Category: Radio New Zealand

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PM Christopher Luxon ‘very relaxed’ about Winston Peters’ fees-free Budget ‘leak’

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Prime Minister played down the leak. RNZ / Mark Papalii

The Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he’s “very relaxed” about New Zealand First leader and cabinet minister Winston Peters leaking Budget information.

On Friday, Peters revealed the government would scrap the fees-free tertiary education scheme, which covered the cost of students’ third year of study.

“I’ll give you a Budget leak right here, right now,” he told Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan.

“We’re going to reshape it and repurpose it for the trades and a whole lot of industries where we do need it, and we’re going to get a far better payback for our money, and we’ll pay far less money for doing it.”

Luxon played down the leak at Monday’s post-cabinet press conference.

“I’m very relaxed, we were going to do a pre-budget announcement, he got ‘Heathered’ on the radio, that’s all good.”

It was a failed policy, and a “huge waste of taxpayers’ money” that had not delivered, he said – adding that Peters’ party deserved “real credit” for acknowledging it was not working, despite it being a “big New Zealand First commitment”.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis, who will deliver the Budget on 28 May, would not add anything further.

“The prime minister’s already expressed my views,” she said.

Winston Peters revealed the Budget information on the radio. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said it didn’t seem like “much of a leak”.

“It seemed relatively intentional, and certainly there was no anonymity about it, this is Winston Peters just doing his own thing.”

If Willis had not given Peters permission to make the announcement then it was a “clear breach” of Cabinet rules, Hipkins said.

“It doesn’t get much more serious than leaking what’s in the Budget.

“Christopher Luxon has no control of his cabinet, never has done,” he said.

Willis did not clarify whether she had authorised the announcement.

The first iteration of the fees-free policy was brought in by the former Labour government, which made the first year free.

Hipkins would not say whether his party would resurrect it in any form, if elected, adding no decisions would be made before the Budget.

“I want to see the detail of what the government are doing with that money first … where that money is going,” he said.

The policy helped ease the financial burden for students, Hipkins said.

“It’s been a long term goal for the Labour Party to ease the cost that young people face when they’re participating in post school education.”

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

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Political parties negotiate controversial Gene Technology Bill, as progress stalls

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Gene Technology Bill was first proposed in late 2024. Unsplash / RNZ composite

The government still intends to pass legislation to liberalise gene technology laws, but cross-party disagreement is slowing the controversial reform.

The Gene Technology Bill sought to end an effective 30-year ban on the use of genetic technologies outside the laboratory, currently regulated by the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO).

Transgenics and new breeding techniques like gene editing were currently legal in Aotearoa, but heavily regulated and kept within confined laboratory conditions.

The Bill, first proposed in late 2024, featured in the National party’s coalition agreements with both ACT and New Zealand First.

Last year, 15,000 people made public submissions on the bill, with most opposing it.

Following that, the Health Select Committee released its report in October, recommending that the bill proceeded, and it now rested with Cabinet ministers negotiating possible amendments.

It was originally intended that the legislation would be passed by the end of 2025.

But a date for its second reading was still unconfirmed, as the Bill stalled in the lead-up to the general election in November.

Such delays could be down to a lack of majority support to take the Bill to second reading, or the Parliamentary Counsel Office that drafted legislation might need extra time to develop complex changes being put forward.

Meanwhile, the new Leader of the House – National’s Louise Upston – said the government intended to progress all legislation on the Order Paper.

ACT supportive, but wants Māori committee scrapped

A spokesperson for the ACT Party said it saw real opportunity in liberalising gene technology.

“Modernising these laws would give our agricultural sector and scientists the tools they need to stay globally competitive,” they said.

But the party did not support the establishment of a Māori Technical Advisory Committee, as the bill proposed, around which discussions were ongoing.

“Our issue with the Bill as it stands is that it risks tying up that scientific and economic potential in co-governed bureaucracy.

“The Bill has not yet advanced to its second reading and it remains with Cabinet, where decisions on its progress or timeline will be made.”

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters spoke on Parliament’s lawn urging the government to drop the Gene Technology Bill. RNZ/Giles Dexter

Improvements to human, environmental protections needed – New Zealand First

As part of its coalition agreement with National, New Zealand First agreed to liberalise genetic engineering laws, while ensuring strong protections for human health and the environment.

The party said previously it would withhold support for the bill, unless major changes towards improving these protections were made.

Its office told RNZ the stance had not changed and it was still undertaking party consultation on it.

In November, party leader Winston Peters addressed hundreds of people on Parliament steps who gathered to oppose the Bill.

“What we’ve said is this Bill’s going nowhere unless we’re satisfied and we’re confident that it doesn’t represent any danger,” he told the crowd last year.

“Let me tell you, if the Bill can’t be fixed up, it won’t be going ahead.”

Bill proposes ‘rushed’ approach to risky outdoor uses – Labour

RNZ understands National had been in talks with Labour to try to come to some agreement.

Labour’s Reuben Davidson said while there was broad agreement that gene technology regulations were outdated, reform must carefully balance innovation with protection.

“This reform was an opportunity to modernise our framework in a way that strengthened New Zealand’s science system, honoured Māori perspectives, safeguarded our primary industries, and protected our international reputation.

“The Bill, in its current form, does not achieve that balance.”

Davidson said the Bill proposed a rushed approach, bundling together widely supported applications of gene science, like in medical research or industrial fermentation, with far riskier outdoor uses.

“If the government was functional, the Bill would have been passed already, but the coalition can’t agree on outcomes,” he said.

“Once again National have allowed internal bickering to get in the way of what they promised.”

The Green Party did not support what Steve Abel labelled as ‘radical de-regulation’ that risked the country’s GMO-free status marketed globally.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and then- Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins at the Plant and Food labs in Mt Albert in 2024. RNZ / Melanie Earley

National says negotiations ongoing

Since the Bill was first introduced by then-Minister for Science Innovation and Technology, Judith Collins, the National-held portfolio had changed hands among ministers.

Minister Shane Reti took over the role, but with both he and Collins announcing their retirement from politics throughout 2026, incumbent minister Penny Simmonds now held the portfolio alongside Tertiary Education (and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment).

When asked a parliamentary question by the Greens last month, if amendments or changes were intended for the Bill, Simmonds said it was still under active consideration.

Simmonds told RNZ in a statement that negotiations were ongoing.

“Negotiations and subsequent policy changes as a result of the public select committee process, are ongoing,” she said.

“We’ll have more to say soon.”

GMO environmental release concerns organic farmers

Biotechnological benefits from reformed gene technology laws could include for plant and seed production, emissions mitigations and improved productivity, as touted by Collins.

But the reform would also bid farewell to New Zealand’s GMO-free status

Allowing field releases of GMOs into the environment caused concern among organic producers, a sector worth $1.2 billion – half of which are exports.

Hawkes Bay farmer Scott Lawson of Lawson’s True Earth Organics told a webinar held by industry group Organics Aotearoa New Zealand last month that New Zealanders were largely unaware of how vulnerable to sector was to the reform.

“People are aware of the organic industry, but they’re not aware of just how big we are, how important we are… and how vulnerable we are to the impact of something like this Gene Tech Bill. Because once released there is no containment, no co-existence.”

As it stood, an independent regulator would be set up within the Environmental Protection Authority to assess applications for using these technologies in the environment.

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

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Abel Wira sentenced to six more years in jail for underage sex offence

Source: Radio New Zealand

Abel Wira, pictured in Kaitāia District Court in 2023. RNZ / Peter de Graaf

A Northland man already in jail after his dogs killed his landlord has been sentenced to a further six years for an underage sex offence.

Abel Wira was sentenced in the Whangārei District Court on Monday on a charge of unlawful sexual connection with a female under 16, after being found guilty in a jury trial earlier this year.

The offence was historic, meaning it happened some years ago.

The six-year term comes on top of the three-and-a-half years he is already serving for owning the dogs that killed his friend and landlord, Neville Thomson, at his home in Panguru, in the Far North, in 2022.

It was the first time in New Zealand anyone had been charged with manslaughter in relation to a dog attack.

The court was told Wira’s 23 dogs had not been fed for two days before the fatal attack, and were kept in a caravan with the door secured only by a shoelace and a piece of wood.

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Creditors owed nearly $600m on Auckland’s Seascape tower

Source: Radio New Zealand

Construction was originally expected to be completed in 2021. RNZ / Ziming Li

It has been revealed that the developer behind the partially completed Seascape tower in Auckland owes creditors $589m.

The largest of those, according to a first receivers’ report released from Calibre Partners, was China Construction Bank, which was owed $133 million.

The report said related parties were owed $372 million, and unsecured creditors were owed a further $71 million.

Last month, it was revealed that the partially completed 56-storey building was to be sold, with Calibre Partners engaging Bayleys Real Estate.

Work stopped in August 2024 on the building, following a legal dispute between the developer, Shundi Customs, and the main contractor, China Construction NZ.

A tribunal ruled Shundi owed the builder about $33 million, which was not paid.

Shundi Customs was placed into receivership in March this year.

Construction on the $300 million project began in 2017 and was originally expected to be completed in 2021.

However, Covid‑era disruptions, escalating costs and technical issues delayed progress for several years.

The tower was structurally “topped out” in 2024, meaning the main frame was completed, but the façade and interior fit‑out remain unfinished.

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Measles likely circulating in Wellington community

Source: Radio New Zealand

The measles virus, the US CDC says measles is very contagious and can be serious, and anyone who is not protected against the virus is at risk. Supplied/ US CDC

Health New Zealand says it’s likely that measles is circulating in the Wellington community.

This came as it confirmed a new case in the capital, bringing the total number of known cases to four.

A third person was identified with the illness last week, prompting a call for people who dined at Newtown restaurant to watch out for symptoms.

Health NZ said the third case was linked to a person who dined at Mediterranean Foods Trattoria and Deli in Newtown while infectious on 19 April.

It has not released information if the fourth case is linked to earlier cases or locations of interest.

“We encourage people to check their immunisation status and to keep an eye out for symptoms of measles, including fever, cough, runny or red eyes, and a rash starting at the face,”

said Dr Emma Sherwood from Health New Zealand’s National Public Health Service (NPHS).

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Baby Soul inquest: ‘I don’t know why I didn’t listen more’ – aunt

Source: Radio New Zealand

Doctors found Soul’s skull was broken in two places. Supplied / Facebook

The aunt of a Canterbury baby who died of catastrophic injuries wishes she had told her sister to leave her partner, an inquest has heard.

Soul Turany was almost four months old when he died in August 2014, although how he came to suffer his injuries remains a mystery more than a decade later.

An inquest has heard Soul was taken to hospital on the morning of 30 August after emergency services were called to the rural home near Darfield that he shared with his mother Storme Turany and her then-partner Tony 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.

Turany’s sister Skye Lamborn told coroner Ian Telford on Monday that she was extremely close to her sister and nephew, and loved him like one of her own children.

“He was perfect,” she said.

“He was a good baby. We loved him from the time we saw the line on the strip. We were looking forward very much to him growing up with us.”

She said Turany and Soul had lived with her and her family before moving to a worker’s residence on the farm Lamborn managed with her husband.

Detective Superintendent Darryl Sweeney, who was in charge of the investigation, earlier told the inquest there were only two sensible possibilities as to who injured Soul – Storme Turany or Tony Farmer.

Lamborn told the coroner that Turany had told her Soul did not like Farmer.

“Tony didn’t have much at all to do with Soul,” she said.

Lamborn said Turany did not like the way Farmer held her son.

“She’d say that he would hold him with his head up, where he couldn’t breathe. She’d said that a few times. I don’t know why I didn’t listen more.”

When asked if there was any support she wished she had offered her sister, Lamborn said: “I wish I had listened about Tony more”.

“He was just nobody in our lives and in hindsight, I probably would have had a better talk to her about you not maybe being a bit fussier with your choice of partner,” she said.

Lamborn was asked if Turany had ever hurt Soul.

“Definitely not,” she replied.

On the morning Soul was injured, Turany called Lamborn.

Many phone calls from that morning were recorded and played at the inquest, but the conversation between the sisters was not.

When asked if her sister had disclosed injuring Soul during the call, Lamborn said no.

She was shocked when she discovered Soul’s injuries were not accidental.

“I didn’t think for a second that is what it was at that time, I thought they must have been wrong,” she said.

When asked if there had been any instance of anyone hurting Soul, Lamborn said there was an occasion when Turany raised concerns about Farmer’s treatment of her son.

“There was an instance when Storme came out of the bedroom. She was living with me. She was a bit shaken up and Tony had been in the bedroom with Soul and he’d put a cloth over his face and she’d gotten upset about this, so she’d come out and asked me if this was normal,” she said.

“I just remember saying ‘no, that is not normal’ and it gave me the willies ever since.”

Farmer had explained it was to help Soul sleep, Lamborn said.

The inquest also heard on Monday from a midwife and Plunket community health worker who said Soul was happy, healthy and well-cared for until his death.

The inquest will hear from Turany and Farmer later this week.

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Watch: Significant fuel rationing only to be considered in severe crisis

Source: Radio New Zealand

Significant fuel rationing will only come into force if the country moves into the highest “phase” of its fuel response plan, the government says.

Emergency services, hospitals, banks, transport operators and electricity generators were among those who would have prioritised access to fuel if the ongoing crisis worsened.

The National Fuel Plan had four phases – ranging from minor to severe impacts – and phase three and four had been under consultation.

The government on Monday announced the “priority user” approach would only be used in phase four, which is a “major and ongoing fuel supply disruption”.

It was “highly unlikely” the country would ever reach phase three or four, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said.

Fuel access conditions under phase four:

  • Critical users – priority and uncapped access. This includes emergency services, health, schools, courts, money services and lifeline utilities.
  • Food and freight – uncapped access to fuel, subject to demand reduction requirements based on fuel‑saving plans. The government would monitor adherence to fuel-saving plans through spot checks.
  • Commercial and community users – same access as food and freight, but higher savings targets in their fuel-saving plans. This includes businesses and organisations other than food and freight.
  • General public – transaction limits at the pump aimed at reducing overall fuel use by an amount greater than what is expected for other groups.

“In the unlikely event we ever need to move to phase four, it is critical that business and industry have a clear understanding of the objectives and measures, and can put them into action,” said Willis.

“That is why we have taken the time to consult, and the feedback we received has shaped the revised plan. We heard that the earlier proposed approach, particularly around the priority bands, was too complex and needed simplifying.”

A jet fuel plan had also been developed alongside the aviation industry, “recognising that the types of users and demand for jet fuel are different to those for petrol and diesel”, the government announcement said.

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Bond actor Pierce Brosnan buys local artwork from fish and chip shop

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hollywood star Pierce Brosnan has bought a Northland artist’s painting after spotting it in a Mangōnui fish and chip shop last week.

The artwork, by Logan White, was on display at Fresh & Tasty Mangōnui, run by his mother, Fiona White. She was stunned to see Brosnan eating their food when she’d popped into the next door hotel to use the bathroom.

“I saw his friend,” Fiona told Morning Report. “I just said to him ‘kia ora’ and he said ‘kia ora’. Then Pierce Brosnan turned around and I went ‘oh my God’.”

She invited him in for photos with the staff. “He goes ‘not a problem’ … he’s so down to Earth, really lovely guy.”

That’s when Brosnan spotted one of Logan’s tūī paintings – one of several his proud mother has on display – and paid $50 above the $350 price. The Irish actor had last week been reportedly spotted at art galleries around the North Island, according to the NZ Herald.

Logan, who struggles with anxiety, couldn’t bring himself to meet the actor.

“I was just at my mum’s house designing Mother’s Day advertising for her and I got a text saying ‘son, come down to the shop, Pierce Brosnan is here!’…

“I’m a ‘90s baby, so straight away I was like, ‘hey, that’s the guy from Mrs. Doubtfire’ that’s the kind of iconic movie that I know him from, as well as James Bond, but that’s the one that’s kind of ingrained in my mind.”

Logan, who began with graffiti and has painted murals across Northland and Auckland as well as for famous figures like Dame Whina Cooper’s granddaughter and Awa of Nesian Mystik, says he’s become obsessed with native birds.

“It’s cool to put a piece of yourself out there for little towns and all the locals love it.

“When I’m painting them, they walk past and say ‘that looks amazing. Thanks for putting beautiful colour in the town’, definitely keeps you going and inspired to do more.”

Although he doesn’t have a photo of himself handing over the painting to Brosnan, his mother got the actor to sign a couple of pieces.

He hopes others won’t let anxiety hold them back from great opportunities.

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Kanaloa Consortium considers bypassing Moana Pasifika owners to deal directly with NZR

Source: Radio New Zealand

Moana Pasifika halfback Augustine Pulu told the reporters in North Harbour last week that if no deal can be made, livelihoods will be be lost. Paul Taylor/ActionPress

Kanaloa Consortium, who are bidding to buy Moana Pasifika’s licence in the Super Rugby Pacific competition, are hoping their case can be given its fair hearing, as uncertainty continues to hover over the club’s future.

Kanaloa’s CEO Tracy Atiga confirmed on Monday there is an opening to get some discussions on the issue with current Moana Pasifika owners Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), which has not shown any interest in supporting Kanaloa’s proposal.

“We have had contact from the Pacific Rugby Players (PRP) association, who have been supportive and I hope that we can start discussion with the stakeholders involved,” she told RNZ Pacific.

“We are happy to hear that PRP have had a look at our proposal and are happy with it.”

Atiga said the PRP has “initiated discussions to get everybody in a room and talk about it”.

She said they are working around a tight dealine, with 15 May being the date given to them by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) to send in their proposal to the NZR Board.

Last week, she told RNZ Pacific that PMA chief executive Debbie Sorensen and New Zealand Rugby Players Association’s Rob Nichol were blocking support for the buy-out proposal.

Since then, Sorensen and Nichol have both stated that Kanaloa should send their proposal to NZR.

But Atiga insists they need to get both the organisations’ support as per letter sent to them by NZR, adding they need to look at the books, the financial records of Moana Pasifika, as per any legal business dealings.

Atiga claimed PMA is reluctant to show Kanaloa their books. Kerry Marshall / www.photosport.nz

In an interview with ABC’s Pacific Beat, Atiga claimed PMA is reluctant to show Kanaloa their books.

“No one’s going to come along and buy a franchise if they don’t have an opportunity to go through the books,” she said.

“I think that’s really what it is. We cannot think of any other reason why they have refused to talk to us.

“We need access to their due diligence process so that we can have a look at these books, have a look at how they have operated for the last five years, so that we can actually say, ‘oh, yeah, okay, your model hasn’t worked this way’.

“We feel we can introduce these different things so we can take this forward, because New Zealand Rugby really want someone to come in and buy the franchise as is now on ‘as is level’, the franchise is not sustainable.

“So we need to be able to see exactly what’s been going wrong before anyone even talks about signing over an agreement.”

Direct talks with NZR

Atiga said if PMA and NZRPA still do not want to engage, then Kanaloa will just work directly with NZR and let them decide whether the licence will be given to them or not.

“If the licence is gone, it goes back to New Zealand Rugby, so, let’s just have a direct conversation with New Zealand Rugby,” she said.

“They have given us to the 15th of this month to get as far down the track with PMA and NZRPA as possible, to get their support and to get their agreement to sign the licence over.

She said that is the path Kanaloa is taking right now.

“And as soon as we have that we will put something in. We will present all the evidence where we have shown – that we have tried very hard to engage with these two parties, and then we will leave it in the hands of New Zealand Rugby to make a decision.

“Now, if New Zealand Rugby make a decision and it does not go our way, we would be demanding a written outline as to why, because we know we have already met the criteria in all other areas.”

‘God willing’

Moana Pasifika halfback Augustine Pulu told the reporters in North Harbour last week that if no deal can be made, livelihoods will be be lost.

“That is what really breaks my heart, seeing the young guys breaking down into tears because these are the opportunities that we are not going to get anywhere else,” Pulu said.

“We have got to provide for our families. God willing, that there is another opportunity to carry on.”

Head coach Fa’alogo Tana Umaga said he is frustrated at a lack of transparency coming from the top of the organisation.

“We don’t know the facts, until we get the real facts and see what happens, we’re just trying to worry about what we can control,” he said.

“There must be a reason why those things aren’t going through. Everyone is waiting to hear from someone, we’re at the bottom of it, there’s probably reasons for that.”

If no new funder is found Moana Pasifika will be probably playing their last home game at the North Harbour Stadium on 23 May and their last Super Rugby game on 30 May against the Brumbies in Canberra.

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Court martial underway after navy officer allegedly threatens to kill interpreter

Source: Radio New Zealand

The court martial is underway at Devonport Naval Base in Auckland. RNZ / Kim Baker Wilson

A navy officer charged with threatening to kill an interpreter in Afghanistan has pleaded not guilty.

A court martial is underway at the Devonport Naval Base in Auckland this week after the former interpreter, now a private in the NZ Army, made a complaint about an incident in 2013.

The complainant alleged that the accused, a Lieutenant Commander, threatened to have him blacklisted and killed after he attempted to contact the Minister of Defence about an immigration issue involving his wife.

At the time, the NZDF was pulling out of its base in Bamyan, Afghanistan, and had offered their interpreters permanent residency in New Zealand to protect them against the Taliban.

The complainant had applied for residency as a single man, but got engaged and then married shortly after his immigration interview as part of an arranged marriage.

The complainant, whose identity is suppressed, was first to give evidence.

He found out the NZDF was pulling out of Afghanistan in 2012, though the process would take several months and drag into 2013.

“We were offered [either] a large sum of money or the chance to come to New Zealand and become permanent residents, all the interpreters accepted coming to New Zealand,” he said.

“[The reason was] safety. [My worry was] being killed by the Taliban, or other worse things that could happen to me and my family.”

During his interview the interpreter told immigration officials he was single.

A year earlier, he said his mother had pushed for an arranged marriage, but this had fallen through.

But when he told his parents he was moving to New Zealand, they encouraged him to revisit the arranged marriage.

“After my interview, I told [my parents] the good news, my mum told me, ‘hey, if you’re going to leave us why don’t we go and meet her, she’s still single’,” he recounted.

After meeting her in person, they decided to get married.

“My parents and her parents started arranging the wedding, and I came back to my work at Kiwi Base,” he continued.

Kiwi Base was the NZDF’s main operating base in Bamyan.

“I came back and told them I like this lady and I’m going to get married. There was no issues at this point, ‘this is your wedding date, go get married, it should be fine’.”

But after their wedding in March of 2013, the interpreter said the tone changed.

“They denied it, no she can’t [come with me]. There were arguments of, ‘you guys told me it would be fine’. I was upset, destroyed, disappointed,” he said.

“One night when I was going to the bathroom, a soldier stopped me and said ‘hey, I know you’re trying to bring your wife to New Zealand, the Minister of Defence is visiting soon, you could write them a letter’.”

The interpreter said he spent all night writing a letter and printed two copies: One for his commanding officer, and one for the minister.

After giving the letter to his commanding officer, he said he appeared angry.

The interpreter said he was later approached by the accused, who was acting as a delegate to help the interpreters apply for residency in New Zealand.

“He asked what I was going to do, I said I was trying to speak to [the minister].”

“[He said] there was a media presence, and there was an election going on in New Zealand, ‘you’re not allowed to talk to him. If you do that you could lose your job and jeopardise your position to come to New Zealand’.”

“I said ‘what if I resign and then do it?’ That made him more angry, that’s when he threatened me.”

“He said if you try to speak to the Minister of Defence, we will talk to your government to blacklist you and have you killed, and you and your family can’t do anything about it.

“I just burst into tears. Every time I think about it, I see myself from above, standing there crying. He stood there and watched me cry.”

A power outage in Devonport interrupted Monday’s proceedings before the defence could cross-examine the interpreter.

The court martial is expected to last multiple days, and a verdict and any potential sentence would be decided by a panel of three military personnel acting similarly to a jury.

Judge Kevin Riordan warned them not to be swayed by their emotions.

“[This case] may cause you to have an emotional response, but you cannot be emotional. That is not your job. Your duty is to analyse the evidence calmly and clinically.”

Defence lawyer Matthew Hague reiterated that the panel must maintain an open mind until all the evidence had been presented.

“It’s not the court’s job to solve a mystery. If you are unsure of anything, then the benefit of that doubt must go to [the accused],” he said.

“You will initially hear from witnesses called by the prosecutor, and this is evidence only from one side, and that side’s purpose is to prove the charges. Some of the evidence is disputed, and you’ll hear from defence witnesses who will tell you something different.”

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