Farm fatality
A farmer who died after his tractor rolled on steep terrain in North Canterbury was Richard Campbell Raikes, 64. Emergency services were called to a farm north of Rangiora, about 4pm on Monday.
Emergency alert test
Civil Defence will test its new emergency mobile phone alert tomorrow, Sunday November 26, between 6pm and 7pm, Civil Defence will send an alert to all cellphones that are on, capable and inside a targeted location. It is part of a new system to keep people safe if there is an emergency, and Civil Defence say it will be used only for ‘‘serious hazards that involve threats to life, health or property, or in some cases for test purposes’’. It is free and there is no need to download an app or subscribe to a service. It is expected about one-third of phones will initially be able to receive the alerts.
Guilty of murder
A jury has found Johnnie Puna guilty of the murder of Hawke’s Bay man Mark Beale. The verdict came after a trial in the High Court at Napier. Puna, 19, will be sentenced in February. Beale, 45, was found critically injured near the Tukituki River mouth in the seaside settlement of Haumoana about 7am on February 6 and later died. The court heard that Puna killed Beale by kicking and punching him in the head in a prolonged assault.
Pedestrians hit
A man is dead after a car crashed into three pedestrians near Kaitaia. Police were called to an intersection on State Highway 1 near Awanui about 1.15am on Friday.
Autistic man missing
Volunteers continue to scour Rotorua houses and bushland six days after Nigel Peterson was last seen. The 33-year-old autistic man was last seen on November 17. The search is expected to continue into the weekend.