Man admits smuggling 110kg of meth in golf carts

A man accused of importing 110kg of methamphetamine into New Zealand, concealed in golf carts, has admitted the offending.

In the High Court at Auckland, Chiu Tan Yu pleaded guilty to the importation of the class A drug.

The charge denotes that in Auckland on January 22 last year he imported 110kg of methamphetamine within three electrical golf carts from the US.

A co-accused has previously pleaded not guilty.

Defence lawyer David Niven requested that a conviction for Yu not be entered until sentencing, an application that was supported by the Crown and accepted by Justice Gordon.

Yu will next appear in court for sentencing on September 4.

The large quantity of “ice-like” methamphetamine had a street value of about $55 million and the seizure stopped an estimated $136.3m of social harm to the country, according to the NZ Drug Harm Index.

Customs investigations manager Bruce Berry said in February it was one of the top five methamphetamine seizures he had seen.

It was part of more than 343kg of drugs destined for the New Zealand market in just over the past year that had been intercepted by Customs, he said.

Search warrants at residential addresses in west and south Auckland led to the two arrests.

— Chelsea Boyle

Parents of newborns can get an additional month of paid leave from today, as part of a raft of changes which kicked in on July 1.

Some of the changes will put more money in New Zealanders’ pockets or provide relief, including higher pay for childcare teachers, free apprenticeships and lower building consent fees.

Others will introduce new costs, including higher petrol bills and road user charges.

Paid parental leave

Paid leave for parents rises from 22 weeks to 26 weeks today, after rising from 18 to 22 weeks in 2018. Extending paid leave was one of the Coalition Government’s first law changes after it came into power in 2017.

The payment of up to $585 a week applies to families or carers of babies which are born from today, or had a due date of July 1 or later. It will cost about $81 million a year.

The extension means New Zealand now has a more generous scheme than Australia, which offers 18 weeks, but less generous than other comparable countries like the United Kingdom, which has 37 weeks.

Petrol tax

The excise duty on petrol will rise from 66c a litre to 70c a litre today.

The higher fuel price will cost the average one-vehicle household about $35 to $40 more a year (or between 67c and 76c a week), according to the Ministry of Transport.

It is the third consecutive year of increases.

Costs will also rise for drivers of diesel vehicles and truck drivers, who pay for the upkeep of New Zealand roads through road user charges rather than fuel taxes.

Road user charges are being raised from $72 to $76 per 1000km. — NZME