Weather News – A Muggy and Wet Week – humidity is back! – MetService

February 17, 2025

Source: MetService

Covering period of Monday 17th -Thursday 20th February – ‘Warm and moist’ is the name of the game this week with a swath of tropical air over Aotearoa New Zealand. Rain, associated with a low-pressure system from the north, continues to fall on the North Island today (Monday). The Coromandel Peninsula to the Kaimai Range, and Gisborne/Tairāwhiti north of Tolaga Bay are under Orange Heavy Rain Warnings until 8 and 9pm respectively today.

MetService Meteorologist Katie Hillyer says, “We’ve already seen 200mm of rainfall recorded at the Pinnacles on the Coromandel Peninsula over the last 24 hours, which, even given the exposure of this mountainous station, is very impressive.” MetService expects a further 70-90mm of rain to fall in those areas today.

High humidity will be felt across the North Island too. “Warm humid air with plenty of cloud cover acts like an insulative blanket, meaning warmer nights and uncomfortable sleeps this week,” says Hillyer. The poster child of this effect being Rotorua, who only saw a 2°C difference between their maximum yesterday and their minimum this morning. Honourable mentions to Whanganui and Hawkes Bay, where temperatures are set to crack 30°C over the next couple of days – a distinct change to the cool summer they’ve experienced in the east thus far.

Overnight, the main action switches from northeastern areas of the North Island to the South Island with rain associated with an approaching low-pressure system from the Tasman Sea. The Ranges of the Tasman District have been upgraded to an Orange Warning, with 80-100mm expected to fall between 9pm tonight and 7am tomorrow. A Heavy Rain Watch is also in place for the Richmond and Bryant Ranges. Rain will spread into eastern parts of the South Island tomorrow morning, soaking some of those dry soils.

“Thunderstorms could also be on the cards Tuesday afternoon and evening for Canterbury down to Southland, as well as Westland through to Buller,” warns Hillyer. Periods of rain will continue across much of the country through to Thursday, with today and Tuesday being the most active days.

“Cloudy and wet will be the real descriptors for much of the country until Thursday and into Friday, when a ridge of high pressure starts trying to push out that humidity and bring in some fresher air,” says Hillyer.

Please keep up to date with the most current information from MetService at http://www.metservice.com/national/home

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Police pleased to report no significant issues at Taumarunui gang event

LiveNews Publisher

February 17, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

Attributable to Senior Sergeant Grant Alabaster, Ruapehu Response Manager:

Police are pleased to report no significant issues following a gang gathering in the Taumarunui area.

An operation to monitor the behaviour of those involved was carried out by Police, monitoring the gathering and the impact on the roads. Additional Police were deployed to assist with road policing and community reassurance.

Ahead of the event, Police worked with the organisers and set clear expectations around behaviour to ensure there was minimal impact to the local community.

No arrests were made and Police did not observe any anti-social or unlawful behaviour.

We would like to thank the members of the public and a number of local businesses for their patience. Police will continue to monitor the movements of the gathering as it comes to an end.

Members of the public are urged to report any instances of unlawful activity to us, so we can take appropriate action. In instances we are unable to immediately act we will note down identifying details and follow up later.

Please contact 111 if it is happening now, or report non-emergencies online via 105.police.govt.nz or by calling 105.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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These are our people: celebrating the rainbow

LiveNews Publisher

February 17, 2025

Source: Auckland Council

Celebrating the diversity of Tāmaki Makaurau comes in many forms and this month Pride shines a spotlight on our Rainbow communities. Auckland Council Chief Executive Phil Wilson and Director of Community Rachel Kelleher reflect on the role the council plays to support tākatāpui and rainbow communities in our region and why it’s important to us.

Not good enough and not acceptable

Phil: We started writing this piece last week, but the events of the weekend have sadly forced us to look at it again and take a stronger line. Our people were attacked on Saturday. Verbally and physically. Children, young people and their families were caught up in a violent and ugly situation that was outrageous and unacceptable.

As an organisation, we respect people’s right to free speech, protest and freedom of expression. Our libraries lead the charge on this. But when it turns violent and aggressive, when shouting drowns out other voices, and when people get hurt (children, for crying out loud!), it has gone too far.

In saying he is proud of the actions of his people, Bishop Tamaki is condoning violence and aggression towards our staff and the community and that is deplorable.

I’m proud of the calm and professional way Saturday’s attack on a family-friendly event was dealt with by our people at Te Atatū Peninsula Library. And I’m proud of the decent members of our community who supported them. Thankfully, most folk value places like our libraries and community centres for what they are and should continue to be – places of tolerance, acceptance, inclusion. Safe places where all are welcome. Leave your bigotry and intolerance elsewhere please.

It starts with community

Phil: What sort of community are we building if we’re not celebrating difference, championing tolerance and valuing social cohesion? With one in 20 adults belonging to Aotearoa New Zealand’s LGBTIQ+ population, councils play an incredibly important part in setting the tone for inclusion for our Rainbow community.

Throughout Pride Month there will be many fantastic events for all to enjoy, but it is also a reminder of the things we do every day to encourage and enable social cohesion, provide safe spaces for people to connect and deliver activities that champion learning, tolerance and inclusion.

Rachel: This week I heard a story about a young woman who attended a ‘literary salon’ evening at a library where attendees talked about celebrated books and shared kai. She was nervous about going on her own, was new to Auckland and has felt quite isolated here. After an evening of listening, learning and meeting others, her parting comment to our librarian was that she had ‘found her people’. This is the why: why we provide opportunities for communities to connect in different ways and why it’s important.

Finding a place for respectful understanding

Phil: Auckland Pride board chair Bhen Goodsir recently spoke to the NZ Herald’s The Front Page podcast about the current trend of what he termed an increasingly vocal minority pushing back against important progress for recognising a dignity and importance of Rainbow priorities. Bhen emphasised that when people are surrounded by a loving and supported community, and involved locally, they have better mental and physical health. We all benefit from this.

There’s that word again – community. Alongside dignity, support and local. And I agree, that as well as being focussed on building a supportive community, we are striving for greater acceptance and a more respectful understanding of what it means to be LGBTIQ+ in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Rachel: For us, and especially during Pride Month, those places for respectful understanding and celebration are our Proud Centres – our arts and community venues, our and libraries.

This year we’re hosting 80 arts, cultural and community events where people can come together in their neighbourhoods to celebrate and champion local tākatāpui and rainbow community members.

We know that marginalisation and misunderstanding continue to exist; by proudly demonstrating just how much we support and value our rainbow communities, we’re striving to be champions for respect and inclusivity.

Our people, our commitment

Phil: We became the first council in New Zealand to gain a Rainbow Tick in 2019, which helped us focus our efforts on integrating diversity into our everyday mahi. We now know that growing that diversity within an organisation, and creating a strong sense of belonging, is driven by ongoing engagement. Rainbow Tick kick-started this for us and now our membership of Pride Pledge (and proud gold members too) signals our evolution from a compliance-based mindset which required us to meet annual targets, to more innovative and meaningful mahi that is tailored to our specific challenges and will nurture a sense of belonging in our workplaces.

This takes many forms, from training modules and toolkits, to the way we design those workplaces and work programmes but what makes me most proud are the things that surround us each day as we go about our work – a rainbow wash over our logo, a photograph that reflects the diversity of Auckland, a practical initiative like all-gender bathrooms that promote safety and inclusion and a meal shared during Pride month.

Rachel: The unpleasant impact of being highly visible supporters of our Rainbow community and the ugly side of being inclusive champions and standing up for diversity is very real for our kaimahi, especially those working in our centres, delivering programmes, managing social media accounts and clearing inboxes.

Within minutes of switching the council’s iconic pōhutukawa to logo to rainbow mode for Pride month, we were getting mean-spirited comments. Our complaints system has had a spike in feedback from those who want to share their views. In person confrontation, threats of protest and disruption, aggressive posts, foul language and unacceptable slurs abound. Te Atatū Peninsula Library on Saturday.

We live in a society that values free speech, human rights and celebrates a range of opinions and as a council we respect people’s right to express their views. But we will not tolerate personal attacks; threats of violence or aggression towards our staff; or behaviour that displaces or threatens the safety and enjoyment of those who use our services or attend our events.

The last word

Phil: That’s enough about protestors and aggressors, let’s remind ourselves that the festival and the events we have delivered have been enormously successful. I attended several events and the mood was overwhelmingly positive – yes, there were some challenges but the depth and breadth of community support and goodwill, including community members standing alongside our staff, has been pleasing.

Rachel: Pride Month will continue, with our wholehearted support. Our hope is that inclusivity, respect and peace will shine through and that our communities can join together to grow tolerance and support.

MIL OSI

SH2 summer renewals progressing in Central Hawke’s Bay

LiveNews Publisher

February 17, 2025

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is advising road users travelling on State Highway 2 (SH2) between Waipawa and Takapau in Central Hawke’s Bay to expect some delays day and night as the summer renewals programme focusses on this part of the region.

SH2 resealing between Waipukurau and Takapau – day work

Starting this week, a stretch of SH2 between Takapau and Waipukurau will be resealed over the next 6 weeks.

Crews will be working onsite Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm each weekday.

The road will be under stop/go traffic management and road users are encouraged to plan for possible delays of up to 20 minutes. Outside of the work hours, temporary speed limits will be in place.

SH2 road rebuild in Waipawa – night works begin next week

The road rebuild project between Victoria Street and Tamumu Road, just north of the Waipawa township is progressing.

The first stage of the road rebuild project, the kerb and channel, was completed last week.

The second stage, the road rebuild, is starting on Monday 17 February. Working at night between 8pm and 5am Mondays to Fridays, crews will rebuild the road section by section.

On Monday crews will start with section 2 at the Victoria St end of the worksite, working up to Tamumu Road. See the map included.

Stop/go traffic management will be in place during the night works with possible delays of up to 20 minutes. Road users are encouraged to plan ahead using Journey Planner.

Journey Planner(external link)

This work is happening at night to reduce daytime disruption and complete the job faster.

NZTA appreciates the work will cause delays and is confident resealing this stretch of road will improve its resilience, safety and ultimately efficiency of travel for everyone who uses it.

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Update on the Epitaph Rift and Slip, South Westland – delays extend Monday to Friday from next week

LiveNews Publisher

February 17, 2025

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

The work to remove unstable rock material from South Westland’s Epitaph Rift is going well, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

Abseiling crews have been working on the cliff face, north of Haast, removing large rocks and exploding unstable rock features since the highway closed early November last year. Intensive rain set off numerous rockfalls and slips, closing SH6 for 13 days.

“This week, the abseiling and rock explosive team reached an important milestone,” says Moira Whinham, Maintenance Contract Manager for NZTA on the West Coast. “The unstable layer along the crest of the rockfall has now been completely removed and benched. This means they can now begin safely deconstructing the unstable material further down the cliff face, through to the end of March.”

Current situation re delays for drivers/ road users

Currently SH6 is closed in both directions between 12:30pm and 3pm Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, with Stop/Go in place between 3pm and 5pm on those two afternoons with delays for drivers.

New timetable with crews closer to the road – Monday to Friday delays

Now that the team is able to work down the southern margin of the rock face, there will be longer delays during the day to allow this area of the face to be scaled safely, says Miss Whinham.

From Monday 17 February, there will be delays of up to 30 minutes Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm. Full closures for blasting will continue Tuesdays and Thursdays between 12.30 pm to 3pm through to the end of March.

“We appreciate road users’ patience while we undertake this important recovery work, affecting more people across the working week,” says Miss Whinham.

Epitaph Slip/ below road level funding confirmed

NZTA confirms that around $1.7 million in funding has been confirmed this week to construct a micro-pile wall along the downslope shoulder of the road (ie under the road on the 2012 slip area).

Work on this will begin in early March and is expected to be complete in May. “Both activities, to the upper slope and under the road, will be happening at the same time and will be coordinated across the site, but it will mean there is traffic management in place around the clock until the micro-pile work is complete,” says Miss Whinham.

What are micro-piles?

Micro-piles are a whole lot of little piles drilled down into the road that basically stabilise the surface. This piece of work will deal with the stability below the road, specifically around the shoulder, and is separate from the rockfall stabilisation work. As well as the rockfall last November, there was also movement in the road surface. Cracks have since been filled, but the micro-piling is a more long-term fix.

Longer term resilience business case, Hāwea to Knights Point, north of Epitaph slip area

Work continues on the NZTA investment case looking at potential medium and long-term solutions for the management of the Epitaph Slip to address the vulnerability of the state highway at this location. The business case is expected to be completed in the second half of 2025.

This work will enable NZTA to determine a preferred long-term solution at this site in parallel with completing its SH6 Haast (Knights Point) to Hāwea Corridor Resilience Improvement Business Case.

SH6 Epitaph Slip Investment Case

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Tech – Gen Q4 Threat Report: 321 Threats Blocked Per Second as Social Media Becomes a Playground for Scammers

LiveNews Publisher

February 17, 2025

Source: Botica Butler Raudon for Gen

Social media, AI and human trust led to a record-breaking year of
advanced scams and personal data loss

AUCKLAND, 17 February 2024 – Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN), a global leader in consumer Cyber Safety with a family of brands including Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender and CCleaner, today released its Q4/2024 Gen Threat Report. The report reveals a surge in online threats to close out a record-breaking 2024, with 2.55 billion cyberthreats blocked in October to December – equalling 321 threats every second. The risk ratio of encountering threats reached 27.7 percent in Q4, with social engineering attacks comprising 86 percent of all blocked threats, demonstrating the advanced psychological tactics used by cybercriminals today.

“We’re continuing to see scam-related threats becoming far more dangerous as they hide, sometimes in plain sight, throughout every aspect of our digital life,” said Siggi Stefnisson, Cyber Safety CTO at Gen. “This quarter we saw them prey on people’s emotions, such as the need to shop on budget during the holidays, the desire to find love during the end of the year, the hope for change during government elections and more. And, unfortunately, this is resulting in people continuing to lose money and control over their personal information. In 2025 we only expect these risks to increase as the rise of AI-powered systems and devices will mark the next frontier for cybercrime.”

The Dark Side of Social Media
Scam-related attacks continue to demonstrate global reach and adaptability. Phishing attacks rose by 14 percent in Q4 of 2024, with many exploiting platforms for creating websites like Wix and spoofing brands such as Apple iCloud with fake invoice scams. Meanwhile, malvertising remained a leading method of driving scams and malware delivery, comprising 41 percent of all blocked attacks for the quarter.

Social media platforms remained one of the prime grounds for scams and cybercrime at the end of 2024. Facebook stands out, accounting for a staggering 56 percent of total identified threats. YouTube trails behind at 24 percent, followed by X with 10 percent and Reddit and Instagram both accounting for 3 percent of all social media threats. When it comes to messaging platforms, despite WhatsApp’s larger user base, Telegram experiences six times more threats due to scammers utilising the platform’s additional privacy features to make their crimes harder to track by authorities.

The ways that scammers are using social media vary with such different people and use cases for the platforms. Gen found that the main ways people were scammed across social media were:

Deceptive online ads (Malvertising) (27%): These deceptive ads spread malicious software onto the device being used or redirected people to malicious websites that can do the same.
Fake e-shops (23%): People are lured by fraudulent online stores, also exposing personal and financial data.
Phishing (18%): Scams aimed at stealing sensitive information like credit card numbers or passwords.

Social media is quickly turning into a playground for scammers to leverage platform algorithms, AI, and personalised interactions to scale their attacks faster and more effectively than ever before. Read the full analysis on social media threats in our latest blog.

Year-End Spike in Financial Scams
October to December marked the year’s most active quarter for financial scams, with mobile phones serving as a primary attack vector. Leading this trend were:

The largest deepfake crypto scam: The infamous CryptoCore group, known for hijacking YouTube accounts to promote their crypto scam campaigns, capitalised on the US Presidential Election. The group used deepfake videos featuring figures like Elon Musk to steal over $7 million from its victims. This marked the largest attack of its kind.
Mobile banking trojans: New mobile bankers, phone applications designed to steal banking information, launched in Q4 of 2024. This included DroidBot which used remote access capabilities to go after banking details and crypto wallets. Another was ToxicPanda that disguised itself as Visa, dating apps and Chrome. The well-known BankBot banker saw infections rise by 236 percent compared to Q3 of 2024.
Spyware and SpyLoans: Malicious apps promising quick money with high interest rates and predatory repayment schedules, also surged this quarter. Once installed, these apps request access to SMS messages, photos and other sensitive information, allowing them to spy on the victim. After a few weeks, the victim faces extortion and threats of their private data being published unless they pay to the cybercriminals. A new spyware strain disguised as a body mass index (BMI) calculator spread via the Amazon App Store, a novel distribution tactic reflecting the rising number of official Android app stores.

Personal Data – The New Gold
Personal data loss continued to pose a high risk of identity theft and loss of privacy for consumers. Scam-Yourself Attacks, such as ClickFix and FakeCaptcha, grew rapidly. In Q4, Gen blocked attacks targeting 4.2 million individuals, a 130 percent increase from the previous quarter. These campaigns use psychological manipulation to deceive people into copying and executing malicious code, potentially leading to financial fraud, account takeovers or malware infections.

To help people stay protected from this threat and keep their data safe, Gen introduced a Clipboard Protection feature across the Norton, Avast and AVG brands that blocks clipboard-based threats before they can execute.

For the third consecutive quarter, ransomware continued its alarming upward trend, with a notable 50 percent increase in Q4. This highlights an escalating threat for both organisations and individuals globally.

To read the full Q4/2024 Gen Threat Report, visit: https://www.gendigital.com/blog/insights/reports/threat-report-q4-2024

About Gen   
Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN) is a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom through its trusted Cyber Safety brands, Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender and CCleaner. The Gen family of consumer brands is rooted in providing safety for the first digital generations. Now, Gen empowers people to live their digital lives safely, privately, and confidently today and for generations to come. Gen brings award-winning products and services in cybersecurity, online privacy and identity protection to nearly 500 million users in more than 150 countries. Learn more at GenDigital.com. 

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Universities – Pacific Islands: Zone of peace or ocean of discontent? – Vic

LiveNews Publisher

February 17, 2025

Source: Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

A conference focused on Pacific politics is being hosted this week at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Entitled “Zone of peace or ocean of discontent?”, the event will run from 19-21 February 2025.

The conference is taking place at a time when international geopolitical structures may be changing forever with far-reaching consequences. At the same time, there are internal political pressures in many Pacific nations.

The conference programme centres on both geopolitical impacts on the region and on internal political issues. The event will bring together Pacific experts to discuss where the region is heading.

The programme is available here: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/strategic-studies/documents/PIPSA2025-Programme-10-02.pdf

It is the first annual conference of the Pacific Islands Political Studies Association since the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Serious Crash, Sh 30, Roititi Forest

LiveNews Publisher

February 17, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

Police are responding to a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 30, Rotoiti Forest, Rotorua District.

Emergency services were alerted around 9:20am.

It appears one person is in a serious condition.

The road is closed, and motorists are advised to take an alternate route.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Release: University cuts on the cards under National

LiveNews Publisher

February 17, 2025

Source: New Zealand Labour Party

The Government’s sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand’s universities.

“Now that the Government has delayed this crucial review of the sector’s long-term funding, universities are left with no clear path forward. The immediate consequence will be substantial job cuts and slashed services, directly affecting students’ learning experiences and weaking New Zealand’s future workforce,” Labour tertiary education spokesperson Deborah Russell said.

“Not only that, but the cancellation of this funding also poses a significant threat to New Zealand’s research and development sector, as universities play a pivotal role in driving innovation and economic growth through research initiatives,” Deborah Russell said.

In 2023, New Zealand’s universities were set to announce massive job cuts, but a $128 million funding boost passed by all parties kept the sector afloat through 2025. This funding was designed as a stop-gap measure until there could be a comprehensive review of the sector’s long-term funding system, aimed at preventing drastic cuts in the future.

“By scrapping that funding before completing the review, National is effectively choosing to pull the plug on vital funding that universities are counting on, leaving institutions scrambling to cover costs and reassessing key services for future academic years.

“The Government claims to be focused on economic growth, but National’s choices have already plunged New Zealand into the sharpest recession in 30 years, with 33,000 more people out of work. The last thing we need now is to cut opportunities for our future workforce,” Deborah Russell said.

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Missing teenager located, Mount Wellington

LiveNews Publisher

February 17, 2025

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

Location:

Counties Manukau

The 16-year-old previously reported missing from the Mount Wellington area has been located safe and well.

Police would like to thank those members of the public who provided information, which assisted in locating him.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

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