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Quick action saves toddler
By ALICE COWDREY Monday, 01 December 2008
MARTIN DE RUYTER/
LITTLE HERO: Ciarna Epiha’s alert saved Degan Broker from drowning.
The actions of a quick-thinking Nelson five-year-old girl helped to save a toddler's life.
Ciarna said she quickly ran inside to alert Degan's mother Cindy Broker, who had gone indoors to answer a phone call.
Ciarna Epiha, who attends Stoke School, was playing outside at a friend's house on Saturday when she found 18-month-old Degan Broker in an old bathtub used as a tadpole pond in the garden.
She pulled him out of the water and hit him on the back, and he vomited and started screaming and coughing.
Mrs Broker ran outside to find Degan on his back with water covering his face, his body floppy and his arms "flailing around". . Mrs Broker rushed him to Nelson Hospital's accident and emergency department, where he was checked and given the all-clear."
She hoped that other parents would realise just how quickly things could happen.
"He would have been dead if (Ciarna) didn't tell us.
She had talked to Ciarna about accidents, and said she had good common sense.
Ciarna's mother Letitia Friend said her daughter did not seem too fazed by her heroics and was more interested in telling her about Saturday's Richmond Santa parade.
"She is my little hero.
"I had told her, `If you see something bad happening, you find an adult and tell them straight away'."
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Fire leaves woman homeless
Monday, 17 November 2008
Investigators are still trying to determine what started a fire that gutted an 80-year-old house, leaving the tenant homeless and incinerating all her possessions.
Perched on the top of the western hills in Maungaraki Rd, Korokoro, overexamining Hutt Valley, the house was ravaged by the fire on Saturday afternoon.
Her brother, Daniel, 21, was surveying the burnt-out shell yesterday, and said that she had no idea as to the cause.
Tenant Paula Carswell was out when it started and returned home to find the building ablaze."
Most of her belongings had gone up in smoke and she was staying in a hotel provided by her insurance company, Mr Carswell said. "Nothing was on, no ovens or anything. "These things happen, you never know what is around the corner.
Owner Ron McMillan said he was upset at the loss of the house but thankful no one was hurt."
The three-bedroom house was built in the "late 20s or early 30s" by Mr McMillan's grandfather. It's just one of those freak things, who knows what [the cause] was. . "I was born and bred there, and so was my father.
The fire service was alerted just before 2.
"The fire spread through the interior [of the house] and caused extensive damage," a firefighter said.
Seven fire engines and police attended the fire, which was brought under control by 4pm.30pm on Saturday and the fire was "well involved" by the time firefighters reached the scene, a spokesman said.
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Motor racing figure in fatal Corvette crash
Friday, 07 November 2008
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SPORTS CAR SMASH: One man is dead after a high-powered sports car crashed into a power pole on Frankley Rd, south of New Plymouth yesterday. The driver of the vehicle, believed to be local race car builder Murray Gordge, survived the smash.
The identity of the dead man has not been released but the driver is believed to be New Plymouth race car builder and speedway driver Murray Gordge.
A man is dead and a well-known race car builder is in hospital after a $150,000 sports car hit a power pole on the outskirts of New Plymouth yesterday.
The car smashed into a concrete power pole, flipped and came to rest in the driveway of a house on upper Frankley Rd, south of New Plymouth.
He was known to have recently imported the high powered C6 Corvette.
Power was cut to a wide area of New Plymouth after the crash.
The car, still with its dealer plates, hit the power pole with such force it was ripped from the ground and snapped in two.
Mr Gordge is well known throughout New Zealand for designing and racing modifieds – dirt track vehicles recognisable by their oversized roof-mounted aerofoils.
Sergeant Michael Aro of the New Plymouth police said the serious crash unit would be attending the scene earlier today.
Following the crash power was cut to around 2000 houses in New Plymouth. .20pm, approximately two hours after the accident. It was restored to all but six of those houses by 7.
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Nelson man jailed for attacks on Asians
Thursday, 06 November 2008
A Stoke man convicted of an attack on two Asians has been jailed for nine months.
David James McBain, 23, unemployed, appeared for sentencing in the Nelson District Court on Tuesday having admitted charges of careless use of a motor vehicle, assault, driving with excess breath-alcohol, obstruction of justice and threatening behaviour.
Judge Chris Tuohy said that at 11am on June 8, McBain was at the Shell service station in Rutherford Street, Nelson.
McBain raised his fist at the victim and continued to abuse him until an associate pulled him away. A 25-year-old Asian man was pumping up his car tyres when McBain approached him in an aggressive manner, abusing him.15pm the same day, McBain was driving in the carpark of Nelson's Countdown supermarket.
At 6. He drove towards a pedestrian crossing, where another Asian man was standing with two friends. He followed them and swerved towards them, attempting to pin the victim against a wire mesh fence. Judge Tuohy said McBain slowed down and yelled abuse at them. He ran off with his friends.
The man was struck by McBain's car and was thrown against the fence.
McBain was caught by police after crashing his car at 8. .20pm.20pm.
Judge Tuohy said it was "disgraceful behaviour" and it was essential the court denounced the offending because of its racial undertones. The legal limit is 400mcg.
. He sentenced McBain to nine months in jail, and disqualifying him from driving for nine months
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Trust trying to sell Centrepoint’s soul say critics
By KAREN ARNOLD – Sunday, 26 October 2008
The lastremaining land once owned by the Centrepoint Community Trust is for sale, raising fears it could be bought by developers.
Felicity Goodyear-Smith, a spokeswoman for former members and residents, says the 7.
The Public Trust has administered the property for the past seven years as trustee of the New Zealand Community Growth Trust which was established after the Centrepoint Trust and commune fell apart.6ha bush-clad Albany property – which had a $4 million valuation in 2005 – was a jewel on the North Shore that could fall into private ownership.
Bayleys Realty Group sales consultant Nigel McNeill said the nature of the property and buildings opened up a huge range of potential uses.
At its height, more than 200 people lived there but it closed in 2000, soon after founder Bert Potter was released from a nine-year jail sentence for child abuse.
"Substantial infrastructure such as roading and bridges, have been installed over the years to create the basis of a very well serviced communal living setting.
Less than 40% of the land area had been cleared and the site included a large kitchen and dining area, recreational building, swimming pool complex, full-scale professional pottery studio with gas- fired kilns, dance/music/art studios, six wood and metal workshops, a creche and residential accommodation blocks.
"Alternatively, we envisage the land could be developed into a luxury hotel, health centre or retirement village."
McNeill said target market buyers included tertiary education providers, cultural groups, art patrons, adult education organisations, religious groups, larger community organisations, and environmental groups.
The site was the last remaining "exquisite" piece of land on the North Shore."
Goodyear-Smith said that would be the worst outcome, not only for those who had lived there, but for the wider Auckland community.
Former members had sold all their possessions and gifted the money to the Centrepoint community trust which was set up in 1977. Apart from its environmental value, it also had an emotional value for the people who had been part of the Centrepoint community, she said."
About 70 babies had been born there and their placentas had been buried in a special area. "They expected to live there forever.
"For the last couple of years our group [the Mills Lane stakeholders] has tried to get this land into public ownership. Other people had had their ashes spread at Centrepoint.
Public Trust spokesman Simon Dixie said several potential private buyers had inquired about Centrepoint during the past year, prompting it to promote the property to a wider market "to ensure a robust process aimed at achieving the best result for the trust". . "Ethically, this land belongs to New Zealand.
But Goodyear-Smith said her group was "disturbed" the Public Trust wanted to sell the property for the highest price although she acknowledged it had the legal right to do so.
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Tenders close on December 4
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Thousands of teachers get police checks
Saturday, 25 October 2008
Thousandsof teachers whose registration is due to lapse this year are undergoing police vetting checks and renewing practising certificates to prove they are still fit to work.
But the Teachers Council cannot be sure how many are working illegally, without proper registration, till a new data-sharing arrangement with the Education Ministry becomes law.
The three-year practising certificates of about 10,000 teachers are expected to lapse between the start of this month and January. This meant they had not been police vetted or satisfied school leaders that they were still competent to lead classrooms – as required by law every three years.
The Teachers Council estimated last year that up to 3500 unregistered teachers were working illegally.
About 10,000 teachers have already applied for registration or to renew practising certificates in the three months to October 1.
But council director Peter Lind believed a campaign to remind teachers, principals and school boards of their legal requirements had cut the number of unregistered teachers significantly.
Council officials have been working with teachers and their employers to ensure all have proper police and competency checks through the registration process.
"Boards of trustees and professional leaders have renewed their efforts to make sure systems are in place," Dr Lind said.
There are about 90,000 New Zealand registered teachers. . "They have a responsibility to ensure that all teachers are lawfully employed.
School boards or parents concerned about a teacher's registration status can make personal checks on the council's online public register.
The Education Amendment Bill has been tabled in Parliament and is thought likely to become law next year.
The Education Amendment Bill proposes to reveal "an unknown number of unqualified people" teaching in primary and secondary schools.
The Education Amendment Bill proposes to reveal "an unknown number of unqualified people" teaching in primary and secondary schools."
The bill, introduced by Education Minister Chris Carter, says that unregistered teachers are undermining the profession.
"This will provide health and safety benefits for students while ensuring that all students are taught by suitably qualified teachers.