Man threatened neighbours with axe

Illsley repeatedly racially abused them, telling them to go ‘‘back to where you come from’’.

He then threw two boxes of empty beer bottles over the fence causing several to smash all the while continuing to yell abuse, the summary said. He then picked up an axe in a ‘‘threatening manner’’ and repeatedly yelled that he would kill them.

A few months later, on the morning of September 19, Illsley was at Allied Petrol Station in Havelock. A witness observed the defendant in the forecourt yelling at members of the New Zealand Army with an argumentative tone, saying ‘‘you are a waste of taxpayers’ money’’.

Illsley then saw a police vehicle, which is well known in the Havelock area to be driven by the senior constable.

The witness heard him say in an angry tone: ‘‘I will waste him, his wife and his children’’.

The witness showed objection to the defendant’s comments to which he replied: ‘‘He has got it in for me.’’

The witness said he was told to be careful of Illsley but he considered the matter serious because threats were made not only to the constable but also to his wife and children.

Illsley declined to make a statement but told police he was at the Allied Petrol station that day and admitted to being angry at the constable.

He was convicted and bailed to April 6 for sentencing.

Construction companies Fulton Hogan and HEB Construction have landed a $160 million roading contract in Marlborough.

The seven-year deal to fix roads in the region, set to start in April, will see ‘‘improved levels of service’’, like footpath scrubbing in town centres, and a ‘‘special emphasis’’ on maintaining Marlborough Sounds roads.

The companies will be responsible for state highways in the region and the Marlborough District Council’s 1600-kilometre road network.

New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) top of the south system manager Andrew James said he expected a lift in performance. James presented his report on the roading contract to the council’s assets and services committee meeting on Thursday.

He said under the new contract, footpaths in Picton and Blenheim’s town centres would be cleaned ‘‘at least once a week’’ by a scrubbing machine.

Picton Business Group chairman Graham Gosling floated the idea during last year’s annual plan.

People would also need to work between 10am and 3pm in both towns over the summer months to deal with spills, rubbish and ‘‘keep up the presentation of the central business district’’.

Councillor Gerald Hope said Blenheim’s town centre was not ‘‘flash’’ and ‘‘looking a bit dowdy at the pavement level’’.

‘‘Look at the amphitheatre . . . The synthetic grass is filthy and the birds do not help. As good as the contract is going to be, we have to lift the standard in the town centre,’’ he said.

Councillor Jenny Andrews asked if the scrubber could be used ‘‘once in a blue moon’’ in Redwoodtown and James said that discussion should wait for a workshop, set down for March.

Queen Charlotte Drive would also have more inspections, more sweeping and debris removal, and ‘‘more responsive repairs and maintenance’’.

There would be more crew members – from three to five – and crews would go to more ‘‘minor maintenance activities’’, like fixing potholes, clearing water channels and straightening signs.

Crews would put a ‘‘special emphasis’’ on the Sounds.

Councillor Barbara Faulls said this gave her ‘‘hope’’ that outer Sounds areas would be better addressed.

A new fulltime safety engineer would also be hired under the contract, and ‘‘physical works’’ now needed to be supervised.

Both Fulton Hogan and HEB Construction were part of the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) team, which formed in December 2016 to rebuild rail and road along Kaiko¯ura’s coast after the 7.8-magnitude quake.

HEB Construction operations manager Lee Sparrow said it was ‘‘fantastic’’ the company had won back the contract.

‘‘It gives a lot of security to the team which is great for the area, and we are looking forward to working with Fulton Hogan on this joint venture,’’ he said.

Fulton Hogan could not be reached for comment. Missing out on the contract were fellow NCTIR members Higgins Construction and Downer, which made separate submissions.

The team behind the decision, made up of Marlborough Roads and NZTA representatives, looked at each company’s track record, skills, methodology and plans. James said pricing made up the remaining half of the judging criteria.