Gisborne-based fishing company fined $13,000 for prohibited fishing; boat and catch seized
A Gisborne-based fishing company and its skipper were fined $13,000 after fishing in a seasonally prohibited area.
The Crown also seized the company's $250,000 fishing vessel and more than $16,000 worth of fish.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Gearing up for hoppy hours
Beercycles could soon be rolling through Queenstown. PHOTO: SUPPLIED A new type of booze cruise is being pitched for Queenstown. Hamilton-based company Beercycle Ltd has plans to launch in the CBD, using people power to move between various partner venues around the town centre. According to its resource consent application, which has been formally received by Queenstown's council, the beercycles can accommodate up to 15 people, including a host/driver, undertaking two-hour tours, with stops at three or four local venues. The company's been operating in Auckland, Christchurch and Hamilton for nine years without incident — it wants to expand into Queenstown, aligning with the resort's identity as "an adventurous, fun, visitor-driven destination". The bikes are fully pedal-powered, making them an environmentally friendly mode of tourism, while also supporting local hospo venues, the application says. Republic Hospitality Group, which owns 1876, Sundeck and Winnies, provided a letter of support for the application, stating Queenstown's known for its innovation and world-class hospitality, and Beercycle presents a chance to further enhance that. The tours, planned to operate daily between 11am and 9pm, would include onboard music, with a capped output of 60dB — the speed of the beercycle's comparable to a jogger or scooter. Any disturbance to residents is considered less than minor, while there's no conflict anticipated between Beercycle and pedestrians/cyclists, and any environmental or social effects are deemed less than minor and well managed through proposed conditions, the application says.
Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Wiping of phone ‘idiotic', judge says
A Wānaka woman committed an "act of unpardonable folly" by wiping the contents of her phone while under suspicion of importing psilocybin, a judge says. However, Judge Raoul Neave granted Skye Marie Spencer, 33, a discharge without conviction in the Queenstown District Court this week on the grounds a conviction would have a disproportionate impact on her employment and immigration status. Police executed a search warrant at Spencer's home last year after suspecting her of importing the class A drug, a psychedelic drug also known as magic mushrooms. Her refusal to provide access to her cellphone meant the officer in charge was unable to put it in flight mode, which would have protected its contents. Although he placed the device in a Faraday bag to block electromagnetic interference, it underwent a "remote wipe" as soon as he removed it from the bag at Wānaka police station, Judge Neave said. The defendant, who used her laptop to wipe the phone immediately after the search, later told police she had personal material on the device she did not want them to see. She later admitted a charge of attempting to obstruct the course of justice, entering the plea after ESR analysis found the substance she had imported was not psilocybin. Judge Neave said the Crown's position was she had intended to destroy evidence of her attempt to import the drug, and police were unable to retrieve the deleted material. That was at odds with the submissions of defence counsel Paige Noorland, who said police were able to complete a full investigation, and retrieved at least some of the data. Ms Noorland said Spencer's wiping of her phone may have been deliberate, but was also "naive, fleeting and opportunistic". Judge Neave said the defendant claimed her actions were unrelated to the drug allegation, and motivated by a wish to keep material of an "intimate, personal nature" from the prying eyes of the police. "Assuming that were true for the moment, whilst understandable, she had rather forfeited the right to those sorts of decisions when she was so stupid as to start to import a Class A drug," he said. Despite her claim that she did not realise the seriousness of importing psilocybin, it must have been "blindingly obvious" that wiping her phone after receiving a search warrant was a criminal act. There was irony in the fact she may not have appeared in court at all but for her "idiotic actions on the spur of the moment". Turning to the discharge application, Judge Neave said the defendant had two long-standing jobs that required her to travel overseas, especially to the United States. Although her employers remained supportive, a conviction would make that travel more difficult, and put her current and future employment at risk. Because she was an Australian national, it would also make her eligible for deportation. Losing her immigration status would jeopardise her relationship with her partner, who was a New Zealand citizen. She had no previous convictions, and otherwise appeared to be a "responsible, hard-working and well-regarded young woman". For those reasons, he decided the consequences of a conviction outweighed the seriousness of her offending and granted the discharge.
Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Power trust candidates sought
It is "not a job for the faint-hearted" but volunteers are needed to help keep the lights on across North Otago. The Waitaki Power Trust (WPT) elections are coming up and at least two new members will need to be elected to the consumer trust's five-person board. WPT holds all the shares in Oamaru-based lines company Network Waitaki Limited (NWL), on behalf of about 13,500 households and businesses connected to NWL's electricity distribution network. Long-serving trustee Herb Tonkin has been on the trust since retiring from work 23 years ago. "I was employed by the Waitaki Electric power board for 42 years and I thought it was over to me to give something back to the consumer." "It is the consumers' company — it belongs to every consumer." Fellow trustee John Clements agreed. "They are making a big song and dance about water, and how we're going to have three councils in charge of our water. "It's a very good parallel to draw with the network distribution company, which is ours." A big reason to vote in the election and stand for a seat on the trust was the annual consumer power rebate, which was only made possible through consumer ownership of the lines company, Mr Clements said. "Most consumers get about $79 which is a big help at Christmas time. "It's a rebate on the power, and appears as credit on the power account." Trustees serve a three-year term before becoming eligible to stand again for election or retire. Mr Tonkin and Mr Clements will retain their seats, while two trustees are stepping away and a third will stand for re-election. The WPT is administered by elected trustees and exists to provide oversight and represent the interests of consumers who are both owners and users of NWL's electricity distribution network. The trust monitors NWL's financial performance, ensuring profits are reasonable relative to asset value and capital works. It also undertakes an ownership review every 10 years. Mr Tonkin said being a trustee was an important job, requiring commitment, good knowledge of the trust deed, which established the trust legally, and the ability to foster good relations with NWL company directors. "A trustee is elected by consumers. "Their most important job is they interact with the directors of the company and approve any major transactions or new business undertaken by the company. "It's not a job for the faint-hearted. "The company is having to upgrade the electrical network and is spending a substantial amount to safeguard the continued supply of electricity in North Otago." The major project trustees provided oversight for at the moment is a $50million project to build a new grid exit point. Without it the region will run out of capacity to receive electricity from the national grid by 2027. "It's big biccies,"Mr Tonkin said. NWL chief executive Dylan Andrews said WPT trustees provided a crucial role in the annual setting and monitoring of the company's statement of corporate intent, as well as providing valuable customer insights. "There is an aligned commitment to ensure the company provides safe and reliable electricity service while investing in the network to meet future demands. "The WPT also provides valuable input into the company's annual pricing review. "Our relationship with the Waitaki Power Trust is positive and constructive, as demonstrated through joint activities such as the shared display at the annual North Otago A&P Show and the presentation of the Network Waitaki Sponsorship Awards, which celebrate and support local achievements. "The company is looking forward to working with current and future trustees who provide local insight from across our service areas." Nominations for candidates open on July 9 and close on July 30. Nomination forms are available on the Waitaki Power Trust website Postal voting ballots will be mailed to consumers on August 8 and voting closes on August 29.
