Two a penny

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Former All Black Va’aiga Tuigamala is “elated” by
today’s successful appeal over the sentences for the Kelston Boy’s
High School rugby brawlers.

Five students from the Auckland school who were banned from playing rugby for their part in a brawl with rival Auckland Grammar School players have had their sentences drastically reduced.

Following an appeal before the Auckland Rugby Union appeal panel today, the Kelston students have had the sentences reduced to between seven and 14 weeks.

They were initially suspended for between 10 and 16 months following the brawl during a game on August 15, while players from Auckland Grammar were suspended for between two and seven weeks.

But he hoped the students involved had learned from the experience.

Mr Tuigamala, a Kelston old boy who had been critical about the original sentence, said today’s outcome showed “common sense prevailing”.

“I’m very proud of them.

“The young men have done well in accepting their responsibility, taking it on the chin, standing up and being men,” he said.”

The Kelston Boys’ board of trustees and principal had been “absolutely fantastic ” in making the students take responsibility for th eir actions, with the students doing anger management courses and community service. But at the same time they also know the lesson they learned and what they put their families through. .

“Today’s hearing is wonderful.

The students were “very pleased”, he said.

Kelston lawyer John Haigh QC, said the original sentences were “unfair and unjust” but he was content with today’s decision.

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Let’s hope Graham Henry remembered to send Robbie Deans a birthday card.

If not, he should at least be sending his rival a big thank-you message today after Deans’ Wallabies kept the All Blacks in the Tri-Nations hunt by turning around their sorry form and beating the Springboks 21-6 in Brisbane last night.

Deans’ 50th birthday celebrations were put on hold on Friday but they erupted yesterday as the Wallabies ended their run of six losses in this tournament with an emphatic victory.

The result leaves the Springboks coming to Hamilton needing to get a win or at least a bonus point from their match against the All Blacks to have a chance of claiming their third Tri-Nations title.

Finally they managed to transform from being a side used to being a close second to one that knew how to get over the finish line after leading throughout this titanic struggle. If they can deny the Boks a bonus point and claim the maximum 10 available to them from the Hamilton match and the last Tri-Nations fixture of the year a week later in Wellington when they host the Wallabies the title would be New Zealand’s. .

A bonus point to the Boks would see that scenario come down to a points-differential despite the Boks having already beaten the All Blacks twice in South Africa.

The Wallabies have certainly bruised the Boks.

So the stage is set for an enthralling spell in New Zealand.

They also brought a much better degree of accuracy to their play in both the set-pieces and their general play. Peter de Villiers side will arrive in Hamilton with their confidence dented and their bodies sore from a punishing match where the Wallabies fronted in the physical exchanges.

Deans’ seven changes worked a treat with halfback Will Genia making a fine starting debut and Berrick Barnes’ return giving some much-needed solidity to the midfield.

It was only some desperate Springboks defence that denied the Wallabies from an even more emphatic win as the tourists saved four tries with some remarkable tackles right on the line. Big Mark Chisholm also had a terrific tussle with the feared Boks locks. Big Mark Chisholm also had a terrific tussle with the feared Boks locks.

Giteau edged the Wallabies ahead with another penalty before Boks superboot Morne Steyn kicked a dropped goal off a lineout turnover. Bryan Habana made try-saving tackles on Lachie Turner and Giteau while Drew Mitchell cut down Ruan Pienaar at the other end.

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Police have released the names of two teenagers killed in a head-on accident in Paremata in which one car flipped on to its roof.

Udo Fourie and Nathan John Laurenson, both 18, died in the crash on Grays Rd on Sunday evening.

The Impreza flipped on to its roof, landing in water in Pauatahanui Inlet.

Detective Sergeant Glenn Barnett said an eastbound Subaru Impreza driven by a 22-year-old lost control on a corner and crossed the centre line into the path of a Subaru Legacy. The 22-year-old driver is in hospital with serious injuries.

The deceased pair were passengers in the Impreza. Her three-year-old daughter suffered bruising.

A teenager from the Legacy was also in hospital with serious injuries, and a 19-year-old mother was in a critical condition.

“At this point in time, it is too early to comment on any of the factors to the crash or whether any charges will be laid”.

Mr Barnett said police were examining the scene and both vehicles. .

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Housing NZ is breaching the Bill of Rights by trying to evict tenants with gang connections from units in Lower Hutt suburb Pomare, a lawyer says.

In March, Housing NZ served 90-day notices to Billy Taylor, Robyn Winther, Huia Tamaka and two others after neighbours in their state housing block complained about intimidation threats and burglary.Police arrested and charged several Mongrel Mob members as a result of investigations, some of whom were partners of the tenants in question.At a Tenancy Tribunal hearing in Wellington today, Housing NZ lawyer Steve Haszard said the department was simply seeking possession of its units , as it – and any other landlord- was entitled to do as long as correct procedures were followed. .As a result, the evictions breached the Bill of Rights Act, which the department had a responsibility to adhere to.However, Robert Lithgow, QC, argued Housing NZ papers on the issue clearly showed discrimination was an issue.”These three women have been given notices because they are defacto partners of people Housing New Zealand does not want around,” Mr Lithgow said.It was no different than discriminating against gay people, Nazi Party members or followers of Scientology.He said the department had an agenda to ”sanitise” Pomare of gang members and the Mongrel Mob was the target.Housing NZ was trying to use the 90-day notice argument to detract from its fundamental reasoning behind the evictions, he said.Mr Lithgow said any assertion from Housing NZ that there were no particular reasons for the evictions didn’t stack up, considering the department had documented details about the affiliations of the tenants and the crimes allegedly committed by gang members.The area had developed a bad reputation and it was now difficult to recruit and retain state housing tenants in the block.Mr Haszard said if he were to go down the road of justifying the evictions, then it needed to be noted that the intimidation and behaviour of gang members had become a scourge on the entire community in and around Farmer Crescent.”There is a wider issue than just these three tenants as far as Housing New Zealand is concerned,” he said.”There is a wider issue than just these three tenants as far as Housing New Zealand is concerned,” he said.The tribunal simply had to consider whether correct procedures were followed during the eviction process.He suggested to tribunal adjudicator Karun Lakshman that any discrimination allegations should be investigated by the Human Rights Commission _ which had received complaints from the tenants _ not the tribunal.Mr Lithgow said if Housing NZ had not been prepared to argue on the discrimination issue, then the case should be dismissed.If the tenancy did decide to take discriminatory arguments into account, then Housing NZ would want to provide new material, Mr Haszard said. –

.Mr Lakshman reserved his decision

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A Hungarian tourist accused of murdering Auckland man Ron Brown turned into a “crazed monster” when the much older man tried to rape him, his lawyer says.

Ferdinand Ambach, 32, has been on trial at the High Court in Auckland for the past two weeks, accused of murdering Mr Brown, 69, in his Onehunga home in December 2007.

Yesterday, the Crown and defence presented their closing arguments.

Mr Brown was a friendly, likeable man who met Ambach at an Onehunga bar, she said.

Crown prosecutor Deborah Marshall said Ambach killed Mr Brown out of anger and revenge for his unwanted advances.

After a couple of drinks, Mr Brown dropped to his knees on the floor and ran his hand over Ambach’s inner thigh but stopped when Ambach told him he was not gay, Ms Marshall said.

They left together and walked to a nearby liquor store to buy some beer, then caught a taxi Mr Brown’s house in the same suburb.

When Mr Brown later touched his groin, Ambach hit him at least five times over the head with a banjo, then rammed the broken neck into his mouth, she said. His upper chest was also badly bruised.

Mr Brown was left with a fractured skull, a fractured “Adam’s Apple”, bruised and swollen eyes, an 11 centimetre cut on his chin that ran all the way to his mouth and a 5 centimetre cut on his bruised left arm.

Ambach was also taken to the hospital, for treatment to a cut finger, where he was heard to yell “I should have killed him”, she said.

He died in hospital three days later.

But Ambach’s lawyer, Peter Kaye, argued that Mr Brown’s advances involved much more than a casual touch.

Ms Marshall said Ambach was not provoked, and that Mr Brown’s actions would not have caused a normal person to have lost self-control.

“This was an attempted rape,” he said.

“This was an attempted rape,” he said.

Ambach’s disjointed memory of that night included being chased, not being able to push himself up off the floor with his arms, of hiding in a wardrobe and throwing shoes and documents, a hand holding a knife and pointing it towards him and of finding himself with his trousers down by his ankles. .

Tests also showed there was semen in the crutch of Mr Brown’s underpants, on his trousers and on a fitted sheet that had come from the bed Ambach was later seen throwing out of an upstairs window.

ESR found no blood on Ambach’s clothes, supporting his claim that he remembered being in his underpants.

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The mystery of why Richard Worth was effectively sacked as a minister continued in Parliament today.

Yesterday Prime Minister John Key refused to tell journalists why Dr Worth was forced to fall on his sword and today he refused to tell MPs. .

Mr Key made it clear to reporters at yesterday’s post-cabinet press conference that he has said all he intends to say about Dr Worth’s resignation as minister of internal affairs and subsequent decision to quit Parliament altogether.

“I have no intention of going into the specifics, but I can say that Dr Worth did not meet the standards I set for my ministers and therefore when I lost confidence in him I sought his resignation,” Mr Key said.

Mr Key reprised his performance in the House today when Labour MP Pete Hodgson quizzed him.

Mr Hodgson appealed to Speaker Lockwood Smith to force Mr Key to answer his questions as the replies were in the public interest, however Dr Smith said only ministers were in a position to make that judgment.

Asked if he told ministers and National MPs why their colleague had been sacked, Mr Key said he had broadly outlined the reasons, but not the details.

On Friday Dr Worth announced he had resigned from Parliament.

Dr Worth resigned his ministerial portfolios on June 3, after Mr Key left him no choice by telling him he no longer had confidence in him.

But no evidence has been produced and Dr Worth has said he is innocent of any breach of the law.

He was surrounded by scandals involving an Indian woman who said he harassed her with text messages and phone calls, and a Korean woman who has laid a complaint of a sexual nature with the police.

He initially said he couldn’t say anything because he didn’t want to contaminate the inquiry the police have started into the Korean woman’s complaint, but yesterday he appeared to contradict that.

Mr Key has never disclosed exactly why he sacked Dr Worth.

He cited the fact that Dr Worth was now an ordinary member of the public as a reason for not disclosing any of the details.

“It was nothing of a legal nature,” Mr Key said, when he was asked about his reasons for losing confidence in Dr Worth.

“For me, it is a chapter closed and I’m moving on.

“He isn’t a Member of Parliament, he’s not a member of the National caucus and he’s not part of the executive,” Mr Key said. . .”

Mr Key is within his rights because the Cabinet Manual, which is the Government’s rule book, says he doesn’t have to give any reason for dismissing a minister other than loss of confidence. he lost my confidence, and that’s the end of the matter as far as I’m concerned.

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Councils threatened with administration over RMA woes

– National Homepage -

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The number of confirmed swine flu cases has risen to close toly 100 after 28 cases were confirmed in 24 hours.

The number of confirmed swine flu cases reached 99 tonight with the confirmation of 13 more cases in Canterbury.

The Canterbury District Health Board said all cases of the influenza A (H1N1) strain – now totalling 31 – stemmed from a single case who had been in Victoria, Australia in early June.

It follows a further 15 cases announced earlier today.

Earlier today an Auckland primary school closed as health officials said they remained focused on containment.

The cases, including six pupils from three schools in Christchurch’s eastern suburbs, were all being treated with Tamiflu and all contacts of those affected were being traced.

“New Zealand is still in the containment phase,” deputy director of public health Fran McGrath said.

There were still relatively few cases and only isolated instances of community transmission, health officials said.

“At this time there remains a combination of border management (keep it out) and cluster control (stamp it out).

“This is the reason that New Zealand has relatively few cases.

“What we’re seeing around the world is that there’s a rapid transfer in young people,” he said.”

The number was expected to further rise and the Ministry of Health was going to step up its public information campaign about flu prevention, Health Minister Tony Ryall said at a press conference. We want to delay the major impact of swine flu beyond the normal winter cycle.

“The strategy remains containment.

Earlier today police said that a second police recruit 30-year-old, from the same wing as the person who was confirmed as infected yesterday, has been in isolation at the Police College in Porirua and is recovering well.”

Mr Ryall said there were normally about 31,000 hospital admissions a month during winter and health officials thought there could be another 4000.

Police national manager of training Superintendent Mike Wilson said the move was part of the nationwide effort to try to minimise the spread of the virus.

The college yesterday postponed new training courses due to start this week in a bid to minimise the number of people exposed.”

Staff were working with Public Health to identify any other recruits who may have flu-like symptoms or had direct contact with the sick recruits, he said.

“We’ve had instances of whooping cough and norovirus in the past which present similar challenges and my team are very professional in the way they are handling this and providing any ongoing support to our staff who are understandably worried too.

Mr Ryall confirmed yesterday that Capital and Coast District Health Board had set up one of New Zealand’s first swine flu assessment centres at Wellington Hospital.

Approximately 50 people had been placed in isolation.

“It diverts people away who may have flu symptoms from hospital and emergency departments and GP clinics. Other district health boards were likely to follow. Meanwhile, the UK has reported its first death from swine flu. Meanwhile, the UK has reported its first death from swine flu.

Darren Hunt, the Health Ministry’s deputy director of public health, said the weekend’s rise signalled a new phase of the pandemic and the number of cases was expected to rise steeply.

The ministry has moved its response to phase six, one of the highest health alert levels, opening the door for radical measures including the declaration of a national state of emergency. Restrictions could be placed on public gatherings, including sports events. During the Mexican outbreak, big football matches were played in empty stadiums.

There were no plans to cancel Saturday’s second rugby test between the All Blacks and France, Dr Hunt said. However, anyone with flu symptoms should stay away. “It’s a prime opportunity for coughing and sneezing over a lot of people.”

Wellington City Council will outline plans today to deal with the growing number of cases. Mayor Kerry Prendergast said options included closing buildings where large crowds gathered, such as libraries and swimming pools. “We are a long way from that, but you have to have these plans in place.

“Senior council managers have been working out how we will cope if Wellington is greatly affected by swine flu.”

Challenges included keeping essential services such as water supply and sewerage systems going if large numbers of people are off sick or stuck at home.

Mr Ryall said that, although New Zealand’s swine flu cases had been mild and most people recovered at home, there was still potential for it to swamp hospitals and clinics.

“If swine flu takes hold as is expected, that means a whole lot more people have flu, which means a whole lot more people might be turning up at emergency departments and GP clinics. .”

Swine flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people also have diarrhoea and vomiting.

Seventy-four countries have reported 29,669 cases and 145 deaths. Up to 30 per cent of the population might eventually contract swine flu, Dr Hunt said.

WEEKEND DEVELOPMENTS:

Swine flu cases doubled over the weekend, from 35 on Friday, to 71 yesterday. It is now spreading in the community, and not just among people who have travelled overseas.

In Wellington, 12 new cases were reported, including a recruit at the Police College in Porirua. Other recruits were being treated with Tamiflu and isolated.

The Health Ministry moved its response to phase six, opening the door for radical measures such as declaring a national state of emergency.

Tamiflu given to 50 pupils at Burnside High School, Christchurch, after a 13-year-old confirmed with swine flu.

Year 12s at Auckland’s Westlake Girls’ High School told to stay home after a fellow pupil is diagnosed.

Australia has 1458 cases, with more than 1100 in Victoria.

Health officials are also stressing the need for people who suspect they have flu to seek medical advice over the phone. Call Healthline 0800 611 116.

OFFICIALS HANDLING OUTBREAK WELL – PM

Prime Minister John Key today praised the actions of health officials in dealing with swine flu and emphasised the importance of people staying home if they have symptoms.

Mr Key said this morning the health ministry had done a “tremendous job” coping with swine flu so far, though it may have to change tack slightly because of the community spread.

“The containment has been a lot better in this country than in others,” he told TVNZ.

The messages the department were putting out were the right ones to help contain the spread, he said.

“We don’t have immunity and at one level it’s reasonably easy to spread,” he said.

“. . .If you’re not feeling well stay home, cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze, wash your hands regularly.”

-By , TRACY WATKINS and PAUL EASTON

– Next Health story: –
A home in times of direst need

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Drop in smoking challenged

Friday, 27 February 2009

Smoking rates have not dropped by as much as the Health Ministry has reported, a study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal suggests.
Health researcher Murray Laugesen says the implication that the number of smokers had dropped from 22.8 per cent to 18.
The Health Ministry said in a briefing to the new government in November that since 2003, there had been an almost 5 per cent decrease in the total number of people who smoked daily.1 per cent of the population in four years is "highly doubtful".
"For the New Zealand Health Survey result to be compatible with cigarette volumes, remaining smokers would have to buy 30 per cent more cigarettes per day".
However, Dr Laugesen says in his report published today that the falling number of smokers is "incompatible" with statistics showing an increase of more than 296 million cigarettes sold in the same period.
Dr Laugesen says other comparative surveys on smokers such as an AC Nielsen survey and the 2006 census show just a 1.
He says the introduction of anti-smoking laws, graphic labelling on the outside of packets and price increases on tobacco products have also failed to have an effect on the discrepancies in results as the measures were either already in place at the time or were implemented after the survey.5 per cent and 1 per cent decrease in smoking prevalence respectively.
"Admitting smoking is embarrassing for many smokers .
Dr Laugesen said the New Zealand Health Survey relied on smokers to admit their habit, and that chemical testing of respondents would be more accurate… There is no other way to measure for changes in the tendency for smokers to under-report their smoking," he says. There is no other way to measure for changes in the tendency for smokers to under-report their smoking," he says.
National tobacco programme manager spokeswoman Karen Evison said the Health Ministry was confident of the "robustness" of its survey data around the prevalence of smokers in New Zealand. Smokers responding to the 2007 NZHS, more than in previous health surveys, tended to under-report their smoking". .
The ministry would not comment further last night

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Plan for surgery superhubs

By REBECCA PALMER Thursday, 26 February 2009

The greater Wellington region could get its own surgery "super-centre" to help tackle waiting lists.
Three Auckland district health boards gave Health Minister Tony Ryall their proposal yesterday to build the first new centres dedicated to elective, or non-urgent, surgery. . They are now preparing a formal business case.
He planned to talk to Greater Wellington district health boards in the next month and ask them to put forward their own proposal. National is planning to spend about $180 million over five years. "We want it to happen and I think they would too. Canterbury would be another focus area. While Capital and Coast and Hutt Valley boards were obvious partners, MidCentral (Palmerston North and Manawatu) and Wairarapa could "potentially" also be involved."
It would be up to the boards to decide how to put together proposals and suggest appropriate sites, he said.
Capital and Coast and Hutt Valley boards need two each, the Auckland region needs another 14 and Hawke's Bay needs one more.
A Health Ministry report made public by Mr Ryall yesterday says the country needs 26 extra operating theatres by 2026, in order to meet surgery targets and predicted increases in patient numbers.
Capital and Coast chief executive Ken Whelan said yesterday that though he had not discussed it with Mr Ryall, Porirua's Kenepuru Hospital was one possible site.
The extra theatres could treat about 1500 patients each a year."
It also had a significant amount of open land, allowing potential expansion into a "super centre-type facility".
"Kenepuru does enjoy the advantage of being centrally located in the Greater Wellington region, and is easily accessible from both Hutt and Wellington cities.
"This means elective surgery can be consistently scheduled at Kenepuru without the possibility of it being bumped due to an acute presentation.
Two extra theatres in the new Wellington Regional Hospital had boosted that hospital's ability to cope with urgent surgery, freeing up Kenepuru to focus on elective surgery, Mr Whelan said.
The region had been short of operating capacity for many years, he said."
Hutt Valley board's acting chief executive Michael Hundleby said the board was "very keen" to work with the Capital and Coast and Wairarapa health boards "to come up with a proposal for another four theatres in the Wellington region as soon as possible".
"Now is the time to be planning for the next step beyond that.
The $82 million Hutt Hospital redevelopment would double its operating theatres from four to eight by the end of 2011."

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‘Bonnie and Clyde’ appear in court

By JEFF TOLLAN and BETHANY MARETT Timaru Herald Tuesday, 03 February 2009

DARYL MAY
READY: Constable Lochlan Macdonald, of Dunedin, guards an intersection close to Palmerston during an armed chase drama which two toddlers were caught up in.

The couple at the centre of an armed offenders squad callout shouted obscenities and gestured at waiting media when they appeared in court in Oamaru today.
The pair have been granted interim name suppression and were remanded in custody until February 18 to appear again in Oamaru District Court.
The man yelled white supremacist slogans while the woman gestured on their way into court.
They are facing a raft of charges including burglary and firearms offences after sparking a major police callout close to Palmerston yesterday.
A 25-year-old man and 20-year-old woman, along with two toddlers, were surrounded by the AOS in farmland northeast of Palmerston, after a two-hour ordeal. They did not enter any pleas to the charges.
The children have gone into care.
The Land Rover they were travelling in had been reported stolen from Christchurch a few days earlier and is also believed to be linked to a burglary in Ashburton.
The incident began when a shot was allegedly fired at police setting up a road block just south of Palmerston.
The vehicle, believed to be driven by the woman, crashed just north of Palmerston and the occupants fled on foot across farmland close to Horse Range Rd.
One shot was fired at two officers on the side of the road and a firearm was presented at pursuing officers several times, according to police.
They were called out shortly after 1pm, driving to Herbert, and then half of the squad flew into the area by helicopter.
Timaru Sergeant Tristan Murray was last night praising the efforts of the armed offenders squad members for their "perfect" execution in capturing the offenders.
The Timaru AOS was the first on the ground and took a man into custody as the Dunedin AOS had not yet been deployed.
The Timaru AOS was the first on the ground and took a man into custody as the Dunedin AOS had not yet been deployed. But the guys dealt with it so professionally and everyone was rapt with the result.
"It's one of those jobs that you've got the worst possible scenario for everything. It was just a really good job, no-one got hurt.
"I can't stress enough how perfectly it went.
Mr Murray said the the group had covered a couple of kilometres of ground from where where the vehicle had crashed."
No shots were fired by police during the incident.
The group trekked across the farmland before huddling down in a small tree-lined area close to a creek. The man was carrying a firearm and using the children like a body shield, he said.22 firearm and ammunition. The AOS surrounded them and shortly after, the man surrendered by throwing down his .
"It was quite a nasty crash.
"It was quite a nasty crash. I'm surprised they walked away from it."
State Highway 1 was closed during the incident and residents were told to keep indoors during the manhunt.
When contacted by The Timaru Herald yesterday afternoon, one witness said at least eight cars were following the man at one point.
Another, the owner of the property opposite where the Land Rover crashed, said the vehicle had been towing a trailer full of what looked to be camping supplies. The trailer, he said, had flipped, spraying the contents all over the road.
"It looks like a war zone."
The man was working at the time of the crash and said it happened only a short distance from the East Otago High School. "I was at work … we could hear all these sirens and I thought `what the hell's going on here'."
As of early last night, he had had no word from police about what had happened. He didn't realise how serious the situation was until he got home from work.
"It looks like a fairly late model Land Rover. It doesn't look the best parked up against the tree."
Another Palmerston resident told the Herald a policeman instructed her to leave her home.
"The police came up my driveway and told me to leave. It was just one guy and a car. [He said] `leave the house now and head north, there are gunmen coming through paddocks'."
The police cars and the vehicle being pursued were all going extremely fast, said a woman who was working in the town at the time.
Two police cars were marked cars, while another two were mufti, she said. They chased the offender "right through the township".
Another witness who saw the chase said that there were a number of police cars, about eight, following the suspect and the experience had been terrifying.
"It just scares me that there's how many police cars after one person. ."
For those at Palmerston Primary School, the situation had been "frightening".
Principal Dan Dilkes said the school, which has about 100 pupils on its roll, received a call from police about 2.20pm telling them the armed offenders squad had been called out.
"We received a call telling us that the AOS had been sent into the area and to keep everyone here."
The police instructed them to close all doors and keep everyone below the window line, he said. "There was no reason given, other than there was something quite serious going on."
Mr Dilkes said the situation lasted until about 3.40pm, but in that time the school had been kept updated by police.
Throughout the ordeal the children had kept calm, he said.
"They were really good about it. Everyone was really in control; there wasn't a