Latest news with #Kāpiti
RNZ News
26-06-2025
- RNZ News
Helen Gregory murder trial: Why police didn't buy Julia DeLuney's accident claim
Julia DeLuney in the High Court. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii A detective giving evidence in the DeLuney trial says inconsistencies in the accused's story led police had to investigate the death as a manslaughter, rather than an accident. Julia DeLuney is accused of murdering her 79-year-old mother, Helen Gregory, and the trial, expected to take at least four weeks, is in its fourth day. The Crown's case is that DeLuney violently attacked her mother on the evening of 24 January 2024, at Gregory's home in Khandallah. But the defence claims Gregory fell from the attic, and while DeLuney left her in a bedroom to drive back to her Kāpiti home to collect her husband Antonio DeLuney to help - as her mother didn't like hospitals - a third person caused those fatal injuries. The defence's case is that police investigation developed "tunnel vision" in its pursuit of DeLuney, and it failed to properly investigate other options. Under cross examination by defence lawyer Quentin Duff, Detective Sergeant Guilia Boffa said police were told Gregory'd had a fall, but things didn't add up. "And there was information that was important that was missing from the accounts that were being provided around changing clothing and a number of areas travelled to that we were picking up that we were not being told about." Namely, she stopped at a petrol station and, the Crown asserts, changed clothes a number of times that evening. Detective Constable Kristina O'Connor, under cross examination for the second time after previously guiding the jury through a virtual walk-through of the address, began telling the court about her methodical search of the property for disturbances in the greenery or objects out of place. Her evidence continues this afternoon. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
25-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
NZ Rugby condemns referee abuse after provincial union postpones games
Photo: Unsplash / Davide Buttani New Zealand Rugby has condemned the abuse of referees after a provincial union cancelled all this weekend's games following another incident. Horowhenua Kāpiti Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) is postponing all club and college games after a referee officiating a college match between its college team and a visiting school side last weekend "was subjected to serious verbal abuse and physical intimidation". The union said the abuse was directed at the referee throughout the match by multiple visiting individuals, with the abuse so severe members of the public felt compelled to escort the referee to his vehicle following the game for his safety. "Horowhenua Kāpiti Rugby Football Union is appalled by this behaviour and stands with our match officials. This conduct has no place in our game, at any level and will not be tolerated." New Zealand Rugby's general manager community rugby, Steve Lancaster, said the governing body supported the HKRFU's decision. "New Zealand Rugby is deeply disappointed that the actions of a few individuals have resulted in the cancellation of this weekend's matches in Horowhenua-Kāpiti," Lancaster said in a statement given to RNZ. "We fully support the decision made by the Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby Football Union and commend their commitment to upholding the values of our game. "Physical and verbal abuse has no place in our communities - whether at work, in study, or other activities - and rugby is no exception. There is no room for the physical or verbal abuse of volunteers in our sport. Rugby is built on respect, and we must all play our part in protecting and promoting that principle. "We continue to work closely with our provincial unions to monitor and address instances of abuse, and we are committed to providing support to those affected." HKFRU issued a warning at the end of May that it would consider cancelling games after it said a referee was threatened with being stabbed . That statement, it said, made clear that the safety and respect of referees was non-negotiable. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the union said all rugby across the union on 28 June would be postponed, including junior, college-grade and senior matches. "This will provide time to reflect and consider what kind of rugby environment we are creating and enabling. We must take collective responsibility to protect our referees, uphold the mana of our game, and ensure that rugby remains a safe and respectful environment for everyone involved. "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Stand up and show your support for our Match Officials," chief executive Corey Kennett said. In late May Kennett had said referees were being physically threatened, some faced physical abuse and a referee had been struck with a piece of field equipment, and one referee had been threatened with being stabbed. The union board was united in its condemnation of this behaviour, chairperson John Cribb said in the Wednesday night post. "It is unacceptable and not what we expect from anyone involved in rugby. Whether you're a player, coach, parent, or supporter, you have a responsibility to uphold the values of our game. Referee abuse undermines everything we stand for and will not be tolerated. We expect better, and our referees deserve better."
RNZ News
25-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Rugby union postpones all club games this weekend after fresh referee abuse
Photo: Unsplash / Davide Buttani Horowhenua Kāpiti Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) is postponing all club games this weekend due to ongoing referees abuse, according to social media post. It said on 21 June a referee officiating a college rugby match between its college team and a visiting school side "was subjected to serious verbal abuse and physical intimidation. Abuse was directed at the referee throughout the match by multiple visiting individuals, culminating in a situation so concerning that members of the public felt compelled to escort the referee to his vehicle following the game, for his safety". "Horowhenua Kāpiti Rugby Football Union is appalled by this behaviour and stands with our match officials. This conduct has no place in our game, at any level and will not be tolerated." The union issued a warning at the end of May that they would consider cancelling games after it said a referee was threatened with being stabbed . That statement, it said, made clear that the safety and respect of referees was non-negotiable. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the union said all rugby across the union on 28 June would be postponed, including junior, college-grade and senior matches. "This will provide time to reflect and consider what kind of rugby environment we are creating and enabling. We must take collective responsibility to protect our referees, uphold the mana of our game, and ensure that rugby remains a safe and respectful environment for everyone involved. "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Stand up and show your support for our Match Officials," chief executive Corey Kennett said. In late May Kennett had said referees were being physically threatened, some faced physical abuse and a referee had been struck with a piece of field equipment, and one referee being threatened to be stabbed. The union Board was united in its condemnation of this behaviour, chairperson John Cribb said in the Wednesday night post. "It is unacceptable and not what we expect from anyone involved in rugby. Whether you're a player, coach, parent, or supporter, you have a responsibility to uphold the values of our game. Referee abuse undermines everything we stand for and will not be tolerated. We expect better, and our referees deserve better." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
25-06-2025
- RNZ News
Detective tells court of 'unusual' actions by murder-accused Julia DeLuney
Julia DeLuney at Wellington High Court. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii A detective who was among first responders to 79-year-old Helen Gregory's death has told the court he thought it was strange that her daughter, Julia DeLuney, chose to drive back to Kāpiti and get her husband instead of calling an ambulance. The trial before a judge and jury at the High Court in Wellington is set down for four to five weeks, and on Wednesday entered its third day. The Crown's case is that DeLuney violently attacked her mother on the evening of 24 January last year, possibly using a vase that was missing off one of the bedside tables, and staged it as a fall from the attic. DeLuney dealt in crypto currency and appeared to be in some financial trouble. However, the defence has asked the jury not to discount the possibility that there was a third person involved, with a neighbour reporting a mysterious knock on their door that same evening. The detective, Luke Hensley, under cross examination by defence lawyer Quentin Duff, said when he was called in the death wasn't being treated as suspicious. But he said the blood around the house struck him as strange - as did the claim from DeLuney that, when she had left her mother on the floor of a bedroom to drive back to Kāpiti to pick up her husband to help, there had been no significant blood. Hensley had eight years' experience at the time, but called a more senior officer to get advice, and they walked through the house on Facetime. In his statement on the night, he wrote they agreed it was "likely some sort of accident, but where the blood was located around the house was strange". They locked the scene down for an examination the next day. Hensley also noted at the time he thought it was "unusual" that DeLuney had driven to Kāpiti to fetch her husband, instead of calling an ambulance. The defence's case is that while she was gone, a third person caused those fatal injuries to her mother. Duff asked Hensley on the witness stand: "Did it ever occur to you that perhaps someone else might have broken into the house and caused those injuries and spread that blood?" Hensley replied: "At the time I believed that getting the statement from Ms DeLuney would cover off a lot of that" and "fill in those blanks". On the night of the death, DeLuney was not yet being treated as a suspect. She and her husband followed police officers in their own car to the Johnsonville police station in the early hours of the morning to give statements. The court heard DeLuney's account for the first time on Wednesday, in the form of her statement given in the early hours of that night in January 2024. Detective Elizabeth Lee, who worked in the Wellington Crime Squad based in Johnsonville, read out the written statement to the court. She was one of the officers who was on the scene, but then took witness statements from the DeLuneys at the police station just after 2am. The statement begins by detailing some recent falls her mother had had in the past two years, both times ending up in hospital. One fall resulted in a concussion and a skull fracture. She said her mother often lost her balance, or felt that she might lose her balance around home. That evening, Julia DeLuney's husband, Antonio DeLuney, had brought the car home from work, and she had driven it to her mother's house on Baroda Street around 6pm. It was her mother's birthday in May, and she and her daughters had thought tickets to the ballet would be a nice present. They sat down at computer and picked out seats. "She was in a good mood," she said in her statement. But her mother was "kind of obsessed" with a shirt she had misplaced and asked for help finding it, going into cupboards and wardrobes. At one point, DeLuney went up into the attic to store some watches. The rungs of the ladder to the attic were built into the wall. "Even I struggle to get up there," DeLuney said. About 8.30pm, Gregory went into a cupboard to search for the shirt again, and knocked over some toilet paper, which she said she wanted to put into the attic. DeLuney said at this point, she was in the kitchen. "All of a sudden, I heard a big crash, and I went over to find that she had fallen." Her mother was "sore everywhere" and holding the top of her head, "crumpled and tangled" against some objects at the base of the attic entrance. She moved her to one of the bedrooms, with her mum saying things like, "I'll be alright". She had a little bit of blood on her hand from holding her head. DeLuney said she couldn't see any open wounds, but it looked like the blood - "not a lot" - was coming from the top of her head. She told her mother she was going to get her husband Antonio to help. "At this stage I didn't think there was anything major going on, and I knew she hated hospitals," she said. She left Gregory lying on the floor, with her feet facing the window. She was "agitated" and trying to get up, but she told her to stay put. Then, she drove 40 minutes home, and found Antonio in bed. She told him her mother had fallen and she needed him to come with her to check on her. It took another 40 minutes to get back to the house, and when they entered, they ran into the bedroom and "freaked out" because "it looked like a warzone" with blood in lots of different places. She said none of that blood was there when she left, "so I got a hell of a shock". The trial continues, and is set down for four to five weeks.
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Expressway changes 'force fed to the community'
Roadworks on the Ōtaki expressway in 2021. Photo: Supplied / NZTA / Mark Coote Two district councils in the Lower North Island are banding together against downgraded plans for an expressway through their districts. More than a decade after it was originally proposed, a revised design for the Ōtaki to North of Levin expressway has seen on-ramps and overbridges removed, and interchanges replaced by roundabouts. Council and community advocates from the Kāpiti and Horowhenua districts said the sudden change has left locals confused and appalled. Horowhenua Mayor Bernie Wanden said people were sold a well constructed expressway on par with the roads above and below the district. But he said scaling back the project would increase safety risks and divide communities along the stretch. "The community feels very short changed, shafted almost. Having spent many years agreeing to what this project looked like and - here we are at the 11th hour - now being told that it's going to change. You can imagine, the reaction has not been very good at all," Wanden said. Horowhenua Trust chair Antony Young had been advocating for the construction of the expressway for nearly eight years. He said the modifications to the project - only months out from work getting underway - had left locals in disbelief. "It's a strong, small, tight community that just feels helpless. These changes are just being rushed through and force fed to the community and we just have no option other than to accept it," Young said. NZTA project manager Glen Prince said the changes had been primarily driven by the coalition government's drive to save money. But he said 80 percent of the design remained intact and the revised plan would still be of significant benefit. "We believe that the solution that we can deliver here still delivers on those outcomes around safety, resilience, around travel time [and] reliability. Yes, we understand that there are some downsides but I think - on balance - we believe we've got it," Prince said. National MP for Ōtaki Tim Costley said while he supported the need to save money, the replacement of a full interchange with a roundabout near Levin's Tararua Rd would isolate the new Tara-Ika development - of 3500 homes - on the eastern side of the expressway. "There's meant to be a new school, a shopping centre - it's a whole new mini-town - and every single person that's driving, cycling or walking between there and Levin township has to now have to cross State Highway One through traffic, through this roundabout, I think that will just be a nightmare," Costley said. Kāpiti deputy mayor Lawrence Kirby said residents and the two councils had reluctantly agreed on tolling for the road on the back of the promises made by the NZ Transport Agency. He said those promises had now been broken. "You go to a restaurant, they're promising you a three course meal. 'This is the cost of it', 'yup, we'll order it'. Then they deliver a two course meal without desert. It's a rip-off. "We didn't like the idea of tolls in the first place. But that was the way it was to get the road we were promised. Now we're having to take the tolls and a second rate road," Kirby said. Kirby said Horowhenua and Kāpiti District council's were calling on residents to contact the NZTA and Transport Minister, Chris Bishop to make their feelings known about the changes. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
