The panel which inquired into alleged conduct by Judge Ema Aitken has found her removal is not justified, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.
“The Judicial Conduct Panel has found that Judge Aitken’s actions were a serious breach of comity. Comity requires each branch of Government – the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature – to act with mutual restraint and respect towards the others.
“However, the Panel considered the Judge’s conduct fell short of the high threshold of ‘misbehaviour’ necessary to warrant consideration of her removal. Therefore, Judge Aitken will remain an Acting District Court Judge until her warrant expires in February 2027.
“I would like to thank all those who participated in this assessment and the panel members for their service. Judicial conduct panels are an important mechanism to maintaining trust and confidence in the judiciary.
The Green Party is calling on the Government to ensure emergency housing is available to all people experiencing homelessness this weekend as Cyclone Vaianu approaches the North Island.
“Luxon is telling everyone to stock up and prepare to stick out this storm at home. What does that mean for the people he has made homeless?” says Green Party Co-leader and Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick.
“The Government must choose to ensure everybody who needs it gets access to emergency housing this weekend, or they are choosing to leave New Zealanders on the street during what they’ve warned is a potentially ‘life-threatening’ event.”
“As an indication of how crazy the current system is, Aucklanders displaced from their homes during the Anniversary Floods got rehoming support, but that resource was not available for those already displaced and without homes. We cannot let that happen again.”
“This is a political choice. We can choose to ensure everyone is safe at home through this climate-change-charged extreme weather, and we are asking the Government to step up to that responsibility,” says Swarbrick
A late-night burglary attempt in New Plymouth ended with three young adults and one youth in custody after being caught by Police for unlawfully being in not just one, but two, buildings.
Around 12.30am on Tuesday 7 April Police were called to an abandoned building on Powderham Street following reports people had been seen and heard breaking glass inside.
Police officers attended the area, and three offenders were located by police inside the building.
One offender tried to run but was caught and alluded to being in the building next door earlier in the night. The four were arrested and taken into custody for being unlawfully inside the building.
Further inquiries undertaken at the commercial property next door revealed the building had been breached via the abandoned building, with the offenders gaining access to the store.
Alcohol to the value of around $500 was taken and several thousand dollars’ worth of damage was done to the commercial business.
This was a great result for Police. We’re glad to have apprehended those responsible in the act and potentially preventing further burglaries from occurring.
We will continue to send the message that this type of offending is not acceptable.
An 18-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman appeared in New Plymouth District Court this week on charges of burglary and of being unlawfully in a building. They have been remanded on bail to reappear on 22 April.
A youth is expected to appear in Youth Court next week on the same charges, while an 18-year-old woman has been referred to Te Pae Oranga.
Free online learning to help agricultural businesses and workers safely use and manage hazardous substances at work.
We’ve developed free online learning modules to help agricultural businesses and workers understand how to safely use and manage hazardous substances. The modules explain the responsibilities businesses and workers have to keep themselves and others healthy and safe on farms and other worksites.
There are 10 short modules, taking about 60 minutes in total to complete. Topics include:
working safely with hazardous substances
understanding safety data sheets
creating a hazardous substances inventory
managing risks
emergency planning, and
involving workers.
People can complete all modules or just those most relevant to their work. No enrolment is required, and WorkSafe does not keep a record of completion.
These modules are designed for farm owners, managers, workers, and contractors in the agriculture and horticulture sectors. They complement our existing hazardous substances tools and guidance and can be used as a practical learning aid or as part of wider health and safety conversations at work.
There’s no doubt that pets bring many Aucklanders a lot of joy. But if you and your family received a new pet recently, there are all kinds of new responsibilities. Whether a cat, a dog or something more exotic, follow this handy how-to guide on responsible pet ownership to help your furry, fluffy, feathered or scaly friends live their best lives.
Make sure your dog is registered before it turns three months old. Registration is a legal requirement for all dogs under the New Zealand Dog Control Act 1996, and if your dog is not registered you can be fined. Councils around New Zealand supply information about registered dogs to the National Dog Database and the registry helps dog control authorities reunite owners with their lost pups, as well as control dangerous or menacing dogs.
Luckily, Auckland Council makes it very easy to ensure your pooch has its paperwork in order – all you need to do is register your dog online. Fees vary depending on several factors, and you can even check if you qualify for a discount. After registering your dog, they will be sent a snazzy coloured Auckland Council disc or strap within 10 working days. You get to choose which type of tag you want, but straps are a good option for small dogs. You must renew your dog’s registration annually, and the colour of the disc or strap changes every year.
New puppies and dogs have to be microchipped by a vet within two months of their first registration, and it’s only done once in an animal’s lifetime. A microchip is a tiny implant about the size of a grain of rice, and has a unique 15-digit number which is added to the National Dog Database.
It’s not just dogs that can be microchipped – it’s recommended that cats, horses, turtles, rabbits, guinea pigs and exotic birds are also microchipped so they can be added to the Companion Animals Register. Microchipping helps lost animals be reunited with their owners, and it’s also particularly important to help identify feral stray cats which may be preying on native birds.
Desexing is a key way to improve animal welfare by preventing unwanted litters of puppies and kittens and reducing stray and feral cat populations. Mating behaviours are instinctive for cats and dogs, and desexing – also called spaying (females) and neutering (males) – will prevent animals from wandering away from home and may reduce some aggressive territorial behaviours. Stray cats and dogs suffer greatly so it’s best to avoid unwanted litters.
Dogs need regular exercise and taking your dog for a walk in an Auckland park is a great way to spend time with your furry friend. When out and about, it’s important to follow the rulesfor dogs in public places – dogs must be on-leash at all times in all Council-controlled public places with unrestricted access.
If you’re going to a special dog-walking park there may be designated areas in which your dog is allowed off-leash to play and socialise with other dogs. To find parks with off-leash areas, visit the parks search page on the Auckland Council website and select ‘Show only places with off-leash’. Remember to obey the signs and only take your dog off-leash in the designated areas.
Even when your dog is in an off-leash area it should stay under control. Always pick up your dog’s poop and dispose of it responsibly. Keep your dog away from any prohibited areas that are marked as ‘No dogs’.
Being a responsible pet owner means making sure your pet lives in a healthy home environment. This means access to food and water, freedom to move, a way to get exercise and lots of affection and mental stimulation. Remember your pet has instinctive behaviours such as chewing and hunting, and toys can help enrich your pet’s life without impacting native wildlife. Playing with toys will also keep your dog enriched and can also reduce barking.
Dogs must live in a fenced property, and small animals such as guinea pigs and rabbits should live in adequately sized hutch with a run. Turtles, fish and exotic birds should live in suitably sized enclosures. Remember never to release an animal into the wild as it’s not good for their wellbeing and they can pose a threat to native species – rehoming is the best option. Test your knowledge of exotic pets and how to care for them by taking the quiz here.
Aucklanders love their pet cats, but felines are hunters by instinct and do pose a threat to many native animals such as birds. Putting a bell on your cat and/or a brightly coloured scrunchy collar can help your cat be more noticeable to native birds as they are attracted to bright colours for food sources such as berries and will spot a scrunchy collar.
A cat enclosure or ‘catio’ will also make sure that your cat can access the outdoors without preying on wildlife. In wildlife areas such as Aotea / Great Barrier Island there are rules in place around responsible cat ownership, and cat owners in other parts of Auckland can benefit from many of these ideas.
Auckland Council recognises and rewards caring dog owners who have a Responsible DogOwner Licence (RDOL). Owners with the RDOL must fulfil some criteria and pass a written test, but once successful they are then eligible for a reduction in dog registration fees. Study the brochure before applying for the written test – you’d be barking mad not to!
State Highway 29/ Kaimai Range remains blocked following a truck breakdown earlier this morning.
Police were initially advised around 7:50am of a truck breaking down on the Matamata side of the summit.
Around 8:15am a second truck also broken down at the same site.
While there is one lane still available, the traffic has built up considerably and there will be extensive delays – it is expected to remain so for another couple of hours.
Police in west Auckland have made several arrests in separate operations focusing on firearms offending, all in a morning’s work.
Yesterday morning the Waitematā Gang Disruption Unit, with assistance from the Organised Crime Unit, executed a search warrant at the West Headhunters pad on View Road.
Detective Senior Sergeant Josh Lautogo says the search was targeting suspects with links to the Headhunters Motorcycle Gang.
“During the search, Police located a .22 semiautomatic rifle inside a bag hanging from a coat hanger, and ammunition was found in the same room.
“A stolen Harley Davidson V Rod motorcycle, and a stolen Cadillac Escalade were located at the address and subsequently towed.”
Detective Senior Sergeant Lautogo says two people at the address were taken into custody without issue.
Police also searched a vehicle at the address, locating about one kilogram of dried cannabis.
“The estimated street value of this quantity of cannabis is significant so it’s great to be able to remove it from our streets.”
Another search warrant was executed at a property on Mountain Road, Henderson Valley in relation to the illegal manufacture and supply of firearms.
Detective Senior Sergeant Lautogo says upon entering the address, one person was taken into custody while allegedly actively manufacturing firearms.
“A number of items and .22 ammunition consistent with the manufacture of firearms was located during the search.
“It’s yet another result of work our offender prevention team is doing to put pressure on this illegal activity occurring.
“Our teams remain committed to disrupting this criminal activity and ensuring our community is safe.”
A 42-year-old man charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition will appear in Waitākere District Court tomorrow.
A 69-year-old man also will appear in Waitākere District Court tomorrow man charged with possession of cannabis for supply.
A 35-year-old man will appear in Waitākere District Court today charged with sell/manufacture firearms without dealer’s licence and unlawful possession of ammunition.
“When they made their way, not without difficulty, through the intertangled forest, and passed beyond the line of the great trees, they found themselves confronted by still more serious difficulties. The soil became a complete swamp, and was covered with a multitude of low shrubs, lianas, and herbs of all descriptions, whose intertangled growth formed an impassable barrier.”
I read this passage aloud to my Camp Cove companions – an excerpt from Francois Raynal’s ‘Wrecked on the Reef’, an account from 1864 about the sailors from the wreck of the Grafton who spent nearly 20 months stranded on subantarctic Auckland Island. My teammates laugh, mostly out of a deep understanding of the scene being described, having just finished three days of field work installing a grid of cat-monitoring trail cameras across this landscape.
Kristen Clements immersed in thick subantarctic scrub, with Adams Island and Carnley Harbour in the background. 📷: Blake Hornblow | DOC
One of our teams’ main objectives for being on Auckland Island is to understand more about feral cat behaviour around a novel predator bait, as well as their abundance in different habitats. We’re using 4 different flavoured, non-toxic meat sausages to do this. You can read more about this new bait in a recent media release on the DOC website. This research will feed into the Maukahuka Restoration programme, which entails eradicating feral pigs, mice, and feral cats from the main Auckland Island (46,000ha!) over 8 years. Once successful, the removal of pests from this wild environment would enable the return of thousands of nesting seabirds and the reinstatement of ground dwelling birds like Auckland Island teal and rail which cannot survive here currently with the ever-present pressure of predation by feral cats.
Photo of Auckland Island teal on Adams Island. 📷:Mat Goodman| DOC
Not long before the wreck of the Grafton, Auckland Island was a safe breeding ground for 38 bird species, including nine found only here. It was also abundant with more than 280 invertebrate species. This diverse range of avian wildlife and small critters created a complementary 5-star smorgasbord for feral cats to establish and thrive. And thrive they did! Since feral cats were introduced by sealers on Auckland Island roughly 200 years ago, nesting seabirds have been all but wiped-out from the main island. And during the last two weeks here, I’ve seen the wreckage of this assault first-hand.
Examples of feral cat scavenged seabirds (left Carnley Harbour, right Western Cliffs) on Auckland Island. 📷: Kristen Clements | DOC
During my time installing these trail cameras, I frequently came across ‘cat scavenge’ – the remnants of a feral cat’s all-you-can-eat buffet. Typically, these predators leave behind the least digestible or nutrient-rich pieces of birds, resulting in us rangers finding cast aside legs or wings of said victims. However, as confronting as it is to see the remains of a spritely storm petrel or squabbily sooty shearwater scattered along the coast, these messy eating habits happen to provide perfect clues for understanding feral cat behaviour.
Finding a feral cat among dense subalpine scrub and treacherous cliffs is like a morbidly satisfying treasure hunt. However, knowing what to look for in this vast ‘impassable barrier’ as Raynal called it, leads us one step closer to removing these predators from this ecosystem. Whether it’s an obvious sign such as a scavenged bird wing, muddy paw print, or not so subtly placed scat, or perhaps a craftier indicator of these predators’ existence like a game trail leading to a cliffy overhang, each clue brings us closer to our sharp-toothed prize.
The phrase ‘be the cat’ is often heard throughout our camp. And it’s true. To capture quality data investigating feral cat behaviour, you have to think like one. Thankfully, my teammates and I have become adept at crawling on our hands and knees through scrub to set up our trail cameras. And so, as we pull in our first round of camera data, we find numerous feral cats have been recorded interacting with these non-toxic sausage baits.
It’s a momentary pat on the back for the team, as we acknowledge the days of gruelling scrub bashing which went into capturing this footage. However, this respite quickly turns to determination, as I begin to imagine what it would be like to find the last few feral cats inhabiting this place – the reality of the latter stages of a feral cat eradication. I smile to myself, as I look forward to this muddy, scrubby, arduous hunt on the edge of the world.
Camp Cove team members make their way through the scrub to the tops with Musgrave Peninsula in the background. 📷: Blake Hornblow | DOC
I ponder further, as a deeper appreciation for the reverberations of this project sink in. I imagine a time beyond writhing through a sea of scrub to catch feral cats. When the elusive Auckland Island snipe can return to nest here, and when tītī chicks can safely emerge from their warm burrows without even knowing of the existence of feral cats. When hoihō parents can lumber back to their nests knowing their fluffy grey chicks await their return without being a feral cat’s main course, and the air is full of the sound of white-capped mollymawks’ courtship rituals. A time when the mana of Auckland Island has been restored.
Tītī in Carnley Harbour 📷: Mat Goodman
And so, from our crude base camp which we so fondly know as home, my team and I put out a call for action. Will you support the restoration of Auckland Island? To learn more or donate towards this world-first effort by DOC and Ngai Tāhu to remove feral pigs, mice, and feral cats from Auckland Island follow the link below. To hear more from my companions and I in the field, follow DOC’s Conservation Blog over the next four weeks.
Getting to know Maukahuka is the first step toward its recovery—you can be part of this ambitious endeavour by supporting the project through the NZ Nature Fund, you can help turn every trail camera checked and every mouse trap set into a future Auckland Island free of introduced pests and full of thriving native wildlife.
