Two a penny

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Outdoor workers’ health at risk from sun, study finds

By MARK HOTTON – Thursday, 26 February 2009

Outdoor workers are at risk of eye disease and skin cancer because of overexposure and under-protection in the sun, a University of Otago study has found.
The problem of high UV-radiation exposure was made worse with less than a third of the 77 workers in the study applying sunscreen and only 5 per cent wearing a wide-brim hat.
Unless adequately protected, all of them would have received more UV radiation than the recommended level of 1.
The workers in the study, conducted by postgraduate student Vanessa Hammond, included construction, horticultural and road workers employed at 14 Central Otago workplaces.
An exposure of about 1.08 SED (standard erythemal dose).0 SED could cause sunburn to someone with unprotected fair skin.5 to 3.3 SED between 11am and 4pm. The average daily summer exposure of the workers was 5.
Study co-author Dr Tony Reeder, director of the university's Cancer Society social and behavioural research unit, said employers had an important role in protecting their workers from the sun.
Hammond said any opportunity to work in the shade could make a real difference in reducing the risk of a worker developing skin cancer. .
Outdoor work between 11am and 4pm needed to be undertaken in either natural or constructed shade in summer, he said.
"It all sounds very nice but there'd be a big cost with it.
However, Amalgamated Builders health and safety manager David Baker, of Dunedin, said movable shade structures were impractical given the scale of building sites.
"You can provide but it's up to the guys to use the stuff," Baker said."
The company supplied personal protective equipment such as wide-brim clip-on hat options and sunscreen, but it was up to each employee whether they used it.
"I've just put a lid on [the tractor] for that reason.
Gore farmer Hamish Smith said he had taken steps to address his exposure to the sun. But it can just get too hot. There was always sunscreen in the tractor and that was used too.
Builder Barnaby Lamb, who was wearing a sleeveless top on a Queenstown building site yesterday, said sunscreen was supplied on site and he regularly applied it."
Work was started early to avoid the day's heat and a hat was essential.

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Court martial finds officer guilty on one charge

The Wednesday, 25 February 2009

A senior army officer has been found guilty of indecent assault and not guilty on a charge of behaving in a disgraceful and indecent manner.
A court martial panel of five senior officers delivered its verdict at the end of a three-day military trial at Trentham Army Base today.
The charges date back to March 23, 2007, when the officer went to the room of a female officer who was attending a course on which he was a senior instructor.
The senior officer said she had come on to him and invited him to her room for sex and that they kissed before she turned away and said no.
Both had been drinking in the officers' mess that night and the female officer said he came to her room uninvited and that after she fended him off he exposed himself and committed an indecency. .
He denied exposing himself to the officer, who was engaged to one of his closest friends

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Mother plans to stalk rapist

– Friday, 23 January 2009

A Christchurch woman has been staking out Rolleston Prison as she prepares to follow the man who raped her daughter.
The woman, who cannot be named as it would identify her daughter, intends to follow Jack Michael Harris, 46, when he is released on Monday.
She also plans to deliver leaflets in the neighbourhood to which he will be released. He was sentenced to six years jail.
Harris was convicted in 2004 for indecent assaults and rapes on the woman's daughter, then aged 12 and 13, over an 18-month period.
The mother said she had three cars of volunteers ready to "stake out" the prison and follow any vehicles leaving.
Rehabilitative experts have condemned the actions, saying this type of "vigilante" action had been shown to have the opposite effects to those sought and increased the rates of reoffending. .
Rather than include his picture, they were thinking of providing the web address of Harris's profile on the trust's sex-offender register.
The mother had been advised by the Sensible Sentencing Trust on how to legally go about alerting the man's new neighbourhood to his presence.
New Zealand Parole Board chairman Judge David Carruthers said Harris would be supported on release.
She had contacted the Parole Board to contest Harris's release but had not made submissions on where he was to be released to.
"In addition, it has imposed conditions to continue for six months beyond his sentence end date.
"In this case, the release is to Salvation Army-supported accommodation, and the board requires the offender to attend an ongoing support programme," he said."
Safe Network chief executive Robert Ford, who works on rehabilitating sex offenders, said leaflet drops were based on the assumption that paedophiles were frequent reoffenders when, in fact, sexual offending had one of the lowest rates of recidivism."
Safe Network chief executive Robert Ford, who works on rehabilitating sex offenders, said leaflet drops were based on the assumption that paedophiles were frequent reoffenders when, in fact, sexual offending had one of the lowest rates of recidivism.
Leaflet drops placed the offender under stress and, under stress, reoffending was more likely, he said.
"A lot of these vigilante concerns are based on a false assumption," Ford said.

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Climber survives 50m tumble

The Thursday, 08 January 2009

A climberslid 30 metres down an ice sheet and then smashed into jagged rocks at such a speed his friends thought he was dead.
To their amazement, Hamish Stace, 20, got to his feet. .
"They couldn't believe it when I stood up.
He was climbing down the mountain with three friends and was attempting a controlled slide down an ice sheet when he came to grief."
Mr Stace was plucked off the side of Marlborough's Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku by the Westpac rescue helicopter in a daring high-altitude rescue on Tuesday evening.
The Blenheim man slid 30 metres and bounced across the rocks for another 20 metres before coming to a stop.
"I just remember trying desperately to stop, but I was out of control," he said.
Helicopter crewman Dave Greenberg said they found Mr Stace at a height of 2300 metres.
The group called emergency services when they realised Mr Stace was too badly hurt to reach shelter by nightfall. Our paramedic was able to step off the helicopter on to a rock, and walk 500 metres up to where he was located.
"Unfortunately, given the wind, we were unable to winch him up. His friends said he hit the rocks at great speed and were afraid he might be dead, so they were amazed to find him conscious, and with minor injuries.
"He's a lucky man.
"I was unbelievably lucky, I can't believe I don't have any broken bones," he said from his home yesterday, where he was recovering."
Mr Stace was flown to Wairau Hospital in Blenheim and treated for dozens of small cuts, including one in his hand that needed stitches, and deep bruising in his back, buttocks and legs.
Mr Stace was full of praise for his rescuers.
At 2885 metres high, Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku is the highest peak north of Aoraki/Mt Cook. The pilot was amazing. "I'm just so thankful they were awesome."

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Justin Rys out of jail, with big plans

Saturday, 03 January 2009

/The
WEIGHT ON: In his new personal training gym, Justin Rys teaches weight-loss and muscle-building tricks. He is full of ideas, from a prison-themed nightclub to a fat-burning cookie.

When bodybuilder Justin Rys stood in the dock and heard the judge sentence him to 10½ years in prison, it must have seemed as though his life was over.
But he spent his lag studying, having counselling, exercising using other prisoners as weights, and launching his Convict Gear clothing range.
The former Mr Oceania had enjoyed the trappings of success -fast cars, money, a competition-winning body and beautiful friends – a lifestyle that was peeled back in court to reveal a chronic drug addiction, body dismorphic syndrome, and a heart so damaged that medics gave him two years to live.
The staccato of hard house music throbs from the stereo as he moves between the weights in his new gym, gleaming at the temples and chewing on a protein cookie made by his partner.
Now he is out of prison wiser, clean, and, he says, more self-aware.
"Try one," he thrusts a cookie in our direction."
He is affable and well-mannered, a consummate self-marketer, offering the reporter and photographer a clutch of branded key rings and a bottle of thermogenic weight-loss tablets ("all legal", he laughs), which he created himself. "They taste too good to be good for you. He has started a personal training gym, teaching weightloss and muscle-building tricks.
Rys seems to have landed on his feet.
The incredible focus he once centred on his body has shifted to business. He has also launched a bodybuilding supplement range, and his Convict Gear clothes are selling fast. "If I focus too much on the other things, then I will start hurting my health. "If I focus too much on the other things, then I will start hurting my health.
He began bodybuilding 14 years ago. .
"I put on 15kg in the space of two months and thought maybe it was something I was good at. He was a 17-year-old sprinter, weighing 69kg, who started going to the gym after tearing a muscle.
When it became illegal in 2002, he gave up for a month, but it was too hard."
When he started using fantasy in the 1990s it was legal, a colourless, odourless liquid that was popular with body builders for reducing pain and countering the effects of ephedrine and steroids, and for helping them to sleep.
By the time he was arrested in 2004, he had a litre-a-week fantasy habit. He was addicted.
When Rys went to prison he was suffering cold turkey. He admitted 11 charges of importing the drug (relating to more than 200 litres of fantasy) and one of money laundering and was jailed for 10½ years, reduced to 7½ years on appeal. At his sentencing, the court was told research showed withdrawal from fantasy was worse than from heroin and cocaine. At his sentencing, the court was told research showed withdrawal from fantasy was worse than from heroin and cocaine.
In prison, he paid for his own drug and alcohol counsellor to visit and also sought psychological help. The court had been told he suffered from megarexia, an eating disorder where no matter how big you are, you see yourself as too small.
He started studying for a diploma in drug and alcohol studies, management, business studies and marketing, achieving As and A+s.
Rys worked out in the yard using inmates as weights, stacking two or three of the biggest guys on his shoulders for squats, getting them to lie on his back while he did pushups.
Last year, 2½ years into his sentence, he was freed.
"It was weird coming out, strange, because you didn't know what to do with yourself. You get so used to people telling you what to do."
His nine-year relationship, which had weathered his lag, ended when he came out, something he avoids questions on out of respect for his former partner.
He is contrite, says "I did the crime, I deserved to do the time", but now he wants to move on. His business seems to be doing well if his Jaguar is anything to go by ("You should see my plane – just kidding"). He is brimful of schemes, including a prison-themed nightclub and a fat-burning cookie. "It's totally possible. It makes me feel why haven't people done it before."
When asked if prison changed him, he pauses: "I think it did, actually, in a positive way. I think a lot more about other people where I think, beforehand, I was very much self-focused. Now I think a lot more about how things affect others."
Is he happy? "I feel good, but being happy for me is like I've totally achieved everything I want.
"I'm nowhere near where I want to be. This is just a start."
GIANT FALL FROM GRACE
The one-time Mr Big of the Wellington market was jailed for his part in the biggest fantasy conviction in New Zealand history.
The drug, smuggled from Romania and Moldova in wine bottles and vegetable cans, had a street value of up to $2.1 million. Better known as "Big J", Justin Rys was the kingpin of the trade in Wellington, police said. When he was arrested in December 2004, the market dried up.
With a personality as big as his physique, Rys came across as a gentle giant. But some who claimed to have bought drugs from him disagreed. He was "a manipulator and a control freak", one told The . "He does everything he can possibly do to get you to buy from him. It's exactly the same methods as a P dealer."
Rys spent his early childhood in Wales. He then lived in Palmerston North and Hastings, before going to St Patrick's College in Silverstream, excelling at rugby and soccer.
But he dreamed of becoming a professional wrestler and started pumping iron. He won the Teen Mr Wellington and its national equivalent. Four years later he was Junior Mr Australasia. He went on to claim the Mr Oceania and Mr New Zealand titles.
Rys publicly put his success down to discipline – the Les Mills gym in Cuba St became his second home – and a "high-protein, medium-carbohydrate and low-fat" diet. But in 2000 he was barred from competition for two years after refusing to provide a urine sample.
He promoted deer velvet and appeared to make a great living selling protein supplements. In May 2004 he was convicted of illegally importing growth hormones from China and given a six-month suspended sentence. Seven months later, he was arrested in Taupo.

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Petrol prices too high – minister

By KATHERINE NEWTON Monday, 29 December 2008

Energy minister Gerry Brownlee has called for petrol companies to make immediate price cuts, accusing them of holding prices to capitalise on the peak holiday driving period.
"I would be disappointed if the oil companies are waiting until after the holiday season and high volume sales period before deciding to act," Mr Brownlee said.
New Zealand petrol companies cut the price of 91 octane petrol to 139.
However, record low prices internationally for crude oil, combined with a slight rise in the value of the New Zealand dollar, gave petrol companies even more room to move, Mr Brownlee said.9 cents a litre on December 5, taking it to its lowest since February 2007."
Mr Brownlee's comments mirrored a call from the Automobile Association two weeks ago for companies to drop their prices by a further 5 cents.
"I can't help but think the time for further price reductions has arrived.
Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard has also called for petrol prices to come down, saying oil companies should play their part in easing the burden on consumers.
"There's no intent on our part to hold the price artificially as a result of the holiday period," Chevron spokeswoman Sharon Buckland said.
Petrol companies took offence at Mr Brownlee's suggestion that they were waiting for consumers to return from holiday before dropping their prices. As soon as we can make changes at the pump, we will.
"During the holiday period we monitor the price of petrol every trading day. ."
The price of refined fuel on the Singapore market, which was creeping up again, was a much more important factor in New Zealand pricing than the cost of crude, Ms Buckland said.
ExxonMobil spokesman Alan Bailey also denied Mr Brownlee's implication, saying petrol prices were dictated by retail conditions and everyone was looking for competitive advantage.
ExxonMobil spokesman Alan Bailey also denied Mr Brownlee's implication, saying petrol prices were dictated by retail conditions and everyone was looking for competitive advantage.

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Shell spokeswoman Jackie Maitland said she was "not going to pre-empt what might happen", but Shell was reviewing petrol prices daily and would lower prices as soon as it was possible to do so

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First Christmas off in 35 years

By KATHERINE NEWTON Tuesday, 23 December 2008

CHRIS GORMAN/The
A DAY OFF: For the first time since he was 22, Life Flight Auckland’s Bruce Blanche will take Christmas off, swapping saving lives for a cruise from Auckland to Sydney on luxury liner Diamond Princess.

A yearis long enough for most of us to wait for the Christmas break, but Bruce Blanche has been waiting for 35.
For the first time since he was 22, the Life Flight Auckland crew member will take Christmas Day off, swapping saving lives for a cruise from Auckland to Sydney on luxury liner Diamond Princess. I really don't know what to expect.
"I'm very excited.
This year he decided it was finally time to take a break. .
Accompanying him on the cruise will be his mother and his son Jamie, 32, who has never had the chance to spend Christmas Day with his dad before.
His mother was as excited about the cruise as he was, Mr Blanche said.
The Diamond Princess leaves Auckland on Christmas Eve and arrives in Tauranga on Christmas Day, which Mr Blanche will spend with some old friends.
"Everyone ends up at my Mum and Dad's place, and Mum's said for the last year or two that it's getting too much. "She's over the moon because she doesn't have to do all the Christmas palaver.
Mr Blanche said he had seen nearly everything in his 35 years in the aviation industry."
The 12-day cruise will head south on Boxing Day, taking in the sights of Fiordland before sailing over to Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney.
No particular Christmas Day stood out in his memory, however.
No particular Christmas Day stood out in his memory, however. "To me, it's the perfect Christmas Day."
But this one he would treasure."

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Extent of Bay DHB’s animosity revealed

Saturday, 20 December 2008

The animosity between Hawke's Bay District Health Board members and their chief executive revealed in court documents suggests a rocky road ahead as they work together to run the region's health services.
The board has been reinstated by Health Minister Tony Ryall after being sacked by predecessor David Cunliffe in February.
The judicial review was discontinued after the board was reinstated this month.
But evidence and affidavits lodged with the High Court for a judicial review into the sacking contain claim and counter-claim by both sides and reveal a high level of distrust between the board and chief executive Chris Clarke.
The board claimed Mr Clarke began trying to "create a conflict" in late 2007 after board members held a forensic audit of the board's computer system.
In the documents, obtained by The yesterday, former board chairman Kevin Atkinson said the board had long-standing performance concerns with Mr Clarke and had meetings with an employment lawyer as early as mid-2007 for advice on addressing these. .
Board members believe the audit revealed "clear and inappropriate behaviour" by Mr Clarke in a conflict of interest concerning service contracts.
The board started "actively seeking my dismissal" late last year, he said.
But Mr Clarke claims the relationship between the board and senior management began deteriorating in 2004 after he had been in the job for a year.
"I was appalled at this suggestion .
The board was surprised that anonymous staff had told the review panel they felt "bullied, battered and bruised" by the board and asked Mr Clarke to arrange meetings with management to discuss the matter…
The board was unhappy with Mr Clarke's reluctance to support the meetings and threatened disciplinary proceedings last November. This was particularly inappropriate given that staff members' disclosures clearly indicate that some felt intimidated and bullied," Mr Clarke said. Any normal relationship ceased soon after. At this point Mr Clarke employed his own employment lawyer, he said.
The harshest criticism of Mr Clarke is in the affidavit by John Newland, a professional business mentor and former chief executive of Farmlands, who was employed by Mr Clarke to review board and management processes.
"All of the seven-strong management team regarded the situation as intolerable" and five said they would resign unless governance was changed, Mr Clarke said.

. He said he considered Mr Clarke was poor at managing his team

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Funeral held for South Korean backpacker

By KIRAN CHUG Thursday, 04 December 2008

The brother of Jae Hyeon Kim has thanked the people of New Zealand for the love they showed the Korean backpacker before he was killed.
Jaekyung Kim spoke only a few words at an emotional funeral service he attended with his mother Leebun Kim in Nelson today.
The funeral service, held in English and Korean, was also attended by members of Nelson's Korean community, detectives who investigated Mr Kim's disappearance, representatives from the Korean Consulate, and other community members.
Mr Kim's body was recovered by police in dense bush close to Charleston in October, five years after his disappearance.
Tasman police district crime manager Detective Inspector John Winter said it had been an emotional week for Mr Kim's mother and brother, who arrived in Nelson on Monday. .
Tomorrow they will attend the sentencing in Wellington of a man who has admitted murdering Mr Kim.
On Wednesday they visited the site close to Charleston where police recovered Mr Kim's body.
Nelson fisherman Shannon Brent Flewellen, 29, has denied a charge of murdering Mr Kim and will stand trial in the High Court at Greymouth next June. His name is suppressed.

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Thai risks still high as Kiwis stranded

By Thursday, 04 December 2008

Protests tarnish Thailand’s image

While hundreds of Kiwis remain stranded in Thailand, new travel warnings talk of increased terror threats, political unrest and severe airport congestion that could take weeks to clear.
"We continue to receive reports that terrorists may be planning attacks against a range of targets, including tourist areas and other places oftened by foreigners," Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith said yesterday.
The New Zealand Government Safetravel website says that due to the political situation, people should not go to Thailand unless absolutely necessary.
Several countries put on more planes to get their nationals home.
Passenger flights out of Bangkok are scheduled to resume tomorrow after anti-government protesters agreed to end an airport blockade that has stranded hundreds of thousands of travellers.
But New Zealand has been able to provide little direct help to an estimated 250 New Zealanders held up in Thailand. Qantas and Jetstar have got more than 1000 Australians out of the country.
Embassy staff have been offering advice but officials say about 140 New Zealanders have left or made their own bookings to leave. But it was unclear whether the plane would be used to get Kiwis out of Thailand.
Meanwhile, an air force Hercules, sent to help if needed to evacuate New Zealanders, was scheduled to land in Kuala Lumpur early this morning (NZ time).
The Hercules – with two full crews, medics and other support staff – flew out of Auckland on Tuesday night and overnighted in Brisbane before flying to Malaysia. Air Commodore Gavin Howse said it would wait for government direction.
Opposition leader Phil Goff said yesterday that the Government's response was "ad hoc and delayed" poorly planned and showed a lack of communication between minister, officials and the public. . He questioned the lack of incident planning and a lack of coordination with the Australian Government. He questioned the lack of incident planning and a lack of coordination with the Australian Government