Far North mayor claims faults in new Coastal and Marine legislation...

Mayor says beach access a problem in Far North - faults in new Coastal and Marine legislation...





Far North mayor Wayne Brown says he has no confidence the Coastal and Marine Area Act will protect public access to beaches.

Two Maori iwi have formally expressed interest in seeking customary title under new seabed and foreshore legislation enacted in March this year.

The Marine and Coastal Area Act allows the tribes to seek title to areas where they can prove uninterrupted and exclusive occupation since 1840.

The iwi are Kaitaia-based Te Rarawa in the Far North and Ngati Pahauwera on the East Coast.

Te Rarawa has confirmed it will seek customary title to Te Oneroa a Tohe, or Ninety Mile Beach.

Mr Brown says he has already been ordered off beaches in the region by angry young Maori men and chose to leave rather than risk a fight.

On two occasions, Mr Brown says he has come into a beach from his boat with his wife and been confronted while walking below the high-tide mark.

A spokesperson for Te Rarawa, Haami Piripi, says encounters such as Mr Brown's stem from resentment and uncertainty.

Mr Piripi says tangata whenua (people of the land) are uncertain of their rights and aggrieved at the lack of recognition for them.

Acknowledgements:  © 2011, Radio New Zealand

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Three strikes policy will probably not have much of an impact on crime figures...

Three strikes policy will deter criminals from committing further crimes says Police...

Police Minister Judith Collins admits the proposed three strikes policy is harsh, but believes it is warranted. I doubt if it will have much of an impact on crime figures. It may put more serious criminals behind bars for longer thats all..

Under the deal between the National Party and Act, the judge will have to impose the maximum sentence for the crime when an offender is convicted of a third serious offence. Parole will not be an option when a person is convicted of a second or third serious offence.

Ms Collins says by keeping the worst repeat offenders behind bars for longer and deterring criminals from committing further crimes, New Zealand will be a better and safer place.

"The regime will be harsh, but only for the small number of people in our community that show continued and complete disregard for the law and contempt of society."

Garth McVicar from the Sensible Sentencing Trust welcomes the tougher stance.

"They commit an offence, they get sentenced to a minimum sentence, they get out and they reoffend and they go back in again, so they're just being recycled time and time again. This is going to ensure that they don't get out as quickly and there will be fewer victims as a consequence.

?I realize the naysayers and liberals will be highly critical of this law but in reality this is self inflicted, they have no-one else to blame, they are simply getting their just desserts?.

But Labour's Phil Goff claims the policy will not work.

"This will result in about 12 people a year being locked up. Compare that with 8,500 people already in prison. This isn't going to make a great deal of difference, if any, to public security and safety."

Mr Goff says the existing law already provides judges with the ability to refuse recidivist criminals parole and give them longer sentences.




Acknowledgements: © 2010 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

Kiwi anti-boy racing (hoons) legislation - long overdue...

New Zealand anti-boy-racer laws passed into law last night, banning cruising along some roads; car crushing legislation voted on today. Dealing to the hoons.

A major crackdown on boy racers comes into force in December, which will prohibit them from 'cruising' along some roads.

The anti-boy-racer legislation passed last night .

The Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Act is one of six major law and order bills being pushed through Parliament under urgency over the next two weeks.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says the new legislation will give greater powers for police to impound vehicles involved in street racing.

"It's been a long wait. There have been number of attempts in Parliament to deal with it. This is a major step forward I believe, in terms of tackling this issue, by dealing with the things that the illegal street racers hold dear - their vehicles and their licences."

Mr Joyce says cities which have constant problems with boy racers such as Christchurch, will also be able to put in place bylaws prohibiting them from driving along certain roads.

The act also features a ban on driving while affected by benzodiazepine, a prescription sedative and anti-anxiety medication that is often used as a sleeping pill.

The car crushing legislation will be voted on later today.