Officials shelved judge’s trans-Tasman family violence probe

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Dan Cook

One of the country’s top judges commissioned work to see how families in custody battles could be screened for domestic violence, but officials shelved it.

Documents released under the Official Information Act (OIA) show principal Family Court Judge Jackie Moran travelled to Sydney to scope out two programmes effectively screening court participants for family violence to help inform judicial decision-making.

It also revealed the court did not know if people experienced such violence.

Domestic violence survivor Laura (real name withheld for legal reasons) said when she told the Family Court about the abuse her ex-partner inflicted on her, she then had to provide evidence.

“That’s the only context in my life when I’ve gone somewhere looking for help and just automatically not been believed or to have things minimised. When that’s your personal safety or that of your child, that’s really confronting.”

After she left her partner, the Family Court found she had been subjected to abuse by her ex – including surveillance and stalking – but declined her application for a protection order.

Laura said she would have benefited from an independent safety risk assessment for domestic violence, and was disappointed work on such a project stopped.

“Anything would have been helpful. My experience was that I had to do it all on my own so any extra tools would have been very helpful.

‘I’m disappointed, because I think that they’re relying on the existing systems – but the question is, are the existing systems working? Are the existing systems evidence based? We still have some of the worst domestic violence statistics in the world. That to me suggests that perhaps something at the front end isn’t working.”

Backbone Collective advocates for survivors of domestic violence and requested a raft of official information about the risk assessment project.

Manager and co-founder Deborah Mackenzie said the response showed Moran had started the work, but it had been shut down at steering committee level in 2023.

“To see that they had interest and appetite from a very powerful stakeholder, the principal Family Court judge, was just incredible – but then to learn that they just decided that it was too hard, too costly, and they just stopped work on it, it really just ripped any sense of hope away.”

A Ministry of Justice presentation included in the OIA response stated they did not know if people coming to the Family Court had experienced family violence.

“It was breathtakingly bad to read that not only did the policy people know what the issues are in the Family Court they were actually looking at remedies similar to what Backbone and others in the sector had been recommending for many years,” Mackenzie said.

Family Court Judge Jackie Moran. Supplied

Moran travelled to Australia to learn more about Lighthouse and DOORS – two programmes that helped identify safety risks for those in the family law system to help inform judges’ decision-making.

A few months later, she received a letter from ministry officials advising the Family Violence Sexual Violence steering committee had decided not to progress work on a risk assessment tool.

“The development of a risk assessment and management system would be a multi-year project requiring significant financial investment and changes to I.T. systems and operational processes,” the letter said.

“To be successful, risk assessment would rely heavily on a specialist workforce to support participants in the risk screening process. The family violence workforce, including psychologists, social workers and programme providers is at capacity and struggling to employ adequate numbers of staff.”

The letter said the Family Violence Sexual Violence team recognised “the benefits of a risk assessment system and will remain engaged with the Lighthouse Project team to track their progress”.

Mackenzie was concerned there was no official screening tool in the Family Court for domestic violence.

“It looks to us, from what we have, that they made the decision at a team meeting, that’s what it looks like and then Judge Moran was informed. What a sad missed opportunity that was.”

She was also concerned that the project was shelved after a report recommending sweeping changes for children’s safety in the judicial system appeared to have been buried.

The report was completed in 2022 but never publicly released, even though officials warned that not releasing it looked like it was being hidden.

Ministry of Justice group manager for commissioning and service improvement Lance Harrison said court staff may identify risk factors informally then refer the participant to a support service that must conduct formal risk assessments.

He said family violence response training was also provided to people working in the courts.

“After reviewing Australian models, the ministry found barriers in the New Zealand context that meant the models would not be suitable, including limited specialist workforce capacity and differences in how cases are managed between court jurisdictions,” Harrison said.

“Additionally, significant financial investment would be required and extensive changes to systems and processes would be needed to implement a robust risk assessment process when a large work programme was already underway in the Family Court.”

He said the Ministry of Justice was part of a cross-government work programme aimed at eliminating family violence and sexual violence, guided by the Te Aorerekura National Strategy.

Mark Henaghan. University of Auckland

Family law expert and University of Auckland professor Mark Henaghan said having a proven tool to assess court participants’ risk of family violence is crucial.

“It doesn’t surprise me, it more upsets me. I think the Family Court would know that there’s a lot of violence underneath many cases that go through the Family Court and it’s important to be able to pick it up early.”

“That seems a very bureaucratic approach – it could be written to any new system. It’s always going to cost you a bit more, it’s always going to create change.”

Backbone Collective called for the Minister of Justice to fund and champion work to ensure victim-survivors of family violence are offered opportunities to disclose abuse to the Family Court and for those disclosures to be managed by specially trained staff.

University of Auckland associate professor of law Carrie Leonetti said it was incredibly frustrating to learn work on a risk screening tool had stopped.

“It appears that at the end of the day they decided that adopting meaningful screening or meaningful risk assessment was just too hard. My read of the documents is they concluded we’re not trained for this, we’re not resourced for this, we’re not even going to try,” she said.

“The fact that both risk screening and risk assessment are utterly foreign to our family court in cases involving family violence is a gross failure.”

Leonetti is also a professorial lecturer in law at George Washington University’s domestic violence programme.

She said risk screening is the initial step while assessments were more involved and could result in evidence that can be used in court – something she said is lacking for family law in New Zealand.

“The failure to engage in evidence based risk assessment doesn’t just mean our court is flying blind or engaging in a random and arbitrated decision making process, they’re missing risk. They’re labelling as low risk situations that are in fact high risk.”

Moran declined an interview. The Ministry of Justice said she had “nothing to say on the matter”.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Inland Revenue accused of ‘behind closed doors’ push for tax on groups

Source: Radio New Zealand

[xh ]Inland Revenue accused of ‘behind closed doors’ push for tax

Accountants expressed concerns in May about IR plans to make some societies’ and associations’ membership fees subject to tax. RNZ

Inland Revenue is pushing ahead with consultation on a plan that would see organisations that charge membership fees having to pay tax on that income.

In May, accountants expressed concerns about IR plans to make some societies’ and associations’ membership fees subject to tax.

Federated Farmers and Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand also objected.

But in November, IR pushed ahead with the next stage, with a consultation document circulated to 50 organisations, not for public consultation.

The Taxpayers Union pointed to a Federated Farmers release in June that indicated the organisation had been told a potential change had been paused or stopped.

“Yet IRD was instructed to continue the work behind closed doors, consulting only with insiders while shutting out critics. It is a blatant breach of New Zealand’s open tax-policy process.”

A spokesperson for Inland Revenue said the latest consultation was with people and groups who gave feedback on the February consultation.

“Targeted consultation is a method of consultation on detailed design issues we often use with tax professionals and affected parties. It allows us to explore technical detail without first having to cover background. It is for this reason that we contacted groups who had shown particular interest in the topics canvassed.

“Consultation will occur over the period November 2025 to 24 December. If need be, we will clarify points from submitters in the new year. Final decisions can then be made in early 2026.”

He said anyone who wanted a copy of the document could request one.

Angus Ogilvie, managing director of Generate Accounting and NZ division councillor for CPA Australia, expressed concern about the potential change earlier in the year.

He said he was still worried. “The original proposal received a very significant amount of feedback. CPA Australia highlighted that the Australian case used by IRD to justify the removal of the mutuality principle for membership fees was ultimate[ly] overturned by the Federal Parliament.

“There was such a backlash at the High Court ruling that the government of the day moved legislation to restore the mutuality principle. We remain opposed to allowing membership fees to enter the tax net. It is a legitimate way to pool members funds to meet the overheads of an organisation. It has the potential to impact many incorporated societies at a time when the for-purpose sector is under such strain.

“The government backed away from tax changes to charities but seems intent on imposing changes to incorporated societies. That seems at best inconsistent. Even more worrying is the fact that only a select number of interested parties, presumably hand picked by the department, are being asked to respond to the proposal. This seems to fly in the face of the Generic Tax Policy Process.”

Sign up for Money with Susan Edmunds, a weekly newsletter covering all the things that affect how we make, spend and invest money.

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

Dream fishing charter trip ends in nightmare after two injured crossing infamous Pātea bar

Source: Radio New Zealand

A bloodied Selah Weingott at Whanganui Hospital following the fishing charter on which she broke her nose and fractured her shoulder. Supplied

Two Whanganui women say what should’ve been a dream fishing trip ended up being a nightmare – one they don’t want anyone else to have to go through.

Patsy Deverall and Selah Weingott, 70 and 69 at the time, booked a trip with South Taranaki Fishing Charters in January 2022.

Crossing the infamous Pātea bar, the women were thrown into the air and landed heavily on the deck, both suffering serious injuries.

Weingott broke her nose and fractured a shoulder, which ultimately required reconstructive surgery, while Deverall injured her back.

Maritime New Zealand prosecuted South Taranaki Fishing Charters for offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act over the incident.

The company was convicted for failing to ensure the safety of those on board in the Whanganui District Court last month and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine, court costs of $26,000 and reparations of $17,000 and $13,000 respectively to the women.

South Taranaki Fishing Charter owner Peter Robins deeply regretted two of his five passengers on the day of the incident got injured.

“This should not have happened and we apologise for this.”

The company had learned from the incident and made changes to reflect this, he said.

Patsy Deverall and Selah Weingott in happier times. Supplied

Deverall said after being cooped up during Covid, on a nice day after lockdown restrictions were relaxed, the women thought why not go fishing.

“We decided, because the sea looks so beautiful, and fairly naively, if you like, I just thought, well, how about we go out on a fishing charter and see what happens?”

She said they didn’t know of the Pātea bar’s reputation, but did warn the skipper in advance they were inexperienced.

“We scarcely had a briefing about safety, but we did have life jackets on, and just before we went over the bar, the skipper said, ‘Oh, it can be a bit rough. You better brace’. So we braced, held on, if you like, to a bar while standing next to him.”

The agreed summary of facts said the passengers were given a “short and sharp” safety briefing, but it was not explained what a bar was or how passengers should use their legs to absorb any impact during the crossing.

They were also not asked to confirm they had understood the safety briefing or if they had any questions before proceeding.

Robins stopped the 7.5-metre runabout ahead of the bar and explained to the passengers they would feel a crash as they went over the first wave and the main thing was to hold on.

Deverall said it was then the women, who paid $200 each for the charter, saw the wave.

“He called out, ‘watch out’. And it was just so dramatic. There were three other guys on the boat, other than the skipper. They were bigger burlier guys, they all held on, but we were flung and yeah, I hit the roof and the floor and hurt my lumbar area, which to this day still gives me trouble.

“And my friend was incapacitated for at least a year and a half afterwards, after needing shoulder surgery. It was fractured in three places in her humerus and shoulder.”

Bruising emerges after Selah Weingott was dumped on the deck of a fishing charter crossing the Pātea bar. She fractured her shoulder in two places and broke the humerus in her arm. Supplied

According to the summary of facts, conditions were not unfavourable for a bar crossing and there was no suggestion Robins crossed the bar in an unsafe manner.

After the crossing, the women were helped up and Weingott given first aid, her nose patched up, and later her arm put in a sling.

Neither woman, who the summary of facts acknowledge were in shock, asked to be taken back to shore at that point or afterwards, and the charter continued and everybody fished apart from Weingott.

Deverall said after they returned to shore about five hours later, she drove Weingott to Whanganui Hospital where a doctor, who after seeing the extent of her injuries and hearing of the circumstances of how they were sustained, urged her to contact WorkSafe.

She hoped their experience and prosecution of the charter company would serve as a warning to other operators and people considering paying for a fishing charter.

“I just hope people [charter operators] take more care about who they take out, when they take them out, and that they brief them properly.

“Because there wasn’t a hope in hell of either Selah or myself, who were quite strong people at the time, having held on with such a wave coming.”

Weingott also remembered the bar crossing vividly.

“I was bouncing up and down on the metal, on my nose, and bashing, bashing my arm and shoulder, getting thoroughly bruised. I couldn’t get up. Pete [Robins] actually helped me up, the skipper, and I was traumatised.”

She couldn’t believe the fishing trip continued.

“I was in denial or disbelief, and I just waited for the helicopter, or a lifeboat or something. I didn’t, I just couldn’t believe no one would come and save us.”

After navigating the Pātea bar crossing, everyone onboard apart from Selah Weingott went on to fish. According to the summary of facts, which acknowledged the women were in shock, they did not ask to be returned to shore. Supplied

Her shoulder was fractured in two places and her arm just above the elbow.

Weingott had surgery about 10 months after the incident.

“There’s a big screw in a plastic shaft that runs through my elbow to my shoulder, and two metal balls replacing my shoulder.

“It’s weak. It’s a weak arm, and I’m kind of alienated from it. I was a very body conscious person before, and quite proud of my fitness. But, you know, it’s just a disaster.”

Weingott wished she’d done more research on the dangers of crossing the Pātea bar, but was also disappointed in the charter company.

“They should check the health and safety of their potential customers and, yes, there were life jackets, but they don’t stop you getting thrown around.”

She said the safety briefing was inadequate.

“You’ve got to hold on. It can get a bit rough. You’ve got to hold on, so that was said a couple of times. That was it.”

An x-ray of Selah Weingott’s damaged shoulder. Supplied

Maritime New Zealand’s general manager investigations, Pete Dwen, said charter operators must make sure passengers understood the nature of the trip, were assessed and received tailored safety briefings.

“Passengers should be given clear information about the risks involved in a bar crossing including how conditions can change and the physicality of the crossing.

“Operators also need to check the basic information that helps them assess suitability, such as a passenger’s experience on the water, age, medical or mobility issues, and swimming ability.

“Safety briefings must explain what passengers can do to keep themselves safe including how to brace, what movement to expect, and allowing people to opt out if they don’t feel comfortable.”

Dwen said in this case, those steps were not taken.

“The passengers weren’t told what they were about to encounter during the bar crossing, weren’t given instructions on how to brace, and weren’t asked the questions that would have helped the operator assess their suitability or give them the option to opt out.”

He said people should be able to enjoy their time on the water, but operators must take all reasonable steps to keep passengers safe.

The South Taranaki coastline, near Pātea. CC2/ Phillip Capper

South Taranaki Fishing Charters owner Peter Robins said the company had learned a lot from what happened on 3 January 2022 and as a result of the subsequent prosecution.

“The company is keen to share those lessons with other fishing or small charter boat operators to ensure we are all carrying out our operations in as safe a way as we can.”

Robins said Deverall’s and Weingott’s expectations of the trip and what they – and the charter company – believed they were capable of did not match their actual experience or capability.

The primary lessons the company had learned, and wanted other operators to know, were:

  • Provide in advance information about what passengers could expect on a trip. What conditions they might encounter, the hazards and level of strength or capability it might require. Don’t assume they would appreciate these things, even if they knew a bar crossing was involved or had crossed a bar previously.
  • Operators should ask about passengers age, health/mobility status and prior experience, and exclude people not equipped to handle a trip because of these factors.
  • A safety briefing prior to a bar crossing should include telling and showing passengers how to brace with their legs when the boat encounters a wave. It should be clear the passengers have understood.

Robins said South Taranaki Fishing Charters had made changes to reflect these lessons.

“The company has proudly operated for many years and carried out over 1000 charters. We will continue to operate and strive to ensure we do so in a safe manner.”

According to the agreed summary of facts, South Taranaki Fishing Charters had three prior incidents reported to Maritime New Zealand in May 2010, May 2015 and March 2021 involving passengers who were injured while crossing the Pātea bar.

The May 2010 incident involved a passenger who was over 65 years of age.

The company arranged for Coastguard assistance in respect of the 2015 and 2021 incidents.

South Taranaki Fishing Charters had never previously been convicted of health and safety breaches.

Meanwhile, Weingott regretted ever getting on the charter vessel.

“I’m on pain medication, and I don’t like that much. It changes who I am. And don’t know that there’s a lot of options there. You know, you wake up with this thing.

“I can’t dress myself quickly. I can’t hang things up, it’s difficult getting out of the bath. There’s all sorts of stuff like that, because I don’t really trust my left arm.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

What spurred Don McGlashan to tell off Chris Bishop at the AMAs?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Earlier this year Don McGlashan made headlines when he had a spat with National Party MP and Cabinet minister Chris Bishop at the Aotearoa Music Awards.

“I didn’t know who he was… I heard all this fury and somebody complaining and then Stan Walker did his big piece, with a lot of hikoi imagery and a lot of flags waving, and the whole audience stood up, it was this marvellous, heartfelt moment,” McGlashan tells 30 with Guyon Espiner.

“And there was somebody yelling, ‘What a load of crap. This is performative. What a load of bullshit.’ And I thought, you know, I’ve had 40 years or so of dealing with unruly hecklers in New Zealand… I didn’t know who it was. I turned around and said, ‘Shut up, you dickhead.’ And then he looked at me and said, ‘What’d you say to me?’ And I realised who it was.

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

Government revokes sports school contract with non-existent trust

Source: Radio New Zealand

Associate Education Minister David Seymour. RNZ / Mark Papalii

The government has formally revoked the official notice of its charter school contract with a trust that never existed.

But the sports-focused school in Trentham will still go ahead.

In October, Associate Education Minister David Seymour published a notice in the New Zealand Gazette announcing the Charter School Agency had contracted the NZPAA Charitable Trust to set up a charter school.

But the Charities Register had no records of such a trust and this week Seymour published another Gazette notice revoking the October notice.

“By reason of an error made in the notice, the undersigned revokes the Charter School Establishment notice dated 27 October 2025 and published in the New Zealand Gazette, 31 October 2025, Notice No. 2025-go6168,” it said.

The Charter School Agency said a Gazette notice of a new contract for the school would be posted shortly.

“We do not anticipate any impact on plans for the school to open in February next year,” it said.

The agency previously explained the mistake happened because the school’s sponsor changed its arrangements during the process.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Wellington has NZ’s cheapest homes, Herne Bay still the most expensive suburb

Source: Radio New Zealand

Central Wellington has the cheapest homes in the country, property data firm Cotality says. RNZ / REECE BAKER

Central Wellington has the cheapest homes in the country, property data firm Cotality says, but Newmarket has had the biggest fall in values over the past five years.

It has released its end-of-year data, which it said showed a year of stagnation, with lower mortgage rates helping improve sales volumes but a sluggish economy and weak labour market keeping values down.

Chief property economist Kelvin Davidson said despite an extended “flat patch” for values, there had been activity happening.

“First-home buyers have remained very strong, hovering as high as 28 percent to 29 percent of overall purchasing activity, while 2025 has also seen a comeback by mortgaged multiple property owners.”

The data showed that Herne Bay remained the most expensive suburb in the country, with a median value of $2.6 million. It was followed by nearby Westmere and Ponsonby, at $2.2m, and Remuera at $2m.

Arrowtown and Tamahere, Waikato, were the only suburbs outside Auckland in the top 10 most expensive.

Greymouth had the biggest increase in prices over five years, up nearly 60 percent.

This was closely followed by Somerfield, Christchurch, and Hokitika, both experiencing increases of nearly 50 percent over the same five-year period.

Davidson said most of the places where prices had risen strongly were more affordable to start with, including rural locations, small towns, or lower-priced suburbs within larger main centres.

“There are two outliers, however, which are Jacks Point and Lake Hayes; both high-end suburbs in Queenstown, whose popularity among affluent buyers may have contributed to their stronger growth in 2025,” he said.

“Nowhere is booming but it’s all relative… Invercargill is a good example of that, too. Property has been moving quickly in Invercargill. There’s certainly a degree of resilience around Invercargill and that wider southern area.”

Cotality chief property economist Kelvin Davidson. SUPPLIED

The biggest price fall in a year was in Oneroa, Auckland, down 7.9 percent in a year. It was followed by Omaha down 5.7 percent. Atawhai, Nelson was the only non-Auckland suburb in the top 10 lowest value movements.

Newmarket had the biggest fall in prices over five years, down 15.8 percent, followed by Te Aro down 15 percent and Petone down 13.2 percent.

Wellington central was the most affordable region this year, with a median value of $318,706, followed by $353,942 in Taumarunui, $365,347 in Westport and $365,657 in Auckland Central.

Davidson said Wellington central was affected by being an “apartment market”. “Apartments just carry lower values than standalone houses. I’d put most of it down to the composition of the market … but there is a role to play for the downturn in Wellington.

“Wellington central was priced a lot higher four or five years ago. Wellington, let’s face it, has been a pretty soft market.”

He said the only suburbs included were those with at least 1000 dwellings so there could be smaller parts of the country with lower values again.

He said Auckland was notable in that it had most of the highest-value suburbs but was also home to some of the weaker performing areas.

“There is still an affordability challenge in Auckland and the fact that housing is still a bit of a stretch. You’ve had a sluggish sort of economy and economic confidence around Auckland, as well as a decent supply pipeline still coming through.

“All those things are consistent with each other. So you can have high value real estate, but of course, the flip side of that is that affordability is still a challenge, and that’s been a handbrake on growth this year.”

He said the question now would be what happened next year.

“There seem to be those fundamentals coming together for a bit more growth in prices, but maybe not a fresh Covid-style boom.”

Rents had generally been soft through the year, he said.

“Given the continued decline in net migration, we’ve also seen rents have weakened this year. There have been outright falls in markets such as Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch which don’t happen often, so it’s been a tricky period for any investor looking to boost their income. Of course, it’s been a more favourable period for tenants.”

Renters in Gladstone, Invercargill, had the biggest increase in rents in the year, up 18 percent, followed by 17.3 percent in Waipawa, and 16.9 percent in Timaru. Long Bay in Auckland had the biggest rent drop, down 17.1 percent, followed by Hilltop in Taupō down 13.8 percent and Ngaio in Wellington down 13 percent.

Sign up for Money with Susan Edmunds, a weekly newsletter covering all the things that affect how we make, spend and invest money.

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

26,000 New Zealanders’ devices infected with malicious software, cyber security agency warns

Source: Radio New Zealand

By Penny Smith

The cyber security agency is emailing about 26,000 people warning about malware which could steal sensitive information, like email addresses and passwords. 123RF

The country’s cyber agency is alerting tens of thousands of New Zealanders that their device has been infected with malicious software.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) was sending emails to around 26,000 email addresses on Wednesday warning about the malware Lumma Stealer, which was designed to steal sensitive information like email addresses and passwords.

Some of the stolen passwords were connected to government agency systems and bank accounts.

The NCSC’s chief operating officer, Michael Jagusch, said it was the first time the agency had contacted so many people.

“We have worked with New Zealand government agencies and financial institutions to help protect their affected customers. However, there is a large group of users we are now contacting directly,” he said.

“Malicious software like this is relatively common, but this is a very significant amount of New Zealanders that we know have been impacted by this and that’s why we are doing the outreach at this scale.”

Lumma Steeler was designed to go undetected and typically infected devices using Microsoft Windows operating systems.

“The malware’s purpose is to give these cybercriminals information that might let them gain access to your account and ultiumately these cyber criminals are looking to steal money,” Jagusch said.

“They might also use the information for further attacks … They might be able to create more tailored phishing emails against you and your family.”

Jagusch said it’s unlikely the affected people were targeted.

“These people would have unknowingly downloaded the software by clicking a link within a phising email or downloading the software from a compromised website,” he said.

Jagusch added that Lumma Stealer was available for purchase on the dark web.

“There has been a real commercialisation of the cyber crime industry, meaning that malware like this can be purchased by anyone, anywhere in the world,” he said.

The NCSC was alerted to the attack through an international threat sharing forum.

The agency wanted people who received the email to go to its Own Your Online website for advice on what to look for and how to remove the malware, or to contact an IT provider for help.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Drunk Nelson teen died in crash while fleeing police out on another job

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Nelson teenager was fleeing police at about 183 kilometres per hour, but the officer was on his way to another job. RNZ/ Marika Khabazi

A Nelson teenager was fleeing police at about 183 kilometres per hour when she lost control of the vehicle and smashed into a tree.

Tieylr Saige Ayrton, 17, died from a head injury sustained in the crash on Rutherford Street in March 2022.

The girl was under the influence of alcohol and driving on a restricted driver licence in the early hours of the morning. Her two passengers suffered serious injuries in the crash.

Coroner Megan Armistead, in findings released on Wednesday, said Ayrton’s death was avoidable and highlighted the dangers of driving while intoxicated and the importance of complying with restricted licence conditions.

The Transport Agency said drivers on a restricted licence were seven times more likely to be involved in a fatal or serious injury crash than other drivers, partly due to inexperience.

Two of the riskiest situations for young drivers were driving at night and carrying passengers, the agency said.

Armistead said excessive speed, impairment from alcohol and driver inexperience were contributing factors in the crash.

“The Toyota was travelling at more than three times the speed limit prior to the crash and more than twice the speed limit at the point of impact,” the coroner said.

Fleeing a police officer heading to another callout

Ayrton was driving north on Waimea Road towards central Nelson in a Toyota Mark-X sedan about 1.30am on 13 March 2022.

At the same time a police dog handler, driving a marked police dog vehicle conducting mobile patrols in Stoke, received a call for assistance with a disorder incident on Bridge Street, Nelson.

The officer decided to provide backup for the incident and drove towards central Nelson from Stoke. He increased his speed and activated his red and blue lights.

Ayrton was travelling about 63 kilometres per hour on Waimea Road before the police car approached.

The police officer attempted to overtake Ayrton on an uphill section of the road near Nelson Hospital. But the teenager increased her speed and did not attempt to pull over or allow the police car to pass.

The officer told the coroner he realised the Toyota’s driver was not going to allow him to pass, so he deactivated his red and blue flashing lights and began slowing down.

Ayrton continued to accelerate and reached 183 kilometres per hour before braking ahead of a left-hand curve into Rutherford Street.

The car was travelling about 112 kilometres per hour as it entered the curve and Ayrton lost contol of the vehicle, crossed the centre line and crashed into a tree on Rutherford Street at approximately 106 kilometres per hour.

The police officer rounded the corner soon after and saw the car on fire.

He stopped, ran to the vehicle and put the fire out before attempting to remove those inside.

Members of the public and the officer were able to free one person from the car.

Firefighters arrived and began working to free Ayrton and the other passenger.

An ambulance arrived at 1.50am but Ayrton was unresponsive and died at the scene. The two passengers were taken to Nelson Hospital.

Crash investigation findings

Police carried out a Critical Incident Review into the circumstances of the Toyota fleeing the police vehicle.

It found the officer was not in pursuit of the Toyota and when he realised the Toyota was fleeing from him he followed police policy and procedure by immediately turning off his lights and siren, slowing down and informing the police communications centre.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority resolutions manager Cath Anyan said it was notified of the crash but did not consider an independent investigation was necessary nor was it considered necessary to oversee a police investigation.

A report from the Serious Crash Unit found no contributing factors relating to the vehicle, environment, the road or its layout and markings.

Investigators analysed the CCTV footage from NZTA cameras, a speed monitoring sign on Waimea Road, data from the airbag control module fitted to the Toyota, independent witness accounts and tyre abrasion markings. They found while crossing over the Van Diemen Street intersection on Waimea Road, the Toyota was travelling at approximately 183 kilometres per hour.

The police car was approximately 580 metres behind and not displaying flashing lights.

Tasman District serious crash analyst Senior Constable Simon Burbery said the bend into Rutherford Street had a critical curve speed (the maximum speed a vehicle could take a curve before losing control) of 65 kilometres per hour but the car was travelling almost 50 kilometres per hour more than that when it entered the bend.

The investigation also found the Toyota’s brakes were engaged on and off from more than 200 metres before the crash site, but the rate of deceleration was low.

Ayrton was barefoot at the time of the crash and Burbery noted a pair of jandals found in the driver’s footwell could have become stuck under the brake pedal while she was driving, which could have prevented the brakes from being fully applied.

Unfortunately, due to damage to the Toyota, the investigators could not carry out further analysis of that matter and the coroner said there was insufficient evidence to establish if it had been a contributing factor.

Ayrton was found to have a blood alcohol reading of 153 milligrams per 100 millilitres – more than three times the limit for drivers over 20. However, drivers under 20 years of age are not allowed any alcohol.

Ayrton had held a restricted driver licence since September 2021. The conditions of the licence meant she was not allowed to carry passengers or drive between the hours of 10pm and 5am.

Tasman road policing manager Inspector Martin Tunley said every fatal crash was a tragedy and police were aware that behind every death on the roads was a grieving family.

“My thoughts are with Tielyr’s loved ones. I’d also like to acknowledge our officer and the members of the public who, arriving moments after the crash, were confronted with this terrible scene and did everything they could to save Tielyr and comfort her friends.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Three double-bunk deaths at Mt Eden prison in a year

Source: Radio New Zealand

Mt Eden prison staff found a prisoner had been injured at 10.40am on 29 November. File photo. RNZ/Calvin Samuel

A homicide investigation is under way after an inmate died 10 days after allegedly being assaulted by his cellmate at Mt Eden prison.

The man’s death is the third homicide investigation involving inmates in double-bunk cells at the prison since September last year.

The death comes amid a Corrections review of a risk assessment tool used in deciding whether prisoners are suitable to share a cell, after the two earlier suspected murders.

Mt Eden Corrections Facility (MECF) general manager Dion Paki earlier told RNZ that staff found a prisoner had been injured at 10.40am on 29 November.

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

The inmate was assessed by on-site medical and taken to hospital.

“The alleged perpetrator was immediately secured and placed on directed segregation.”

Detective Senior Sergeant Martin Friend told RNZ the victim died in Auckland City Hospital on Tuesday.

Police have continued inquiries since late November, which will now become a homicide inquiry.

“Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this difficult time,” Friend said.

Police inquiries into the man’s death would continue, with results of a post-mortem pending.

MECF acting general manager Edith Pattinson acknowledged the man’s death had been a “difficult and distressing time for his loved ones and our thoughts remain with them”.

“Police are investigating and Corrections is also carrying out a full review into this incident. An investigation by the independent Corrections Inspectorate will also be carried out. If these investigations and reviews identify areas where we need to strengthen our processes, we are absolutely committed to acting on these with urgency.

“We can confirm the victim was in a shared cell and that the suitability of this placement is part of our review into this matter. Understandably, the victim’s family will have questions they would like answered. We have been in regular contact with the man’s family, and once our review is complete we will share the findings of this with them when we’re able to do so.”

Corrections’ review would look into what risk assessments were done such as the Shared Accommodation Cell Risk Assessment (SACRA).

“Our frontline staff manage approximately 10,900 prisoners who are some of New Zealand’s most difficult and dangerous people.

“We take our duty to manage prisoners safely extremely seriously and are acutely aware that there have been several incidents at MECF in the past year alleged to have involved prisoners in shared cells.”

The Not to Double Bunk (NTDB) Policy has been updated in Corrections’ Prison Operations Manual to ensure staff were better supported in making informed decisions around adding, managing, and removing NTDB alerts, Pattinson said. Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings were also now required for reviewing and validating NTDB alerts.

“In addition, Corrections is undertaking a review of the SACRA process across the prison estate to ensure it is robust and as safe as possible. This review is now in its final stages, and again we are committing to acting on any changes needed with urgency.”

RNZ earlier revealed there had been two suspected murders, both involving double-bunked cells, in nine months at the prison.

Corrections use the SACRA tool to review the compatibility of individuals before they were placed in a shared cell.

The SACRA tool identified key risk factors to consider before placing a person in a shared cell.

If a person was deemed not suitable to double bunk, a Not to Double Bunk (NTDB) alert was activated on their profile.

Corrections custodial services commissioner Leigh Marsh earlier confirmed he requested a review of the SACRA process which was under way.

“The review is in its early stages, so we have limited information to provide at this stage.

“However, we can confirm that our Custodial, Pae Ora and Intel teams will be considering the questions asked to inform suitability, the process to determine compatibility, and the review processes relating to SACRA. This will help inform what improvements can be made to the SACRA process.”

Corrections had also taken steps across all prison sites regarding shared cell risk assessments, including instructing that all assessments must be reviewed within 24 hours of completion to check whether any further or outstanding information had been received.

“This is because we often receive people from the courts late in the evening and information can sometimes be limited.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

ACC backs down on less flexible remote working policy

Source: Radio New Zealand

Workers strike outside an ACC building in Wellington in July. Samuel Rillstone

ACC has backed down on plans to require staff to work in the office three days a week, rather than two.

The agency said following consultation with workers and careful consideration of their feedback, it decided to maintain current settings of two days in the office each week.

Earlier this week, the Public Service Association said it had written to the Commerce Commission, seeking an investigation into ACC for breaching the Fair Trading Act.

It said that in its job ads, ACC promoted working from home three days a week as a key benefit of working there – and was looking to break that promise.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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