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Ashburton FIRST PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 27, 1879
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Tourism industry Glitz, glamour at Mount Hutt College Ball opposed to ban on smoking
Teen to face murder trial in November
The teenager accused of murdering Ashburton mother Sina Nerisa Solomona will stand trial in November. The 16-year-old’s case was called at a pre-trial conference session in the High Court at Christchurch
yesterday before Justice Christian Whata. Two weeks have been allocated for the trial, which is scheduled to begin on November 4 in the High Court in Timaru. However, defence counsel Elizabeth Bulger said the
trial was likely to last just over a week. She asked for her client to be remanded in custody for another pre-trial conference on July 19 as she awaits further disclosure from police.
Ms Solomona, aged 22, was found dead in the doorway of her Cass Street home on December 15. She had finished a shift at 1am at CMP Canterbury, and visited a friend before arranging for her twin sister’s partner to drop her home
shortly before 2.30am. She was discovered fatally injured in a pool of blood at around 2.36am. The accused, then aged 15, was arrested and charged five days later. Ms Solomona is survived by her three-year-old daughter Kaira.
By Sam Morton Banning smoking on Ashburton’s main street would be strongly opposed by local tourism operators and hospitality businesses. Experience Mid Canterbury general manager Nigel Birt and Ashburton Trust chief executive Giles Beal have made their feelings known, reacting to the fierce debate to make Wellington’s city streets smokefree. Mr Birt, although strongly against smoking, insists any bylaws in Ashburton and national laws potentially passed in the future, needed to seriously consider the impact on tourism. “The (majority of) tourists that we do attract to New Zealand do happen to smoke and although I don’t support smoking, I think any councils looking at imposing bans need to keep their eye on the bigger picture. “There would certainly be greater implications that would follow the ban,” Mr Birt said. Earlier this week, the debate was fuelled further when a prominent university lecturer in Christchurch called for public places such as bus stops, train stations, ferry terminals, streets, urban centres, restaurants and even beaches to be declared smoke-free. Ashburton Trust chief executive Giles Beal described the request as “unrealistic” and felt strongly against the issue pointing out it was a matter of choice. Mr Beal said all licensed premises in Mid Canterbury were smoke free, but all patrons were allowed to go outside and smoke – providing it wasn’t out the front of the building. “Most smokers know the areas where they can smoke and in a nutshell, that’s anywhere outside,” he said. “I think on a personal level, banning smoking on the streets and in wide open spaces is going just one step too far against personal freedom and you have to wonder where will it stop.” Mr Beal said the Trust would likely oppose any proposal to ban
Giles Beal smoking around the pubs, restaurants and nightclub. Around 350 New Zealanders are killed by other people’s tobacco smoke each year and about one in five New Zealand adults currently smoke. Dr Mark Wallace-Bell, the lecturer against smoking, makes no apologies for the inconvenience on smokers and believes tobacco retailers are targeting and profiting from the poor. “We need to reduce the supply of tobacco and limiting the number of retail outlets will help. In addition any licensing should only be provided at a high cost to the retailer. This will limit the number of retailers that enter the market,” he said. “We need to make the tobacco industry pay more to clear up the mess that it makes. “Only with such hard hitting and progressive measures in place will we be able to achieve the ambitious goal of a smoke-free NZ by 2025,” Dr Wallace-Bell said. At present, the Ashburton District Council has by-laws in place banning smoking in children’s playgrounds, some sports fields and parks and as of 2011, the Ashburton Skate Park. A council spokesperson confirmed yesterday the council currently had no plans to impose any further bans – despite the issue hogging the national spotlight.
photo tetsuro mitomo 230513-TM-079
Emma Montgomery and Brady Thorpe make their grand entrance down the stairway into the Mount Hutt College Ball last night at the Methven Resort. Methven Resort morphed into Las Vegas last night, and the stars came out to play. The Mount Hutt College Ball kicked off at 7.45pm, when about
160 senior students turned out to make their grand entrance. About 20 students set to work early yesterday morning, glitzing up the venue in the Viva Las
Vegas theme selected for what is undoubtedly the highlight of the senior school’s social calendar. At the completion of the dinnerdance event, many of the young
revellers went on to attend an after-ball function at the Methven Rugby Club rooms – where the party continued until 3.30am. This was co-ordinated by the
college’s welfare committee in conjunction with the Ashburton Community Alcohol and Drugs Service. More ball photos, P8
Ban on legal highs may be fast tracked By Sam Morton The Government is pushing to fast track the ban on K2 and other legal highs and Rangitata MP Jo Goodhew says it can’t happen soon enough. Mrs Goodhew welcomed the announcement from Associate Minister of Health Peter Dunne yesterday, who has sought approval to fast track the Psychoactive Substance Bill in Parliament. “That is great news, it really is,”
she said. Mrs Goodhew’s strong views reflected her extreme dislike for the substances, as she refused to refer to the products as legal highs in an interview with the Guardian. “I won’t call them legal highs, because it leaves an impression that they are okay, when they really are not and we know them to be causing considerable harm,” she said. “It (synthetic cannabis) is doing some serious harm to people’s mental health living among our
communities and that worries me greatly. “I can’t wait for this bill to be passed and the faster that happens, the better,” Mrs Goodhew said. Earlier this month, K2 suppliers spoke out against the intense media scrutiny and voluntarily opted to stop supplying the product in New Zealand – at least until August. However, if Mr Dunne gets the support he needs from Parliament, the new bill, which could be in
effect as soon as July, will mean suppliers have to prove their products are safe before being allowed to distribute and sell them. It is a process Mrs Goodhew is confident will deter suppliers continuing business. She believes the new testing requirements will prove too difficult for suppliers to pass and believes the hefty cost associated with testing will not be viable for many. “I think it will be impossible for them to prove they are safe
and further to that, it will be significantly expensive to go through that process. “I think until the law is in place though, I am not comforted by any gestures the suppliers have made to date. The fact is, the products remain readily accessible and affordable in our communities for users to continue buying them and that is of real concern to the Government,” Mrs Goodhew said. The Psychoactive Substance Bill is expected to be in law by the end of July.
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