Two a penny

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New Zealand is about to be shamed by a high-profile international human rights group that says we are not doing enough to turn around our horrific record on domestic violence.

The report from New York’s prestigious Leitner Centre for International Law and Justice will be presented to the government on Tuesday.

The authors, all international human rights experts, have made 27 recommendations, focusing on:

* improving the way we monitor domestic violence

* providing greater support for victims and offenders after violence happens, and

* doing more to protect Maori women in particular. But the Sunday Star-Times can reveal it identifies numerous weaknesses in our domestic violence laws and policies.

The Leitner Centre group picks one human rights issue to scrutinise every year.

“More can and ought to be done,” says lead researcher Jorge Contesse.

Last week Contesse pointed the finger at the New Zealand government, telling the Star-Times: “Under international law the government must do all it can to prevent domestic violence and punish such acts and if they don’t do everything possible to prevent such violence occurring they are in effect responsible. .

However: “Maori women are much more at risk of being assaulted or threatened by a partner.”

Contesse says Maori women should be triply protected by the Treaty of Waitangi, international codes for indigenous peoples’ rights, and more generic international human rights conventions…”

Offending remained “surprisingly high”, despite significant efforts to reduce it in recent years. meaning, the NZ government is particularly failing Maori women in respect to domestic violence. They say family violence affects a third of all women during their lifetime and that 45% of murders in New Zealand are family violence-related.

Police statistics show a 15% increase in the number of family violence incidents and offences in 2007-08, with more than 86,000 reports made. The report, by a newly-formed local group called the Roundtable of Violence Against Women, says certain types of violence and victims are being overlooked.

Meanwhile, a second report calling for an overhaul of systems to keep women and girls safe is being presented alongside the New York findings.

It also highlights the “serial abuse” of many immigrant women, saying both Women’s Refuge and the Shakti Community Council have evidence that men are using women’s residency status to exploit them and keep them in abusive relationships. This includes prostitutes who come from countries known for trafficking, such as Korea, Thailand, Eastern Europe and the Philippines. She hopes the Leitner report and her group’s demands will “flush the government out to make a stand on what they’re going to do about it.

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Domestic violence researcher and spokesperson for the Roundtable, Ruth Herbert, says we need to do much more than run a few television campaigns to keep women safe… This is not something we can keep hidden the world is watching. This is not something we can keep hidden the world is watching.”

A spokesperson for Justice Minister Simon Power said he wouldn’t comment until after he had seen the report but added that the issue of domestic violence was a priority for the new government and one of the first bills the government sent to select committee was legislation to enable police to issue on-the-spot protection orders.

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The grieving mother of police officer Derek Wootton believes her son’s killer got away with murder.

Andrew Popo, 33, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the High Court at Wellington yesterday, following a defence offer to resolve the case.

Mr Wootton’s mother, Cath, was not in court to hear the guilty plea, but reacted angrily to the deal reached by prosecutors and Popo’s lawyers.

Popo was driving a Honda Prelude that hit the 52-year-old Porirua police sergeant early on July 11, killing him instantly. I don’t care what anybody says, it was murder,” she said.

“What happened to Derek was murder.

“I will go for what is right, and in the circumstances, this is right,” Porirua Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Oxnam said.

However, the lead investigator in the case said the result was “the appropriate outcome”.”

Mr Wootton was struck by the car while laying road spikes in Dimock St, Titahi Bay. “The correct decision has been made.

Popo also pleaded guilty to injuring a man and unlawfully taking his car in Tawa, and driving while disqualified.

The Crown alleged that the car, taken by Popo from another man the night before, had been travelling at up to 150kmh during the police chase that led to the tragedy.

Crown prosecutor Grant Burston said Popo’s lawyer, Christopher Stevenson, had proposed a resolution of all but the kidnapping charge and that had been accepted. He still faces a charge of kidnapping a teenager.

Mr Wootton’s fiancee, Bronwyn Hewitt, was told of the plea deal on Monday.

Justice Alan MacKenzie agreed to the murder charge being reduced to manslaughter under a Crimes Act provision to allow changes “conducive to the ends of justice”. “Nothing is going to change. She said Popo’s manslaughter plea was “a bit of a shock” but was relieved she did not have to sit through a trial. In the back of my mind I knew it was going to be hard to prove [murder] and had been told that. It’s still not going to bring Derek back. . I just left it up to the experts.”

Mrs Wootton said the case had left her feeling cynical. “I was hoping that not only for the rest of the police, that do their job every day, I was hoping that we might have set a precedent. “We have had more than our share of sadness. “We have had more than our share of sadness.”

Popo will be back in court on April 20 for a sentencing date to be set.

FAMILY SAYS POPO DIDN”T MEAN TO KILL

The family of Andrew Popo say he never meant to kill anyone and they will support him in prison.

Popo’s uncle, Popo Su’a, said yesterday that his nephew should not have been charged with murder for killing Porirua police sergeant Derek Wootton.

Popo’s plea of guilty to manslaughter was “best for him”, Mr Su’a said. “It wasn’t something he did on purpose. It wasn’t murder.”

Mr Su’a, a minister of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa, said: “What happened saddens me, not only for him but also for the police officer’s family. But I believe it wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t his fault, in a way.”

Several members of Popo’s family were in court yesterday, and Mr Su’a said the family would stand by him.

“We are all working to help him and support him during his life in prison. We will be working towards trying to get him some counselling, to make him see what he has done.

“I hope for a change of his life. He’s got a lot in front of him. We all love him.”

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Power price to jump again

– Wednesday, 04 February 2009

Meridian Energy customers are being hit with their second power price rise in six months, an increase the Government calls "ludicrous".
From March 15, prices will rise 7 per cent for customers in Canterbury and Dunedin.
The giant state-owned power generator and retailer is lifting prices around the country by an average 6.
There are about 114,000 Meridian customers in Canterbury and 210,000 nationwide.5 per cent. The announcement comes less than a week after Meridian stopped spilling vast amounts of excess water from overfull southern hydro lakes.
Meridian increased its prices by 6 per cent last September, with 3 per cent price rises in September 2006 and 2007.
Meridian spokeswoman Claire Shaw told the energy company had tried to keep the increase as low as possible.
The amount the power deficit cost the state-owned enterprise would be known after its financial report to Government shareholders next month. It was not an attempt to recover costs after last year's winter power deficit but reflected the long-term cost of introducing new generation, she said.
"I can tell you I'm not happy about it," he said.
Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee said last night he had "expressed disappointment" to Meridian when told of the impending price increase. It's ludicrous.
"Meridian needs to explain to customers why, at a time when the lakes are so full that they have to spill water over the top, and the cost of their `fuel' for generation is basically zero, they are having to put their prices up."
There were some fundamental problems with New Zealand's electricity market that were now being studied, he said."
There were some fundamental problems with New Zealand's electricity market that were now being studied, he said. It is way, way more than the rate of inflation.
"I don't think it is justified. Is Meridian's lavish advertising programme necessary for a power company? Is the salary structure for their very top people appropriate? They should look at pruning spending before they expect consumers to pay more. The public would expect a publicly owned company, when people are losing jobs, to look at pruning their costs.
"We are aware that it's not going to be welcome news."
Shaw said Meridian customers should be notified of the rise from today."
Meridian was still the cheapest electricity retailer in Christchurch, she said. Anybody who can't pay their bill, or who is struggling to pay, they can contact us through our call centre and we can help. "We are worried about the impact of power price increases on older people on fixed incomes and also those with less income available from the decrease in interest rates from investments.
Christchurch Age Concern chief executive Stephen Phillips said 7 per cent was a "horrendous" increase.
MERIDIAN FACTS
Meridian Energy pay and profits:
PAY
Meridian chief executive Tim Lusk's salary band lies between $1.
MERIDIAN FACTS
Meridian Energy pay and profits:
PAY
Meridian chief executive Tim Lusk's salary band lies between $1.4 million and $1.41 million.
204 Meridian employees earn $100,000 or more a year and 28 earn above $200,000 annually.
RECENT PROFITS
2007-08: $128.6 million.
2006-07: $199.8 million.
2005-06: $856.8 million (includes gain from sale of Southern Hydro in Australia).
2004-05: $218.2 million.
2003-04: $132.9 million. .

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Bus tunnel walker run down by illegal car

Monday, 02 February 2009

KENT DUSTON
NO-GO ZONE: Police block off the Hataitai bus tunnel after a man walking through it was severely injured in a hit-and-run by a car that should never have been there.

Aman has been severely injured in a hit-and-run while walking throughWellington's Hataitai bus tunnel. Police do not know how long he was there before he was found.
The 42-year-old was found, severely injured, at 4am on Saturday by another motorist driving illegally through the tunnel.
Residents say the hit-and-run was a "completely avoidable tragedy that never needed to happen" and are angry that authorities are not doing more to stop drivers from using the bus tunnel. He required extensive surgery during the weekend.
Neither cars nor pedestrians are allowed to use the single-lane, badly lit tunnel, but residents say many people walk through after buses stop running.
Wellington City Council says barriers closing the tunnel after buses have stopped running have been discussed, and is meeting police, Greater Wellington regional council and bus companies this morning to discuss the problem.
The tunnel was also being abused by boy racers, many of whom turned their lights off and sped through the tunnel. "They know when the last bus is, so they think it's safe," Kent Duston, of Mt Victoria Residents Association, said. .
"This is not an 'accident', this is a completely avoidable tragedy that never needed to happen," he said.
Within 20 minutes of the tunnel reopening after Saturday's accident, Mr Duston photographed another car driving through illegally.

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$50 tax on crime for victim support

All convicted criminals must contribute

and MATT CALMAN Monday, 19 January 2009

Every person convicted in court will have to pay a $50 crime tax toward compensating victims under a proposed law to be introduced by National.
The victim compensation scheme will offer one-off payments to victims of serious crime to cover costs not met by ACC or other state help, such as counselling or travel to court.
Every offender who appears in court, from traffic violators to murderers, will be fined $50 upon conviction estimated to collect about $5 million a year. .
National says the money would be collected the same way as court costs and fines imposed at sentencing adding little extra administrative costs and would not be collected till any direct reparations which had been ordered had been paid to the victim.
"When something like this happens, we're just medium New Zealanders, and when you haven't got a lot and you've got to fork out a lot in a short amount of time, that's where the victim compensation scheme will come out and help people in need," he said.
Kevin McNeill, whose mother, Lois Dear, was murdered in her Tokoroa schoolroom in July 2006, estimated his family had spent about $30,000 after Mrs Dear's death, including the $10,000 funeral and travel costs to attend the killer's court appearances. "I reckon it's brilliant. "It's fantastic to see that we're putting victims straight in the centre of the whole process."
Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar also welcomed the scheme.
Also, any compensation paid to prisoners for human rights breaches in jail will be confiscated and injected into the compensation scheme, as long as it is not claimed by the specific victims of the offender."
Last week Justice Minister Simon Power promised the $90,000 running costs from a disbanded sentencing advisory board would go toward the scheme.
Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia said she supported the idea in principle.
National plans to set up a victims' service centre within the Justice Ministry to manage the compensation scheme.
"It is a crime tax.
"It is a crime tax. "They [minor offenders] are then paying for those at the high end of crime ." But low-level offenders might end up subsidising the fund for serious offenders sentenced to jail who would be unlikely to pay the levy…"
Opposition justice spokeswoman Annette King said the scheme was a "pure piece of political theatre" that would do little for victims. which seems rather unfair.
"The question must be who's going to get it?," she said. "If that's all they're offering, then they're really selling the victims a lemon."
Labour had asked the Law Commission to look at how to set up proper victim compensation schemes and that work was continuing. "It's going to be hugely bureaucratic and I'll be interested to know how many more public servants they're going to need to run it.
Legislation will be tabled next month.
Legislation will be tabled next month.

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Loving Lucy: her family’s fears and faith

By SUSAN PEPPERELL – Sunday, 04 January 2009

When LucyLaws' hair started growing back it came out curly and copper-coloured.
Before she was sick it was blonde and straight, but the curls have delighted her father Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws who was similarly adorned at one stage.
Lucy, however, just wants her curls to grow quicker. One day she was fine, the next she was running a fever so high she had to be flown from Wanganui to Auckland's Starship by Lifeflight, an emergency medical plane.
It is 10 months since four-year-old Lucy first got sick.
Her odds of survival were put at 10%; one doctor told her parents divine intervention was the only thing they could count on.
Then came the devastating diagnosis: not only did Lucy have leukemia, she had also contracted a rare fungal infection in her lungs and had acute pneumonia.
Lucy lived.
"I remember her sitting bolt upright in her hospital bed when she was so sick and saying `I'm not going to die Daddy'. Her dad says there were three things that saved her: prayer, the skill of Starship's clinicians and Lucy herself. It was a remarkable occurrence. Then she lay down again and went straight back to sleep.
He was born three months ago; the latest addition to a busy household which includes Laws, his partner Leonie Brookhammer, Ella, 16, Noah, 11, Lucy and Zoe, two."
Lucy turned four the week before Christmas her dad had promised her a trip to New York to see the musical The Little Mermaid but a baby named Theo put paid to that.
Laws says it was fair to say another child was "not something we joyously contemplated" and that last year the couple decided they would simply "batten down the hatches and get to the end".
Laws says it was fair to say another child was "not something we joyously contemplated" and that last year the couple decided they would simply "batten down the hatches and get to the end".
He and Lucy were the same age and even looked alike with the same big eyes and facial features, says Laws. Oliver, a child Lucy had become friendly with during her initial stay at Starship's oncology ward, died.
It was Oliver's death that brought Laws to tears for the first time since Lucy was first diagnosed. Lucy now talks of him as "being with the angels". That's the thing about these kiddies, there's nothing you can do about it.
"It's just so unfair. You are seeing the person you most love in the world in such pain and it makes you feel so helpless. You are simply there as an observer. "I don't expect to understand how it works but we are lucky."
Laws says the experience has enabled him to rediscover his faith. Her drug regime is substantial. Her drug regime is substantial. Every day she takes three chemotherapy drugs administered orally by syringe. The medication is so potent her parents must use rubber gloves and discard the syringe after use. One of the doses must be given about 1am.
Once a month she goes to Wanganui Hospital for an injection into a small port implanted under her skin at the bottom of her rib cage. The port has already been shifted once when it became infected. This is the most painful procedure for Lucy. On top of that, every six weeks she returns to Starship for a lumbar puncture, carried out under general anaesthetic.
This will continue for two years. It means her immunity is compromised so her temperature must be monitored constantly. Too high and she must go to hospital. That happened on Christmas Eve. And just last week younger sister Zoe was diagnosed with glandular fever so the watchful eye is now that bit more intense.
Ask Brookhammer how she feels about the future and she admits to simply being very tired.
"I was hoping to wake up on January 1 reinvigorated but to be honest I'm just tired.
"I'm hopeful things are going to be OK. Despite everything last year being so bad we did come through, Lucy did get better. It wasn't as bad as I imagined it could be."
She reserves a special thanks for the people who sent cards and gifts for Lucy, most of whom they have never met.
"I'll never forget it. ."

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Battered bling makes the cash tills ring

By KAREN ARNOLD – Sunday, 21 December 2008

Jon Palani, manager of a second-hand store, with pawned jewellery

Pawn brokersare reporting an influx of customers turning their scrap jewellery into cash as the price of gold rises and the Kiwi dollar falls.
They say some have gone home hundreds of dollars richer after trading in their old, broken bits of gold jewellery to line their pockets during tough economic times.
Gary Boote, who owns the Pawn Shop in Christchurch, said that although the number of people seeking money for second-hand goods had not increased significantly in the past few months, there had been a noticeable increase in the number of people buying good-quality items and cashing up "junk" jewellery. .
Last week he was paying up to $30 a gram for unwanted gold."
And while many people had dress jewellery of no value, a lot had pieces at home that were worth something. A lot of people are living day to day.
He said one elderly woman had recently brought in brooches, a chain and a necklace. "She walked out with $900. After testing the pieces, they found the necklace was studded with diamonds. As a result they were seeing more jewellery scrap coming in from second-hand dealers and pawn brokers."
David Morris, managing director of gold merchants Morris and Watson, said gold was worth about $1500 an ounce, up from about $850 in July last year.
But sellers should take their time researching traders before parting with precious pieces.
They refined the gold and turned it into chains or bullion, which more and more people preferred to having cash.
Meanwhile, Cash Converters a nationwide chain which buys and sells second-hand goods and lends money has also noticed a new customer trend.
Meanwhile, Cash Converters a nationwide chain which buys and sells second-hand goods and lends money has also noticed a new customer trend. They have no cash flow any more.
"They know that if they sell it they will have to replace it but they are borrowing more with the cash solutions we offer people are really struggling. Customers are given one month to pay off the loan but if they default on a payment they are charged $25 plus a bank dishonour fee of about $30."
People borrowing cash from Cash Converters do not pay interest, but for a loan of $1000 an administration fee of around $300 is paid.
Tips for selling your un-wanted jewellery
* Deal with a reputable trader.
Budget advisers say anyone considering borrowing from money lenders should find out about hidden costs, and they suggest trying a bank first. Make sure the pieces are tested before deciding to sell. By law, they must photograph the pieces, verify the personal details of the seller and hold the pieces for at least 14 days.
* Types of gold: 9ct contains 37.
* Good traders have gold and diamond testing equipment on site and won't mind you being present when they check the quality of your jewellery.6 percentfine gold.6 percentfine gold.

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Porno conviction follows four years on the run

– Saturday, 13 December 2008

A four-year flight from justice ended yesterday when a former teacher who left New Zealand before a court hearing on child pornography charges was convicted.
In 2002, Shane David Rahui was tracked by Department of Internal Affairs staff as he downloaded several objectionable photographs of young boys.
Child welfare groups were outraged at the move, with Child Abuse Prevention Services saying the former Dargaville High School teacher and martial arts instructor had made a mockery of the law.
Charges were laid, but, because Internal Affairs staff do not have the power of arrest, Rahui was not on bail and was legitimately able to apply for a passport in 2004 and leave the country.
Rahui is believed to have spent three years in Asia.
In his absence, Rahui was convicted on several charges of possessing objectionable material and fined.
Late last year, Rahui was detained at Los Angeles airport and denied entry to the United States.
During his absence, New Zealand officials notified Interpol of their interest in the man.
Rahui appeared in court in July, before a defended hearing on October 29. With no other port open to him, Rahui was forced to return to New Zealand where he was arrested. .
In the Christchurch District Court yesterday, Judge Jane McMeeken convicted Rahui on 22 charges of making an objectionable publication available to other people for gain.
Rahui did challenge the legality of two search warrants, which contained mistakes, executed by Internal Affairs staff during their investigation.
In her decision, the judge said Rahui knew the material he had downloaded relating to the sexual exploitation of boys was illicit. They did not outweigh the seriousness of the offences Rahui faced, which involved images of young boys. However, the judge ruled evidence obtained through the warrant was admissible as the mistakes were technical.
Rahui trained at the Christchurch College of Education, and had worked in Christchurch as a school holiday programme co-ordinator for the YMCA and an Out of School Care and Recreation supervisor.
"Having viewed the images in question there is no doubt that the classification made by the (Internal Affairs) inspector was correct," she said. "It's a crime that doesn't recognise international boundaries.
Department of Internal Affairs investigator Paul Duke said New Zealand relied on co-operation from law enforcement agencies around the world to stop the online exploitation of children, and played its own part in tracking down offenders."

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German family of missing Kiwi go to Interpol

Wednesday, 17 September 2008

The German family of a Bay of Plenty man who disappeared in February have asked Interpol to look into police handling of the matter.
Sigfried Newman, 49, disappeared on February 25 after dropping his two sons at school.
At the time, police said it was believed Mr Newman was struggling to cope with the death of his wife late last year.
Tauranga police searched for three days but found no sign of him.
Mr Newman's sisters, Sabine Vorgerd and Brigitte Fulling, came over to New Zealand when their brother disappeared but could not stay to carry on their own investigations because of the cost.
Mr Newman's family told the Bay of Plenty Times they were convinced their brother was dead and that foul play was probably involved.
The family were unhappy the search was called off after only three days and believed police were too quick to blame Mr Newman's disappearance on depression after his wife died, said Mr Vorgerd.
Ms Vorgerd's husband told the paper from his home in Germany, the family had given up hope of finding Mr Newman alive.
Tauranga police Senior Sergeant Rob Glencross said there was nothing to suggest foul play, but it was not something police could eliminate.
The family have asked Interpol to look into the Tauranga police's handling of the matter.
There were two sightings the Tuesday after Mr Newman disappeared but the family do not believe he went into hiding and did not want to be found, police said.
Nothing had been ruled out, he said.
Anyone with information should contact police.
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