Thursday, July 2, 2020 Home-Delivered $1.90, Retail $2.20 Tourist Health Attack Minister
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TE NUPEPA O TE TAIRAWHITI THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2020 HOME-DELIVERED $1.90, RETAIL $2.20 TOURIST HEALTH ATTACK MINISTER ARREST ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT RESIGNS INSIDE TODAY PAGE 3 PAGE 6 ‘NO REAL JUSTICE’ Independent report reveals weaknesses in WorkSafe investigations into forestry fatalities by Phil Pennington, RNZ directors. But WorkSafe is being AN East Coast whanau criticised for not using who lost three family those powers enough. members working in “I feel that we’re logging operations say they squandering it,” lawyer and have not got justice nor health and safety specialist have there been decent Hazel Armstrong said. investigations into the She independently deaths. investigated Mr Hodgson’s Families are speaking death, helping prompt up about their experience WorkSafe to commission of WorkSafe investigations ex-police officer Gavin after an independent Jones in mid-2019 to DOUBLE TRAGEDY: report found numerous independently assess Niko Brooking- weaknesses in its approach investigations as a whole. Hodgson, pictured and practices. “What I’m finding is that playing for Pirates The regulator is they’re not really looking at premier rugby team, spending $5 million on an who owns and manages the died in a forestry improvement programme it forest,” she said. accident in northern has styled as moving from Mr Waitoa said the Hawke’s Bay in 2016 “good to great”, but Willie agency started out and relative Te Oho Waitoa said after what his supporting his whanau Mauri Piripi Bartlett family had been through, well, with “lovely” tikanga (inset) was killed in a if WorkSafe thought it was protocols upheld. forestry accident on doing a good job, “I hate to But as time went on, the East Coast in 2017. know what hopeless is”. this became fractured and The whanau of the pair, His nephews Te Oho communications poor, and who were related, have Mauri Piripi Bartlett and the final straw was the criticised WorkSafe Niko Brooking-Hodgson, charge against Blackstump investigations into their both in their 20s, died doing Logging being downgraded deaths. one of the riskiest jobs in to the lesser of two serious forestry — breaking out, or charges under the 2015-16 overseeing the hauling of laws. felled logs — one year apart “Come right to the crux of in 2016 and 2017. it when we’re about to go to In Mr Bartlett’s case, court . all of a sudden all Blackstump Logging was those tikanga protocols just fined $150,000 in April for got thrown out the window.” failing to keep him safe. Thirty members of the WorkSafe said it had held family — many of whom Blackstump accountable. had travelled a long way — But Mr Waitoa, a ended up waiting in vain Gisborne fisheries inspector in the foyer of Gisborne with firsthand experience of District Court in June 2019, the demands of regulatory where the company pleaded investigations, said it guilty. amounted to a “slap on the They never got into the wrist” and “no real justice”, court to see that, or to show although added what they the judge how many people really wanted was real cared for Mr Bartlett, Mr change to make forestry Waitoa said. safer. WorkSafe had two staff Both deaths were in the courtroom, who could investigated by WorkSafe not get out to alert the under laws strengthened whanau once proceedings in 2016 in response to began, the agency told them the Pike River disaster, afterwards in a letter. including the ability to go after company bosses and CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 GISBORNE RUATORIA WAIROA Local News ...... 1-5 Business ............11 Classifieds .. 18-19 The Guide ... 23-26 Births & Deaths ...4 Opinion ..............12 Television ...........28 Sport ............ 29-32 9 771170 043005 TOMORROW National ..... 6-10,20 World............ 13-15 Racing .......... 21-22 Weather .............31 > 2 NEWS The Gisborne Herald • Thursday, July 2, 2020 DON’T STOP ME NOW: That was the name of Rocket Lab’s June 13 mission captured in this stunning shot taken by Liam Clayton from Blacks Beach at Mahia Peninsula. The photo was shot using five-second exposures stacked together. Meanwhile, Rocket Lab engineers are keeping a close eye on the weather ahead of their next launch, scheduled for Saturday. The mission, named Pics Or It Didn’t Happen, will deploy seven small satellites to a 500-kilometre circular low Earth orbit for a range of customers. A launch window will open from 10.13am on Saturday and back-up opportunities are available through to July 17. “Things are tracking well for launch, though the weather doesn’t look great for now,” Rocket Lab spokeswoman Morgan Bailey said. “We’ll just have to wait and see as we get closer to the window.” Picture by Liam Clayton Media Artwork auctioned for charity close to surfers’ hearts by Mark Peters He then thought he would give the fundraising effort a AT the opening night of nudge. Gisborne screenprinter Tony “While the auction was Ogle and fellow surfer and running I said, ‘I’ll throw in graphic designer Daryn a full set of poster prints’.” Mcbride’s combined art SurfAid co-founders Dr exhibition at Miharo Gallery Dave Jenkins and Dr Steve last month the two men Hathaway happened to be auctioned off a work each. in Gisborne at the time, met They raised $2150 for with SurfAid co-founder Phil SurfAid — an Indonesia- Dreifuss and turned up at based organisation dedicated the gallery for the auction. to improving communities’ “We are so grateful health while respecting the for Tony and Daryn’s islands’ culture. wonderful support helping Ogle’s donation to the us to improve the health, auction was an oval wooden wellbeing and self-reliance panel featuring the rubbed of people living in isolated back image of a surfer regions connected to us waxing up a longboard. through surfing,” said Mcbride’s initial the men on the SurfAid contributions were pencil, Facebook page. ink and poster pieces that showed the development MORE ABOUT ART CONNECTED THROUGH SURFING: Gisborne surfer/screenprinter Tony Ogle (left) and surfer/graphic artist of an idea across the three AUCTIONS FOR SURFING works. Daryn Mcbride (right) with SurfAid founders (from left) Steve Hathaway, Dave Jenkins and Phil Dreifuss at IN THE GUIDE, PAGE 25 Miharo Gallery, where the two artists auctioned artworks to raise funds for SurfAid. Picture supplied LOOKING AHEAD Get your SPORTS Gisborne Herald • Week 3 of premier club rugby — HSOB v YMP, home-delivered Pirates v OBM, Ngatapa v Waikohu. • Thistle host Port Hill in Paciic Premiership football while United are away to Napier City Rovers. • Senior netball continues, including what could be a premier thriller between GGHS and Whangara. • Huge interest in the Poverty Bay men’s golf open, with all 112 spots illed two months out FOCUS ON THE LAND TOMORROw SATuRdAy The Gisborne Herald, 64 Gladstone Road, P.O. Box 1143, Gisborne • Phone (06) 869 0600 • Fax (Editorial) (06) 869 0643 (Advertising) (06) 869 0644 Editor: Jeremy Muir • Chief Reporter: Andrew Ashton • Circulation: Cara Haines • Sports: John Gillies To nd out more call 869 0620 e-mail: [email protected] • [email protected] • [email protected] • web site: www.gisborneherald.co.nz The Gisborne Herald • Thursday, July 2, 2020 NEWS 3 Industry taking steps to Forestry worker’s death continue to improve ‘put in too-hard basket’ health and safety: EWC EASTLAND Wood Council says it employment conditions. The scheme is unable to comment on WorkSafe was designed in consultation with the FROM PAGE 1 Blackstump Logging was prosecuted but is a investigations but sympathises with regulator, WorkSafe and with extensive small company. the whanau “at their pain and grief of input from the industry. It added this was unfortunate and it “did not Ms Armstrong said this showed WorkSafe’s losing loved ones at work”. “EWC is also working with know” how it had occurred. willingness to go after small subcontractors but “Everyone should go to work and Safetree offering Safetree leadership “Us as a family, we’re out there in limbo,” Mr not confront the big companies or forest owners, come home to their whanau at the end programmes to contractors for their Waitoa said. “We’ve never seen a summary of facts many of who were based overseas. of the day,” said EWC chief executive workplace supervisors, leading of the case. “They’ve got a timid approach,” she said. Kim Holland. hands and mentors to further build “You’re just out on the side and you’re just “They’re not really looking at who owns and Her comments are in response skillsets that focus on team building, hearing these little whispers and getting these manages the forest. They tend to focus just on the to criticism of the WorkSafe communication and leadership. bits of email — ‘we’ll fill you in’ type stuff’.” contractor and the men on the day.” investigations into two forestry “We are fortunate to have Wade His request under the Official Information Act WorkSafe was constrained by investigative workers killed in on-site accidents — Brunt in the pilot role of ‘toroawhi’ with for reports had been turned down, he said. weaknesses that were evident when she Niko Brooking Hodgson in 2016 and Te Safetree and WorkSafe as a worker WorkSafe said it would get him a summary of reinvestigated the Brooking-Hodgson case, finding Oho Mauri Piripi Bartlett in 2017. advocate in health and safety. Wade facts this week. 18 safety lapses, Ms Armstrong said. “Health and safety is at the also sits on the EWC health and safety “Mr Waitoa is entitled to his opinions on his “I’ve read the transcript of the investigation frontfront of everything that we do focus group and provides a ‘worker’ experience,” WorkSafe specialist interventions .