Latest news with #Patterson
Otago Daily Times
12 hours ago
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Taranaki homes damaged in strong winds
Shirlene Patterson's 100-year-old villa in Tuiti St had much of its roof ripped off. Photo: RNZ Residents in the Taranaki town of Waitara are assessing damage after strong winds ripped through the area. Meteorologist Kgolofello Dube said the atmospheric conditions at the time were "favourable" to a tornado forming and, given the damage, it was likely - but Dube could not yet confirm whether it was one. Firefighters were called to several homes shortly after midnight on Friday after strong winds blew out a sunroom in Elliott St. There were also reports of lifted roofs, flattened fences and a car being tossed around like it was a matchbox toy. Fire and Emergency NZ said there were no injuries, but at least 11 houses in the main street of Waitara alone suffered damage. Tuiti St resident Shirlene Patterson said the wind had ripped off the roof of her home, demolished a greenhouse and took out trees on her property. Patterson said she was in bed with her young granddaughter beside her at the time. "I was sound asleep but then I heard the peeling and cracking of the tin coming off, and then a bang. I'm not sure what direction it was going - the bang could have been a tree going, it was a huge bottlebrush tree. "I had my five-year-old granddaughter in the bedroom with me, I got out of bed and grabbed her and brought her down to the other end of the house and it felt more secure." Patterson said her granddaughter was "absolutely my first priority". Her villa had "good bones" and that was probably what helped save it. "The damage is significant. For a 100-year-old house, it's got really good bones and it is really sturdy. [But] the roof, the structure, its apex that was up there, that has all gone." Patterson said it looked like parts of a neighbouring property that was damaged had hit her house. At nearby Aratapu St, Susan Duncan thought her Ford Focus had been hit by another vehicle, but the wind had picked it up and thrown it around, smashing windows and denting panel work.
Otago Daily Times
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
The Bill and the trees
Something which often surprises those whose only glimpse of Parliament is a few seconds on the TV news of MPs shouting at each other, is that most politicians — just like most people — actually get along fairly well. In my experience, very few MPs are malevolent figures: they genuinely are in the job to make New Zealand a better place (as they see things) and it is not at all unusual to see friendships made across the aisle. Parliament is a workplace, albeit a very unusual one, and like most workers MPs just want to get on with their colleagues and get the job done. Hence the genuine expressions of shock and grief in the House on Thursday when the news of the death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp was announced. She is the second MP to have died during this term: both she and the Green MP Fa'anānā Efeso Collins were young, first-term MPs with their abundant potential unfulfilled. The unexpected adjournment was a reminder that while politics is proposition and opposition, those advancing their ideas are real people with genuine human concerns. Before Parliament came to a shuddering halt the House did get through the first reading of the snappily entitled Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Scheme — Forestry Conversion) Amendment Bill, one of those rare pieces of legislation where Labour and National — mostly — see eye to eye. In 2002 the then Labour government passed the well-intentioned Climate Change Response Act 2002 which — among many initiatives — allowed farmers who swapped their entire property over from tending cows and sheep to tending trees, to register for the emissions trading scheme. Farmers, like most businesspeople, are practical. Once it eventuated that there was more money in lumber than livestock, pines started proliferating and productive farmland stopped generating food. New Zealand First Taieri list MP Mark Patterson offered the Bill his full-throated endorsement. Advancing this law change is part of the National-NZ First coalition agreement and is an issue close to Mr Patterson's heart: he has seen many properties in the vicinity of his Lawrence farm given over to trees. "This is the most consequential Bill to come before this House in this term of Parliament for our rural communities," he said. "Whole-of-farm conversions of some of our most productive land, if left unchecked, are in the process of shuttering large swathes of rural New Zealand. Action is both necessary and overdue." Beef and sheep farms were doing decent business at the moment, but the current price for carbon credits meant trees were far more profitable. What's more, on current trends trees were about to become competitive with dairy farming — the backbone of New Zealand's economy. "I know: I planted some myself; I've taken advantage of this scheme," he confessed. "Why would I not? It would be looking a gift horse in the mouth." Mr Patterson said he came not to damn forestry — a $6 billion export sector in its own right — but to encourage the right trees being planted in the right place. "It does create opportunities to integrate forestry in with sheep and beef farming primarily, in a mosaic-type approach, and it can help cash-flow farm succession. It's not all down side, by any means, for our rural communities." Dunedin Labour MP Rachel Brooking said while Labour thought it was slightly ambitious to hope this Bill could solve the woes of rural communities, we could all (well, apart from the Greens and Te Pāti Māori, who voted no) agree there was a problem. "We think that some more fixing will be needed in addition to this Bill," she said. "We heard the Hon Mark Patterson speak before about a piece of farmland that he owns where he planted some trees because that is what the economics were telling him to do. "He didn't have to do it, but it made good financial sense, and people will follow the incentives." Ms Brooking noted the issue was not trees per se, but how to disincentivise carbon forests on good food-producing farmland. "These are pine trees that are planted to stay put. They might be harvested once, but then they're going to stay in the ground. "It's different from plantation forestry whereby foresters are out there planting the trees and then planning to cut them down." While broadly backing the stated intent of the Bill, Ms Brooking took issue — as the opposition has with other pieces of legislation — with the short time the environment select committee will have to consider the legislation. "The report back is only August 20, which is not much time, but it is better than all stages under urgency, which, of course, this government likes to do." Not quite peace in our time, but it was a start.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Jury told to be careful assessing mushroom cook's lies
Jurors cannot find mushroom cook Erin Patterson guilty of murdering her lunch guests simply because she admitted telling lies, a judge has warned. Victorian Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale provided the caution during the fourth day of his directions to the jury in Patterson's triple-murder trial. He noted the lies the 50-year-old has admitted, which include claims she never foraged for wild mushrooms and that she never had a dehydrator. Jurors could use those lies to assess Patterson's credibility on other statements she made to witnesses or during her evidence, Justice Beale said. But just because Patterson lied about one thing does not mean she lied about everything, and jurors would need to consider all of the prosecution's evidence, the judge warned. "Do not reason that just because she has told a lie about something then she is guilty," Justice Beale said. The warning came after he outlined the evidence around Patterson's alleged fake illness after the death cap mushroom-laced lunch. Patterson's former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died in hospital days after eating the beef Wellingtons prepared by Patterson on July 29, 2023. Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson became unwell but was the only lunch guest to survive. Patterson, who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one charge of attempted murder, claims she was also unwell after the meal. Justice Beale outlined the evidence from Patterson herself, where she reported having nausea and explosive diarrhoea for more than a day after the lunch. The judge also reflected on the evidence from Patterson's children, ex-husband Simon, doctors and nurses, who at times stated how well she appeared. Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC claimed Patterson was pretending to be sick because she knew she had not eaten the deadly death cap mushrooms. Patterson's barrister Colin Mandy SC argued she was unwell but not as sick as her lunch guests due to the amount of beef Wellington she ate, her age, size and general physical health. Justice Beale said the evidence around Patterson's condition after the lunch should be considered in the context of alleged incriminating conduct. Patterson has admitted some of the conduct, including disposing of the dehydrator at a tip and lying about foraging for wild mushrooms. Justice Beale said jurors have to consider whether Patterson told the lies because she panicked in fear of being wrongly accused and losing custody of her children. Patterson has denied lying about feeling unwell and feeding her children leftovers from the beef Wellington lunch. If the jury found she did engage in the alleged conduct, they must consider whether she did so because she feared being wrongly blamed, the judge said. "Even if you think that conduct makes her look guilty, that doesn't mean she is guilty," Justice Beale said. He sent the jurors home for the week shortly before 1pm on Friday, advising them his directions should finish before lunch on Monday. The jury of 14 will then be balloted down to 12, who will be tasked with deciding whether Patterson is guilty or not guilty of each of the charges.
West Australian
a day ago
- West Australian
Jury told to be careful assessing mushroom cook's lies
Jurors cannot find mushroom cook Erin Patterson guilty of murdering her lunch guests simply because she admitted telling lies, a judge has warned. Victorian Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale provided the caution during the fourth day of his directions to the jury in Patterson's triple-murder trial. He noted the lies the 50-year-old has admitted, which include claims she never foraged for wild mushrooms and that she never had a dehydrator. Jurors could use those lies to assess Patterson's credibility on other statements she made to witnesses or during her evidence, Justice Beale said. But just because Patterson lied about one thing does not mean she lied about everything, and jurors would need to consider all of the prosecution's evidence, the judge warned. "Do not reason that just because she has told a lie about something then she is guilty," Justice Beale said. The warning came after he outlined the evidence around Patterson's alleged fake illness after the death cap mushroom-laced lunch. Patterson's former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died in hospital days after eating the beef Wellingtons prepared by Patterson on July 29, 2023. Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson became unwell but was the only lunch guest to survive. Patterson, who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one charge of attempted murder, claims she was also unwell after the meal. Justice Beale outlined the evidence from Patterson herself, where she reported having nausea and explosive diarrhoea for more than a day after the lunch. The judge also reflected on the evidence from Patterson's children, ex-husband Simon, doctors and nurses, who at times stated how well she appeared. Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC claimed Patterson was pretending to be sick because she knew she had not eaten the deadly death cap mushrooms. Patterson's barrister Colin Mandy SC argued she was unwell but not as sick as her lunch guests due to the amount of beef Wellington she ate, her age, size and general physical health. Justice Beale said the evidence around Patterson's condition after the lunch should be considered in the context of alleged incriminating conduct. Patterson has admitted some of the conduct, including disposing of the dehydrator at a tip and lying about foraging for wild mushrooms. Justice Beale said jurors have to consider whether Patterson told the lies because she panicked in fear of being wrongly accused and losing custody of her children. Patterson has denied lying about feeling unwell and feeding her children leftovers from the beef Wellington lunch. If the jury found she did engage in the alleged conduct, they must consider whether she did so because she feared being wrongly blamed, the judge said. "Even if you think that conduct makes her look guilty, that doesn't mean she is guilty," Justice Beale said. He sent the jurors home for the week shortly before 1pm on Friday, advising them his directions should finish before lunch on Monday. The jury of 14 will then be balloted down to 12, who will be tasked with deciding whether Patterson is guilty or not guilty of each of the charges.
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Rose Lavelle Returns From Injury To The USWNT and Scores In Win Over Ireland
Rose Lavelle scored in her first national team match of the year after ankle surgery and the United States defeated Ireland 4-0 on Thursday night. Avery Patterson, Sam Coffey and Alyssa Thompson also scored for the United States. Lavelle last played for the national team in December against the Netherlands. Patterson, making her third start for the national team, scored on a header off a short corner from Lavelle in the 18th minute. It was her first international goal. "It's surreal. I think at halftime someone asked me what was going through my head, and I don't think I fully came down and realized what had happened until two water breaks afterward," Patterson laughed. "I need to watch it again because I kind of blacked out." Coffey added a goal before halftime, with a shot that cut across to the far post. It was her third national team goal and second in the last three games. Lavelle made it 3-0 in the 53rd, scoring handily off a well-placed pass from Ally Sentnor. Thompson ran the ball from the center line, danced around a defender and finished with a blast from atop the box in the 63rd. "I felt that pressure was coming so I took a touch around her, I've been in that situation a lot of times in this game, and I was like `I need to score this one,'" Thompson said. "So I did my usual move and then hit it to the far side." Coach Emma Hayes gave her Europe-based players — including Lindsey Heaps, Catarina Macario, Crystal Dunn and Emily Fox — time off after their seasons. The exception was defender Naomi Girma, who is working her way back from a calf injury. Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey, who plays for the Seattle Reign, and Lilly Reale, a defender for Gotham, started for the United States in their national team debuts. The youngest player on the squad, 18-year-old Jordyn Bugg, made her debut as a second-half substitute. Six of the 11 starters had less than 10 appearances with the national team. Lavelle, with 111 appearances on the team, was one of the veterans in the lineup, along with defender Emily Sonnett. The United States has faced Ireland 16 times and never dropped a match. The Irish have scored just one goal against the United States. The United States plays Ireland again on Sunday in Cincinnati, Lavelle's hometown. The team plays Canada on July 2 in Washington, D.C. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from United States Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
