Latest news with #rnz.co.nz
1News
a day ago
- 1News
Man who lost family in Waiuku crash speaks of 'unimaginable loss'
A man who lost his wife, daughter, and niece in a triple-fatal crash on the way home from school last week says his world has been shattered. Frances Latu-Vailea, her five-year-old daughter, Oneahi Vailea, and seven-year-old niece, Marly Tulua, died when their car left Masters Road in Auckland's Waiuku and crashed into a culvert in a wetland. In a social media post on Tuesday, Amanaki Vailea, spoke of his grief. The site where three people lost their lives in a crash in Waiuku (Source: 1News) "A week ago, my world was shattered by the loss of my beloved wife and our precious daughter. ADVERTISEMENT "The pain of their sudden passing is hard to put into words. "My wife was my better half, my confidant, and the steady heart of our home. Her love was unwavering and her presence brought warmth and light to everyone who knew her. She was not only my companion in life, but also my greatest blessing. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including Ozzy Osbourne dies, a worrying find on Rakiura Stewart Island, and new Coke coming. (Source: 1News) "Our daughter was a beautiful soul, full of innocence, laughter, and a light that touched every corner of our hearts. She brought us joy beyond measure, and her absence leaves a silence that nothing can fill." He thanked everyone who had supported him as he faced an "unimaginable loss".
1News
2 days ago
- Business
- 1News
Council rates error caused by lack of financial reporting knowledge
An external review following a New Plymouth District Council rates GST blunder — which could've cost it $20 million in lost revenue — indicates key managers may not have a sufficiently sophisticated understanding of the rating process and its impacts. The Simpson Grierson review found the council lacked financial reporting and modelling capability which "strongly suggests a need for training, and possibly recruitment/restructure and training". Council chief executive Gareth Green conceded an earlier restructure — which saved the district council $10 million — played a part in the error. "That necessitated some significant pressure being applied through the business. "I think that pressure along with other pressure points in the local government sector has contributed to this [mistake] occurring, so certainly the pressure that restructure has applied has had an impact, most definitely." ADVERTISEMENT He was instigating another restructure designed to bring more financial and local government experience to council staff. Green said this would result in a "small number of job losses" due to new positions being created. He wasn't thinking about falling on his sword. "I do take full responsibility for this, but I am not tendering my resignation at the current time. "My total focus at this point is leading this organisation through this situation and making sure we can resolve it in the best possible way." The Simpson Grierson review also uncovered two further bungles. It revealed the council hiked average residential rates 12.8% rather than 9.9% as advertised. ADVERTISEMENT Summary: The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including death of a The Cosby Show actor, vape product recalled, and how working less makes us feel better. (Source: Breakfast) The gaffe equated to $102 per ratepayer or $3.1 million. The review also identified an annual plan wording error relating to industrial water use which could've cost council a further $1.4 million in lost revenue. In his report, consultant Jonathan Salter said sophisticated knowledge and understanding of the rating process and rating impacts tended to be the domain of specialist officers with a long-standing understanding of the rating function. These staff were usually intimately familiar with the council's financial reporting and modelling systems, the valuation and rating information database and the district itself, he said. "There appears to have been a lack of capability in these two areas. This strongly suggests a need for training, and possibly recruitment/restructure and training." New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom. (Source: ADVERTISEMENT Mayor Neil Holdom said one reason why he called for an independent review when the GST error was discovered was so council could learn from its mistakes. "I just want to make it clear the councillors — the governance team — made decisions based on information that was incorrect. "Our long-term plan was audited by Audit NZ and they also didn't pick up this error in our rating calculation model." Holdom said the proposed restructure would bolster the financial capability and bring people onboard council with local government experience. The Simpson Grierson report also recommended an independent legal review be a component of the annual rate setting process, and that council not rely on the Audit NZ review alone. Holdom said an extra-ordinary meeting on July 22 would consider a proposal for future annual-plan and long-term plan calculations to be externally peer reviewed as part of a parcel of steps to address the recent errors. Salter also wanted the council to review how it handled documents. ADVERTISEMENT "It appears that document management may have been an issue... the restricted water supply targeted rate issue appears to have arisen from an incorrect 'cut and paste' from another document." Holdom earlier described the GST blunder as a "typo" and a "cut and paste" error. The Simpson Grierson consultant also thought council should consider moving away from an average residential rates model to an overall rates model. "This would be a more transparent and certain disclosure. If there is reference to the 'average' rather than 'overall' rates increase, this concept should be defined." At the extraordinary council meeting on July 22, the mayor would recommend councillors approve a one-off rates refund to all residential property owners to ensure the average residential rates increase equalled 9.9%. That would require council to find $3.1 million in savings elsewhere. Councillors would also vote on amending the rates resolution wording regarding properties on a restricted water flow — usually industrial users — to ensure council was able to charge $418 for each cubic metre of water as intended. ADVERTISEMENT
1News
3 days ago
- Climate
- 1News
Four skiers partially buried in avalanche on Mt Ruapehu
A group of skiers are "extremely lucky" to have evaded injury after an avalanche on Mt Ruapehu, the NZ Mountain Safety Council says. The party of six was ski touring near the Summit Plateau on Friday when they triggered an avalanche while skinning — using skis with a special removable "skin" to grip the snow when travelling up a slope. Four members of the party were partially buried in the avalanche, with one buried with only their face and arm exposed. Another was buried except for their hand, but had an airway excavated within two minutes. RNZ understood all members of the party were fully excavated within 10 minutes, with emergency services not needed. ADVERTISEMENT The avalanche in Mt Ruapehu backcountry was reported via a public observation on the NZ Avalanche Advisory, said NZ Mountain Safety Council chief executive Mike Daisley. "The party was extremely lucky that no one was hurt — or worse — and the incident is an important reminder for anyone heading into the alpine backcountry that avalanches can and do happen," said Daisley. "It's the start of the season, so now is the time to think about avalanche safety and ensure you have all the basics covered. If you're heading into the backcountry, you need the skills, training, and the equipment, and you need to check the avalanche forecast every time." The NZ Avalanche Advisory, provided by the NZ Mountain Safety Council, gave backcountry users — those outside the skifield boundary, including skiers, snowboarders, mountaineers, trampers and hunters — vital information so they could plan their trip and make informed decisions to manage their safety in avalanche terrain. Public observations on the avalanche advisory provided an additional source of information for avalanche forecasting. Observations were also useful for anyone planning an alpine trip, said Daisley. "By submitting their observations, backcountry users are contributing to a more knowledgeable and safer backcountry community. We sincerely thank the party for sharing what must have been a very scary experience. This is a great example of the community looking out for each other."
1News
3 days ago
- 1News
'Loving relationship': Defence denies DeLuney fell out with mother
Julia DeLuney's defence says there's no evidence of a breakdown in the relationship between her and her mother, Helen Gregory, that would explain a murder. DeLuney is on trial at the High Court in Wellington charged with murdering the 79-year-old at her Khandallah home in January 2024, which she denies. The Crown finished its closing argument on Friday, arguing DeLuney had been stealing cash from her mother and then violently attacked her, leaving her dead or dying, perhaps following a confrontation about money. But defence lawyer Quentin Duff said there was no evidence of a breakdown in the relationship between DeLuney and her mother. There was only evidence, he said, of "an ordinary and loving relationship, albeit with its own problems". ADVERTISEMENT He asked the jury not to accept that they were being asked to decide that DeLuney had killed her mother, without knowing why. He argued the police investigation had failed to consider other suspects - by 7 February, it had narrowed down to DeLuney only. Helen Gregory. (Source: "Of course she should have been a suspect," Duff said. "In none of our cross examination have we criticised that." But he said there should have been two others - the first, a mysterious person who knocked on the door of a house further up the street that same night but left before the homeowner answered. The second was someone who left a coffee cup in a pot plant at Gregory's address, which Duff said was never investigated, and should have been. The Crown argued on Friday it was DeLuney who took that money, and she who put the idea of the handyman being the culprit in her mother's head. ADVERTISEMENT Duff drew the jury's attention to the "myth" of the attic fall, which had "perpetuated itself right throughout the way of this investigation, through to this trial". He said DeLuney had told them about the fall, but had never claimed that had been the cause of death - rather, the police had latched onto that, and worked to disprove it. "They were hellbent, you might think, on disproving and exposing Ms DeLuney for being a liar." He also accused the police of inserting themselves into the story, to make judgement calls on what DeLuney had done. But he said DeLuney's decisions made sense when you considered what we had heard about the people involved. The court heard that, on a past occasion, Gregory had fallen out of her bed - therefore, it made sense for DeLuney to put her on the floor. It heard her Gregory hated hospitals, and was scared of being put in a home. On top of that, DeLuney was scared of being blamed for letting her mother climb into the attic in the first place - so it made sense that she didn't call an ambulance. ADVERTISEMENT And it made sense, Duff said, that DeLuney would leave her mother to fetch her husband, Antonio - if the injury was minor, and all she needed was monitoring overnight, it would be "a load shared" to fetch someone who happened to know CPR, Duff said. "That's common sense." The defence's closing argument continues this afternoon.
1News
6 days ago
- Business
- 1News
Commerce Commission moves to lower debit and credit card surcharges
The Commerce Commission has moved to lower interchange fees paid by businesses to accept Visa and Mastercard payments. The regulator has issued a final decision, saying the cost was too high, and their decision would save businesses around $90 million a year. It said the average business would save around $500 each year in lower fees, but individual businesses could save more or less, depending on the mix of transactions they accept. The Commission put the overall cost of interchange fees at around $1 billion for businesses, which were often passed onto customers through surcharges and higher product costs. "This is an important step in our continued work to cut costs for businesses and consumers," Commerce Commission chair John Small said. "Our latest decision builds on the initial fee caps set in 2022, which led to $140 million in annual savings to New Zealand businesses." ADVERTISEMENT "This decision cuts the cost for businesses accepting payments made through credit cards and foreign-issued cards, which are often the most expensive for businesses to accept." The Commission said it would also explore what regulations may be needed to address excessive surcharging. The Commission expected payments providers to support businesses understand their costs to accept these payment types. It has also decided not to regulate fees for commercial credit card or prepaid debit card payments.
