/news/2014-year-in-review/rss 九一星空无限 Get the latest vital news, groundbreaking opinion, and essential commentary around New Zealand from 九一星空无限talk ZB. Fri, 31 Jan 2025 16:48:22 Z en /news/2014-year-in-review/jessica-mccarthy-indecision-over-flockton-basin-staggering/ /news/2014-year-in-review/jessica-mccarthy-indecision-over-flockton-basin-staggering/ 12 months ago who could say what or where the Flockton Basin was? Every year new words get added to the world's conversational dictionary, but I can think of few that have become so quickly ingrained in New Zealand's vocabulary than the home of Canterbury's constant flooding problems. For me the words “Flockton Basin” conjure an immediate mental image, streets turned to rivers, submerged cars, and residents trudging around in rain-coats trying desperately to protect their houses. For those residents living in Flockton however, their frustration extends far beyond the water that lapped at their properties. Their problems don’t end as the water subsides; and 2014 will always be for them, the year they amateur experts of insurance policy, on liability and masters of being patient. The “one in a one-hundred year” weather event hit Christchurch in early March. 150mm of rain was recorded in 24 hours, 4600 lost power and the Avon and Heathcote Rivers breached their banks before breakfast. It was always going to bad in Flockton, a flood the previous year had shown just what an impact the earthquake had on the land. The council even took the time to ring residents the night before the heavy rain was expected, warning them flood water was likely to reach floor level. But unlike the 2013 flood, which affected around 30 homes, this time whole streets turned into canals. Residents woke to water lapping at their beds; some evacuating their homes at 4am, taking with them what they could and moving valued possessions above the water line. The resilient smile so many Cantabrians were practiced in putting on was slowly starting to slip. They didn’t have to wait long for the next historic flood. Already pummeled by the Easter storm that battered so much of the South Island, Flockton Basin really didn’t need any more rain in April. Many residents hadn’t returned home from the March flood, but spent much of their holiday weekend stacking sandbags around their property in a last ditch attempt to keep their carpet dry. The flood water reached knee height and then subsided. But less than a fortnight later the rain was back with a vengeance. Much heavier than forecast, 50 mm fell in 24 hours, and Flockton residents once again woke to flood water knocking on the doors. Drenched residents appeared on TV clearing up their homes, and one even door-stopped the prime minister during a press conference. While the damage wasn’t as bad as in March, the continual clean up had truly started to take its toll on residents, wading through knee high water through sewage and toilet paper was an almost weekly activity, and the mood was hopeless. It’s staggering to think after three floods and millions of dollars in damage no decision had been made about how to deal with Flockton. The country was left in disbelief as continual images of the area submerged under water played on TV and dominated the front page of paper when there was no solution from the council or government. The problem is seemingly obvious, the low-lying land slumped lower following the Canterbury earthquakes; and by that logic those affected should be entitled to the same relief as those whose land was no longer stable, but that wasn’t too be. The idea of returning to their sodden homes and feeling anxious every time it rained was too much for many residents to face, and the suggestion of a “buy-out” offer was mooted; a new red-zone in the suburb of St Albans that would enable people to move out and move on if they wanted to. However neither the government nor the city council supported the red zone idea, opting instead to hold out for an engineering solution. The obvious problem was- an engineered solution would take time; even fast tracked, authorities had to admit any engineered solution, whether it included widening water ways or pumping stations would take at least two years to implement. It was a length of time the council knew wouldn’t be acceptable, given the area had flooded to floor level at least three times before winter. To compensate, the council established a “flooding taskforce”, charged with finding short team solutions to Flockton’s flooding woes, while permanent solutions were developed. Many in Flockton had their fingers crossed their fingers crossed a report from the taskforce would include a buyout offer, and devastation set in when it wasn’t. A temporary pump station, river dredging and house water proofing were options being investigated by the task force, but with any option likely to take three months away from being operational it was cold comfort to residents facing a cold and wet winter. Fortunately, the winter seemed to pass with minimal flooding threats to Flockton. Breath was collectively held during one downpour in June but hastily installed pumps on the Avon River appeared to do their job. However, the battle was far from over for those who owned homes in the basin. Disagreements over who was liable for the flood prone land left residents in limbo, unable to repair or move on. To determine whether it was responsible for land at an increased flooding vulnerability EQC asked for a declaratory judgment in the High Court. The Insurance Council, Southern Response and Flockton Group all joined the court proceedings to ensure the court had a wide pool of opinion to draw from. The public gallery was frequently full with Flockton residents throughout the four day hearing, many had becoming pseudo-experts on everything insurance related and could follow the complex legal discussions better than most. EQC had three main questions for the High whether it was liable for increased flooding vulnerability, how it should determine a property’s land is damaged and how the property owner is compensated. But the judge queried EQC’s motives, saying there’s no way the court can give the policy the rubber stamp, they weren’t legislators after all. In December the judgement came back. EQC was been given the green light to settle thousands of land claims by paying out the loss of value to the land. The court determined that if a home has become more flood-prone because the land has subsided, it was a form of land damage only, and EQC will not pay out for building damage as a result of IFV. The High Court decision said EQC's guidelines for settling claims must require good faith, should not be applied mechanically, should not exclude relevant factors, entitle owners to provide further information and not stopping them taking EQC in court. The decision wasn’t what many residents had been hoping for, but they tried to take in their stride. Carrick Street resident Jo Byrne was pleased that at least there were now guidelines around transparency when it came to the land settlement process. It’s unclear whether this year will be all go or woe for those in Flockton. The wheels are in motion for a settlement process for those in Flockton, and construction of a long term flooding prevention solution likely to get underway. Neither of those factors will be able to stop the heart racing fear of locals every time a heavy rainfall is predicted, but it is progress. They, like the rest of us can only wait with their fingers crossed that the clouds are kind and the pumps hold out. Hopefully they don’t have endure another flood like that for at least a “hundred” years.   Thu, 08 Jan 2015 23:11:49 Z /news/2014-year-in-review/jessica-mccarthy-more-heartbreak-for-pike-river-families/ /news/2014-year-in-review/jessica-mccarthy-more-heartbreak-for-pike-river-families/ 12 months ago the Pike River families may have been quietly planning personal funerals for the 29 men that lay inside the mine. In 2013 Solid Energy, the mine’s receivers, had teamed up with the New Zealand Defence Force to begin the Pike re-entry project, which would see teams enter the mine’s 2.3km drift, in what would be the first stage in retrieving the bodies. Unfortunately, a lot can change in a year; by December those family members were instead discussing how best to honour the men who would never return from the mine they went to work in four years ago. The families, much like the media, had been continually stone-walled by the Solid Energy for the best part of 2014. Any questions about the re-entry project were usually met with one answer “no decision has been made yet, and there is no timeline on when it will be”. The revolving door of CEO's at the embattled state owned company appeared to be a major factor in the delays; each new Chief Executive had to be brought up to speed with the complex ins and outs of any re-entry project before it could even be debated by the board. The plan to enter the mine's tunnel was continually postponed, originally scheduled for April, the need to brief a new CEO saw it pushed back till May, then June, before it fell off Solid Energy's radar altogether. In hindsight, it's hard not to believe Solid Energy was just delaying the inevitable. It was late September before it emerged that the company had the all-clear to enter the mine for almost 12 months. A letter from Worksafe, dated October 2013, said the Pike River Re-Entry Assessment group identified no technical or operational matters that would prevent entry to the mine's drift. The outrage was prolonged and intense, Greymouth's mayor Tony Kokshorn demanded the company stop hiding behind excuses, apologise for wasting the community’s time and get on with the job. Winston Peters called the situation an appalling abuse of the victims and their families and the EPMU (Engineers, Printers and Manufacturers Union) demanded the government take control of the operation. In fact the only people who didn’t appear surprised by the letter were the families of the Pike River victims; Bernie Monk told media they were told to keep the information quiet, even though it hadn't seemed to advance the project at all. The families even hired a Queen's Counsel in a final attempt to get answers out of Solid Energy. I'm slightly ashamed to say there was definitely some catharsis in seeing Solid Energy’s management squirm under the spotlight, as they were finally taken to task after months of skirting questions from the media. A day after the letter was published, Solid Energy CEO Dan Clifford fronted media for the first time on the subject of recovery. He said Worksafe’s assessment was one of many carried out by the company, and all had conflicting evaluations. He sighted risks involving the strata conditions, entrapment, and the solidarity exit from the mine should things go wrong. But Clifford also admitted that the board was worried about the liability the company’s directors would face if they allowed any workers to enter Pike; ironically it seemed the very changes to health and safety laws that the Pike River Mine disaster brought about was working to prevent a recovery operation. Two months later Solid Energy’s intentions became clear. It was reported that a major piece of equipment used in the recovery had been moved overseas. A Solid Energy spokesman claimed the nitrogen machine was being returned to BOC gas, because it was urgently needed for another mine in New Caledonia. The spokesman said it was not an indication the company was abandoning plans to re-enter the mine, but hours later a meeting was called between Solid Energy and the Pike River families in Greymouth for the next day.  There was a certain sense of foreboding in the town the night before the announcement. Reports that the Prime Minister would be attending the meeting alongside the Energy and Resources Minster and the acting Minister of Conservation gave some indication the news wasn’t good. Sitting down with Bernie Monk at his restaurant that night it was obvious he was preparing for a fight. Practically a household name for the most unfortunate of reasons, Monk was going through all the things he would say to John Key if the re-entry project was abandoned. A picture of his son Michael, who died in the explosion, sits near the bar in the restaurant, reminding everyone just what the Monk family is fighting for. Bernie put the conflicting assessments of the mine’s safety down to a difference in cultures. The English experts the families were using always retrieved their men after mine explosions he said, while the Australians usually left them there. And with Solid Energy CEO Dan Clifford an Australian with a history in the mining industry, Bernie was in no doubt as to which way the company was leaning.     A media pack camped outside of the Ashley Hotel from sunrise on the 6th of November. A small group of protestors joined us sometime later, holding signs that demanded John Key return the men to the community. Slowly but surely the families members started to trickle into the hotel too, some were already crying, others were hugging each other, and all were carrying pictures of the men they’d lost in the mine. Bernie Monk walked in with a box of files, full of the risk assessments the families’ experts had carried out, and information he was vowing to present to the Prime Minister as proof re-entry was possible. John Key arrived an hour late, one reporter quipped “he’s kept the families waiting four years; one hour is hardly going to make a difference”. The tranquillity of the hotel’s foyer where media waited was most likely the opposite mood to the room where the families gathered only a couple of doors away. About an hour after they went in, family members slowly started to emerge; Anna Rockhouse, who lost her husband Milton in the explosion, was one of the first to leave the room and the look in her eyes and the tears down her face made it obvious what decision had been made. “It’s a sad day for New Zealand,” she said. “It’s not where I want my husband to be. It’s unjust”. Solid Energy had decided the risks in entering the mine were insurmountable. Managing and maintaining gas and ventilation, entrapment and the sheer complexity of implementing over 600 risk control activities made it an impossible job, according to Board Chair Pip Dunphy. Solid Energy wasn’t willing to put more lives at risk. The company relinquished their mining permit, and the government pledged to turn the mine and surrounding area into a memorial to the men who lay inside. Bernie Monk looked absolutely deflated as he sat alongside John Key and Pip Dunphy at a press conference after the announcement. When asked if he would continue to fight to get the men home he shrugged his shoulders. “I want to bring my boys home, but it’s my life, I have to get on with my life”. As a group, the families released a list of demands of the government, including unfettered access to the site at all times, and the promise there would be no future mining on the site out of respect. 2015 will see plans made for a memorial take shape. In line with everything else in the Pike River saga it’s unlikely to be a fast process. The families met with the acting minister of Conservation Nick Smith in early December for the first conversation about what should be done with the site, but for many the emotions are still too raw. And who can blame them, at the start of last year they were planning personal funerals for their loved ones, this year they know that will never be possible. Fri, 02 Jan 2015 00:20:16 Z /news/2014-year-in-review/charlotte-lewis-west-the-city-waits/ /news/2014-year-in-review/charlotte-lewis-west-the-city-waits/ If you aren’t from Christchurch, there’s a good chance you may be a little fuzzy on what the phrase 'Anchor Projects' means. In my mind, the phrase has become a buzz word for the rebuild. In an effort to start again as a city to be reckoned with, the Government and the Christchurch City Council devised 12 major anchor projects, delivered to the public in 2012 with great fanfare and a 4.8 billion dollar price tag. On paper the city looks like it will be a buzzing, if slightly boring metropolitan. But as fabulous as the plans may appear, how long will the process take to materialise into a tangible asset? In fact it could be argued that many of us will never see the great precincts rise from the ashes of the earthquake, our phoenix moment could well be eclipsed by road cones, dust and the frustration of everyday life in Christchurch. Two reports released this year indicate the Government and Council are financially struggling, with the cost of the rebuild underestimated and a surprise 1.2 billion dollar black hole of debt on the Council’s leger. There’s been concern that these money troubles will halt the rebuild still further and only vague assurances that they won’t. The Government’s also been accused of investing in ‘nice to haves’ rather than things that affect Cantabrians every day. Spending 100 million dollars on the Avon River precinct is surely a slap in the face to those families living in temporary accommodation four years on from the earthquakes. But in fact most of the big ticket items have faced controversy; many have asked who will actually use the $284 million dollar convention centre, announced this year, when research shows that convention centres overseas rarely break even. Should we then be investing in something that locals will actually use, like a stadium? But herein lies another issue, should we build a new stadium, when we could (decision pending) use the original earthquake damaged AMI stadium. Then we have to decide what to do with the temporary stadium, which got a two million dollar cash injection to stretch out its life until 2022. We were sold on another anchor project, the Cricket Oval, on the basis that it would give us a financial injection; in theory would a stadium not do the same?Some of the city’s Anchor Projects are pushing ahead though, the Justice and Emergency Services precinct is off the ground and expected to be up and running in 2017. While the Bus Interchange has had the concrete laid down and is set to open next year. Surely the issue is that the Council and Government are spending money that no one seems to have, on things that people might not use, to entice visitors from outside of Christchurch back into the city. Yet all of the new bars, restaurants and offices are on the edges of the city. Will we end up with a flashy new city, filled with tumble weeds when everything’s eventually finished? Mayor Lianne Dalziel is certainly hoping her catch phrase for 2015 will catch on – ‘Christchurch, it’s happening’. But I don’t think I’m alone when I ask, what exactly is happening?   Thu, 01 Jan 2015 23:48:06 Z /news/2014-year-in-review/tyler-adams-trials-of-the-black-widow/ /news/2014-year-in-review/tyler-adams-trials-of-the-black-widow/ The 1954 noir film The Black Widow tells the sordid tale of the apparent suicide of young Nancy Ordway hoping to make it big in New York, the realisation it was in fact a homicide, and the convoluted search to find her killer. The culprit was the haughty actress of the plot 'Lottie' Marin. She found out Nancy slept with her husband, so she strangled her to death and staged it to look like a suicide. A story straight out of Hollywood - but as the saying goes, sometimes truth is even stranger than fiction. Philip Nisbet was found dead in his bed in May 2009 by his wife Helen Milner. Police were called, conducted a cursory investigation and determined it was suicide by drug overdose - up to 50 pills of anti-histamine drug Phenergen. It was case closed for the police - but not for Mr Nisbet's family. Something didn't add up, there were whispers within the family of sinister undertones to his death. Loudest amongst those whispers was his sister, Lee-Ann Cartier. She worked for over a year trying to catch Milner out and gathering her own evidence - all was not as it seemed. Her amateur detective work dug up bizarre and disturbing behaviour from Milner before and after the death. Milner claimed she had found a black book documenting numerous affairs Nisbet was supposed to have had, along with an instruction manual on how to be a male prostitute. She claimed Phillip's son wasn't his, and that the funeral director was able to help get a DNA test to prove it. Then there was the suicide note that was originally shown to family member. They were suspicious it was a fake due to the odd way it was written. It disappeared to be mysteriously replaced by a different version by the time it became evidence - there were two others that surfaced. The tables began to turn when Coroner Sue Johnson agreed to examine the case in late 2010, in which members of Mr Nisbet's family grilled Milner on inconsistencies around the death. Six months later the police launched an investigation, which resulted in one of the most extraordinary murder trials in Christchurch's history. As Milner sat quietly in the back portraying a dowdy, innocuous but seemingly agitated figure - former colleagues told of conversation's she had in which she feared her husband was trying to kill her, and asked them about poisons at the company she could use to "get rid of him". That led to them jokingly giving her the nickname the ‘Black Widow’. Christchurch's own 'Lottie' Marin. Evidence was given on Milner's bizarre behaviour immediately after the death including a 10-minute recording of a disturbing and exaggerated 111 call she made, the multiple suicide notes, changes to Philip Nisbet's life insurance policy, and her overbearing and violent tendencies. We heard from both her sons her spoke of numerous conversations she had around using drugs to take Nisbet out, catching her crushing pills into powder in one instance, and recalled her offering them money from his life insurance payout to hire a hit man or get rid of him themselves. After three weeks of evidence, it took the jury seven-and-a-half-hours of deliberation to accept the Crown’s case that she fatally drugged him with Phenergan, and tried to cover it up as a suicide. She was later sentenced to at least 17 years behind bars. A four-and-a-half-year battle for justice had come to an end for Philip Nisbet's family.The focus then turned to police, and what went wrong initially, when they failed to take a closer look at his death. Canterbury Investigations Manager Detective Inspector Tom Fitzgerald accepted that initial investigation was flawed, and mistakes were certainly made. Officers involved in the initial inquiry had failings of the investigation brought to their attention, which were accepted and he was confident that they will never make those mistakes again. He said it was clear those officers missed initial points to treat it as a homicide as they should have done. It was by far the end of the story. Milner's troubled son Adam Kearns was back in the headlines not long after. He and a friend were charged with assault after getting into a fight with former star All Black Justin Marshall in Queenstown after a boozy night. The friend pleaded guilty, Kearns not guilty - the trial is yet to get underway. He was back in court a few months later - this time on the other side of the dock suing his mother. Before she graduated to murder she framed him over fake death threats that led to him being falsely imprisoned for 18 days. It spurned Mr Kearns to sue his mother for $60,000 in damages after he suffered hurt, distress and humiliation, as well as financial loss, by his false imprisonment. He won, but quickly ended up back in jail after a police raid on his home a few weeks later. He faced 11 charges of possession, supply and sale of drugs, two assault charges and having a gun and taser. He pleaded guilty to some of those charges and was granted bail while the process continues. He argued the gun was for protection against his mother, who he believes hired a hit man to kill him. As for Milner, she lost a Court of Appeal action against her murder conviction and is currently trying to appeal through the Supreme Court. She argued the prosecution hadn't proven beyond a reasonable doubt that she'd administered her husband with a fatal dose of the drug Phenergen. The Court of Appeal rejected that, ruling the mechanics of administering the drug was simply one factor for the jury to weigh up in the context of strong circumstantial evidence. She also claimed she was targeted inside prison, and that she had to pay other inmates off for her life. With court processes pending for both Milner and her son, this sordid story is far from over, and while her work colleagues felt the nickname the Black Widow was a good fit with the film, this is a story with many more twists and turns than even Hollywood could reasonably dream up. Mon, 29 Dec 2014 02:11:16 Z /news/2014-year-in-review/emily-murphy-the-sutton-saga/ /news/2014-year-in-review/emily-murphy-the-sutton-saga/ It was a fall from grace which prompted more questions than answers. As a journalist, I’m obligated to report news in a fair and balanced way, sure, but even with my ‘everyday citizen’ hat on I still have no real opinion about the Roger Sutton saga. Why? There’s simply not enough information to reach any informed conclusion on the subject without seeing the information in context. That would require seeing the report. Nevertheless, people were quick to assert their own opinions based on what they heard, saw, and read in the media. That’s not wrong – that’s the kind of discussion we need in a society like ours, where freedom of thought, ideas and expression are held in high regard. Some of the debate was good, some bad. But without the facts, the discussion was always going to be limited. At the initial press conference in Christchurch, State Services boss Iain Rennie allowed Mr Sutton to take the stand, where he acknowledged he’d acted inappropriately towards female staffers. Mr. Rennie also spoke, but refused to shed light on the details of the complaint, on the basis it was highly confidential. So what did we, as journalists, know at this point?  - Roger Sutton had made inappropriate jokes, he’d called women names like ‘honey’ and ‘sweetie’, and from time to time had given hugs to staff members.  - The State Services Commission had reviewed the case, and concluded Mr. Sutton’s behaviour had amounted to “serious misconduct” (whatever that is).  - Roger Sutton’s wife, Jo Malcolm was shocked by the allegations.  - Many of Christchurch’s key movers and shakers came out in support of Mr. Sutton, and the work he’s done in his time at CERA. Add that all up and what do you get? One half of the story, and not even a full half to be quite honest. People jumped on social media to air their views, with no shortage of abuse targeting the complainant. And whose fault is that? All fingers have been pointed in the direction of Mr. Rennie and his handling of the affair, which almost cost him his job. He’s since apologised for his wrong-doing, acknowledging it was a mistake to hold a press conference with Mr. Sutton. Arguably, though, his so-called “mistake” may have kick-started important conversations around gender relations in the workplace. It may have even prompted some to change how they behave at work. Such changes could’ve have resulted in many people feeling happier in their work environment...and if that’s the case, should we really be considering it a mistake? Whatever the impact, good or bad, Mr. Sutton’s downfall has certainly had a big one. Still, it’s not over yet. John Ombler, the former interim CEO of CERA has been appointed to fill the roll. Christchurch’s leaders say he’ll have some very big shoes to fill. As to whether he’s the right pick - only time will tell. Sun, 28 Dec 2014 00:50:03 Z /news/2014-year-in-review/charlotte-lewis-west-wrecking-ball/ /news/2014-year-in-review/charlotte-lewis-west-wrecking-ball/ There’s usually a unanimous roll of the eyes followed by an audible groan when you mention the ChristChurch Cathedral nowadays. Most people in Canterbury are more concerned about the state of their own houses or the latest battle with their insurer to worry about the contentious building. Others have little interest in something they’ve barely visited in the last decade. Certainly, I think we could all agree, the Anglican Church is over the whole debacle. But there are a few souls left whose passion is driving the mission to save the historic building. The Great Christchurch Buildings Trust (GCBT) led by ex-politician Jim Anderton is determined to save the Cathedral from the wrecking ball and indeed the church.   As it stands (no pun intended) the Anglican Church have said it will cost over one million dollars to restore the church, but it could also take up to 2 years and cost 220 million dollars. Basically they’re pushing forward with plans to build a new, contemporary design, regardless of what the trust is doing. GCBT calculations show the ChristChurch Cathedral can be restored on budget of 67 million dollars and they’re willing to fundraise for all of this. Jim Anderton’s even told media on several occasions, he’s very confident he could garner that kind of money. This year, after a lengthy battle that’s been raging since 2011, the High Court lifted the order preventing the deconstruction of the building, effectively giving the Church Property Trustee's power to replace it with a more modern replica if they wish. With the legal path clear it’s only a matter of quashing the Trust’s persistent claims the building is entirely rebuildable.   There was a moment of light for the Trust when the Labour party stepped in, announcing they would fight Section 38 of the CERA Act if elected, meaning the public would have to be consulted before any other heritage building was pulled down. Unfortunately the Trust can no longer lean on Labour for support. In an effort to get the public back onside a huge campaign was launched in August, with aerial photos of the Cathedral put in billboards around the city. The idea was to show people that actually, the damage wasn’t all that bad. This push was met with nothing from the Anglican Diocese. Spokesperson Jayson Rhodes simply issued a sigh of frustration when I spoke to him about the latest campaign. He said they couldn’t keep working on assumptions, they were moving forward and that was it. But the Trust won’t be beaten; their latest step in protecting the embattled church was something that perhaps should’ve been done a year ago. They conducted an independent poll of 1000 Christchurch residents to see what they wanted for their Cathedral. The results supported their cause, but weren’t earth shattering either. 51% wanted to keep the cathedral 43% said let it go. The battle continues... For the Great Christchurch Buildings Trust, they want to give the Cathedral back to the people of Christchurch which is certainly an admirable quest. The real problem is that it’s not ours or theirs. The building belongs to the church, it’s their building that their people work in everyday. It’s very difficult to now ask the general public, who maybe attend a service in the Cathedral once or twice a year, to determine its fate. Deciding what to do with the ChristChurch cathedral has divided the region. The Trust will continue to fight the Church, and the Church will continue to ignore them. Eventually, all parties involved will need some sort of closure and someone will have to make the ruling decision. Is it time we just let it go? Sat, 27 Dec 2014 23:56:55 Z /news/2014-year-in-review/jenee-tibshraeny-sex-case-highlights-social-medias-grip-on-young-people/ /news/2014-year-in-review/jenee-tibshraeny-sex-case-highlights-social-medias-grip-on-young-people/ A High Court trial in New Plymouth has uncovered the ‘sex, drugs and rock’n’roll’ of our era. The sex remains – naturally, the drugs are interchangeable with cheap alcohol, and social media is pushing more cultural boundaries than the Rolling Stones ever did. In a world where young people can’t eat their breakfast without Snapchatting, Facebooking, Tweeting, or Instagramming it, the grip social media has on society may not surprise you. Yet the case of a teenager putting videos on Facebook of his two mates having a threesome with a drunk schoolgirl, has thrown my moral compass out of wack. Jack Greenslade has been sentenced to community detention and community work, after admitting to recording the incident at a party in October 2013. A 19-year-old man, with name suppression, will have his conviction for recording himself grope a woman’s breast, quashed, if he does his bit of prevent others from making the same mistakes he did. A judge said he would reconsider dropping the charge in March if the teen talked to students at two local boys' high schools as a part of a police education programme, and donated a thousand dollars to WellStop. A jury acquitted him and his mate of raping the woman in December. During the eight-day trial, the parents of both the complainant and accused heard what most parents would choose to be oblivious to. The two men and woman drank a considerable amount before ending up in bed together. Jack was sober.  He wandered into the bedroom, thought the ordeal was funny, and starting filming. Next thing you know it, other party-goers are watching the videos, which end up on a Facebook page at least 20 boys have access to. The accused say the woman was leading them on and 'wanted it'. The woman says she was too drunk to know what was happening. All those involved were high-achieving Year 13 students, not gang members being initiated or people on the fringes of society. This begs the question; if they’re normal teenagers, are their actions normal? One of the accused didn’t see issue with the girl being filmed without her knowing it. He told police, “everyone does it... the boys would love it”. Yet a 16-year-old girl broke down when she told the jury how she had to look away when she saw a video. Another male witness said, “We were concerned about it, but we reassured ourselves it was OK.” Defence lawyer, Paul Keegan, said all the standard mistakes teenagers make can become life-changing disasters in the context of the 21st century. Social media creates a spectacle that can see a situation spiral out of control in seconds. It sucks young people into an adult world without licence. It is for this reason I believe adults need to get up to speed with the world of social media and educate young people about its risks. We also need to make sure the easy access teens have to sexual material on their phones and such like, doesn’t normalise it. The urgency to teach young people about respecting their bodies and those of others, has never been more imminent. I can only hope this case gives New Zealanders the shake-up it’s given the New Plymouth community. Sat, 27 Dec 2014 21:15:47 Z /news/2014-year-in-review/adam-walker-dunedin-shooting-exposes-flaws-in-protection-orders/ /news/2014-year-in-review/adam-walker-dunedin-shooting-exposes-flaws-in-protection-orders/ When you're sitting outside a house where two children were callously shot dead by their father who then turned the gun on himself, you reflect and think. how did I get myself in this position? How did I end up driving to the scene of a murder suicide at five o'clock in the morning? A drive which left me feeling lost and shocked at the world, how and why would a father do this to his own children? So at around 5.30 on the morning of January 16, I arrived at a street which has a name that paints a picture of the perfect New Zealand life: Kiwi Street. But the mood and feeling around the street was far from idyllic, with police guarding the scene, and two lone emergency vehicles nearby. At this point I thought, wow, I'm officially a media parasite. So my morning begun sitting on Kiwi Street, trying to push out updates to a waking nation, talking to neighbours who had no idea about the chaos which had ensued on their street less than 12 hours earlier and try to be as polite to police staff while reaming going about my job. It was a weird and bemusing time. All I could think was, I don't want to be here and most of all, no one involved wants me here. So, how did we get to a point where this sleepy seaside suburb ended up as the national talking point? Why did the lives of Bradley and Ellen Livingstone get taken by their father Edward Livingstone? The exact answer died with Edward. But we can trace the events back to the breakup of Livingstone's marriage with his former wife Katherine Webb, mother of Ellen and Bradley. Shortly after splitting up, Katherine got a protection order against her former partner. Livingstone then went on to breach the protection order twice. His behaviour was described by a neighbour of Katherine Webb as being 'obsessive', saying the way he had been acted were 'downright scary'. But when he appeared before the courts for a breach of protection order, what happened? Yes, it's easy to scorn these decisions in hindsight, but he was discharged without conviction. A man who broke a protection order twice and went on to kill his children got a slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket. So what do you have to do, in terms of breaching protection to earn a discharge without conviction? Well, Livingstone rang his former wife a number of times. Now this doesn't appear to be much, but as in many cases like this, it was only the tip of the iceberg. There were reports of Livingstone following his former wife around, harassing her and causing her to fear for the lives of herself and her children. Sadly all the precautions and protection order failed, he didn't keep away and Katherine Webb and her beloved children weren't kept safe. Our justice system failed her. After incidents like this there’s always chest beating and demands to sew up the holes which caused the tragedy. The first port of call was the issue of the protection order. There were a chorus of calls for reviews to be held. With statements from the likes of Labour’s women's affairs spokesperson Carol Beaumont, "It raises many questions about how we deal with family violence and shows we need to have a serious rethink on the effectiveness of protection orders." Women's Refuge chief executive Heather Henare was another to come out swinging, saying "we need to concentrate on the fact there's a link between breaches of protection orders and domestic violence murders." The year anniversary of these tragic murders is now only weeks away; we had the statements of horror and disgust, but what has actually happened, if anything? As it stands this double murder suicide sits as another tragic reminder of our weak protection laws. In fact earlier this year, then Justice Minister Judith Collins was on Q&A with Rachel Smalley - citing the case of Livingstone, Rachel Smalley asked the Minister whether protection orders are worth the papers they are written on. She responded with "If the person who is subject to them respects the court orders." Well Judith, these are people who are making another member of society so scared they are forced to get a court order, so ask yourself this, if your intimidating behaviour was only going to get you a slap on the wrist would you stop? It seems around 2000 people a year don't. So obviously the consequences of breaking these orders are far too weak. Please fix this and don't let these children die in vain. Grief tends to bond communities, we've seen it on large scales with the likes of the Christchurch earthquakes and for the small settlement of St Leonards this was no different. With two young children at the school, everyone in the area was bound to be hit by this tragedy. One of the toughest elements of this for St Leonards School principal Jo Wilson was helping the pupils of her school remember their friends and deal with a new experience for many of the youngsters, grief. But the school was a key player in dealing with the tragedy. Despite it being the holidays, it opened its doors, allowing parents and children to celebrate Bradley and Ellen, as well as hosting their funerals. Coming up to the year anniversary, it is now planning a private memorial for the two children. As I mentioned earlier, the key will be making sure something good comes from this, making sure no more mothers have to deal with living in fear of ex-partners, whose anger and lack of respect for the law make them a ticking time bomb. In the coming months, a coroner will hear the facts around what caused Edward Livingstone to do this, they will make strong recommendations. I for one hope the agencies involved take up what they have to say. But for me, I will always remember the 16th of January as a day my heart bled for three people I never knew - Katherine Webb and her two children Ellen and Bradley. I remember when an Auckland news director gasped at me when I snapped at her while delivering content, my reply, "you're not sitting down here, outside a house with two murdered children inside." After I was finally relieved of my duties at the house, a lack of sleep and finally realising the enormity and sadness of what went down, caused me to break down. This was an absolute tragedy, but sadly one we have seen far too often in New Zealand. Jilted lovers cause far too much pain, it's time to take action on the cries for shame and to make sure we can live in a happy and safe society, void of fear and where we can place trust in the law to protect those who need it. Sat, 27 Dec 2014 20:26:40 Z