Toddler killed in Bay of Plenty crash named by police
Photo:
RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Police have named the two-year-old who
died in a car crash in the Ngongotahā Valley
in May as Sakura Hall.
Two others were injured in the two-car crash which happened on Dansey Rd at 8am on May 22.
The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation, police said.
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RNZ News
7 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Retailers not reporting crime because they don't believe police will turn up
Hunting and Fishing Kerikeri owner Byron Smith wants retailers to have greater powers to detain shoplifters until police arrive. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf A Northland business leader is imploring shop owners to report all retail crime. even if they do not expect police to turn up. NorthChamber chief executive Leah McKerrow said a series of meetings with small business owners around the region in the past week revealed many had "lost faith" in reporting crime. McKerrow said Northland ranked low in national statistics for shoplifting, but that could be because it simply was not being reported. "What's been evident from a lot of retailers is their frustration and concern that there's no reason to report these crimes, because nothing seems to be done," she said. "While it might not be immediately needed that a police officer attends, making sure that we record the crime is critically important." McKerrow said, if a crime was not reported, it would not show up in the national database. "If it's not showing up, we don't get resourced for it. Police don't get resourced for it." Having an accurate record also allowed police to identify patterns or spikes in retail crime. A directive from police management - quickly reversed by the incoming commissioner - instructing staff not to investigate shoplifting of items worth less than $500, had sent exactly the wrong message, she said. McKerrow's own message to Northland retailers was simple. "No matter how small the shoplifting is, make sure that you are recording it on the police 105 database," she said. And the fact that you might not hear back doesn't mean it's not useful." McKerrow said the meetings at Kaitāia, Kerikeri, Kaikohe, Whangārei and Dargaville were part of a national roadshow by the government's Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime. The Northland leg was co-ordinated by the Northland Chamber of Commerce to ensure smaller centres were not overlooked, McKerrow said. The aim was to update retailers on law changes already underway and seek feedback on proposals the government was still considering. Northland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Leah McKerrow. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf McKerrow said some laws relating to retail crime originated in the late-1800s and were no longer fit for purpose. Changes already underway included enabling citizens' arrests , increased penalties for shoplifting and violence against business owners, and bringing in fines for low-level shoplifting. Fines would allow those offenders to be dealt with quickly, without clogging up the courts. However, the topic that "really got retailers excited" was trespass law reform, McKerrow said. Currently, a shopowner could not trespass a person without having their details and, even then, trespass orders were hard to enforce. Also, even if a retailer owned several stores, the person could only be trespassed from one location at a time. "This law will change that, and you won't have to deliver them a trespass notice or have their name. You can just verbally tell them they are trespassed." The government was also considering increasing the maximum trespass period from two years to three and doubling the fines for breaching a trespass order. One future reform the government was considering would allow retailers to protect themselves from offenders, without being charged with an offence themselves. "However, it's difficult to know how you can protect yourself, while keeping yourself safe, so that has got to go through quite a lot more investigation." Bryron Smith, owner of Hunting and Fishing Kerikeri, said the most useful change would be the right to hold onto shoplifters until police arrived. "Being able to apprehend those people in store, or even if they leave the store, so we can play our part to catch them there and then … rather than having to wait for police to try and track them down." Under the current law retailers could only ask a shoplifter to stay. "But I don't think many of them are that keen, to be honest." It was even trickier when youth were involved, he said. Whether staff would try to intervene depended on the situation, because their safety was paramount. Smith said he reported most thefts, but with lower-value items they often made use of social media and the store's high-quality CCTV cameras instead. In the most recent case, staff had posted an image of a man who walked out with a $30 pair of shorts. He rang up the next day and paid, Smith said. "The cameras are super effective. No one likes being on social media when we put it up, especially aunties when they've borrowed her car." The youth behind this 2022 ram raid of a Far North liquor store was caught after leaving his watch, one Croc and a large amount of blood at the scene. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf The biggest impact of retail crime was on staff and their sense of safety. It also took up a lot of time. "When you get them running out the store with armfuls of clothing it can take days to go back through the cameras and figure out what they took." Smith said he could not pass on the cost to customers, because the store's prices were set through the Hunting and Fishing group. "So we pretty much just have to suck it up. The cost certainly doesn't get put on our bait or an item of clothing, it's just a loss." Nationally, Leah McKerrow said the financial impact of retail crime was enormous, with shoplifting alone costing retailers $7.2 million per day or $2.6 billion a year, according to police figures. In many cases that was passed on to consumers, who ended up paying higher prices to cover the costs of lost stock and hiring security guards. Northland district commander Superintendent Matt Srhoj said police knew offending had been under-reported in the past . "Our message to retailers is to ensure they continue reporting to us. It's essential to ensure we have the full picture and can prioritise prevention activities where there are trends emerging." Srhoj said retail crime was taken seriously and police would keep holding offenders to account, especially the more prolific ones. In Whangārei, police had set up a crime prevention unit that worked closely with City Safe and other partners to reduce retail crime. Police beat patrols had also increased significantly in the past year, he said. He urged anyone who saw a crime occurring, or who had immediate concerns for their own or someone else's safety, to call 111. Crimes that had already occurred could be reported online by going to and clicking on 'Make a Report', or by calling 105. McKerrow said what had also emerged from the past week's meetings was a surprising link between retail crime and Northland's infamous road closures. Kaitāia retailers reported that shoplifting had increased since State Highway 1 had reopened at Mangamuka Gorge, allowing through-traffic to once again transit the town. And in Dargaville and Mangawhai, retailers reported an increase in shoplifting and ram raids when State Highway 1 was closed at the Brynderwyn Hills, forcing traffic through coastal towns instead. That suggested a significant proportion of retail crime was opportunistic and committed by out-of-towners. McKerrow said the meetings also discussed the wider issues driving crime, such as the doubling in methamphetamine use in Northland in the past year, the cost-of-living crisis and rising unemployment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Northland's unprecendented crime surge
Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER Once famed for its beaches, beauty and laid-back lifestyle, Northland is now back in the headlines - but for all the wrong reasons. There has been a surge in violent crime and homicides - nine to date already this year - which has triggered a police mayday call, with dozens of extra officers heading to the area to help. Officials are calling it a "targeted boost" to frontline policing, with crews in blue hitting the streets, patrolling hot spots, cracking down on gang activity, and sorting through the growing backlog of cases. More than 90 police staff - from as far afield as Southland - have already bolstered the region's special operation for five-week stints, with no end date in sight. New Zealand Herald senior investigative journalist Michael Morrah, who broke the story, tells The Detail that part of the problem is it appears police do not want to live and work up north. The increase in crime, fuelled by a toxic mix of poverty, drugs, unemployment, and organised gang presence, is perhaps too much to handle. "Getting police officers who are going to be working in those mid to far north areas has been a problem," says Morrah, who grew up in Northland. "I think it has been a problem for many, many years, and I think it's probably at its worst right now." He describes the latest crime wave as unprecedented and the move to deploy out-of-town police officers to deal with it as "a pretty unusual, unprecedented response in terms of the numbers of police who are going up there, in terms of the duration of the support operation". "This year, alone, we have had nine alleged homicides in Northland, that is a record even on last year, [when there were eight] and we are not even at the end of the year yet. "Police, obviously, when they are dealing with killings and investigating that, it takes a huge amount of manpower, a huge amount of hours, to get those cases to court. "And what's happened is police officers are being taken off other jobs. In the words of the District Commander [Superintendent] Matt Srhoj, it has left police with an inability to follow up on other crimes that are happening." Police told The Detail that the fourth rotation is about to commence, and they will continue to review the ongoing support. They could not provide any details on how much it is costing, but confirmed staff were not being back-filled due to the short stint of deployment. Morrah says while locals welcome the extra boots on the ground, they warn policing alone will not solve it. Mental health support, youth programmes, Māori wardens, and job opportunities - they argue - are just as vital. "Iwi want to be part of the solution," Morrah says. "They want to help police here. They are absolutely concerned about crimes not being followed up on, about slow response times, but they also want to be part of the solution." He says while Northland is "paradise" and "has a lot of offer", it's often forgotten about on a national level. "There is a view, and I think there is some validity to this, that over many, many years, Northland has been neglected by consecutive governments. And it is not a powerhouse, like Wellington and Auckland, and I think in many cases, Northland is sadly forgotten. "And I think that politicians could be doing more to assist in the development of places like Northland to make it a great place to live, go to school, and work." The coming months will be a crucial test - not just for the police tasked with turning the tide, but for a community desperate to take its streets back. Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
David Tamihere case goes to the Supreme Court
David Tamihere in 2017. Photo: RNZ Lawyers for double convicted murderer David Tamihere are in the country's highest court today, questioning whether his convictions should have been quashed. It is the latest chapter for Tamihere, who was convicted in December 1990 of murdering Swedish tourists Sven Urban Höglin, 23 and Heidi Birgitta Paakkonen, 21. They disappeared while tramping in dense bush in the Coromandel Peninsula the previous year. Tamihere served more than 20 years of a life sentence in prison before being released on parole in 2010. He has always denied even meeting the pair and there have been lingering questions around the convictions. In 2020 the then-Governor-General, on advice from former Justice Minister Andrew Little, granted Tamihere a rare Royal Prerogative of Mercy. The case was referred back to the Court of Appeal to rule on whether there may have been a miscarriage of justice. That court, in July last year, found there was - but upheld Tamihere's murder convictions because there was evidence beyond reasonable doubt he murdered the tourists. This, in turn, was appealed to the Supreme Court which is hearing the case now. The Supreme Court is normally based in Wellington but five Supreme Court judges will hear the case at the largest courtroom at the High Court in Auckland. It is the final appeal court in the country and only hears appeals if it earlier grants leave for this. That leave was issued just before Christmas and the case will centre on one approved question of whether the Court of Appeal was right to not exercise its jurisdiction under the Crimes Act to quash Tamihere's two murder convictions. When they granted leave, Supreme Court judges indicated particular interest in hearing submissions on whether Tamihere's trial was unfair, and if there was a fundamental error. They are also interested in hearing if the Court of Appeal was right to uphold the convictions. The judges are Chief Justice Helen Winkelmann, Justice Williams, Justice Glazebrook, Justice France and Justice Kós. Tamihere will be represented by his long-time lawyer, Murray Gibson as well as James Carruthers. The case is set down for three days. Arguments were made in the Court of Appeal that evidence from a jail-house snitch should never have been put to the jury at trial. Tamihere's lawyer James Carruthers said the false evidence undermined the Crown's case. The evidence was from "Witness C", Roberto Conchie Harris, revealed in 2018 as a secret informant. Harris said Tamihere confessed to the murders, but was privately prosecuted in 2017 and found guilty of eight counts of perjury over his evidence. The Crown case at the original trial was that Tamihere was living in the bush when he murdered the couple near Crosbies Clearing north of Thames. It partly relied on Harris' evidence that Tamihere disclosed he had almost been "sprung" by "a couple" while he was in the bush with Paakkonen. That account tended to back up evidence from two trampers who identified Tamihere as a man they encountered at Crosbies Clearing with a young woman. Harris also said Tamihere confessed to sexually abusing both tourists, before murdering them and dumping their bodies at sea. But Höglin's remains were found by pig hungers near Whangamatā two years after he was charged, more than 70km from where the Crown said the murders happened. Tamihere's lawyer argued that made it impossible for Tamihere to have disposed of the body the same afternoon he was allegedly seen with Paakkonen by the trampers. Höglin was still wearing the watch police claimed Tamihere had stolen and given to his son. The three Court of Appeal judges found Harris' evidence in the trial may have affected the jury's verdicts and so amounted to a miscarriage of justice. But they said this did not justify setting aside Tamihere's convictions. Their almost 90-page long ruling said other evidence proved beyond reasonable doubt it was Tamihere who murdered Höglin and Paakkonen. This included evidence that was not heard by the jury in the first trial but heard at the appeal. Their ruling highlighted: "It cannot be known exactly what happened to Ms Paakkonen, but the Court found the evidence consistent with a sequence of events in which the couple encountered Mr Tamihere at Wentworth, where Mr Höglin was killed and Ms Paakkonen was abducted and taken to Tararu Creek Road in the couple's car," the judges concluded. "We accept that it remains impossible to know the couple's precise movements after they were seen in Thames on 7 April and why they were killed. But we do not accept that it is impossible to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Tamihere killed them." Tamihere's lawyer Murray Gibson said after the ruling that Tamihere no longer had much faith in the justice system. Police welcomed last year's Court of Appeal ruling and called it "hugely validating" for the staff who worked on the case. They said they remained determined to find answers for the tourists' families. While Höglin's body was found in 1991 the location of his fiancé's body remained "one key piece missing from this puzzle", police said. They appealed for Tamihere to "do the right thing". There is no obligation for Tamihere to appear at the Supreme Court hearing. April 1989 - Heidi Birgitta Paakkonen and Sven Urban Höglin are last seen in Thames. Tamihere was on the run from police and living rough in the bush after pleading guilty to raping a woman three years earlier. May 1989 - David Tamihere is arrested over an earlier rape. That same day, the couple are reported missing. December 1990 - Tamihere is convicted of murdering the couple and sentenced to life imprisonment. 1991 - Höglin's body is found near Whangamatā. 1992 - The Court of Appeal rejects Tamihere's appeal. 1994 - Tamihere is denied leave to appeal to the Privy Council. 1995 - Witness C - later revealed as Roberto Conchie Harris - swears an affidavit retracting his evidence. 1996 - Harris retracts his retraction. 2010 - Tamihere is released on parole. 2016 - A private prosecution alleges Harris lied at Tamihere's trial. 2017 - Harris is sentenced after being found guilty of perjury and not guilty of perverting the course of justice. 2017 - Harris appeals the perjury convictions and sentence and fights to keep his identity hidden. 2018 - Harris drops his appeal against the perjury convictions. 2018 - The High Court revokes suppression order for Witness B, another prison informant. 2020 - Justice Minister Andrew Little announces Tamihere's case is going back to the Court of Appeal after a Royal Prerogative of Mercy is granted. November 2023 - The Court of Appeal hears Tamihere's case. July 2024 - The Court of Appeal declines to quash Tamihere's convictions. December 2024 - The Supreme Court grants leave for the case to be heard there. August 2025 - The case heads to the Supreme Court sitting in Auckland. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
