family would never be sure of its accuracy because of allegations between police officers

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The five people convicted on Friday for the manslaughter of Janet Moses escaped jail because they were Maori, Labour MP Trevor Mallard says.

In the High Court at Wellington, Justice Simon France imposed community sentences on the five for their roles in the curse-lifting ceremony which killed the 22-year-old mother of two.

Ms Moses drowned as water was forced into her eyes in an attempt to flush out demons.

Mr Mallard, MP for Hutt South and a Wainuiomata resident, made the claim on Labour Party blog site Red Alert.

The ceremony took place in 2007 at a small Wainuiomata flat, crammed with more than 30 whanau members.

“I accept that they almost certainly would not reoffend and prison may be an expensive waste of time.

“The fact that they weren’t sent to prison because they are Maori just doesn’t seem right to me,” he wrote. And there are too many Maori in prison. .

“But I am certain that a Pakeha exorcism that resulted in torture and death would result in a prison term – albeit not necessarily a long one.

“I think there is a lot of sympathy for the individuals involved.

“It is a very unusual set of circumstances and I think in this case the judge got it wrong,” he said. They were sleep deprived. They did get caught up in some sort of hysteria.

“But there’s just not an acceptance either from the vast majority of Maori or Pakeha people that you can effectively torture someone for well over a day.

“But there’s just not an acceptance either from the vast majority of Maori or Pakeha people that you can effectively torture someone for well over a day.causing death, and there not be a jail sentence. .

He said it was, on the whole, not desirable for MPs to begin voicing their opinions on court cases.”

Mr Mallard stressed he did not want to be seen as putting pressure on Solicitor General David Collins QC to appeal the sentence. Clearly this is exceptional.

“It wouldn’t be (good) and you can’t have people second guessing judges all the time.

“But I am a representative of my community and I think people shouldn’t hide away views like this.

“If I was a minister, for example, part of the executive, it would have been less likely and less appropriate for me to do it.

“I do think we’ve got to have one system for one country.”

Mr Mallard said he was against a separate judicial system for Maori and encouraged discussion which could lead to better understanding of issues.

“But I think you’ve got to do that on a rational, planned sentencing council-type basis rather than an ad-hoc decision to give a particular group what is seen to be and what is actually a very, very lenient sentence, probably based on their ethnicity.

“But I think you’ve got to do that on a rational, planned sentencing council-type basis rather than an ad-hoc decision to give a particular group what is seen to be and what is actually a very, very lenient sentence, probably based on their ethnicity.”

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New Zealand’s largest council has cancelled its monthly meeting because it has nothing to talk about.

The Auckland City Council, which provides services to more than 400,000 residents and ratepayers, this week scrapped its July full council meeting, scheduled for tomorrow.

The move has surprised other mayors across the Auckland region, who say it’s unusual such a big council would have nothing to discuss or no decisions to make.

In an email to media, a democracy coordinator said the meeting had been cancelled “due to a lack of business”. .

Waitakere city mayor Bob Harvey says in his 18 years in the role, he has never heard of a council meeting being cancelled because of a lack of business.”

Manukau city mayor Len Brown hasn’t had a meeting cancelled during his term in office, and North Shore city mayor Andrew Williams says his council has never pulled the plug on a meeting either. I find it bewildering that they have run out of business.

“You could describe the meetings as irrelevant,” he says.

Mr Williams said the Auckland council is “partly political” and most of its business is done outside of meetings.

“Councillors on the North Shore are independently elected and they are not part of factions.

Mr Williams says the move may be a bad omen for the proposed supercity.”

But deputy mayor David Hay says there is some business to discuss, but the council decided it wasn’t worth having a meeting. We debate issues on their merits. We organise our schedule to have few committee meetings in July.

“I initiated it.

“It doesn’t mean there’s nothing occuring,” he says.” He says a lot of people take their holidays in the month to escape winter and council meetings are also waived in January.

He says there is “nothing of any great substance” to discuss and that “the important business of Auckland city rolls on”.

Mayor John Banks says the council doesn’t hold meetings for the sake of it and doesn’t want to waste ratepayers’ money “navel-gazing” when there’s nothing to talk about.

“There will be some of my colleagues who will want to have meetings on a very regular basis because they get paid more money.

Mr Banks says there have been about five or six meetings cancelled in this term of council.”

Councillor Cathy Casey, who has been in local government for 15 years, says she was surprised to be notified of the cancellation.

“I’m not keen on paying anyone for meetings that are not necessary. I would have thought there’d be plenty. I would have thought there’d be plenty.”

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Official figures show over 50 percent of swine flu patients – where ethnicity is known and the H1N1 virus has been confirmed – are Maori or Pacific Islanders.

It comes as swine flu cases have cracked 1000 in New Zealand for the first time as the Government announced this afternoon it will spend millions securing a swine flu vaccine to protect frontline staff.At noon today, of a total of 1059 confirmed cases, 207 were Maori, 212 were Pacific Islanders, and 258 were European.

Health officials said today it was still “too early” to say whether the pandemic swine flu virus was hitting Polynesians harder than other ethnic groups. .Other ethnicities among patients with confirmed swine flu totalled 84 while another 298 were of unknown ethnicity.8 percent Pacific Islanders, 33.2 percent were Maori, 27.In the 2006 census just 14.9 percent European, and 11 percent other ethnicities, Health Ministry figures show.7 percent Polynesian.6 percent of the population were Maori, and 14.

Wellington continues to be the swine flu capital with a cumulative total of 301 cases, Auckland has 249 while Canterbury has 238.

CASE NUMBERS GROW

The Ministry of Health reiterated today that the actual number of swine flu cases was likely to be much higher as only a small proportion of people were now being tested. Globally, there are 89,921 recorded cases.

As of yesterday there were 5298 confirmed cases in Australia.

However it is unlikely to be available until December because of the licensing process.

Prime Minister John Key told reporters the government had ordered 300,000 doses of a vaccine from Baxter Healthcare – enough to give 150,000 people the required two doses.The authors of research in a British medical journal, The Lancet, today warned of a looming international public health catastrophe.

A ministry spokesman was equivocal about the local implications of overseas research which suggested some indigenous people may be more susceptible to swine flu virus, compounding an array of existing health conditions.The author of the Lancet article was Dr Michael Gracey, a medical adviser to Unity of First People of Australia, an aboriginal non-profit organisation.Such a pattern was seen in the 1918 pandemic – which involved a different influenza strain – when Maori were seven times more likely than Europeans to die.Despite comprising just 10 percent of the population in the Canadian province of Manitoba, First Nations natives make up about a third of the 685 swine flu cases in that province.Dr Gracey cited the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 when he said almost 400 million indigenous peoples were particularly at risk of contracting swine flu because they often lived in poorer conditions with less access to medical help.”While the early data of confirmed cases shows a higher number of cases identifying themselves as Maori or Pacific, there are a large percentage of cases for whom ethnicity has not been recorded,” a spokesman said.”While the early data of confirmed cases shows a higher number of cases identifying themselves as Maori or Pacific, there are a large percentage of cases for whom ethnicity has not been recorded,” a spokesman said.The accuracy of infection rates was confounded at this early stage by numbers of confirmed cases including travellers and close contacts of travellers who returned to New Zealand with pandemic influenza infection.And since the move to the “manage it” phase, only a small proportion of people with symptoms were now being tested, and these tended to be people with underlying medical conditions and those who were at greater risk of developing a more severe illness.”There are a number of population groups which appear to be at particular risk to the current pandemic,” the ministry said.”These include people with co-morbidities (other illnesses such as asthma), children and young adults.”There are also suggestions from other countries that indigenous peoples may also be at greater risk.”It is too early to be clear about any such pattern in New Zealand.”During the 1918 influenza pandemic, Maori died at about 42.3 people per 1000, seven times the rate of Europeans. Maori had one of the world’s highest known mortality rates, and 4 percent of the Maori population died in two months.By December 1918, influenza had killed 8600 New Zealanders, including at least 2160 Maori, and the death rate in 1918 was higher among other Polynesians as well: 20 percent of those who fell ill in Samoa died, and in French Polynesia, the flu killed 25 percent of the people who fell ill.

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OPINION

The change in personnel has come – though some might wonder if it might have been more widespread – and all that remains now is for Graham Henry and Steve Hansen to instill the change in mindset.

That looms as the hardest part of the equation. They’ve got to get a bit of mongrel in, not just the pack, but the entire 22.

Somehow the All Blacks coaches have got to turn the poodles of Carisbrook into pit bulls for the Cake Tin. And the ride was a rough one.

That’s the upshot of the 22-27 first-test defeat which saw the French win all the manly battles and so rattle the All Blacks that such talented backs as Ma’a Nonu, Isaia Toeava, Mils Muliaina and Joe Rokocoko were essentially passengers. There are four new faces in his starting XV, but only two of them have been selection decisions.

Change had to come and Henry has delivered to an extent with his selections in the wake of a rare home defeat in the June test schedule. Hooker Keven Mealamu and flanker Tanerau Latimer also earn promotions after the injuries to Andrew Hore (ribs) and Adam Thomson (broken hand).

Experienced centre Conrad Smith and loose forward Jerome Kaino are now fit again and both have been whistled straight up for starting duty. Toeava also, to a lesser extent as well.

So, what to make of what is essentially a pretty conservative selection from Henry and his lieutenants?

Well, Liam Messam is the fall guy for starters.

Could the changes have run deeper? You bet they could have. And the likes of Rokocoko, Kieran Read, Neemia Tialata and Jimmy Cowan should be counting themselves very lucky indeed after surviving less than acceptable performances. The Hurricanes prop hasn’t hit form all year and surely he’s on borrowed time. .

And while Messam has paid the price for his error-rate, it would be easy to contend that Read was equally as unimpressive in Dunedin. He wants to make sure he doesn’t let the swing door of the Last Chance Saloon hit him on the backside on his way in.

Cantabs believe Read is the next coming of Richie McCaw. Both struggled with the physicality of the French, and at least Messam stamped his mark on proceedings with a try that Read would never have scored. An outing at No 8 against the French bruisers should tell us a bit more. Most of us from outside eyepatch territory have him more pegged as Reuben Thorne reborn. It seems the Thomson/So’oialo lessons have not been learnt.

But it’s hard to escape the conclusion that Henry and co aren’t once again tempting fate. Yet it’s vice-versa for this test, with Read facing a major challenge to slot into a position that’s, if not unfamiliar, certainly a little strange. Yet it’s vice-versa for this test, with Read facing a major challenge to slot into a position that’s, if not unfamiliar, certainly a little strange.

Toeava drops back to the reserves after a poor match, but again questions must be asked. We were told that before Smith’s hamstring injury, he would have played on the wing in Dunedin. Since then Rudi Wulf has also been removed from the equation.

Now he’s good enough only for the bench, with the out-of-sorts Rokocoko getting another chance, on reputation more than form, and Cory Jane deservedly retaining his spot on the right wing after being a rare All Black to have a good night at the Brook.

I wonder also about halfback where Jimmy Cowan is retained, despite being outplayed by debutant Julien Dupuy.

Sure, Cowan got few favours from his forwards most of the night, but his delivery still looked a shade on the slow side. And it’s not as if the All Blacks don’t have options with Leonard running round again now.

Clearly there’s a desire to retain Weepu as the “impact” man, but gee the damage had been done by the time he entered the fray last weekend. I hope the coaches aren’t blind to the concept of him actually starting a test.

And might a spot not have been found on the bench for the X-factor of Lelia Masaga? That would have been the sort of bold call I would have favoured – except this time give the youngster a chance.

Anyway, the All Blacks are going to have to ratchet up their aggression meters several notches to prevent the French getting the sort of weigh-on they did at the breakdown, scrums and with their fast-rushing defensive line.

The New Zealanders were simply too passive in Dunedin, and paid the price when they spotted the French an early lead, and more importantly the confidence they needed to spring yet another upset on New Zealand soil.

The loose trio have to stamp their mark on this match much better than they managed in Dunedin. Whether the promotion of Latimer and the return of Kaino helps on that front, it remains to be seen. Certainly we can’t have a repeat of the Dunedin effort.

Thomson’s injury may prove a blessing in disguise. The Otago flanker has shown nothing in his brief test career to date to suggest he’s a test-level No 7, despite the flat-out obstinacy of the All Blacks coaches in not recognising this.

It’s as though, having started the experiment in the first place, they are determined to let it run its course.

Whatever the cost.

Thankfully injury has forced their hand, and at least we have a specialist in the position there this week.

If I was them, though, I’d be getting Josh Blackie the best medical treatment adidas money can buy, and have him in the mix as soon as possible. For my money, next to Richie McCaw he’s the only genuine test-quality No 7 we have with the crucial mix of size, speed and ball-winning nous.

We’re told he’s injured, and not available. But all of Henry’s comments about Blackie have been so luke-warm you’ve got to wonder whether there’s any genuine interest in the guy. There should be.

There’s also a scrum to fix. That side of the set-piece equation was awful in Dunedin, and it shows what can happen when you take your eye off the ball.

The All Black scrum has been pretty rock-solid for a good few years now, but the French exposed it at the Brook. That was a worry.

It’s roll your sleeves up time for the All Blacks. They’ve all got work to do, and most of it is of the blue-collar variety.

Do you think this All Blacks side can beat the French in the second test? below.

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Fire safety warnings on children’s nightwear are now compulsory after the death of one young boy and serious injuries to at least four others.

Retailers who fail to ensure the correct labels appear on pyjamas, nighties and other sleepwear face prosecution by the Commerce Commission from this month.

Four-year-old Corwin Bridge, of Red Beach, near Orewa, died of his burns in September 2007 after 2 1/2 months in Middlemore Hospital.

The Consumer Affairs Ministry regulations were introduced after several children were burnt when their pyjamas caught fire.

At least four more children under 10 were burnt in similar accidents in the four years before the regulations were passed. His pyjamas caught fire when he sat near a gas heater at a family member’s house.

Hamilton boy Jack Livingstone, 5, was badly burnt when his Chinese-made cotton pyjamas caught fire in 2007. The new colour-coded labels were phased in from July last year, but became compulsory on all sleepwear at the beginning of this month.

His road to recovery began with skin grafts and he wore a pressure suit for 23 hours a day for two years. He had been sitting in front of a gas heater watching television with his sister when the fabric ignited. .

He was able to switch to a less restrictive pressure sleeve just before he started school this year.

“The burns have healed to skin colour, it’s a little bit rough from the skin grafts, but overall he’s just getting on with it.

Jack had bounced back from his injuries and was not expected to have continuing problems, Mr Livingstone said yesterday.

The labels come in three colours white, orange and red and are coded according to their safety level, based on the garment’s style and fabric.”

Mr Livingstone said the new labelling was “a great idea, as long as every retailer abides by it”. Under the new system, they would have an orange label.

Jack’s pyjamas were bought from The Warehouse and were labelled a low fire risk.

The Warehouse would not comment on the new regulations yesterday. They were withdrawn from sale after a second boy suffered burns. It is either made of fabric that burns more slowly such as wool or is close-fitting.

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TAG! YOU’RE WEARING A FIRE SAFETY GUIDE!

WHITE: This label means the garment is a lower fire risk.

RED: The garment is a higher fire risk, either as a result of its fabric or because it is loose-fitting.

ORANGE: Label denotes garment made of a higher-risk fabric such as cotton, but is designed to be worn snug-fitting to reduce fire risk.

The safety regulations apply to all businesses involved in the manufacture, distribution and sale of children’s nightwear.

The safety regulations apply to all businesses involved in the manufacture, distribution and sale of children’s nightwear.

Individuals who breach the rules can be fined up to $60,000 corporations up to $200,000 under the Fair Trading Act.

The ministry urges parents to remember the “metre from the heater” rule to avoid fire danger.

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Southerner to rejoin bushfire battle

By MICHAEL FORBES – Tuesday, 10 February 2009

JOHN HAWKINS/137397
AUSSIE MISSION: Southland pilot Dave Latham at Invercargill airport yesterday before flying out to Sydney to help fight the Australian bushfires.

As the firestorm ripping through southeast Australia continues to take lives, Southlander Dave Latham is heading back across the Tasman to help.
The Invercargill pilot has spent the past week flying helicopters in Merimbula, just north of the Victorian border, helping authorities battle a 4000-hectare blaze with 1500-litre monsoon buckets.
It is a job the pilot of 21 years' experience knows well, having flown monsoon buckets in Ireland, the United Kingdom and New Caledonia.
Mr Latham came home at the weekend to rest but returned to Sydney yesterday to begin another 10 days on the fire-relief frontline.
"Some of the stuff you hear about is quite amazing.
But he describes the tragedy in Victoria as the largest and most horrific fire he has ever encountered. People driving through the flames and idiots taking tour buses up to some of the fires," he said. You just have to look at the number of people who have been consumed in their cars and houses. "People don't realise how quickly a fire like that can spread in 43 to 44 degrees (Celsius).
Not learning those lessons also comes at a price, according to Mr Latham."
Mr Latham said the potential for a disaster of this magnitude had always been high, in his eyes, because Australians were forgetting the lessons learned from the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983, which claimed 75 lives. . "The cost of flying my aircraft (a Bell 205 similar to an Iroquois military helicopter) is $200,000 a day, not counting everything else (foam and fire retardant). "You cannot get an Australian bushfire properly under control until the conditions cool significantly, so those fires could burn until March. "You cannot get an Australian bushfire properly under control until the conditions cool significantly, so those fires could burn until March.

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"I'd never worried about his safety until he drove away the other day," she said