Wakahuia

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An inquest into the death of a loader driver on a Taranaki farm has been adjourned after the coroner took the unusual step of urging the Department of Labour to reconsider laying charges.

The inquest into the death of Paul Edwin Orin Robinson, 36, of Tapawera, 58km south-west of Nelson, was due to be heard in the New Plymouth Coroner’s Court yesterday.

She told the court she was “surprised” no charges had been laid by the department and put Mr Robinson’s former employers, Nelson-based South Pacific Movements Ltd, as well as the owners of the land where the fatal accident happened “on notice” that they might need to take legal advice.

But Coroner Carla na Nagara surprised the large number of people in the public gallery by deferring the hearing and bluntly asking the Department of Labour to rethink its decision not to lay charges.

Forestry workers jumped into the water in an unsuccessful attempt to save their trapped colleague.

Mr Robinson died after his machine tumbled off a farm bridge and into the Mohakatino River, close to Mokau, in June last year.

Ms Nagara said she was not prepared to proceed with the inquest, given the amount of evidence she had in front of her, and was concerned that proceeding with the hearing could prejudice the case.

Farm owner Ben Hutchinson was cleared in December of any blame, following an investigation by the Department of Labour, while no charges were laid against South Pacific Movements Ltd.

“The features of this case are such that I’m surprised that charges were not laid. .

Mrs Gichard then asked if the coroner had fresh evidence that the department was not in possession of.”

Department of Labour health and safety inspector Gail Gichard responded in court by telling the coroner that the case had been extensively peer reviewed before the decision not to lay charges was made.

“My concern is very much to do justice to Paul and get to the bottom of what happened,” she said, before adding that it was a difficult decision to adjourn the case, knowing that a number of Mr Robinson’s family had travelled from Nelson.

Ms Nagara responded that she was not prepared to discuss that in open court.

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Mrs Robinson said she did not want to comment on the coroner’s decision until after the case was closed.

Barbara Robinson, Paul’s mother, said after the adjournment that she “just wanted closure” to the case.

“The next step will be to discuss a number of issues with the coroner, and that’s pretty much as far as I can go,” he said.

Department of Labour Taranaki manager Brett Murray was also reluctant to talk about the decision.”

South Pacific Movements Ltd director Anthony Bamford, of Nelson, was not available for comment. “I don’t really want to say any more until I’ve discussed it with her.

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Steven Wallace’s family has laid a complaint of perjury against the mother of a police officer present when he was shot. .
Mrs Dombroski, a family court co-ordinator at New Plymouth, told the court that two weeks before the shooting she had received a phone call from a woman concerned that her son, whom she identified as Wallace, was becoming increasingly violent and threatened to kill her. Mrs Wallace said the wrong information had stopped them from getting a fair trial.
Another woman with the surname Wallis later came forward to say she had made the call.”I’ve met with Raewyn Wallace and the information that she has supplied is being investigated,” she said.
Detective Inspector Sue Schwalger, crime services manager for the central region, said she did not know how long the investigation would take.

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Last night’s elimination on Dancing with the Stars left the entire cast shell-shocked and was the end of a fairytale, according to the show’s latest casualty Rebecca Hobbs.

Hobbs told that after the show there was no late-night partying, with the pervading atmosphere being one of disbelief.

“It was very quiet.

Hobbs said she harboured no ill will towards fellow contestant – former All Black hard-man Josh Kronfeld – who she faced off against in the bottom two last night. I think we were all just shell-shocked to tell you the truth”.

“He kept coming up to me last night after the show and apologising and every time he did I’d just give him a kiss.

“I have no bad feelings for Josh at all, in fact he got quite a lot of kisses off me last night.”

However Hobbs confessed her elimination had been unexpected.

“When we found out we were going, it was like having the rug pulled out from underneath our feet.

“Before each showI think you’re always a bit nervous, but we felt we’d danced really well, we’d absolutely danced our hearts out.”

Hobbs and dance partner Aaron Gilmore had beenconcerned about their position in the middle of the field.

“It was like the fairytale had ended.”

Her brother Chris Hobbs was eliminated from the show last week and had texted her words of encouragement this morning.

“We were worried, we knew that being in themiddle of the leader board is the most dangerous place, because people sort of think you’ll be all right.

“I had a lot of people coming up to me when Chris was still in the competition and saying ‘we’ve texted for your brother because he needs it,you’ll befine’, they said I would sail through.

“I had a lot of people coming up to me when Chris was still in the competition and saying ‘we’ve texted for your brother because he needs it,you’ll befine’, they said I would sail through.

Kronfeld himself admitted the flamboyant costumes and gruelling dance routines were taking their toll.

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Kronfeld had been languishing along the bottom of the scoreboard throughout the competition, and a judge last night referred to his Samba performance as being “listless, languid and lethargic”.

EarlierHobbs had performed a Samba which one judge had deemed “cute but not sexy” and called one of her performances “starchy”. .

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However her combined scores last night placed her third in the competition on atotal of 58, ahead of Kronfeld’s combined total of 48

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One in five Kiwis plans to miss a mortgage repayment to pay for food and other household expenses, according to a study by credit agency Dun & Bradstreet (D&B).

The D&B Payment Priorities Study released today also shows 51 percent of people admit to making at least one bill payment late in the past 12 months, with credit cards, pay TV, phones, internet and council rates being the most common.

John Scott, Dun & Bradstreet New Zealand general manager, says the study shows people’s changing priorities as the economic downturn forces them to focus on daily expenses.

“Kiwis consider home phones and utilities as daily essentials and will strive to pay these bills when they fall due.

“That one in five Kiwis with a mortgage would be prepared to make a repayment late challenges accepted orthodoxy and points to new priorities for consumers,” he says. . While the mortgage is considered extremely important, the study shows when push comes to shove, people are prepared to miss a payment to ensure they have free cash for their daily essentials.

Listings on New Zealand’s top two real estate websites, trademe.nz and realestate.co.nz, show in the past year mortgagee sales have risen 213% (Trademe) and 200% (realestate), with Auckland taking the brunt.co.

The Reserve Bank, meanwhile, has fired a warning shot about the sudden recent sharp rise in interest rates. The pain is also moving upmarket as mortgagee sales of $1 million-plus homes become more common. It said earlier today that current levels of long-term interest rates in this country were “out of line” with its expectations. It said earlier today that current levels of long-term interest rates in this country were “out of line” with its expectations.

Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard said the recent rise in rates charged between financial institutions was “unwarranted and inconsistent with the monetary policy outlook”.. All up, 32 percent of those who receive a credit card bill, 29 percent of those with a Pay TV bill, 28 percent of those with mobile phone, 26 percent of those with home phone bills, 24 percent of those with home internet, and 20 percent of those who receive rates accounts admit these bills have been paid late at least once in the last 12 months

* Around 10 percent of late bill payers say they have been contacted by a debt collection agency about an overdue bill.

The D&B study found that:

*51 percent of Kiwis admit to paying at least one bill “in an overdue manner” in the past twelve months.

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. However 46 percent of the same group says if the first contact about an unpaid bill came from a debt collection agency they would be more likely to pay that bill immediately

* 60 percent of Kiwis say being aware that late payments would be listed on their credit report would make them more likely to pay their bills on time – a finding that comes as the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner considers changes to credit reporting laws

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Teachers are being asked for “a bit of goodwill” to stave off extensions to the school day.

Changes to employment laws taking effect today entitle teachers to two 10-minute breaks and one of 30 minutes during the school day.

The Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) says the breaks should be in addition to, rather than instead of, agreed non-teaching time.

“Schools need to make sure that they have a solution that is workable for their site.

Some principals are worried the compulsory breaks could push the hours a school has to stay open beyond 4pm. . There will be, I would imagine, a variety of solutions that would do justice to the law as it stands,” New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) president Ernie Buutveld said.. will get a solution that they are comfortable with..”

There was confusion over the changes last night after the Ministry of Education told that consensus had been reached on guidelines to implement the changes.

“It’s when people start digging their toes in and saying, `Listen, I ain’t going to do this, I’m entitled to my break’, that people become polarised. We have now reached agreement with all parties to release the guidelines tonight,” deputy secretary for schooling Anne Jackson said.

“The ministry and all sector groups have worked hard to achieve consensus on the guidelines.

The groups reaching agreement included the PPTA, the NZPF and the Secondary Principals’ Association of New Zealand (Spanz), she said.

The groups reaching agreement included the PPTA, the NZPF and the Secondary Principals’ Association of New Zealand (Spanz), she said. “They are designed to address the work that a teacher needs to do.

“We differ on a fundamental interpretation of how the legislation can be implemented in that we believe the non-contact provisions of the collective agreement should be protected,” she said.”

Some schools had “buried their heads” over the changes, expecting them to go away. You can’t use it for a break as well. They’ve just thrown their hands up and gone, `Can’t do it, can’t do it’,” Gainsford said.

“I don’t think some people have started the process.

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Spanz president Peter Gall said he had not heard from the ministry.

The ministry had told her it was “adamant” it had not made any statement saying the PPTA was part of a consensus. “We just want an interpretation of what the situation is.

“It’s a matter of concern and annoyance,” he said.”

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Executives at Air New Zealand are to act as cabin crew for the airline’s subsidiary, Zeal 320 Ltd, during next week’s planned strike action on trans-Tasman and Pacific routes.

Talks between the airline and the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) are continuing.
Air New Zealand told Radio New Zealand it had 100 fully qualified staff, including top executives who have volunteered to keep planes flying over the Easter period.
The airline has an application for an Employment Court injunction due to be heard on Friday.
But the EPMU said it did not believe the airline had staff available to replace striking cabin crew. .
Air New Zealand’s group general manager of short-haul airlines, Bruce Parton, said senior staff, including Glen Sowry, who is heading the negotiations, will act as crew on the Zeal 320 flights.
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The Reserve Bank has fired a warning shot about the sudden recent sharp rise in interest rates.

The central bank said this morning that current levels of long-term interest rates in this country were “out of line” with its expectations.

The action by the governor was unusual, as he normally waits for his regular six-weekly review of interest rates before making comments on market conditions.

Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard said the recent rise in rates charged between financial institutions was “unwarranted and inconsistent with the monetary policy outlook”. A short time ago it was worth US55.

The New Zealand dollar reacted sharply to the announcement, falling over a cent in value against the American currency.

The comments by Bollard indicate a clear concern from him that recent actions of the markets could put further pressure on struggling Kiwi households and on the depressed New Zealand economy.9 cents compared with over US57c prior to the RBNZ statement. Governments around the world are issuing huge amounts of bonds as they seek to pump money into their own economies.

A number of factors have caused the recent increase in longer term rates.

There has also been a very strong rise in the value of the New Zealand dollar – largely due to the weakness of the US dollar.

This is forcing banks sourcing money offshore to pay higher rates. Several banks have increased their longer term fixed mortgage rates. .5 percent to 3 percent, indicated it did not see much more scope for further falls.

As well, the RBNZ, when lowering official interest rates from 3.

Continuation of such a trend could put further downward pressure on an economy that has been in recession since the start of 2008.

All of these factors have contributed to what is effectively a sharp tightening in monetary conditions within New Zealand – contrary to the RBNZ’s wishes. Furthermore, the risks around the outlook continue to be weighted to the downside,” Dr Bollard said in a statement.

“As we said in our 12 March Monetary Policy Statement, the economic recovery is expected to be very gradual.”

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Dr Bollard said that if this “apparent distortion” in the market persists, it could put unnecessary pressure on the cost of borrowing by firms and households.

“As indicated in our March Statement, we are projecting interest rates to remain at relatively low levels for an extended period.

A number of economists in recent days have been calling for just such an action from the RBNZ governor.

The comments by Bollard are effectively an attempt to “jawbone” interest rates and the New Zealand dollar down.

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Fancy a nice wallaby pie? How about a bowl of hot wallaby-tail soup for starters?

The culinary opportunities presented by a booming population of the bouncing marsupial pests have been suggested as a nice little earner for a South Canterbury entrepreneur.
Wallabies were introduced to the Hunters Hills near Waimate in 1874.
Environment Canterbury (ECan) councillors were told yesterday the Bennett’s wallabies were spreading beyond their South Canterbury containment zone and the population had doubled, possibly trebled, to at least 50,000 in the past 10 years. Isolated wallaby sightings had also been made elsewhere in the region, including around Lyttelton Harbour and along the Waimakariri River.
A new colony of wallabies has become established on the eastern shore of Lake Pukaki, outside the zone.
ECan biosecurity manager Graham Sullivan said the explosion in wallaby numbers was the greatest concern.
Councillors heard some recreational hunters appeared to have tried to introduce them into new habitats. .
Cr Bob Kirk said wallaby meat was lean and “not too strong”.
Cr Mark Oldfield said wallaby pies had a following.
Oldfield said people had been seen putting joeys in cars to take elsewhere.
He remembered his grandmother in Waimate cooking wallaby-tail soup, which was not unlike oxtail soup. There’s an element of the hunting fraternity that would love to have some wallabies.
“It’s a bit like pigs. It’s quite a sport. It’s quite a sport.

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Feltex’s liquidators have issued a court claim worth about $41 million against five of the failed carpet maker’s directors.

McDonald Vague’s John Whittfield and Peri Finnigan said proceedings had been issued in the High Court at Auckland.
The Liquidators said that the directors had shown no interest in resolving these claims since they were first made against them in March 2007. They said the claims were for up to approximately $41 million. They are accused of failing to act in good faith and in the best interests of Feltex, failing to disclose key information to the sharemarket and reckless trading.
The liquidators’ case is against Peter Hunter, ex-chief executive Peter Thomas, former chairman Tim Saunders, Michael Feeney and John Hagen. .
The directors have always publically maintained they did nothing untoward. McDonald Vague was appointed liquidator in December 2006.5 million.70 each in a June 2004 sharemarket float by private equity group Credit Suisse First Boston Asian Merchant Partners with Forsyth Barr and First NZ Capital lead brokers.
Feltex’s shares were sold for $1. By the time it was placed in receivership Feltex’s shares were worth just 3 cents each.
A steady stream of bad news culminated in Feltex breaching its ANZ loans in June 2006. Hundreds of Feltex staff lost their jobs around New Zealand. Its assets were subsequently sold to rival Godfrey Hirst. The Registrar of Companies has laid criminal charges against the same five.
The liquidators’ case is the third law suit filed against former Feltex directors.
There is also a shareholder action being led by former Fay Richwhite investment banker Tony Gavigan. They have pleaded not guilty to those charges, which carry a penalty of up to $100,000.
McDonald Vague’s John Whittfield said the directors should not be surprised to be facing issues on all fronts. It’s targeting the directors at the time of Feltex’s June 2004 float, the initial public offering promoters, vendors and lead brokers and is aiming to recover $212 million. Several of the unpaid creditors of Feltex are no longer in business.
“After all they presided over a substantial and spectacular collapse and a lot of people lost money.

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A badly injured tramper lay in the Southern Alps for more than a week before taking two days to haul himself down a glacier in a desperate bid for survival.

With only Little Dog, his border collie-huntaway cross, for company, extreme alpine tramper Matthew Briggs, 34, spent 12 days in the country’s most unforgiving terrain with severe injuries and dwindling rations after falling down a five-metre bluff on March 20.

The Briton was rescued by helicopter yesterday, and despite bone-deep cuts to his back and buttocks, a suspected broken ankle and wrist, the hardy tramper refused pain relief and offered his rescuers a cup of tea. Two hunters then tramped for 13 hours on Monday to raise the alarm.

Searchers found Mr Briggs only after he dragged himself to a hut.

Despite his tale of endurance, Mr Briggs was criticised for wasting police time and risking his life by not leaving crucial details about his trip.

After being picked up at first light, Mr Briggs was flown to Grey Hospital in Greymouth where he had surgery.

Mr Briggs left Middlemarch about March 16, parking his van close to the Huxley River in South Canterbury. But he fell close to the Douglas Glacier, he told Stu Drake, a paramedic on the Solid Energy rescue helicopter. He tramped north through mountains to the Karangarua saddle in south Westland.

Though the hut was only a few kilometres away, Mr Briggs made camp and waited for more than a week for friends to raise the alarm. He then faced an “epic [vertical] descent” of about a kilometre in “absolute tiger country” to reach the shelter of Horace Walker Hut. .

“Two days into the panic button time, nothing had happened.”‘

He spent the next two days hobbling down the steep slope to the hut, where he found the hunters and much-needed food before his rescue, Mr Drake said.”‘

He spent the next two days hobbling down the steep slope to the hut, where he found the hunters and much-needed food before his rescue, Mr Drake said. “He was better than I would have been in that situation.

Despite his ordeal, Briggs was lucid and able to describe what happened.

“He landed on some rocks. He handled himself pretty well,” said Sharplin.. He said he cut his leg pretty bad and there was just a crimson river below him .

“He said it had taken him two days to walk 3km..”

Mr Sharplin said Mr Briggs told them he had hobbled, crawled and slid his way to the hut, rationing the rice and other food he had, and stopping at night to bathe his wounds in a mixture of salt and water. He had two gashes in his leg, about six inches long by around two inches deep.

When paramedics assessed him, they found injuries that would have seen other people “lying on the ground”.

When paramedics assessed him, they found injuries that would have seen other people “lying on the ground”.

“He refused pain relief. We carry morphine, but he was just happy to get out of there. He was an extremely capable and tough sort of character,” Mr Drake said.

Briggs had been helicoptered to Grey Base Hospital where he underwent surgery yesterday afternoon.

Yesterday, Sharplin took Little Dog, a border collie-huntaway cross, to Wanaka SPCA where friends were going to collect him to take back to Middlemarch.

“He ate a can of spaghetti within about five seconds, it was one hungry animal,” Sharplin said.

Originally from Britain, Briggs has lived in Middlemarch for about two years and owns its general store. Store manager and friend Dennis Bowers said Briggs had left to do a series of tramps around the South Island two weeks ago.

Search and rescue head Sean Judd said Mr Briggs was clearly skilled to survive, but had wasted hours of police time as they scrambled first to find his van and then him. “The basic thing people tend to overlook is leaving clear intentions about where they’re going … the route they’re going to take and the time they’re going to come out.”