Category: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The mother of a Canterbury baby that died of catastrophic head injuries has denied any involvement in her son’s death.

Soul Turany was less than four months old when he died in 2014.

No one has been charged over his death, but police have said either his mother, Storme Turany, or her then-partner, Tony Farmer, is responsible.

Coroner Ian Telford is examining the circumstances of Soul’s death during a two-week inquest in the Coroners Court at Christchurch.

Turany gave evidence on Wednesday and denied ever having hurt Soul.

“Soul was everything to me – my kids are absolutely everything to me. Soul made me realise why I was put on this Earth and that was to be a mum,” Turany told the inquest.

Turany told her lawyer Allister Davis she loved Soul “with everything I have”.

Davis asked if she ever took her frustrations out on the boy: “Not once,” Turany responded.

Had she ever injured Soul? “Not once,” she responded again.

“Let me put this to you – did you have anything to do with Soul’s death?” Davis asked.

“No, I did not,” Turany answered.

The inquest heard Soul was taken to hospital on the morning of 30 August after emergency services were called to the rural home near Darfield he shared with Turany and Farmer.

Doctors found Soul’s skull was broken in two places. He was bleeding in one eye and over a vast tract of his brain. The infant died in hospital early on 31 August.

Turany’s sister Skye Lamborn last week told the court about an occasion when Turany “chucked” Soul down on a bed and then called her in tears.

That episode came to light when Turany was being interviewed by police about a fortnight after Soul’s death.

Lamborn was invited into the interview by investigators and told Turany to tell them about it.

But Lamborn told the coroner on Monday she offered the information as she wanted to get to the bottom of how her nephew died, and had no concerns about how her sister treated Soul or any other children, including her own.

Lamborn was adamant her sister was not involved in Soul’s death.

Turany told the coroner on Wednesday the incident was blown out of proportion and she did not chuck her son on the bed.

“It was not chucked – I was over-dramatic and over-protective,” Turany said.

“When I have put Soul down on the bed – I was so careful with Soul – so when I’ve put him down, it was firmer than I would have put him down every other time.”

The court heard she had been concerned on another occasion when a fly landed on Soul.

Soul had been unwell in the days before 30 August.

Asked about the morning Soul suffered the fatal injuries, Turany said Soul woke up about 3am and was unsettled. Turany said she tried settling him using paracetamol, nasal spray and by removing mucus from his nose.

When she could not get the boy to settle, she called Healthline about 6.30am. Soul was conscious when she called Healthline, Turany said.

Farmer was holding Soul when she made the call and stepped outside to speak to Healthline, Turany said. The phone call lasted about nine minutes.

“Tony had Soul for the entire duration I was on the call,” Turany said.

“Tony was now standing up to hand Soul to me. He was standing up holding Soul ready to pass him to me and he’s either said ‘Storme’ or ‘babe’, but it was in a very shocked voice.

“He looked really worried. As he’s handing him to me, Soul’s arms have gone completely limp. He’s completely limp by the time he’s handed him to me.”

The coroner heard the couple met on the dating app Tinder just over a month after Soul’s birth. The couple soon moved in together at Lamborn’s home before moving into a farmer’s residence on the dairy farm Lamborn managed with her husband.

Turany and Farmer had been living with Soul at that home for only about a month when he was fatally injured.

“Things were moving quite quickly,” Turany said.

Farmer will give evidence on Thursday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Raffles have long been a popular way to fundraise, but some of them may not be legal.

A Christchurch company director was due to be sentenced this month for running the largest ever illegal lottery in New Zealand, highlighting what some say was a lack of knowledge around the legality of running raffles.

The lottery, which generated over $11 million in revenue, was highlighted by the Department of Internal Affairs as a “stark warning” to anyone involved in running an illegal lottery of any scale.

However, community leaders say small scale raffles run by families to cover essential expenses should be seen in a different context.

Lara Dolan, the CEO of Māngere Budgeting Services Trust, said while she hadn’t seen many clients who run or participate in raffles, she had noticed families running it in her South Auckland community to cover essential travel.

“Because they don’t have enough savings, and it’s also cultural for people that in their cultures, they must attend family events such as weddings and funerals.”

A quick online search for raffles has taken RNZ to posts including fundraisers to send a child on their overseas exchange trip, a sports club raffle where alcohol was the prize, and businesses selling their products as a lucky draw.

Rules around raffles were set out in the Gambling Act 2003.

Lawyer Marty Robinson was a former advisor to the Department of Internal Affairs’ gambling team and runs his own practice, he broke the rules down.

“They’re basically classified by the amount that is spent in the type of gambling, and the risk of problem gambling that’s associated with that activity.”

Under Class 1, individuals and groups could run lottery with a prize or turnover up to $500, all proceeds from the raffle must be returned as prizes.

Societies such as sports clubs can run Class 2 and Class 3 gambling, and all proceeds must benefit the community – not an individual or business.

Class 4 gambling usually referred to gaming machines such as pokies.

Robinson said most community raffles were run under Class 1 or Class 2, which prohibited selling tickets through online or phone calls.

There were also rules around how you could use the funds, he said.

“If you are looking to take money out you can’t use it for say, sending you child overseas, it got to be for an authorised purpose, and the under the act basically that means a charitable purpose, a non-commercial or community based type of purpose.”

And for all classifications, certain types of prizes were prohibited.

According to DIA, the list included firearms, alcohol, tobacco, taonga tuturu, vouchers or entitlements to commercial sexual services, or other items that were in breach of any New Zealand laws such as recreational catches and illegal drugs.

Robinson said the Gambling Act was set to protect society from harmful gambling.

“I’m a criminal litigator in court and very often we find addiction is the underlying cause of people offending, it’s often drugs and increasingly methamphetamine but gambling has always been a major issue in a lot of embezzlement and fraud.”

But low value community raffles were often not as harmful, when compared to other activities such as online gambling, he said.

Grant Hewiston, secretary for Communities Against Alcohol Harm, agreed most community raffles were less of an issue.

While he was deeply concerned about problematic gambling and addictions, he thought the law should be applied with context when it comes to raffle fundraisers.

“If it was a private commercial profit, then that might be closer to being an issue. But where it’s a community of people to raise funds to support each other from time to time, my kind of sense is that we’re getting into some grey area about whether this is such a mechanism for community and social kind of funding and support, and maybe it shouldn’t be seen as private people profiting from these raffles.”

He said those participating in these community raffles often don’t expect to win, but know they were helping someone out, and anticipated being offered similar help when they needed it in the future.

Dolan was concerned if communities cannot run raffles to raise funds, it could have big impacts on those who were already struggling with cost of living.

“The only other option for them will be just to borrow money at higher interest rates, which is not ideal. This will be quite devastating for them.”

However, she thought if law enforcement was concerned over the activity, raising awareness was needed.

“To be honest, they’re (the community) probably not aware of the rules. I think if it is an illegal activity, the first thing that needs to happen is education campaign needs to be put in place so people actually do know about it.”

The Department of Internal Affairs was planning an education campaign later this month.

In a written statement, Vicki Scott, the Department’s director for Gambling, said Internal Affairs prioritises responses to the most serious cases.

“With consideration to resourcing the Department looks at illegal gambling activity as a whole (across the various forms it may take) and prioritises responses to the most serious issues identified. Given illegal gambling operates outside the law, where no application has been made or advice sought from the Department, we are largely reliant on illegal raffles being reported to us and encourage people to do so if they have concerns.”

She said over the last two years, targeted enforcement had led to multiple prosecutions which included illegal raffles operated by gangs and commercial illegal poker venues.

She encouraged people to report anything of concern.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Whakatane council is looking to restore a walk that is said to capture the essence of the town but with little council funding.

Local councils have had expenditures piling up from water services to storm repairs and now a planned rates cap casting a shadow on how councils can maintain public amenities.

Whakatane’s Nga Tapuwae o Toi walkway is currently facing this issue, after rainfall and slips left parts of the track damaged.

The loop track spans over around 18 kilometres, going from town and around Kohi Point then over to Ōhope Beach.

While the track was not entirely closed there were parts of it that remain inaccessible and people needed to walk onto the road to complete the loop.

The district council’s general manager community experience Alexandra Pickles told Nine to Noon they were hoping for a community initiative to help fund the restoration of the special walk.

“We believe it’s a national treasure. It’s not only accessible right from the centre of town, it has a significant cultural history.”

The track is home to one of Aotearoa’s earliest known pā sites, the eponymous ancestor of Ngā Te Awa Toi. The name of the walkway itself translates to “the footsteps of Toi”

“It was an area that was travelled hundreds of years ago and is a beautiful place just to enjoy. We also have one of New Zealand’s only urban Kiwi populations right there as well.”

Given the track’s significance, the Department of Conservation had been interested in establishing the walkway as a “great one-day walk”.

However, as beautiful as the walk is, Pickles said the geology had presented some challenges.

“It is quite soft in terms of the composition of the rock with sandstone and greywacke, which likes to crumble and fall over time.”

She said significant rainfall in 2022 had caused a major slip in the section that goes from the West End Beach in Ōhope over to to Ōtarawairere Bay, which closed the track for that period of time.

Council had been able to put in some funding at the time and acquired some tourism infrastructure funding to carry out storm damage repairs. However, it wasn’t long before more damage had struck.

“Just as that funding was approved, we had another significant slip… which meant that there was now a greater requirement to understand what the repair might look like and what that would cost, knowing that it would be significant.”

She said since the first slip they had been able to identify engineered solutions but costs to execute these solutions stood in the way.

“The cost of those are taking us down to the millions of dollars in order to complete the entirety of that and with our health and safety obligations to do that in a way that’s taking all steps that are reasonably practicable.”

Pickles said they had rallied a group of volunteers with varied expertise and a joint passion for the walkway.

The next step was to put out a request for proposal that would give community-based people with skills an opportunity to help fund the restoration in a safe and feasible way.

“If it plays out how we would like it to play out, then this could be a model for other things that, during fiscal constraints, mean that councils and communities can work together in order to get the best outcomes, not just rate-funded outcomes.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington’s mayor has told a review panel “it is not your role” to consider whether the Golden Mile project to revamp transport in a corridor of the central city offers value for money.

In a council briefing on Tuesday, Andrew Little said he was concerned that the independent panel might be overreaching, after it presented its methodology for reviewing the project’s benefit-to-cost ratio.

He also twice asked about panel members’ ties to the Golden Mile project and to Let’s Get Wellington Moving, a now-defunct initiative which previously had oversight of the project.

But Jenny Chetwynd, Wellington City Council’s Chief Infrastructure Officer, said she was confident there was no conflict of interest with any panellists.

“One of the criteria in selecting the panellists was that they hadn’t been involved in the Golden Mile project, noting that some declared they had historical involvement with projects associated with Let’s Get Wellington Moving,” she said.

Wellington City Council voted in November to pause and review the project after cost estimates grew from $139m to $220 million.

Work had already begun at the intersection of Cambridge and Kent Terraces last year.

The upgrade of the Golden Mile, which stretches from the Lambton Quay to Courtenay Place, sought to remove cars from the latter during the day, widen foot paths, create a cycle lane and improve lighting.

It would also line the street with anti-slip pavement and new greenery, and replace old water pipes that are sitting under the throughfare.

The Transport Agency was expected to provide half of the funding for the transport aspects of the project.

The independent panel conducting the review, which was expected to cost up to $400,000, was instructed to tell councillors how much the project would cost to execute, and whether it was still viable.

‘Not redesigning the project’

In November, when the review was announced, Little said: “The review does not relitigate the benefits of the Golden Mile project.”

However on Tuesday Chetwynd told councillors the review was set up to “look at the value for money the project still represented and the strategic alignment the project still represented to your strategy and your goals”.

She insisted that the panel was “not redesigning the project”.

The panel’s presentation gave an overview of its methodology into assessing the project’s benefit-to-cost ratio and whether it could deliver on its objectives.

It said it would identify cost-saving opportunities or re-scope refinements in line with the project’s goals.

However, Little disputed that this was the panel’s responsibility, saying: “You seem to be going into highly value judgment-laden areas, which – with all due respect – is not your role.”

Little argued that finding the project to be good value for money would not be able to help the council if it still couldn’t afford to do the work.

Chetwynd said she had been clear with the panellists on the review’s terms of reference and scope.

“This was to look at if the project still represented value for money, it wasn’t to look at whether the project is affordable for Council. We appreciate the Mayor’s comments this afternoon and we’ll ensure elected members will have all the information they need to make their decision on how to progress.”

Councillor Nureddin Abdurahman concluded the briefing by asking the independent panel to consider the feedback it received, specifically over a possible conflict of interest over ties to the Golden Mile or Let’s Get Wellington Moving.

After the briefing, Little said: “The scope of the review set by councillors was to test, in the context of current economic conditions, whether the existing project remains viable and aligned with its original objectives in light of significant cost and risks escalation.

“During the meeting I raised a concern that there was an appearance of the review panel moving beyond that scope into the realm of making – or the perception of making – decisions that must remain with elected members.

“My expectation is that the review remains within the scope set by councillors and leaves political decisions to the council.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Fulton Hogan employee has died in a crash while helping with a stranded vehicle on the Waikato Expressway.

The company confirmed the employee was killed in a crash on Tuesday at 7am on State Highway 1, near Te Kauwhata.

“Fulton Hogan has been made aware of a tragic incident that occurred on a Waikato worksite earlier this morning, where a Fulton Hogan employee was fatally injured when assisting a stranded vehicle.”

Fulton Hogan said its key focus was to support those affected and provide full assistance to authorities.

A spokesperson for NZTA, which contracted the employee, said it was deeply saddened and upset.

“Our thoughts are with the person’s family and friends at this time. Everyone deserves to be able to return home from work safely.”

The spokesperson said the circumstances of the crash were currently under investigation and it was unable to provide any further comment.

WorkSafe said it had been notified about the death and was making initial inquiries to understand the circumstances, but it was not investigating at this stage.

Police said enquiries into the circumstances of the crash were ongoing.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A person has been killed in a single-vehicle crash in Marlborough.

Police were called to the accident, on Waihopai Valley Road between Shandon Road and Omaka Downs Road, about 10am on Monday.

A person died at the scene.

The road was closed while the police investigated, and has since reopened. A probe into how the crash happened was still ongoing.

Before this accident there had been 126 deaths on the road in 2026, the highest at this point of the year since 2022.

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