Lagoon fun run

A fun run and walk at the Wairau Lagoon near Blenheim aims to encourage Marlburians to explore their backyard and raise money to revamp Grovetown School's outdoor area.

Participants can walk or run around the lagoon's six-kilometre trail once or twice during the event on September 19.

Organising committee member Mandy Macfarlane said several people at last year's inaugural fun run said they had never visited the lagoon before, despite having lived in Blenheim for years.

The event is being held during the Department of Conservation's Conservation Week.

The money raised will go toward a spruce-up of the school's outdoor area, Mrs Macfarlane said. The school hoped to double the size of their edible garden, and enlarge a multipurpose area used to hold classes outside.

The school was also working on establishing an orchard.

Principal Selena Tonks said it was important the students knew where their food came from and how to grow, cook and eat fruits and vegetables.

The first time the event was held, enough money was raised to buy laptops and sports gear.

The event will also include a treasure hunt for children, with a scooter and Interisland ferry passes among the prizes.

Entry forms can be picked up from Spokesman Cycles in Blenheim.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 26/08/2010

Grovetown School Fundraiser. From left: Mandy Macfarlane, Reuben Kirk, Clayton Dick, George Boyce, Emma Fuller, Molly Elliott, Hannah Macfarlan

Swimming stag surprises fishermen

Wellington doctor Hugh McCabe has seen dolphins and killer whales swimming in the Marlborough Sounds, but he never expected to see a stag treading water during a fishing trip a fortnight ago.

Mr McCabe was on a boat heading towards Waikawa Marina in the Queen Charlotte Sound when he spotted the deer about a kilometre from shore at the entrance to Curious Cove on Sunday, August 15.

"We couldn't believe it, we thought it was a pile of sticks," he said.

The boat, skippered by DeanBussell, followed the deer until it reached the shore.

"It was a good swimmer, it was making good speed," Mr McCabe said.

The deer was exhausted when it reached land and took about five minutes to recover before heading into the bush, he said.

Department of Conservation Sounds area biodiversity threats programme manager Phil Clerke said deer were known to swim to islands occasionally.

The animals "get there under their own steam" and were known to be on Blumine Island in Queen Charlotte Sound and Maud Island in Pelorus Sound, both pest-free conservation reserves.

They were not a predator on the islands because deer ate only plants, Mr Clerke said.

He did not know why deer choose to swim but said it could be because of pressure to get away from hunters. It was most likely not because of a shortage of food, he said.

"I don't think swimming is too foreign to deer. People just think about them [deer] keeping their feet dry," he said."It could happen way more than what people see because they [deer] are pretty active at night."

By BLAIR ENSOR and SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 25/08/2010

Supplied

A deer swims in the Queen Charlotte Sound.

Quarry wins approval for expansion

A Blenheim construction company has been given the go-ahead to significantly increase the amount of rock taken from the Omaka Quarry, despite strong objections by residents.

The Marlborough District Council has given consent for Simcox Construction to extract up to 90,000 tonnes of rock a year from its quarry, a kilometre from the end of Barracks Rd, Omaka Valley. The consent allows the company to run 34 truck movements from the quarry daily.

Thirty-seven submissions were made by nearby residents of the quarry. One supported the expansion, two were neutral and the rest opposed the plan.

A spokeswoman for Omaka Valley Group, representing residents opposed to the Simcox application, said members were disappointed. They were seeking legal advice to "clarify a number of inconsistencies and anomalies in the decision".

The decision was potentially disappointing for those who used the Omaka Valley daily, including school buses, drivers and cyclists, she said.

The group did not want to comment further until members had spoken to their lawyers and met to discuss the decision, she said.

The consent came with several conditions, including restricted operating hours between 7am and 5pm on weekdays and 7am and 1pm on Saturdays during daylight-saving periods, and 7.30am to 5.30pm weekdays and 7.30am to 1.30pm during standard time.

The maximum number of truck movements a day was set at 34.

The company is also required to widen Brookby Rd, north of the Falveys Rd intersection and Dog Point Rd, to a minimum of seven metres.

The road-widening must meet the standards of Marlborough Roads and must be done before annual extraction reached 90,000 tonnes.

Parts of Barracks Rd also needed to be sealed before the company could take more than 5000 tonnes of rock.

Simcox Construction owner Ian Simcox said he was satisfied with the consent approval and it had been a long process.

He did not want to comment further because he had not read the consent conditions in full and the date for appeals had yet to close.

In 2006, the company was granted consent to extract 3000 tonnes of rock a year.

That tonnage increased after four years of operation to 5000 tonnes a year until the consent expires in 2026.

All interested parties have 15 working days from when they received the decision to lodge an appeal.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 23/08/2010

Quarry worry: Simcox Construction has been given consent to increase the amount of rock extracted from the Omaka Quarry and residents are unhappy about it.

Graduates prove uni not only option

An industry-based training graduation ceremony in Blenheim at the weekend proved you are never too old to learn and that university is not the only option to continue studying.

Almost 90 people graduated at a ceremony at the Marlborough Civic Theatre on Saturday with national certificates through on-the-job training in industries such as building, community support and horticulture.

Mayor Alistair Sowman said although Marlborough did not have a university, the graduates showed there were other educational opportunities within the region.

People were the most under-used resource and the community needed those who continually strived to be the best, he said.

National Certificate in Support of the Older Person graduate Pamela Jones said her qualification would mean a pay rise and a degree of extra responsibility at Waterlea Rest Home where she worked.

The extra training made her a better carer and receiving the certificate gave her great a sense of achievement, Ms Jones said.

Having a qualification was important when looking after the elderly, but things had changed since she first trained as a carer.

"It's not an easy occupation, but it's an enjoyable one, she said.

"There's nothing more interesting than listening to their stories."

Mr Sowman praised the graduates' employers for giving their staff the opportunity to further their qualifications.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:03 23/08/2010

Support for sentence

A Blenheim mother whose daughter was killed by a young driver 24 years ago has backed a judge's decision not to jail Frances Stubbs, who fled a police checkpoint and killed another driver in March.

Two days after the crash that killed her 15-year-old daughter, the woman told the 16-year-old driver of the car he should not waste his life.

The woman contacted The Marlborough Express after Stubbs was sentenced in the Blenheim District Court on Tuesday last week to eight months' home detention, 160 hours' community work and disqualified from driving for 3 1/2 years.

She was convicted of drink-driving causing death after fleeing a police alcohol checkpoint and crashing into Penelope Phillips' car.

The woman said she agreed with Judge Bruce Davidson's decision to keep Stubbs in the community, in contrast to many other Express readers who have commented online that Stubbs should have been jailed.

Speaking to the driver two days after her daughter's death in 1986, the woman said she told him to continue living his life.

"Your actions have taken my daughter's life, the only thing you can do now is to make sure your own life is not wasted," she said to him.

The driver, who was not drunk when the crash happened, drove so dangerously all his passengers were thrown from the vehicle when it overturned, she said.

He was disqualified from driving for a short period, she said.

The woman did not want to be named because she did not want to identify the man, who still lived in the Marlborough region.

She praised the "sensible and responsible" way the Stubbs and Phillips families had acted towards each other since the fatal crash and hoped they would find this made it easier to deal with in the future.

Meanwhile, Stubbs' sentencing ignited debate on the marlexpress.co.nz website over the appropriateness of her sentence.

More than 90 comments were posted following the sentencing and most were not satisfied Stubbs had avoided a jail term.

"That is no more than just a slap on the wrist ... She should consider herself very lucky, as, once again, the justice system has failed," one comment said.

Another reader had a different sentence in mind.

"Ban her from ever owning or driving a motor vehicle ever again. It's unfair on the family of the victim and the value of the lost life to basically tell Frances she's `grounded'."

But some agreed with the sentence and said prison was not the answer. "Prison is useless in this case, it would only serve as a way to please the public by taking `dangerous' people off the streets, she [Stubbs] is not dangerous," said one reader.

Rethinking Crime and Punishment director Kim Workman said communities had a false perception that victims and their relatives want the harshest penalties.

British studies have suggested 51 per cent of victims supported making offenders meet their victims to make amends personally, she said
The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:03 23/08/2010

Boost from trans-Tasman kayakers

A sense of adventure still exists inside the youth of today – it just needs a bit of coaxing, according to two Australian men who made history kayaking across the Tasman Sea.

Justin Jones and James Castrission were the first people to kayak from Australia to New Zealand and were in Blenheim last night to speak at a charity auction fundraiser for Project K, a leadership and life skills programme for secondary school students.

The pair entertained a full house at the Marlborough Convention Centre with a compelling presentation of their journey.

They talked of their mothers' anguish on learning of their plans and a long build-up with many setbacks before they even got on the water.

The first half of their paddling trip was quicker than they expected, but just as they were beginning to feel confident of success they found themselves caught up in a mid-Tasman whirlpool fighting the current. They decided to paddle back toward Australia to break free of the whirlpool's grip before heading south.

They talked of riding out massive waves, dealing with sea sickness and going to sleep with just centimetres of fibreglass between themselves and a couple of sharks rubbing against their boat. Lighter moments included a few too many details about sponge baths in close confinement.

And the best moment of all? When they saw Mt Taranaki on the horizon after two months at sea.

Mr Castrission said taking risks in life was important even though other people may not agree with your decisions.

"We live in such a risk-averse society that when people decide to take risks it's usually frowned upon," he said. "Our trip was about risk mitigation and all about doing it safely."

They had several back-up plans for things that could possible go wrong, which came in handy when their solar-powered desalination unit broke down and they were able to pull out a labour-intensive, but trip-saving, hand pump.

The pair came ashore in New Plymouth on January 13, 2008, after rowing 3318 kilometres from Australia in 62 days.

Mr Jones said he thought Taranaki had painted its foreshore weird colours when it first came into sight. Then he realised the colours were thousands and thousands of people who had come out to welcome them.

Mr Castrissian praised Project K because of its focus on the outdoors.

"The outdoors played a big part in who we are today.

"It lets kids discover themselves," he said.

Harcourts Marlborough staff ran an auction of items donated by mostly Marlborough businesses before the adventurers spoke raising about $17,000 for Project K.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:00 20/08/2010

Would-be robber gets supervision

A Blenheim man who tried to rob a couple in their home late at night, wearing a mask and carrying a firearm, has been released into the community.

Hector William Henry, 57, a sickness beneficiary, was sentenced to nine months' intensive supervision when he appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday .

Henry pleaded guilty in July to attempted aggravated robbery, unlawful possession of an airgun and having his face covered with intent to commit a crime after the incident in central Blenheim last year.

Judge David McKegg said he was appalled with Henry's list of about 100 previous convictions, including robbery and sexual offences. He sentenced Henry to 18 months' jail, but since he had already been remanded in police custody for a year, waiting for a trial, he was released on intensive supervision.

Henry was ordered to undergo drug and alcohol assessment and attend a rehabilitation programme.

His claims he found the airgun outside the house and was trying to return it were "nonsense", Judge McKegg said.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:00 20/08/2010

Letter to the editor
Please do remind the Marlborough Express reporters that good manners and courtesy is insufficient for a reporter of New Zealand. I humbly suggest you do train the young reporters to also record the ba...sics as told to them by our Blenheim citizens themselves with impartiality and honesty. On Friday, August 13 I was interviewed for news as to details of my accident which was very stressful. The reporter was told by me "I did pray, asking the holy virgin mother of Jesus Christ the Lord, please ask your divine son to help me as he honours his mother and does what she asks of him to do as Jesus kept the ten commandments of his father". My message was not printed. My prayer was answered in the fact that two Marlborough Boys' College students who did help me by taking off the heavy scooter from my prone body and lifting me up on to my feet. I told the reporter prayer was important.
GLORIA HASSAN
Blenheim

Killer driver gets home detention

A Blenheim woman who fled a police alcohol checkpoint, killing 51-year-old Penelope Phillips, has been sentenced to eight months' home detention.

Police wanted Frances Carol Stubbs, 20, to serve 3 1/2 years in jail for driving with excess blood alcohol causing death, but Judge Bruce Davidson did not agree.

Stubbs should be given credit for her early guilty plea, remorse and actions, which included taking part in informal restorative justice sessions with Mrs Phillips' family members, Judge Davidson said yesterday.

He also sentenced Stubbs to 160 hours' community work and disqualified her from driving for 3 1/2 years.

Blenheim District Court was packed for the sentencing.

Stubbs killed Blenheim mother and grandmother Mrs Phillips when she crashed into her car at the roundabout at Nelson and Hutcheson streets in Blenheim on March 19. The crash happened moments after Stubbs fled a police alcohol checkpoint.

Judge Davidson said Stubbs would be an ideal candidate to front a campaign against drink-driving.

"I can't sentence you to do that, but it would be a very laudable and worthwhile step on your part to tell the world about the dangers of drink-driving," he said.

Mrs Phillips' family had raised the idea during informal restorative justice talks with Stubbs, he said.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Steve Frost said home detention was not appropriate for such a serious charge because it was not a sufficient deterrent, nor would it denounce Stubbs' actions.

He suggested a starting point of 3 1/2 years in prison.

However, Judge Davidson said he doubted Stubbs had made a conscious decision to drive off, and was motivated by "fear, panic and fright". Stubbs was well regarded by her employer and intended to return to study next year, he said. He did not expect Stubbs would ever have to appear in court again.

"I believe without a shadow of a doubt that you are a young woman with a bright future."

The Stubbs' family had paid $9200 to Mrs Phillips' family for emotional harm and reparation for the car.

Mr Frost said Stubbs told police she drank four RTDs (ready-to-drink alcohol) before the crash.

She had believed she was going to be picked up, but drove herself when that plan fell through.

After the accident, Stubbs was taken to Wairau Hospital and was treated for minor injuries, Mr Frost said. She was found to have 120 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80mg.

Defence counsel Mike Turner said Stubbs had apologised to the Phillips family in writing and in person, but wanted to make a public apology for her behaviour.

Stubbs was freaked out when she failed the test, which detects alcohol on a person's breath, and made a spontaneous decision to drive off "with no thought to the consequences".

Stubbs was very active within the community, including being in the school choir and house leader when she was at secondary school. She was "sorrowful, shaken and remorseful" for what she had done and was receiving counselling.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 18/08/2010

Opinion poll

Is 8 months home D too light a sentence for drink driving causing death?

It should be a jail sentence

It should be a longer period of home detention

This is the right sentence for a first offence

Killer driver gets home detention

A Blenheim woman who fled a police alcohol checkpoint, killing 51-year-old Penelope Phillips, has been sentenced to eight months' home detention.

Police wanted Frances Carol Stubbs, 20, to serve 3 1/2 years in jail for driving with excess blood alcohol causing death, but Judge Bruce Davidson did not agree.

Stubbs should be given credit for her early guilty plea, remorse and actions, which included taking part in informal restorative justice sessions with Mrs Phillips' family members, Judge Davidson said yesterday.

He also sentenced Stubbs to 160 hours' community work and disqualified her from driving for 3 1/2 years.

Blenheim District Court was packed for the sentencing.

Stubbs killed Blenheim mother and grandmother Mrs Phillips when she crashed into her car at the roundabout at Nelson and Hutcheson streets in Blenheim on March 19. The crash happened moments after Stubbs fled a police alcohol checkpoint.

Judge Davidson said Stubbs would be an ideal candidate to front a campaign against drink-driving.

"I can't sentence you to do that, but it would be a very laudable and worthwhile step on your part to tell the world about the dangers of drink-driving," he said.

Mrs Phillips' family had raised the idea during informal restorative justice talks with Stubbs, he said.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Steve Frost said home detention was not appropriate for such a serious charge because it was not a sufficient deterrent, nor would it denounce Stubbs' actions.

He suggested a starting point of 3 1/2 years in prison.

However, Judge Davidson said he doubted Stubbs had made a conscious decision to drive off, and was motivated by "fear, panic and fright". Stubbs was well regarded by her employer and intended to return to study next year, he said. He did not expect Stubbs would ever have to appear in court again.

"I believe without a shadow of a doubt that you are a young woman with a bright future."

The Stubbs' family had paid $9200 to Mrs Phillips' family for emotional harm and reparation for the car.

Mr Frost said Stubbs told police she drank four RTDs (ready-to-drink alcohol) before the crash.

She had believed she was going to be picked up, but drove herself when that plan fell through.

After the accident, Stubbs was taken to Wairau Hospital and was treated for minor injuries, Mr Frost said. She was found to have 120 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80mg.

Defence counsel Mike Turner said Stubbs had apologised to the Phillips family in writing and in person, but wanted to make a public apology for her behaviour.

Stubbs was freaked out when she failed the test, which detects alcohol on a person's breath, and made a spontaneous decision to drive off "with no thought to the consequences".

Stubbs was very active within the community, including being in the school choir and house leader when she was at secondary school. She was "sorrowful, shaken and remorseful" for what she had done and was receiving counselling.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 18/08/2010

Opinion poll

Is 8 months home D too light a sentence for drink driving causing death?

It should be a jail sentence

It should be a longer period of home detention

This is the right sentence for a first offence

Home detention for drug offence

A 42-year-old Blenheim woman has been sentenced to home detention for supplying critical ingredients to make methamphetamine.

Ingrid Ruth Pedersen was sentenced to six months' home detention and ordered to complete 80 hours' community work when she appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday on a charge of supplying precursor substances to manufacture methamphetamine and supplying material to manufacture methamphetamine.

Judge Bruce Davidson said the items Pedersen bought, including iodine, were critical in the manufacture of methamphetamine, but there was no real commercial value because the items totalled about $200.

Crown prosecutor Hugh Boyd-Wilson said Pedersen supplied iodine and fuelite to a methamphetamine maker on multiple occasions and over a period of about a year.

It was not known how much of the drug could have been made using the ingredients because a report had not come back from the Institute of Environmental Science and Research which analyses illicit drugs, he said.

Home detention was not a sufficient deterrent because the offending happened on multiple occasions and Pedersen knowingly supplied the items to a third party who directly manufactured the drug, he said.

Defence counsel Rob Harrison said Pedersen took herself off the methadone programme and substituted that for the drug P; she had since freed herself of the physical addiction.

Pedersen had the support of her family and aside from these charges had been a good member of the community, he said.

Judge Davidson said Pedersen knew what the ingredients were for and told police she would receive payment for the material.

Pedersen's offending was ongoing, inherently premeditated and she supplied critical components to make a drug "which has caused so much damage in the community", he said.

Pedersen would be more likely to get the help and guidance she "desperately" needed within the community, he said.

As part of her sentence, Pedersen was also ordered to undertake alcohol and drug counselling.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 18/08/2010

Mum sentenced for P making role

A 35-year-old mother has escaped a harsher sentence of home detention for supplying ingredients to manufacture P because one of her children requires constant medical care.

Former Blenheim woman Lavinia May van Duin, who now lives in Nelson, was sentenced to five months' community detention for supplying material to manufacture methamphetamine and burglary at the Blenheim District Court yesterday. She was also placed under a 12-month supervision order, and ordered to undertake 120 hours' community work and pay reparation of $380.17.

Judge Bruce Davidson said the only reason van Duin received community detention was to allow her to take care of her child who had regular hospital appointments.

Van Duin supplied iodine and caustic soda twice to a methamphetamine maker between January and March this year.

On the second occasion, the material could have made between four and five grams of the drug, which had a street value of between $4000 and $5000, the judge said.

Van Duin and another associate also burgled the same house twice in one day on May 10, he said.

When sentencing van Duin, Judge Davidson said it was hard to ignore her personal circumstances.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:12 18/08/2010

Fatal crash drink driver escapes jail

Killing a woman while fleeing a police alcohol check point has led to home detention for a 20-year-old Blenheim woman.

Frances Carol Stubbs admitted driving with excess blood alcohol causing death when she appeared in Blenheim District Court today.

Judge Bruce Davidson sentenced her to eight months' home detention, ordered her to do 160 hours' community work and disqualified her from driving for 3-1/2 years, the Marlborough Express reported.

Stubbs' father, Blenheim lawyer Peter Stubbs, had previously said his daughter suffered a "brain explosion" when she was pulled over, having drunk about four vodka energy drinks over two hours on March 19.

The former Marlborough Girls' College student fled before colliding with Penelope Phillips' car at a roundabout, killing the 51-year-old instantly.

"We're hugely sorry about the whole event and the massive impact it's going to have on the family. It's hugely depressing and sad all round for them and for us, and we're just so sorry that they've lost their loved one," Mr Stubbs told the New Zealand Herald in March.

"Whatever happens, whatever the result is, she's got a lifetime of thinking about this. It's like a life sentence."

- NZPA NZ Herald

4:27 PM Tuesday Aug 17, 2010

Drink driver gets home detention

A 20-year-old Blenheim woman who fled a police alcohol check-point killing another driver has been sentenced to eight months' home detention.

Frances Carol Stubbs had admitted driving with excess blood alcohol causing death and was sentenced by Judge Bruce Davidson at the Blenheim District Court this afternoon.

She was also ordered to complete 160 hours' community work and was disqualified from driving for three and a half years.

Stubbs fled a police checkpoint and collided with Penelope Phillips, 51, on the roundabout between Nelson St and Hutcheson St in Blenheim about 9.45pm on March 19.

She was later found to have 120 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80mg. The charge carries a maximum of five years' imprisonment or a fine of up to $20,000

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:58 17/08/2010

DEREK FLYNN/The Marlborough Express

GRIEVING: The family of Penelope Phillips, who was killed in a car accident in Blenheim on Friday night. From left: Lloyd McKenzie (son), Haylee McKenzie (daughter), Neil Jorgensen (partner), and Grant McKenzie (son).

Jail for indecency in rest home

A man who indecently assaulted elderly women while working at Redwood Retirement Village in Blenheim was sent to jail yesterday.

David Eric Neal, 55, a former care worker, was sentenced on six charges of indecent assault in Blenheim District Court to two years and four months jail.

Judge Bruce Davidson said Neal's five female victims were aged between 58 and 96 and the offending, which included touching their breasts and genital area, happened repeatedly between February 2009 and March this year, he said.

The victims were unable to resist Neal "in any realistic way" because their mobility was restricted or they were restrained in some way, he said.

One of the victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, chose to read her victim impact statement to the court.

She said she had just started to trust men again after previously being a victim of sexual abuse.

"David undid it in minutes," she said. "The scars that David's actions placed in my brain cannot be erased – they are there for good."

Judge Davidson said Neal tried to innocently explain his actions when approached by his employer, but when a police investigation was launched he admitted he had a fascination with the breasts of elderly females.

Neal committed a wholesale breach of the trust that was inherent in health care workers as well as in the health care sector.

Neal had been "dangerously close" to facing more serious charges of sexual violation, Judge Davidson said. Neal initially faced nine charges of sexual violation and sexual assault, but some were dropped and the rest downgraded to indecent assault.

Crown prosecutor Hugh Boyd-Wilson said Neal's offending was repeated over a prolonged period.

The offending progressed from touching the victims' breasts to touching the genital area of three of his five victims, he said.

Neal had previous convictions, but none of a similar nature to this offending, he said.

Defence counsel Rob Harrison said Neal had no explanation for what had happened.

Neal had taken time off work and was referred to a doctor for depression before the complaints were laid, he said.

"He had a feeling things weren't right for him and he didn't take the next step to tell the authorities," he said.

"He's done nothing like this in his life, which indicates something has happened to bring about the offending."

Mr Harrison asked Judge Davidson for an adjournment to explore options for community or home detention, but the request was denied because no suitable address could be found.

Oceania Group chief executive Geoff Hipkins said he felt two years four months was a minimal sentence. Oceania is the owner of Redwood Retirement Village.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:00 17/08/2010

The Marlborough Express

BREACH OF TRUST: Former care worker David Eric Neal in the Blenheim District Court yesterday. He was sentenced on six charges of indecent assault.

Two mussel spat thieves sentenced

Two Marlborough men were sentenced to community work when they appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday for stealing mussel spat from their employer.

Kelvin James Slape, 35, from Renwick, and Raymond George Naish, 66, from Canvastown, were sentenced to 100 hours' and 150 hours' community work, respectively, for their plan to steal mussel spat from Sanford.

The men, who no longer work for the company, were both ordered to pay it $2500 in reparation.

Naish also faced a charge of receiving the mussel spat.

Slape, a former mussel-seeding boat skipper for Sanford, had admitted theft for helping Naish take mussel spat from Sanford to the private farm.

In an earlier court appearance, police prosecutor Sergeant Steve Frost said Naish had approached Slape, who had the equipment and crew, to take the spat line to a private marine farm in Port Ligar. The pair agreed Slape and his crew would each get $500 for the work.

Between April and December last year, Slape and his crew stripped a mussel line valued at up to $14,300, he said.

Mussel lines were usually stripped and mussels discarded if they were of no value, he said.

Defence lawyer Rob Harrison said Naish believed the mussels were going to be stripped because they were unusable by the company. Naish decided to take the spat to another farm to mature.

Slape's defence lawyer, Matthew Marshall, said Slape had been told to strip the line so the spat, or juvenile mussels, had no value to the company.

The amount of reparation was in dispute because the company was claiming for items that had already been returned, both lawyers said.

Judge Bruce Davidson said the theft was unusual and it would be difficult to settle on a final reparation figure. However, the company was entitled to bring a civil case against them, he said.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:00 17/08/2010

Deadly drink driver avoids jail

A 20-year-old Blenheim woman who fled a police alcohol check-point killing another driver has been sentenced to eight months' home detention.

Frances Carol Stubbs had admitted driving with excess blood alcohol causing death and was sentenced by Judge Bruce Davidson at the Blenheim District Court this afternoon.

She was also ordered to complete 160 hours' community work and was disqualified from driving for three and a half years.

Stubbs fled a police checkpoint and collided with Penelope Phillips, 51, on the roundabout between Nelson St and Hutcheson St in Blenheim about 9.45pm on March 19.

She was later found to have 120 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80mg. The charge carries a maximum of five years' imprisonment or a fine of up to $20,000.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:58 17/08/2010

Marlborough Express

SENTENCED: Frances Stubbs emerging from the Blenheim police station after she was first questioned about the fatal accident.

Rest home offender jailed

A former Blenheim care worker who admitted six charges of indecent assault on residents at a Blenheim rest home has been sent to jail.

David Eric Neal, 55, was sentenced to two years and four months in prison when he appeared before Judge Bruce Davidson at the Blenheim District Court this afternoon.

Neal originally faced charges of sexual assault and sexual violation, but the charges were reduced to indecent assault and the sexual violation charges were dropped.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 14:49 16/08/2010

Global teenage language of video games

Video games seem to be a medium understood by all teenage boys, no matter where in the world they come from.

Issei Watanabe and Yuma Nishimura, both 14, are being hosted by the Somerville family during a week-long exchange with Marlborough Boys' College.

Harrison Somerville, 15, can't speak Japanese and the two exchange students have limited English, but the three boys were communicating well through a video game when The Marlborough Express arrived.

Issei and Yuma are among a group of 42 students from Jissen Gakuen, a Japanese secondary school, visiting Marlborough and are being hosted by Boys' College students.

The students arrived yesterday and have planned activities throughout the week, but will be with their host families during the weekend.

Issei and Yuma were spectators at the Tasman Makos rugby game at Lansdowne Park last night.

Neither had ever played rugby and had seen it only on TV.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 13/08/2010

DEREK FLYNN/Marlborough Express

CULTURE EXCHANGE: Japanese students Issei Watanabe and Yuma Nishimura, both 14, play video games with their host brother Harrison Somerville, 15, centre. The boys from Japanese secondary school Jissen Gakuen are staying in Blenheim as part of a week-long cultural exchange with Marlborough Boys' College.

Primary school heads on attack

Primary school principals in Marlborough say they are backing a no-confidence vote against the national standards policy at a Principals Federation forum.

Marlborough Principals Association president Bruce Pagan was one of 60 regional presidents and representatives of the federation who met at a forum in Wellington last week.

The forum passed a vote of no confidence in the national standards scheme introduced this year by the Government.

"We're continually frustrated at the unwillingness of the Government and the Ministry [of Education] to meet us and carry out a meaningful review [of the standards]," he said.

The federation was working on a public campaign about the standards that would be sent to parents within 10 days, he said.

The campaign was not meant to be an attack on the Government and would be funded by the federation, he said. The federation was against the standards as they were written, Mr Pagan said.

"If the Minister [of Education Anne Tolley] isn't going to listen, we feel we've got to take it above her and go directly to our clients," he said.

Most schools in Marlborough had started to integrate the national standards into their curriculums, including reporting to parents, he said.

Introduced this year, the policy ranks every pupil from year 1 to 8 at, above, below or well below national literacy and numeracy standards.

A lack of consistency in reporting a child's progress to parents was "pulling national standards into disrepute", he said.

The scheme requires teachers to assess a child's learning against national benchmarks showing where children should be at a particular age. Reports are sent to parents about their children. The standards left a lot of room for interpretation and no two schools had adopted the same reporting procedures, he said.

When children moved schools, parents would have different ideas about how schools did their assessment and reports, he said.

Canterbury schools have been told to stop reporting to parents until the "fundamental flaws" were fixed.

Canterbury Primary Principals' Association president Denise Torrey said schools should not report whether pupils had achieved national literacy and numeracy standards until Ms Tolley acknowledged the flaws and fixed them.

"At best, schools have school-wide standards, not national standards, as there's no clarity about what the standards actually are," Ms Torrey said.

"Right now, a standard at one school might not be the same at the school down the road, as that school might interpret them quite differently. One's `at' might be another's `below'."

Ms Tolley said the association's recommendation was "all about egos".

-with Fairfax

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 13/08/2010

Checking out the options

The Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology opened its doors to prospective students yesterday during its annual Career Express Day at the Budge St campus in Blenheim.

Faculties from NMIT were on show for students from Queen Charlotte College, Marlborough Boys' College, Marlborough Girls' College and anyone else looking for a career change.

Community and school liaison Grant McNeill said he was happy with the turnout, especially with the free shuttle from Seymour Square, so people on their lunch break could get there and back.

Employers, including Noel Leeming, Villa Maria Estate, the Marine Farming Association and accountants Winstanley Kerridge also had stalls about career options after tertiary education.

The Marlborough Express spoke to those looking to take the next step in their careers.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 13/08/2010

Jennifer Stott #26 05:51 pm Aug 13 2010

Good to see that teenagers are being acknowledged for positive reasons. All too often we hear negatives, this creates stigmas.

Jules #25 05:22 pm Aug 13 2010

What a beautiful story. I love them all, the lady who fell off the scooter, the two boys and their mum. She is obviously proud as punch too, saying the good news of the boys actions were like a thousand dollars to her. Bless them all.

JESS #24 05:20 pm Aug 13 2010

I love that young people still help others it totally warms my heart! what great boys :o)

Rosie333 #23 04:50 pm Aug 13 2010

What great kids, so nice to know they're out there!

karla #22 03:25 pm Aug 13 2010

FINALY A NICE STORY!!! Good on ya boys!!!!

Simon #21 03:23 pm Aug 13 2010

That's the sort of news we should be seeing. Good work boys. Keep it up.

Julie #20 03:15 pm Aug 13 2010

What a heartwarming story when the news is often flooded with teens "off the rails and violent". Excellent work Petelo and Tevita - you should be very proud of you actions, as should your parents. A nice fell good story for a Friday - it's not all doom and gloom out there!

R #19 03:09 pm Aug 13 2010

we need more stories like this, rather than the drugs, death and crime that seems to flood our news media these days. Good to hear something like this for a change

Holey #18 02:50 pm Aug 13 2010

Maaaaaaaaate Well Done Nice positive story for a change

n #17 02:48 pm Aug 13 2010

Good on you two!!

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Jax #16 02:44 pm Aug 13 2010

Awesome!!

Obzen #15 02:42 pm Aug 13 2010

Tehe $5, dont spend it all at once boys. Good stuff tho, I wonder how many teens would just point and laugh as the pass by.

Grant T #14 02:41 pm Aug 13 2010

Good on ya boys. 'shot

barry cooke #13 02:39 pm Aug 13 2010

well done we all need a hand sometimes

Shell #12 02:29 pm Aug 13 2010

Well done guys! Obviously intelligent young lads.

big_ry #11 02:29 pm Aug 13 2010

We need less doom and gloom and violence in our media and more stories like this! Excellent!

capital gal #10 02:07 pm Aug 13 2010

Thank you Stuff for running a story that can remind everyone that there are good people, especially kids, out there

JV #9 02:02 pm Aug 13 2010

Shot boys!

mello #8 01:58 pm Aug 13 2010

Well done to the two young men who helped someone in a timne of need. Pat yourselves on the back, boys.

Renee #7 01:55 pm Aug 13 2010

What lovely boys. How fortunate for Mrs Hassan to be halped by such genltmanly young men. They are a credit to their families. Thanks stuff.co.nz for displaying some good news.

Charles #6 01:44 pm Aug 13 2010

It is so refreshing and wonderful to see such lovely acts of kindness and courage from youngsters like them when there is so much news that kind of brings you down, robberies, murder, etc etc. This just goes to show that there is also alot good in a whole lot of people. good on you guys!!

leo #5 01:29 pm Aug 13 2010

Kodus to these young heroes....

May good things come your way....Mom and Dad must be very proud of you both.....

Dave #4 01:29 pm Aug 13 2010

Top effort lads!! We all need people like Petelo and Tevita! Top blokes, what if they hadn't been there? Good story to put up, we all need more Petelo's and Tevita's!

Karlos #3 01:23 pm Aug 13 2010

Awww that was a nice story for a Friday - Good on ya lads!

Obelix #2 01:21 pm Aug 13 2010

Well done Tevita & Petelo, you are great men in the making.

rob #1 01:18 pm Aug 13 2010

Good on you guys , awesome stuff . . . well done !

Teen cousins rescue elderly scooter rider

An 87-year-old woman is calling two teenagers heroes for rescuing her after the mobility scooter she was riding slipped down the side of the footpath and landed on top of her.

Gloria Hassan said she was going back to her room at Bethsaida Retirement Village in Litchfield St about 5pm on Friday afternoon last week after visiting her husband, who lives round the corner in Weld St in another part of the village.

The wheel of her scooter dropped down the side of the footpath. She was thrown off as the scooter rolled and landed on top of her. "Not a soul was about", she said this morning.

She could not get up and was lying on the grass verge for what seemed to be about half an hour before cousins Tevita Kaloni, 14, and Petelo Kaloni, 13, found her on their way home from Marlborough Boys' College.

"They're young gentlemen – I don't call them boys any more," she said.

"They were scared stiff and frightened, but they had the courage to help an elderly woman."

Mrs Hassan was so thankful she wrote a letter to Marlborough Boys' College principal Wayne Hegarty and gave them a $5 reward.

Petelo said he and Tevita did not think twice about helping Mrs Hassan by picking up the scooter and helping her back up.

Mrs Hassan, who has artificial knee and hips joints, was not injured in the fall.

When The Marlborough Express spoke to Petelo's mother, she said he had not told her about the incident.

"It's like a thousand dollars to me that they would do something like that," she said.

Mrs Hassan's husband Lawrie said the two did a marvellous job.

Mrs Hassan still uses her scooter to get around town, but said she had not forgiven it for treating her so badly.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 13/08/2010

BEN CURRAN/Marlborough Express

YOUNG HEROES: Cousins Petelo Kaloni, 13, left, and Tevita Kaloni, 14, with Gloria Hassan, whom they helped when she fell off her scooter.

Pupils, community help pay for fulltime teacher

The children of Ward School are happy to have Miss Shield as a fulltime teacher after helping to raise half her salary themselves in a fundraising concert.

The school raised $13,000 in a Stars in Their Eyes-type event to help raise funds for about half of Emma Shield's salary, because a slight drop in the school roll meant a drop in funding from the Ministry of Education.

The 48 children at the school are split into junior and senior classes, instead of the three classes last year.

The school has three fulltime teachers, including principal Willem Lampe, who spends half his time teaching and the rest on administration. Without the extra funding, one of the other teachers would have been only half-time.

Last year, the school had three fulltime and one half-time teachers. Mr Lampe said the school just dropped below the "magic number" this year, which meant the level of government funding decreased.

Both classes had pupils of different year levels, which was challenging for one teacher to cater for, he said.

Miss Shield had been teaching at the school part time earlier this year, and said she would not have been able to work full time if the board of trustees and parents had not helped raise the money.

"They didn't have to raise the money for a teacher, but they were able to because they got the community behind them.

"[Having the extra staff] is an advantage to the school and the kids," she said.

It is understood this funding top-up by school communities is not unusual. Marlborough Principals' Association president Bruce Pagan said a school roll could drastically affect staffing levels, especially in schools with 45 to 55 and 95 to 105 pupils.

Most schools in Marlborough had rolls this size, he said.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 12/08/2010

DEREK FLYNN/Marlborough Express

EXTRA BOOST: Teacher Emma Shield moved from part-time to fulltime teaching at Ward School after the community raised enough money to cover a funding shortfall.

Montessori class forced to close

The Montessori classroom based at Grovetown School will close at the end of this school term because it has too few students to attract enough funding.

Marlborough Montessori Education Trust chairwoman Tracy Bedford said the class had just four pupils and needed about 15 students to justify the $60,000 in teachers' salaries for another year.

The two specially trained teachers will also be unemployed after the last day of class on September 24.

One parent spoken to by The Marlborough Express said his child would join the other students at the school and another set of parents were looking at homeschooling their child.

Montessori is a teaching philosophy based on child-led learning, where children choose how much time they spend on subjects such as maths and English instead of following more strict plans made by teachers.

If there was more interest among parents about Montessori, the trust would look at starting the class again, Mrs Bedford said.

Interest in Montessori classes in the rest of the country was quite high in comparison to Marlborough, she said. She could not pinpoint why Montessori was less popular in Marlborough, but said many parents did not know what happened during classes.

"There's a lot of myth about it. Most parents think it's for bright kids or the not-so-bright kids, but it's for any child. It's just a different way of learning," she said.

"We [the trust] were trying to offer Marlborough a choice – that's the heart-wrenching thing."

The trust had a 12-month contract with the school, which would finish at the end of the term, and also used the school's spare room.

The class would continue if there was enough funding but money from the Ministry of Education and other grants were difficult to source, she said.

Grovetown Montessori teacher Genevieve MacDonald said she had hoped the class would fill up when the classroom opened last year, but had an inkling the numbers were not high enough to continue the class.

A meeting between the board of trustees and the trust would take place soon to discuss how parts of the Montessori programme could be included in the Grovetown School curriculum, she said.

Grovetown School will not be affected by the indefinite closure of the class.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 11/08/2010

Man admits vicious assault

A 19-year-old Blenheim man who hit another man with a rock in an unprovoked attack left his victim with a gash in the back of his head and needing medical attention, police say.

Shanon Eric George Takimoana admitted assault with a blunt instrument when he appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday. He was remanded for sentencing on October 11.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Steve Frost said Takimoana and two associates approached a group of six people in two cars at the railway station car park in Grove Rd about 3.15pm on July 4.

Takimoana and his associates tried to speak to a group of four girls sitting in one car, but the girls were not interested and drove away, he said.

Takimoana and his friends began to verbally abuse two men in the second car and both were punched in the face through the open windows, he said.

The victim got out of the car, but was still being assaulted by one of Takimoana's associates.

Takimoana picked up a rock the size of his palm, walked toward the victim and put him in a headlock so his associate could continue punching the man. Takimoana then struck the victim on the back of the head.

Takimoana did not give police an explanation for his actions.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 11/08/2010

Man sold tinnies to cover rent

An unemployed Dutch man living in Blenheim sold cannabis from his house to help pay his rent, police say.

Jim Jacobus Wilhelmus van Hoof, 36, appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday and admitted possession of cannabis for supply, selling cannabis, possession of utensils to smoke cannabis and receiving stolen items.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Jason Munro said police searched van Hoof's home on July 14 and found 107 grams of cannabis, including 13 pre-rolled cannabis cigarettes wrapped in foil, known as tinnies. The tinnies had a value of about $575, while the rest of the cannabis had a street value of about $200, he said.

Van Hoof told police he sold the tinnies to anyone who went to his house to buy them, Mr Munro said.

Van Hoof had not been working for several weeks and had fallen behind on his rent and bills and sold cannabis to supplement his income, Mr Munro said.

Police also found five bottles of wine stolen from a warehouse by an associate and a pipe used to smoke cannabis.

Van Hoof will be sentenced on September 28. Judge Tony Zohrab said imprisonment was a "distinct possibility".

Teen remanded

A 17-year-old Kaikoura youth did not enter a plea when he appeared in court yesterday charged with possessing a firearm and theft of an animal after a stag was shot on a deer farm.

Dylan Mark Laugesen was remanded on bail to reappear in the Kaikoura District Court on September 10.

Two other men have also been charged in connection to the incident, on July 27, and both are scheduled to appear in the Kaikoura court on the same day.\

Cannabis charges

A 45-year-old Blenheim man admitted selling cannabis and possessing utensils to smoke cannabis after saying at first they belonged to someone else.

Mr Munro said police found 91g of cannabis, about $1000 cash and a pipe when they searched the house Anthony John Cruickshank shared with his ex-partner and two small children on April 7.

The cannabis was stored inside small plastic bags. Police also found a list of names and phone numbers, he said.

Cruickshank denied knowing anything about the utensils and said they must have belonged to his ex-partner, Mr Munro said. It was only after his ex-partner was charged that he said he owned the utensils.

Cruickshank was remanded for sentencing on October 11.

Explosives found

A Picton father did not know there was live ammunition in his house when police searched it late last month, his defence lawyer said.

Gordon Leonard Wainohu , a 39-year-old solo father, yesterday admitted possession of explosives and possession of cannabis.

Mr Munro said police found 11 bullets (.22 calibre) and four cannabis seedlings when they searched Wainohu's house on July 29.

Defence lawyer Tane Brunt said Wainohu did not know about the ammunition but accepted responsibility.

Judge Zohrab sentenced Wainohu to 75 hours' community work and ordered the destruction of the cannabis and ammunition.

Driving convictions

A 56-year-old man caught driving while disqualified for the fifth time was ordered "not to have anything to do with a car" for 12 months.

Grahame John Haines, a contractor, was also disqualified for six months and sentenced to 80 hours' community work.

Defence counsel Tane Brunt said Haines relied on a colleague to drive him to and from work because of a previous disqualification, but had stayed at work late and did not realise everyone else had left.

A 53-year-old community worker who caused a crash in Seddon admitted driving with excess blood alcohol. Ian Graham Doole, of Seddon, was disqualified from driving for nine months and ordered to pay a $430 fine and $130 court costs. Mr Munro said Doole crashed his car on Seaview Rd about 11.20pm on June 20. Tests showed his blood alcohol level was 156 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood (the legal limit is 80mg). Judge Tony Zohrab said his sympathy for Doole was tempered by the level of alcohol in his blood.

Harry Walter Joseph Griffin , 39, of Picton, excess breath alcohol of 767 micrograms per litre of breath (legal limit is 400mcg), third or subsequent offence; remanded for sentence on October 4.

Lucas Santana Calixto, 21, vineyard worker from Blenheim, 691mcg; disqualified for six months, 40 hours' community work.

Aaron Donald Wood, 39, airman of Seddon, excess blood alcohol of 107mg, third or subsequent offence; disqualified for 12 months and one day, 100 hours' community work, ordered to pay $93 fee.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 10/08/2010

Fresh funding welcome but barely enough

The Marlborough Community Law Centre has received funding for the new financial year, but will probably have to dig into its cash reserves to cover all its operating costs.

Centre manager Gordon Strang said he had been worried the centre would not receive as much money for the financial year beginning July as it had in the past.

However, the Legal Services Agency had confirmed the Blenheim centre would receive about $300,000, the same amount it received last year.

While this was good news, it did not take into account increased operating costs and the centre might have to use cash reserves to cover all its costs, Mr Strang said.

The centre had just hired two qualified lawyers to oversee case work for the 2500 people it served annually and there was a continual need to keep up to date with technology and the law, he said.

Mr Strang said the centre needed to spend money on training staff and buying more resources.

"What we don't want is stagnation. We can't afford that because the law is changing all the time," he said.

He expected requests for advice about the new police safety orders, which allow police to remove the abusive party in a domestic relationship from a house for up to five days.

People served with a notice by police might not know what they could do about it, he said.

"There's always a need to change. As society changes, the law changes and we have to as well."

The Legal Services Agency funds community law centres from interest earned from the money put in lawyers' trust accounts after sales of assets such as houses.

A fall in the number of houses sold last year reduced the amount of money it had to distribute.

Mr Strang said about $11 million was needed to run community law centres around the country, but last year the interest from housing sales provided only 30 per cent of that, and the government paid the rest.

The Legal Services Agency provides legal aid and assistance to people who cannot afford lawyers.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 06/08/2010

Jazz ace gives pupils a masterclass

Jazz music students from Marlborough Boys' and Girls' Colleges and the rest of South Island got the chance to work with one of the country's best-known big band leaders yesterday as part of an annual jazz festival.

Big band leader Rodger Fox is one of the judges at this year's Southern Jam Youth Jazz festival being held in Marlborough and also ran a master class to teach students from 15 secondary schools.

Being involved in the four-day festival gave him a chance to give back to the youth, he said.

"If our music is to survive, it has to be at the school level," he said.

The classes were run like any practice session with his band, which gave the students a taste of the commitment and focus needed to become a professional musician, he said.

It was also an opportunity for teachers to pick up new techniques to use during band practices, he said.

Fox is leader of the Rodger Fox Big Band, which has performed at jazz festivals in the United States and Europe and is a three-time winner of the Tui music award for New Zealand Jazz Recording of the Year.

Marlborough Boys' College performance music director Ray Russell said it was a good change for the students to listen to Fox instead of their teachers. "His sort of experience isn't available locally or even in some schools in the main centres," he said.

Fox said the level of talent at the festival and in the schools was high; some would even be good enough to play in his award-winning big band.

"To see this many bands from the South Island shows that jazz is alive and well in the school system," he said.

Popular New Zealand bands such as Fat Freddy's Drop and the Black Seeds often used brass instruments, a sign jazz had become more mainstream, he said.

One of the challenges with secondary school jazz bands was the different skill levels, he said.

As students finished school they would have to be replaced by others who might have only started learning an instrument.

"It's a hard road and a lot of people don't understand what teachers need to go through [to have a good band]," he said.

The festival began on Wednesday with free public performances at venues throughout Marlborough and ends with a gala performance at the Marlborough Civic Theatre, in Blenheim, tomorrow night.

Bands will be performing free concerts today at Fairweathers on Scott St from 6pm to 7.30pm and at the Clubs Marlborough on Alfred St from 8pm to 10.30pm.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 06/08/2010

BEN CURRAN/Marlborough Express

LESSONS FROM A LEGEND: Jazz students Sam Jones, Jack Harre and Young Chan Kang, from colleges throughout the South Island, get the chance to work with jazz musician and big band leader Rodger Fox as part of the Southern Jam Youth Jazz festival in Marlborough.

Student party trouble-free

Secrecy, security and a police presence made for a trouble-free combined colleges' after-ball party, according to the organiser and police.

After-ball party organiser Sam Harrington said about 300 students attended the party at the Harlequins Clubrooms on Lansdowne St, Blenheim, after the combined colleges' formal at the Marlborough Convention Centre on Friday night.

The party was problem-free and police issued no warnings about behaviour, he said.

Acting Senior Sergeant Tony Yardley, of Blenheim, said three extra officers were on duty on Friday night to monitor the ball and after-ball party, along with their usual duties.

"Things can go wrong and you have to plan for that, but it didn't happen," Mr Yardley said.

Sam, 17, said there was alcohol at the party, but it was advertised more as a dance party than a reason to get drunk.

He started organising security and the DJ just two weeks before the ball and police were kept in the loop about details. Only students with tickets to the ball could get a ticket to the after-ball party to limit the number of potential party crashers, he said.

The venue was kept secret until the end of the ball and professional security guards were strict in limiting the amount of alcohol taken inside by ticket holders. A small number of parents also helped out, he said.

Sam said organising the party was stressful because rumours circulated that people without tickets would try to get into the venue.

The after-ball party began about 1am and the last people left about 4.30am.

Mr Yardley did not know of any other after-ball parties that night.

Marlborough Girls' College principal Karen Stewart said the after-ball party was not associated with the college, but she was happy with how the ball turned out.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 05/08/2010

NO PROBLEMS: Sam Harrington, 17, right, and Luci Bolton, 17, arrive at the combined colleges formal last Friday night. Sam organised a trouble-free after-ball party.

Tagging aims to help preserve kingfish stock

Fishermen in Marlborough are being asked to play their part in a new tracking programme aimed at preserving kingfish numbers in an area where the fish have been rediscovered.

The Fishing Paper editor Daryl Crimp is calling for anglers who fish kingfish for sport to help tag the fish for research.

Thousands of the fish have been found around d'Urville Island and Stephens Island by Marlborough fishermen using new technology including the internet, GPS and fish finders, which determine what fish are near the boat.

"The fish have been down there forever; it's just now [fishermen] are getting better at targeting them," he said. "Fifty years ago, we didn't need technology like this because fish were so abundant."

Being able to find fish more accurately could create a problem, because over-fishing would have a large impact on fish numbers.

The information from the tags would add to Ministry of Fisheries data and help research into long-term trends, including migration patterns and fish numbers, he said.

If fishermen did not take more responsibility about the number of fish they caught, Marlborough was in danger of history repeating, he said, referring to the four-year ban on recreational fishing of blue cod put in place in 2008.

"What that [blue cod] taught us is that those resources aren't infinite, and we don't want that to happen again."

Marine supplies retailer Hendersons Ltd spokesman John Baker said the company often sold fishing gear to people who actively targeted kingfish. The Blenheim company was keen to be part of the tagging programme and would be shown how the tagging process worked either today or tomorrow, he said.

The company would eventually have the tags and instructions available for people wanting to take part in the research.

Avid Blenheim fisherman Edward Durrheim said he fished for kingfish as often as he could around Stephens Island.

On his last trip, about 14 other boats were around the island and most would have been looking for kingfish, he said.

Mr Durrheim caught the fish more for sport than the dinner table and said it was a resource worth protecting.

"They're one of the strongest fish in the ocean and they put up a hard but short fight," he said.

"It's all about the challenge, really."

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 04/08/2010

CATCH OF THE DAY: Daryl Crimp wants other fishermen to help tag kingfish for research and to keep stock numbers steady.

ERO urges more te reo

Four of the six playcentres in Marlborough need to focus on long-term strategies and evaluation, according to Education Review Office reports.

Two of them have also been told to include more te reo Maori into lessons.

Blenheim, Awatere, Renwick and Picton playcentres, which make up four of the six centres in the Marlborough Playcentre Association, received largely positive reviews from the review office team.

The Linkwater centre is a licensed playgroup and does not require an Education Review Office (ERO) report and the Spring Creek centre has just been licensed so has not yet been reviewed.

Each of the four centres was reviewed individually and all were praised for positive learning environments and respectful and nurturing relationships between adults and children.

But the reports say te reo Maori should be more widely used in the Blenheim and Picton playcentres, while at the Awatere and Renwick centres this was considered to be a strength.

Marlborough Playcentre Association centre support officer Ali Robins said some of the centres had more Maori adults than others.

A visit to Waikawa Marae was planned for later this month for all six playcentres.

The association would also look at more Maori resources, hiring part-time te reo Maori speakers who would visit each centre and had applied for a grant to support more marae visits, Mrs Robins said.

ERO recognised the strong commitment adults had to the playcentres, especially in Renwick.

Children took part in activities, but more work was needed on evaluating the effects of those activities, all the reports said.

The Picton playcentre had to work on developing its long-term planning, ERO found.

Mrs Robins said most evaluation happened on the spot with the children and was not usually well-documented.

Adults would usually see something a child had seen or done and would ask them more questions about it then rather than writing it down later, she said.

The playcentres have had professional development training to find different ways to document what the children were learning, she said. "They [ERO] just want more paperwork, really."

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:00 04/08/2010