Two a penny

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The Government does not appear to be concerned about the reopening of an inquiry into one of its MPs.

The inquiry, involving list MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi over immigration allegations, is back on after police were provided with fresh information.

There have also been allegations swirling around about attempts to silence witnesses.

Mr Bakshi has denied allegations he accepted money for false job offers to bolster Indian immigrant applications.

“There have been allegations around for a while, it’s my understanding that the Department of Immigration has been looking into those and they should follow the proper processes.

“As far as I understand, he’s quite clear he hasn’t done anything he shouldn’t have done,” Acting Prime Minister Bill English told reporters today.

It has now provided police with further information on the allegations after interviewing a new informant, The New Zealand Herald reported.”

Immigration New Zealand started an inquiry last year but closed it in March as a result of a lack of evidence.

Police said they were looking at the role of former immigration consultant Darshan Singh Bains, who took job offers from Mr Bakshi and gave them to Indians to use as part of their applications to migrate to New Zealand.

The service also provided police with a sworn statement, obtained by Labour MP Pete Hodgson from another new informant, which said complainants were encouraged by people in India to drop the matter; “because he was going to be the first Sikh MP in New Zealand”. .

“Police are currently assessing that Immigration NZ information to determine criminal liability,” police said.

In Parliament today Mr Hodgson read an affidavit sworn by Darshan Singh Saran, a resident of the Punjab and a friend of Kuldip Singh, the man who says he paid for a job offer for his wife.

Mr Bakshi has been away from work after a heart bypass operation but is expected back soon.

It recorded how “influential people” urged Kuldip Singh not to speak out against the MP.

The affidavit said the money was paid to Darshan Singh Bains, and Kuldip Singh’s attempts to recover it failed because the immigration consultant had disappeared.

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Moa poo shows birds ate tiny herbs

Thursday, 15 January 2009

A study of fossilised moa droppings has found the giant birds had a surprising appetite for tiny herbs.
The findings, from preserved poop which lay in caves and rock shelters for thousands of years, have overturned notions that moa browsed only on trees and bushes.
"It shows they were grazers as well," said Otago University graduate Jamie Wood."
Another surprising discovery was that a currently threatened native herb, ceratocephala pungens,was once common.
"Some of these herbs were just two or three centimetres high, but you have these giant birds eating them. It's made us wonder if maybe the plant becoming endangered has something to do with the birds that were spreading its seeds becoming extinct.
"We found its seeds all over the place."
Wood, who next week starts work for Landcare Research, is studying moa droppings with Alan Cooper, director of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA. .
They examined leaf fragments, plant seeds, and DNA from more than 1500 faecal fossils known as coprolites.

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Axe bandit hits Wgtn service stations

By CLIO FRANCIS – Wednesday, 14 January 2009

Supplied
BRAZEN ROBBERY: Wellington Police said the early morning robberies at a Shell station in Newtown and a Caltex station in Miramar, left staff traumatised and the offender with less than $300 cash.

A brazen robber with a tomahawk axe strapped to his waist struck two service stations in Wellington today.
Acting Detective sergeant Andrew Compton said in both cases the lone robber lifted up his shirt to expose what the victims thought was a tomahawk axe placed across his waist.
Wellington Police said the early morning robberies at a Shell station in Newtown and a Caltex station in Miramar, left staff traumatised and the offender with less than $300 cash.
The first robbery occurred around 5.
He said police were sure images taken from security cameras at the petrol stations would help find the person responsible.
Later, at 8.20 this morning at a Shell station on Constable Road, Newtown, he said.
He said that at both petrol stations the man demanded the contents of the till, and left with small sums of cash.45am, the man walked into the Caltex Station in Broadway, close to Wellington Airport. The victims said he wore a black beanie over his face with a black cap on top.
The robber is described as being dark skinned, possibly Fijian, in his mid 20's. .
He was dressed in a red t-shirt with a long sleeved grey jacket and was wearing baggy jeans.

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Cradle to early grave

Tuesday, 06 January 2009

More than350 children and young people whose safety or welfare had been brought to Child, Youth and Family's attention have died since 2000.
Children's commissioner Cindy Kiro says many of the deaths were preventable.
Some died from suicide, abuse, assaults by parents or caregivers, neglect and shootings.
Last year, Dr Kiro carried out a review of the deathsand she criticised CYF social workers for not focusing enough on at-risk children. Most died from natural causes, medical complications or accidents, including vehicle crashes, fires, falls and drownings.
Dr Kiro said she was frustrated by the significant number of preventable child deaths through violence, neglect, injury or suicide.The review found "gaps" in information provided to her office and triggered a new focus on neglect by parents and caregivers.
Though CYF had dealt with some issues identified in her review, it needed to do more to protect high-risk children it was notified about.. "I want to see more impetus and focus . because that's where I think we can save the lives of a lot more children.."
Figures in Dr Kiro's 2008 annual report show her office was notified by CYF of 86 deaths last financial year alone a large increase on the previous year.
"It's immensely frustrating and it makes me feel sometimes angry that we can't and don't do more.
A further 271 deaths were reported between 2000 and 2007.
A further 271 deaths were reported between 2000 and 2007.
"We know about them, but it might just be a phone call that's made about a kid who's driving fast down the road," a spokesman said. .
About 50 children have died since 2000 while in CYF care, four from violence or abuse.
Numerous children referred to its care had pre-existing medical conditions. She would work with Dr Kiro on child advocacy issues.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett refused to comment on the numbers, saying only that any child's death was tragic.
She said children notified to CYF were dying from the same causes as other children but were a higher-risk group.
Dr Kiro's review last year criticised CYF social-worker practices, and found "significant issues around supervision and chronic neglect" by some parents and caregivers, especially in cot death cases."
Generally when childrendied through deliberate violence or neglect, most were aged under five, not known to CYF officials and from families with intergenerational abuse. "So there's going to be an increased proportion of them who will die from physical assault, injury or other violence categories.
The number of reported cases of potential child abuse jumped from 40,939 notifications in 2004 to 89,461 last year.
The number of reported cases of potential child abuse jumped from 40,939 notifications in 2004 to 89,461 last year.
CYF said it was "symptomatic of an increase of public awareness and a growing intolerance of child abuse in society".