Silence shows strong solidarity
British tourists Andy and Di McInnes, from Nottinghamshire, were impressed by Ardern’s leadership during and after the tragedy.
Jamie Summerill from Geeves Scaffolding, whose construction team is working on the former Timaru Chief Post Office building opposite the council, was impressed that everyone in the town centre took the silence seriously.
Businessman Atma Artijn Hradil set up his laptop to livestream the event from Christchurch to his shop.
"We had 10 people join us and it was really special. People were connected to each other and were united with each other."
A council spokesman said many of its staff wanted to support the commemoration.
‘‘It marked our complete and utter abhorrence that such a monstrous event could take place in Aotearoa New Zealand and that as New Zealanders we embrace diversity and wish to show solidarity and respect for all people in every community across the country irrespective of their religious beliefs,’’ they said.
The South Canterbury District Health Board’s director of patient, nursing and midwifery, Lisa Blackler said Timaru Hospital staff empathised with the victims and their families.
‘‘Reflecting on the events that have occurred is a personal journey.
‘‘Our staff have outwardly shown their support in many ways, by wearing head scarfs, painting rocks, baking cakes, and donating through Givealittle.’’ After a decade’s absence, tench have returned to Timaru’s Centennial Park lake.
More than 50 tench have been release into the lake this week after the fish were removed from the park in 2009, when the noxious fish species rudd appeared in the lake.
Tench are found in slow, often deep waters and are well known for their ability to survive in poorly oxygenated water. They are a deep-bodied, muscular fish and are very strong swimmers when they are caught on rod and line.
Central South Island Fish and Game Officer Hamish Stevens said he was thrilled to be able to re-establish the tench fishery at Centennial Park lake.
‘‘These tench were sourced from a private pond. We don’t usually have many opportunities to source these fish [tench], so it’s very exciting,’’ Stevens said. ‘‘The Department of Conservation did a lot of work to make sure the waters were clear of rudd, so it’s only very recently that we’ve been able to release these fish.’’
In 2009, Fish and Game helped DOC’s effort to eradicate rudd from the lake. During that process Fish and Game relocated the resident tench downstream to Saltwater Creek.
Stevens said tench were typically caught for sport, rather than for food, although he did know that some European fishing organisations provided some recipes for cooking them.
‘‘They’re a difficult fish to catch. For bait you typically use A Waimate man jailed for molesting a girl under 16 has had his sentence reduced.
He was originally sentenced to 31⁄2 years’ jail on June 21, 2018, in the Timaru District Court. However, the remainder was converted to three months of home detention and his name was scrubbed from the child sex offenders register when he appeared before Judge Joanna Maze in the Timaru District Court on Thursday following a Court of Appeal decision released in February.
The 23-year-old was found guilty of sexual violation, male assaults female, and two charges of doing an indecent act, along with admitting threatening to kill, at a jury trial before Judge Maze in March 2018.
His victim alleged he molested her on three occasions between August and December 2015, forcefully silencing her when she protested. After finding out his victim reported him to police in March 2016, the defendant called 111 and said: ‘‘I need you to come and get me, I am about to kill someone.’’ While the jury accepted the victim’s testimony on the third incident, in which corn, bread dough, or maggots,’’ Stevens said.
Stevens said tench were a type of coarse fish, which have larger scales than trout and prefer warm still waters. Coarse fishing is best in summer when the tench are active and feeding.
‘‘We’re wanting to find out from anglers over the next 12 months as to what success they have with catching the tench,’’ he said.
‘‘Should the tench fishery reestablish she was yelled at and punched hard enough to cause bruising – the jury decided the first occasion did not happen and only accepted part of the second did.
The defendant became eligible for home detention when his original sentence was reduced to two years by the Court of Appeal – which referred to him as ‘‘Mr T’’ – on February 20, 2019.
‘‘We have reached the conclusion that his sentence is manifestly excessive,’’ the decision said.
The Court of Appeal disagreed with Judge Maze’s assessment of the threat to kill as serious, especially since it was unlikely the victim heard it.
‘‘The conduct on which the threatening to kill charge was founded involved T calling 111 and effectively turning himself in to police as a method of anger management,’’ the decision said. ‘‘The psychological trauma usually associated with this kind of offending, the harm, is absent.’’
The Court of Appeal said Judge Maze also failed to acknowledge the defendant was only 19 or 20 at the time of offending, about five years older than his victim, during her sentencing. as anticipated in Centennial Park we would hope that the coarse fishing community will help to teach any interested anglers the skills and equipment required to successfully fish for tench.’’
The defined coarse fishing waters in the Central South Island region are Saltwater Creek, Centennial Park lake (Timaru) and the Island Stream (tributary of the Kakanui River) and Waiareka Stream (tributary of the Kakanui River).
‘‘We think that when T’s youth is considered in combination with T’s personal attributes, the very significant support and commitment expressed by his supporters and his low risk of reoffending, his prospect of rehabilitation is high.’’
Six members of the defendant’s family expressed their love, support, and commitment to helping him rehabilitate in letters to the court, the decision said.
‘‘T is fluent in te reo, has been brought up in the Mormon church, has a positive work ethic, and apparently wishes to pursue higher education.
‘‘It seems clear that he has positively contributed to his wider wha¯nau, his community, and his church.’’
On Thursday, defence lawyer Kerryn Beaton argued against continued registration as a child sex offender because the defendant had been deemed ‘‘low risk’’ and more than three years had passed since the offending. ‘‘Registration for eight years is not necessary or appropriate,’’ Beaton said.
Judge Maze agreed to remove him because she had no information from the victim or any other person to challenge the notion he was unlikely to offend again.