Latest news with #UpperHutt
RNZ News
7 days ago
- RNZ News
Group plead not guilty to killing Ian Moller in house fire
Ian David Moller, 82, died after an arson attack in November 2024. Photo: Supplied A group of men accused of setting fire to an Upper Hutt home which killed an elderly man have pleaded not guilty to murder and arson. Ian David Moller, 82, was critically injured when his Stokes Valley flat was set alight in November, and died four days later . It was the third arson at the Hanson Grove block of flats within a month. The first took place on 10 October, another on 14 October, and the third, after which Moller died, on 5 November. All of the fires started during the early hours of the morning. Three men, aged in their 20's and 30's, were charged with murder and arson, while a fourth man in his 20's was accused only of arson. They pleaded not guilty to all charges at the High Court in Wellington, and have been able to keep their names secret until a suppression hearing in October. Emergency services at the scene of a house fire on Hanson Grove in Lower Hutt's Stokes Valley on 5 November 2024. Photo: RNZ / Reece Baker Moller's niece, Denise Harrison, earlier told RNZ her family was "heartbroken" Moller had died in such tragic circumstances. "He was a very quiet man who went to church and spent time with his friends and he was never a bother to anybody," she said. "So to have his life ended so tragically is just completely heartbreaking for all of us." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
16-07-2025
- RNZ News
Missing Totara Park man found safe and well
Missing man Brett Carpenter. Photo: Supplied An Upper Hutt man missing since midday has been found. Police said 60-year-old Brett Carpenter, from Totara Park, was found safe and well on Wednesday evening after a large search effort - which included Land Search and Rescue, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (AREC), and Community Patrol. Earlier, Upper Hutt residents in the suburb were asked to check their properties for the missing man, who has Alzheimer's. Carpenter was last seen about midday on Hartford Crescent, and a search and rescue operation was underway in the wider Upper Hutt area. Detective David Nichols said police had serious concerns for his safety and wanted help from the public. Nichols said the best thing people could do was check their properties and ring 111 immediately if they found him. He said Carpenter was tall and skinny, with grey hair and an unshaven face. He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt and black trackpants with white stripes on the leg. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
16-07-2025
- RNZ News
Upper Hutt residents asked to check properties for missing man
Missing man Brett Carpenter. Photo: Supplied Upper Hutt residents in the suburb of Totara Parkare being asked to check their properties for a missing man who has Alzheimer's. Wellington police say 60-year-old Brett Carpenter was last seen about midday on Hartford Crescent, and a search and rescue operation is underway in the wider Upper Hutt area. Detective David Nichols said police had serious concerns for his safety and they would like help from the public. Nichols said the best thing people could do at this stage is check their properties and ring 111 immediately if they find him. He said Carpenter was tall and skinny, with grey hair and an unshaven face. He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt and black trackpants with white stripes on the leg. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
30-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Wellington Water to be replaced by new stand-alone entity next year
Lower Hutt mayor Campbell Barry. Photo: RNZ / Reece Baker Wellington's troubled water services provider will be replaced with a new stand-alone entity by this time next year, which councils say will be less costly for ratepayers. Upper Hutt City Council today agreed to back the "reset", which already had the support of Porirua, Lower Hutt and Wellington City Councils and Greater Wellington Regional Council. Lower Hutt mayor Campbell Barry, who chairs the Wellington Water Committee, welcomed today's "milestone", saying the decision marked "a reset for water services in the region". Unlike Wellington Water, the new entity would own the water infrastructure that was currently owned by councils, which meant it would be able to generate its own income, manage its own debt, and "not be constrained by council funding". "The new entity unlocks the financial tools needed to make smart investments in water infrastructure, without placing an unsustainable burden on ratepayers. "It will enable better decision-making across the entire network and ensure more consistent service delivery." Turning around "historical underinvestment" in water infrastructure would take time and water bills would still increase under the new entity to meet the needs of the region's ageing network, he admitted. However, high-level modelling showed that any rise in water charges would be about 30 percent less than what households would face under the current model. "Our main goal is to introduce a new way of delivering water services that allows for more investment in the network with an entity that is more efficient; while keeping costs more affordable and sustainable over the long-term," Barry said. The entity will be governed by a board of independent professional directors who will be appointed by a steering committee of council and iwi representatives. The decision comes as part of the government's Local Water Done Well reform, which requires councils to decide on a long term water services model and submit delivery plans by September 2025. The new entity will take over the ownership and management of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure by 1 July 2026. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
24-06-2025
- RNZ News
How a bushcraft programme helped turn a 13-year-old life around
Natural Leaders' lead facilitator Mandi Lynn (left) and Maverick Amanini (right) at a rite of passage. Photo: Supplied An Upper Hutt bushcraft programme has helped turn life around for a 13-year-old heading for a life of crime. Maverick Amanini was referred to Natural Leaders a year ago, and had gone through a "dramatic transformation" according to the programme's founder, Mandi Lynn. Amanini's mother, Courtney Kenny, said his bad behaviour started with getting in trouble at his intermediate school. "That then progressed into small crimes, from petty stealing to encounters of verbal and physical abuse... trying things that, you know, 12-year-olds shouldn't... running away from home, driving cars long distances... being expelled from school." The deputy principal of Amanini's school suggested he sign up to the Natural Leaders programme. Lynn said the programme, funded by Sport New Zealand's Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa, focussed on bushcraft and was intended for children who struggled in mainstream education. It also promoted ecotherapy - where the natural environment was used to promote mental and physical health. She said Amanini was indeed "a bit of a maverick" when he first joined the programme. "With Mav, nothing in the system was really working, and we've had that with a couple of other kids too. "You know, it's really simple in a lot of ways. It's just caring, and listening to them, and seeing their strengths, and supporting them in their strengths. I mean, that's not going to fix everything, but my God, it fixes a lot." Kenny said Amanini's bad behaviour had completely stopped in January after a rite of passage and a month-long trip to Great Barrier Island with Lynn. Maverick Amanini. Photo: Supplied Lynn said the rite of passage was a turning point for Amanini, who was using drugs at the time. "The rite of passage is eight days in the bush, and he had to go out and spend two days all on his own with no food. We're checking on him, but he doesn't see... and it's a really powerful thing. By the time he came out of it, he was clean, and he was just like, 'This feels so much better.'" She then took Amanini up to Great Barrier Island. "We took him fishing, and diving, and he got to see a bit of the country. By the time he was done with that, he was solid. Like there was no changing his mind that he wanted to be on the right path and that he could see that there were many ways to be a powerful man and without hurting others and without causing chaos in his wake." Maverick Amanini fishing near Great Barrier Island. Photo: Supplied Amanini had then re-engaged with education, and even become one of Natural Leaders' youth mentors. "Since [Mandi] has inspired me, I've started inspiring other people at Natural Leaders," he said. Kenny said he then got involved with Mangaroa Farms, a community food hub and education centre, which led to Amanini winning the first Youth Volunteer Award at Volunteer Wellington's Mahi Aroha Awards for delivering kai to the Upper Hutt community. "Before I went to go to the award ceremony, I was, like, confident I wasn't going to get it, because I didn't see why I should get it, because I didn't feel like I would deserve it. I didn't really look at what I have done, but that's what I thought. When I actually won it, I was just over the moon," he said. Courtney Kenny (left), Mandi Lynn, Maverick Amanini, and Sofia Amanini (right) at Volunteer Wellington's Mahi Aroha Awards. Photo: Supplied Kenny was also very proud. "He was totally shocked. It was a big surprise for me too. He's come a long way. Although there's probably people who have been in that volunteering space for a longer time, I think, Mav... his starting point was so much further back and to get to this place from that is a massive achievement in my opinion." As for his future, Amanini wanted to stay out of trouble... and hoped to be able to continue working with nature. "I don't have massive dreams. I do have this one dream, which is to get decently wealthy... I have goals of, like, starting a garden up in Nelson, and beehives, and fish tanks, aquariums, you know. Those are my three biggest goals right now." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
