Latest news with #Taranaki
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Taranaki rapist Allan Rosewarne denied parole, remains a risk of violent, sexual reoffending
By Tara Shaskey, Open Justice reporter of Photo: 123RF Warning: This story discusses a case of extreme violence and sexual offending. Allan Neil Rosewarne has been described as a sex monster. He took control of two of his partners across 18 years, alienating them from family and friends while he regularly raped and mercilessly beat them. One was often injected with a cocktail of drugs by Rosewarne, who would then brutally violate her while she was unconscious. The other took an opportunity to run for her life along a highway and across farmland after 17 years of torture. It's now been 11 years since Rosewarne, of Taranaki, was jailed to preventive detention for his reign of rape, extreme violence, sadism and cruelty to children. But he continues to minimise the abuse, "emphatically" denies he raped his former partners, and remains a risk to the public, according to the Parole Board. Recently, the board made its second consideration of releasing Rosewarne, now 59, on parole. He became eligible for release about two years ago, but he waived his appearance before the board at his first hearing in July 2023. Late last month, he was called again, and this time he appeared. He did not want a lawyer to assist him, and he filed written submissions. Rosewarne was unsure he wanted parole but wished to know what conditions might be imposed if he did get out. However, any chance he would be freed has been shelved for at least three years, as the board declined his parole and made a postponement order so he would not have another hearing until 2028. A decision released to NZME this week detailed how Rosewarne was told at the hearing that his victims never wanted him released, and they were "doing well" despite his offending against them. In response to this, he said he only pleaded guilty because so many charges were laid against him, and he accepted a plea bargain. "He accepted that he was violent towards both his partners, although he said he only hit them with an open hand and never punched them. This is contrary to the summary of facts," the decision read. "He emphatically denied ever raping his partners. He did accept that his partners may have been scared of him, but he could not see that their fear may have led them to have sex with him despite not consenting." The decision stated that Rosewarne did not meet with the psychologist for a risk assessment before the hearing or with his case manager to assist in preparing a report for the board. He had no release proposal, and no support was referred to. However, Rosewarne has participated in three sessions of treatment with a psychologist during his time behind bars and told the board he would be willing to engage in more. The board said further treatment was needed to "begin to try and address" his offending. "We remain concerned about the risk posed by Rosewarne, given the very serious offending that he committed and his minimisation of most of that offending in our discussion today," the board wrote. "He needs to do extensive work to address both his risk of violent re-offending and his risk of sexual reoffending. He is an undue risk, and parole is declined." The board said it would not be suitable to consider him for release for another three years. In 2014, Rosewarne was sentenced in the High Court at New Plymouth to an indefinite prison term with a minimum period of imprisonment of 10 years. According to senior courts' decisions on the case at the time, he was 24 when he met his first victim, who was 15 at the time. When she moved in with him in 1990, he "had emotionally taken control of her and had alienated her from her family and friends", an earlier Court of Appeal decision, declining his appeal against sentence, read. "[He] began to subject [her] to frequent and devastating emotional, physical and sexual abuse, which escalated as time passed". Rosewarne threw her into walls, punched her repeatedly about her face and body, pulled out chunks of her hair, severely beat her with weapons, and jumped on her with both feet while she was pregnant. She received black eyes, on occasion her nose was broken, and she was subjected to "forceful and painful sexual intercourse… for lengthy periods of time". The woman escaped one day in 2007 when he fell asleep and she left, making her way along Forgotten World Highway and across farmland. Rosewarne began a 20-month relationship with his second victim around 2008. According to court documents, he also subjected her to frequent emotional, physical and sexual abuse. "Over the course of their relationship, [Rosewarne] injected her with a cocktail of drugs. He controlled what [she] took and administered the drugs to her. Often she did not know exactly what was being given to her." He often raped her while she was unconscious from the drugs. She eventually developed a substance addiction, and he would torture her with withdrawals. Rosewarne beat the woman with household objects, grabbed her by her hair and dragged her through the house, and repeatedly punched her in the head. He was also convicted on cruelty charges relating to the women's children. At the time, Rosewarne was dubbed a "sex monster" by the media that covered the case. Sexual Violence: Family Violence: If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111. - This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Council $3.1m rates blunder: New Plymouth households could be overcharged by $102
The New Plymouth District Council building. File photo. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin An urgent review of New Plymouth District Council's (NPDC) annual plan has revealed that it has hiked residential rates by 12.8 percent, rather than the 9.9 percent indicated. The blunder equates to $102 per ratepayer or $3.1 million. The error was discovered as part of a review ordered when the NPDC approved its annual plan in May, exclusive of GST, meaning it could've forgone $20m in revenue. New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom took personal responsibility for the mistakes and recommended that councillors approve a one-off rebate for ratepayers at an extraordinary meeting next week. That would require the NPDC to find $3.1 million in savings elsewhere. It was not the only mistake in the latest review. The review and subsequent report produced by Simpson Grierson also identified a resolution wording error relating to industrial water use. The rates resolution wording would need to be amended to ensure properties on a restricted water flow were able to be charged $418 for each cubic metre of water as intended. This gaffe could've cost the council $1.4m in lost revenue. Holdom said he was extremely disappointed by the errors and the impact they could have had on the community. "As mayor, I take responsibility for the integrity of the information we use to make decisions. Councillors acted in good faith based on the data presented to us. "We now know that information was flawed, and the safeguards we had to verify the validity of that information and the assumptions behind it have failed. "I want to offer my sincere apology to our community. You deserve better. The buck stops with me, and I am committed to ensuring we learn from this, fix the underlying issues, to rebuild public confidence and find a way to put this right." Holdom said the reporting errors did not affect the validity of the rates, but the council was taking action to mitigate their impact. At an extraordinary meeting on 22 July, the NPDC council would decide between the following options: Holdom said improvements to NPDC's internal processes and checks would be implemented immediately following the findings of the independent review. Chief executive Gareth Green proposed structural changes to strengthen financial capability and oversight within the organisation. "On behalf of the NPDC organisation, I wish to offer my sincere apologies to the mayor and councillors, and our entire community, for the failure of our systems and processes that led to these errors." "As the leader of the staff organisation of NPDC, it is my responsibility to ensure that we have adequate safeguards to ensure that every piece of advice we provide our elected members is accurate and robust. "That clearly has not been the case in this instance, and this failing shows that change is required." Green said he was committed to implementing changes swiftly and building back the trust and confidence of the community. Holdom said councillors would also be asked to update council policy to implement an independent review of all future financial plans. "This situation highlights the risks of insufficient specialist financial experience, particularly in local government." Holdom said that while Audit NZ signed off on the long-term planning process that included the incorrect rating assumption, "the community rightly expects that process to provide assurance [that] the underlying models and data are robust". "That assurance did not eventuate in this case. We owe it to our community to be honest, to take ownership, and to do better. That's exactly what we are doing." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Homegrown health workers fill Taranaki gaps
New Plymouth Boys High School students heard from Tui Ora kaiārahi in primary care Lee O'Neill about a future in the health sector at one of Why Ora's workshops. Photo: LDR / SUPPLIED A 15-year effort to fill gaps in the Taranaki health workforce has almost doubled the proportion of Māori working for the region's public health service. As New Zealand struggles to attract doctors and nurses in a global shortage, and regions are forced to compete with the big cities for health workers, Taranaki has nurtured a homegrown response. Whakatipuranga Rima Rau (Generation 500) was set up in 2010 to attract 500 Māori into the region's health sector over a decade. Back then Māori were 6.6 percent of the workforce at Taranaki District Health Board. Photo: These days 11.3 percent of Taranaki staff are Māori at what's now Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ), which employs about half of the region's health workers. The Whakatipuranga Rima Rau trust didn't hit the target of 500 doctors, nurses, support workers and other health and disability staff within ten years, but its work continues under a new brand, Why Ora. Why Ora currently has 209 Māori registered as in health jobs in Taranaki, with a further 58 in tertiary study for health careers. Sixty-five senior high school students learned about hauora career possibilities at two recent workshops hosted by Tui Ora in New Plymouth and Ngāruahine Iwi Health Services in Manāia It was Why Ora's first time partnering with Māori service providers, with previous Rapuara Hauora (health careers) workshops held at Taranaki Base and Hawera Hospitals. Students got a look inside Māori health workplaces and hands-on learning with professionals. The tama got hands-on experience, including trying out exercises designed for kaumātua. Photo: LDR / SUPPLIED Why Ora kaiārahi (guide) Liahna Smith said taking an interactive approach inside kaupapa Māori spaces "made it so awesome for everyone involved". "The positivity about being Māori and working to serve whānau: 100 percent we would want to continue this approach in the future." Smith's boss, pou whakahaere (chief executive) Tanya Anaha, said it fortified Why Ora's determination to grow a strong, capable Māori health workforce. "This partnership not only gave our taiohi (teenagers) a valuable opportunity to explore the many career pathways into sustainable, high-income roles within the health sector, but also allowed our providers to showcase the incredible services they deliver to our communities." Tui Ora's kaumātua talked about the value of health and support services they receive, said facilitator Leanne Matuku. One elder had a mokopuna in the student group. "Now our kaumātua have seen the programme the vine is going to happen - whānau will be saying to each other 'why isn't your boy here?'" she said. Ngāruahine Iwi Health Services kaiwhakarite (manager) Warren Nicholls said Rapuara Hauora events opened up pathways to meaningful work for taiohi. "It's very rewarding to establish a whakapapa connection or linkage that offers taiohi a further sense of identity and belonging - and both humbling and a privilege to share ourselves and our insights, to support these taiohi in reaching their potential." The late Dame Tariana Turia launched Whakatipuranga Rima Rau while in coalition with National during John Key's premiership. As associate health minister, she said it was "the most impressive expression" of kotahitanga, whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga and rangatiratanga (unity, relationship, stewardship and self-determination). "There is a wider vision yet - even more impressive than 500 jobs - and that is to create the expectation and indeed the reality that Taranaki will have a competent, skilled Maori health and disability workforce." Despite the doubled presence of tangata whenua in Te Whatu Ora's Taranaki workforce, that 11.3 percent would need to double again to match the Māori share of the region's population. Why Ora has expanded its indigenous career empowerment mahi to also help Māori onto other career paths, particularly education. - LDR is local body reporting co-funded by RNZ and NZ on Air
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Council $3.1m rates blunder: New Plymouth households overcharged by $102
The New Plymouth District Council building. File photo. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin An urgent review of New Plymouth District Council's (NPDC) annual plan has revealed that it has hiked residential rates by 12.8 percent, rather than the 9.9 percent indicated. The blunder equates to $102 per ratepayer or $3.1 million. The error was discovered as part of a review ordered when the NPDC approved its annual plan in May, exclusive of GST, meaning it could've forgone $20m in revenue. New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom took personal responsibility for the mistakes and recommended that councillors approve a one-off rebate for ratepayers at an extraordinary meeting next week. That would require the NPDC to find $3.1 million in savings elsewhere. It was not the only mistake in the latest review. The review and subsequent report produced by Simpson Grierson also identified a resolution wording error relating to industrial water use. The rates resolution wording would need to be amended to ensure properties on a restricted water flow were able to be charged $418 for each cubic metre of water as intended. This gaffe could've cost the council $1.4m in lost revenue. Holdom said he was extremely disappointed by the errors and the impact they could have had on the community. "As mayor, I take responsibility for the integrity of the information we use to make decisions. Councillors acted in good faith based on the data presented to us. "We now know that information was flawed, and the safeguards we had to verify the validity of that information and the assumptions behind it have failed. "I want to offer my sincere apology to our community. You deserve better. The buck stops with me, and I am committed to ensuring we learn from this, fix the underlying issues, to rebuild public confidence and find a way to put this right." Holdom said the reporting errors did not affect the validity of the rates, but the council was taking action to mitigate their impact. At an extraordinary meeting on 22 July, the NPDC council would decide between the following options: Holdom said improvements to NPDC's internal processes and checks would be implemented immediately following the findings of the independent review. Chief executive Gareth Green proposed structural changes to strengthen financial capability and oversight within the organisation. "On behalf of the NPDC organisation, I wish to offer my sincere apologies to the mayor and councillors, and our entire community, for the failure of our systems and processes that led to these errors." "As the leader of the staff organisation of NPDC, it is my responsibility to ensure that we have adequate safeguards to ensure that every piece of advice we provide our elected members is accurate and robust. "That clearly has not been the case in this instance, and this failing shows that change is required." Green said he was committed to implementing changes swiftly and building back the trust and confidence of the community. Holdom said councillors would also be asked to update council policy to implement an independent review of all future financial plans. "This situation highlights the risks of insufficient specialist financial experience, particularly in local government." Holdom said that while Audit NZ signed off on the long-term planning process that included the incorrect rating assumption, "the community rightly expects that process to provide assurance [that] the underlying models and data are robust". "That assurance did not eventuate in this case. We owe it to our community to be honest, to take ownership, and to do better. That's exactly what we are doing." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Rugby player convicted for post-match handshakes assault
Jonathan Fidow has been convicted of assault and fined $300. Photo: timhester/123RF A Taranaki rugby player, who knocked out an opponent during post-match handshakes, has been convicted of assault, and fined $300. Spotswood premiers player Jonathan Fidow faced a charge of injures with intent to injure or assault with intent to injure for the June 2024 incident. Judge Tony Greig, however, found Fidow did not intend to injure Coastal player Matthew Picard. Fidow argued he had been subject to race-baiting during the game, but the judge made no finding on this. He was satisfied Picard, who suffered a mild concussion, had been punched. Fidow was suspended from rugby for nine weeks following a disciplinary hearing. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
