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Kamala Harris erases Trump’s poll lead in one week

By
International Media
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By Telegraph

Kamala Harris has virtually erased Donald Trump’s six-point lead in the race for US president, according to a new poll.

The battle for the White House is now effectively tied as Trump’s six-point lead over Joe Biden was squashed to just two points after Ms Harris took his place as election frontrunner for the Democrats, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Accounting for a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, that puts Trump and Ms Harris neck and neck ahead of the November vote.

Both candidates were fanning out across the US on Saturday, with Trump insisting he will resume outdoor campaign rallies against the advice of the Secret Service, two weeks after surviving an assassination attempt at a fairground in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Black, Latino and young voters all showed greater support for Ms Harris than they did for Mr Biden, 63 per cent to 51 per cent, a finding that could help Ms Harris in crucial swing states, including Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and North Carolina.

However, the poll contained a warning for Ms Harris with her 63 per cent support among non-white voters still below the 73 per cent that voted for Mr Biden four years ago, although above the 51 per cent the president had been registering until quitting the race.

Still, around four out of five voters in both parties now say they are enthusiastic about their candidate. The poll found that 81 per cent of Democrat voters were enthusiastic about Ms Harris, compared to 37 per cent who had expressed the same for Mr Biden.

Pollster Mike Bocian described the change as “astounding”.

The poll also indicated that support for independent and third party candidates, including Robert F Kennedy Jr, is now hurting Trump more, with Ms Harris pulling one point ahead of Trump with Mr Kennedy in the race.

Last week, Mr Kennedy was reported as making overtures to Trump, offering to throw his support behind the former president, possibly in exchange for a cabinet portfolio if Trump wins in November. The Trump campaign declined the offer.

On Saturday, Trump accused Ms Harris and the media of “trying to erase Harris’s disastrous record as border czar. They have failed”.

At a speech in Florida to rally his religious base, he said she “was a bum three weeks ago” and “a failed vice-president”.

Donald Trump leaving his latest really in Florida
Donald Trump leaving his latest really in Florida where he roused a crowd with a speech against Kamala Harris Credit: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Trump told supporters at the West Palm Beach rally, hosted by the grassroots conservative group Turning Point Action, that if they returned him to the presidency in November, they would not “have to vote again.”

“Christians, get out and vote! Just this time – you won’t have to do it any more,” Trump said. “You know what? It’ll be fixed! It’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote any more, my beautiful Christians.”

He added. “I love you. Get out – you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.”

The Trump campaign is also confronting misgivings about JD Vance, the vice-president pick made mere days before Mr Biden abandoned his re-election run. The Journal poll found that Mr Vance was viewed favourably by 42 per cent of people and unfavourably by 44 per cent.

Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, denied reports the Republican nominee was having second thoughts about his choice.

“President Trump is thrilled with the choice he made with Senator Vance, and they are the perfect team to take back the White House,” Mr Cheung told Newsweek. “And any reporting to the contrary is nothing but ridiculous fake news from either non-existent sources or individuals who have no idea what’s going on.”

Mr Vance has been under attack by Democrats over comments he made to Fox News’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” three years ago in which he described Ms Harris as one of a group of “childless cat ladies”. 

Ms Harris does not have biological children, but does have two stepchildren, Cole and Ella Emhoff, who call her “Momala”.

Kerstin Emhoff, ex-wife of second gentleman Doug Emhoff and mother to Cole and Ella Emhoff, called the attack “baseless”. Ms Harris, she said, “is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.”

Ms Harris’s step-daughter Ella Emhoff, a knitwear designer who lives in Brooklyn, New York, wrote  “I love my three parents” in an Instagram post.

In an interview with Sirius radio host Megyn Kelly broadcast Friday, Mr Vance said women had thanked him for his cat lady comments. “This is not about criticising people who, for various reasons, didn’t have kids,” Mr Vance said. “This is about criticising the Democratic Party for becoming anti-family and anti-child.”

He added: “Obviously it was a sarcastic comment. I’ve got nothing against cats. I’ve got nothing against dogs, I’ve got one dog at home and I love him.”

Tongan diaspora news in brief: Guilty plea to 390kg kava bust in Australia; woman arrested in USA for defrauding old man with dementia

By
Kalino Latu
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Caretaker arrested for defrauding an elderly dementia patient in Irvine

A Tongan woman was arrested for defrauding an older man in the United States.

Talia Vaipulu (L), Longani Latu (inset: top right), Seiana Faka’osilea (inset: below right).

Talia Vaipulu, 44, of Hawaiian Gardens, allegedly stole the money from an older man diagnosed with dementia, according to the Irvine Police Department.

Vaipulu, an in-home caregiver, is suspected of using her client’s credit card multiple times before discreetly returning it to his wallet.

Detectives diligently collected evidence and surveillance footage to build their case.

Vaipulu was booked at Orange County Jail for identity theft and theft by a caretaker.

Faka’osilea and Pelikani drug sentences reduced

Mr Seiana Fakaosilea’s appeal against sentence is allowed.  The sentence of 13 years and two months’ imprisonment is set aside and substituted with a sentence of 10 years and eight months’ imprisonment.

Mr Richard  Pelikani’s appeal against sentence is allowed.  The sentence of four years and 11 months’ imprisonment is set aside and substituted with a sentence of three years and ten months’ imprisonment.

Fakaosilea and Pelikani were found guilty by a jury in August 2022 of the 600kg methamphetamine scheme, which police described as a plan to smuggle drugs worth roughly $90 million from a supplier in South Africa. 

Prosecutors said during the trial that they don’t know if the meth ever made its way to New Zealand, but simply trying to put the plan in motion is a criminal offence.

Longani Latu pleads guilty after kava bust in Australia

A Tongan man who was found with a large amount of kava in Australia has pleaded guilty.

Longani Latu appeared in Darwin Local Court via video link after supplying and possessing 390 kilograms of kava, which was intended for Indigenous communities across Arnhem Land.

Longoni Latu and his accomplice drove thousands of kilometres with 390 kilograms of kava to sell the drug to remote communities.

On a separate note, Northern Territory Police have arrested 2 men in relation to the trafficking of an illicit substance into a remote community.

On Tuesday 9 July, Dog Operations Unit (DOU) attended Darwin Airport and apprehended a male believed to be involved in the trafficking of large quantities of kava whilst utilising and travelling under a false identity.

Investigations later confirmed that the male was travelling using false identification and that he was unlawfully in Australia.

Justis Huni destroys undefeated rival Troy Pilcher

By
Kalino Latu
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Justin Huni knocked out his compatriot Troy Pilcher in two rounds.

The Australian heavyweight destroyed his fellow unbeaten rival in Brisbane

The 36-year-old Pilcher produced a spirited effort but could not resist Huni’s power when he started to land.

Huni fought with greater aggression after successive fights in first Mexico, then, in Saudi Arabia, he targeted Pilcher’s body before finishing to the head.

Huni, 25,  remains undefeated in 10 fights as he targets a shot at a world title by 2026, the Mail reported.

The Tongan Brisbane-based said before the fight that he had no intention to go the full 10 rounds.

Pilcher, who was previously undefeated in 10 fights, came out fast and furious but Huni was too quick and too powerful, landing body shots with his left and right.

The boxer known as ‘the wonder from down under’ was in wondrous form

Huni opened with a powerhouse combination of lefts and rights to the body with one left hook rocking his opponent.

Pilcher took the fight to Huni from the opening bell, pushing the 25-year-old prospect towards the ropes.

Huni seemed to struggle to keep his bigger opponent off, and at first attempted to counter while on the back foot.

The early pressure from Pilcher didn’t last, however, and Huni finished the opening round by landing with authority to the body.

Huni had said he had ‘bad intentions’ for Pilcher after studying the methodology of Mike Tyson in the lead up to the showdown. 

It was Huni’s first fight on home soil in almost two years since he accounted for New Zealander Kiki Leutele in a unanimous points decision.

Huni said he now had bigger fish to fry as he targets his dream of a world title.

”These belts don’t mean that much to me. It is the big belts that I want,’ he said.

Tonga news in brief: Body of newborn baby found; man crushed to death; van smashes into power pole

By
Kaniva Staff
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A body of a newborn baby was reportedly found at a beach on Tongatapu.

Van crashes into a power pole. Photo/ Supplied

Local media reported the discovery on Friday.

Police have yet to comment on their Facebook account.

The details of what happened remain unclear.

Tapuhia landfill death

A man working at the Tapuhia Landfill was killed when a heavy loader ran him over Tuesday, the Tonga police said.

The 32-year-old man from Ngele’ia died at Vaiola Hospital.

The Tonga Police said the man’s job was to operate the heavy loader inside the landfill.

The fatal incident happened after the machinery overturned and trapped him underneath.

“He was rescued and transported to Viola Hospital where he passed away, due to severe internal injuries and fractures, shortly thereafter,” the Police stated.

An inquest into the man’s death was expected to be held.

Van smashes into a power pole  

A van hit a power pole east of Tongatapu yesterday.

Power lines came down on the vehicle and it was unclear whether any person was trapped inside.

Tonga Power Board said this afternoon Sunday 28 the power supply to eastern area has been temporarily interrupted due to a broken pole caused by an accident in the area of Vaini.

It said its staff were “currently replacing the broken pole on-site and addressing issues before restoring power to all areas once the work is complete”.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by this unforeseen power disruption”.

No further details were available.

Olympics 2024: NZ athletes slip through drug testing gaps

By
Kalino Latu
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By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

A quarter of the New Zealand team was not tested ahead of the Paris Games, according to International Testing Agency data.

By enz.co.nz and is republished with permission

Close to 90 percent of athletes worldwide were tested ahead of the 33rd Olympics – but a breakdown of the anti-doping data shows 25 percent of New Zealand athletes were not tested at all.

Twenty-nine percent were tested once and 46 percent were tested frequently.

Of the top 25 nations – based on medal count from the last Olympics – New Zealand had the highest percentage of athletes not tested this year.

Conversely, all athletes from Russia and Belarus, who are competing as individual neutral athletes (AIN in the French translation) due to the war in Ukraine, were tested at least once, with 97 percent tested more frequently.

The International Testing Agency (ITA) table of drug testing ahead of the Paris Olympics.

The International Testing Agency (ITA) table of drug testing ahead of the Paris Olympics. Photo: supplied

Athletes competing in sports considered as high-risk disciplines by the International Testing Agency were under more scrutiny in the lead up to the Games.

Competitors in these 45 identified sports and disciplines were recommended to be tested at least three times during the pre-Games period. Of this group, 95 percent were tested at least once, 75 percent three or more times and less than 5 percent were not subject to any testing.

Every surfer competing in Tahiti was tested frequently as were 98 percent of weightlifters, 97 percent of marathon swimmers and 97 percent of athletes competing in breaking, which is making its Olympic debut.

Chinese swimmers have been in the spotlight this year after it was revealed in April that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned drug before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

ITA data up until 22 July showed that 98 percent of China’s 405-strong Olympic contingent had been tested this year.

New Zealand surfer Billy Stairmand during the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico.

New Zealand surfer Billy Stairmand was among the New Zealand athletes tested ahead of the Paris Olympics. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

However, 20 percent of Olympic swimmers from around the world arrived to compete at La Defense Arena without being tested.

New Zealand swimmer Lewis Clareburt, who is competing in three events at his second Olympics told RNZ “you can never have full confidence” that Olympic swimming would be clean.

“Especially after the news that has been coming out over the last six months, but all you can do as an athlete is do your best and make sure that you’re clean and you just hope that the people that are testing and are in charge of keeping sport safe are doing their job and that’s all we can do.”

ITA director general Benjamin Cohen said the anti-doping programme his organisation ran ahead of the Paris Olympics “is the most robust pre-Games programme ever implemented for an edition of the Olympic Games”.

“Pre-Games testing is not only key when it comes to risk and anti-doping strategies, it also aims at giving athletes and fans confidence in a clean Olympic Games.”

No caption

Photo: Supplied / Drug Detection Agency

Cohen said the Pre-Games testing project had “highlighted some gaps, limitations and areas for improvement that we need to address immediately if we are to continue to raise the bar for all athletes who train so hard and want fair and clean competitions”.

However, a day after the ITA released the data on the anti-doping programme in Paris, the organisation was reporting an out-of-competition doping violation by Iraqi judoka Sajjad Ghanim Sehen Sehen.

A sample collected from the athlete returned an adverse analytical finding for an anabolic androgenic steroid on the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list.

Sehen Sehen has been provisionally suspended, meaning he is prevented from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any activity during the 2024 Olympics.

High Court dismisses appeal in trademark dispute between SUTT and FWC churches  over confusingly similar names

By
Kaniva Staff
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The High Court of New Zealand has dismissed an appeal in a trademark dispute between two churches with identical names in different languages, finding that the appellant’s trademark registration would likely cause confusion and lacked prior ownership or use.

As Kaniva News previously reported, three lay preachers who claim they were stripped of their roles with the Tuingapapai Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga New Zealand in Otahuhu officially declared in 2016 that they would launch the Siasi Uesiliana Tau’ataina ‘o Tonga (SUTT) in New Zealand.

Sione Fono Latu, ‘Isileli Tonga and Siulolo Malamala were reported to have claimed the Church’s board of trustees was dissatisfied when it learned they had obtained the sole official right to make, use or sell the name SUTT.

The acronym is Tongan for FWCTNZ or Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga New Zealand.

Tonga said at the time they were told by the church their roles had been removed pending a decision at the church’s September quarterly meeting.

Last week a report by the New Zealand lawyers website said: “The case concerned the appellant’s registration of the Tongan language mark “Siasi Uesiliana Tau’ataina ‘O Tonga ‘I Nu’usila,” translated as “the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga in New Zealand.” The respondent, whose registered name is “The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga in New Zealand,” challenged the validity of the appellant’s trademark registration.

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According to the Lawyers’ website, the assistant commissioner of the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand ruled in favour of the respondent. The assistant commissioner found that the appellant’s use of the mark would likely deceive or cause confusion among the public. The appellant failed to establish prior ownership or use of the mark before its registration in 2013. The assistant commissioner’s decision was based on the evidence that the respondent had an established reputation and ongoing use of similar marks in both English and Tongan.

The appellant argued that the assistant commissioner had overemphasised the conceptual similarities between the marks and had improperly relied on unsubstantiated evidence of the respondent’s use of the Tongan language mark. The appellant contended that since 1994, the respondent had abandoned the use of the Tongan language mark when it changed its registered name to the English version for business reasons.

The High Court, however, upheld the assistant commissioner’s decision. The court found that the conceptual similarities between the English and Tongan language marks were significant and would likely cause confusion among bilingual consumers who speak both English and Tongan. The court noted that the unique aspect of the case was that the Tongan and English language marks were direct translations of each other, making the ideas conveyed by the marks identical despite differences in visual and aural presentation.

Furthermore, the High Court agreed with the assistant commissioner’s finding that the respondent had not abandoned using the Tongan language mark. The evidence demonstrated continuous use of the mark and no intention to abandon it, even after the respondent’s name changed to English in 1994. The court concluded that the respondent’s use of the mark was ongoing and that the appellant’s registration was invalid due to the lack of prior ownership or legitimate claim.

Tongan family in Auckland appeal for sightings of Amelia Tukunga

By
Kaniva Staff
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A Tongan family in Auckland has released a photo of their daughter Amelia Tukunga and asking for any sightings of the teen.

Amelia Tukunga. Photo/Supplied

Tukunga has been missing since this morning Wednesday 24 when she left Ōtāhuhu bus station for school.

“Our whole family are out looking for her”, a post on Facebook read.

The family were concerned for her well-being and wanted to make sure she was safe and well.

They said: “It was very unusual for her to do this”.

“Please please share and help bring our baby girl home!

“ If you or anyone else have any information please let us know or call the police.

“I know you’re not on Facebook, baby Amelia, but please come home.

“Your dad is not leaving the train station till you come home! We love you, baby”.

Tongatapu teenage victim of hit-and-run incident dies in hospital as police investigating separate two-vehicle collision   

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A driver has been arrested after a 19-year-old boy died following a hit-and-run incident on Tongatapu.

Tonga Central Police station. Photo/Kalino Lātū

The injured boy was discovered by a member of the public on a roadside on Monday, the Police said.

The victim from Kolovai died on Tuesday 23.  

“The incident was reported to the Nukunuku Police Station by a member of the public who discovered the victim on the roadside between ‘Atatä Si’i and Fo’ui early Monday morning”, the Police said in a statement.

It said a 50-year-old man from ‘Āhau has been arrested in connection with the incident.

“The suspect remains in police custody pending further investigation. This marks the fourth road death this year”.

In a separate incident early yesterday morning, 23 July 2024, at approximately 12.55am, a collision involving two vehicles occurred on Taufa’ähau Rd at Haveluloto.

One of the drivers, a 21-year-old man from Haveluloto, has been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

The other driver, a 46-year-old man from ‘Utulau, sustained a right leg fracture and is currently receiving treatment at Vaiola Hospital.

Police continue to investigate this incident.

Tonga Police advised drivers to obey speed limits, designate a sober driver, and follow traffic regulations to protect themselves and others on the road.

“Under Section 47 of the Traffic Act, drivers involved in accidents are mandated to stop, offer assistance to the injured person, and report the accident to the nearest police station”.

New tugboat’s name revives Queen Sālote’s Fanga-‘i-lifuka song after 1961 boat tragedy

By
Kaniva Staff
-

His Majesty King Tupou VI has named a new tugboat, Fanga-‘i-lifuka, this morning in Nuku‘alofa.

The “Fanga-‘I-Lifuka” with its 4,500 horsepower twin propeller is currently the largest tugboat that Ports Authority Tonga has in its towboat fleet. Photo/Embassy of Japan in the Kingdom of Tonga 

The 4,500-horsepower twin propeller provided under Japan’s Non-Project Grant Aid (NPGA) projects was worth 1 billion Japanese Yen (TOP$15 million).  

A statement said this was the largest amount of funding Japan has provided for an NPGA project to date.

It demonstrated the level of commitment Japan undertakes to increase Tonga’s maritime capacity, it said.

The Fanga-‘I-Lifuka is currently the largest tugboat in Ports Authority Tonga’s towboat fleet.

Five Japanese engineers are currently in Tonga to provide operation training for designated staff of Ports Authority Tonga.

The Ambassador of Japan to Tonga, H.E. Mr. Inagaki Hisao, gratefully handed over the new tugboat to the people of Tonga in the presence of His Majesty King Tupou VI during an official event in Tongatapu today.

“ It was a festive occasion as the Ambassador highlighted that the friendship between Japan and Tonga was founded upon the warm relations between the Imperial Household of Japan and the Royal Family of Tonga, and it continues to flourish under His Majesty King Tupou VI’s benevolence”.

Former Fanga-’i-Lifuka

The king’s naming the new boat brought back to life an incident in 1961 when a hurricane sunk the government’s then-inter-island vessel Fanga-’i-Lifuka.

Reports said that after the Queen’s birthday celebrations on 13 March 1960, she told her matāpule Lutui: “Ka ‘i ai ha fo’i fuatau pea mou manatu’i mai au he kuo u uitou”.

This would be translated into English as: “If you have any yams, please remember me, for I am a widow.”

It was made as part of the fakalaunoa practice, which involves jokey remarks made by royalty when meeting their people.

The people of Ha’apai understood it was their cultural duty to provide the yams for the Queen. On Her Majesty’s birthday the following year, they travelled to Nuku’alofa in the then Fanga-‘i-Lifuka and a barge, bringing with them yams and other produce.

On their return to Ha’apai the boat was caught in a cyclone before it sank near Ha’apai’s ‘Otumu’omu’a islands. All passengers and crew survived the tragedy.

The Queen composed the song in memory of the dreadful incident. It was titled Hiva Afā ‘a Vaea (Vaea’s Hurricane Song), after Noble Baron Vaea, the father of current Lord Vaea. Noble Baron Vaea was a son of Queen Sālote’s half-brother Vīlai. He was the Governor of Ha’apai at the time and he was one of those people from the islands who travelled to Tonga and returned in the Fanga-‘i-Lifuka before it sank.

The version of the lyrics is copied verbatim below in Tongan and in English.

Hiva Afā ‘a Vaea

The wind veered westerly 
Wrathful was the storm
Overwhelming the Kolongatata
Converging upon Faka’oskato
Alas, Kao mo Tofua
My kie tāua has blown away
The Fanga-‘i-Lifuka has fled
The rock of Loupua is forsaken 

Screaming and calling were heard 
The Fangafalikipako awoke
Women of Ha’apai, harken
to the nose flute’s call in the night
And broadcast to the distance
That is my cherished salusalu
Embrace the command lest it falls wasted
To please the Sia ko Veiongo

If the Futu Ko Vuna questions it
Or the Taungapeka asks about it
Then tell them, Tautavale
I am the talatā
Fishing bird of Uoleva
My only food is pandanus
I drink of the dew, eat of the sunshine
My bed, the foam of the wave

Oh Lēlea, I send you my love
And to you, Sia ko Kafoa and ‘Alo’italau
How the ironwood tree Tu’uakitau weeps
For our mutual helplessness
When the mask breaks, we turn to Manono
Let the calabash shell spilling at Vaha’akolo
Send forth its perfume to the heart
Increasing ever your love for the motto
Be it hard or be it easy
Ha’apai stand in your legendary daring

Tongan version 

Hiva Afā ‘a Vaea 
Ne sika-a-hema fakahihifo
Louloua'a e Matangi to
Kolongatata ke fakauo
'O falala 'i faka'osikato
Ise'isa e Kao mo Tofua 
Vilingia hoto kie tāua
Kuo hola e Fanga-'i-Lifuka
Tounoa e maka ko Loupua

Pā ‘a e ui moe sīle’o
Ofo a e Fanga falikipako
Fine Ha'apai ke fakafanongo
Ui 'a e fangufangu 'i he pō
Fakamafola ki he vahamama'o
Ko si'oto salusalu manako
Ke talia 'a e angi na'a to
Ke me'ite Sia ko Veiongo

Ka fehu'i 'e he Futu ko Vuna
Pe 'ekea 'e he Taungapeka 
Tautavale pe i ke tala
He ko au e ko e talatā
Ko e Manusiu o Uoleva
ko si'eku me'akai ko e fā
'Ou inu hahau mo kai la'ā
Mohenga 'ihe fisi 'oe naua

Tau 

Lēlea e hoku 'ofa atu
Sia ko Kafoa 'Alo 'i Talau 
Tangi 'a e Toa Tu'uakitau
He kuo fe'ofa'aki 'a kakau
Fasi pe sila tuku ki Manono
He fangumalingi 'i Vaha'akolo
Ke Ngangatu ‘o 'alaha 'i he loto 
Kae tupulaki 'ofa 'i he Moto
Ka faingata'a pe faingofua
Ha'apai tu'u ho'o kāaimu'a


Rescued roosters: ‘They were lucky someone hadn’t let the dogs off’

By
Kalino Latu
-

By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

A woman who already has 200 poultry says if she had not taken in 13 dumped roosters from rural Whakatāne, they would have died.

This photo of the dumped roosters at Wardlaw Glade was posted on social media by Denise Peiris, leading to their rescue by Nicola Wood.

This photo of the dumped roosters at Wardlaw Glade was posted on social media by Denise Peiris, leading to their rescue by Nicola Wood. Photo: Denise Peiris / supplied

It all started when Nicola Wood – a poultry keeper from Edgecumbe – found the Facebook post by a woman who was asking if someone could help with dozens of dumped roosters that neither council nor the SPCA would remove.

“Just surfing through Facebook a couple of weeks ago, I saw these pictures of these big roosters and I saw a caption ‘dumped’,” she said.

Denise Peiris from Whakatane had posted images of about 20 roosters that had been dumped at Wardlaw Glade in Waimana.

She told Wood the SPCA had said it was not their job to remove the birds, and when she he rang the council they told her they would not do it either.

Wood said there was no way the roosters would survive in their outdoors – they would either starve or be ripped apart by dogs.

“So I decided that’s it, I’m going to go and catch them. So that’s how that happened.”

Nicola Wood keeps about 100 free range chickens and has rehomed some roosters from Wardlaw Glade.

Nicola Wood keeps about 100 free range chickens and has rehomed some roosters from Wardlaw Glade. Photo: Troy Baker / LDR

She said when she went with her husband and they could tell the roosters had been there a “couple of weeks”.

Wood said they caught the roosters from four different places within the area they had been dumped.

She said there was a technique to catching roosters.

“You just reach up and get a firm grip and grab them.”

Wood said she brought the roosters home, and some of them looked “skinny”.

“They were just lucky that someone hadn’t stopped and let the dogs off.”

She said the roosters had been dumped next to a road with a speed limit of 100km/h

“I did see a body of one that I don’t know how old it was. It obviously been hit by a car.”

But she said it was a hazard for drivers too.

“Most people’s instinct is to swerve and it can cause an accident.”

She said if people could not take care of roosters it was best to give them away.

“The other option is you have to kill them. And if you can’t do that well, then you get a friend to do it. That’s way better than letting them starve or run over or ripped apart by dogs.

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