Making the news - North Island
• June 3, 2020
Bunnings confirms closure of seven New Zealand outlets. Photo: Emma Dangerfield/Stuff
In this edition of the Te Waha Nui’s Te Ika a Māui bulletin of major North Island stories, three Hawera police officers have been charged with manslaughter, two men accused of homicide plead not guilty, and Bunnings confirms store closures.
- NewsHub reports three Taranaki police officers have been charged with manslaughter after a 55-year-old man died while in custody at Hawera Police Station in the early hours of June 1, 2019.
The charges, filed by the New Zealand Police at the New Plymouth District Court on Wednesday, allege that the officers were "grossly negligent in their duty of care" to the victim.
According to a statement from police, the charges also allege that "this negligence was a causal factor in his death.”
"The decision to file charges was made after a thorough investigation and consideration of legal advice from the New Plymouth Crown Solicitor and a Queen's Counsel," says acting central district police inspector Chris de Wattignar
The three officers have been granted interim name suppression and have been remanded on bail.
They will appear at the New Plymouth High Court on June 26.
- The NZ Herald features a story of two men accused of murdering missing man Ricky Wang pleading not guilty.
Today, the pair, who have interim name suppression, appeared in the High Court in Auckland for the first time.
The duo pleaded not guilty before Justice Sally Fitzgerald, who remanded them in custody until another hearing in late July.
A trial for the pair was set for July 2021.
- The NZ Herald and Stuff are leading with the confirmed closure of seven Bunnings stores by the end of the month.
The closures will affect 145 staff members across the Ashburton warehouse, trade centres in Hornby and Hastings, and stores in Cambridge, Rangiora, Te Awamutu and Putaruru.
The move was first proposed on May 12 in response to the challenging trading conditions caused by the pandemic.
Bunnings New Zealand director Jacqui Coombes says the difficult decision was driven by recent trading environment challenges and other factors, including lease arrangements and store performance.
Coombes says where practical, workers would be redeployed to other locations.
