Two a penny

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An America tourist is grieving after the girlfriend
who accepted his proposal of marriage died 24 hours later while swimming
with dolphins.

Emily May Harper, 27, from Denver, Colorado, is thought to have died from natural causes as she swam in Tory Channel in the Marlborough Sounds on Tuesday.

Her boyfriend Matthew Hawkins proposed to her on Monday and she said ‘yes’.

Their last night together was memorable for all the right reasons, he told The New Zealand Herald.

Mr Hawkins said yesterday he believed his girlfriend was fit and healthy.

“I came up to her from behind and gave her a hug, and I said to her, ‘We should get married’.

He said they had been walking together at Picton Harbour, watching the lights reflecting off the water. And she said, ‘What, are you serious?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I think I am’.”

He said he had planned to ask her two days later and she never saw the ring he had bought because it was with his mother. And then she said, ‘Yes, absolutely’.”

Next morning, the pair sailed out into the Marlborough Sounds with Mr Hawkins’ mother Sandra and brother Andrew on a Dolphin Watch Ecotours vessel.

“I meant to ask her in Auckland, but the setting was just perfect.

“Emily kept giving me a thumbs-up signal while she was in the water.

He said she loved animals and wildlife and was very excited about the dolphin encounter.

“I took my eyes off Emily for barely a second, and I saw someone face down in the water.

“I took my eyes off Emily for barely a second, and I saw someone face down in the water.

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Auckland look bound for another moderate placing in this year’s Air NZ Cup championship after succumbing 12-8 to Tasman in Nelson today.

In a classic David-overcomes-Goliath scenario, the scoreline actually flattered Auckland, a union that has dominated the history of the national provincial championships but whose reputation is starting to take a battering. .

They didn’t deserve victory at Trafalgar Park, the country’s biggest union being outplayed up front by the Air NZ Cup’s smallest, allowing Tasman to surge past them into fifth place.

The hosts bagged their second soon after the break to winger Blair Cook, taking advantage of a non-existent blindside defence.

Playing with a strong wind at their back, Auckland conceded a costly try to Tasman captain Andrew Goodman soon before halftime to trail 3-7.

A Tasman loss would have been a travesty after overwhelming the visitors at scrum and lineout time while edging the breakdown battle, where Auckland coach Mark Anscombe took a gamble by playing regular No 8 Peter Saili at openside flanker in one of 10 changes.

They remained 12-3 up for much of the remainder before Auckland’s reserve hooker Pat Leafa handed them a glimmer of hope, scoring off a sizzling break by winger Atieli Pakalani with five minutes remaining.

Today’s result was an epic reversal of the teams’ only previous meeting, when Auckland prevailed 46-6 three years ago.

Tasman also played usual halfback Kahn Fotuali’i out of position at first five-eighth and he responded well, keeping the ball in hand through much of the first spell into the elements.

Halftime: 7-3.

Tasman 12 (Andrew Goodman, Blair Cook tries; Goodman con)

Auckland 8 (Pat Leafa try; Ash Moeke pen).

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Roofliss, the first amphibious van to travel across Cook Strait, has sold for $9100 on Trade Me – and could be heading home to Marlborough.

Aeronautic machinists Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull, both 23, completed the 65-kilometre journey from Waikawa Bay marina to Mana marina in the modified Toyota Town Ace, they’d built on September 6. .Ian and Jenny Fyfe of Blenheim, who won the auction said they had been bidding on behalf of someone else, but would not reveal who.”There was the possibility of fundraising or sponsorship, but earlier this evening Mr Melling conceeded that looked unlikely, he said.”It would be interesting to look at later on rather than someone buying it, thrashing it and dumping it in their shed so no-one will see it again.”It’s going to be sad to see her go,” he said.Mr Melling said he enjoyed the auction with a beer and said he was “stoked” with the price, but “you always hope it goes higher”.”His share of the money would be spent: shouting a few beverages, on his car, which he described as a “black hole”, and on the next project, which would be “maybe a bit faster, further and comfy”.”(If the van was heading back to Marlborough) It would be good to take it back to Picton for a bit of a hack around.

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A 60 bed container unit is to be established at Rimutaka Prison as the Corrections Department seeks ways to house a burgeoning prison population.

The block, to be constructed on a field in the prison grounds in the Hutt Valley, would house high to medium security prisoners and be staffed by 20-25 new guards.

The Government previously announced it would use converted containers as cells to boost capacity.

“This project is the first of its kind at a New Zealand prison and we hope it will point the way to how we can build extra prison capacity faster and much cheaper than in the past,” she said.

Corrections Minister Judith Collins said today the unit would help the department evaluate whether the containers can be used in other prisons. We have to take immediate action to ensure that prisoners are securely locked away and the public is kept safe.

“Corrections is forecast to run out of baseline beds early next year.”

Ms Collins said prison numbers had swelled from about 5000 in 1996-97 to 8400 now.

It was estimated a further 5000 beds would be needed by 2018.

As on Monday the muster was 12 short of breaking the record for the number of people locked up.

A tender process had started and cells would be in use from March.

Using containers was a quick and cost effective solution, and the recession meant there were plenty to be recycled, she said.

Staff, dining, showers and other facilities would also feature in the containers.

Each bed would cost between $53,000 and $63,000, which Ms Collins said was far cheaper than for a new prison.

While some of the components of the initial cells will come from overseas, they will be extensively fitted out in New Zealand.

While some of the components of the initial cells will come from overseas, they will be extensively fitted out in New Zealand.

Corrections Department chief executive Barry Matthews said container cells were used in Australia, Britain and the United States.”

Prisoners would not be involved in construction as a result of the tight schedule, but they may be in future.

Asked about rolling out the new style of cells at Rimutaka given problems it has recently faced – such as guards alleged involved in a drug ring and a female guard having a relationship with a prisoner – Mr Matthews said overall there had been improvement in management of prisons.

They were similar quality to normal prison cells and better than in older prisons.

The department was also rolling out double bunking at prisons, aiming to add 1000 beds to the system.

Containers would be a mix of single and double cells. .

Prison guards’ union, the Corrections Association of New Zealand, is taking the department to the Employment Court over the double bunking issue, saying it breaches collective agreements

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Miley Cyrus rode a wave of success at the Teen Choice Awards.

The teen queen sailed away with six surfboard-shaped trophies at Sunday’s ceremony. Cyrus won for comedy TV actress and comedy TV show for “Hannah Montana,” music/dance movie actress and hissy fit for the “Hannah Montana” movie, music single for “The Climb” and summer song for “Before the Storm.

“I’m a huge fans of hers,” Cyrus said before a subdued Spears accepted her own surfboard.”

She also presented Britney Spears with the ultimate choice award.

Show hosts the Jonas Brothers kicked off the ceremony by performing “Much Better” on a tiny stage that moved through the audience. .

They won five awards, including choice male red carpet icons and breakout TV show for “Jonas.”

“We’ll see you guys in theaters Nov.”

The biggest winner of the night was vampire drama “Twilight,” which sucked up nine movie awards: choice drama, romance, liplock, rumble, drama actress for Kristen Stewart, drama actor for Robert Pattinson, villain for Cam Gigandet, fresh face female for Ashley Greene and fresh face male for Taylor Lautner, who will also appear in the upcoming sequel, “New Moon.

Other big winners included “Gossip Girl” and Zac Efron. 20,” Lautner teased the squealing crowd.”

Spears – who performed at the annual event on Sunday night – was presented with the Ultimate Choice Award for her “extraordinary contributions to the entertainment industry”. Chace Crawford, Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick picked up drama actor, actress, villain and TV series awards for the sudsy CW series while Efron won for music/dance movie actor in “High School Musical 3″ and comedy movie actor and rockstar moment in “17 Again.

Britney’s performance will mark 10 years since the first Teen Choice Awards in 1999, where Britney – who is currently on a break from her world tour – was one of the performers.

Britney’s performance will mark 10 years since the first Teen Choice Awards in 1999, where Britney – who is currently on a break from her world tour – was one of the performers.

Retired boxer Mike Tyson – currently starring in the movie The Hangover – also attended.

The ceremony at Universal City’s Gibson Amphitheatre in California – will also feature appearances from Black Eyed Peas, Miley Cyrus and Cobra Starship with Leighton Meester.

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Auckland should be largely run by community councils with powers to set rates and compete for ratepayers and each others businesses, ACT MP Sir Roger Douglas said today. .

He suggested the single council board should be made up of a mayor and eight councillors elected at large and responsible for setting policy, and looking after region-wide issues such as roading and water.

Groups of ratepayers who lived next to another community council should also be able to opt out and join another council.

The former Labour finance minister said under the single council there should be a flexible community council structure with ratepayers able to decide its size and even set up their own councils.

Rates demands should set out where the money was being spent and ratepayers should be able to decide whether they preferred to get services such as rubbish collection and recycling from the private sector.

“The capacity to change council will create competition for ratepayers, which is likely to see value for money being delivered by local government,” Sir Roger said.

“The golden rule is that decisions must be made by those closest to the action.

“Unless they are required to raise the revenue, community councils will join the queue of special interests which advocate increased spending. Capability to make decisions also necessitates responsibility for revenue to pay it,” Sir Roger said.

Ms Kedgley said the bill as drafted gave too much power to the Auckland mayor and believed there needed to more councillors on the single council elected from wards

She was concerned that the single council could become a “bloated, inaccessible, remote monolith.”

Green MP Sue Kedgley also called for the role of community boards, as proposed in the bill, to be expanded to that of community councils with responsibility to deliver all local services within a fixed budget set by the wider single regional council. . .there is a real risk, in other words, that it will end up a super tanker, rather than a super city council”.there is a real risk, in other words, that it will end up a super tanker, rather than a super city council”

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A child is the latest victim of swine flu as New Zealand’s death toll has climbed to 11 and the flu season peak is yet to come.

There are now a total of 2443 confirmed cases of swine flu, or influenza A (H1N1), up from 2368 yesterday. .

No further details about the victim have been released, at the request of the family.

The child died within the past week in the Mid Central District Health Board region, and had underlying medical conditions.

New Zealand’s health services were still feeling the pressure from both seasonal and non-seasonal influenza this winter, but were coping well, said Health Minister Tony Ryall.

An eight-year-old girl also died from the virus in Wellington Hospital earlier this month.

Some hospitals were postponing elective surgery and were at full capacity in their intensive care units but were still on top of things, he said.

“What this surveillance data shows us is that we have not yet reached a peak in the number of people who will experience influenza this year.

“Latest data from ESR’s GP sentinel surveillance system shows a sharp spike in the number of consultations for influenza-like illnesses,” Mr Ryall said.”

Healthline continued to receive a large number of calls from people with influenza-like symptoms, although the volume of calls had dropped in the past week. We anticipate that our health services will continue to be under pressure for some time yet.

So far, the highest consultation rates have been reported among children and teenagers aged from birth to 19 years.

There was a continuing sharp increase in consultations for influenza like illnesses through ESR’s GP sentinel surveillance system since last week, said deputy director of public health Fran McGrath.

The highest weekly influenza consultation rates have been reported from South Auckland, Wellington and South Canterbury health districts.

The highest weekly influenza consultation rates have been reported from South Auckland, Wellington and South Canterbury health districts