Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Radio New Zealand

The trial of a man accused of murdering a promising 17-year-old Taranaki rugby league player has heard the men were would-be sheep rustlers who fell out ahead of the fatal attack.

Rakai Jacob Thompson, 26, appeared in the High Court at New Plymouth charged with the murder of Te Omeka Pairama Akariri-Buckley on 30 July last year in Waitara.

Before proceedings got underway, an associate of the Akariri-Buckley family performed a karakia in front of a public gallery filled with supporters of both men.

Thompson – who entered court on crutches, wearing sweat pants and a black T-shirt – sat with this head bowed through most of the proceedings.

Crown prosecutor Jacob Bourke told the jury on the night of 30 July the men had been involved in an almost comical sheep rustling mission with Te Omeka’s older brother Don and another man.

Don was like a brother to Thompson, said Bourke.

After failing to rustle sheep at two locations and arguing about the use of a light bar on the ute they were using, the men returned to Akariri-Buckley’s home in Bell Block where Thompson became increasingly agitated.

After further arguments about mislaid car keys, Thompson returned home to Strange St in Waitara.

Bourke said Thompson was still upset when he removed a motorbike – owned by the Akariri-Buckleys – from his garage, and parked it on the driveway.

He then messaged the brothers telling them to come and pick up the bike because he did not want anything more to do with them.

Bourke said when the brothers arrived, Te Omeka went to get a helmet from the garage, so he could ride the bike home.

Thompson – armed with a boning knife – told Te Omeka not to enter the garage.

The men argued and Te Omeka Akariri-Buckley “got in Thompson’s face” before they got into a scuffle.

During the scuffle the teenager was stabbed twice. Once in the left side of his chest – which penetrated his heart – and another blow in his side which pierced his left kidney.

Te Omeka ran a short distance, before collapsing alongside the ute.

Thompson and Don Akariri-Buckley laid Te Omeka out together and tried to staunch the bleeding while another person called 111.

Emergency services were called to the property on Strange St about 12.45am.

Bourke said Thompson told police who arrived at the scene he had stabbed Te Omeka Akariri-Buckley, but it was in self defence.

The teenager was taken to hospital in a critical condition, but died from his injuries.

Bourke said, in a later interview with a detective, Thompson said he did not mean to stab Te Omeka, and had done so accidentally when he pushed him away after being rushed by the brothers, only later to say he had stabbed him intentionally.

Thompson said he only had the knife because he had been preparing food.

Defence counsel Nathan Bourke told the jury Te Omeka Akariri-Buckley’s death was a tragedy, but not a murder because Thompson did not want him to die.

He said Te Omeka was like a little brother to Thompson and, as a young father who had lost his own brother in an accident, there was no way he meant to kill the teenager.

This was not a whodunnit, Bourke told the jury, as the facts were not in dispute and Thompson did not deny stabbing Te Omeka.

Bourke said Thompson got sick of the arguing, being picked on and wanted to make a clean break with the Akariri-Buckley brothers and his way of doing that was returning the motorbike.

Thompson was the Akariri-Buckley’s “punching bag”, “whipping boy” their “little bitch”, he said, and Thompson had the knife because he feared what the brothers might do to him when they arrived to get the motorbike.

Bourke said what happened was that Thompson was assaulted after he yelled at Te Omeka not to go into the shed.

“He was being punched repeatedly in the head, he was knocked to the ground, and in the brief few seconds that followed, he reacted and he stabbed Te Omeka.

“We don’t shy away from this. We embrace it. It shows this for what it is. Mere seconds, Rakai acted on instinct and in fear … it wasn’t premeditated, it wasn’t calculated. He acted on instinct.”

Bourke said what Thompson did immediately afterwards was telling. He tried to help Te Omeka, stem the blood flow and offered to drive him to hospital.

His actions did not equate to murderous intent, the defence counsellor said.

The trial before Justice Jason McHerron and a jury of eight women and four men has been set down for two weeks.

The prosecution intends to call 19 witnesses.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Part of a massive petition calling for an urgent fix for the health system never made it to Wellington, where the petition was presented last week.

A plea has gone out to help find the missing sheet after the petition – containing 90,000 signatures – was delivered to Parliament by the group Patient Voice Aotearoa.

The petition was launched in Buller in September 2024, before it was sent out around the country for more signatures to be added.

The vast majority of the signatures made it to Wellington last week, but not those collected in South Westland.

Christine Blair, who is part of the Buller Health Action Group, said an event was held in Hokitika to gather signatures late last year.

Westland Mayor Helen Lash then offered to take one of the petition sheets to collect more signatures around South Westland – and that was the last time the sheet was seen.

Lash said her recollection of what happened was not great, as it was so long ago.

“It was signed by quite a few people then someone said ‘well, I’ll get it down to here’, and that was it,” Lash said.

She would like to hear from anyone who saw the petition being passed around, so they could start to figure out where it was last seen.

She said it had several hundred signatures the last time she saw it.

Christine Blair said the Buller Health Action Group and Patient Voice Aotearoa really wanted the sheet found so that South Westland was included in the historic petition.

“Mayor Lash was very enthusiastic and said ‘I’ll get this around the area and we’ll get this sheet filled’,” Blair said.

“We know it hasn’t come back to us, and we just think its not right for the people of Westland to have signed into this idea of the Buller Declaration and then their voices not being attached to the master document.”

Blair said anyone who thought they had the sheet should get in touch through the Patient Voice Aotearoa Facebook page and she would be happy to arrange to get it transported to Wellington.

But time was running out.

The petition is now sitting with an MP in Wellington, but they can only add signatures for another week until Tuesday 2 December, and then it will be lodged in the House and no more signatures can be added.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Another person has been arrested in the Pukehinau Flats shooting investigation, after police stopped the man for speeding.

Earlier this month, police were called to the flats after a shot was discharged towards a man.

The man was not injured by the shot, however was injured after he jumped from a second-floor balcony to escape the offender.

A 34-year-old woman was arrested and had since appeared in court.

A 22-year-old man has now also been charged in relation to the shooting after he was stopped for speeding by police in Palmerston North.

He was arrested for being in possession of a shotgun.

Wellington CIB have since charged the man in relation to the shooting at Pukehinau flats.

Police said they were not seeking anyone else in relation to the shooting.

The man is due to appear in the Wellington District Court in December, charged with discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and aggravated robbery.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A rainbow sand art toy sold at various discount stores nation-wide is the latest coloured sand product to be recalled over concerns about asbestos.

MBIE confirmed this afternoon that the product was being recalled because some samples had tested positive for asbestos.

It is the latest sand toy to test positive, after concerns over several other products were raised earlier this month. Students at about 40 schools were forced to stay home.

The sand art toys in the latest recall were sold at the following retailers from June to November:

• Two Dollar Things stores nation-wide
• BG International Trading Ltd T/A Charlotte World
• BH Mart Ltd T/A 123 & More
• Siyara Limited T/A @Two.5 Discount store
• Fraser Brothers Ltd
• Dollar Star Gisborne
• Woo NZ Ltd

The products can be identified by the following product codes, found on labelling on the outer packaging above the barcode:

• 21065
• 20468
• 20536
• 20535
• 20537
• 20538

Craft sand also recalled

MBIE have also recalled Craft Sand 380g following proactive testing on coloured sand products.

About 500 units have been sold at discount stores across New Zealand. A list stores and product identifiers for affected products can be found on the Product Safety Website.

MBIE advises people stop using the products immediately and follow the relevant advice for safe containment and disposal.

Tremolite – a naturally occurring asbestos – had been found in samples of sand during lab testing. Asbestos contamination had been found in similar products in Australia.

MBIE said if anyone has used the latest products to be recalled, there was no need for urgent medical attention.

“You can call Healthline free anytime on 0800 611 116 anytime to discuss any health concerns you may have. Healthline can advise if you, a child or a family member needs to see a healthcare professional for review.”

Four recalls have now been issued for coloured sand products in total. They are:

• Rainbow Sand Art Toy- sold at various discount stores nationwide
• Craft Sand 380g – sold at various discount stores nationwide
• 14 piece Sand Castle Building Set and Blue, Green and Pink Magic Sand – sold at Kmart
• Educational Colours – Rainbow Sand and Creatistics – Coloured Sand – Various Colours – sold at a number of retailers including Paper Plus, Hobby Land, NZ School Shop, Office Products Depot, Discount Office, Acquire, and Qizzle.

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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 mother of a man who died after being pepper sprayed in Mt Eden Prison says they have lingering questions about what happened.

Corrections officers have gone under the microscope before the Coroner’s court today after the death of 26-year-old Caleb Moefa’auo.

He went into cardiac arrest shortly after being pepper sprayed by an officer in 2022.

His family have been seeking answers since his death, with the second phase of a coronial inquest into what happened beginning in Auckland on Monday.

Justine Lauese, Moefa’auo’s mother, sat at the back of the courtroom in the Auckland District Court with her family, wearing pins that said “Justice for Caleb”.

She read a statement to the court at the beginning of the inquest’s second phase.

“We love Caleb so deeply, and even though he cannot stand here with us, we stand here for him, for his dignity, his voice, and for the gentle hope that meaningful change can come in his name,” Lauese said.

Moefa’auo was sent to Mt Eden prison after allegedly assaulting a fellow patient at Tiaho Mai mental health unit. He was then placed in the prison’s Intervention and Support Unit at the end of 2021.

In April 2022, he was in a stand off with prison guards over a bathroom towel.

Moefa’auo was pepper sprayed and taken back to his cell, where he went into cardiac arrest and died shortly after.

Lauese told RNZ it had been a long, difficult journey to get answers.

“Honestly, it’s very distressing, mentally and physically it’s been very, very hard,” she said.

“We have details, but they don’t make sense to us. There’s just that constant ‘what happened’, ‘why was this done’, ‘why wasn’t common sense used’.”

She wanted clarity around her son’s death, and a change from the prison system.

“We want their processes changed, that information shared, the systems they use, we want to see specialised training especially for the Corrections officers, especially in the [Intervention and Support unit],” Lauese said.

“We don’t want to see people like Caleb fall through the cracks.”

The prison officer who sprayed Moefa’auo was charged with assault, but found not guilty by a jury.

The jury was not told that Moefa’auo had died, after the fact was deemed prejudicial.

Coroner Heather McKenzie thanked Caleb’s mother and family, adding that their presence in court was important.

“Having Caleb’s family here really gives him a voice, and I am very grateful for you again having the courage to be almost the first person to stand up in court this week and speak to us,” she said.

McKenzie said this part of the inquest would focus on what happened at the time of Moefa’auo’s death.

“A few months ago, in the first part of the inquest, we heard a lot of policy evidence, and it can be easy in that setting to lose sight of the emotional toll, and also the events that happened on the day, but this week is the sharper end of things.”

For Lauese and her family, it will be about answering lingering questions.

“We just want answers, we want clarity, we want them to be transparent and we do want accountability,” Lauese said.

“We know that no one can be found guilty, but the accountability is through change, real change, effective change.”

The inquest continued this week.

Prison under significant pressure at time, staffer says

Earlier on Monday, a person who cannot be named, said the prison was facing significant pressure at the time Moefa’auo died.

“At the time of Caleb’s death, [Mt Eden Prison] was experiencing significant staffing and procedural challenges, compounded by the pressures of operating under stringent Covid-19 protocols,” they said.

“Access to the (Intervention Support Unit) by external professionals was also restricted to minimise the risk of Covid-19 transmission within the wider prison population.”

The staff member said those constraints were particularly acute in the context of Mt Eden’s role as a remand facility.

“The high turn over and complex needs of the remand population placed additional strain on staff and systems, making it increasingly difficult to maintain consistent oversight and therapeutic support.”

Prisoners in the ISU were not allowed to take towels into their cells, as it posed a risk to themselves, they said.

“One towel is provided for showering, and can be replaced if required for drying, but must be returned immediately after use, prior to individuals returning to their cell.” they said.

They said several reviews had been initiated in the wake of Moefa’auo’s death, and that lessons had been learned.

These included monthly training, informed by identified gaps across the site, continued reinforcement of best practice, and including health as a priority, as well as additional training for staff to stop and check on prisoner welfare when using force.

The Corrections staff member was questioned by the lawyer representing the officer acquitted of assaulting Moefa’auo, Lily Nunweek, who raised concerns about the level of experience of those involved.

That question was not answered, however, with Correction’s lawyer suggesting it was better directed at the staff themselves.

Under later cross-examination from counsel assisting Coroner Rebekah Jordan, the staff member admitted officers in the ISU needed more support.

“All the staff in there have a focus to support the men in that unit, and they do a really, really good job,” the staff member said.

“Do they have the right training for being in there? No, we don’t give them psychological training […] in my opinion no, we don’t give them enough training.

“Even now. The training that we sourced for them was done off our own back.”

The Corrections staff member told Coroner McKenzie they wanted to see specialist training from staff, including understanding mental health triggers.

“They’re not psychologists, they’ve never trained to be psychologists, and, for me, Mt Eden holds a lot of complex prisoners, with a lot of mental health – I don’t like saying issues – with a lot of mental health, really, prisoners that have got a lot of mental health stuff going on,” they said.

“And it’s becoming more and more common that we’re finding prisoners coming into the system now that are diagnosed more with mental health illnesses, and I’d like to see more training in that area for the staff.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Surprisingly spread-out levels of ‘forever chemicals’ have been found in many kinds of whales in New Zealand waters.

Man-made PFAS chemicals are common in consumer products and impact human health, and new trans-Tasman research has looked at how whales and dolphins have been exposed to them.

Massey University Professor Karen Stockin – who led the study – says her team expected that it would be crucial where a whale spent its time, but it was not.

“While we might expect a sperm whale offshore to have less exposure to PFAS and therefore accumulate less than an inshore Maui dolphin, that did not at all in the modelling prove to be the case.

“Instead, what proved to be the case is your sex, if you’re male or female, your stage in life,” said Stockin.

Species feeding mid-water – like false killer whales and common dolphins – were just as exposed to PFAS as coastal Māui dolphins or deep-diving species like beaked whales.

Newly first-born whales had the highest levels due to “offloading” by their mothers of their own accumulated PFAS. Males had higher levels than females, also due to such offloading.

The new data raised questions about how whales were being exposed to the 14,000 different types of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and concerns about the impact on the ocean.

“Really the biggest alarm bell for me is the fact the ocean of course is the final sink… that’s where it all goes,” and life on land depended on the oceans, said Stockin.

They looked at Massey University’s tissue archive of 127 stranded toothed whales and dolphins from 16 species, eight of which had never been examined like this for PFAS levels before.

It was “the most comprehensive snapshot of PFAS in NZ marine mammals to date”, said Massey.

PFAS has been linked to some cancers, high cholesterol and reduced immunity in humans.

It could be one reason why first-born whales of some species were known to be the most likely to die, Stockin said.

Auckland’s Dr Shan Yi was now working to develop models to test health impacts on animals.

Stockin’s team was also intrigued that its assumption whales were getting most of their PFAS from food might not hold water. They could be exposed in many ways, including through the water itself on their porous skin, when they return to breathe on the surface water. Another project was looking at that possibility.

“This confirms that PFAS are everywhere in the marine environment, and we still don’t fully understand their impact, especially on predator species like whales and dolphins,” said Louis Tremblay, an ecotoxicologist at the Bioeconomy Science Institute, which – along with the University of Wollongong, University of Technology Sydney, and University of Auckland – helped with the research.

PFAS spread quickly in water and bioaccumulate in organs.

Contamination around NZ defence bases came from firefighting foam that has been banned. It sparked the building of a new water scheme outside Ohakea in recent years, but there has been little research since then in this country into the levels in groundwater or other water, even though PFAS legal action and clean-ups remain big business in the US and Europe.

Stockin said for New Zealanders, the level of PFAS in whales might suggest it is in the kaimoana people eat at levels, and they might want to understand more about.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A major street in central Auckland was closed for almost three hours today after a window fell from a multi-storey building.

Two fire trucks were called to Wyndham Street shortly after 1.30pm when a window fell from an upper floor.

Fire and Emergency and police blocked the road while a team of commercial abseilers secured the windows.

They have now left the scene and the road has reopened.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Southland police are still looking for two people involved in what they describe as a particularly vicious and unprovoked assault.

On November 15th a man was lured from his Edendale home by a woman seeking help with a flat tyre.

He followed her to the corner of Melvin Street and Turner Street, where a man attacked him.

He suffered a fractured eye socket and broken nose, and lost consciousness.

The woman was slim, in her late teens or early twenties, and wearing a long black wig, shorts and knee-high boots.

The man was slim and was wearing light track pants, boots, a light top and gloves.

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