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Trade Minister Tim Groser said last night that he had just discovered he still held shares in a company he resigned from in February to avoid any possibility of conflict of interest.
Mr Groser was a director of Indian Overseas Group Ltd and resigned as a director after he was appointed trade minister.
The Labour Party has previously raised questions about the gap between his appointment in November and his resignation as a director on February 15, which was a few days before Mr Groser announced New Zealand was going to negotiate a free trade agreement with India.
“I discovered that I had 2000 shares in Indian Overseas Group Ltd, representing my initial start-up capital contribution,” he said.
Mr Groser said tonight that after receiving a media call he checked the companies register.
“I have taken immediate steps to divest myself of this shareholding.
“I was unaware that when I resigned as a director on February 15 2009 that I had a continuing financial interest, given that I believed the shareholding had no value because the company is inactive and there is no prospect of it becoming active. .
Mr Groser was once a director of New Zealand Aviation as well, but he resigned from it in January.
Mr Worth was reprimanded by Prime Minister John Key for going to India on a private trip and then speaking in his capacity as a minister while he promoted an aviation company he had an interest in.
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Body identified as missing Alaskan
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Oamaru Police have confirmed the body found close to the Kakanui River mouth earlier today is that of a missing Alaskan man.
Sergeant Tony Woodbridge said the dead man had been identified as 20-year-old Sean Francis Lawson of Alaska.
His body was found on the south beach close to the mouth of the Kakanui River around 7am earlier today.
Mr Lawson's family wished to thank the search and rescue volunteers and the Kakanui community for their help in locating their son, he said.
"The matter has now been handed on to the Coroner's Office and police will be assisting with any ongoing enquiries," he said. .
"The matter has now been handed on to the Coroner's Office and police will be assisting with any ongoing enquiries.
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Cloak with a history comes home to Te Papa
Thursday, 19 February 2009
MAARTEN HOLL/
OUT OF THE CLOSET: Angela Ewing gifted a cloak given to her father in the 1950s to Te Papa. The historic garment had been hanging in the back of a cupboard.
Angela Ewingalways knew her British father's Maori cloak was special.
Covered in kiwi and kaka feathers, with a solitary kereru feather, the cloak, say museum experts is an unusual and distinctive taonga.
"I just didn't know how special", she said as she gave it back to New Zealand at Te Papa yesterday.
Ms Ewing, a Londoner visiting relatives in New Zealand, said her father came to this country on exchange as a teacher in 1953.
Though its origins are unknown, it is believed to have had an illustrious history, even adorning a prime minister's shoulders.
After working in Dannevirke, he was given the cloak, or korowai, by a colleague surnamed Walker and was able to take it out of New Zealand without trouble.
She thought her father had an idea of the cloak's significance but said he gave it to her when he next travelled to Asia.
Mr Walker was apparently a wrestler, and the cloak had been given to him by New Zealand's first Labour prime minister, Michael Joseph Savage, who shared a love of the sport, Ms Ewing said..
"I've been meaning to give it back for at least 20 years . it's just been stuck in a cupboard," she said.. Ms Ewing was presented with a greenstone necklace after she gave back the cloak. .
Te Papa planned to include the cloak in a publication in the next 18 months, as well as a public exhibition within four years, Mr Hakiwai said.
The stories and history of the cloak she had shared would help to track down its origins, he said.
Marks of the weaver were clear, from a series of small triangles in one corner to the solitary kereru feather.
Maori curator Awhina Tamarapa said the cloak was especially distinctive as it was decorated with three columns of feathers with tassels in between, and staff had dubbed it a "feather korowai".
. Further research would be done to try to locate the cloak's origins
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Passengers see fuel pour from plane
By TOBY ROBSON Monday, 09 February 2009
Rattled passengers were told not to take photos as fuel streamed out of the wings of an Air New Zealand jet bound for Los Angeles.
Flight NZ6, with 365 people on board, was forced to turn back about 20 minutes after leaving Auckland on Saturday night when the pilots were unable to retract the landing gear.
"People were pretty calm, but there were a few nervous moments there when they started dumping fuel," a passenger told The . They were telling people to stop taking photos, I'm not sure why.
"It looked like it was raining down, it was streaming from the wings.
"They said that was why the plane was vibrating so much, as a result of the drag of the landing gear," the passenger said."
The pilot told passengers a sensor in the cockpit had gone off and that they were going to dump fuel before returning to Auckland. "We flew around for about an hour then they landed again."
Another passenger, David Duignan, told Radio New Zealand many people applauded when the plane landed safely. .30pm and returned to Auckland 90 minutes later.
An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said the plane took off at 7. The aircraft landed without incident. "Following standard procedure a local standby was declared. Engineers are currently inspecting the aircraft. Engineers are currently inspecting the aircraft.
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Air New Zealand put the passengers up in a hotel for the night, shouting them pizza for dinner, and most left for Los Angeles in the morning
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Neighbours see woman stabbed to death
– Tuesday, 27 January 2009
A woman has died from stab wounds and her partner is in hospital under police guard after a domestic incident in Dunedin witnessed by horrified neighbours.
Police said the 21-year-old woman died from stab wounds following an incident in suburban St Kilda last night. A man, who police say was her partner, was in a stable condition in Dunedin hospital and under police guard.
Mr McGregor said there had been five 111 calls and police were particularly interested in speaking with those callers.
No-one else was being sought in relation to the stabbing, however, police were seeking further witnesses to help with their inquiry.
Detective Senior Sergeant Steve McGregor said 36 detectives and police staff were working on the case.
"While we have already spoken with a number of people and are continuing to do so today, we are also keen to hear from anybody else who may have witnessed the events surrounding this incident, which involved an argument and physical altercation on Bay View Road shortly after 9pm last evening," he said.
It is understood that the stabbing was sparked by a domestic incident and the man's wounds were self-inflicted.
"She was covered in blood.
A neighbour described seeing a woman running down a road covered in blood with a man chasing her. . .
"Another guy from the house tried to stop him .I saw a guy chasing the girl down the middle of the road," he told The Otago Daily Times. . ."
The witness said the man stabbed himself three or four times in the chest, collapsed, then got to his feet before stabbing himself again. then he just started to stab himself.
The woman was understood to have gone to a neighbouring house to seek help.
Another neighbour said the woman had blood pouring from her arm as she ran along the road.
No-one else was being sought in relation to the incident.
When police arrived they moved crowds away from the scene and set up a cordon.
Members of the public with any information should contact them, he said.
Mr McGregor said police were setting up a caravan near the address at the Kings High School end of Bay View Road.
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A post mortem was due to be carried out today
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Police name dead Chch taxi driver
Saturday, 06 December 2008
RICHARD COSGROVE/
NASTY SCENE: The body of taxi driver Abdulrahman Ikhtiari lies in Worcester St just east of the intersection of Barbadoes in Christchurch after he was murdered in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Police hunt taxi killers
Taxi drivers consider protective screens
Christchurch police are hunting for two people seen running from the scene of a fatal stabbing of a taxi driver in Christchurch early on Saturday.
The 39-year-old driver, originally from Afghanistan, died where he was stabbed in Barbadoes Street near Worcester St in central Christchurch shortly after midnight. .
Police namedhim as married father-of-five Abdulrahman Ikhtiari, police said.
They were described as in their mid-20s, about 1.
He was found lying dead near his taxi about 1am and witnesses told police they had seen two men running from the scene, heading east.8m tall, both with dark skin, of medium athletic build with short dark hair.
He was found lying dead near his taxi about 1am and witnesses told police they had seen two men running from the scene, heading east. One man was wearing a white bandanna or cap and dark clothing, and the other was wearing a white top and dark trousers.
A post mortem was due to be held later today and police appealed for information from anyone who may know the killers or details that would help.
Police cordoned off the scene today and put up the tent over his body to protect the area while they hunted for clues.
The dead man was described by his work colleagues as a "lovely guy" and a peaceful family man.
The Christchurch taxi industry was shocked at the news.
Police have said little about the killing.
Police have said little about the killing.
"He was a peaceful man.
Manager Lynne Ellwood it was bad news and had upset all the drivers in the fleet. I knew this driver for a long time."
"It is a sad time for all of us."
Others in the industry said it was "a dirty business" and taxi companies would have to start thinking about providing protection for their drivers. He was a really nice, quiet family man.
He said drivers on the night shift knew there was a risk and knew not to do anything to upset people.
One worker in the industry who did not want to be named, said the driver would not have been antagonising or provoking the people who stabbed him.
Johnson said it was "a tragic crime which someone will know or have been told about.
"It's a dirty business and it is not getting any better," he said.
Policeappealedto anyone with information about this crime to contact the Christchurch police on 3637400.
Policeappealedto anyone with information about this crime to contact the Christchurch police on 3637400.
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Festival-goer faces bus theft charge
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
A ToastMartinboroughreveller was left with more than just a hangover after allegedly stealing a bus, only to crash it moments later and fall flat on his face in front of security guards.
Sunday's festivities, which drew 10,000 wine and food lovers, were drawing to a close when the man commandeered a Transit bus at Martinborough Square after its driver got off to talk to a supervisor, police said.
With six people still on the bus, the man jumped into the driver's seat and took off, Sergeant Caroline Watson said.
The bus hit a traffic bollard, ripping it from its foundations.
The bus was driven around Martinborough Square, but the man at the wheel – who was said to have drunk his fair share of the 12,666 bottles of wine swilled that day – failed to take a corner.
The driver then allegedly tried to run but tripped and fell, directly in front of a passing car of security guards. The man continued driving along Kitchener St before ramming a bus-stop sign, Ms Watson said. .
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Bali bombers’ execution brings family no satisfaction
Monday, 10 November 2008
The family of a Timaru man killed in the 2002 Bali bombings say they take no satisfaction from the execution of his murderers yesterday. .
The executions come six years after the Kuta nightclub explosions that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians and three New Zealanders.15am (Indonesian time) yesterday on the prison island of Nusa Kambangan, off the coast of Java.
"It's not a blip in our lives at all," he said of the executions.
John Parker, the uncle of Mark Parker, who was one of those killed, said nothing could make up for the loss of his nephew. "There's no feeling of closure as they say or justice Mark is not here and everyone has learnt to live with that. It's their own justice process and nothing to do with us," he said.
Bomb threats were received by the Australian and United States embassies in Indonesia last week."
The executions have raised fears of reprisal attacks in Indonesia, with security forces on alert across the country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised against all travel to central Sulawesi, and against non-essential travel to Bali and other parts of Indonesia.
New Zealanders registered as travelling in Indonesia will be notified that the executions have taken place.
Most terrorism analysts believe it is unlikely there will be a major attack but agree there is a risk of mob violence and clashes involving hardline supporters of the trio.
The presence of police has been stepped up across Indonesia amid threats of attacks in Bali and in Jakarta shopping malls.
Right up until their final days, the killers showed no remorse and used the media to claim to be warriors of Islam and predict a wave of attacks against Westerners following their deaths.
The executions follow years of legal challenges to the death sentences, which were handed down in 2003.
Samudra was the operational field commander for the bombings.
Mukhlas was convicted of approving, inciting, financing and carrying out the bombings, while his younger brother, Amrozi, bought the van and chemicals for the explosion, and attended planning sessions for the attacks.
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‘Boobs’ parade ends at Parliament (+pics)
By MICHAEL FOX and CLIO FRANCIS – Friday, 07 November 2008
NICKI PARSONS/The
BOOBS IN CAPITAL: The controversial Boobs on Bikes parade took to the streets of Wellington today.
Boobs at Parliament
View photos (Caution: nudity)
Thousands of people thronged the capital's central business district today for the inaugural Wellington Boobs on Bikes parade.
Naked News presenter Lisa Lewis, clad in snug a Lions uniform, was seen on the back of a ute, courting attention amongst the throng of expectant bystanders.
Onlookers and amateur photographers jostled for prime viewing positions and most seemed to be enjoying the views of 20 topless females on the back of bikes.
"It should happen more often.
Onlooker Liam Cain, 19, said the parade was "fantastic, bro".
Construction workers at the Supreme Court stopped work and wolf-whistled in excitement as the half-naked passengers roared past."
Along the parade route, a cross-section of society could be seen making the most of the occasion including schoolboys, businessmen, mothers with prams and the South Korean girls Under-17 soccer team.
David and Suzanne Jackett were also impressed by the parade and said they were already looking forward to next year.
Green MP Sue Kedgley campaigned forlornly on Lambton Quay, holding a Greens placard, as the attention of the crowd instead focussed on the main event.
Suzanne said she had also enjoyed it and had taken plenty or photos for keepsakes.
"Auckland has had it for years and its time that we caught up – and it was a lovely day for it," David said.
Parade organisers defied orders from the Office of the Speaker not to enter Parliaments grounds, in spite of a heavy police presence.
"I wouldn't mind sitting on the back myself but I'm a bit old now," she said.
Beehive staffers could be seen peering out the windows as the excited crowd stormed up the hill at Parliament to gain a good vantage point.
The models dismounted their bikes and walked side by side with organiser Steve Crow to the statue of Premier Richard Seddon where they posed for the cameras of the excited crowd.
When informed by that the parade, minus the bikes, had made it on to Parliament grounds, The Family Party leader Richard Lewis said it was"an affront to the traditional values of our country.
Porn Star Evan Stone, who participated in the parade, ventured on to Parliament's steps to the cheers of the crowd before being escorted off by security.
"He's waved his finger at the New Zealand public before and he'll do it again."
"It reflects the kind of guy Mr Crow is.
A spokesman from the Speaker's office told Crow all requests to use the grounds for commercial purposes were declined."
The Family Party had earlier this week laid a complaint with the Speaker's office about Crow's plans to take Boobs on Bikes to Parliament. .
Crow had previously told the the parade was a "freedom of expression" ride.
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Man charged with abandoning baby on Rotorua street
Saturday, 06 September 2008
A man will appear in court next week after allegedly abandoning a baby in Rotorua.
The Rotorua Daily Post reported the six-month-old boy was left in his pram on a city street about 1.
Acting Sergeant Steve Allpress said a member of the public found him, safe and well, with a bottle of milk and nappies in the pram.30pm on Thursday.
Mr Allpress said witnesses described the man's behaviour as distressed.
Mr Allpress said a man in his 30s was seen pushing the pram up Clayton Road before turning into Brookland Rd, then sitting on a fence before getting up and walking away, leaving the pram on a footpath.
A man charged with abandoning a child under six will appear in the Rotorua District Court next Thursday.
The baby and two other children, aged seven and eight, had been put into the care of Child, Youth and Family.