Dimwitted morons who are keen to find cause for disasters are two a penny , but apocalyptic control freaks have to be at the very bottom of the barrel.
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Otagosh: Ron Fraser on Christchurch
Dimwitted morons who are keen to find cause for disasters are two a penny , but apocalyptic control freaks have to be at the very bottom of the barrel. The Christchurch earthquake has continued to dominate news in New Zealand as the …
Originally posted here:
Ron Fraser on Christchurch
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Child Youth and Family staff at a regional office have been told they are Social Development Minister Paula Bennett’s servants who should not trouble their master with concerns about their work.
In an email dated August 13, supplied to by Labour Party deputy leader Annette King, Kaitaia CYF staff were told to show respect to the minister when she visited the next day.
“It is not appropriate for staff to pour their hearts and souls out to the minister,” a manager wrote. It’s a bit like the relationship between a servant and a master, i.
“This is a formal visit and she is not your `friend’. the servant knows their place.e. She should not be presented with the woes of the office, or lack of resources, or anything like that.
A anonymous person copied the email to the government, Labour and other political parties as well as the Children’s Commissioner.”
However the email said it was okay to state there were challenges that could be managed.
“This amounts to workplace bullying, and corruption within a public service department,” they wrote.
The person was “gobsmacked” by the email.
Ms King questioned the point of the minister’s visit in Parliament.
The author said it was shameful that in an area where there were many Maori communities the department was “trying to cover up the realities of our communities”.
“If staff are not allowed to talk to her (Ms Bennett) how can she really know what pressures staff are facing if reports to her have to be sanitised?”
Ms King later said she expected Ms Bennett to ensure staff felt they could speak out about work problems.
“If staff are not allowed to talk to her (Ms Bennett) how can she really know what pressures staff are facing if reports to her have to be sanitised?”
Ms King later said she expected Ms Bennett to ensure staff felt they could speak out about work problems.
“I would hope she would in fact encourage staff to talk to her.”
As a former minister Ms King said she learnt more from talking to staff than through department reports.
“I have visited a large number of offices and I have purposefully targeted visits to Work and Income and Child Youth and Family because I want to talk to staff and hear what is happening there,” she said.”
Ms Bennett said that she wanted staff to speak to her about concerns.”
Ms King said there were wider problems of the Government blocking information and communication and said she was frustrated by poor responses to written questions and Official Information Act requests.
“I very much value them and their opinions and I am disappointed in the manager’s email.
National’s Judith Collins in Parliament today said she had struggled to get access while in opposition and Labour had created a political environment. .
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A 32-year-old man found dead with a gunshot wound in Palmerston North yesterday afternoon has been named as Jamie Martin Faulkner who lived in the city. . Area enquiries are also still continuing.
The road has also now re-opened and all residents are back in their homes, but a small area is still sealed off and the full scene examination is expected to take another two days.
That man is being questioned by police.
The victim was reportedly involved in an altercation with another man at a close toby flat shortly before his death, police said.
“We are also examining to get a better understanding of the relationship between the two men.
“We’re examining at that altercation and the extent that that is relevant to his death,” Detective Sergeant Craig Sheridan said this morning.”
The death is not being treating as a homicide at this stage and no arrests have been made, he said. These enquiries are likely to take some days.
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LATEST:
An Air Force helicopter loaded with searchers has taken off for the Tararua Ranges as the hunt for missing Te Papa chief executive Seddon Bennington his and female tramping companion Marcella Jackson continues.
Police earlier today released the name of Mrs Jackson, known as Rosie Jackson.
The pair set off from Otaki Forks on Saturday for Kime Hut, about 10 kilometres into the range, but failed to return on Sunday afternoon as planned. Mrs Jackson is also from the Wellington area, and is described as a long standing family friend of Mr Bennington.
The search resumed at first light today – but early efforts to send in extra rescue teams were far been hampered by heavy rain, low fog and mist. .15am carrying five searchers.
Taking advantage of a break in the weather, an Air Force Iroquois helicopter took off from Levin Showgrounds at 10.
Four or five more teams could either be flown in or hike in from Otaki Forks later in the day. The rescuers were heading for Penn Creek, close to Kime Hutt.
She said it was “still very challenging” weatherwise, although there was some suggestion it could clear this afternoon.
Police spokeswoman Kim Perks told Radio New Zealand some searchers had remained in the ranges overnight. They may not be able to get our personnel right to the very top but they’ll certainly be able to look for opportunities to get them in as high as possible.
“It’s not all doom and gloom.
Teams today have to contend with low cloud, strong wind and heavy snow, with an overnight low last night of about -2 degrees Celsius.”
More teams are likely to be deployed this afternoon.
There had not been any contact or sign of the missing pair but police were still hopeful they would be found alive and well. Snow is waist-deep in some areas.
A freezing southerly is due to sweep up the country and hit the area today, however the MetService has cancelled a weather alert for severe gale-force winds about exposed areas of Hawkes Bay and the Tararua District.
Ms Perks added that there had been cases in the past of people being trapped in the area for extended periods and getting out safely.
In all, four search and rescue teams comprising 14 people started searching, but stopped about 6pm when it got dark.
The initial search and rescue operation was launched yesterday morning when teams were carried into the ranges by the Square Trust rescue helicopter.
. Heavy cloud had prevented the use of a helicopter
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Police are keen to track down a youth spotted close to the scene of a fatal house fire in Christchurch early yesterday.
Angela Dain, 38, and daughter Baelee died in a fire at their home in Avalon St, Richmond, about 12.
Police are treating the blaze as suspicious.45am yesterday.
He is described as Maori, in his early teens, possibly wearing a red hoodie or t-shirt.
Neighbours reporting seeing a young man close to the property shortly before fire broke out.
The residents had been interviewed and ruled out of the inquiry, he told Radio New Zealand.
The officer in charge of the inquiry, Detective Senior Sergeant David Harvey, said the mother and daughter lived with others who were not in the house when the fire started.
Investigators said a house fire which broke out in Tancred St, Linwood, shortly after the Richmond fire was not linked.
Forensic examination of the house was also likely to be wrapped up today, confirming whether or not the fire was deliberately lit.
Stephen Fairclough passed out from smoke inhalation in the kitchen of the house and was revived by firefighters and ambulance staff. .
John Thornton, who watched crews fight the fire, said: “The little girl was brought out 10 or 15 minutes after I had been there.
Avalon St neighbours said they heard glass exploding and saw a “big orange ball”. I thought it was a toy to start with one of those little knitted rag dolls. She was so small.”
Angela Dain’s father, Ron Dain, said from Opotiki last night that his daughter and granddaughter were originally from the Bay of Plenty town.”
Susan Bool said: “I opened the blinds in the kitchen and there was just a big orange ball.
He described his daughter as a “very single-minded person” and a “natural athlete”.
It was their second time living in Christchurch after a stint back in the North Island.
Baelee was “a loveable child a little beauty”.
“All she lived for was sports,” he said.
A funeral was planned for Saturday in Christchurch, he said.
“She was a very even-tempered young person,” he said.
Other people lived at the property, but only Dain and her daughter were present.
Other people lived at the property, but only Dain and her daughter were present.
LINWOOD FIRE
Assistant area fire commander Dave Burford said the Tancred St fire appeared to have started from an electrical fault.
Sonya Smith said she and friend Stephen Fairclough were asleep when the fire broke out. Fairclough was asleep in the lounge.
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Christchurch is New Zealand’s safest large city, despite public opinion.
Police Christchurch Central Area Controller Inspector Derek Erasmus said Christchurch had recorded 100 violent offences per 10,000 population – lower than Wellington, Auckland, South Auckland, Hamilton and Dunedin – making it the country’s safest large city.
“Many perceptions about safety in Christchurch are not based on fact,” Mr Erasmus said.
However, the 2008 Quality of Life survey released today, which compared 12 New Zealand cities, found Christchurch had the lowest number of residents who felt safe in the city centre after dark.
The media had a big influence on people’s perception of their safety, Mr Erasmus said.
Incidents of serious violence were highlighted by local media, yet there were fewer than in other major centres.”
Police had been working closely with the Christchurch City Council and other agencies to alleviate public concerns, he said. .
The council had also funded 25 new crime cameras to target city `hotspots’, which were being installed, Mr Erasmus said.
They had introduced Safer City officers in the central city at night to increase the perception of enforcement, and to be an extension of police in areas that people congregated.
“The cameras’ prime focus for police is public safety as a deterrent, and locating offenders,” he said.
“The best location for cameras is constantly assessed and they are relocated to suit demand and social movement in city.
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A “pirate” charter operator has been ordered off the water after taking groups on illegal fishing trips out of Auckland, and legitimate operators say the case is just the tip of the iceberg.
Bond Fishing was slapped with a discontinue notice two weeks ago after Maritime New Zealand inspectors found it had been offering illegal fishing trips, charging about $120 a person for a day.
The business was not licensed and did not comply with maritime regulations or safety requirements.
Such operators are considered “pirates” because they operate outside the law.
The trips used a privately owned boat and were still advertised on Chinese-language websites as recently as January, more than a month after Maritime NZ became aware of the operation..
Sharyn Forsyth, general manager of maritime safety systems for Maritime NZ, said the operator was “advised . .
Operator Eric Jiang denied he had been running illegal trips. that as a result of investigations, legally he was unable to operate that vessel until he obtains a safe ship management [certificate]“. We are just a private boat.
“No, no, we’re not for fishing charter at the moment.
Maritime NZ was told of Bond Fishing in December.”
He said his boat did take trips “sometimes just for friends and family”. Advertisements obtained by The state that trips for a maximum of eight people leave from Half Moon Bay marina on a “private luxury yacht”. Advertisements obtained by The state that trips for a maximum of eight people leave from Half Moon Bay marina on a “private luxury yacht”.
The agency is also aware of an illegal charter operating out of Great Barrier Island, however, it says its investigations are often curtailed because the skipper is regularly tipped off that investigators are about to visit.
Maritime NZ has investigated eight formal complaints against “pirates” in the past year, resulting in at least two discontinue notices..
“He simply replies with a total denial of his charter operation . it does come down to resource, cost and practicality at the end of the day,” an email from a Maritime NZ staff member states..
One source said: “The potential is there for a disaster.
Legitimate operators say pirates are costing them thousands of dollars in lost earnings and their unregulated operations could result in tragedy.
“Vessels are invariably recreational craft, operated by pleasure craft skippers who don’t have any qualifications of any sort, and they are doing it for cash under the table. Do we have to wait for a disaster to happen before something is done?”
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Keith Ingram, publisher of Professional Skipper magazine and a marine assessor for the Transport Accident Investigation Commission, said Maritime NZ was failing to enforce its rules. Maritime NZ are bloody useless. Maritime NZ are bloody useless.”
Ms Forsyth, however, said taking action against pirates was difficult, given there were more than 400,000 recreational boats in New Zealand. Most charters were legitimate and legal.
“We have to go through quite a lengthy process to investigate and gather evidence that will stand up in court,” she said.
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Sacked climate scientist Jim Salinger’s employers praised him for being the public “face of Niwa” only 18 months ago.
However, last week, Salinger was told by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) to pack his bags, apparently for doing what he was congratulated for – talking to the media.
Documents seen by yesterday show the Crown research institute principal scientist was highly regarded by his employers as late as last year. Salinger’s employment review for the year ended June 30, 2007 performed by climate and energy application group manager Darren King and Auckland regional manager Ken Becker outlines his performance.
The Auckland climatologist, whose involvement with international climate-change research contributed to a Nobel prize and who is president of the World Meteorological Organisation’s commission for agricultural meteorology, is now considering legal action against what he considers to be unjustified dismissal.
“Well-known by public as an expert on climate matters, has a very responsible and accountable attitude to his work,” one comment says. Salinger is congratulated for his expertise, teamwork and communication abilities.
He also “has a high public profile as a climate expert and [is] the face of Niwa to the media”.
Salinger’s lawyer, Alex Hope, confirmed a personal grievance case was under way.
In a mid-year review in January last year a handwritten note acknowledges Salinger as the Niwa employee responsible for having “rebuilt relationship with TVNZ”.
Niwa spokeswoman Michele Hollis reiterated the institute’s stand that it would not comment on an “employment matter”. A decision whether to broaden that case to include a claim of unjustified dismissal would be made in the next couple of days.
He had since talked to television about an annual alpine snowline survey, to Radio New Zealand’s Checkpoint about Auckland’s hottest day in more than 130 years, and called TVNZ weatherman Jim Hickey two weeks ago from the West Coast to say the rivers were in flood. .
“Maybe I did breach their policy over Radio New Zealand, but heavens, that’s not going to destroy Niwa.
“Maybe I did breach their policy over Radio New Zealand, but heavens, that’s not going to destroy Niwa.”
Fellow scientists are stunned by Salinger’s sacking. Sure, they wanted me to step back and let others have an opportunity, but they weren’t there that day.”
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Wanaka glaciologist Trevor Chinn said he was “astonished”.
MetService spokesman Bob McDavitt said he was “shocked”, before adding: “I have been asked to say `no comment’. You have to ask yourself, `what’s the problem here’.
“It seems to me to be completely lacking in any foundation.
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Victoria University of Wellington earth scientist Jim McGregor said Salinger was “a guy who, long before climate change became fashionable, has been commenting on the issues”
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Neo-nazi boy racers cowards, say police
Wednesday, 04 February 2009
ON THE OFFENSIVE: A Christchurch boy-racer website that derides police and shows a Corolla doing a burnout.
Boy racers not ‘cockroaches’, but ‘ugly, immature’
Police fear another racer death
A neo-nazi element infiltrating Christchurch's boy racers is attracted to the anonymity of large groups because its members are "cowards", police say.
Investigations into the boy-racer anti-police movement FTP (F… . the Police) after last Friday night's attack on a lone Christchurch police officer have led to a subset of Christchurch racers who espouse radical racist views thinly veiled as "white pride".
The FTP symbol, a skull with a Stormtrooper helmet, can be seen on many boy-racer cars.
She was also part of a "white alliance, Christian, Odinist, National Socialist, Skinhead, Defender, Confederate" group.
One member of the FTP Bebo group, a woman listed as living in Linwood, professed to be "happiest when partying, cruising, watching drifting and drag racing".
Her profile led to a group page called Oi Sexy Boys and Girls.
Her Bebo site was festooned with Nazi iconography, and pictures of her friends showed young men and women with shaven heads giving Nazi salutes.
That site had planned a meeting of the "Skins of Christchurch in December" and would be "organising an event soon for the chch skins after 4&rotarys" a car show that has become a red-letter day on the boy-racer calendar. Oi is a skinhead salute.
Last year a massive influx of boy racers saw Harper Ave taken over by hoons who poured diesel on the road and performed burnouts.
Last year a massive influx of boy racers saw Harper Ave taken over by hoons who poured diesel on the road and performed burnouts. At the end of the day, they're geeky, skinny persons who wouldn't ever front up to someone face to face," he said.
"They're simply cowards.
"They love it when there's 200 to 300 of them and only three or four police.
Johnston said skinheads liked the anonymity of large groups of boy racers.
Gangs and criminals were attracted to the demonstrations as a way to attack police in safety, he said."
The same phenomenon was witnessed during the 1981 Springboks rugby tour demonstrations.
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FTP rhetoric was "similar to comments I've read on the walls of public toilets, so we're not particularly interested in monitoring them", he said