Sawmill death
The person who died from a workplace accident near Masterton yesterday morning was a female staff member at a sawmill. The woman was a member of the team at Kiwi Lumber on Norman Ave, Waingawa. Emergency services were called to the address at 8.35am. WorkSafe NZ was to be notified. Kiwi Lumber spokeswoman Liz Read said it was a “devastating day for the team” and for everyone in the business. “The team are entirely focused on supporting the family and the people who were with her at the time of the accident,” she said. “It’s just an extraordinarily tragic accident.” Carterton Mayor John Booth said any death in the community was a tragedy, whether in the workplace, on the roads, or some other way. “Knowing the tight community where it’s happened, they will be feeling it deeply,” he said. “One death is one death too many.”
Knife threat defused Police negotiated with a knifeman who took a woman hostage for 40 minutes before he let her go. Westfield Manukau was evacuated after the man grabbed an unknown woman and held her at knifepoint for about 90 minutes about 8.30am yesterday. Counties Manukau Area Commander Inspector Adam Pyne said the victim was “picked randomly”. The scene was evacuated. Police negotiated for about 40 minutes before the man dropped the knife, which had a five-inch blade. “The victim in this matter is understandably shaken but fortunately was not harmed by the alleged offender,’” Pyne said. The man has been charged with kidnapping.
‘Junketrobillia’ auction Act leader David Seymour is auctioning his piece of “junketrobillia” from a brief taxpayer-funded trip by two senior MPs to Japan when the All Blacks played there. Speaker Trevor Mallard and shadow leader of the House Gerry Brownlee flew to Japan business class and spent about 48 hours there between November 2 and 4, at a cost of $24,000. The trip included meetings with political and business leaders, promotion of academic links between the nations, and watching the All Blacks beat Japan’s Brave Blossoms. Seymour has been critical of what he called a junket that had more to do with watching sport than talking diplomacy. In a tongue-in-cheek post on the auction site Trade Me, Seymour is offering a Brave Blossoms scarf at a “buy now” price of $1000. “Trevor Mallard and Gerry Brownlee went on a $24k 24-hour diplomatic mission to Tokyo when the ABs just happened to be playing there and all I got was this scarf . . . Trev tried to buy my silence with the gift of an authentic Canterbury Brave Blossoms scarf from the trip. Since he’s the Speaker of Parliament it was kind of an offer I couldn’t refuse, but you can benefit as the owner of this unique piece of Kiwi junketrobillia, and raise money for a great cause.” Proceeds go to the Make A Wish Foundation.
Bombs away
The Air Force has tested 14 bombs, each weighing 227kg, at its weapons range in northwest Auckland. It says the operation at the Kaipara range over the past week has been to ensure staff remain proficient in antisurface and anti-submarine warfare. The 14 bombs were dropped from a P-3K2 Orion aircraft. The training also helped the explosive ordnance personnel, who were there to explode any bombs that did not detonate.