YEAR IN REVIEW

A review of maternity services after baby deaths at Palmerston North Hospital was Manawatu’s biggest story in March, while the flag debate ended and Kiwirail stamped out a popular charity walk.

Damning report after baby deaths

A review sparked by five infant deaths uncovered many failures by the Midcentral District Health Board.

The independent review was called for by the chief executives of both Midcentral and Whanganui DHBS after five babies died and two were seriously harmed between December 2014 and August 2015.

Six of those incidents were at Palmerston North Hospital, and one in Whanganui.

The report found there were communication problems and confusion about staffing and accountability.

‘‘The board were really sorrowful that the issues disclosed in the report had in any way contributed to the fatalities, to the deaths, that had occurred,’’ board chairman Phil Sunderland said.

Midcentral gave itself two years to fix the problems.

New flag fails to flutter

Manawatu and the rest of the country finally saw an end to the long-running flag debate, when it was decided the status quo would stay in place.

Fifteen months of debate and two referendums ended with more than 56 per cent of the voters wanting to keep the Blue Ensign.

Milner-skudder’s stuffed

Becoming a star at the Rugby World Cup should have meant a ripper of a year for Manawatu’s twinkle-toed Nehe Milnerskudder.

Instead, he spent much of it being a water boy.

The brilliant outside back was knocked out of rugby for the year after seriously injuring his shoulder.

While describing

season

it as a ‘‘disappointing’’ setback, Milnerskudder was philosophical about the injury.

‘‘I’ll probably see how my hydration technician skills go, and making protein shakes.’’

Kiwirail kills charity walk

Kiwirail killed off the popular annual track and tunnel walk through the Manawatu Gorge, citing safety concerns.

The walk organised by the Woodville Lions Club had been going for 21 years, attracting more than 20,000 walkers.

It had raised about $300,000 in that time.

A Kiwirail spokeswoman said the company campaigned strongly against people posing on railway tracks and walking along them, as this didn’t fit with well-publicised safety messages.

MPS tale the plunge

Environment Minister Nick Smith provided one of the quirkiest moments of the political year when he decided to take a dip in the Manawatu River to celebrate efforts to clean it up.

He was not worried about its reputation for being notoriously polluted when he, and two caucus colleagues entered the water.