THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010

THE DOMINION POST

A3

dompost.co.nz

NEWS

Parliament passes new ACC law

Controversial changes to ACC were passed into law in Parliament last night after nearly two days of fierce debate. Some entitlements have been cut and levies have been raised through legislation the Government says is essential to safeguard the schemes future. However, Labours former ACC minister, Maryan Street, said the Government was preparing ACC for privatisation.

Chief nurse quit after inquiry

Kate Newton
HEALTH

Winds fan forest fire

A fire 30 kilometres west of Dunedin has burnt more than 700 hectares of pine forest and was still burning last night. Civil Defence said the fire was being fanned by strong winds that were predicted to continue for the next few days. Ten helicopters and a fixed wing aircraft were being used to slow the spread of the fire. Five families had been evacuated from their homes last night.

A SENIOR Health Ministry official resigned without notice soon after an investigation into his expenses. The Dominion Post understands the inquiry into former chief nurse Mark Joness spending took place in December last year. He resigned before Christmas with little warning. It is unclear whether he quit in protest or was forced from the position. Mr Jones told nursing journal Kai Tiaki recently that was he was not forced to resign and left on positive terms.

Mr Joness spending is alleged to have included chartering a yacht in the Bay of Islands in December 2008, during a meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Council of Chief Nurses. Official information issued to The Dominion Post shows Mr Joness travel and accommodation expenses between September 2008 and December 2009 was $39,975.15. The average cost of travel and accommodation for the ministrys other chief advisers and directors was $18,046.70 less than half the amount spent by Mr Jones. New South Wales chief nursing officer Deb Thoms, who attended the

December 2008 meeting, confirmed a yacht was chartered on the day after the formal part of the meeting had ended. We did go for a sail. She was not sure who had borne the charter costs. Both Mr Jones and the Health Ministry have played down suggestions he left under a cloud. Mr Jones told the magazine last week: I was not forced to resign and I parted on positive terms with the ministry. He could not be contacted yesterday. Ministry deputy director-general Andrew Bridgman said a number of senior staff were required to travel

as part of their work. [Mr Jones] represented NZ at a number of overseas forums with regards to nursing matters. Nurse Executives New Zealand spokeswoman Jocelyn Peach, who is also Waitemata District Health Boards nursing director, said Mr Jones had had a difficult time at the Health Ministry and thought the investigation into his expenses may have been the last straw. I think the changes in the ministry have been really difficult for him . . . Hes been like a lone ranger. She believed the way Mr Jones had been treated would put off his potential replacements.

Its making people think twice about the job. Denise Kivell, nursing director at Counties-Manukau District Health Board, thought Mr Joness swift resignation was unusual. It was very sudden. Usually a person in that position gives quite a few months notice. Neither the Health Ministrys director-general, Stephen McKernan, nor deputy director-general Margie Apa, whom Mr Jones reported to, returned calls yesterday. Health Minister Tony Ryalls office said it did not hold any information about Mr Joness resignation or the findings of the investigation.

Mark Jones: Said he was not forced to resign and left on good terms.

Shooting a mistake
The man who shot dead South Auckland liquor store owner Navtej Singh in a 2008 robbery did not realise the gun was loaded and did not mean to pull the trigger, his lawyer Jonathan Down said yesterday. Anitelea Chan-Kee was horrified by his behaviour and the terrible consequences, Mr Down told the High Court at Auckland. The prosecution has claimed that ChanLee lined up Mr Singh and shot him in the stomach. He died the next day.

Phoenix fans ock to buy tickets

Dave Burgess
WELLINGTON

Paua fraud sentence

A Marlborough woman convicted of deceiving investors out of almost $300,000 in a failed paua farming venture, has been sentenced to six months home detention and 200 hours community service. Robyn Hope-Johnstone, 63, of Havelock, was sentenced in Blenheim District Court yesterday on six fraud charges totalling $280,000. Finally collected: Clarence Winnie, whose ashes were kept by a Hastings funeral director for 23 years.

Rabbit weapon
A man who allegedly swung a live rabbit at pedestrians in central Auckland has been granted bail. Graham Paul Brown, 53, appeared in Auckland District Court yesterday charged with animal cruelty, assaulting police and disorderly behaviour. He was remanded till next month. Auckland SPCA inspector Vicki Border said the rabbit appeared to be uninjured but was stressed. It was believed to be someones pet.

Fathers ashes go unclaimed for 23 years

Marty Sharpe
HAWKES BAY

Campion rebuts claim

Kiwi film director Jane Campion says she was not sexually harassed by the husband of a film festival director in India, contrary to media reports. It had been reported that Campion had complained about being sexually harassed by Bhaskar Deb, whose wife organised the India International Women Film Festival, held in New Delhi in December. Campion said yesterday she had not made that allegation. However, she believed three other delegates had done so. Campion said she was upset at the way the festival was organised and presented.

FOR years Chris Winnie had wondered where his father was buried. Yesterday, 23 years after his death, he finally laid Clarence Winnie to rest after learning his ashes had not been collected from a funeral director. Clarrie died in Hastings on March 7, 1987. He was married twice and had two families. Both believed the other family had taken care of his cremation and interment. Three months ago, Mr Winnie began to search for his fathers final resting place, after years of wondering. With help from his nephew, Daren, he learned his father had been cremated by Hastings funeral directors Tong & Peryer. Funeral director Monique Longley told Daren the remains were still

Better late than never: Chris Winnie has finally laid his father Clarences ashes to rest at Taradale Cemetery. Its great to know he is finally at rest.
in storage, along with about 170 other urns dating back to 1958, waiting to be collected. Clarence left Mr Winnies mother, Shirley, when Chris was seven years old. Relations were strained and he and his five siblings assumed his fathers second wife had taken the ashes. It was quite a shock actually to find Dad was still sitting there. Its just wonderful that they kept him for so long. They dont have to, Mr Winnie, 50, said. There was no charge for storing the ashes. A group of about 20 family and friends attended the interment at Taradale Services Cemetery yesterday. Just before he died in Hastings Hospital I made my peace with him and talked with him, Mr Winnie said. He told me he had only committed one crime in his life and that was falling in love with two women, and one of them happened to be my mother. He said his father served in the RNZAF in Italy and the Pacific during World War II and the family was trying to find out more. Its great to know he is finally at rest. I have just been up to the cemetery and nailed up a cross and put a bunch of flowers there. Walking away I said, There you go, Dad. Ive done good by you. It brings closure, he said. Funeral Directors Association president Neil Little, of Auckland, said the story was amazing. He said funeral directors around

Photo: EVA BRADLEY

the country were storing the cremated ashes of thousands of people whose relatives had not collected them. Funeral directors were not required to keep ashes for any given period, but many did. It is an issue. We try and follow up with families but it can be hard. Sometimes with the scattered nature of families these days they gather for the funeral, and often leave quite soon after, not having made a decision about the ashes.

WELLINGTON Phoenix fans have snapped up more than 20,000 tickets to their final home match of the season with about 14,000 sold yesterday alone. Phoenix chief executive Tony Pignata predicted the 34,500-seat Westpac Stadium would be full for the March 7 clash against Newcastle Jets. A full house at the stadium would set a new crowd record for a competitive domestic football match in New Zealand eclipsing the 24,278 who watched the Phoenixs penalty shootout win against Perth Glory last Sunday. It would also beat the clubs record of 31,853 at the David Beckham exhibition match in December 2007. Well beat Beckham next weekend. What is going on is absolutely amazing. It is the hottest ticket in town and we are still 10 days out from the game. I am confident of selling it out, Mr Pignata said. We are making a lot of Aussie clubs stand up and take notice as well. It is quite amazing a Kiwi club is doing that. Fans are being encouraged to wear yellow to the game in what is being promoted by Positively Wellington Tourism and Wellington Phoenix as a yell-out for a sell-out. Queues of up to 30 metres were reported yesterday outside Ticketek outlets and the Phoenix shop on Willeston St, as fans lined up to buy the $50 and $35 adult tickets. A win over Newcastle would see the Phoenix play away to either Melbourne Victory or Sydney City in the major semifinal. Yellow Fever co-founder David Cross said the Fever would be singing like crazy at the stadium to try to spur the Phoenix to victory. The largest crowd at a football match in New Zealand was the 35,194 who watched the All Whites beat Bahrain last year at the stadium.

Dog death algae link

Toxic algae has been linked to the death of a dog in Waipoua River near Masterton. Greater Wellington regional council and Regional Public Health have asked the public to avoid the lower reaches of the river after a dog died shortly after contact with potentially toxic blue-green algae on Monday.

Sick boy suffers during tarmac standoff

BUSINESSMEN sat like lumps of concrete while a sick child recovering from an operation suffered in a sweltering aircraft on an airport tarmac, a care worker says. Picton care support worker Juanita Crossland said she was disgusted that not one of the businessmen on the flight from Auckland to Blenheim offered to give up their seat when the pilot made an appeal for someone to get off because of overloading. She said the fully loaded aircraft with about 20 passengers, including Blenheim 12-year-old Pete Thompson, was due to leave Auckland last Wednesday at 6pm but did not leave until 8.30pm. The pilot asked for one volunteer passenger to get off and, although the plane was full of men, not one offered. Where has chivalry gone? I thought it was uncaring of them and really bad manners because they could see we had a sick child. I was really disappointed in the behaviour of the adult men. I would have expected them to do the decent thing. Quite clearly they couldnt care about anything except getting home. If I had not had a sick child I would have volunteered myself. I was just disgusted at the way they sat there like lumps of concrete totally without feeling while I was looking after Pete in the back of the plane. She said Pete looked really terrible because it was hot and stuffy. He was still on painkillers and medication after the operation to remove bone growth from his arm on Monday afternoon. Surgeons at Starship childrens hospital cut out two centimetres of bone and inserted a metal plate in an attempt to straighten the deformed arm. Mrs Crossland said that, eventually, Petes mother, Rebecca Thompson, who also accompanied her son to hospital, volunteered to get off but the pilot said she needed to be with her son. Another woman in her thirties then volunteered and the aircraft took off. Since birth Pete has had 25 operations to combat Klippel-Feil syndrome, which causes health problems affecting the spine, heart, NZPA lungs, and kidneys.

Laughing driver drags elderly man

AN 82-YEAR-OLD man was dragged down Christchurchs main street by a laughing driver in an apparent road-rage attack. Senior Sergeant Paul Manhire said the attack happened when the elderly man approached a driver in Colombo St about noon yesterday. He went over to discuss his driving, and the driver grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him on his knees two to four metres down the road. Mr Manhire said the elderly man had some scrapes and scratches, but was not badly hurt. Passer-by John Stewart, who saw the incident, said the attack appeared to be unprovoked. He [the driver] just reached out, grabbed him and accelerated . . . there were people shouting at him to stop, but he kept going. Mr Stewart said the driver was laughing as he drove away. It was just unbelievable.
The Press
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Crash complaints
Footage of a luger dying at the Winter Olympics and broadcast by TVNZ and TV3 has drawn seven official complaints. Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, died in a crash during a training run on February 12. TV One and TV3 showed clips of the crash on their 6pm bulletins and preceded the clips with warnings about the graphic content. Both broadcasters were now responding to the complaints.
Staff reporters and NZPA

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Emergency flight: Pete Thompson, 12, had to wait for 112 hours before his Photo: NZPA flight took off.

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