Hero cop dies

A police officer has died while on a school camp. Senior Constable Stefan Witehira died after going into cardiac arrest on Wednesday at a year 10 camp near Queenstown for East Otago High School students. He was chairman of the school’s board of trustees. Witehira and colleague Senior Constable Darrin Low were shot at while laying road spikes south of Palmerston in February 2009. They received Silver Merit Awards from the New Zealand Police for their ‘‘professionalism and courage’’ during the incident. The male shooter was a passenger in a stolen truck, which a woman was driving, during a police pursuit. The couple had two infants in the vehicle and the police officers later testified that one was used as a human shield. Witehira and Low pursued the truck until it crashed. The occupants ran several kilometres through the countryside but were eventually overpowered and arrested.

Asbestos in water

Council staff were going door to door in Temuka yesterday afternoon as the district’s mayor reassured residents their asbestos-affected water supply was safe. Further test results on the water were due back this morning following the announcement the water supply was contaminated with asbestos on Wednesday evening, the council confirmed. But whether other water supplies in the district will be tested for the issue remains unclear. Timaru District mayor Damon Odey said all advice received by the council said Temuka’s water was safe for all uses, even once it was dry.

Cocaine bust

Police have arrested three foreign nationals in a cocaine bust that netted about 1kg, worth an estimated value of $500,000 in Wellington. Three men – two Colombians in their 20s and 30s, and a Malaysian man in his 50s – face charges that include supplying cocaine, and possession of cocaine for supply. They were to appear in court yesterday.