Gun found under bed, court hears

Firearms were the focus of the ongoing stop-go murder trial in the High Court in Rotorua yesterday.

Quinton Winders, 45, is accused of gunning down George Taiaroa, a stop-go worker, at Atiamuri in March 2013. The Crown alleges the catalyst for the killing was a minor traffic accident on March 12, 2013, which the Crown says Quinton Winders blamed Taiaroa for.

However, the defence claims the homicide was a case of mistaken identity.

Giving evidence on day 18 of the trial, Detective Andrew Livingstone told of police searches on April 4 and April 18, 2013, of a farm at Ngongotaha owned by the accused’s father, Max Winders. A rifle wrapped in a towel was found underneath Max Winders’ bed during the earlier search.

The 77-year-old told police he used the gun to shoot rabbits. He was arrested at the second search and charged with careless use of a firearm. The case went to court and he was offered diversion. Livingstone interviewed Max Winders on both occasions.

Livingstone was asked whether during those interviews he told Max Winders he was being viewed as the ‘‘mastermind’’ behind Taiaroa’s killing – something the senior Winders, earlier in the trial, alleged happened.

Livingstone denied this, as did another police witness who acted as a ‘‘monitor’’ during those interviews, Senior Sergeant Matthew Laurenson. Livingstone was also involved in a search of a farm and bushland north of Benneydale, on April 25.

A gun case and ammunition was found in scrub, not far from a track through the bush. The farm was owned by Kieron O’Dwyer, who had employed Quinton Winders to do fencing. National MP Maurice Williamson has received a sought-after posting as New Zealand’s consul-general in Los Angeles.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully made the announcement among several diplomatic appointments.

It comes a month after Williamson announced he would be retiring from politics at the next election. He has been the MP for Pakuranga since 1987 and has held several ministerial portfolios.

He has languished on the back benches since he left Cabinet in May 2014.

That followed revelations he had approached police seeking information on a criminal case being taken against Chinese businessman Donghua Liu – a National Party donor.

He became an overnight gay icon when he made a speech in support of the Marriage Amendment Bill which allowed gay couples the right to legally marry. The vision he painted of a ‘‘big gay rainbow’’ over his electorate drew international praise.

A spat with the National Party leader in 2003 saw him suspended from caucus. Relations with Bill English remained chilly, but Williamson was reinstated and promoted under Don Brash.

Williamson made a brief return to headlines to apologise for offensive and sexist remarks he made during a speech last September.

The other diplomatic appointments announced included Karena Lyons as next consul-general in Hawaii. She will also be New Zealand’s accredited ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau and Republic of Marshall Islands.

Rachel Maidment will be New Zealand’s next consulgeneral in Guangzhou, China.

And Michael Upton was appointed as New Zealand’s next high commissioner to Kiribati.