The search for eight fishermen missing from three boats off Samoa following last week’s cyclone will resume in the morning (Monday).

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) has spoken to the crew of both the RNZAF P3 Orion and French Navy, which searched the coast and sea area south of Samoa today. No sign has yet been seen of the missing men.

The RCCNZ has been advised by Samoan authorities that the hull spotted by the Orion on the island of Apolima has since been there for some weeks and is not one of targets of the current search.

RCCNZ is awaiting information from the skipper of one of the missing vessels who reached the island of Monono.

The Orion also reported a possible sighting of a hull floating 45km west of Monono but this has yet to be confirmed as one of the boats being targeted in the search.

The air search will not resume until approximately 8am (NZ time) tomorrow (Monday, 17 December).

There will be no further update until at least that time.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>