Category: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A New Zealand-born man, serving time in an Australian prison for killing a person when he drove while drugged, has won a fight to remain in his adopted country.

Nathan Brian Teraki was jailed for seven years in September 2024 after pleading guilty in the Brisbane District Court to the dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death while affected by an intoxicating substance.

He was said to be fatigued and taking “poor man’s meth” tablets when he killed a mine worker in the head-on collision.

His dashcam recorded him veering into the opposite lane nine times as he drove for another hour and 27 minutes before colliding head-on with a Toyota Hilux driven by Northern Territory man Leslie Noel Huxham.

At the time, Teraki tested positive for amphetamine, methamphetamine and the active ingredient of cannabis.

He faced a looming deportation order, but has succeeded in having it overturned, after Australian immigration authorities agreed to cancel an application to revoke his visa.

Teraki claimed he had become so stressed about events in his life, and after the tragedy in October 2022, he began self-harming by “pulling out his teeth”.

Deportation loomed after fatal crash

The process to cancel Teraki’s special category (temporary) visa began soon after he was convicted and sentenced.

Despite his appeal, authorities decided last December to continue down the path of cancelling the visa, because the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship was not satisfied that Teraki passed the character test.

But in a decision released this month, the Administrative Review Tribunal of Australia found that, after weighing all the evidence, factors in favour of reversing the decision to cancel his visa outweighed the alternative.

The tribunal said that while Teraki’s criminal conduct was “very serious”, as highlighted by the fact he killed an innocent person, his conduct in Australia otherwise was not, in the nature of systemic criminal activities, over an extended period of time.

Instead, his conviction arose when driving to work in circumstances where he was affected by drugs and should not have been driving.

While there was evidence of different criminal conduct from 2001 until 2003, when Teraki was living in New Zealand, there was no suggestion, let alone evidence that such conduct had been repeated in Australia, senior tribunal member Mark Harrowell said.

His record in New Zealand included common assault, possession of cannabis and utensils, burglary and breach of a community work order.

Teraki claimed he could not recall the assault charge or what had occurred.

‘Nothing in NZ to return to’

The 44-year-old was born in New Zealand and arrived in Australia in September 2010 with his then-wife and two children.

Their third child was born after they arrived in Australia. The pair later separated.

Teraki had since faced a domestic violence order imposed by police in 2023, effective until August 2028, which contained a good behaviour condition.

Teraki, whose mother lived in New Zealand, said in his original revocation application he had not been back for eight years since there was nothing for him to return to.

“This is my first and only charge I have had and is really out of character for me,” he wrote.

Teraki wrote that he had been independent since an early age, and had lived with his grandmother during his teens.

He described his relationship with his mother as “good” and that they talked, and that she had offered him a place to stay with her.

However, he feared “returning to old habits” if sent back to New Zealand, and separation from his children, who were a “massive” part of his life.

He claimed to have been working too hard to hide his depression from his children since the death of his father in 2017, when he ought to have sought help instead.

A medical specialist’s report pre-sentencing described Teraki having a “major depressive disorder” which was both chronic and severe.

The court also noted his “chronic cannabis dependence”, alcohol abuse and “some symptomology consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder” and a previous history of methyl amphetamine use.

The PTSD was said to be partly related to Teraki’s early family history.

Working three jobs

Teraki said he was working three jobs at the time of the fatal crash, to help pay the mortgage and support his family.

He started taking drugs to sleep and to be awake for work, and had taken them before driving to work on the morning of the crash.

He claimed to have started “pulling his teeth out”, because of everything that had happened, but was now getting help.

“I want my kids to look up to me, not down at me,” he wrote.

Teraki said since being in prison he had become completely drug-free, had stopped taking medication and “felt the best” he ever had.

He said he had “awesome support” from family and upon release he aimed to work full-time as a builder.

“I have to live with what happened that day and always will. But have changed my thinking and look at life,” Teraki wrote.

The tribunal concluded that it was not in dispute that Teraki failed the character test; the issue in the proceedings was whether there was another good reason why the cancellation of the visa should be revoked.

It considered his risk of re-offending as low, and his family ties and social links in Australia were “significant”, which all weighed in favour of reversing the decision to cancel his visa.

– This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Thousands have queued – some for hours – to get back in the doors of Wellington Central Library, which reopened on Saturday, newly strengthened and renovated after being shut for seven years.

A ceremony was planned, with a ribbon-cutting, then music and story-telling performances throughout the weekend. The library, called Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui, was open again for normal operations, from 10am Saturday.

The eye-catching building in central Wellington has been closed since March 2019, when it was deemed an earthquake risk, with significant work needed.

As the launch unfolded, former library staff member Jane Shallcrass told RNZ she never once would have expected thousands of people to be waiting outside the door for a library, but she was thrilled by the community support.

“To see the joy on people’s faces as they came up the escalator and realised the full glory of the new library, and I think to hear the music – that was really great, just wonderful. And that all these people are queuing two hours, for a library – not for a pop star or anything.”

Shallcrass worked at the central library when the Ian Athfield-designed building first opened in 1991 (the library itself has existed since 1893). But today she was back to perform in one of the choirs, and said the $217 million bill for the library project was money well spent.

Te Ngākau Civic Square, next to the library, also reopened on Saturday, with new landscaping, seating, play areas and water features.

Wellington mayor Andrew Little said the milestone is a positive turning point for the central city.

He said as well as books, the library contains a variety of creative spaces, including an area with 3D printers and a CNC machine.

• First look inside the new Wellington library

Andrew Little, at the official ceremony on Saturday. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

“The area of town which the library is in has been kind of boarded up and shut down and difficult to move around for some time,” Little said.

“So with all the hoardings coming down and the library opening up and a place for people to come in their hundreds, it’s really going to make a big difference to that part of town.

“We’ve now got a space – or spaces – for people to come. They can come to the library, there’s a range of things they can do here, and they can go into the square and just enjoy, relax, meet, gather, protest – do whatever they want to do. The spaces are back.”

On another side of Civic Square, Te Whare Toi The City Art Gallery, which closed for construction work in June 2024, is scheduled to reopen later this year. While facing the gallery across the square, the Wellington Town Hall, which closed in 2013 as it was deemed earthquake-prone, could reopen next year.

• Take a look inside the newly refurbished library with RNZ.

Inside the library, earlier this month. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Creative spaces are a feature of the new Wellington library building, which RNZ toured earlier this month. Supplied

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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 Corrections officer was told to “shake off” his injury following an attack by a prisoner, and was later suspended for the incident and put on trial as the accused.

It was around this time that Duane Farrell also learned his life was under threat in his work, which had not been communicated to him by his employer.

Now, almost 10 years later, Farrell has been awarded almost $95,000 in compensation and lost wages after the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) found he had been treated unfairly while working for the Department of Corrections.

According to an ERA decision, on April 20, 2017, an inmate at an Auckland prison attacked Farrell from behind while he was moving him through the prison.

Farrell told his superior officers he believed he had suffered a significant injury and asked several times for an ambulance to be called to take him to hospital.

This was denied, and he was instead taken to the medical unit, where he was told by a nurse to “shake it off” and wait in the duty supervisor’s office before he was driven to the hospital by another Corrections officer.

In June and July 2017, information came to Corrections’ attention that there was a specific safety threat against Farrell, but Farrell was not informed.

On his return to work in August, he was rostered to work in the same unit in which he had been assaulted.

He told the authority he felt this was appropriate because of his familiarity with the other Corrections officers working there, the systems and the prisoners in that unit.

But that month, Farrell identified a security risk in the unit, which he reported.

Following an assessment, the prison director arranged for him to be moved to another unit that was deemed safe, as there was a potential threat to Farrell.

Later that month, he was promoted to senior Corrections officer and relocated to another unit.

But Farrell was concerned that the reason he was moved was not properly communicated to him, and he did not understand the nature or extent of the threat against him, leaving him fearful and on edge at work.

Farrell found out at a meeting in September that there was a “level 1 threat” made against him, which meant “life is under specific threat of an act of violence from an individual or group capable of carrying out the threat”.

He “felt sick” knowing he had been allowed to return to work in a unit where he could have been attacked again and Corrections had not told him.

“Farrell’s concerns about his safety at work and Corrections’ ability to keep him safe at work were escalating,” authority member Marija Urlich said in the decision.

“He felt his trust that his employer would keep him safe at work was breaking down.”

On November 16, Farrell attended a police interview regarding the earlier assault.

He was told the charges against the prisoner were likely to be dropped and that he would instead be charged, along with two other officers, for assaulting the prisoner.

In March 2018, Farrell was working in a unit holding vulnerable prisoners when an inmate threw urine at another officer, which splashed on Farrell.

Later that month, a prisoner asked to speak with Farrell while he was on duty.

He was then spat at, which resulted in “a spontaneous use of force” by Farrell.

That action was found to be inappropriate, and he was put on non-facing prisoner duties in the gatehouse.

In April 2018, Farrell was suspended from work after police charged him with the initial assault.

A trial took place, with the Crown alleging that Farrell and two other officers attacked an inmate after he hit Farrell.

He was acquitted of the criminal charge.

Farrell returned to work in 2022, completing a refresher course, then resumed duties in his usual work location. His concerns about an adequate, safe return to work continued.

Urlich found that Corrections failed to provide information in relation to serious threats to Farrell’s safety at work during 2017 and to provide a safe system of work after the assaults and injuries he suffered.

It also failed to fairly and reasonably place him on alternative duties and fairly and reasonably consider alternatives to suspension.

“He said he felt punished for doing his job and felt he had been left out of the loop about information that was pertinent to his safety,” Urlich said.

“His understandable alarm and distress to learn the threat against him personally had been assessed by Corrections at the highest level and that this information had not been provided to him, or why, has amplified his fear of threats to himself and his family and made him feel on edge at work.”

Corrections was ordered to pay Farrell $60,000 in compensation, $25,000 in general damages and $9500 in lost earnings.

It was also ordered to pay a $4000 penalty to the Crown.

A Corrections spokesperson told NZME it was still considering the determination and its next steps.

Farrell did not respond when approached for comment.

This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Automobile Association is advising people to take steps that could help save fuel as the Middle East conflict bumps up prices.

Principal advisor Terry Collins said people can use less fuel by driving safely, checking tire pressure and taking fewer trips.

“Getting the car up to operating temperature … doing all those trips in one go coming back you’re saving fuel.”

Prices have been going up because of the volatility on the wholesale market caused by the conflict in the Middle East following the US-Israel strikes on Iran.

Collins said saving on the cost of fuel can come down to taking simple steps like carrying less weight in the car.

“Don’t drive all week with extra weight unnecessary like golf clubs or other things in your car that aren’t doing anything other than sitting in there. Weight will always make you use more fuel.”

Collins advised people to take a roof rack off their car, as it will make the aerodynamics of the vehicle better.

Checking tyre pressure was also on the list to save fuel, as he said it can decrease in colder weather.

He is also urging people to use an app, like Gaspy, to find the cheapest petrol station near them.

“It’s a homogeneous product which means basically its the same where ever you get it and so buying it by the cheapest price is the best smartest thing to do.”

Since the start of the conflict the price of oil has almost doubled from where it was at the start of the year.

The ripple effects of the price increase has also been the potential for inflation across a wide range of goods and services.

This week demand on Gull’s discount day left some of its petrol stations running low on fuel.

Gull said 3 percent of its sites had not been able to meet the extra demand from customers when it cut prices on its regular Thursday promotion.

Emeritus Professor in Climate Mitigation and Sustainable Energy at Massey University, Ralph Sims, had previously given similar advice to drivers on saving fuel as prices spiked.

“Most people don’t understand how to drive a car efficiently. I see people accelerate to a red light and then brake heavily, and if you’re running on low tyre pressures, it consumes much more fuel,” Sims said.

He also suggested the government do a national education campaign on fuel-saving tips like avoiding heavy braking, checking tyre pressure, and taking things that add weight, like a roof rack, off their vehicle when they are not needed.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The greyhound racing industry is calling for clarity on its transition plan, as the looming ban on the sector gets closer.

A legislation shutting down the sport by August passed its first reading late last year.

A select committee has released its report and recommends proceeding but suggested allowing TAB to continue taking bets on overseas races after domestic racing ends.

Greyhound Racing New Zealand is disappointed the committee made the recommendation.

Chief executive Edward Rennell said people were still in the dark and there was a lot of work left to be done with over 1000 greyhounds to be rehomed.

“We’re only four and a half months out now and there’s a tremendous lot of work and there’s a lot of uncertainty in terms of how things are going to work from 1 August and further clarity is required for our industry participants.”

“At 31 July we’re projecting there’s still going to be 1600 greyhounds to be rehomed.”

Rennell said the select committee’s outcome was not what they had hoped for.

“We felt the greyhound industry and the people that submitted clearly outlined why we didn’t believe there were grounds for closure and the tremendous progress the industry has made form a welfare perspective.”

“We were hoping after consideration of the submissions that the select committee would have reviewed the decision.”

ACT MPs have voiced strong objections to the ban, saying breeders, owners and venues deserve better treatment.

ACT MP Cameron Luxton had previously said the government should “at the very least” set up a compensation scheme.

“We’ve listened to a community that’s been misunderstood by Wellington. They’re getting a raw deal. Their property rights have been disregarded, and someone needs to stick up for them.”

In a previous statement, Racing Minister Winston Peters had said everybody had had the opportunity to have their say through the select committee process.

“This decision was not taken lightly,” he said.

“However, it was considered that the rates of dogs being seriously injured remained too high and the improvements made were not significant enough.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The whānau of a Māori Battalion soldier hope a new film about his exploits in Tunisia during the Second World War will see him finally receive the Victoria Cross.

L. Sgt. Haane Manahi DCM (Te Arawa, Ngāti Raukawa) joined B Company, 28th Māori Battalion shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, he fought in Greece, Crete and North Africa. It was during the North African campaign in Tunisia that he confirmed his attributes as an outstanding leader and soldier.

According to his biography on Te Ara the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, he was in a platoon from the Māori Battalion that was ordered, in April 1943, to capture and secure the Takrouna feature – a steep, rocky outcrop rising almost a thousand feet above a group of olive groves.

It was occupied by 300 Italian and German troops, who were causing havoc to the advancing Allied army. The assignment was extremely dangerous and difficult due to heavy mortar and small arms fire, and by the morning after the initial attack on 20 April, Manahi’s platoon of around 30 men was reduced in strength to 10. Manahi then led a party of three men up the western side of the pinnacle.

In order to reach their objective they had to climb some 500 feet – the last 20 feet almost sheer. After a brief fight, some 60 enemy surrendered. Manahi and his party were then joined by the rest of the platoon and the pinnacle was secured.

Dr Donna Morrison is a producer of the new film and one of Haane Manahi’s nieces.

“Having the opportunity to travel with a small group to Takrouna in 2007, it really heightens an understanding when you see the citadel that is Takrouna. It has a 360 viewpoint of any approaching enemy. It is a magnificent landscape feature that really humbles you when you look at it because it is such an outstanding feature of the Tunisian landscape,” she told Māpuna.

Morrison said only two weeks prior to Manahi’s deeds of valour fellow Māori Battalion soldier Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngārimu was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery, determination and outstanding leadership.

Following the battle at Takrouna, Manahi was recommended for a Victoria Cross, but was instead awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal.

“Most pivotal and critical in this is that on the final night, Uncle Haane himself personally oversaw the bringing down of the wounded and the dead. It just tells me so much about Uncle Haane, the man. And that in itself is deserved of VC consideration,” she said.

Growing up Morrison never knew of that aspect of “Uncle Haane,” she remembers instead staying at his batch at Maketu and as her swimming coach a “hard taskmaster.”

During his lifetime Manahi did not want the VC reinstated, but once he passed in 1986 Sir Charles Bennett worked towards it on behalf of all of Te Arawa, she said.

“[Uncle Haane] didn’t want to fuss and bother. He thought everyone who went away deserved the VC. That was the man that he was.”

Although official policy did not allow for review of Second World War honours, in October 2006 Buckingham Palace agreed to present a personal letter from Queen Elizabeth II recognising his gallantry, a ceremonial sword and an altar cloth for St Faith’s Church, Ōhinemutu.

Morrison believes there is still merit in His Majesty King Charles restoring the VC to Manahi.

“The goal, albeit audacious, is something that I believe that King Charles may want to at least review.

“Perhaps the film will help to speed that process up. But I believe it is achievable with the right people, the right resources, at the right time.”

The film Sgt. Haane releases nationwide in theatres on April 23. Morrison encouraged whānau of soldiers to bring photographs of their own to the theatre as a joint commemorative opportunity.

Sgt. Haane is directed by Tearepa Kahi (Muru, Poi E: The Story of Our Song, Mt. Zion) with Alex Tarrant (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, NCIS: Hawaiʻi, DMV) as Haane Manahi.

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