Category: Public Media

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The Ashes live: Australia v England – second test, day two

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow all the action as the second in the five-test series between arch rivals Australia and England continues at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Australia lead the five-test series 1-0 and have not lost to England at the Gabba since 1986.

First ball on day two is at 5pm NZT.

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England’s Will Jacks DAVE HUNT

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Minister raises concerns over fish heading south due to warming waters

Source: Radio New Zealand

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has raised concerns about fish “heading to Te Waipounamu”. RNZ / Mark Papalii

The Oceans and Fisheries Minister has raised concerns about fish “heading to Te Waipounamu” due to warming waters.

“In my lifetime, we’re seeing the drift into the South Island of fisheries resources that have been historically located in the North Island,” Shane Jones said.

The minister appeared before the Primary Production select committee for Scrutiny Week on Friday morning, and was asked about his “favourite topic, climate change” by Green MP Teanau Tuiono.

“I did anticipate this question,” Jones responded.

In October, Tuiono had asked Jones about the risk posed by warming oceans to the sustainability of the fishing industry after the Our Marine Environment 2025 report showed the rate of warming in ocean waters around New Zealand was 34 percent faster than the global average warming rate.

Environment Minister Penny Simmonds also told Tuiono the report showed evidence that climate change was affecting primary industries including fisheries in a written parliamentary question.

The director of primary sector policy, Alastair Cameron, said during the hearing some fisheries were moving further south into “cooler waters”.

The Ministry for Primary Industries provided more information to RNZ, indicating marine heatwaves – that impact fish stocks – were becoming increasingly common in recent years. The ministry said it was a complex and developing issue and the exact way fish stocks were impacted was not fully yet understood.

MPI explained warmer waters meant species such as snapper and john dory may experience “shifts in their home range and overall productivity”.

Cameron said MPI considers the evidence and information about what impacts climate change could have on warming seas and the effect on fisheries and their distribution.

One of the responses to that work was looking at the regulatory systems, he said.

“How do we make those a bit more agile, a bit more flexible, to account for the changes that we might see.”

Jones said the fishing industry had asked and he had instructed officials to look at how to “cope” when big fishing boats were catching fish that was never there historically, and catching more because of the technology they use.

“If you’re catching a type of fish that’s historically not been present in a net, and you’re not able to bring it back to shore in a form that generates a good economic return, you are still being charged, through deemed value, a levy for having caught that fish.

“Now they’re not targeting it. It’s present because of changing water temperatures.”

He said smart regulatory responses that reflected oceanic changes were needed.

“We’ve got to have practical solutions, because the fish is heading to Te Waipounamu, e hoa,” Jones said.

He also joked he now needed “certain people in Te Tai Tokerau to follow the fish in the South Island”.

After the hearing, RNZ asked if the minister was alarmed to hear fish were migrating, to which Jones replied it was reflective of his “favourite subject, climate change – not”.

He said he was concerned if it imposed unnecessary burdens on the industry and they did not have the ability to deal with it.

Asked if the news gave him pause for thought around issues such as mining, he said he responded to the issue by requiring officials to “derive regulated responses on behalf of the state.”

“I don’t want to close down the economy to keep a few shrill voices in Dunedin happy.”

During the hearing, Jones also discussed the issue of public favour when it came to managing primary industries.

He spoke about an upcoming decision that was “more than likely” to stop the access of recreational and commercial people in New Zealand from taking crayfish from the entirety of Northland’s east coast.

“Those are very, very big decisions to make. But I’m making it.”

He said officials had used science and spoken to the public who had said “enough is enough. We have mined this resource to such a point it can’t survive if we stay on the current trajectory”.

“These decisions, they have to find public favour,” said Jones, but acknowledged later the public was not “of one mind”.

He said the government had “shifted the pendulum” so climate change was no longer regarded in quite the “polarising, ideological way” it had been.

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Feral cat that decimated a black-fronted tern colony finally caught

Source: Radio New Zealand

Feral cat preys on black-fronted tern chicks in December 2024. DOC

A feral cat that destroyed a large black-fronted tern colony on Canterbury’s Waiau Toa/Clarence River has finally been caught.

The tom cat killed and ate several adult tern, chicks and eggs, resulting in birds abandoning almost all 95 nests on an island in the river last December.

Black-fronted terns or tarapirohe are endangered with an estimated population of less than 10,000 birds and declining.

Last week contractors Jasen and Shannon Mears of J & S Mears carried out a leg-hold trapping operation in the Clarence River area, targeting feral cats to protect nesting tarapirohe from predators.

They caught 11 cats, including the 6kg tom cat responsible for last year’s colony attack.

Shannon Mears said the large feral tom cat – identified by its long stride and distinctive prints – was tracked for several days before they were able to successfully lure and trap it.

Three large tom cats were caught in the vicinity of the black-fronted tern colonies in December 2025. J&S Mears

The wily cat had carefully avoided the many leg-hold traps set around the colony and a network of more than 700 kill traps in the wider area, she said.

“It took three nights to catch it. Each morning, we would find the cat had yet again evaded or ignored traps and bait. Its prints clearly showed him visiting the river near the same tern colony he decimated last year to check the water level. It would have only been a matter of time before the river level dropped, and he would have been able to reach the colony again,” she said.

The couple went to great lengths to lure it with whole rabbits as decoys, wing traps and buried leg-hold traps covered by tissue paper and soil. The cat was eventually caught in a leg trap.

Black-fronted tern killed in a feral cat attack in December 2024. DOC

“Even then it managed to pull the stake out and hide in a den about 200m away in the middle of the Acheron campsite, where our dog Billy tracked him,” she said.

Earlier this month feral cats were added to the Department of Conservation’s Predator Free 2050 list. There are an estimated 2.4 million feral cats in New Zealand compared to 1.2 million pet cats and about 200,000 stray cats, although the exact numbers are not known.

Feral cats are apex predators, which have been linked to the extinction of several native bird species. They also hunt bats, lizards, frogs and even insects such as wētā.

Department of Conservation South Marlborough principal ranger Pat Crowe was pleased with the results of the trapping after last year’s colony loss.

Black-fronted tern family. DOC

“Controlling predators like feral cats, ferrets and stoats is difficult work, especially when you’re dealing with trap-shy individuals, but it’s critical to give species like tarapirohe and other braided river birds a fighting chance,” he said.

Apart from flooding in late October that disrupted early nesting, he said it had been a successful breeding season with no signs of predation by introduced predators in the trapping area.

The Waiau Toa/Clarence River is an important habitat for black-fronted terns. There are at least 12 colonies nesting on islands in the braided river this year and 206 nests have been recorded in the six monitored colonies.

People could help protect tern colonies in the Molesworth Recreation Reserve by giving the birds space and keeping out of the nesting colonies, DOC said.

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Travellers lose $600,000 in airline ticket scam

Source: Radio New Zealand

Supplied / Greg Bowker Visuals

Authorities in New Zealand and China are investigating claims that nearly 200 Chinese New Zealanders have lost about $600,000 in an airline ticket scam.

Around 180 people have joined a group on social media platform WeChat claiming to be victims of a travel agency based in Xingyi, Guizhou province, in southwestern China.

Carriers believed to be unknowingly caught up in the scam included Cathay Pacific Airways, China Eastern Airline and Air China.

Police in New Zealand and China have launched an investigation in the allegations.

The Chinese consulate in Auckland issued a statement Friday, encouraging those who thought they might be a victim of the scam to file a report with the police.

Auckland woman Mia Liu bought a pair of airline tickets from Guizhou Yiqifei Tourism Information Ltd through Yanjing Shen, a local agent for the company.

Shen introduced Liu to the company after telling her she had started a new job as a tourism agent.

In August, Liu bought tickets for her son and his girlfriend to return to New Zealand from Tokyo via Beijing from Shen.

She paid just over 10,000 yuan (about $2500) for the tickets, an amount that was a little cheaper than more recognisable agencies.

Guizhou Yiqifei Tourism Information sent Liu the flight itinerary the following day.

In early November, Shen told Liu to check her flights as the tickets might not have been secured.

Liu asked a relative in China to help confirm the booking but neither China Eastern nor Cathay Pacific were able to do so.

Upon contacting Shen, Liu was told she could cancel the tickets, but it would take seven to 15 working days to process a refund.

Liu has yet to receive a refund for the tickets she had paid for, and Shen was not responding to her messages.

The Guizhou Yiqifei Tourism Information office in the Chinese southwestern province was empty during a visit in November. Supplied / Ella Chen

Mi Xiang, administrator of the WeChat group of victims, also bought airline tickets from Shen, having known her for more than a decade.

In September, Xiang paid around ¥24,000 yuan (about $5900) to Guizhou Yiqifei Tourism Information for return tickets to China for her family of four.

She was also advised to check her booking in early November, with the airline confirming the tickets were fake.

“China Eastern says it doesn’t have the tickets,” Xiang said. “The tickets did not exist.”

Xiang started the WeChat group after hearing that Liu and a couple of other acquaintances also bought tickets from Shen.

She claimed victims who had joined the WeChat group had lost more than 2.4 million yuan (about $600,000) in the ticket scam.

Auckland woman Nahong He, who claims to have lost 17,000 yuan (about $4200) paying for fake bookings, was in China helping those who had been affected to submit evidence with local police.

Chinese police told He they suspected the bookings to be a scam.

The doors to Guizhou Yiqifei Tourism Information in the Chinese southwestern province were locked in November. Supplied / Ella Chen

Police reports

Shen said she stopped selling airline tickets as soon as she sensed something was wrong.

She said she had filed a report with New Zealand Police on 4 November and flew back to China the next day to report the case to police in her hometown.

Some victims questioned this, claiming local police in Shen’s hometown didn’t have jurisdiction to investigate a case in Guizhou province.

Shen said she had also been a victim of the scam, claiming to be assisting the police investigation in China.

“I have handed over all the bank transfer records and all the chat histories to police,” Shen said.

Another agent, Ella Chen, who sold nearly 20 tickets, including a few for herself and her family, repaid clients from her own pocket after learning that the bookings were problematic.

She started to work for Guizhou Yiqifei Tourism Information in September after seeing an advertisement recruiting agents in Chinese media.

Chen said the advertisement looked legit, and she also checked the company’s authenticity before signing a contract with them.

Bookings through most of October largely proved to be unproblematic, but certain issues started to appear in November.

“There seemed to be two possible issues,” Chen said. “[Either] the ticket was issued but later cancelled, or the ticket was never issued at all. They only created a booking reference number.”

Chen first learnt of problems with bookings while she was on holiday in China.

She claimed to have reported the case in person to local police in Xingyi on 13 November.

She also visited the physical address of Guizhou Yiqifei Tourism Information after local police shared the information with her.

“I … saw that the office was already empty with no one around,” she recalled.

A couple of days later, Shen and another agent also arrived in Xingyi to report the case to police, Chen said.

Authorities investigate

A staff member at the Public Security Bureau in Xingyi said investigations were ongoing, although they refused to disclose more details.

“The relevant department is handling the case,” they said. “They will contact the relevant departments when there are any results … and will release information if necessary.”

Detective senior sergeant Craig Bolton from the Auckland City Financial Crime Unit said reports of a scam involving Guizhou Yiqifei Tourism Information had been made in November.

“To date, we have collated 33 complaints from right across the Auckland region,” Bolton said, noting that the unit was in its early stages of the investigation.

“In total, these victims have been scammed out of around $176,000. The Auckland City Financial Crime Unit is liaising with our police liaison officer in China via Interpol.”

He believed the perpetrators of the scam were residing in China, and officers had been working through Interpol to better understand this.

“Police urge the community to be vigilant around sales or services being offered at bargain or heavily discounted rates, particularly on social media or messaging applications,” he said.

“Please be extremely cautious when these sorts of services are offered. Do your research on whether the organisation is legitimate.”

People who suspected they had fallen victim to the scam were encouraged to file a report with police, Bolton said.

The Chinese Embassy in New Zealand told RNZ it was watching the case closely.

“The Chinese police have launched an investigation into the relevant case,” the embassy said in a statement.

“The Chinese government attaches high importance to protecting the lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens and stands firm in combating crimes of telecom and online fraud.

“The Embassy and Consulates-General of China in New Zealand will continue to provide necessary assistance to the Chinese citizens concerned in accordance with the law.”

Simon Pope, head of fair trading and product safety investigations at the Commerce Commission, warned consumers to ensure they knew who they were dealing with.

“A good way to do this is by checking independent review sites, social media and trusted resources such as Scamwatch to learn about other people’s experiences before sharing personal information or making payments,” Pope said.

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Police say teen accused of stealing $20,000 worth of clothing caught in the act

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police recovered $20,000 of stolen goods following a burglary in Albany. NZ Police

A teenager accused of attempting to steal more than $20,000 worth of clothing from an Auckland store was caught in the act.

Police said they were notified of several alarms being activated at a store on Don McKinnon Drive in Albany just before 3am on Friday.

In a statement, Senior Sergeant CJ Miles said police found the glass shop front smashed and the roller door pulled up.

“Officers also located a stolen vehicle parked in front of the store, full of stolen merchandise.

“A person, in the process of loading further stolen goods into the car, exited the store and was taken into custody immediately.”

More than $20,000 worth of property was recovered, Miles said.

A 16-year-old is to appear in North Shore Youth Court on Friday charged with burglary and unlawfully taking a vehicle.

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Auditor-General scrutinises Chatham Islands Council spending where Paul Eagle is CEO

Source: Radio New Zealand

Paul Eagle has been chief executive at the Chatham Islands Council since November 2023. RNZ/Daniela Maoate-Cox

The Auditor-General is scrutinising spending at Chatham Islands Council where former Labour MP Paul Eagle is chief executive.

The Office of the Auditor-General confirmed it was looking into “sensitive expenditure and procurement” at the council but said it was confidential, and would not comment publicly while the work was ongoing.

Chatham Islands Mayor Greg Horler also confirmed the inquiry but said the council would make no further comment.

Chatham Islands Council chief executive Paul Eagle said he was unable to comment while the process was underway.

“I don’t want to compromise that,” he said.

“I’m also bound by strict confidentiality requirements of the Auditor-General.”

Eagle has headed up the council since November 2023.

He was a Labour MP for the Rongotai electorate when he ran for the Wellington mayoralty in 2022.

That bid was unsuccessful, and Eagle did not contest the general election in 2023.

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Breath testing data concerns to be resolved ‘as quickly as possible’, police say

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ earlier revealed about 130 staff were under investigation throughout the country after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”. RNZ

Police say they are working to resolve concerns around breath testing data “as quickly as possible,” after the New Zealand Transport Agency halted $6m worth of funding until it’s satisfied police have met their targets.

RNZ earlier revealed about 130 staff were under investigation throughout the country after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”.

On Thursday, an NZTA spokesperson told RNZ it had paused $6m worth of funding until the matter was resolved.

On Friday, Assistant Commissioner Michael Johnson said in a statement that NZTA had notified police that delivery-dependent road policing funding for the first quarter of the financial year had been paused, while Police’s investigation into irregularities in breath testing data was ongoing.

“Police is working closely with our NZTA partners to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. We acknowledge it is important the data being assessed is accurate and the activity being carried out is legitimate.

“We are confident that once the data is confirmed as accurate, the funding will be authorised.”

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

Police continued to deliver “very high levels of breath testing activity”, Johnson said.

“We will continue to have a high-visibility presence over the summer period.”

An NZTA spokesperson earlier told RNZ it had requested police provide assurance that delivery numbers for breath screening tests and the wider road policing activity measures for the 2024/25 financial year were correct.

NZTA has paused its usual end-of-year reporting to the NZTA Board and the Minister of Transport until it is satisfied the final results are “a full and accurate record” of police delivery during the 2024/25 financial year.

Each year, $24 million of funding is dependent on the successful delivery of all speed and impairment activities to agreed specified annual levels, known as delivery dependent funding (DDF).

“Delivery against these measures is assessed on a quarterly basis, and a pro-rated amount of DDF is available to be authorised to spend ($6m per quarter).

“Until the current issue with reporting on breath testing is resolved, NZTA has paused assessment of the $6m in delivery dependent funding for the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year.”

Any funding from a quarter where DDF was not met remained available for subsequent authorisation in the same financial year, if targets are met, the spokesperson said.

“Any funding not authorised to be spent at the end of the financial year is required to be returned to the NLTF.”

The bulk of funding for road policing activity (of $103m per quarter) continued to be available to police, the spokesperson said.

In an earlier statement to RNZ, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said “this is a prudent decision by NZTA and I welcome it. The breath testing issue is very concerning and it is important it is resolved.”

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Oranga Tamariki aims to use new design for young offenders’ boot camp in March

Source: Radio New Zealand

An example of the military style uniform the youth in the pilot boot camp were required to wear. RNZ / Rachel Helyer-Donaldson

Oranga Tamariki aims to run its second boot camp for serious youth offenders in March next year using a new design.

The Children’s Minister earlier this week in a scrutiny hearing said no date had been set.

The ministry told the same hearing it was “giving some thought” to running a second one prior to the law being changed.

In response to RNZ inquiries, Oranga Tamariki sketched out its plans and preparation which it said were well advanced.

“Oranga Tamariki is planning to run a further voluntary programme, under existing legislative settings, with the intent to deliver in March 2026,” it said.

“This is an operational decision for Oranga Tamariki.”

It would take teenagers who volunteer, like the pilot last year, housed at the same Te Au rere a te Tonga youth justice residence in Palmerston North.

The Responding to Serious Youth Offending Amendment Bill that would enable a judge to sentence a teenager to time in a military-style academy had its first reading in Parliament in November.

On Tuesday, Labour MP Willow-Jean Prime had raised the prospect of a March start, but Minister Karen Chhour said no date was set.

Green MP Kahurangi Carter had been critical of the minister and officials for saying there were no definite decisions but recruiting before the legislation was in place.

Prime on Friday said the government had stated the legislation would be passed before there was another boot camp but instead it was experimenting on children.

“The answers from the minister were cagey,” Prime said.

Chhour has been approached for comment.

Prime said they were already progressing legislation before the first pilot was done, which was “questionable”.

“And now they haven’t passed the legislation and they are running a second programme … The lives of our children are far too important to politicise and that we should not gimmick policies and repeat failed experiments of the past.”

The results of the pilot showed a reoffending rate similar to boot camps of the past, she said.

The ministry’s programme lead Janet Mays told the hearing on Tuesday that planning was well advanced and drawing on lessons learned in the pilot in 2024-25.

Online advertising has been run to recruit for it.

“Evaluations of the pilot programme identified lessons learned, such as the need for stronger Iwi engagement, improved transition planning and more support for our kaimahi,” Mays said in Friday’s statement to RNZ.

“These are now being integrated into the new design.”

On Tuesday, Labour MP Willow-Jean Prime had raised the prospect of a March start, but Minister Karen Chhour said no date was set.

Green MP Kahurangi Carter had been critical of the minister and officials saying there were no definite decisions but recruiting was taking place before the legislation was in place.

It was recruiting for psychologists, case leaders, residential youth workers and other personnel.

“Oranga Tamariki is well advanced in its planning and preparation for the delivery.

“By delivering this, we can keep supporting young people through a programme which saw improvements across wellbeing, whānau and cultural connections and serious and violent offences drop by two-thirds when compared to a similar cohort.”

The physical infrastructure remained in place in Palmerston North.

Opponents had repeatedly raised concerns that boot camps had been found to be ineffective at reducing youth offending.

Evaluation reporting on the pilot said it created “meaningful and positive change” for the young people but was constrained by rushed implementation, a lack of continuity around therapeutic support and a lack of capacity in the residential phase.

It needed to have engaged with mana whenua earlier and supported whānau earlier, before the rangatahi returned home.

Mays told Tuesday’s hearing they aimed to have a new whānau support programme run alongside the residential phase.

The 2024 pilot had only a three-month residential phase – set to be extended – and a nine-month phase when the boys were back in their communities.

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Former Auckland councillor wins defamation case against Pro-Beijing commentator

Source: Radio New Zealand

Morgan (Zhi Hong) Xiao. Supplied

An Auckland-based pro-Beijing online political commentator has been ordered to pay more than $200,000 in defamation damages to former Auckland Councillor Paul Young.

Morgan (Zhi Hong) Xiao, also known as ‘Demon King’ (魔王) online, runs a social media account on WeChat and describes himself as a “New Zealand political commentary author, social activist and TV programmes planner”.

Xiao stood in local elections in 2019, and had called Professor Anne-Marie Brady and other critics of the Chinese government “son of bitches” and “anti-China forces”.

Justice Tracey Walker ruled Xiao defamed Young in 13 posts, and ordered him and any third party platform to remove the posts. She also ordered him to pay $225,000 in damages to Young.

Young said he felt vindicated after three years of litigation.

“The court has confirmed what I have maintained throughout – the allegations made against me were false and defamatory,” he said in a statement.

“I hope this outcome sends a clear message that New Zealand’s legal system provides effective remedies for those whose reputations are attacked through sustained online campaigns.”

Young was a Taiwan-born New Zealander who immigrated in 1989.

He was elected as Howick’s ward councillor in the 2018 by-election, becoming Auckland’s first ethnically Chinese councillor. He was re-elected in 2019, but lost his seat in the 2022 Auckland local elections.

Xiao has worked as a parking warden for Auckland Transport but refuses to confirm to RNZ if he’s still in that role – saying that it’s not related to the case.

He said he planned to appeal the decision and was not worried about the money he had been ordered to pay.

“I do not worry about it, because I believe this judgement is going to be successfully appealed… this money will not be a problem.”

Portia Mao. Supplied

Xiao had also previously taken Chinese-New Zealand journalist Portia Mao to court, alleging she had breached the Harmful Digital Communications Act.

Mao is a veteran journalist who covers China-related issues in New Zealand as well as other subjects.

Mao was required to take down the articles while the matter was before the court, but the order was lifted in a later decision by Manukau District Court Judge Richard McIlraith.

In a submission to the court, Mao’s lawyer said Xiao had weaponised the Harmful Digital Communications Act to silence a journalist, as Xiao had celebrated his victory on social media without Mao knowing an application had been filed.

The judge found Mao had no opportunity to defend herself in court at the time the orders were made.

“What has occurred here has been unfortunate,” Judge McIlraith said.

“This case has demonstrated the danger of ‘without notice’ applications being made under this act and the regrettable delay in a defendant having the opportunity to be heard.”

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Dunedin man Andrew Mercer jailed for causing death of partner who fell from moving trailer

Source: Radio New Zealand

Andrew Mercer was sentenced on Friday at the High Court at Dunedin. (File photo) RNZ / Nate McKinnon

The mother of a Dunedin man who died after falling from a moving trailer is still haunted by the decision to turn off his life support, a court has heard.

Robert Douglas Ralston died in hospital almost two weeks after the fall in Brockville in March, following a heated argument with his partner Andrew Jayden Mercer who was at the wheel of the car.

Mercer was sentenced to almost three years in prison for Ralston’s manslaughter at the High Court on Friday.

The court heard Mercer was driving erratically and aggressively when he swung onto Brockville Road as Ralston clung to the trailer, then jumped off.

Mercer had taken methamphetamine about an hour before Ralston’s fall.

In a victim impact statement, Ralston’s mother Linda Young told the court that turning off his life support was the hardest decision she had ever made and it was cruel to watch her son start to fade in hospital.

“It haunts me,” she said.

“As a parent I’m supposed to go before him.

“It’s tearing my heart to pieces.”

Ralston’s aunt told the court that she often relives the awful phone call she received to say he had died.

“Our lives are shattered,” she said.

Other family members said Ralston lit up a room with his presence and described feelings of emptiness, grief and sadness at his death.

Mercer pleaded guilty to manslaughter and failing to undertake a compulsory impairment test in August.

The court heard the couple had argued earlier in the day, starting outside a friend’s house on Turnbull Street in Brockville.

Mercer drove at Ralston after he walked into the middle of the road, before swerving.

Ralston threw a stick at the car as he drove past.

The argument resumed once Mercer returned hours later with a trailer of firewood in tow, with Ralston throwing a block of wood through the driver’s window, smashing it.

Ralston then climbed onto the caged trailer as Mercer drove away with Mercer initially unaware he was clinging onto the trailer.

The court heard Mercer drove through a give way sign and swung the trailer over the centre line when he turned onto Brockville Road, causing the trailer to skid, blow a tyre and start smoking.

Ralston called out during the aggressive turn and Mercer continued driving even after he realised his partner was perched on the trailer.

Ralston jumped off after the car turned onto Brockville Road, suffering serious head injuries.

The court heard Mercer tried to help his partner and was upset when he realised Ralston was so badly injured.

Defence lawyer Sarah Saunderson-Warner said Mercer deeply regretted what happened and was significantly distressed.

The court heard Mercer had tried to make an emotional harm reparation to Ralston’s family but it was rejected.

Mercer had a history of driving convictions ranging from dangerous driving at age 17, to driving while disqualified and failing to stop for police.

Prosecutor Richard Smith told the court Mercer only had a learner licence and should not had been driving at all.

In sentencing, Justice Preston noted Mercer’s distress and remorse but said the sentence was intended to hold him accountable, denounce his conduct and deter others.

Mercer was jailed for two years and 10 months in prison and disqualified from driving for two years upon release.

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