Weather: 20 vehicles stuck after mudslide in Taihape, defence force helicopter assessing situation

Source: Radio New Zealand Fire and Emergency says crews from Taihape are responding. RNZ / Nate McKinnon About 20 cars remain stranded by a slip in remote rural Taihape, with a Defence Force helicopter the only way to see how they are faring. It may also be the only way to rescue them. Rangitikei mayor … Read more

Recidivist thieves wind up in custody

Source: New Zealand Police A pair of thieves allegedly responsible for helping themselves to more than $40,000 worth of goods from various stores across Auckland and the Bay of Plenty have wound up in Police hands. The duo have been trying to evade Police since September, with Police actively looking for the pair given the … Read more

‘Culture is the winner’: All Stars clash proves it’s more than just a game

Source: Radio New Zealand Adam Pompey leads a Māori cultural performance in the build-up to the Māori v Indigenous All Stars Rugby League match at FMG Stadium, Hamilton. DJ Mills “Culture is the winner at the end of the day.” That’s how Indigenous Men’s captain Nicho Hynes summed up this year’s NRL All Stars clash … Read more

Campers evacuate overnight after Wainui River burst its banks

Source: Radio New Zealand There were six campers at the Herbertville Campground when it was evacuated. RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham Campers and some residents of the tiny coastal settlement of Herbertville rushed to the community hall in the early hours of this morning after the Wainui River burst its banks. The evacuation came three years … Read more

Iwi welcomes government’s two year ban on harvesting rockpools north of Auckland

Source: Radio New Zealand People with buckets by the rock pools at Army Bay on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula. MARK LENTON / SUPPLIED Local iwi Ngāti Manuhiri has welcomed the government’s two-year ban on harvesting rockpools in the north of Auckland. The ban is for all of the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, and further north at Kawau Bay … Read more

Winds gust to 240km/h on lower North Island’s east coast

Source: Radio New Zealand A tree blown onto a car in the Wellington suburb of Brooklyn. RNZ / Pokere Paewai Wind gusts measuring up to 240km/h have been recorded on the east coast of the lower North Island with gusts of up to 190km/h hitting high parts of Wellington. MetService said the strong winds and … Read more

Youth motocross in focus as coroner orders joint inquest into four fatalities

Source: Radio New Zealand 10-year-old Jack Willson died in a motocross accident in Taupō in April 2023. Supplied The deaths of four young people in separate motocross accidents over a two-year span will be the focus of a joint Coronial inquest, placing the safety of the sport under scrutiny. At a case management hearing in … Read more

Two assaults in central Auckland over the weekend

Source: Radio New Zealand File photo. RNZ / Yiting Lin Two separate assaults in the Auckland CBD over the weekend are being investigated by police. Police received a report of a person being assaulted in Quay Street by a group of men unknown to them at about 11.40pm on Saturday. The victim’s phone and bag … Read more

Services sector growth slows but stays in expansion

Source: Radio New Zealand 123rf Services sector expands at a slower pace in January Sales activity continues rising, employment falls Proportion of negative comments increases BNZ says economy is on the right track The services sector recovery slowed to a crawl last month. The BNZ-BusinessNZ Performance of Services Index (PSI) fell by 0.8 points to … Read more

Moa Point sewage failure to be independently reviewed

Source: Radio New Zealand Moa Point. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The government has confirmed there will be an independent review looking into the Moa Point treatment plant failure. On 4 February, the plant failed, sending millions of litres of raw sewage into the Cook Strait per day. Last week, Wellington Mayor Andrew Little met with … Read more

District court judge accused of yelling at Winston Peters faces cross-examination

Source: Radio New Zealand District Court Judge Ema Aitken at the Judicial Conduct Panel on Monday. Finn Blackwell / RNZ A district court judge has told a judicial conduct panel she was her normal self and not affected by alcohol, as she fights an accusation she disrupted a New Zealand First event. Judge Ema Aitken … Read more

Universities – What New Zealand can learn from Japan on earthquake insurance – UoA

Source: University of Auckland – UoA Rohan Havelock is investigating how New Zealand’s earthquake insurance stacks up against Japan’s Shortly after Associate Professor Rohan Havelock arrived in Japan to study its earthquake insurance system, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake damaged nearly 4,000 homes and buildings in Aomori Prefecture. For the University of Auckland insurance law specialist, it … Read more

What to pack in emergency ‘grab and go’ bags

Source: Radio New Zealand When an earthquake, tsunami warning or flood strikes, you won’t have time to decide what to take. National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) recommends a small bag for each person with essentials, such as sturdy walking shoes, warm clothes, raincoat and hat, water and snack food, hand sanitiser, portable phone charger, cash … Read more

Prisoner with burst appendix not taken to hospital for six days

Source: Radio New Zealand The prisoner was seen by multiple nurses in the six days she was ill before being taken to hospital, but most basic clinical observations were not recorded in that time. (File photo) RNZ/ Finn Blackwell A prisoner with a burst appendix was told it was a stomach bug, and waited six … Read more

Man with multiple sclerosis choked to death while being fed in bed

Source: Radio New Zealand A standing hoist was not used because of safety concerns due to Mr B’s violent swaying and involuntary body movements. File photo. Bret Kavanaugh / Unsplash A man with multiple sclerosis died from choking while being fed by a healthcare assistant sitting up in bed. A Health and Disability Comissioner (HDC) … Read more

First kākāpō of this year’s breeding season hatches on Valentine’s Day

Source: Radio New Zealand Tīwhiri’s new, one-day-old chick. Lydia Uddstrom / DOC Department of Conservation (DOC) staff are confident a kākāpō chick born on Valentine’s Day will be the first of many this breeding season. Yasmine of Pukenui/Anchor Island hatched an egg on Saturday, bringing the total number of the critically endangered flightless parrot to … Read more

Turning a Lunar New Year staple into a daily delight

Source: Radio New Zealand A Taiwanese family in Auckland is turning a Lunar New Year staple into an everyday purchase, producing about 300,000 dumplings a week as demand grows on mainstream supermarket shelves. While eaten year-round, many families in China eat dumplings around midnight on Lunar New Year’s Eve, which falls on 16 February this … Read more

Independent review into Moa Point failures

Source: New Zealand Government A Crown Review Team will conduct an independent review into Wellington Water’s Moa Point sewage plant failure, Local Government Minister Simon Watts says. “The failure of a key part of our capital city’s critical wastewater infrastructure and the ensuing impact on communities, the local economy and the environment are completely unacceptable,” … Read more

In pictures: Heavy rain and wind hits Wellington region bringing down trees, flooding roads

Source: Radio New Zealand A fallen tree in the Wellington suburb of Newlands after high winds. RNZ / Mark Papalii Heavy rain and wind is hitting the capital, flooding streets in Lower Hutt, closing multiple schools, cutting off power, and bringing trees and debris down in the city. Meanwhile, the entire Manawatū-Whanganui region is under … Read more

Multiplying cells: A tale of two prisons

Source: Radio New Zealand RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly A prison expansion is on such a fast track that it prompted officials to ask if compromises were being made. Corrections is rushing to build two new high security units to cope with an unexpectedly rapid rise in the prison population nationwide since last year. Hawke’s Bay … Read more

Weather: Ashhurst residents evacuated as river threatened to breach its banks

Source: Radio New Zealand Grace Guo and daughters Kerry and Claire had a sleepless night ahead of being evacuated from their Ashhurst home. RNZ / Robin Martin About a dozen Ashhurst residents were evacuated in darkness in the early hours of the morning as the Pohangina River threatened to breach its banks. Severe weather hammering … Read more

Wind gusts measuring up to 240km/h recorded on lower North Island’s east coast

Source: Radio New Zealand A tree blown onto a car in the Wellington suburb of Brooklyn. RNZ / Pokere Paewai Wind gusts measuring up to 240km/h have been recorded on the east coast of the lower North Island with gusts of up to 190km/h hitting high parts of Wellington. MetService said the strong winds and … Read more

Northland News – Hapū-led biosecurity response framework sets new standard for community action

Source: Northland Regional Council After tonnes of the invasive seaweed exotic caulerpa washed up on Bay of Islands beaches last year, one call on the ‘kumara vine’ was all it took for Te Taitokerau hapū to spring into action, with hundreds mobilising to help with the clean-up and prevent further spread. That rapid response saw the … Read more

Storm News – Multi-day Severe Weather Event Continues – MetService

Source: MetService Covering period of Monday 16th – Tuesday 17th of February Heavy Rain Warnings and Strong Wind Warnings continue for the central and southern North Island and eastern South Island  Heavy Swell Warnings in force for the southeastern coasts of the North Island. A deluge of rain and relentless winds continue to impact a … Read more

Storm News – ASB activates support for customers affected by severe weather

Source: ASB With severe weather affecting regions across North Island, ASB is offering support options for customers who are impacted by the weather and worried about finances.   Targeted support for personal, farming and business customers affected by the extreme weather will be offered on a case-by-case basis, with options including: Deferring loan repayments for … Read more

Bic Runga’s Red Sunset is a thrilling mix of familiarity and forward-thinking

Source: Radio New Zealand Partly written and recorded in Paris, Red Sunset may have found its thematic heart in that location. Runga’s new album sounds French and seemingly draws inspiration from thatcountry’s pop music of the ’60s and ’70s. Or perhaps the acoustic strums, dampened drums and vintage synths here just coalesced into these particular … Read more

Mother’s struggles with immunocompromised daughter amid Christchurch’s boil water notice

Source: Radio New Zealand The boil water notice will not be lifted until there are at least three days of good results, the council says. RNZ/Rebekah Parsons-King Friends are delivering bottled water to a Christchurch mother whose immunocompromised daughter relies on sterile medical equipment for feeding, with 14,000 households in the city’s east still under … Read more