The Star: July 15, 2021

The Star Thursday July 15 2021
12
NEWS
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Case highlights how
deficient act is – MP
• From page 11
“I’m sorry for what’s happened
to you,” he said.
The woman spoke about her
case to highlight the issue and
encourage other women to report
their experiences to police.
“Let us hope the HDCA
Amendment Bill passes, and
then the police can begin to
press charges against offenders
of image-based sexual abuse –
regardless of the intent,” she said.
“I would not wish this ordeal
on my worst enemy.”
MP Louisa Wall introduced
the Harmful Digital Communications
(Unauthorised Posting
of Intimate Visual Recording)
Amendment Bill this year, which
seeks to explicitly make posting
of such content without consent
illegal and punishable by up to
three years in prison.
Wall’s amendment would state
anyone who posts an intimate
recording “knowing that the
individual who is the subject of
the recording (the victim) has
not expressly consented to it being
so posted; or being reckless
as to whether the victim has so
consented” has committed a
criminal offence.
She said the Christchurch case
highlighted exactly why the bill
was needed.
“This
case and
unfortunately
so many others
– including
many shared
by victims
during public
submissions
Louisa Wall
on this bill
– really does
highlight how
deficient the current act is and
how victims’ rights and therefore
women’s rights to access justice
have not been adequately
prioritised,” she said.
“Imaged-based sexual abuse
does lead to public humiliation,
shame and mental distress that
causes some victims to contemplate
and to attempt suicide.
“And, the evidence is clear
that image-based sexual abuse
can also expose victims to the
threat of being stalked, attacked,
bullied and stigmatised and so
we must do everything we can
to hold the perpetrators of this
abuse and violence to account for
the harm caused by
their actions.”
Wall encouraged victims
to keep coming forward and
speaking up – loudly.
“I salute the many women who
have shared their stories,” she said.
“They are the reason we as a
parliament have been able to
demonstrate why this law reform
is needed.
“It is their bravery and
resilience that will ensure that
what happened to them will be
punished in the future because
we as a society will no longer
tolerate image-based sexual
abuse.”
—NZ Herald
Do you need help?
If someone has shared an
intimate image/video of you,
report this to the police and
contact Netsafe.
Netsafe can help you get the
online content removed and
explain the options available
under the law.
Their service is free and
confidential.
For more information on
image-based abuse go to: https://
www.netsafe.org.nz/imagebased-abuse/
New international
airport at Tarras?
• By Mark Price
JUST HOW well Tarras
stacks up as the site for a new
international airport should be
a lot clearer by the end of next
month.
Christchurch International
Airport Ltd (CIAL) is proposing
the airport, and is putting the
district under the microscope
as it checks out topography and
weather.
In a recent newsletter to
residents, project director
Michael Singleton said the
project team had been ‘‘deep in
analysis” modelling options.
‘‘Even at this early stage it is
highly technical work and is
necessary so we can explore
different alignments, runway
lengths and approach paths
and the performance of various
aircraft on each, under a range of
conditions,’’ the newsletter said.
‘‘The overall goal is to validate
the site’s suitability for aviation
and to identify which options
are best in terms of safety
and sustainability.’’
Singleton said the options
would be put to residents by the
end of next month.
Residents closest to any
potential alignment would have
the chance to meet and talk to
the project team, he said.
The weather modelling
incorporated temperature, wind,
rain and visibility data gathered
over the past eight years.
‘‘We’ve learnt the site has
a very low frequency of high
wind speeds [of greater than
20 knots], there are between
30 and 35 mornings per year
where temperatures are at or
below freezing and average
temperatures range from 22 deg
C in January to 6 deg C in July.’’
Upper Clutha residents had
previously raised fog as an issue,
but Singleton said that was not
likely to be an issue.
The project team is also
creating a 3-D image of the
Tarras district using a scanning
camera.
—Otago Daily Times
sick child?
Call your General Practice
(GP) team 24/7 or visit an
urgent care clinic:
• Riccarton Clinic
8am–8pm
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8am–8pm
Under 14s have free medical visits after-hours
and weekends at urgent care clinics
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• Late-night pharmacies and parking on-site
CDHB12JULY21 ED
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