Two a penny

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An inquest into the death of a loader driver on a Taranaki farm has been adjourned after the coroner took the unusual step of urging the Department of Labour to reconsider laying charges.

The inquest into the death of Paul Edwin Orin Robinson, 36, of Tapawera, 58km south-west of Nelson, was due to be heard in the New Plymouth Coroner’s Court yesterday.

She told the court she was “surprised” no charges had been laid by the department and put Mr Robinson’s former employers, Nelson-based South Pacific Movements Ltd, as well as the owners of the land where the fatal accident happened “on notice” that they might need to take legal advice. .

Forestry workers jumped into the water in an unsuccessful attempt to save their trapped colleague.

Mr Robinson died after his machine tumbled off a farm bridge and into the Mohakatino River, near Mokau, in June last year.

Ms Nagara said she was not prepared to proceed with the inquest, given the amount of evidence she had in front of her, and was concerned that proceeding with the hearing could prejudice the case.

Farm owner Ben Hutchinson was cleared in December of any blame, following an investigation by the Department of Labour, while no charges were laid against South Pacific Movements Ltd.

“The features of this case are such that I’m surprised that charges were not laid.

“I don’t consider I would do Paul any justice if I was to rush it [inquest] through,” she said.

Mrs Gichard then asked if the coroner had fresh evidence that the department was not in possession of.”

Department of Labour health and safety inspector Gail Gichard responded in court by telling the coroner that the case had been extensively peer reviewed before the decision not to lay charges was made.

“My concern is very much to do justice to Paul and get to the bottom of what happened,” she said, before adding that it was a difficult decision to adjourn the case, knowing that a number of Mr Robinson’s family had travelled from Nelson.

Ms Nagara responded that she was not prepared to discuss that in open court.

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Mrs Robinson said she did not want to comment on the coroner’s decision until after the case was closed.

Barbara Robinson, Paul’s mother, said after the adjournment that she “just wanted closure” to the case.

“The next step will be to discuss a number of issues with the coroner, and that’s pretty much as far as I can go,” he said.

Department of Labour Taranaki manager Brett Murray was also reluctant to talk about the decision.”

South Pacific Movements Ltd director Anthony Bamford, of Nelson, was not available for comment. “I don’t really want to say any more until I’ve discussed it with her.

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‘Haere ra’ for disgraced lawyer

Monday, 02 March 2009

A disgraced British lawyer and her husband, who was sacked by the Nelson-Marlborough District Health Board, are understood to be close to leaving New Zealand.
Eight months after former associate immigration minister Shane Jones said "it may very well be haere ra" for Jane Loveday and Richard Vosper, the couple are on the verge of leaving.
She was struck off as a lawyer for being grossly reckless in her handling of a huge class-action case involving allegations of sexual assault by former clients of a gynaecologist who mutilated dozens of women. . He is not, and to purport to be one is a criminal offence.
At the time Mr Vosper was working for his wife and allegedly telling people that he, too, was a solicitor.
Ms Loveday fled Britain before the Law Society of England and Wales heard the case, which effectively stopped the society judging her on more serious allegations including dishonesty and fraud.
One client told The that Mr Vosper asked her to act out how she was allegedly raped by the gynaecologist.
"Good riddance," Ms Surcouf said last week.
They were run to ground in Blenheim when Nelson woman Michele Surcouf caught out Mr Vosper lying about his marital status on an internet dating site."
A spokesman for Immigration New Zealand said last week that "significant" progress had been made in the department's investigation into the couple's immigration permits but would not comment further without a privacy waiver. "I just hope they are going back to Britain to face up to their past there.
The couple got to New Zealand on the back of a work permit Mr Vosper obtained when he was employed as a social worker at Blenheim hospital.
But other sources revealed the couple have decided they do not want a fight with the immigration department and have decided to leave soon.
The DHB sacked him in November.
After the story broke, the DHB launched its own investigation into Mr Vosper's past life including the allegations about acting out a rape and that he purported to be a solicitor when he was not.
The British organisation responsible for monitoring social workers, the Social Care Council, has begun an investigation into Mr Vosper, who is still a registered social worker in England. If the couple return to Britain, they may face further inquiries by authorities there. In fact, she was already in Blenheim.
Police in Britain were also investigating the allegations of fraud and dishonesty that the law society did not hear because Ms Loveday said she was too unwell to attend their hearing.

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She still owes the society $50,000

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New car rescue method tested

Monday, 16 February 2009

Crash victims trapped in cars could have a better chance of survival, with the fire service testing a new method of pulling wrecks apart.
Five fire stations in Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa and Porirua areas with some of the highest front-impact-crash rates are involved in the trial.
It involves anchoring the wreck to a tree or truck before chains attached to the fire truck's hydraulic system pull away sections of the vehicle as its roof and door pillars are cut with the jaws of life.
Masterton station officer and trial coordinator Garry Nielsen said the rescue method was revolutionary.
A Masterton firefighter was sent to Norway last year to learn the new technique, which was tested in Wairarapa last week at a bad car crash. This is ground-breaking. "In the past, the techniques we have used could take up to an hour or more to free someone. We can have them out in 15 minutes. Every second is critical. For every 10 minutes someone is trapped, there is 10 per cent less chance of survival. ."
On Wednesday, Greytown firefighters used the chains to free a 74-year-old woman trapped in her car after it crashed into a bridge on Cape Palliser Rd close to Ngawi.

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If the trial is successful, it will be rolled out nationwide at a cost of about $500 per set of chains for each rescue fire-truck

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Afghanistan extension on cards

Monday, 09 February 2009

Kiwi troops in Afghanistan are likely to be asked to dig in for longer as the Government prepares to review the six-year-old deployment amid mounting pressure on the United States' allies to do more.
Government sources say there has been no request yet from the US for more Kiwi troops but it would "not be a surprise" if there were. .
The push for more Australian troops comes as US President Barack Obama prepares to step up pressure on his country's European allies to provide more toops to support Nato's 55,000-strong International Security Assistance force.
At least 800 extra Australian troops would be required, The Australian newspaper reported.
New Zealand has 132 troops in Afghanistan's Bamyan province, close toly six years after they were sent there on a year-long deployment.
The US expects to lift its troop commitment in Afghanistan by about 25,000 over the next three years.
It also has instructors with the Afghan National Army Training Team, an officer based with the United Nations Assistance Mission and two staff officers and a driver at the International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul.
Sources have confirmed it is likely to be rolled over.
The pressure from the US for international troops to do more in Afghanistan comes as Cabinet prepares to receive a briefing paper on extending the Bamyan commitment beyond September.

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The Labour government and the Defence Force answered previous suggestions that troop numbers be increased with concerns that it would overstretch the armed forces

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Family beat back fire from Mahia home

Tuesday, 03 February 2009

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ASH REMAINS: Christina (left) and Kerry Jane stand in ash-covered sandhills on their Mahia farm where parents Colin and Raewyn battled flames for hours before appealing for help to save the family home.

Mahia couple Colin and Raewyn Jane used wet sacks and buckets of water to beat down flames leaping toward their family home as a wind-fed fire ripped across a huge tract of the coast. They summoned water tankers to help control flames racing through dry grass in their back paddock toward pine trees close to their house.
The Janes, who live with their three children in Kaiwaitau Rd, worked themselves to exhaustion before dialling 111 about 11pm on Sunday. About 50 evacuated residents and holiday-makers spent the night at close toby Opoutama School.
The fire, which began at close toby Opoutama on Sunday afternoon, sent 20-metre flames sweeping through a wetland, tinder-dry grass and pine plantations destroying a house and seven other buildings in YMCA Rd.
By yesterday afternoon, the fire had burnt a seven-kilometre perimeter and left 140 hectares of charred, smoking earth. A YMCA Rd home, owned by Rata Sinclair, was saved by family members who stamped on the sparks and flying embers that threatened to ignite it.
The Janes managed to keep the fire from their home and hay shed, and their 50 cows and 180 deer walked through burning sandhills to safety.
Helicopters with monsoon buckets, more than 100 firefighters from Gisborne and Hawke's Bay, and heavy earthmoving contractors had fought to bring it under control.
A neighbour, Hau Taumata, said that at one property, he and fellow firefighters saved a truck and a house, but a tractor, trailer, boat and another truck were burnt.
"At one stage we thought we weren't going to win," Mrs Jane said.
He saved 100 cattle on his property, but lost about four hectares of pine trees and kilometres of fencing. .
There were fears last night that strong winds could reignite it.
Conservation Department spokesperson Malcolm Smith said it could take weeks to fully extinguish the deep-seated fire.

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Body in Aoraki-Mt Cook may be Israeli tourist’s

By JEFF TOLLAN Timaru Herald Tuesday, 27 January 2009

A missing Israeli tourist in the Aoraki-Mt Cook National Park is now presumed dead after rescuers found the body of a man late this evening.
It appears the man, aged in his 20s, was on his way back from a walk to the Mueller Hut in perfect weather when he strayed from the track, fell "a considerable distance" and died from his injuries.
It was found about 6pm by a helicopter searching for the man.
While the man's identity is yet to be confirmed, DOC area manager Richard McNamara said the body is believed to be that of the missing tramper.
"Then he fell and has died as a result of his injuries.
"He has walked up to the hut via the marked route to stay the night and for whatever reason he has diverted off the route and walked into an area that's very steep and technically difficult,'' Mr McNamara said.
The body was on rugged terrain on the ridge leading down from the Mueller Hutt, to the west of the Mt Cook Village."
Mr McNamara said it was unclear how far the man fell, but said it was "quite a considerable distance".15am on Monday morning.
The man was last seen at the hut, 1800 metres up the Sealy Range, at 8.
Department of Conservation (DOC) staff located his car at Whitehorse Hill car park yesterday morning when he failed to sign out. He had been due out later that day. His body was found shortly after.
Two members of the Alpine Rescue Team searched the route up to the hut, and an aerial search was launched. .
Mr McNamara said conditions last night were too windy to try and extract the body from the area, but a Search and Rescue team is expected to launch a recovery operation this morning.
Last year an American also died after straying from the established track.
"It's one of those unfortunate accidents that occur from time to time," Mr McNamara said.

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The Mueller Hut climb is a popular overnight trip with a steep 1000-metre climb, usually reached in about three hours from the valley floor

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Cop had ‘seconds’ to decide

Tuesday, 27 January 2009

Aformer top policeman who led a team in one of New Zealand's most infamous gun battles has backed the police involved in a fatal motorway shootout.
As debate rages about whether the police officer who fired the shot that killed 17-year-old courier driver Halatau Naitoko should be prosecuted, former armed offenders boss Murray Forbes has urged critics to lay off the police.
Mr Forbes, who led the team that killed mass murderer David Gray at Aramoana, close to Dunedin, in 1990, said the officer who fired the shot in Auckland on Friday had only a few seconds to make a decision. It happens so quick and it's all very well us talking about it a few days later, but he only had a few seconds to make a decision.
"The officer clearly thought the gunman was a danger. It was a huge mistake and the officer has to wear that.
"It would be devastating for the police. Whether it was justified, they've still got to wear it. But he should lose his job if it was proved he was "drastically wrong"."
It would be wrong to prosecute the officer, he said. Former police inspector and MP Ross Meurant also wanted the officer charged.
Tongan Advisory Council chairman Melino Maka said that, though the incident was not premeditated, it was still an unlawful killing. "I don't see how the Naitoko family are going to get any form of justice in this situation.
"In my dictionary, that means manslaughter," Mr Maka said.
"I think most New Zealanders would like to think that a law-abiding citizen, minding their own business, could not be shot to death by police in this country. .
"He'll be feeling guilty, he'll be full of remorse, he'll be second-guessing himself and he'll be wondering what impact this will have on his family. The incident would stay with him for the rest of his life. It doesn't take it away.
"These officers are extremely highly trained, but the training only reduces the risk.
The authority is called in to investigate whenever police have caused or appear to have caused a death or serious injury while carrying out their duties."
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has started an investigation, but a spokesman said he did not know how long it would take. The chairwoman is a high court judge.
The authority is independent from the police.

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Game body fights farm water bid

Wednesday, 21 January 2009

Fairfax
TOO MUCH? The Owen Butler Trust wants to take aquifer water to irrigate 318 hectares of crops, but Fish and Game will oppose it.

Afarmer's application to take a large amount of water from the Hawke's Bay plains will be opposed by Fish and Game, which is urging all applicants to wait until a council water allocation study is completed.
The Owen Butler Trust has applied to Hawke's Bay Regional Council to take up to 70 litres of water a second from a well near Tikokino to irrigate 318 hectares of crops.
An assessment of environmental effects accompanying the application states that "surface water is unlikely to be directly affected in the short term".
The application was originally lodged with the council in June on the grounds that it would not affect surface water in the area, but council officers found that the application could affect surface water and so it needed to be notified.
The huge aquifer beneath the Ruataniwha Plains is the main source of water for irrigation and domestic supplies in the area, but the amount that can safely be taken from the aquifer is unknown. It also states that a test on the 124-metre well over 48 hours had no discernible effect on nearby wells.
A regional council study on groundwater and surface water in the area and how it affects allocation is due to be completed next year. . The area may already be over-allocated. If the council starts granting consents like this, it will add pressure to water resources that have already been allocated.
"There are some big gaps in this application, such as what is meant by `short term'. The application contains no detail on the stream-depleting effect of this take.
"This is the type of consent we have concerns about.
"The effects of a take like this may not be evident for weeks or months after the water has been taken.
"The effects of a take like this may not be evident for weeks or months after the water has been taken. Submissions close on February 3."
The application was notified the previous month.

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Listening in on progress of pregnancy

Monday, 19 January 2009

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ULTRA CAREFUL: Mum-to-be Bronwyn Gregory-Hunt has concerns about ultrasound, so is keen to try this wide belt that listens to foetal heartbeat.

AKiwi researcher has devised a non-invasive way to measure foetal heartbeats that could provide an alternative to ultrasound.
The infant's heartbeat is then isolated from the mother's and from background noise using a technique called blind source separation.
The device uses sophisticated microphones embedded in a wide belt to listen for both the mother and the unborn baby's heartbeats.
"This is more like using the Pinard, the foetal stethoscope that midwives used before the invention of ultrasound, but it's much more reliable and easy to use.
The new system, tentatively called Pam (passive acoustic monitoring), was less invasive than ultrasound, said Dr Paul Teal of Victoria University.
"Many midwives report that babies aren't too keen on it either."
He said most clinicians believed ultrasound was safe, but anecdotal evidence suggested that many mothers did not like it, because it put energy into their bodies. Concerns over ultrasound meant that she did not have scans unless they were deemed necessary by her midwife."
Mum-to-be Bronwyn Gregory-Hunt said she would be keen to use the device."
Dr Teal is working with Wellington midwives to collect data from mothers using a prototype Pam device.
"They call it ultrasound but I'm not sure how ultra it is for the baby.
"Ultrasound can work from about 12 to 14 weeks, but the important stages are later in the pregnancy," he said.
It is hoped Pam will be able to detect an unborn baby's heartbeat from 18 weeks.
Wellington midwife Suzanne Miller said the prototype was hard to use compared to ultrasound because it was not hand-held.
The heartbeat of an unborn baby can give clues to its health and be monitored during birth."
She said many pregnant women would welcome the chance to avoid ultrasound. .We tend to use it as little as possible. "It's never been proven to be a danger, but it's never been disproved either."

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Hastings millionaire mum on arrest reports

By KATHY WEBB Tuesday, 23 December 2008

Hastings millionaire Sam Kelt is refusing to comment on suggestions that he has been charged with trespassing at a Havelock North bar.
It is understood Mr Kelt was asked to leave the Diva bar in Havelock North late on Thursday night, where his staff from merchant bankers Kelt Capital were socialising after having lunch that day at the exclusive Cape Kidnappers Lodge.
Diva owner Gerald Beach refused to comment yesterday.
A witness said he saw police handcuffing Mr Kelt and putting him into a patrol car outside the bar after he tried to re-enter it.
A statement issued by Police National Headquarters in Wellington said a man, 46, was arrested in Havelock North on December 18.
Hastings police would not confirm reports that Mr Kelt had been arrested and held overnight in the cells.
The sent Mr Kelt a list of questions yesterday but his staff said he would not respond till today, except to say "the inference of the questions is either completely false or factually incorrect".
The man, who was not identified, was due to appear in court next month on a charge of wilful trespass.
Mr Kelt sponsors New Zealand's richest horse race, the $2 million Kelt Capital Stakes, run in Hastings each year.
However, they pointed out that they had a letter from the management of Cape Kidnappers Lodge saying Kelt Capital's Christmas lunch had been a pleasant affair, a "large gratuity" had been left, and they would be welcomed back. He has said he will increase the prizemoney to $3 million next year or in 2010.