Two a penny

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A grief counsellor has arrived at Dargaville Primary School, as anxious parents seek guidance on how they handle the death of a 10-year-old pupil.

Oliver Nicolson, known to family and friends as Little Ollie, was found dead at his home yesterday morning after an incident with a firearm. Parents had also contacted the school to ask how they should speak with their children about what had happened.

Dargaville Primary School principal Alan Russek said a grief counsellor was now at the school to help staff and students that needed it.

“The children didn’t have much to say, they were quite quiet actually.

Children at the school, particularly those in Oliver’s class, were upset by the tragedy, Mr Russek said.. They were very reserved . not quite as bubbly as they normally were..

“We’re monitoring the staff and their reaction as well as the students. Some of the boys are a little bit upset,” he said.”

Oliver’s teacher had been hit particularly hard by the tragedy, Mr Russek said. Our main concern is with those groups of people.

Oliver was the youngest of four children to Mrs Nicolson and her husband, Laurie Nicolson, with whom he shared a special bond.

FAMILY REACTION

Talking of their “sensitive sweetheart” who they will dearly miss, Oliver’s family said he had wagged school on Friday because he had not done his homework and “was worried about being told off”.

However, yesterday morning he had not wanted to go to school. Over Labour Weekend, Oliver had made a remote control holder for his school showday and had a couple of friends over to visit.

“She came down the stairs screaming”. The Nicolsons say Oliver’s 14-year-old sister, Sarah, went to get him because the family was waiting. “Ammunition was in a [separate] cupboard right up high, it would have been hard for him to reach,” Mrs Nicolson said. . Although he had been quiet and reserved in the past, in recent months he had been “particularly confident and happy”.

Mrs Nicolson said she had tried talking to her son about bullying but, “he never opened up about it”.”

NO PROBLEMS AT SCHOOL

Mr Russek said Oliver was a quiet child and he had not noticed any change in his behaviour recently.”

NO PROBLEMS AT SCHOOL

Mr Russek said Oliver was a quiet child and he had not noticed any change in his behaviour recently.

“He had that close group of friends that he played with and mixed with them most of the time. He never had run-ins with kids that we are aware of. He never was involved in fights or anything like that.”

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One thousand Auckland householders are today being issued a crime fighting tool which mimics DNA to mark valuables. .

It lasts on skin up to two weeks, on clothing for up to six months, even when washed, and is said to mark products indefinitely. Each bottle has a unique ‘DNA code’.

The trial is aimed at showing if burglary rates drop if the DNA solution is used by householders, and would then help the company behind the product market it.

Police and victim support workers are door knocking and handing bottles of the solution to residents of Randwick Park in south Auckland in a six month trial of the product.

Police are careful to state they are not endorsing the product, but welcome the initiative.

The Counties Manukau police district had more than 8,500 burglaries last year and more than 11,500 thefts. We are all aware burglary is a crime that affects a huge number of New Zealanders every year.

Superintendent Mike Bush, District Commander for Counties Manukau Police said police were backing the trial because: “The NZ police supports all initiatives, that actively prevent crime.”

The Randwick Park trial has gathered the official support of Counties Manukau Police, Manukau City Council, Victim Support, Housing New Zealand, the Ministry of Education and the local Manurewa Community Action Group. It’s very destructive for individuals and has an impact on the community. The Bank of New Zealand was involved in the scheme and would sell the bottles of solution.

The DNA solution is a commercial product invented in the UK in 2004 and will be sold at $100 a bottle which was estimated to mark around 100 items.

His company will carry out a survey of residents after six months asking if they have been burgled and whether goods have been located by police.

David Morrissey, a director of SelectaDNA said police-backed trials in the UK and Netherlands showed burglary rates fell between 40 to 55 percent in areas where people used the solution.

The company was also supplying all frontline police with special UV lights to detect the DNA solution. He also wanted police to release more official statistics on burglary rates in Randwick Park.

Mr Morrissey said detecting a sample the size of a pinhead was enough to help police place a person at a crime or, in the case of stolen goods, be able to return them to the rightful owner.

Police would also be given direct access to a computer database which matched the DNA codes from the solution with each bottle and who bought the bottle – so stolen property could be returned to the owner.

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Lifting the driving age to 17, tightening
alcohol limits and new give way rules are part of a raft of ideas
being floated by the Government to improve road safety.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce released the “Safer Journeys” discussion document which puts forward more than 60 suggestions of changes to laws, regulations and policies to reduce the road toll.

Lifting the minimum driving age from 15 to 17 is one of them.

The bill has been put forward by United MP Peter Dunne and Mr Joyce said National had not taken a position on the issue yet.

There is currently a bill before Parliament to raise the age to 16 and to extend the learner licence period from six months to 12 months.

It was estimated that up to 33 lives could be saved and 686 injuries prevented every year by reducing the limit

There could also be a zero blood alcohol limit for those under 20 years of age and recidivist offenders.

Another idea is to reduce the legal blood alcohol limit from 80mg per 100ml to 50mg per 100ml, or alternatively leave the limit at 80mg and increase the penalties.

Proposals to reduce speed include more speed cameras, tougher penalties and more varied speed zones on high risk rural roads, as well as lower speed limits in urban areas.

A pedestrian hit at 50kmh had roughly a 50/50 chance of survival at 30kmh the chances were 90 percent.

International evidence was that greater use of speed cameras reduced overall average speeds and small reductions in speed in urban areas reduced pedestrian deaths.

Currently if cars are turning they give way to all traffic not turning, and in all other situations, give way to traffic crossing or approaching from the right.

The document also suggests that changes to the give way rules for turning traffic might make decisions easier for drivers.

It was estimated this could reduce intersection crashes by 7 percent though it would take a $2 million education campaign to get drivers used to the idea and $1 million to make changes to road signs and road markings.

The idea is to require cars turning right to give way to traffic turning left into the same road.

Other proposals included improving roads and installing more median barriers.

Other proposals included improving roads and installing more median barriers. .

“The purpose of this review is to have a public debate about which are the most likely to make an impact and the most necessary to adopt,” Mr Joyce said.8 billion a year.

New Zealand’s road toll did not compare favourably with other countries and the social cost of road crashes was estimated to be $3.

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Taskforce plan to help Maori in tough times

By KATHERINE NEWTON Thursday, 29 January 2009

Maori AffairsMinister Pita Sharples will set up a ministerial taskforce to help Maori weather the economic crisis – a move that will come as news to Prime Minister John Key.
Dr Sharples said he would chair the taskforce, with a fulltime secretary based in his office."
He had not yet run the idea past Mr Key, but believed he would be supportive. "This is an indicator of the absolute importance I give to this initiative. But he will be pleased.
"I don't think it's got much to do with him it's not his taskforce, it's mine.
Dr Sharples announced the establishment of the taskforce at a Maori economic workshop yesterday."
Mr Key was on his way back from the Solomon Islands last night and could not be reached for comment.
"The role of the taskforce will be to capitalise on the information and the opportunities which will emerge today in these talks," Dr Sharples said. About 80 Maori business and tribal leaders, including Treaty negotiator Ngatata Love and former MP John Tamihere, gathered to propose ideas to mitigate Maori unemployment and help Maori organisations through the recession.
"It's now our time to take a leading role in New Zealand's economy.
He told the workshop that Maori entrepreneurship and flexibility, or the "Maori edge", put Maori in a position to offer leadership to New Zealand.
Although Maori were in a better economic position now than in previous recessions, they remained vulnerable, Dr Sharples said."
The ideas from the workshop would feed into the Government's jobs summit next month.5 billion in 2006, but 52 per cent of those assets were in primary industry, making them prone to global fluctuations. Maori assets had increased to $16.
The Maori Development Ministry, Te Puni Kokiri, expects Maori unemployment to reach 12 per cent to 15 per cent by next year the highest figure in a decade.
New Zealand Stock Exchange chief executive Mark Weldon told the workshop the economic crisis posed threats to Maori, especially those in low-skilled occupations such as construction.
But Labour's Maori affairs spokesperson, Parekura Horomia, told Radio New Zealand that loans by themselves were not enough and Maori leaders must focus on keeping their people in the workforce. .

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Capital blackout baffles Transpower

Thursday, 22 January 2009

Transpowerofficials cannot guarantee a power cut that paralysed most of central Wellington during the morning rush hour yesterday won't happen again, and remain in the dark as to the cause.
The blackout plunged about 25,000 central Wellington businesses and houses into darkness, trapping people in lifts, disabling traffic lights and stalling trolley buses.42am caused two other substations to shut down in Central Park and Kaiwharawhara.
A fault at the company's Wilton substation at 7.
"It was a problem that obviously impacted on people and that's regrettable.
Transpower grid performance manager David Brewer said the outage was serious and to his knowledge had not occurred on such a scale in Wellington before.. The fault itself has been identified but the . cause hasn't been identified..
The blackout affected the city's southern suburbs, the central business district to the north end of The Terrace and as far north as Johnsonville and Khandallah."
Mr Brewer could not rule out a similar power cut in Wellington again but said it was rare and "it's very, very unlikely that this is going to come about again". A relay is a device that detects faults and opens a circuit breaker to shut the system down in order to protect the main power grid, Ms Fitzpatrick said.
Transpower spokeswoman Adele Fitzpatrick said a faulty relay was found at Wilton and had to be replaced before power could be restored.
Power was restored to northern suburbs at 8.
In the next few days a forensic examination would be done on the relay to explain why it failed. Earlier, thousands of people had poured on to streets from darkened office buildings.30am and the cbd just after 9am.
When the stairwell of Norfolk House in Featherston St plunged into darkness, central city worker Adam Brown used his mobile phone light to navigate.
Five fire engines attended seven cases of people trapped in lifts, two of smoke from cold-starting generators, and various alarms triggered by the outage. I'm bloody glad I didn't take the rickety old lift.
"It's a bit of a shock the infrastructure is so flimsy. General manager Stephen Keith said they made more then 800 cups of coffee in just over an hour more than double the usual tally."
Astoria cafe, in Lambton Quay, was one of the few which remained open thanks to the building's generator. With everyone else out [of power] everyone came to us. With everyone else out [of power] everyone came to us. We had queues out into the park."
Four generators kept Wellington Hospital running and there were no delays to flights at Wellington airport.

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Dispute started over $10 unhappy meal

By EMMA PAGE – Sunday, 11 January 2009

A disagreement over payment for $10 worth of McDonald's burgers has escalated into a year-long employment dispute costing thousands of dollars that may yet result in more court action.
Daniel Gledhill, an employee at McDonald's Mana close to Porirua, won his case for unjustifiable dismissal last month but not before the Employment Relations Authority told both sides they should have been able to settle the dispute themselves.
Gledhill, who had worked at the McDonald's branch for three years and had a clean work record, was dismissed in October 2007 for giving away $10 worth of fast food to friends.
But when he went to pay he says it was rung up by his supervisor with a staff discount so he only paid $4 and the transaction was recorded as a "crew meal".
He then took a personal grievance, telling the authority he felt pressured to give the food away, but had always intended to settle the bill after his shift. And in his determination, authority member Denis Asher did not award Gledhill any remedies, pointing out the way his actions had contributed to the employment dispute.
During the authority's investigation Gledhill accepted he should have paid the full amount.
However, Asher also said the McDonald's branch did not follow adequate dismissal procedure.
"What commenced as orders worth $10 or $11. In particular it did not conduct a reasonable inquiry into the incident and did not have clear evidence to dismiss Gledhill."
Speaking through his lawyer Eska Hartdegen last week, McDonald's Mana franchise owner Trevor Campbell said he did not accept it was an unjustified dismissal and believes a good disciplinary process was followed, saying the case may yet end up in court.70 has blown out into an employment relationship problem involving a stain on the employment record of an intelligent and capable young man and each side shouldering costs of many thousands of dollars: this is a matter that should have been settled by the parties on their own terms, particularly as the evidence strongly points to misjudgment rather than deliberate deceit. My client was not going to pay money to settle with someone who had stolen from him and no award of compensation has been made," Hartdegen said.
"The dismissal is for theft and dishonesty.
Auckland University employment law expert Bill Hodge said the dominant trend in cases when an employee misuses the cash register was that the employee's actions were found to be a "fundamental breach of trust and confidence". .

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Gledhill's lawyer Rachel Burt said they preferred not to comment

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Motorist with gun shoots out truck window

Monday, 08 December 2008

Police have put up cordons as they sweep Lower Hutt for a man who fired a pistol at a passing truck.
Sergeant Bruce MacKay said one of two men in a 1995 Toyota station wagon was believed to have shot out the window of a truck heading north along State Highway 2 about 3pm today.
"The driver of this vehicle is understood to have fired on the truck with a black item described by witnesses as a handgun. . The driver was unhurt in the incident and managed to stop his vehicle without endangering other motorists.
Police believed the two men and their car were in the Horokiwi Quarry and had erected cordons around the area.
Armed police were searching all nearby roads for the vehicle.
Mr MacKay said there would be delays for those wishing to enter the Horokiwi area.

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Taxi drivers vulnerable

– Monday, 08 December 2008

SLAIN: Abdulrahman Ikhtiari.

Hunt on for taxi driver killers

Cabbies tell of assault fears

Slain taxi driver Abdulrahman Ikhtiari's car lacked the hi-tech security system of many Christchurch taxis.
Ikhtiari, who fled persecution in his native Afghanistan to find a better life in New Zealand, was killed on Worcester Street about 1am on Saturday.
Police had yet to find two men believed to have been the United Taxis driver's last fare. The 39-year-old father of five died of a single stab wound to his chest.
United Taxis director Trevor Ellwood said the company's lower-tech radio dispatch system was just as effective as the bigger companies and in most cases faster.
The United Taxis fleet does not have alarm systems or cameras.
"The law stipulates what the requirements are," he said..
"You can have GPS and cameras and all the niceties but they're $5000 per car . .. Drivers with member firms such as Blue Star, Gold Band and First Direct have technology and protections unavailable to drivers at other operations."
The firm is not a member of the Taxi Federation.
One taxi driver, who declined to be named, said the larger more recognised firms were prohibitively expensive to join, which forced people to work for less-protected operations.
One taxi driver, who declined to be named, said the larger more recognised firms were prohibitively expensive to join, which forced people to work for less-protected operations.
Police were still searching for two men, aged in their mid-20s, seen running from the scene of Ikhtiari's slaying, back towards Fitzgerald Avenue.
Other companies had lower subscriptions but the lack of booking work forced drivers to ply the streets for trade.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Johnson said the men appeared to split up as they ran towards Fitzgerald Avenue, one on either side of the street.
The knife or sharpened object that delivered the fatal blow had not been found.
Both were dark-skinned with dark hair.
One of the men was wearing a white top and dark trousers while the other was wearing a dark top, possibly a jacket, and a white cap or bandanna.
He picked up three people in Northlands and dropped them in the central city about midnight on Friday but the next hour until 1am was the critical window that police needed to determine, Johnson said.
Johnson said Ikhtiari's movements leading up to one hour before his death had been traced.
Initial indications were that there had been "activity in the car and possibly just outside it", he said.
A post mortem was conducted yesterday and a forensic examination of the taxi was under way, he said.
Over 30 taxi drivers and members of the Afghan community were at the home to lend support to the family.
Over 30 taxi drivers and members of the Afghan community were at the home to lend support to the family.
Ikhtiari's wife, Ziagul, and his five children aged six to 14, had been moved to a different address and were suffering extreme distress.
A family spokesman, who declined to be named, expressed concern for Ikhtiari's widow who was "very frail".
"She can't cope," he said.
Christchurch man Ali Tausif said Ikhtiari was known in the Christchurch Muslim community as a "very quiet, polite person".
Hagley Community College associate principal Rex Gibson said members of Ikhtiari's extended family worked at the college and Ikhtiari volunteered at the school's refugee homework programme.
Ikhtiari came to New Zealand after persecution of his Hazara ethnic group in Afghanistan by the ruling Taleban.
He was aboard the container ship the MV Tampa which created international headlines when it rescued him and more than 400 other Afghan refugees from a distressed fishing vessel but then was refused access to Australian ports. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 363 7400.

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Media star under scrutiny over Radio NZ broadcasts

By KIM KNIGHT – Sunday, 23 November 2008

COPY CHECK: Experts have called the similarity between three McCarthy essays and articles from overseas newspapers "compelling" and "disconcerting".

Radio NewZealand is reviewing broadcasts by presenter and commentator Noelle McCarthy, after concerns were raised about alleged unattributed use of other journalists' work.
The similarities were discovered by the Sunday Star-Times, when it Googled transcripts of the Irish broadcaster's work, after rumours began circulating last week.
Media experts have called the similarity between three McCarthy essays and articles from overseas newspapers "compelling" and "disconcerting". Scores over 20 percentare considered a cause for concern.
When one essay about octopuses and left-handers was run through a programme designed to catch academic cheats, it scored 26 percenton an "overall similarity index". Further online searches showed her opening was almost identical to that from an article carried a day earlier in the UK's Independent newspaper.
The Turnitin Originality Report revealed tracts of the McCarthy essay came directly from Wikipedia.
McCarthy, 28, is scheduled to host National Radio's Summer Noelle later this year, and regularly fills in as a presenter on Afternoons.
Two other essays, one about Halloween and the resurgence of horror, and another about Wimbledon tennis fashion, also appear to draw heavily on articles from The Guardian and The Observer. For the most part, they feature attributed material, sourced from the likes of the New Yorker and the Atlantic Monthly. The essays are broadcast on the latter. Of course we'll look at it very carefully and review it very carefully.
John Howson, Radio New Zealand networks manager, confirmed rumours had surfaced about 10 days ago, but told the Star-Times, "this is the first I've seen of this, the first time it has been brought to my attention with any detail. The policy states employees should endeavour to attribute all opinion, and that plagiarism, "defined as the use of another person's ideas, work, words, etc as one's own", was not tolerated."
Howson said the company's editorial policy would be the "driving force in making any decisions on this". "I really need to go listen to the actual scripts.
Howson said he would not comment directly on the McCarthy material supplied by the Star-Times…"
One McCarthy essay references The Observer film critic Philip French, but it does not credit other material to journalist Vanessa Thorpe, who wrote the original article. I would normally expect attribution, I need to double-check. For example, a movie is described as "feverishly awaited" by McCarthy and The Observer, while both McCarthy and The Guardian note a recent Givenchy haute couture collection was inspired by Swan Lake, and has "sparked a rash of ballet theming on the high street".
In the essays reviewed by the Star-Times, phrases and some whole sentences are replicated."
Alan Samson, Massey University Journalism school lecturer, said of the work he was shown: "There would appear to be some compelling similarities."
Alan Samson, Massey University Journalism school lecturer, said of the work he was shown: "There would appear to be some compelling similarities."
"This may not breach copyright law but the issue here is the ethical one. Radio New Zealand's own editorial policy says plagiarism will not be tolerated. The policy also comes up with the simple solution: as long as a reporter honestly attributes authorship, they can take what they like."
Canterbury University journalism lecturer Jim Tully said any student essay that scored higher than 20 percenton the Turnitin programme would be checked for copying and appropriate attribution.
Earl Gray, copyright law expert with Simpson Grierson, said there were enough similarities for there to be a legitimate copyright question.
Cork City-born McCarthy has a fixed-term contract with Radio New Zealand and is next scheduled to appear on air on Tuesday. Her first New Zealand job was waitressing at a Ponsonby restaurant, Prego. In 2004, she became news and editorial director for Auckland student radio station bFM and has since appeared in various broadcast roles on Newstalk ZB, RNZ (where she was once tipped to host the Nine to Noon spot eventually won by Kathryn Ryan), Prime Television, TVNZ and TV3. She writes a column for the Weekend Herald and recently blogged about Fashion Week.
The text in question Noelle’s Essay, RNZ, October 22: If you’re buying for trick or treaters next week you might want to buy up large because this year’s Halloween could be scarier than any other and last for longer. The entertainment industry all over the world is gearing up to provide cinema audiences with more than their usual quota of homicidal ghouls and disturbed spirits. In fact there's an onslaught of terror and psychological trauma in store, both at the cinema and in bookshops . . . But the suave undead aren't having it all their own way. Werewolves are getting their howl in as well . . .
Vanessa Thorpe, The Observer, October 19: This Halloween will be scarier than other years – and will last much longer. The entertainment industry in Britain, in America and across Europe is cranked up to provide more than the usual quota of homicidal ghouls and disturbed spirits. In fact, an onslaught of terror and psychological trauma is in store both at the cinema and in the bookshop . . . Vampires will not be having it all their own way, though. Werewolves are to have their shout, or howl, too . . .
Noelle’s Essay, RNZ, June 26 There’s Serena Williams with her unseasonable white trench coat that had commentator John McEnroe drawling, well, what else would he drawl, "You cannot be serious", but of course she was serious…
Jess Cartner-Morley, The Guardian, June 25 Serena's on-trend mini-trench was all the more fashionable for being unseasonable… had John McEnroe been in the commentary box yesterday when she strolled on court to warm up in a trench coat, he would have known just what to drawl: "Serena, you cannot be serious.'' But serious is exactly what she is . . .
Noelle’s Essay, RNZ, July 8 Twenty-five octopuses began twiddling Rubik’s cube yesterday all in the name of scientific research. Marine biologists concede they have very little hope of the eight-limbed molluscs actually solving the fiendish plastic puzzle, instead the project at Sea Life Centres around the UK and Europe are examining octopus intelligence. They’re trying to discover if they have a favourite tentacle for picking things up. Much in the way we favour our left or our right hands for performing activity.
Lawrence Conway, The Independent, July 7 Twenty-five octopuses will today begin twiddling a Rubik’s Cube in the name of scientific research. . Instead, the month-long project at 23 Sea Life Centres across Britain and Europe will examine octopus intelligence in an attempt to discover if they have a favourite tentacle for picking things up – much as humans are right or left-handed.
NOELLE McCARTHY Age 28, born Cork City, Ireland2004: News and editorial director at bFM, catches Don Brash on tape admitting he knew about an Exclusive Brethren campaign against the government. 2005: First appearance in Sunday Star-Times' About Town social pages. Appears on Prime TV's Out of the Question. 2006: Appears on TV3's Sugar Shack (canned after seven episodes) and TVNZ's Front Seat. Tipped for National Radio's Nine to Noon presenter job. 2007: Begins graveyard shift at Newstalk ZB. Quits in June, tells NZ Herald her health was suffering. First weekly column appears in Auckland's Weekend Herald. Hosts Summer Noelle, National Radio. 2008: Fills in for Jim Mora on National Radio's Afternoons. Slated by reviewers for TVNZ election night commentary Herald writer Frances Grant: "McCarthy's blather sounded like nothing more than a quick Google cut-and-paste."