An update on Hawkes Bay news: A hoarder housefire and a fallen logging machine
Figures released under the Official Information Act show 526 students were stood down, suspended or excluded for using or having a weapon at school last year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
13 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Operation Clementine: More than 200 work visas granted to defunct businesses linked to Vietnamese cannabis ‘grow houses' in Auckland
A joint investigation between the police and Immigration New Zealand uncovered how the organised crime syndicates exploited the visa system to bring in an illegal workforce. Operation Clementine identified 38 different registered companies with connections to the properties where the cannabis 'grow houses' were busted. Those businesses, often in the construction or hospitality industries, were then targeted in raids which uncovered more hidden cannabis crops. 'During the operation, it was discovered that 11 companies were found or believed to be inoperative,' according to an Immigration NZ briefing released under the Official Information Act. 'Despite this, 203 individuals who hold valid work visas are still present in New Zealand linked to these 11 companies.' The briefing said that 14 infringement notices were issued to companies employing staff 'in a manner that is inconsistent' with a work-related condition of that person's visa. Deportation liability notices were issued to 38 people, while two left New Zealand voluntarily. 'Operation Clementine has resulted in a number of interventions which are helping exploited migrants to exit illegal and dangerous situations,' the briefing said. Others who had been granted visas are now unable to enter New Zealand, the briefing said. Immigration New Zealand cancelled 62 visas before they left Vietnam, 14 were turned around at the border, and anyone connected to the network of 'grow house' companies is now on a watch-list. 'Warnings have been placed on Immigration New Zealand systems on all companies selected for Operation Clementine, and on all the directors or 'key persons' linked to these companies, to attempt to mitigate and prevent any future connections with non-compliance and or organised crime,' the briefing said. Police raiding a commercial cannabis operation running out of a residential home in Orakei, Auckland in October 2024. Photo / Dean Purcell. Immigration NZ also sent relevant evidence to Inland Revenue, Oranga Tamariki and the Auckland Council to follow up. Internally, referrals were also made to the Labour Inspectorate, the Companies Office, and the Tenancy Tribunal. Steve Watson, the general manager in charge of investigations and compliance at Immigration NZ, was reluctant to disclose how Operation Clementine started. But he said some patterns had been noticed that 'didn't seem quite right' and his staff worked closely with police to solve the problem together. 'We will use the information we've gained from this, the learnings, to help inform how we manage risk going forward.' Watson said many of the Vietnamese nationals caught up in Operation Clementine came into the country on legitimate grounds. 'Once they've got here, they've been talked into, or moved sideways, into illicit work,' Watson said. 'It's definitely something of concern because from a victim's point of view, we want to protect migrants and not see them exploited or involved in criminality. 'But sometimes they are complicit, or know what they're doing, and that's part of the investigation that does take a lot of time.' The joint investigation was also looking for connections between the directors and shareholders of the 38 different companies linked to the cannabis 'grow houses' that had been discovered. Going forward, Watson said the main focus of Immigration New Zealand was prevention of migrant exploitation before they even applied for a visa to live here. One of the concerns for Watson were stories of migrants paying large sums of money to 'unscrupulous' agents to obtain visas. 'We're talking $10,000 or $20,000. I've heard up to $30,000,' Watson said. 'That's something we want to put a stop to. The correct way to come to New Zealand is to come straight to us [Immigration NZ].' He referred questions about the issue of the cannabis 'grow houses' and Vietnamese organised crime groups to the New Zealand Police. However, a police spokesperson failed to respond to the Herald. Although Operation Clementine is an example of cooperation between two law enforcement agencies, a group of experts advising the Government on organised crime has warned that more needs to be done. 'Information sharing between government agencies is deficient. In some cases, that is because there are specific legislative barriers. In others, the willingness to share information proactively is due to the culture of organisations,' the advisory group wrote in March. 'We need to have a mature conversation about the privacy settings which balances the need to combat organised crime effectively, without compromising individual privacy interests.' Jared Savage covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organised crime. He joined the Herald in 2006 and has won a dozen journalism awards in that time, including twice being named Reporter of the Year. He is also the author of Gangland, Gangster's Paradise and Underworld.
1News
a day ago
- 1News
Speed cameras' range confirmed as NZTA takes over from police
Police have now passed responsibility for speed cameras over to the New Zealand Transport Agency, which is placing them in a fleet of SUVs. NZTA started rolling out its speed camera-equipped vehicles in Auckland in May and - as of the start of this month - has been the sole operator of the equipment. Police are no longer operating their vans. A response to an Official Information Act request shows the range of the NZTA cameras' radar is a maximum of 300m. NZTA said: 'The typical detection range of the equipment is 150 metres. The radar is capable of detection up to a range of 300 metres, depending on its use and installation.' It said their radar units transmit continuously and that the mobile camera systems are paired with a high-definition still image camera. ADVERTISEMENT 'They do not use high-definition video and do not use automatic number plate recognition,' the agency said. The system used is the Acusensus Harmony camera, which was approved under the Land Transport Act in April this year. Police officers continue to have speed detection equipment which they operate from their own vehicles and these can have a much longer range - beyond 1km. Road policing Inspector Peter McKennie said police have "not reduced their speed enforcement efforts with NZTA now taking over full responsibility of speed cameras". He added: "We will continue to operate radar and laser speed detection equipment, as well as pace-checking vehicles for speed. With lasers, this includes the ability to clearly identify individual vehicle speeds out of a line of traffic at distances in excess of one kilometre away." 'Not hidden' The NZTA SUVs are unbranded and park on the sides of roads to monitor drivers and are positioned to be visible to drivers. ADVERTISEMENT A spokesperson said at the time of the launch of the first SUV in May: "So while our safety cameras in SUVs and trailers will be visible to drivers and will not be hidden, they won't be signposted." NZTA is also planning to add trailers to its mobile speed camera fleet later this year. By the end of the rollout, there will be 44 mobile cameras nationwide, with 35 operating at any given time. Speed camera-equipped trailers would join the SUVs later this year. (Source: Supplied) NZTA head of regulatory strategic programmes Tara Macmillan previously said mobile speed cameras will save lives. 'Speeding drivers can cause serious and irreparable harm on the roads, including deaths and serious injuries,' she said. "Evidence shows that we can reduce the chance of people being killed or seriously injured in crashes if drivers travel within speed limits, and that is why we have safety cameras." The exact timing and location of the cameras is based on factors such as crash data and feedback from local communities. ADVERTISEMENT 'Mobile cameras will be used in places where there is a risk of people being killed or seriously injured in a crash," Macmillan said.
1News
2 days ago
- 1News
Fears pests are using Transmission Gully to enter Wellington
Some conservationists are concerned about the potential impact of ferrets entering Wellington amid a significant rise in the number of pests being caught on Transmission Gully. Documents released under the Official Information Act show that between January 2024 to 14 April this year, 701 pests were trapped or killed on the road. That's up from RNZ's previous reports of 226 pests trapped between November 2022 and January 2024. The animals killed in the latest data set included stoats, weasels, deer, rabbits, rats, pigs and possums. Predator Free Wellington has been working for years to get rid of all pests in the capital. ADVERTISEMENT Project director Julian Wilcocks told RNZ there had been quite a lot more trapping done along Transmission Gully. But Wilcocks said it had also been a "bumper season" recently for mustelids which included animals such as stoats, ferrets and weasels. "That is a real massive concern because we don't have ferrets in Wellington City and so obviously, we want to really keep those from getting into the city." He said if ferrets got into the city it would be "dire straits" for their work. "Ferrets — they have a very high metabolism, so they need to eat a lot of protein which is often our native species." They also had huge roaming distances and were particularly damaging to kiwi, Wilcocks said. "It has taken us a number of years' effective methodologies for eliminating rats, stoats and weasels and so we wouldn't want to be adding ferrets to the mix." ADVERTISEMENT The furthest south a ferret has been found on the motorway was at Haywards in 2023. NZTA Waka Kotahi regional manager Mark Owen told RNZ $165,000 had been allocated for pest management on Transmission Gully for this financial year. Owen said the investment aligned with Greater Wellington Regional Council's pest management plan. "The plan dictates that NZTA/Waka Kotahi is responsible for controlling pests on road reserves that it occupies. "NZTA/Waka Kotahi also manages pest plants in accordance with this plan." He said that it followed best practice and focused on feral pigs, mustelids and deer. Predator Free Waikanae member Kevin Sheppard said his organisation had been trapping along the Kāpiti Expressway which linked up to Transmission Gully. ADVERTISEMENT Sheppard told RNZ the pests were quite lazy and would take the easiest route north and south. He said since they started trapping on the expressway 220 animals had been caught by the group. Sheppard said that while new roads such as Transmission Gully and the Kāpiti Expressway have been "an amazing addition" to the region, work needed to be done to continue trapping along the roads. "It obviously does simply create a pathway for animals such as stoats and ferrets to move along quickly." He said there were likely to be gaps in the trapping network at least along Kāpiti Expressway. "We're trapping between Waikanae heading up to Peka Peka on one side, so there's nothing happening on the other side."
