In March this year Housing NZ served 90-day notices to three women living in a Farmer Crescent state housing block after neighbours complained about intimidation, threats and burglary.
Police arrested and charged several Mongrel Mob members as a result of investigations, some of whom were partners of the tenants in question.
The tenants refused to adhere to the eviction notices and the case ended up in the tribunal’s hands.
Housing NZ argued at the Wellington hearing this month that it was simply seeking possession of its units, as it – and any other landlord – was entitled to do as long as correct procedures were followed.
A lawyer for the tenants, Robert Lithgow QC, argued the evictions were discriminatory and breached the Bill of Rights Act.
In a reserved decision, the tribunal ruled in favour of Housing NZ, but Mr Lithgow told NZPA his clients would appeal against the decision to the District Court.
He said that while technically they could be evicted pending an appeal he would be “very surprised” if Housing NZ did that.
Police cordoned off part of Petone this morning after a beeping package was delivered to the New Zealand Racing Board building.
The army bomb disposal unit was called and searches undertaken of the NZRB National Office to establish whether to destroy the package there or take it away and deal with it, said Inspector Mike Coleman of police central communications. Police bomb dogs were used to search the NZRB building.
The package was about A4 in size and was beeping. It was delivered about 8.15am. Traffic between Jackson St Victoria St and Hutt Rd was closed to traffic. By 11.00am the incident had been identified as non threatening the offending object identified as a cellphone couriered to the NZRB and the situation was down graded with roads re-opened.
Nearby businesses Briscoes and The Warehouse were also evacuated.
Evacuees at the time were taken to the Petone railway station.
Photos of incident from Edna_Phillips here Thanks Edna
The complete story from the Sunday Times who today released the story that the Rarimu massacre gunman Stephen Anderson 37 is now living in Upper Hutt, in the suburb of Clouston Park. The Rarimu massacre cost the lives of six people. Anderson was found not guilty due to insanity. His earlier limited releases away from care also caused concern in 2008.
The issue is around his public release, Anderson’s continuing treatment and getting him back into the community under strict release conditions which should rehabilitate him according to Mental Health officials concerns both local residents and those effected by his original actions.
Cannabis plants with a street value of half a million dollars were confiscated from a residential property in Wainuiomata recently.
Police Response Manager Inspector Geoff Gwyn says more than 60 mature plants were found in a two-storey home that police allege was painstakingly set up as a cultivation operation.
“The guy had divided the bottom part of the house into seven sections dedicated to various stages of cultivation. There was a sophisticated watering system, ventilation, a charcoal air filteration system to stop the cannabis smell and a large lighting set up.”
A 48-year-old male, Patrick O’Donnell, appeared in court on three charges, including possession of cannabis for supply and cultivation of cannabis.
Mr Gwyn allege O’Donnell had also set up an electrical system so that none of the power consumed to keep the 24-hour cultivation area going was measured on the meter.
“It’s estimated he was using 15 times the power a normal household uses in one day, each day.”
Police say apart from the 60 plants, $25,000 cash was also found on the premises along with five-and-a-half kilos of “head” worth about $55,000 ready to go out on the streets.
The premises were watched over by security guards on night after the arrest warrant was executed and the confiscated marijuana will be disposed of after samples have been taken.
Mr Gwyn says the major drugs bust is a result of strong efforts by the Crime and Crash Team, led by Sergeant Mike Sarten.
O’Donnell was remanded on bail until 6 August, with conditions that include reporting to the Wainuiomata police station and not consuming any alcohol or drugs.
Police in the Lower Hutt suburb of Eastbourne have unveiled a free bike scheme to reduce the number of bicycle thefts in the region.
Eastbourne Community Constable Anthony Harmer says the seaside community has been plagued with thefts, especially during summer. But he says rather than disappearing for good, the bikes have been used by opportunists to get from A to B, then dumped.
Mr Harmer says that has prompted him to introduce a new scheme where bikes are available to pick up and drop off at several points around the bays, free of charge. He says he will have to wait until summer to gauge the true impact, but he has noticed a definite drop in the number of bikes being handed into the police station.
wo Eastbourne businesses and their employess are facing prosecution after selling alcohol to two 16 year old girls.
Part of a late last month crackdown of around 15 outlets around the Lower Hutt area both the Eastbourne 4 Square and the Lifeboat Tavern were caught. This is a continuing undertaking by Hutt Valley Police to monitor underage liquor purchase . Recently a Naenae liquor store was prosecuted as a result of this crackdown.
Police have filed reports with the Liquor Licensing Authority and will be charging the employees involved with the sale of liquor to minors.
A man who tried to smuggle a dozen fertile chicken eggs into New Zealand has been fined $5000 and sentenced to community work.
In Lower Hutt District Court yesterday, John Jakeman was convicted for violating the Biosecurity Act after sourcing eggs from an overseas chicken breeder and suggested the supplier falsify the packaging description.
The self-confessed poultry fancier had gone to lengths to try and bypass New Zealand’s border biosecurity screening programmes, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry said today.
MAF investigations manager Greg Reid said Jakeman was aware what he was doing was illegal and it was disappointing that someone was willing to risk bringing potential disease into the country.
”It is frustrating responding to incidents where people selfishly put the wellbeing of our country at risk,” Mr Reid said.
Along with the fine, Jakeman was ordered to complete 200 hours of community work.
Treadwell St NaeNae Liquor Store (here) will face a 2 day suspension of its licence to sell alcohol following a breach of the Sale of Liquor Act.
Police say alcohol was sold to a minor. The General Managers certificate, issued to Chhagan Patel, will also be suspended for a longer period of 4 weeks for failing to conduct the premises in a proper manner.
Lower Hutt police ran a controlled operation where a minor was asked to enter the store and purchase liquor. Its alleged the sales person made no inquiry as to the customers age nor requested any form of ID.
Police will not be laying charges against a Wainuiomata riding school that was investigated by a child abuse squad – despite having enough evidence.
In April (see earlier story), police issued a warning to Lower Hutt and Wainuiomata parents after a flyer advertising a school holiday riding programme organised by the company Horse Lovers was sent out to hundreds of parents with a primary school newsletter. Police said they had concerns about the organisation running the programme.
But Detective Sergeant Brent Murray confirmed today that no charges would be laid against two employees at the school. Though police had interviewed two children and had amassed enough evidence, Mr Murray said the alleged assaults were minor. The children’s parents did not want to put them through the trauma of the court process. “On the balance of our interviews and in consultation with the complainants, we have dealt with the complaints in the most appropriate way, which in this case did not involve prosecution,” he said. “Community safety is a priority for police especially when it comes to young people. I’m pleased with the work we’ve done in terms of providing the complainants with some reassurance and collating the information in a timely manner,” he said.
Mr Murray understood Horse Lovers had closed down and would not reopen. Confidentiality and privacy issues meant police were unable to go into details of the complaints made or the identity of individuals.
A Rimutaka prison guard, accused of dealing cannabis to inmates, has been remanded to appear in court in two weeks.
Jeffrey Mark Reid, 43, was arrested on June 4 and charged along with three prisoners and two women following a month-long cannabis investigation by the Corrections Department.
Reid, a unit manager in a high-security section of the Upper Hutt prison, was excused from appearing at Wellington District Court today, and remanded without plea on bail to reappear on June 29.
He faces charges of selling cannabis, conspiring to sell cannabis and cultivating cannabis
Saturday June 6
A senior prison manager charged with dealing cannabis to inmates was running one of the toughest units in Rimutaka, and an alleged accomplice is a career criminal who once beat a guard.
Jeffrey Mark Reid, 43, was arrested on Thursday and charged along with three prisoners and two women outside the wire following a month-long investigation, Operation Wire.
Police say Reid was part of a fledgling drug ring that was growing cannabis outside the prison and smuggling it inside to give to inmates.
They do not believe any cannabis was grown on prison grounds.
Reid was a unit manager, in charge of Unit HM7 and 8, a high-security section known to house a lot of gang members. He is a veteran of about 20 years in Corrections but has now been suspended from his job.
He appeared in Wellington District Court on Thursday charged with selling cannabis to Matthew Kidman, who sparked a two-day manhunt last November when he skipped bail on firearms charges.
He escaped from Hawke’s Bay Prison in 2004 while serving a six-year sentence for aggravated robbery, and once beat a prison guard during another botched escape attempt.
Kidman, two other prisoners and the two women will appear in court on Wednesday.
Reid was also charged with conspiring to sell cannabis and cultivating cannabis. He was remanded without plea, on bail, and will reappear on June 15.
Together, the six people face more than 20 supply, conspiracy and cultivation charges.
Six children were referred to Child, Youth and Family after being found in homes raided during the investigation.
Guards inside Rimutaka Prison were told of Reid’s arrest at a meeting on Thursday. A source said they were shocked because Reid was high up in prison management.
“He’s a unit manager, no one searches him,” said the source. “He can walk in loaded with dope. Who is going to search him?”
Reid’s Cuba St apartment and prison office were searched this week, along with addresses in Wellington and Hutt Valley and other areas inside the prison.
The arrests come 18 months after an inquiry found no systemic corruption at Rimutaka. It followed complaints from staff that a group of guards known as “the bro club” was smuggling in drugs, cellphones and food for prisoners.
At the time, 11 guards were suspended while the allegations were investigated.
Corrections Minister Judith Collins has asked for a report but said yesterday she was confident drug use was not rampant within Rimutaka.
“It is correct to say there is no systemic corruption,” she said. “It’s a prison full of criminals, and I think people should realise that.”
Corrections chief executive Barry Matthews said Reid’s arrest did not reflect the work of most prison guards.
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A Rimutaka prison unit manager, three prisoners, and two other people are facing a range of cannabis-related offences following a Police and Corrections Department bust.
Four men – one of whom is the Rimutaka unit manager – and two women will be charged with more than 20 offences relating to cannabis supply, cultivation and conspiracy. The unit manager was charged yesterday, and the three prisoners are due in court later today. As part of the operation police raided several addresses in Wellington and the Hutt Valley.
Detective Senior Sergeant Darrin Thomson said close liaison with Corrections had allowed police to be “very effective in disrupting this syndicate”. The charges were the result of information provided by Corrections in April indicating some people were supplying cannabis to Rimutaka Prison inmates. “This is an excellent example of inter-agency cooperation that has enabled police to move quickly and effectively,” Mr Thomson said. “We believe the supply of cannabis was intended for Rimutaka inmates and the wider drug community”.
Corrections Department chief executive Barry Matthews said he expected “a high level of honesty and integrity from staff”. “The actions of one person should not detract from the hard work, dedication and professionalism shown by staff at Rimutaka Prison and across the country.”
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