New Zealand's kooky name suppression laws got another liberal coating of custard yesterday when a judge awarded name suppression to a business in Tauranga.
We're wondering if this is the first time a business has been granted this privilege in New Zealand and why the public don't have a right to know this information? If this knowledge is in some way prejudicial to a fair trial then all well and good, but shouldn't the name be released if and when the defendent is found guilty?
"A Tauranga woman has been arrested and charged with 50 counts of using a document dishonestly.
Michelle Campbell appeared in Tauranga District Court yesterday and was remanded on bail to reappear on April 7.
The total amount of the alleged fraud is about $1.1 million and involves a Tauranga business, which was yesterday granted name suppression.
Campbell, 42, was employed as the company's business manager but no longer works there. She is married to Tauranga constable Steve Campbell, who has not been stood down from his duties."
What makes this case sublimely ridiculous is this.
The name of a Tauranga business where Mrs. Campbell worked in finance as a business manager had already been published in the Dominion Post, on 15 March and on 16 March 2010 in connection to police investigations of a large fraud at the business.
If that business is not the one whose name has been been suppressed their reputation, which is probably already damaged, isn't going to salved until after the trial (if ever) The gossip in Tauranga must be rife.
If, on the other hand, the business is the same why did the judge grant name suppression, when the name was already 'out there' in the public domain?
After we wrote our post last week about the rise in violent crimes and robberies in Huntly, a fairly typical Kiwi town in the Waikato, the Waikato Times has today put together an article which reveals that crime is ruining local shops.
Some shops have been burgled close to 40 times in the last few years and the cost of crime is now so high that some insurance companies have said they can no longer afford to insure businesses there.
Retailers have been quite blunt in saying what they think of the town, calling it "dead beat" and saying every shop has been touched by "rampant" crime.
And what's causing this crime epidemic - the breakdown of social adhesion, unemployment, lack of facilities, boredom, poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, lax/absent policing? No, according to Huntly Community Board chairman Frank McInally it's the victims' fault for not paying $1,000 each to install security cameras. He said:
"retailers were "their own worst enemies..."They won't put their hand in their own pockets to contribute towards the cameras."
Does he honestly believe that cameras will reduce crime in the town? Cameras in banks, gas stations and dairies throughout New Zealand haven't deterred armed thieves one iota. Big Brother is obviously sleeping on the job, or out to lunch.
Some businesses do see some merit in having the cameras though, even though they don't seem to work:
"The Essex Arms manager Gale Mackay supported security cameras, but said it wouldn't stop offending completely.
The tavern was broken into twice recently despite their premises being equipped with cameras and an alarm.
What is the solution to Huntly's crime? "
The solution for Huntly will be the same as for the rest of New Zealand.
And, if you're wondering what Huntley looks like take a look at this YouTube video:
The day this post was published the town of Nelson was hit by a crime spree. Vandals ran rampant down Main Street smashing shop windows, causing thousands of dollars of damage, some of which was uninsured. It's very similar to a 4am rampage by a gang of teens in Hastings in January.
In that attack 11 businesses were targeted and the damage is thought to have run in to thousands of dollars. Police arrested four youths, including two 15 year old girls, a boy of 15 and another age 14. Does Hastings have security cameras?
Police say they are going to look at security camera footage of the Nelson event, which isn't much consolation for the shop owners who are left to foot the bill for the damage, nor does it stop the same thing happening again. This is an excellent example of how security cameras do not protect communities.
Update 19 March
A day later a home crime fighter in Huntly's neighbouring city of Hamiltonwas praised by city councillor, Dave Macpherson, for defending himself during a home invasion. Mr Macpherson said that communities were taking the law into their own hands because of police inaction. Police advised victims of crime to take the details of offenders and let them respond. On his blog Mr Macpherson said in an "ideal world" that would be fine.
"But lack of police resources, and an all-too-frequent disorganised police response, often force the community to take the law into it's own hands.
"If you can't rely on the police to stop criminals, then many Kiwis will rightly choose to take on the crims rather than letting them get away with the proceeds of their crimes."
In the Vox Pop series we look at posts from around the web where people talk honestly about living in New Zealand.
Todays entries are taken from the Christchurch forum on Topix.
"Christchurch , New Zealand Sucks"
"Moved here 4 years ago from london,Used to be a happy young positive person, but living in the city where everyone is pessimistic and unhappy starts to grind at you after a while, Im starting to become more negative, being around such depressing people its hard to stay positive. I can safely say, I HATE THIS CITY"
- "Four years? I doff my hat to you. I wouldn't have lasted four months before the boredom killed me. Have you though about moving to Australia? It's warm and the people are friendly. Otherwise, Wellington is a bit more lively."
- "yeap its amazing here here, under-employment is just fan-friggin-tastic, not much else to do except get drunk or drink coffee when if you don't have work (if you have any at all). great times all round here.[/sarcasm]
Pessimism is at all time high, and not without reason, this is a hell-hole full of violence, alchoholism, and boredom."
But isn't this thread a 'one off' surely Christchurch can't be that bad, and one town doesn't define a country...does it? there's more:
"Drunkeness In Christchruch"
"What is up with all the young adults these days? Do they even remember what they did the night before? How can they handle beening seen vomiting/urinating?
It is like the young adults of 2day have no morals or self respect, what is your view??
-"The new NZ culture. Shoot them. Allow for us to get our safe rep back."
-"The real underlying problem is that NZ is very boring and people are in NZ society are conditioned to lack the confidence to find something out of the square to stimulate themselves.
It's also what's behind the boy-racing."
-"Its funny that since this thread has been started over 3 months ago no New Zealander has tried to contradict it. Everyone deep down knows that the young NZers have no morals, self respect, or brains.
My generation(Y) are a bunch of lazy dumbed down retards with nothing in their lives except alchohol. No-one my age (and even older,for that)in NZ seems to be very knowledgeable about anything these days. It seems their parents werent extremely intelligent to start with and their offspring have learnt even less from them and havent been bothered to learn any more.
Drunkenness is rampant not just in Christchurch, but throughout NZ. Alot of it probbibly does have to do with NZ being quite a boring place as Daniel has said. No-one seems to be motivated enough or have enough initiative to change the place abit though.
I grew up in a small town north of Auckland until I was 18 and have lived in Auckland itself for a short time and the level of astoundingly stupid drunken behaviour in both cities is disgusting. Couple the rampant alcoholism with high unemployment, pollution, obesity, suicide rates, crime statistics, and teen pregnancy and you have all the ingrediants to a recipe for disaster.
New Zealand has a very bleak future and im glad I wont be here for it."
-"Yea moteote I moved out more than 16 years ago and I am glad I am not there now thats for sure. Its just full of bogans."
