Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Radio New Zealand

Saturday is Caturday at a south Auckland animal shelter, where a bumper crop of kittens are in desperate need of forever homes.

The SPCA has more than 30 kittens available for adoption at its Māngere Centre, where it says the 40-year-old building is crumbling and part of the cattery floods when it rains.

The organisation has seen a surge in cats needing to be adopted across the country, and it hopes its Caturday events will see people heading home with a new family member in tow.

At the Māngere shelter, Michaela Foggin has a cat-lover’s dream job.

“I am a senior feline attendant so my job during the day is caring for the cats, feeding them, cleaning them, medicating them, making sure they get all the love and attention possible.”

She will be helping to adopt out the bumper crop of kittens.

“We’ll do walk-ins and they can come through, look at all the kittens we have available for adoption, meet some, cuddle some and they usually pick you so it can be pretty easy when you’re coming in to meet and adopt a kitten.”

More than 30 kittens are available for adoption at the Māngere shelter, where vet Nathan Wong has worked for five years.

“We’re inundated with cats and kittens at this time. The reason for that is with the warmer weather they always want to have babies at this time of year which is really cute,” he said.

“There’s more cats than we’ve got cages to deal with so Caturdays is one of those things where we try to adopt out as many cats as we can because the more cats we adopt out, the more we can take in.”

The decades-old shelter is falling apart, riddled with asbestos and rust.

The SPCA said the buildings would need to be vacated this year – a new purpose-built centre is being built in Wiri, due to be finished in November.

Graeme Ford manages the Māngere shelter and said the run-down buildings were risky for both staff and the animals.

He said a worker recently tripped and broke their wrist and thumb – and part of the cattery flooded when it rained.

“We’ve got 18 pens here and nine of them flood, every time we’ve got rain and it’s not heavy rain anymore now it’s just any rain.”

The pens flood deep enough to fill the cats’ water bowls – there are platforms in each pen the cats can safely jump to.

“It’s not ideal for the animals and it’s not ideal for the staff who’ve got to come in the next morning and think this is what they’ve got to take an hour or two out of their day to clean up the mess from the flood.”

Ford said some of the dog kennels were rusting and asbestos had been found in parts of the buildings.

“There’s a lot of asbestos on site. It is stable and it is marked where it is but it’s not ideal especially as the building starts to show some deterioration, we wouldn’t want the deterioration to be shown around the asbestos and put anyone at risk.”

The SPCA’s new shelter in Wiri is due for completion in November and will be a much larger hub, it’s still fundraising for $10 million.

“We need someone with some deep pockets to try and help out and get us there and get these cats and dogs into a better space,” Ford said.

The Māngere centre cared for more than 5500 animals last year and bigger buildings at Wiri will allow an additional 2000 animals to be helped.

Meanwhile, Ford said they also needed more foster parents to take animals home for short stays and relieve pressure on their kennels and pens – animal food and any medications are provided.

Roma Timpson is a vet nurse and seasoned foster parent, the day RNZ visited she was taking home two kittens, one had an eye removed, the other a leg amputated.

“It doesn’t have to be forever, it is really hard giving them back but knowing that you’ve done your part to help, you can send them off just knowing they’re ready to go to homes.”

The SPCA said anyone ready to give some T-L-C to some four legged friends can check online when Caturdays are held in their region.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Christchurch terrorist made almost 700 complaints about life behind bars but his claims of torturous prison conditions are exaggerated, a court has heard.

Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant made the 686 complaints from 16 March 2019 until September 2024, amounting to more than one complaint every three days.

The 35-year-old is serving a life sentence without parole for the 2019 shootings at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre but now wants the Court of Appeal to overturn his convictions and sentence.

The terrorist claims he was “forced” to plead guilty to 92 charges because he was irrational as a result of torturous and inhumane prison conditions.

The white supremacist left 51 people dead or dying in little over 15 minutes after taking an arsenal of semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and incendiary devices to the mosques as worshippers marked Jumu’ah – the most significant prayer of the Muslim week – and opening fire.

The terrorist initially pleaded not guilty in June 2019 to 51 counts of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one of committing terrorism.

The court has heard he wavered in late July 2019 and prepared to plead guilty before again changing his mind only days later.

In March 2020 he formally pleaded guilty to all charges and was jailed for life without the possibility of parole in August 2020.

The terrorist had 20 working days to file an appeal against his conviction or sentence but the “out of time” application came years later.

Crown solicitor Andrea Ewing told the court only four of the terrorist’s 686 complaints related to accessing a lawyer.

She said the terrorist had claimed a complaint was upheld in relation to some kind of physical incident.

“So what we have is a hearsay assertion from Mr Tarrant to his expert that a complaint was upheld,” she said.

The Crown called on the court to dismiss the terrorist’s application for leave to appeal.

Crown solicitor Madeleine Laracy said there was no possible risk of a miscarriage because the terrorist had no legal defence to offer a trial and conviction was certain.

She also called on the court to provide finality for his victims, New Zealand’s Muslim community and the wider public.

“There are literally hundreds of directly harmed victims in this case and keeping this case alive is source of immense distress for those individuals,” Laracy said.

The terrorist’s lawyers reiterated the conditions their client was confined in were unlike anything else present in the prison system.

Justices Christine French, Susan Thomas and David Collins reserved their decision.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

What is this trend?

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A district court judge described as one of the best on the bench, has had her behaviour scrutinised by a Judicial Conduct Panel this week.

Judge Ema Aitken is before the panel accused of yelling at Winston Peters during an event at Auckland’s Northern Club in 2024, calling him a liar.

She argues she did not yell, did not recognise Peters, and did not know it was a political event.

The panel hearing, which began earlier this, heard from district court judges on Friday who were there on the night of the alleged disruption.

They had been called after Special Counsel for the Inquiry requested the panel ask them to appear and give evidence.

Judge David McNaughton was among those sat at Judge Aitken’s table during a dinner of other judges and their partners.

He told the panel no one at the table was drinking to excess that night, with the “possible exception” of lawyer Michael Reed, KC.

Reed had been captured on video trying to photograph inside the NZ First event, despite being told not to.

Judge McNaughton read from his letter prepared for the Judicial Conduct Commissioner, but noted some of the words were not his.

“It’s not phrased exactly as I originally had,” he said.

“Some of this phrasing is not mine.”

He said there had been a panic to have the letter sent to the commissioner by deadline, and he signed it on a busy working day.

“It was emailed to me, it was a working day, I was very busy, I quickly read it, and signed it, and emailed it straight back because it had to go, I think, that day or the next day.”

Judge McNaughton had high praise to give Judge Aitken before the panel.

“I think she is one of the best judges on our bench,” he said.

“Her judgements are sound, they’re well reasoned, her reserve judgements are usually immaculate, of a very high standard.”

The judge would make an excellent High Court judge, Judge McNaughton said.

“In some ways, she was too good to be a district court judge, that’s my personal view of her.”

But by her own admission the day prior, the judge said she had acted rudely.

“I cannot really explain why I responded like this, other than that I was tired, and the speaker’s statement was so palpably wrong,” Judge Aitken said.

“It was reactionary, and rude of me which is not consistent with my character or reputation, I am not normally rude or intrusive in any setting.”

Another member of the bench, Judge Pippa Sinclair told the panel she had also been at a table with Judge Aitken, while the NZ First event was taking place in another part of building.

She recalled Judge Aitken coming back to the table at one point in the night, telling her she had called out Winston Peters.

“Sometime around the main course being served, Judge Aitken came back to the table and said ‘I’ve just told Winston Peters’, and I quote ‘he’s lying,’ and I further quote, ‘how could he say that,’ in response to him discussing tikanga in the law schools,” she said.

“Judge Aitken then said she realised it was Mr Peters when she saw a person whom she recognised and then, and I quote ‘clicked,’ it was Casey Costello.”

Judge Aitken told the panel on Thursday she had been at the club after a challenging day at court when she overheard comments about Tikanga Māori law overriding the Westminster system being taught in law schools.

She mouthed words to someone looking at her from inside the room where the event was taking place, who she later realised was NZ First MP Casey Costello.

“I made an audible remark once I reached the bottom of the stairs where I paused briefly,” Judge Aitken said.

Judge Sinclair told the panel she had not seen any signage for the NZ First event on her way in or out of the club that night.

The panel had been told on Thursday by NZ First Party president Julian Paul there had been a roughly two-metre tall banner by the door to their event.

Judge Sinclair was pressed on details about the night.

She said it was difficult to remember, given how much time had passed.

Under cross examination from the judge’s lawyer David Jones, KC, Judge Sinclair said she could be sure about the sequence of events, but not about what exactly was said.

“Of course I can’t be exactly sure down to the minutiae of what she said, because it was over a month after the incident, and I was recalling that, and I didn’t record the incident,” Judge Sinclair said.

“I’ve done the best to recall what I remember she said.”

Jones asked Judge Sinclair to share what she thought of the judge’s work.

“She is a very sound, and fine judge,” she said.

“I have the utmost respect for her ability as a judge and work as a judge.”

Judge Sinclair was asked by panel member Justice Jillian Mallon how loud Judge Aitken had been speaking when she returned to the table.

“She spoke clearly, she wasn’t shouting or anything like that,” Judge Sinclair said.

“She just spoke very clearly and matter of factly.”

The panel next heard from Judge Sinclair’s partner Trevor Haysom, who had also been at the judge’s table that night.

He was asked by special counsel if the judge had made any indication her comments had been an error or mistake.

“It wasn’t apparent to me at the time,” Haysom said.

“She made the statement but there was no significance in it, at that stage of the dinner anyway.”

The husband of another judge present that evening, Mark Sinclair, made glowing remarks about Judge Aitken and her husband Dr David Galler.

Sinclair said he had been made aware earlier that evening an NZ First event was also being held that night, saying he was surprised the party was holding a fundraiser at the Northern Club.

He described Judge Aitken as a useful mentor for his wife, Judge Allison Sinclair, who had been appointed after Judge Aitken.

Sinclair also spoke about the judge’s work establishing the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court as well as her and her husband’s time working in Samoa.

“I hope when all this is over, I wish them all the best, and that their good work is not forgotten, because of the accusations that have been made as part of this process.”

The inquiry continues next week.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington Water says it is monitoring wet weather forecast for the capital this weekend as its Moa Point plant continues to leak raw sewage.

The sewage plant melted down last week, flooding the building with waste and sending raw sewage into the nearby south coast.

Nearby beaches remained off limits due to tens of millions of litres of screened but untreated sewage flowing out the plant’s 1.8-kilometre outfall pipe each day.

The water company said it may have to use its outfall pipe nearby the beaches at short notice due to increased water flows.

It said if that happened a clean-up crew would be sent to the shoreline.

MetService was forecasting rain and large swells up to seven metres in size on Sunday and Monday in Wellington.

Wellington Water said removal of sewage from the plant and cleaning its rooms were ongoing.

It was also working on understanding the state of the plant’s equipment and operations.

“This assessment will take some time, and we still expect there will be an extended outage at the plant.”

Sewage spill raises bird strike fear at Wellington Airport

Wellington Airport says it has noticed increased bird activity near its runway this week, and it is taking safety measures for planes following the Moa Point failure.

Wellington Airport’s location is very close to Moa Point.

With the risk of bird strike for aircraft in mind, its head of operations, Matthew Palliser, told RNZ they were monitoring the animals.

“We are keeping a close eye on bird activity around the airport and have noticed some increased activity at times this week, but we are always prepared for this.”

Palliser said the airport had regular patrols checking the runway and that they worked closely with the Airways control tower.

“When required, we use a range of tools to scare birds off, including different noises.

“We also have a full-time Wildlife Officer who monitors bird activity.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand