Two a penny

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Police have arrested a 51-year-old Rotoma man after an elderly couple’s vehicle was shot at yesterday.

The elderly couple were driving along State Highway 33 to Rotorua on their way to a weekend market about 4.30am when a man driving a red ute appeared from a side road close to Rotoma, 35km northeast of Rotorua, and allegedly tried to ram their late model Toyota Hilux ute, police said.

The pair were unhurt, but their ute was damaged, Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Loper said.

The driver chased the couple, trying to force them off the road and twice shooting at them with a shotgun at close range.

He then approachedher with an axe. .

“When challenged by the female, the male apologised and left the scene,” Mr Loper said.

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A man will appear in Rotorua District Court tomorrow on firearms, driving, cannabis and explosives charges

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Fiordland was hit by another quake earlier today, the 14th since Wednesday night’s massive 7.8 earthquake.

The latest quake.5 on the richter scale, struck at 8. measuring 4. It was located 80km west of Te Anau at a depth of 10km and would have been felt widely in the area.25am.

Southland Civil Defence regional controller Neil Cruickshank said last night the aftershocks were a normal consequence of the 7.

He warned people not to be complacent about the apparent lack of widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure.8 quake, the biggest recorded in the world this year.

“People in coastal communities need to be aware that the quake did generate a small tsunami on Wednesday night, and that the potential for a damaging tsunami exists with every large earthquake.

“The scientists are still considering what combination of geographical and geological factors have influenced the impact of this particular earthquake,” Mr Cruickshank said.

“They’re all still looking very small – things like ripped wallpaper and cracks in the ceiling and outside walls,” commission spokesperson Lance Dixon said.”

The Earthquake Commission had received more than 500 claims by yesterday afternoon, but none was for major damage.

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Kiwi actor Sam Neill is making advertisements with an orang-utan called Dennis but rather than winning over meat-eaters his cause is making enemies with animal lovers.

Neill is advertising red meat for Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) but animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has accused the Dean Spanley star of being a “pimp for an industry” that kills animals as well as people. .

These people, Peta said, “don’t turn a blind eye to the fact that slaughterhouses are horrifying places where every year literally billions of terrified animals meet their deaths surrounded by the stench of blood, urine and faeces”.

But other celebrities, including Australian stars Missy Higgins and Daniel Johns, and Hollywood actress Natalie Portman, had acted in favour of animals.

Peta disagrees.

In the advertisements Neill tells the orang-utan that red meat is “brain food” and improves intelligence.

“Some of the most accomplished and brilliant thinkers in history were vegetarian – including Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Plato, Pythagoras, Mahatma Gandhi and Isaac Newton,” Fruno said. ”

Meat was also killing the environment, producing more greenhouse gas emissions that vehicles.

“Studies published in the British Medical Journal have shown that people with a higher IQ are more likely to go vegetarian – yes, it really is the smart choice. I can see the slogans for your new ads now: ‘Meat: It’s What’s Rotting in Your Colon’; or ‘Screw the Environment, Have a Steak’,” Fruno says.

“Of course you could switch to truth in advertising.

* What do you think of the ad? Watch it here then post your comments below.

“Won’t you agree that it’s time to evolve, choose a plant-based diet and leave Jurassic tastes in the dust (since the meat habit will cause the extinction of us all)?”

Neill’s Australian publicist, Jessica Carrera, from Shanahan Management, said the actor was out of the country and unavailable for comment.

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Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples seems
to have jumped the gun saying New Zealand would support an international
declaration on indigenous rights – with the Government saying today
it has not reached a final decision.

Dr Sharples, who is also a Maori Party co-leader, said today an announcement on the United Nations declaration would be made within a month. . . .

Supporting the declaration would reverse the position of the former Labour government. ratifying it or supporting it for New Zealand,” Dr Sharples told Radio New Zealand today.

But a spokesperson for Prime Minister John Key said this afternoon New Zealand’s position on the declaration was “still a work in progress”.

New Zealand was among just four countries which last year voted against the non-binding declaration of the UN General Assembly that sets out the rights of the world’s estimated 370 million indigenous people.

A final decision has not been made, he said.

The other negative votes were cast by Australia, Canada and the United States.

The non-binding General Assembly vote in September was 143 in favour, four against and 11 abstentions.

After voting “no”, the New Zealand government was heavily criticised by the Maori Party, the Greens and the Human Rights Commission. Australia has, since a change of government, this year decided to support it.

Dr Sharples said Labour had missed “a golden opportunity” to support the declaration and showcase what the country did for its indigenous people.

Dr Sharples said Labour had missed “a golden opportunity” to support the declaration and showcase what the country did for its indigenous people.

“It could lead to that.

Asked if it provided the right to self-determination, Dr Sharples carefully couched what he thought that meant.”

Earlier this year Mr Key said the declaration was aspirational and not legally binding. The right to self-determination means being able to have a say, a real say in determining the options available to you. From this Government’s point of view we take the rights of indigenous people seriously and we are working hard to advance those,” he said.

“It is an aspirational, non-binding declaration.

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Two more earthquakes shook the central North Island last night but there has been no major reports of damage at an evacuated village on the southwest edge of Lake Taupo.

Residents of Waihi village are barred from their homes until Friday due to fears of a landslide after a swarm of earthquakes.

This morning about 4.9 on the Richter scale at a depth of 5km and about 8.50am an earthquake measuring 2.8 earthquake at a depth of 3km shook the area.40pm last night a 2.

There had been no reports of damage, a northern police communications spokesperson said earlier today.

Sixty people including paramount chief Te Heuheu Tukino II were killed in the village after a landslide in 1846.

The historic village the ancestral base of Taupo iwi Ngati Tuwharetoa is on a seismic fault line in an area of known instability near the Hipaua Cliffs geothermal area at the southwest corner of Lake Taupo.

State Highway 41 was blocked between Tokaanu and Pukawa, restricting access to the village. . Most residents went voluntarily, although about six were reluctant to leave.

Civil defence co-ordinator Shamus Howard said residents would be allowed back briefly earlier today to feed pets and fetch personal belongings. Most were staying with relatives. Most were staying with relatives.

There was concern that more earthquakes might dislodge boulders and trees, resulting in water to build up in blocked streams.

Seismologists and civil defence staff would monitor the area after increased seismic and geothermal activity raised the risk of a major landslide above the village.

Cracks had appeared in marae walls and hot water springs had been found on the lake edge.

Waihi Village residents reported tremors and large boulders coming loose in streams above the village. Bird life had disappeared.

People living nearby in Tokaanu had reported cracked windows and foundations, shelves rattling, and paint and plaster coming off walls.

Mr Howard said there were some reports of streams drying up and of other spots where streams started to flow where there were none before. A stream mouth at the village, near a waterfall, had shifted 40 to 50 metres.3 and 4.

GNS Science vulcanologist Brad Scott said two large earthquakes on Saturday, measuring 4.

A swarm of hundreds of small earthquakes had been recorded in the area in the past seven days.

A swarm of hundreds of small earthquakes had been recorded in the area in the past seven days.

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Doctors have conducted an autopsy on the body of Michael Jackson but could not immediately determine what killed the “King of Pop,” amid reports he had been injected with a narcotic painkiller shortly before collapsing.

Jackson was in full cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at his rented mansion in the Holmby Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, with his personal physician trying desperately to revive him.

The 50-year-old pop superstar was rushed to nearby UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead without regaining consciousness.

“Those tests we anticipate will take an additional four to six weeks.

“The cause of death (determination) has been deferred, which means that the medical examiner has ordered additional testing such as toxicology and other studies,” Los Angeles County Coroner’s spokesperson Craig Harvey said.”

Police said they were seeking to question Jackson’s personal physician, identified by news media as Houston-based cardiologist Dr Conrad Murray.”

Speaking to a throng of reporters outside the coroner’s office, Harvey said, “There was no indication of any external trauma or indication of foul play to the body of Mr Jackson.

Jackson’s body will be released to family members after they choose a mortuary for funeral arrangements, Harvey said. . There was no immediate word on when he would be laid to rest.

DAILY SHOT OF DEMEROL?

TMZ, citing family members, said Jackson received a daily shot of Demerol, a narcotic painkiller, and that the family believed his death was caused by an overdose of the drug.com, citing an interview with an unidentified “close member” of the Jackson family, reported the entertainer was injected with Demerol about half an hour before he went into cardiac arrest.

An unidentified man called a 911 emergency phone line from the mansion at 12.

Detectives searched Jackson’s home and impounded Murray’s Mercedes from the driveway, saying it might contain evidence.21pm local time, saying Jackson was unconscious and not breathing.21pm local time, saying Jackson was unconscious and not breathing.

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The Chiefs continued their Super 14 rugby title charge with a sixth consecutive win in a hard-fought victory over the bottom-placed Cheetahs in Kimberley.

The Chiefs made hard work of the first match of their South African tour but the 28-10 scoreline accurately reflected a contest where they dominated possession and territory on the high veldt.

With the Sharks subsequently losing to the Crusaders, the Chiefs are now top of the table.

Captain Mils Muliaina relished a rare win on South African soil as the Chiefs came off the bye to keep their winning run alive with tries to reserves Hika Elliott, Serge Lilo and Mike Delany.

Trailing 6-7 at halftime, the visitors scored all their tries in the second half to cement their spot in the top-two ahead of a clash with semifinal rivals the Bulls in Pretoria next weekend.

“We were a little bit frustrated in that first half but we felt we needed to be patient and wear them down, and we did that.

“We’re pretty stoked and I take my hat off to the bench, they were probably the difference today,” Muliaina told SuperSport.

“We were unfortunate not to get that bonus point try but I’m pretty stoked with how the boys went. ”

Loose forward Liam Messam was named man of the match. We haven’t won in South Africa for a very long time so we’ll definitely enjoy tonight.

The Juan Smith-led Cheetahs, buoyed by their 31-6 upset of the high-flying Sharks a week previously, defended stoutly then found themselves in front when winger Jongi Nokwe finished off an overlap in the 33rd minute.

The Chiefs, without their injured wingers Sitiveni Sivivatu and Lelia Masaga, somehow trailed at the break after they dominated much of the first half but struggled to finish their numerous attacking raids.

Halfback Brendon Leonard departed injured just before halftime, adding to the Chiefs’ angst.

Chiefs first five-eighth Stephen Donald went closest to score in the first half but he lost the ball over the line, and his two penalties were all the visitors had to show at the break.

But reserve hooker Elliott made an instant impact to notch the Chiefs’ first try two minutes after halftime when he darted 30m from a ruck after good leadup work from Muliaina and Sione Lauaki.

But reserve hooker Elliott made an instant impact to notch the Chiefs’ first try two minutes after halftime when he darted 30m from a ruck after good leadup work from Muliaina and Sione Lauaki.

Lilo scored in controversial fashion when replays showed flanker Tanerau Latimer was in touch in possession, to give the Chiefs an eight-point lead.

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A penalty to Cheetahs kicker Jacques-Louis Potgieter narrowed the Chiefs’ lead to 13-10 with 13 minutes to go, but the visitors never gave their hosts a sniff from then on.

Delany sealed the win soon afterwards with a slick solo try as he shrugged off several defenders, then added the conversion.

Then Donald’s 73rd minute penalty gave them breathing space when hard-working Cheetahs flanker Heinrich Brussow was yellow carded for a professional foul.

Cheetahs 10: Jongi Nokwe try; Jacques-Louis Potgieter pen, con. .

HT: 7-6.

Chiefs 28: Hika Elliott, Serge Lilo, Mike Delany tries; Stephen Donald 3 pen, con, Delany con.

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Glacier family entitled to ACC

By EMMA PAGE – Sunday, 08 February 2009

The parentsof two Australian brothers killed by a falling ice shelf at Fox Glacier the previous month can apply for compensation from ACC to help cover the funeral costs.
The compensation is part of ACC policy which provides payments to the relatives of people fatally injured in New Zealand.
Ashish, 24, and 22-year-old Akshay Miranda died on January 8 after they left the track to take photos. It is awarded to everyone who fulfils the criteria regardless of nationality and means visitors forgo the right to sue for costs. Prime Minister and Tourism Minister John Key said the decision to charge the family was "crass at best and probably extremely bad business practice". Outpourings of public sympathy for parents Ronnie and Winnie Miranda turned to outrage against a small rental car company that wanted to recover costs of transporting the family's rental car from the West Coast to Christchurch. .
ACC will not say if the Miranda family received any compensation citing privacy reasons. ACC is unable to say how much it has paid to families of non- residents, but they say all the people they have contact with do take up their entitlements.
Latest figures for the year ending July 2008 show ACC paid out more than $85 million for all fatal injury claims.
This means a widow or widower with two children would receive a one-off payment of up to $16,580.
Standard payments include:
* Funeral grant of up to $5273
* Survivor grant for partner or spouse of $5653
* Survivor grant for children or dependants of $2826.
Media reports show 28 tourists died here in the year ending January. Unlike New Zealanders, they are not eligible for ongoing costs such as childcare or to cover wages. If the families also received a grant for the surviving spouse that would bring the total to $305,928. The cost of providing funeral grants for all of them would total $147,644. The couple were living in Australia at the time and Gunther says that the grant, although unexpected, was appreciated.
One recipient of the grant was Christchurch resident Mark Gunther, 45, whose wife died in an accident in Fiordland two years ago.
"I'm more standing up for the guy who's got the rental car company because, being in business myself and being in the situation myself and seeing it from both sides of the fence, I honestly believe that although it's a tragic thing that happened, that guy deserves to be paid. And he's chosen to speak out about flak that the rental car company has received saying the public outrage was unnecessary. "If they were allowed to sue, the cost to New Zealand would be significantly more than what ACC pay to cover their treatment."
ACC spokeswoman Stephanie Julian says that by taking such grants, overseas visitors lost the right to sue for costs related to their injuries."

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Beacon proves life-saver for hunter lost in gorge

– Tuesday, 30 December 2008

Without his small plastic locator beacon, Sjoerd Bakker believes he would be dead and his body never found.
While he waited out the cold hours until he was rescued from a mountain gorge last weekend, his 406 megahertz (MHz) beacon was the only reassurance he had.
"I kept looking and seeing that green light still flickering away.
Bakker's experience is a reminder to adventurers to buy or hire the new 406MHz devices in the new year. It's funny the things you take comfort in," he said.5MHz and 243MHz frequencies will stop being detected by satellite. .
On Christmas Eve, Bakker, 54, wife Kay, 45, and son Andrew, 17, drove to the new Dillon Hut in the Taipo Valley, near Otira, for a hunting trip. After several hours trying to half-walk, half-float down a river gorge, he came to a steep-walled section.
On Saturday, Bakker climbed on the Kelly Range above the hut, but was unable to find the path home.
Instead, at 4pm he wrapped himself in a pair of survival sheets, set off the beacon he had hired for the trip, and sat and waited.
"If I had been fit I would have climbed up and around, but by that point I wasn't going anywhere," he said.
"The closer you get to home, the more desperate you get and the more risks you take. "I can see why they don't find people or only find them after they have been washed downstream," he said. I got to the point where I thought I was going to die and I decided to turn it (the beacon) on. I got to the point where I thought I was going to die and I decided to turn it (the beacon) on.
Despite this, by 5am a helicopter was able to collect Bakker, who was exhausted, cold and bruised.
He said staff at the Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC) initially thought this signal and his were the same, and it was not until 11pm on Saturday that the centre realised there were two emergencies.

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He was soon reunited with his worried family at the hut and was recovering at their Yaldhurst home yesterday

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‘Bully’ policeman avoids jail

Tuesday, 16 December 2008

A policeman who lied to protect himself after a man's neck was broken when he violently hit the brakes of a police van has avoided jail, but his career is over.
Timothy Hesketh, 27, told his colleagues to "hold on" as he sought to teach the drunk a lesson. It has earned the policeman a criminal conviction and seven months' home detention.
His victim, Mark Edwards, says he is a "lucky lad" to escape jail time. He resigned on Friday. He was just a bully in blue. "It was a pre-meditated brain explosion and it's caused me a lifetime of grief. .
Justice Ronald Young told Hesketh the victim was simply an annoying drunk.
He had to learn to walk again after suffering a fractured dislocation of the spine and paralysis."
It was difficult to see any remorse, as Hesketh never explained his motivation. "Your reaction was not one of a good police officer."
On November 4 last year, police were called to Mr Edwards' former girlfriend's Palmerston North home. "You were prepared to lie to save your own skin. He admitted being drunk and giving Hesketh "a bit of stick" and was arrested for resisting a trespass order. He admitted being drunk and giving Hesketh "a bit of stick" and was arrested for resisting a trespass order. He was left alone in a cell for more than 10 hours; police thought he was drunk, but he was paralysed.
At the police station he was found face-first on the floor and had to be carried out.
The defence said Hesketh could not have known the consequences, as police officers had previously sped over speed bumps without injury. Hesketh was found guilty of dangerous driving causing injury."

. But the judge criticised the idea of "payback" for prisoners, saying of the officers involved: "They are frankly no better than the people they arrest