Lower Hutt Police missing man found

Tues May 12

Nigel Doren was found in bush near Kaitoke yesterday by a Search and Rescue team.

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Police are urgently trying to find a Lower Hutt man who has been missing for three weeks.

Nigel Doran, 29, last spoke to his family on April 20 and is believed to have been moving around the Wellington area and staying in his vehicle; a white Holden Rodeo, registration DPG245, with Firestone written on the side.

Detective Sergeant Steve Harwood said Mr Doran, who suffered from depression, was thought to have been moving around the Hutt Valley and had been visiting his father’s work.

The urgency to find Mr Doran increased after he left a worrying note there for his father to find this morning, Mr Harwood said.

Mr Doran is Caucasian of medium build, dark hair and is 1.77m tall.

Lower Hutt Gang linked Farmer Cres households take legal action

Gang-linked households facing eviction from Lower Hutt’s troubled Farmer Cres are taking legal action to avoid being forced out.

They have also lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission, claiming the forced eviction bid unfairly punishes women and up to 16 children.

Tenants in five state houses in the street were given 90 days to leave by Housing New Zealand in March after claims of intimidation by Mongrel Mob members living at the addresses.

“No-one’s packed and no-one’s going to move,” an affected resident told The Dominion Post yesterday. “Housing NZ can’t do this. They can’t get rid of us before [the Mongrel Mob members] have had their day in court. That street is our home.”

Police allege three patched Mob members ordered a female neighbour and her two children out of their Farmer Cres home on February 1.

The five women listed on the tenancy agreements, who are understood to be on benefits and may qualify for legal aid, have hired a lawyer to gain an injunction and fight the evictions through the Tenancy Tribunal.

The notices were among the first issued under a Housing NZ plan to deal with its most troublesome tenants. Two weeks ago the tenants filed their complaint with the Human Rights Commission.

Though the tenants had to be out of Farmer Cres by June 1, none were willing to go, the affected resident said.

She claimed her nine-year-old son had been dragged out of bed by armed police during a February early-morning raid and had watched in tears as his father was arrested on the floor.

Three gang members arrested in the raid appeared in Lower Hutt District Court yesterday on joint intimidation charges.

One of the trio is being held in custody and a depositions hearing is scheduled for July. Long-time Farmer Cres resident Patria Tamaka confirmed the women were taking legal action and were prepared to fight the evictions all the way to the High Court if necessary.

Housing NZ’s tough new national policy, designed to sidestep the Tenancy Tribunal, follows a two-year legal battle to get the Salt family dubbed “the neighbours from hell” evicted from an Auckland state house.

A Housing NZ spokesman was unaware of any legal action or human rights complaints from Farmer Cres.

He said the residents had to be out by June. Housing Minister Phil Heatley would not comment on the legal action, saying it was a procedural matter.

Housing NZ came under fire when confidential documents were sent out with the Farmer Cres eviction notices forcing a Housing NZ manager who lived nearby to leave her home.

Labour Maori affairs spokesman Parekura Horomia said Housing NZ’s “monumental botch-up” around the evictions cast serious doubts on its decision making.

“I’m concerned about the effect on the women and children. Housing NZ have really really rushed this.

via Dominion Post

Hutt Valley Police – Merger update Upper Hutt says NO

Upper Hutts petition against a police merger with Lower Hutt police has gained more than 6000 signatures.

Organisers hope to take it to Parliament later this month but a further push for more signatures is under way this week and more petition forms will be taken around the CBD this week.

People are very angry that police district commander Superintendent Pieri Munro did not attend last weeks meetings (see below), and unfortunately this I believe has lite the fire for more anger over this proposal.

Local MP Chris Hipkins has ben an advocate of the petition by collecting signatures around Upper Hutt

“One of the messages I will be giving the minister that came through very strongly is local people’s expectations that focus on frontline policing. Any review that would take senior police out of the Hutt Valley seems to be going in the wrong direction. The minister has an obligation to make sure this does not happen. That seems to be totally at odds with the government’s stated commitment to frontline policing services”

The petition can be signed at Upper Hutt City Council, Library, McArthurs Real Estate, Chris Hipkins electorate office, Upper Hutt Leader.

Below is the link to the website, and an opportunity to download a petition there as well

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May 5th

Last week two public meetings were undertaken by the Police in Lower and Upper Hutt.

Police have advertised these meeetings as a chance for locals to put their views to the police on what works with local policing and what doesn’t. Project Awakairangi is a police review of services they provide, the project is about which local services would the public like to see, or retain, the most and which could they do without.

The police have had terms of reference for this project available. The underlying principles behind the project are below

“A project team has been established with Terms of Reference to explore enhanced safety and police service delivery opportunities in the Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt police area commands.

Superintendent Pieri Munro, Wellington Police District Commander, has asked for a report with findings and recommendations by 30 June 2009.

The project is called Awakairangi – the Maori name of the Hutt River formed by tributaries from the surrounding ranges and their combined flow through Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt, joining with Wellington Harbour at Petone.

Superintendent Munro acknowledged news of the project had raised some concern amongst police staff and the public. He hopes the public discussion paper including Terms of Reference will help provide understanding and reassurance for staff, and the Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt communities.

He reassured people that no police stations or community policing centres will close; that face to face service delivery to the public will not be diminished and that the purpose is to enhance safety of the public and police.

“Seeking the views of police staff and key partner agencies including local councils will be an important part of the project team’s focus,” Superintendent Munro said. “This includes opportunities for face to face meetings and other communication and feedback tools including web based technology.””

I attended the meeting in Upper Hutt which had roughly about 80 people turn up at the Hapai Club in Fergusson Drive last Thursday (A summary of the Lower Hutt meeting is here).

In general terms most of the Upper Hutt residents feel that this project is about merging of police services under one district with Lower Hutt being the principal station, Upper Hutt being reduced to a satellite station.

There has been strong opposition to this project in Upper Hutt with a petition doing the rounds and an active website www.nopolicecuts.co.nz citing rational reasons for the possible outcome of this project not to proceed. Even the local Upper Hutt Mayor was upset over the scheduling on this meeting, as it clashed with a well advertised Community Planning meeting.

Having attended the meeting I walked away with no clearer picture of what the Police are intending to do with this Project, equally that was probably not their goal. Most certainly I can attest that they should have got the message that people within Upper Hutt are not happy with any reduced police staff numbers in their community.

While I understand the need for mangement reviews, they are usually ongoing and generally do not require public input to reach a conclusion. I have no doubt that be guaging public opinion from these meetings, a requirement has been satisfied (community involvement) and as such will be used as a precussor to a major operational change in policing in the Hutt Valley.

I will wait the outcome of the report from Mr Munro, I hope the findings will be made public, not lost in obsecurity but again I have my doubts as other Police reports have shown .

If anything the Police representatives should have come away with is that the community expects transperancy from the Police as to its goals and operational dealings especially as they directly relate to the community it serves.

Just front up and tell concerned citizens why the project was implemented in the first plce and what are the goals?

Hutt Council voted for $1.7m loan for Daly St Apartments

Well all credit to the Dom Post for following up on this matter, addressed earlier on this site about the apparent reversal over this development has unearthed minutes of council meetings regarding Daly Street. It does seem now that the developer wont be moving any time soon on building on this site. The question still remains over what role does the Hutt Council play in using public money for such matters. Opinions vary widely.

Todays article

Hutt city councillors voted to lend nearly $1.7 million of public money to a developer that had never before completed a building project.

Papers obtained by The Dominion Post show some councillors and officials raised early concerns about the Merge Property Group’s inexperience. Nonetheless, the loan was approved in principle for the company’s $22.5m, 14-storey riverside apartment block in Daly St at a closed meeting in late January.

After public pressure, the loan was changed into a guarantee, before falling through when the council’s own property company rejected the idea.

Minutes of several “public excluded” meetings earlier this year show councillors and the senior management team were each divided over the proposal.

At the January meeting, Merge executive director Brent Casey appeared before the council with real estate agent John Ross.

“In response to questions from a member, Mr Casey advised that the company had been formed three years ago and had yet to complete any developments,” the minutes read.

Matt Reid, the council’s general manager of business services, expressed “a concern with the young age of the company”. Councillor Deborah Hislop opposed the plan because the company had not completed any developments, and other opponents argued that the loan was not the council’s core business.

Chief executive Tony Stallinger, a supporter of the loan, identified risks including losing the money, increasing debt, inconsistency with recent practice and adverse public comment. However, he also argued that the venture could turn a profit for the council, and one apartment block in Lower Hutt could encourage others and help to revitalise the city centre.

Lower Hutt Mayor David Ogden backed the loan idea and said this week that he stood by it. “All we were trying to do, some of us, was to get more people into the city.”

Though the young age of the company was “an interesting fact”, the people in charge were experienced. “They weren’t gauche or naive or unsuccessful people.”

The deal would have been handled by the council’s property company, Urban Plus, which was set up to provide housing for the “elderly and socially disadvantaged” and to manage council properties.

The Merge Property Group is also behind two stalled Wellington developments the $46.5m, 108-apartment building in Taranaki St on the former Forest & Bird site, and the $60m, 15-storey Metropol development in Ghuznee St. A Merge spokesman could not be contacted yesterday.

via Dominion Post

Petone new community swimming pool? Submissions in

The vast majority of submissions made to the McKenzie Pool working group are in favour of the existing site in Udy St being redeveloped, an analysis of 500 of the 800 submissions shows.

Just on 56% of the submissions are in favour of developing the existing site, 26% support constructing a more sophisticated pool complex on a different site.

The working group met last week to discuss the two remaining swimming pool options: redeveloping the existing McKenzie Pool site (estimated cost $1.25 million) or building a leisure/spa complex on Hikoikoi Reserve on the foreshore in Petone ($6 million).

“By far the greater recommendation in the submissions is to keep the McKenzie pool site,” Cr Joy Baird, who chairs the group, says.

But public submissions are only “one input” into the decision making process, and they must be further analysed, she says.

The views of the people who made the submissions are dictated by the current usage, proximity and convenience of the McKenzie pool, she believes.

The group has requested information on where the people who made submissions come from – the Hutt or Petone, for example. They also want the projected running costs and expected patronage for the two options.
But Joan McGrath, principal of Sacred Heart School, and the Petone Schools Representative in the Working Group, is concerned the submissions will not be given the weight they deserve in the decision making process.

“My fear is that the council want an iconic site on the foreshore and will disregard all objections to achieve that.”

She says there is a “clear feeling” that the council is favouring the development of the ‘destination’ pool on the foreshore. Ms McGrath also believes the submitters, when voting for the more sophisticated site, were unaware it would be at the Hikoikoi site.

“I don’t think that was made clear,” she says.

Cr Baird says that even though the Hikoikoi site would be considerably more expensive, the council is leaning towards a ‘destination pool’.

“Hutt City doesn’t have a pool like that. Our pools are not very sophisticated.”

Current Council reference terms and reports here

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Petone currently has the outdoor McKenzie Pool in Udy Street Petone. It was built in 1933 and is only open over summer for roughly 15 weeks.

A report in 2007 by the city council found it was in poor condition and needs roughly $900,000 worth of maintanence.

A working group was established to investigate a number of options and as councillors prepare for final debate on the 2009/2010 Community Plan, $1.25 million has been earmarked for this project to progress.

The latest report from the working group concludes there are only two realistic options:

Rebuild on the existing site

Estimated cost of $1.3 million for an outdoor pool that would operate 22 weeks a year.

2. Start anew on Hikoikoi Reserve

Build a “leisure spa” on the reserve (which has not been costed) estimated to top $6million.

This option would include an indoor pool, gym, spa, toddlers pool and cafe.

Council officers have promoted the Hikoikoi Reserve as a regional facility that would attract people to Hutt City. The report said the reserve had many advantages including its size, proximity to a childrens playground, parking availability, room for expansion and proximity to a main arterial road. The report also suggested that the council stands a better chance of getting outside funding if it built a regional facility. The cost of this development could be offset partly by the sale of the McKenzie Pool site (est value $480,000). Also building on the reserve enables the current pool to used until project is completed.

A third site was being considered being the Settlers Muesum site. It has the advantage of proximity to the beach and a main road, and would return the building to its original purpose, supporting recreational activities on the beach. However several issues need to be considered carefully, the site is long and narrow, limited parking, high likelihood of opposition from residents concerned at the loss of a view, and the alterations to a heritage building. Given all of this it is not a likely contender.

In March, a working group of council staff, politicians and community representatives called for a business meeting to discuss further the available options and make some agreement on going forward on the project.

Several other options need to be investigated including Petone Rec, Weltec and the benefits to the principal users not being lost in any redevelopment

Lower Hutt Manslaughter trial of extended family continues

May 7

Again coverage courtesy of Dominion Post, with photos of accused.

In summary Judge lifts name surpression on accused. The accussed are revealed as siblings of her mother, and their partners. However the names of 2 people charged with cruelty to a child in their care are still surpressed to protect the identity of the girl. The charge relate to Oct 12 2007 at Wainuiomata

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May 6 Day 2 of Trial

In an unprecedented courtroom drama, a self-styled “divine healer” has touched the concrete lion statue said to be behind the evil spirit that possessed a young mother, and relayed a spirit’s apology to the people accused of her manslaughter.

“He is very emotional and he is apologising to the people over there, to the accused,” David McMillan said yesterday after touching the statue and holding his shaking hand above his head.

In a process that took more than a minute in the High Court at Wellington yesterday, he bent over the lion and appeared to touch it before his hand started shaking and one arm rose into the air, supported by his other arm.

His actions appeared to affect the accused, most of whom had their heads bowed as he finished. They left the court in tears.

Mr McMillan was giving evidence on the second day of the trial of nine people charged with the manslaughter of Janet Moses, 22, on October 12, 2007, during an exorcism ceremony in a crowded flat in Wainuiomata. The Crown says she drowned when water was forced into her mouth.

The nine have had name suppression since they were arrested in December 2007, but eight are due to be named today.

One of them, as well as a tenth person, is charged with cruelty to a child and both will remain anonymous.

The Crown says the child victim was also made to drink water and her eyes were gouged.

It is alleged that a kaumatua had earlier told the group that the concrete lion, stolen from a Wairarapa pub, was a taonga and had to be returned.

Mr McMillan, a marae handyman, said that, when he spoke to police five days after the death, he believed a demon had killed Ms Moses.

He also wanted to check the girl to see if she was safe.

He saw the lion for the first time in court and asked to approach it. After he had touched it, he said he saw an old Maori man, whose appearance he described, and who had been sick on the lion.

The man apologised to the accused, he said. Mr McMillan told the court he had a gift as a divine healer. He could see spirits and talk to them.

He had been taken to the Wainuiomata flat and blessed the people there, including a dead body under a quilt.

He and others saw the body “flinch”, showing that her spirit had been released after being trapped in her body.

Only he could hear the voice of an angry kuia, or female elder, chiding the people in the flat for letting her mokopuna (grandchildren) go hungry and for smoking in front of them.

Then he saw a girl slumped lifeless on a couch. Her eyes were swollen. “I knew that I had to get her out of the house or she would have been the next one to go,” he said.

He also insisted the police had to be called to investigate Ms Moses’ death. People possessed by spirits could die unless they were treated, he said.

He saw evil spirits in the eyes of the people at the flat, telling them what to do. When he blessed them it opened their eyes.

THE CHARGES

Three men and six women are charged with manslaughter. The Crown alleges they “cleansed” Janet Moses, a disturbed 22-year-old mother of two, ending with her death on October 12, 2007, at Wainuiomata.

One of the women and a 10th person, a man, are also charged with cruelty to a 14-year-old girl.

The names of the accused, who have pleaded not guilty, are suppressed until today.

The defence says the accused wanted to help Ms Moses and the girl remove a makutu or curse. They thought they were doing what the two wanted.

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5 May

A mother believed to be possessed with demons was fatally exorcised in a crowded Wainuiomata flat where water was poured into her and people tried to suck on her eyes to remove the curse, a jury has been told.

In the High Court at Wellington yesterday, the Crown alleged that people chanted and prayed, that Janet Moses’ eyes were held open while water was poured into them, and water was poured into her mouth, causing her death from drowning in October 2007.

People tried to resuscitate her but, when that failed, the group continued the ceremony on a 14-year-old girl who was thought to have caught the illness from Ms Moses. The girl was also doused with water and her eyes were gouged, prosecutor Kate Feltham said.

At an outsider’s insistence the girl was taken to hospital with swollen eyes oozing blood, with scratches and bruises, and with low oxygen levels consistent with inhaling water or vomit.

One of the women and a 10th person, a man, are also charged with cruelty to a 14-year-old girl. The names of the accused are suppressed in the meantime.

They have pleaded not guilty.

Speaking for all 10 accused, defence lawyer Mike Antunovic said what took place was an intense and powerful experience. The participants wanted to help Ms Moses and the girl overcome the curse, or Maori makutu. They thought they were doing what Ms Moses and the girl wanted.

But Ms Feltham said Ms Moses did not consent to the process inflicted on her and force was used to overcome her resistance.

The accused did not know what they were doing but continued anyway. Ms Moses’ partner was repeatedly turned away from the flat in the days before her death and young men stood guard outside to prevent anyone entering.

On the final day of the ritual about 20 people, mostly children, were held in a bedroom while the process continued in the lounge.

Police found Ms Moses’ body in a room where the carpet squelched with water and a hole had been poked in the kitchen floor to let water drain.

Ms Feltham said a large group had discussed Ms Moses’ state of mind at a hui about six days before she died. A kaumatua said an evil spirit had possessed her and linked it to the theft of a concrete lion statue from the Greytown Hotel.

The elder believed the statue was a historic taonga but the jury would hear it was bought new at an auction in the 1990s.

A convoy of cars took the lion back and prayers were said upon its return.

The kaumatua said two bad demons had left Ms Moses and she should be watched and left to heal herself, Ms Feltham told the court.

A Tainui kaumatua, Tui Adams, who advised the late Maori queen, is expected to tell the jury that consulting the kaumatua and a blessing with water were appropriate, but what followed was ill-conceived and not part of any traditional or cultural ceremony he knew.

A psychiatrist will give evidence that descriptions of Ms Moses’ behaviour strongly suggested an underlying psychological or psychiatric disorder.

The trial is expected to last four to six weeks

via Stuff

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The trial begins in the High Court at Wellington today of nine members of a Lower Hutt extended family charged with manslaughter over the death of 22-year-old Janet Moses during an alleged maketu, or curse-lifting, ceremony.

Ms Moses is believed to have drowned during the apparent exorcism at her grandparents’ home in Wainuiomata in October 2007 while around 40 members of her extended family looked on.

Police later charged six women and three men with manslaughter.

The accused have interim name suppression.

The alleged maketu was arranged to lift a Maori curse. The curse was believed to have started after Ms Moses’ sister allegedly stole a stone lion statue from A Wairarapa pub.

A 14-year-old girl was also seriously injured during the ritual and had to have surgery to save her sight.

Naenae’s Billy Graham Boxing and Life Coach

If you don’t know the story of Billy Graham, and you live in the Hutt Valley, then you need too. This gentleman is an inspiration to me, and an asset to our community, his work with youth and his devotion to this cause.

This story from last night on TVNZ Sunday programme. In two parts below or in sidebar

The gym is here in Naenae

Lower Hutt man passes alcohol checkpoint but still arrested

While a man stopped at a Lower Hutt police alcohol checkpoint this morning had not been drinking, he nevertheless managed to get himself arrested.

The car he was driving had been reported stolen, and inside police found chemicals and equipment used for methamphetamine manufacture.

The man faces a variety of charges and will appear in Lower Hutt District Court tomorrow.

via TV3

Petone Factory Blast Call for Shutdown

Update 2 May

Neighbours of battery-recyclers Exide Technologies want it shut down after an explosion shattered windows and hurled broken glass across the footpath.

Fire crews were called to the Petone factory after the blast, caused by molten slag coming into contact with water.

Slag contains lead, tin, antimony, arsenic, calcium and selenium.

Greater Wellington regional council environmental regulation manager Al Cross said staff would check monitoring equipment to see if lead dust was blown out of the plant.

Under its resource consent the company must provide monthly air sampling data.

Nearby workers told of a rumbling sound, then a loud boom just before 12.30pm yesterday.

Katy Evans said she heard what sounded like an earthquake.

“All of a sudden there was an explosion and the breaking of glass. We ran out, dialling 111 as we went to see that the factory had blown out windows and there was smoke coming from some of them.”

The blast, in the furnace room, smashed windows and twisted aluminum framing.

Kristiane Discombe, from Chalmers Building Maintenance next-door to Exide, was almost hit by planks knocked off a wall.

“It felt like an earthquake with the whole building shaking. I jumped and bolted.”

Two nearby Exide staff members were unhurt.

Business owner Aaron Chalmers has been been so worried about heat coming off the Exide building he has monitored it with a thermal imaging camera.

A shared wall reached 100 degrees in places, he said.

“It’s disgusting this has happened, it’s got to be shut down.”

Richard Whiteside, a nearby property manager, said the blast could have killed someone.

“It’s pure luck. There’s a bus stop just 20 metres away. It’s just not appropriate where it is.”

Seaview station officer Gary Stallard said firefighters wearing breathing gear went inside the building. The explosion was confined to its front.

Exide has twice been convicted for illegal lead discharges beyond court-imposed health limits designed to protect local residents, and was fined $30,000 last year.

The limits were imposed after Regional Public Health said in 2005 long-term exposure to Exide’s lead was a health risk to pregnant women and young children.

Spokesman Mark Unsworth said there had been no danger to the public from yesterday’s blast.

The furnace had been shut down.

“Exide will continue to work with authorities as the full investigation is undertaken, and expects to be fully operational again within 24 hours.”

Hutt South MP Trevor Mallard said the battery plant “should just close”.

“I think it should not have a long-term future, and this might be a chance to bring that forward.”

A Labour Department spokesman said it was investigating the accident.

via Stuff

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Emergency services are at a Lower Hutt battery factory after a boiler exploded.

The blast happened at the Exide Technologies factory in Petone, south of Lower Hutt.

Police said the blast appeared to have come from a furnace.

Fire communications spokeswoman Linda Beets said the explosion blew out windows in buildings near-by.

She said no injuries were caused by the explosion.

Ms Beets said police and the Labour Department were investigating the cause of the explosion and the regional council was testing to see if the explosion had caused any air pollution.

Petone Civil Aviation Authority move to Wellington

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says he is “not at all impressed” with the $8.5 million cost for the Civil Aviation Authority to move from its current Petone location (10 Hutt Road) to a new, multi-storied building in downtown Wellington.

The rental costs in the new building will be considerably higher on a per square metre basis than the CAA’s current facilities in Petone.

The decision to relocate was made last year, prior to the general election, and was supported by the then Transport Minister Annette King.

The move is scheduled for the end of next year. “I am not impressed that these costs are being incurred to this level and at this time when New Zealanders are having to tighten their belts in the current global economic recession,” says Mr Joyce.

About 90% of CAA revenue comes from industry fees and charges, including the domestic passenger levy.

Mr Joyce says he has made his views on this matter very clear to the Civil Aviation Authority.

“I have tested the options to amend or not go through with this move over a period of time with the Chair of the CAA. Unfortunately commitments were made with the support of the previous government that are unable to be changed.

“The CAA has assured me that everything possible will be done to contain costs going forward from here.”