$10m carryover seen as ‘progress’ for Ashburton council

SummaryA teenager, Lawrence Wiki-Newman, was sentenced to six years in prison for severely attacking a man with a hammer, even after the victim lost consciousness. The incident, which occurred in November 2023, stemmed from a dispute over a car borrowed from a family member of his cousin, Savay Barnes-Manuel. It was Barnes-Manuel who intervened during the attack, urging Wiki-Newman to stop to prevent a potential homicide. Full Article

In a significant development in the rugby world, All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane will join Irish club Leinster next season, aiming to transition from being viewed as a villain to a world-class recruit. Committed to the All Blacks until the 2027 World Cup, Ioane will utilize a sabbatical clause in his contract to skip one Super Rugby Pacific season with the Blues for a six-month stint abroad. Despite offers from Japan, he has chosen to...

A doctor involved in a workplace sex allegations investigation claims he filmed a woman to demonstrate her consent and protect himself from potential #MeToo accusations. The doctor and the woman, referred to as Ms G, reportedly connected through a sexual website, met at a bar, and agreed to engage in a secret sexual relationship due to her marital status. Their relationship, centered around a sexual fetish, involved the doctor as the dominant partner and the...

SummaryThree men accused of gang-raping a German backpacker after picking her up from Auckland’s Karangahape Rd on New Year’s Day have been granted interim name suppression by Judge Kevin Glubb. The men, charged with sexual violation, appeared in the Auckland District Court on January 23 and were granted bail, with arguments regarding name suppression scheduled for June. The Crown opposed the continuation of name suppression, and two of the defendants wore face masks during the...

A doctor, whose name is currently suppressed, faces allegations of inappropriate conduct by engaging in sexual acts with his submissive partner at his workplace, violating medical professionalism. An expert testified that the doctor's behavior constituted "blackmail" for threatening to reveal images if his partner did not comply with his demands. The doctor's lawyer challenged the expert's independence during the Health Practitioner Disciplinary Tribunal hearing, disputing the validity of the claims against the doctor. Full Article

Prowash employee Joshua Bowles, who had been on the job for only two months without proper safety training on harness use, fell 6 meters from a roof while cleaning with his boss. The 37-year-old father of five sustained a traumatic brain injury and multiple fractures, leading to a six-month hospital stay during which he missed important family milestones and felt immense guilt for the burden placed on his family. In a statement read on his...