Latest from Otago Daily Times
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
More heavy rain on the way for flooded regions
The storm-battered Tasman and Nelson area is now having to prepare for more heavy rain on Thursday and Friday. It comes as the area is cleaning up after heavy rain on Friday and Saturday. RNZ journalist Samantha Gee was part of a group - including Minister for Emergency Management Mark Mitchell - which surveyed the damage by helicopter. The worst affected area appeared to be the township of Kohatu, beside the Motueka River, and across to Quinney's Bush, she said. The flooding has left one person dead, and caused damage across the Motukea Valley, stock losses and road closures. Following the helicopter survey on Sunday afternoon, Civil Defence controller for the area Alec Louverdis told reporters staff were being prepared for another bout of rain. "Unfortunately it is not just the response but we are looking ahead to Thursday and Friday with the news that we can expect some very high rainfall. "It is the last thing we wanted to hear but something we are preparing for." The locality of Kohatu, beside the Motueka River, near Quinney's Bush, remained one of the worst hit areas. State Highway 6 through the area was closed. Two other roads had re-opened - State highway 63 in Marlborough and the Wakefield Street to St Arnaud route, Louverdis said. Parts of the area, though, were experiencing problems with cellular coverage, especially Wakefield, Street Arnaud and Richmond, after slips took out parts of the fibre optic cable. Chorus today said it had managed to restore some connections around St Arnaud, but Louverdis said other parts of the connection had been badly hit and Civil Defence was trying to get Starlink connections for some people affected. Tasman's deputy mayor Stuart Bryant - who was also present in the helicopter on Sunday - told reporters damage to the Motueka Valley was more extensive than could be seen from the ground. "Most of the damage progressively gets worse as you go up the Motueka Valley until you get the Wangapeka confluence, [there's a] severely damaged hop farm and sheep and beef farm there with lots of damaged fence, lots of gravel across the paddocks," Bryant said. Rain radar During this afternoon's press conference, Mitchell said a rain radar for the top of the South Island was a priority. Nelson's closest rain radar is in Wellington and the next is further south in Westland, limiting the region's access to accurate weather data. Mitchell said he would look at rectifying that. "Definitely we're talking about a rain radar, I'm very motivated to try and progress that as quickly as we can because it's obvious that it can provide more early warning for the decision makers," he said. "The other thing we're doing is we're bringing NIWA and MetService together and quite simply the reason we're doing that is so we can provide much better data and a much better product out to the regions, the CDEM teams and the mayors." Damage assessments are continuing across the region Anyone with any worries or issues should contact the Civil Defence community hub set up in the Motueka Rec Centre.
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Tasman, Nelson to prepare for more heavy rain following flooding
The storm-battered Tasman and Nelson area is now having to prepare for more heavy rain on Thursday and Friday. It comes as the area is cleaning up after heavy rain on Friday and Saturday. RNZ journalist Samantha Gee was part of a group - including Minister for Emergency Management Mark Mitchell - which surveyed the damage by helicopter. The worst affected area appeared to be the township of Kohatu, beside the Motueka River, and across to Quinney's Bush, she said. The flooding has left one person dead, and caused damage across the Motukea Valley, stock losses and road closures. Following the helicopter survey on Sunday afternoon, Civil Defence controller for the area Alec Louverdis told reporters staff were being prepared for another bout of rain. "Unfortunately it is not just the response but we are looking ahead to Thursday and Friday with the news that we can expect some very high rainfall. "It is the last thing we wanted to hear but something we are preparing for." The locality of Kohatu, beside the Motueka River, near Quinney's Bush, remained one of the worst hit areas. State Highway 6 through the area was closed. Two other roads had re-opened - State highway 63 in Marlborough and the Wakefield Street to St Arnaud route, Louverdis said. Parts of the area, though, were experiencing problems with cellular coverage, especially Wakefield, Street Arnaud and Richmond, after slips took out parts of the fibre optic cable. Chorus today said it had managed to restore some connections around St Arnaud, but Louverdis said other parts of the connection had been badly hit and Civil Defence was trying to get Starlink connections for some people affected. Tasman's deputy mayor Stuart Bryant - who was also present in the helicopter on Sunday - told reporters damage to the Motueka Valley was more extensive than could be seen from the ground. "Most of the damage progressively gets worse as you go up the Motueka Valley until you get the Wangapeka confluence, [there's a] severely damaged hop farm and sheep and beef farm there with lots of damaged fence, lots of gravel across the paddocks," Bryant said. Rain radar During this afternoon's press conference, Mitchell said a rain radar for the top of the South Island was a priority. Nelson's closest rain radar is in Wellington and the next is further south in Westland, limiting the region's access to accurate weather data. Mitchell said he would look at rectifying that. "Definitely we're talking about a rain radar, I'm very motivated to try and progress that as quickly as we can because it's obvious that it can provide more early warning for the decision makers," he said. "The other thing we're doing is we're bringing NIWA and MetService together and quite simply the reason we're doing that is so we can provide much better data and a much better product out to the regions, the CDEM teams and the mayors." Damage assessments are continuing across the region Anyone with any worries or issues should contact the Civil Defence community hub set up in the Motueka Rec Centre.
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Sentencing reforms come into effect as govt targets crime
By Natalie Akoorie of RNZ Sentencing reforms which will cap discounts judges can give to an offender and introduce aggravating factors at sentencing, have come into effect as the government targets tougher crime consequences. The Labour Party says the move will only exacerbate an already clogged court system, add huge costs to the taxpayer by increasing the prison population, and will not reduce crime or the number of victims. But Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the sentencing reforms, which came into effect on Sunday, were about restoring real consequences for crime. Communities and hardworking New Zealanders should not be made to live and work in fear of criminals who had a "flagrant disregard for the law, corrections officers and the general public", he said. "We know that undue leniency has resulted in a loss of public confidence in sentencing, and our justice system as a whole. We had developed a culture of excuses." The tougher stance was part of the government's plan to "restore law and order, which we know is working", he said. "It signals to victims that they deserve justice, and that they are our priority." The changes include: • Capping sentence discounts when considering mitigating factors • Preventing repeat discounts for youth and remorse • Introducing aggravating factors at sentencing for offences against sole charge workers and those whose home and business are interconnected • Encouraging the use of cumulative sentencing when someone commits a crime on bail, in custody or on parole • Requiring courts to take victims' needs and interests into account at sentencing Act backs reforms Act MP Nicole McKee welcomed the new rules saying there had been a steady erosion of public confidence in the justice system. "Offenders faced fewer and shorter prison sentences, while communities paid the price." She said police data showed a 134 percent increase in serious assault leading to injury from 2017 to 2023 under "Labour's failed experiment of being kind to criminals". "We've restored Three Strikes, and from today additional measures are coming into force to make the message even clearer." She said the vulnerability of people who worked alone or in a business attached to their home would be "recognised in law" thanks to Act's coalition agreement to crack down on retail crime with the introduction of the aggravating factors. 'Smart on crime' Labour's spokesperson for Justice Duncan Webb, however, said tough on crime sounded good but did not actually have the effect of reducing crime. "We've got to be smart on crime as well. We've got to address the causes of crime which we know are poverty, family violence, mental illness and addiction, and until we address those, there'll continue to be crime and there'll continue to be victims." Tougher sentences were just one option, he said. "If we're gonna be serious about reducing crime and reducing harm, we've got to address those causes of crime." Evidence showed tough on crime initiatives such as the Three Strikes law, which the government had reinstated, did not reduce victims, Webb said. "Victims are absolutely central to the approach and the best thing we could ever have is avoiding someone becoming a victim and that means addressing the causes of crime before crime occurs. "And absolutely I understand that when people are victims of crime they want to see the perpetrator punished and that's the right thing to happen, but I'd rather see the appropriate amount of resources put into mental health, reducing poverty, [and] eliminating homelessness, because those are things that create crime and we've seen them all increase under this government." The fact white collar crime such as fraud - which was one of the few crimes that responded to deterrents - was not captured by Three Strikes was inconsistent, Webb said. Webb said he had sought feedback from those in the social services, intervention, and criminal justice sectors. "They're all frustrated with the fact the direction that's being taken is going to clog up the courts, it's going to create more offenders, it's going to create more victims and it's not actually going to address what we really want to address which is the things that cause crime."
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Sentencing reforms to 'restore law and order' come into effect
By Natalie Akoorie of RNZ Sentencing reforms which will cap discounts judges can give to an offender and introduce aggravating factors at sentencing, have come into effect as the government targets tougher crime consequences. The Labour Party says the move will only exacerbate an already clogged court system, add huge costs to the taxpayer by increasing the prison population, and will not reduce crime or the number of victims. But Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the sentencing reforms, which came into effect on Sunday, were about restoring real consequences for crime. Communities and hardworking New Zealanders should not be made to live and work in fear of criminals who had a "flagrant disregard for the law, corrections officers and the general public", he said. "We know that undue leniency has resulted in a loss of public confidence in sentencing, and our justice system as a whole. We had developed a culture of excuses." The tougher stance was part of the government's plan to "restore law and order, which we know is working", he said. "It signals to victims that they deserve justice, and that they are our priority." The changes include: • Capping sentence discounts when considering mitigating factors • Preventing repeat discounts for youth and remorse • Introducing aggravating factors at sentencing for offences against sole charge workers and those whose home and business are interconnected • Encouraging the use of cumulative sentencing when someone commits a crime on bail, in custody or on parole • Requiring courts to take victims' needs and interests into account at sentencing Act backs reforms Act MP Nicole McKee welcomed the new rules saying there had been a steady erosion of public confidence in the justice system. "Offenders faced fewer and shorter prison sentences, while communities paid the price." She said police data showed a 134 percent increase in serious assault leading to injury from 2017 to 2023 under "Labour's failed experiment of being kind to criminals". "We've restored Three Strikes, and from today additional measures are coming into force to make the message even clearer." She said the vulnerability of people who worked alone or in a business attached to their home would be "recognised in law" thanks to Act's coalition agreement to crack down on retail crime with the introduction of the aggravating factors. 'Smart on crime' Labour's spokesperson for Justice Duncan Webb, however, said tough on crime sounded good but did not actually have the effect of reducing crime. "We've got to be smart on crime as well. We've got to address the causes of crime which we know are poverty, family violence, mental illness and addiction, and until we address those, there'll continue to be crime and there'll continue to be victims." Tougher sentences were just one option, he said. "If we're gonna be serious about reducing crime and reducing harm, we've got to address those causes of crime." Evidence showed tough on crime initiatives such as the Three Strikes law, which the government had reinstated, did not reduce victims, Webb said. "Victims are absolutely central to the approach and the best thing we could ever have is avoiding someone becoming a victim and that means addressing the causes of crime before crime occurs. "And absolutely I understand that when people are victims of crime they want to see the perpetrator punished and that's the right thing to happen, but I'd rather see the appropriate amount of resources put into mental health, reducing poverty, [and] eliminating homelessness, because those are things that create crime and we've seen them all increase under this government." The fact white collar crime such as fraud - which was one of the few crimes that responded to deterrents - was not captured by Three Strikes was inconsistent, Webb said. Webb said he had sought feedback from those in the social services, intervention, and criminal justice sectors. "They're all frustrated with the fact the direction that's being taken is going to clog up the courts, it's going to create more offenders, it's going to create more victims and it's not actually going to address what we really want to address which is the things that cause crime."
Otago Daily Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Letters to the Editor: Q'town, therapy dogs and elections
Today's Letters to the Editor from readers cover topics including unsustainable housing in Queenstown, the joy of therapy dogs, and name recognition for electoral candidates. Vulnerable cash cow must be protected Queenstown and surrounds are heritage treasures of natural beauty. A cash cow, the area is vulnerable, endangered by tourism expansion and unrestrained development, unsupported by services and infrastructure. Just released for public comment is the Homestead Bay development on SH6 beyond Jack's Point. Part of Te Tapuae Southern Corridor development plan, this slick document claims to address points including: "For the landscape to retain its timeless identity and its connections between Tangaroa, Tāwhiri-mātea and Tāne, land and waters, people and place." Proposed development fulfils no stated aspirations with big interests and profits at play. Everyone interested in maintaining the area's unique beauty must comment. The uninterrupted view from the Remarkables across SH6 to Homestead Bay, majestic Cecil Peak and the Bayonets will be trashed by 2800 sardine dwellings and retail area. Infrastructure discussion is fanciful, with "active travel" (walking or bike riding) suggested. A moratorium on development must be placed, immediately. The region and country must decide, why and for whom development is proceeding, limits and the huge toll on this environment and landscapes. If rubber-stamped, then infrastructure, services, building and staffing a new hospital, must leap ahead and in place before encroachment from unsustainable housing. Elizabeth Corbett McCusker Eloquent art Excellent cartoon by Yeo in the ODT (20.6.25) — pictures speak louder than words. There is not enough money to build our new hospital but the person called in to progress the build will be paid $2500 per day plus expenses for the three months of his contract. I query how $2500 per day would not cover anyone's expenses. Yeo's cartoon (20.6.25) is what a lot of Dunedinites are thinking. It was absolutely mind-blowing to read the article about the appointment of Evan Davies. He said he was too busy to complete his previous time in the job because of a promotion. Apparently he still holds that job so how has the situation changed? His remuneration (plus expenses) surely requires his full attention, not an hour or two here and there. More than a hall As a Tahakopa Valley resident I must say that at no time have the locals been consulted regarding the last school reunion on March 29 2025. The Board of Trustees decided it was their school to make all decisions and they are upset about community money going back to the Ministry of Education. A trust account would have been sensible to have set up for such money. Is there not a rule whereby such money if singled out, should be shared in such a community, not just to one entity? There is the Our Hut heritage hub plus a local Sir Truby King railway bridge walking track which are visited by people from all over the world. Rachel Napier (Letters ODT 17.6.25) is making out that the community hall is the only entity in the district. Over the past 10 years the hub has funded renovation of its building and created a world class walking track. It is about to start a project doing a "Storymapp" about the Sir Truby King Track, and his life and work here in the Tahakopa Valley. Perhaps the Tahakopa Hall Committee will just have to do some work in raising some funds for the hall? Bedside visit from Staffy a delightful moment During a recent stay in Dunedin Hospital I had the most uplifting moment with a 9-month old Staffy dog named Nancy, brought in for patients who wished to spend a few minutes with her to pat and cuddle. For my interactions with Nancy, a therapy animal, I was rewarded with facelicks. Thank you to the hospital for permitting this, and very special thanks to Nancy and her owner, who brought myself and others a very real uplift. Cleaning bill The taxpayer should not have to pick up the bill from failed coal ventures. ( ODT 18.6.25). Compared to the budgeted $443 million the taxpayer is on the hook for to clean up the Tui oil field, the West Coast coal mess at less than $100m is relatively minor. How much will the taxpayer pay if Aussie miner Bathurst Resources decides destroying what is left of the Stockton and Denniston Plateaus is not economic? Bilious rhetoric re Bill decried Acting Prime Minister David Seymour's Facebook trolling of those exercising their democratic right to challenge the Regulatory Standards Bill reveals the extent to which he is not interested in any opinion other than his own. When any leader is unable to engage with and reply to others' expert opinions they reveal their lack of respect for everybody's democratic rights. We should all be very grateful that Seymour has exposed his narrow definition of democracy and the depravity to which he will stoop to obfusticate legal processes. How do you do? I read Brian Ellis' letter (25.6.25) with great interest and agree wholeheartedly with his observation that name recognition provides a real advantage in the upcoming 2025 local body elections. As he rightly points out, former MPs and high-profile sports figures benefit from this familiarity. To that list I would add incumbent councillors. The mechanics of the STV voting system only serve to amplify this advantage. Unfortunately, name recognition can sometimes save underperforming or fatigued councillors from being removed, limiting the opportunity for new people bringing fresh ideas and renewed energy to council. That is a shortcoming in the system which has not served Dunedin well. Mr Ellis goes on to criticise the campaign spending by myself and the Future Dunedin team, suggesting we are investing "vast sums of money". I'd like to reassure him and readers that this is simply not the case. Our campaign budget allocates approximately $9000 per candidate for media, considerably less than the $17,274.13 per candidate declared by Green Dunedin during the 2022 elections. If not through a media campaign, how else are new candidates to introduce themselves to voters? Our campaign addresses the very issue identified by Mr Ellis at the outset of his letter. Mayoral and council candidate, Future Dunedin Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@
