Kiri Allan has branched into consultancy. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Former high-profile Labour minister Kiri Allan has launched a new consultancy business, months after leaving her Cabinet role due to a car crash in Wellington.
Allan recently pleaded not guilty to a charge of refusing to accompany police, which arose from alleged offending in late July.
The ex-Justice Minister also faces a charge of careless driving for the incident, in which she crashed into a parked car on Roseneath’s Evans Bay Parade.
Allan’s first court hearing has been put off twice and is now due to be held in the Wellington District Court in November.
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Allan, who resigned her ministerial portfolios after the crash, also announced she would not be standing for re-election this year.
She has now launched a new business, KLA Consulting. With the tagline “efficient and effective: solving your problems”, the site for her business promises to provide “strategic advice” to help businesses “cut through to solutions”. She would be able to advise on economic growth and regional development.
“Kiri Allan is ready to tackle any challenge and put you on the path to success,” the site said.
“A proven track record of getting things over the line, Kiri will not waste time for you or your business. She will provide you with free and frank advice on how to get the solutions to the challenges you face in the most effective and efficient manner.
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“A former Cabinet Minister and lawyer, Kiri has committed her professional life to finding solutions to some of the most complex situations and is willing to do this for you too.”
The site also described Allan as someone with a “reputation for getting things done”, with a skill for communicating complex material to a broad audience.
“A clear analytical and strategic thinker, she will provide candid advice as to the most effective and efficient way to get projects across the line. She had also been described as a ‘chaos-tamer’, a leader, an effective decision maker and a catalyst for forward-looking change.”
The consultancy “can help you expand what is possible for your business”.
A phone number listed on the site went to a voicemail introducing Allan as an MP.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
The Devils Henchmen MC sold their clubhouse land to the local council during an armed takeover by the rival Rebels gang.
The site of a former high-profile South Island bikie gang pad, which was sold to the local council by old bikers after a rival gang muscled in, has failed to sell.
The Devils Henchmen Motorcycle Club, whose origins date back 50 years, were based at a fortified clubhouse on the outskirts of Timaru.
They occupied a large piece of land on Meadows Rd, Washdyke, complete with a two-storey pad housing a fully equipped bar.
But in May the old Devils Henchmen gang members faced an invasion when a group of rival Rebels MC gang members came from Christchurch, armed with shotguns, and took over the property.
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They kicked out the Henchmen, stole some motorcycles, and soon draped a Rebels flag from the top-floor balcony, sparking police and community fears of escalated gang tensions in the South Canterbury town.
But over the next few days, as the Herald exclusively reported, the Henchmen brokered a deal to sell the property to Timaru District Council for more than $1 million, which resulted in the red-faced Rebels being booted out and the buildings being demolished by bulldozers. All but one of the Rebels in Christchurch would patch over to the Comancheros a month later.
On May 16, the local authority confirmed it had bought the 8766sq m Meadows Rd property.
With a September 2020 capital value of $1.26 million, according to qv.co.nz, the council wouldn’t disclose the final figure, but the Herald understands it was closer to $1.8m.
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Within hours of the sale going through, trespass notices for the land were issued and then the diggers rumbled straight in.
In July, the property at 90 Meadows Rd surfaced for sale, along with a neighbouring site.
The properties are “high-profile and sought-after sites with excellent development potential”, the council said, and are zoned Industrial H, which allows for a wide range of uses, including heavy and light industrial, storage, and distribution.
“They offer access to water, power and fibre internet, have excellent access to State Highway 1, and are just a short distance from the Timaru CBD and the port,” the council said at the time.
But local mayor Nigel Bowen, who has been outspoken on gangs in the region, said the land has not yet been sold.
“We are looking to put the smaller holdings on the market through an agent before the end of the year and plan on holding the larger parcel for the short term,” he said.
The properties were being sold by private tender.
– Kurt Bayer is NZME South Island Head of News based in Christchurch. He is a senior journalist who joined the Herald in 2011.
US property developer Colin Rath sailed to New Zealand on the luxury yacht Persevere in 2016 before being granted consent to buy a Canterbury vineyard.
A Manhattan property tycoon who sailed to New Zealand on a luxury yacht before being jailed for a $1.3 million tax fraud was forced to sell a South Island vineyard after breaching foreign investment rules
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Commercial fishermen Karl Warr (left) and Matt Douglas are still feeling the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle on the waters seven months after the event. Photo / James Pocock
Commercial fishers say their catches are down and there’s still debris and sediment heaped on the ocean floor of Hawke’s Bay, as the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle linger seven months on.
Occasionally, debris surfaces –
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A gun has been recovered from a getaway car and nine people arrested after raids on stores across Auckland last night.
A liquor store and a Nike footwear shop in the central Auckland suburb of Newmarket were targeted by ram raiders just after 1am.
An hour later on the North Shore there was an alleged burglary at a service station on East Coast Rd.
Both raids ended with cars travelling at high speed on Auckland motorways before being spiked and occupants arrested.
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Police said a vehicle was used to smash open the roller door of Epsom Liquor Centre on Manukau Rd.
Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Armstrong said around 1.05am police were called to a commercial address in Epsom following reports of a burglary.
“Those involved have attempted to break into the address using a vehicle to gain entry, however, they have been unsuccessful.
“The vehicle involved was abandoned at the scene and those involved have fled in a second vehicle, which is believed to have been stolen.”
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Footage shown to the Herald by the store’s owner showed two vehicles arriving outside – one being use to ram the door, before several masked youths pried the door open and made off with goods.
The liquor store’s owner told the Herald the group caused a hell of a mess inside his shop.
A short time later, Police, including the Eagle helicopter, responded to reports of the same vehicle being used to gain entry into a retail store on Broadway, Newmarket, around 1.15am.
Photos show the large plate glass window smashed, with shattered glass strewn across the street. Police were standing guard outside.
A police spokesperson said earlier: “The vehicle involved was abandoned at the scene and those involved have fled in a second vehicle, which is believed to have been stolen.”
Detective Senior Sergeant Armstrong said police were quickly on the scene following reports of the burglary.
“Eagle observed an SUV leaving the area before being abandoned nearby.
“Those involved then entered a second vehicle and Police have monitored this vehicle as it travelled south on the Southern Motorway before exiting at Hill Rd, where it was spiked.”
Armstrong said the vehicle continued to travel in a dangerous manner, before entering an area of roadworks on Weymouth Rd, Manurewa where it was able to be stopped and the five occupants taken into custody.
“We have since searched the vehicles involved and recovered a range of stolen branded property, as well as a firearm.”
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Four people aged between 19-24 were due to appear in the Auckland District Court today. Armstrong said they had been charged with several counts of burglary and unlawful takes.
Three of those arrested have also been charged in relation to an aggravated robbery at a commercial address in Royal Oak last Thursday.
A 16-year-old was also arrested overnight in relation to the Epsom and Newmarket incidents.
“Given the range of property recovered, our inquiries will continue, and we can’t rule out further charges for other incidents,” said Armstrong.
Meanwhile, on Auckland’s North Shore, Waitematā Police took four people into custody after a separate alleged burglary at a service station on East Coast Rd.
Police said at 2.40am the alarm was raised after two people were reported breaking into an address in Milford.
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“Those involved have taken a number of items before leaving the scene in a vehicle,” said Detective Senior Sergeant Nick Poland.
“It is not believed the vehicle was used to gain entry into the premises.”
He said police monitored the vehicle travelling at speed along East Coast Rd before entering the Northern Motorway where it headed south.
“The vehicle has exited, then re-entered the motorway, heading north,” Poland said.
Eagle continued to monitor the vehicle before it was spiked in Silverdale, eventually coming to a stop at Wainui.
Four people, aged between 14-16, then fled from the vehicle, however, all were apprehended a short distance away and taken into custody.
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“This morning’s arrests are another example of police continuing to hold offenders to account for offending taking place in our communities,” said Armstrong.
“This brazen and often violent offending being inflicted on our community is unacceptable and those who choose to engage can expect to be held to account.”
‘Am I entitled to share in the increase in value since she used relationship property funds?’ Photo / 123rf
Q: I separated from my wife five years ago. She re-partnered shortly after our separation. We still need to divide our relationship property.
Two years ago, my ex-wife and her new partner purchased a property
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Pensioners Owen and Jane Hayward have refused to sell their Ōrākei home to developers Equinox Group, which wants to build 700 luxury apartments on the waterfront site. Photo / Michael Craig
A pensioner couple embroiled in a festering spat with a property developer claim they are being bullied, harassed and banned from their local shops because they refuse to make way for a multimillion apartment complex.
But the developer, Equinox director Kerry Knight, denies the allegations and has hit back at the octogenarians, accusing Owen Hayward of harassing him, causing endless trouble and making spurious claims about Knight’s company and local businesses.
“They, like us, don’t want him in the village,” Owen said.
“However, if he just minds his own business, then he is welcome.”
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Knight has also confirmed his grand designs for 700 luxury apartments at Ōrākei Point are on hold due to adverse economic conditions and endless bureaucratic delays involving Auckland Council and KiwiRail – though he hopes it will proceed “one day”.
The protracted unpleasantness with the Haywards dates back years, involving legal threats, high-powered lawyers and even police involvement.
Last month retired grandparents Hayward, 86, and his wife Jane, 81, were issued with trespass notices barring them from their favourite Ōrākei Village grocer, café and plant centre.
It is the third round of trespass notices served on the couple by police officers on behalf of the village owner Equinox Group in recent years.
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And despite the notices warning the Haywards could be fined or thrown in jail, they are ignoring the legal orders after obtaining letters from the local businesses confirming the couple are welcome to shop anytime.
Jane told the Herald she felt Knight’s behaviour was ridiculous and childish.
“I think it is bullying and harassment. What else would you call it? But we’ve lived with it for so long now.”
The couple believes the testy standoff is linked to their refusal to make way for Knight’s apartment development on neighbouring waterfront land.
The Haywards’ leasehold home sits smack bang in the middle of the site and despite millions being spent already on planning and consultants, construction is yet to begin and the 2018 consents have now lapsed.
The couple believe their 934sq m property would unlock Knight’s proposed master development, allowing the multimillion-dollar project to proceed.
Knight disputes this, saying his company does not need the leasehold site for the development and plans to replace the house with greenspace when the lease eventually expires.
“I have explained this to Haywood and to previous reporters but … that ruins the story of us being evil to acquire the Haywood property,” Knight said.
The couple has fielded various offers from Knight and his associates over the years to purchase their home but refused each offer and say the relationship has progressively soured.
Tensions boiled over in May when a sewage pipe beneath their home carrying waste from the village complex blocked, spilling putrid filth and fat onto a grass verge outside the property.
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They complained repeatedly to Equinox that the health hazard was causing a pungent stench, forcing them to keep windows closed to avoid the odour.
A series of emails with Equinox legal executive Paula Folkard reveal the growing animosity.
On May 11, Folkard wrote that a plumber would investigate the drain issue.
“You have previously been issued a trespass order preventing you from entering our property. You have ignored this legal order and are continuing to come onto our property and badger our tenants. We will now hand this matter over to the police.”
Owen responded on May 26, asking which tenants he had badgered, saying he was unaware of “any such conduct from me”.
He added that the sewage had still not been addressed and he was contacting health authorities.
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A May 30 email from Folkard said the drain had now been fixed and reiterated that Owen was not welcome on Equinox property.
“The directors are very clear, your interference with our tenants [sic] business operations and our business operations have resulted in your being banned from the property. You may wish to take legal advice on this matter. We will not be discussing this matter further with you.”
Five weeks later, the latest trespass orders were served by Glen Innes police under Folkard’s name.
The Haywards’ lawyer, Russell Bartlett KC, said the trespass notices were invalid unless served on behalf of the tenant occupiers, not the landlord.
As the tenants were clearly happy to have the Haywards visit their establishments, the notices held no weight.
The Haywards challenged the notices, supplying police with letters of support from Farro and King’s Plant Barn, and one from Silky Otter Cinemas saying, “You are more than welcome to come to our movie theatre and we are not going to enforce anything the landlords say”.
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In an email last week, police confirmed there was “no need for any further police intervention regarding this matter”.
The Herald asked police what grounds were given for issuing trespass notices against two elderly people and whether the notices were even enforceable.
Police said they sometimes served notices as an agent on behalf of landlords or occupiers, and no criteria was required.
Any reported trespass breach would be assessed for appropriate action under the Trespass Act, though individuals could dispute the notices through civil channels.
Knight claimed Hayward had been a perennial nuisance, annoying contractors, making needless reports to council and authorities, objecting to liquor licence applications, and causing repeated issues for tenants “year after year.
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“We don’t have a relationship for that reason and we have a duty to our tenants to ensure works and operation can take place without hiccups.”
Knight rejected claims he was a bully or that he had harassed the couple.
“If Haywood can just keep to himself and not interfere with our tenants, us and council, then he can visit the centre.”
Hayward denied being a troublemaker and said the standoff with Knight had been going on for 16 years.
“I’ve asked him all along to name the tenants I’ve been harassing and he hasn’t.”
Hayward had no plans to sell the property and said the cast iron lease was in place until 2034.
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“I’ll be 98.”
Nido shut just a few months after it opened in West Auckland. Photo / Michael Craig
Details have emerged about court action involving a crippling $41.4 million loss from a property syndicate-style scheme to fund the failed West Auckland homeware shop Nido which was to be New Zealand’s biggest
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Commercial and industrial building owners would essentially foot the bill for the removal of goods and services tax (GST) from fruit and vegetables if Labour was elected to govern after the October election.
Meanwhile the
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Fire crews worked to put out a blaze at a commercial premises in Ohakune. Photo / File
About 50 guests staying at a motel in Ohakune were forced to evacuate in the early hours of the morning after a blaze ripped through the property.
Fire crews from Ohakune, Raetihi, Waiouru, National Park, Taihape and Whanganui all responded to the “challenging” fire at Kings Ohakune around 2.50am.
“We can let you all know that our guests, residents and staff are safe after a scary alarm at 3am this morning,” Kings posted on its Facebook page.
“We are very lucky and thankful the building didn’t suffer too badly as our improvements did what they should do and limited damage.”
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All the guests were taken to Turoa Lodge for shelter and hot chocolate, the post read.
Central Fire and Emergency shift manager Carlos Dempsey said the local fire brigade initially responded and found a fire in the Rimu St property’s boiler room.
”It’s got into the wall cavities and the ceiling so it’s pretty challenging to extinguish. It went to our third alarm level,” said Dempsey.
Dempsey said there have been no reports of any injuries.
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He also said the fire is not spreading further than the boiler room.
A police spokesperson said police were advised of the fire on Rimu St but did not attend.
Three Kings, which is also a bar and restaurant, posted that it would be closed tonight but hoped to be back open on Monday.