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RNZ News
8 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Man shot by police in Christchurch still in critical condition
Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill during a press conference about the shooting. Photo: RNZ / Nathan Mckinnon A man wounded in a police shooting at a Christchurch Kāinga Ora home remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital. The man's partner was shot dead by an officer after police went to the Kāinga Ora property on Clyde Road in the suburb of Bryndwr on Wednesday night following a report of family harm. Police say the man came out of the house with a hunting knife and was shot after which the woman picked up the knife and began approaching police. Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said the man had surgery on Thursday afternoon. A scene examination was continuing with a post-mortem of the woman expected in the coming days. Cordons and a scene guard would remain in place at the property. "Incidents such as this are complex and a range of investigations are already underway," Hill said. "As such, we are limited in the detail we can provide at this stage. "Police are supporting the family of both the man and woman, as well as our own people." Officers involved in critical incidents such as fatal shootings were provided full welfare and wellness support, he said.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Combating organised crime: Call for government and businesses to pool data
Guns, drugs and cash seized by the police during operations in Christchurch and Auckland in 2023. Photo: Police / supplied A ministerial advisory group is calling for a nationwide information sharing network, or "data lake", along with a new sharing framework to help combat organised crime. The group says government agencies typically avoid the risk of sharing secure data, but a more proactive sharing approach could help target crime groups. They want a tech company to build the new "data lake" - a secure platform that would allow agencies like police and Customs to share the data they already collect with each other, in a usable format. It would automatically reformat encrypted data to make it standardised and usable by enforcement agencies, and would be hosted in a secure government-controlled cloud platform with data partitioned to ensure only those with appropriate clearance could access it. Artificial intelligence could also be used, helping identify patterns across things like financial transactions, travel records, corporate structures, and identity data to potentially help map criminal networks, match people with aliases, and provide real-time alerts. "This architecture can be scalable, privacy-conscious, and legally compliant. It creates a future-proof platform for secure and governed information sharing, enabling agencies to act with a unified view of organised crime," the report said. Ministerial advisory group chair Steve Symon says information needs to get to the right places. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro Chair Steve Symon told RNZ most of the data involved was already collected by various government agencies, so it would mostly be a tool to help use that data to find international criminals. "We don't want a situation where we we open up the floodgates of information sharing, but we do want to make sure the information is getting [to] the right places," he said. "Whether that be information by Customs about travel movements or information held by the companies office about companies or how companies have been registered, there's a variety of different pieces of information that are currently held by government agencies. "The idea of the data lake is to bring together those bits of data that might assist with tackling organised crime, and then have some oversight in terms of who can access that data and for what purpose." The group found government agencies typically avoided data sharing, as it was seen as risky - what the report described as an "extreme level of risk aversion" - but this needed to be changed to keep up with organised crime making more use of technological advances. "Organised crime is organised. We are not," the report said. The group had looked at potential costs of getting a data lake set up, he said, but that was all subject to commercial sensitivities and he refused to give an estimate. "There have been discussions and we have been aware of an approach that might be made, but we can't discuss it because, of course, we don't want to prejudice the outcome of those discussions. "It is a difficult one for me to answer without prejudicing the communications that the government would have to have with a provider like Microsoft." He said the decision on whether to proceed given the potential cost would be made by the government. A 150 kilogram haul of cocaine seized by Customs in Tauranga last month. Photo: Customs NZ/Supplied He said the group wanted to strike a balance between privacy and the rise of organised crime in New Zealand, which it had highlighted in another report in March - pointing to rising drug use showing up in wastewater testing and increasing levels of cyber fraud. The group also wanted more cooperation with other countries - particularly Pacific Islands - and with businesses like airports, ports, banks and telecommunications companies for tracking things like fraud and drug smuggling. Symon said he saw first-hand the extent of the drug problems affecting Fiji a couple of weeks ago on a trip with Associate Police Minister Casey Costello. "A lot of those drugs are destined for New Zealand or Australia ... there is a lot of information, a lot of data we could use and work with them to share, to help them in their fight which wouldn't be a significant privacy concern for New Zealanders." The group also suggested government agencies working more closely with the private sector - businesses - in specific high-risk areas - like an airport having problems with baggage handlers . He said in that example, information shared between the airport, the private businesses working within the airport, and enforcement authorities could identify things like when staff had called in sick but their access cards were still being used. "We see it in border areas such as airports, our sea ports, we also see it in high-risk in industries such as banks and telcos in the respect that they hold critical data which would be relevant to the fight against organised crime." The report noted that businesses wanted to be involved, and would benefit from being able to avoid effects of organised crime, like fraud. "That is the carrot ... there also needs to be a stick - a legislative mechanism for requiring the less than willing segment of the private sector to come to the table." The group suggested making the failure to report certain suspicious activities to the police commissioner an offence. Other suggestions for cooperating with businesses included creating dedicated liaison roles within Customs, police and other relevant agencies to deal with the groups involved in the data sharing, as well as encouraging the establishment of organised crime prevention roles within businesses themselves. Another option would be an "organised crime supply chain rating system" which would rate and accredit businesses based on their organised crime resilience and information sharing maturity, to encourage good behaviour. A haul of more than three tonnes of cocaine intercepted from a vessel in the Pacific Ocean in 2023. Photo: NZ Police / Supplied Symon said the aim would be to ensure zero data breaches. "We're not naive. There have been occasions where for example police officers have accessed [data] for inappropriate reasons and those have been publicised and dealt with, but what we are talking about here is data held by enforcement agencies. "The benefit of a data lake would be that you would have that information held in one repository, and you could have controls and information about who accesses that data and when, and have a electronic paper trail." He acknowledged there were risks with sharing sensitive data with an AI tool, but said the options for protecting that data would need to be examined in commercial negotiations. The report also called for a minor legislative change to the Privacy Act which would aim to simplify the process of information sharing between agencies. It would mean that when information was shared for the purposes of tackling organised crime, the agency requesting the data would be held responsible, rather than the agency providing the data. "This would simplify the process, ensure that the relevant belief is held by a person who holds sufficient information to make that belief properly informed and it would transfer the privacy risk from the provider to the requestor (usually an enforcement agency)," it said. If the model proved workable and valuable, however, it could be expanded. "If there is success with that sharing, and we can show the public and the gain public confidence in the way we're approaching it, then it's certainly something where you could explore going further," Symon said. The report highlighted a plan to also set up a new legal framework to help support more data sharing. "Under current settings, there is no clear and transparent framework that authorises the sharing of sensitive information with private sector partners," the report said. "For example, in the border security space, there is no clear and transparent framework that enables the two-way sharing of sensitive information between Customs and private sector partners such as operators of Customs Controlled Areas and other supply chain partners." The framework would: Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Coward punch victims and families call for faster law changes
Taranaki man Ben Leng was given hours to live after a coward punch attack in New Plymouth. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin Ben Leng considers himself lucky to be alive. Spread on his kitchen table in rural Taranaki are photos illustrating the impact of what he describes as "the worst day in his life". They are photos so harrowing he does not want to share them, but just get on with his life. In one, he is lying in a hospital bed in an induced coma after being blindsided by "sort of a coward's punch" thrown by New Plymouth bouncer Taylor Watkins in December last year. A coward punch, also known as a king hit, is a strike to the head or neck, often delivered from behind, usually unprovoked and without warning. Another photo shows the gaping wound where surgeons had earlier removed part of his skull to reduce swelling. The third image is a scan showing the titanium plates now keeping his skull together. The 29-year-old builder said following the assault his partner and his parents were told he only had hours to live if he did not get emergency surgery. "Flip of the coin really, it could've gone either way, and I'm definitely lucky. And it's a few things that are keeping me positive, and that's one of them, that I'm still here." Leng said the experience was toughest on those close to him. "My partner was seven months pregnant with our first child. My parents ... don't talk to Mum about it because she still gets moved by it. "It was the hardest thing they've had to go through in terms of seeing their son almost be a dad and then almost get taken away from them. That's probably the hardest thing that they could ever see." Leng, who is now focused on being the best dad and partner he could be, is joining calls for the faster introduction of new laws , including harsher penalties for coward punches. He will take part in a march in New Plymouth on Friday, organised by the family of Daniel Nganeko. The 37-year-old died after being punched outside the Tukapa Rugby clubrooms , in what police described as an unprovoked attack. His head struck the footpath. Daytona Thompson, 22, has been charged with manslaughter and was due to appear in court on the same day . Daniel Nganeko. Photo: Supplied Leng said on the night he was assaulted, 28 December, 2024, he and his brother Max and some rugby mates from England had been out drinking in New Plymouth. He admits he had been misbehaving and tried to enter a bar with a couple of pre-mixed drinks in his pocket and had been refused entry, then later got into a fight with security after trying to re-enter the bar to retrieve his mates after ditching his drinks. The police summary of facts said after the initial fight, Watkins and another bouncer followed the Leng brothers as they walked away from the bar and continued to argue with them. "Without warning the defendant swung a punch with a closed left fist hitting Leng in the jaw. Due to the nature of the punch Leng was unable to defend himself. "The punch caused Leng to immediately lose consciousness and drop to the ground. When he dropped to the ground, Leng's head impacted with the concrete paved ground with an audible sound." Watkins admitted a charge of injuring in circumstances that if death had occurred he would have been charged with manslaughter. Last week, he was sentenced to 12 months' home detention and ordered to pay $15,000 in reparations to Leng. After the attack, Leng was in a coma for seven days, followed by four days in ICU and two and a half weeks in a brain rehab centre. "I got taken straight to Taranaki Base Hospital, and then when they saw the severity of the brain injury ... I literally had 15 to 18 hours, which would have been death, unless I got surgery. So at 2am roughly, I got transferred via helicopter straight to Wellington, which put me straight into surgery." He remembers the surreal experience of waking from the coma. "No emotion, nothing. I just remember opening my eyes, seeing my parents at my feet with about four nurses, five nurses, and just thinking I was in a movie. "And not having any emotion because of the head injury, just numb, zero, nothing. Literally not panicked, nothing. It was just like my eyes were open, but nothing was working in my brain." Ben Leng considers himself lucky to be alive. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin The once busy builder had not been able to work since the assault and was suspended from driving for six months. "In terms of like to get back to normal, it's still ongoing. So that could be a year, it could be two, it could be three. It's hard to know, really, it's just day by day, but the first two or three months were the biggest in terms of getting back to reality and figuring out what happened." Leng did not think Watkins' sentence reflected the nature of the offending, especially for someone supposed to be keeping people safe. "To be allowed to stay at home on 12 months home detention at the cost of taxpayers, I just don't think it suits the seriousness of his actions in terms of how close I came to death. "A coward's punch, a king hit, a sucker punch, whatever you want to call it, just shouldn't be accepted because more often than not, when someone can't defend themselves, the injuries are going to be a lot more severe." In June, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the government would legislate to ensure coward punches were treated as a specific offence and sentences reflected the gravity of the crime. "We know how dangerous they are. People can be killed or suffer lifelong brain injuries, yet perpetrators often receive lenient and insufficient sentences," he said. The new legislation would include: The legislation fulfils part of National's coalition agreement with New Zealand First. The new criminal offences for coward punches were being introduced as part of a Crimes Act Amendment Bill which also included a specific offence for attacking a first responder, the new shoplifting infringement regime, strengthened trespass laws and strengthened human trafficking laws. Goldsmith aimed to introduce the Bill before the end of the year, and have it passed into law before the next general election. For Leng and the Nganeko family the law change could not come fast enough. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
