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Local News – Waimate waste incinerator plan fails 11 February 2025

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Source: Zero Waste Network

The Waimate incinerator project will not proceed as planned. The sale and purchase agreement for the land has lapsed, and the landowner has said the incinerator does not meet its plans for future growth. The incinerator “Project Kea” by South Island Resource Recovery Ltd has been opposed by the Zero Waste Network and community group Why Waste Waimate for the past three and a half years.

“We are thrilled that this project is not going ahead. The community of Waimate and local iwi, Te Rūnanga o Waihao, have worked tirelessly to ensure that this toxic project never sees the light of day,” said Dorte Wray, General Manager of the Zero Waste Network.

“This incinerator project has no social license to operate. It would never get resource consent under normal conditions given its widespread air pollution and climate impacts. The project was included on the Fast Track list meaning that community concerns, human health and environmental considerations would all have been disregarded in favour of the company’s claimed economic benefits.”

“The Zero Waste Network does not support waste incineration because it locks us into the production of waste. Incinerators require huge capital investment that would be better spent building the waste minimisation infrastructure we need to actually solve our waste crisis and build in the reuse of valuable materials. Incinerators are the old ‘business-as-usual’ linear model of take-make-waste. They are not a realistic solution to the real challenges we face.”

“The use of the term ‘waste-to-energy’ is almost always an industry sales pitch for burning rubbish, and it represents some of the dirtiest forms of power on earth. A recent UK investigation revealed their so-called ‘waste to energy’ plants that were worse than coal fired power plants.”

“We pay our deep respects to all of the community of Waimate, to the people of Waihao marae, and to our allies in the movement for a zero waste, zero carbon Aotearoa NZ. We say ‘regenerate, don’t incinerate!’”

MIL OSI

Improving resilience on State Highway 1 in Marlborough – stage 2 works brought forward

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Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

New resilience work recently got underway on State Highway 1 in Marlborough, south of Blenheim at Dashwood.

  • The start date for the second stage of this work has now been brought forward to start on Monday, 17 February to help avoid the upcoming grape harvest, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

During this time one lane of the highway will remain open under stop/go traffic management 24/7 and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit. 

  • Work is expected to continue until 9 April 2025, but NZTA is aiming to have an end to stop/go traffic management by early March.

The work involves raising the height of the road to minimise future flooding and complete drainage improvements.

Wayne Oldfield, Marlborough System Manager, says the 500-metre section of state highway between Awatere Valley Road and the Awatere Bridge is prone to flooding.

“Making these improvements and increasing the highway’s resilience will help keep the road open in bad weather, and ensure people, products, and places remain connected on this busy arterial route.”

“It means the transport network will be stronger and better prepared for any future disruption,” Mr Oldfield says.

The work on the three-lane section of the state highway will be carried out in stages.

Stage 1 will see the start of new drainage works alongside the highway. During Stage 2, one lane of the highway will remain open under a stop/go traffic management 24/7 and a 30 km/h temporary speed limit.  For Stage 3, two lanes will be open under a 30 km/h temporary speed limit.

Keeping the road open while work is done is particularly important given the Marlborough grape harvest will soon be underway.

Mr Oldfield says the work is funded by the Crown Resilience Programme.

“The fund is about covering the cost of resilience improvements on the state highway network and minimising damage from future weather events.”

“Marlborough residents know only too well how big an impact floods can have. In previous years, heavy rainfall has resulted in the closure of this stretch of the highway. Investments like this can make a big difference,” Mr Oldfield says.

Other resilience works recently completed in Marlborough include State Highway 6 Rai Saddle and State Highway 63 at the Wash Bridge.

Works Schedule overall

Stage 1 – Early February to 9 April

  • Drainage works undertaken in the swale alongside the highway.
  • Northbound passing lane will be closed during the work activities.

Stage 2 – 17 February to early March (amended from our first notice of this work)

  • Stop/Go temporary traffic management in place from 24/7 – No work on Sundays.
  • A temporary speed limit of 30 km/h will be in place at the site 24/7.
  • Expect delays of up to 10 minutes.
  • This work is subject to weather and unforeseen circumstances.

Stage 3 – Early to late March

  • State Highway 1 reopened to two lanes
  • A temporary speed limit of 30 km/h will be in place at the site 24/7.

More Information

  • The Crown Resilience Programme (previously the Transport Resilience Fund) is a $419 million investment package of resilience improvement activities that will reduce the impact of severe weather events on our national roading networks. This will ensure a more resilient and efficient network now and into the future. The total crown resilience programme comprises $279 million for activities on State Highways, and $140 million for activities on Local Roads.
  • This seven-year programme aims to advance proactive resilience improvements on the roading network to minimise the future damage caused to New Zealand roads by weather events, which have been increasing in frequency and severity.
  • Crown Resilience Programme

MIL OSI

SH2 Tauranga, Snodgrass Road rebuilt 2 weeks early

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Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

Work to rebuild a section of State Highway 2 (SH2) at night near Snodgrass Road has finished 2 weeks ahead of schedule, with the team wrapping things up last week.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) would like to thank people for their patience and our contractor Fulton Hogan for their hard work in getting this quality job completed in less time.  

“People are now enjoying a very smooth ride through the Snodgrass Road area,” says Sandra King, System Manager Bay of Plenty. 

“It’s no small feat. Over the past month, contractors dug up 510 metres of existing road surface, rebuilt each layer, then finished it off with a smooth asphalt surface and brand-new line marking.’  

While the Snodgrass Road work was underway, there were other maintenance activities, including several other chip sealing sites being completed at night. 

Due to the sensitive nature of this stretch of state highway, and increasing traffic volumes, rebuilding the road with chip seal is becoming increasingly difficult due to the length of time and temporary speed limits needed to bed in the chip once laid.  

Any work on SH2, day or night, causes disruption and NZTA appreciates the impact this has on motorists as crews work hard to maintain and renew this important route. 

MIL OSI

Stretches of HB Expressway closing for resurfacing next week

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Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

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Two stretches of State Highway 2 Hawke’s Bay Expressway will be closing overnight for 4 nights next week for resurfacing.

The stretch between Prebensen Drive and Taradale Road will be resurfaced first, overnight on 17 and 18 February (next Monday and Tuesday). Crews will then move onto the Taradale Road to Meeanee Road section on the nights of 19 and 20 of February (next Wednesday and Thursday).

The road will be closed from 8pm til 5am each night.

Signposted detours will be in place during the work – please plan ahead and expect slightly longer journey times.

  • During the first closure (Prebensen Drive to Taradale Road), northbound road users will be detoured onto SH51 Taradale Road and then onto SH50 Prebensen Drive before rejoining the expressway. The reverse will apply for southbound motorists.
  • During the second closure (Taradale Road to Meeanee Road), northbound road users will be detoured left onto Meeanee Road, right onto Guppy Road, right onto Gloucester Street and into Kennedy Road, before turning left onto Taradale Road and rejoining the expressway. The reverse will apply for southbound motorists.

During the day, the road will be open, with temporary traffic management in place and a temporary lower speed while the new surface settles.

This work is weather dependent and the contingency dates are 3-7 March.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi wants to thanks motorists for their support in taking the detours, and expects disruption will be kept to a minimum by doing the work overnight.

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MIL OSI

State Highway 1 maintenance steps up a gear in Wellington

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Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

The State Highway Summer Maintenance programme remains in full swing with State Highway 1 between Newlands and Tawa the next in line for attention over the next month.

Mark Owen, Regional Manager Wellington / Top of the South for NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) says to date it has been a big maintenance season for the Wellington region, and there is still a lot of work to do.

“State Highway 1 into Wellington is a critical link, and it needs regular maintenance. So, for the second half of February our road crews will be hard at work resurfacing the highway’s northbound lanes between Johnsonville and Glenside.

“These are heavily used routes – for State Highway 1, on an average day, more than  30,000 vehicles use the northbound lanes. That is a lot of wear and tear, which is why this resurfacing is necessary. It is all about ensuring the highway remains safe and reliable,” Mr Owen says.

From Sunday, 16 February until Thursday, 20 February – 9 pm to 4:30 am the highway’s northbound lanes will be closed for resurfacing between the Helston Road overbridge and the Grenada/Glenside offramp. A local road detour will be available via Johnsonville and Middleton Road. People who live in Johnsonville who need to travel north will need to use the Glenside northbound onramp. The highway’s southbound lanes will be open at all times.

The week following, contractors will resurface the Takapu Road roundabout at Tawa/Grenada North interchange. We will provide a further update once these details have been confirmed.

“We are doing these works at night when there is less traffic on the road. Closing the road lets us get the job done quicker and reduces traffic management costs. It is also safer for road workers and the public,” Mr Owen says.

Works Schedule and Detour Route

  • Sunday, 16 February to Thursday, 20 February. 9 pm – 4:30 am
    • SH1 CLOSED to northbound traffic between Johnsonville northbound offramp and Glenside northbound onramp. Local road detour available via Johnsonville and Middleton Road.
    • SH1 southbound lanes will remain OPEN at all times
    • Johnsonville residents will need to access SH1 northbound at Glenside

More Information

MIL OSI

Supporting farmers to ‘meat’ global food demand

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Source: New Zealand Government

Minister of Agriculture Todd McClay today hosted a Lamb barbecue to mark National Lamb Day (15 February 2025) for farmers, industry representatives, MPs, and media at Parliament.  

“As we celebrate National Lamb Day, parliament honours the legacy of early sector pioneers and acknowledges the hard work and resilience of our farmers, processors, and exporters — your dedication ensures that New Zealand’s red meat sector remains world leading and ready to grow,” Mr McClay says.

“Agriculture is the backbone of New Zealand’s economy, with sheep and beef farmers alone contributing over $10 billion in exports to the economy last year. This is equal to $3,300 in income for every Kiwi household. 

“The sector isn’t just crucial to our goal of doubling exports by value in ten years — it also supports 76,000 jobs across New Zealand and is leading the way in sustainable farming.

The Government’s agricultural team, of Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard, Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson and Associate Minister of Agriculture Nicola Grigg, are laser focused on getting costs down and returning more value to the farm gate.

Farmers have done it tough over the last few years with significant weather events and challenging commodity prices, but as farmer confidence rises there are real signs of green shoots ahead including: 

  • A lift in sheepmeat prices over recent months, with December lamb prices exceeding the five-year average,
  • Record high cattle prices, and
  • Rising demand from key red meat markets.

“Looking ahead, we are focused on new growth opportunities for lamb and red meat, particularly in the Middle East. The recent trade agreements with the United Arab of Emirates (UAE) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will eliminate 99 per cent of all tariffs over time.

“Kiwi farmers are the best in the world, and we are committed to supporting a future where New Zealand lamb continues to be celebrated and enjoyed on tables world-wide.”

MIL OSI

Police urge parents and young people to be alert when online on Safer Internet Day

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Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

New Zealand Police is urging parents to be alert to the potential risks facing children and young people online.

Today is Safter Internet Day – a global event to promote safe and positive online experiences.

To ensure a collaborative approach to internet safety, Police works closely with our partner agencies, including the Department of Internal Affairs, Netsafe, and New Zealand Customs.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kepal Richards, officer in charge of New Zealand Police Online Child Exploitation Across New Zealand Team (OCEANZ), says supervising children and young people online is the best way to keep them safe.

“The internet opens up a world of opportunity but there are offenders online looking to exploit people, and they target the most vulnerable.

“In the worst-case scenario, we see online extortion groups trying to persuade children and young people to record self-harm and sexually explicit acts, alongside other violent crimes.

“The footage is then circulated among members of the extortion group to gain notoriety and further extort victims.

“Offenders may also threaten to share these videos or images online or with the victim’s family and friends.

“While we’re not seeing a large number of this type of offending here in New Zealand at this time, we know this is having a significant impact overseas.

“We want parents to be alert to the possible risks, but not alarmed.”

Police urge parents and caregivers to educate themselves on this topic and have conversations with their young people about the dangers of having an online presence.

“Having open and regular conversations is the most important tip we can give any parent or caregiver,” Detective Senior Sergeant Richards says.

“This ensures their young children feel comfortable to come forward about any online issues that may arise.”

For parents and caregivers: 

  • Supervision is essential. This means knowing what your children are doing online, who they are interacting with, and what platforms, apps, or games they are using.
  • Check privacy settings. We recommend parents and caregivers research and understand app settings, including privacy settings. This can include turning off location settings, setting profiles to private, or turning off chat functions.
  • Long term impact. Offenders will often use tactics such as fear or shame to manipulate young people, and make them feel alienated or trapped, like they cannot escape the situation. These situations can be very distressing and can have long term impacts and need to be addressed appropriately.
  • Report suspicious behaviour. Make a report and seek help and support.

For victims:

  • Stop talking to the offender and avoid sending any more images or videos – even if they are threatening you. Once you have complied with their demands, there is nothing preventing them from targeting you again.
  • Save all the online chat, immediately take screenshots. This is important for making a report to the Police, we need all the evidence that you can gather.
  • Report the content and person’s profile to the platform and request the content is removed.
  • Block the profile.

Where to report offending:

To report any offending to Police, please call 111 in an emergency, and for non-emergencies, online at 105.police.govt.nz, clicking “Make a Report” or by calling 105.

If you have seen content online that you wish to report, make a report to the Department of Internal Affairs HERE.

If you would like advice and support from Netsafe, text ‘Netsafe’ to 4282 or call for free on 0508 NETSAFE (0508 638 723). You can also report online at netsafe.org.nz/report or by email at help@netsafe.org.nz.

Click HERE to read the Virtual Global Taskforce Safer Internet Day’s media release issued by the Australian Federal Police.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

Man charged with murder in relation to Ngāruawāhia death

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Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

To be attributed to Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Saunders:

A 34-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Turipapa Tukere, who died following an altercation in Ngāruawāhia on 27 December.

The man was arrested this morning, following two search warrants in Hamilton carried out with the assistance of the Armed Offenders Squad, and a search warrant in Tauranga. 

He is scheduled to appear in Hamilton District Court today.

We would like to thank the Ngāruawāhia community for their support during the investigation into Turipapa’s death. 

The investigation is ongoing and we are not ruling out further arrests.

If you have information which could assist the investigation team but have not yet spoken to us, please get in touch via 105, either online or over the phone.

Please reference file number 241227/6958.
 

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre. 

MIL OSI

Health and Fitness – Postie Bike Challenge – from delivering mail to delivering a vital message for kiwi males – Prostate Foundation

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Source: Prostate Cancer Foundation

It takes a special kind of human to load up a small motorbike, with a top speed of 80 km/hr, and head off from one end of the country to the other. But that’s exactly what an intrepid group of self-described “Mild Hogs” all on the wrong side of 50, are doing to make a difference to those affected by the most commonly diagnosed cancer in kiwi men – prostate cancer.
The Mild Hogs Charity Motorcycle Ride aka the ‘Postie Bike Challenge’ will see the six hogs (Brian, Murray, Martin, Ian, Julian and Scott) embark on a 12-day 2,500 km odyssey on 109cc motorbikes designed for delivering mail – the trusty Honda NBC110 – without a support vehicle or backup.
“It could be a long journey, but we all felt the need for a good adventure and it’s all in aid of a good cause,” said Hog spokesperson Ian Pringle.
Behind this two-wheeled adventure a serious issue – 1 in 8 kiwis will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, it is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the country and the second leading cause of cancer death in NZ men.
“This is why the Postie Bike Challenge is so important and why we are very proud and grateful to the Mild Hogs for raising awareness of the disease and vital funds for those affected by it” said Peter Dickens, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ.
In a valiant display of spirit (or perhaps a touch of madness?) these daring souls will stamp their mark on men’s health, avoiding motorways, salads and late nights. From the majestic Cape Reinga (16 th February) they will traverse the heart of the North Island, the charming North Canterbury, onward to the breathtaking Central Otago via the rugged West Coast, to arrive at Bluff – culminating at Bluff on 27 th February -signed, sealed, and delivered.
“I have very fond memories of waiting for important news to arrive in the letterbox delivered by my friendly postie on their trusty bike, little did I know that years later six intrepid men would be making such an amazing effort on these same machines, in support of all those affected by prostate cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand”, says Peter Dickens.
Through their efforts, the Mild Hogs will be making a real difference to those diagnosed, and their families, helping to provide vital support and raising awareness of the disease as they traverse the country. We’re very grateful and humbled by their efforts and will be cheering them on in every town they visit along the way.

MIL OSI

Calling rangatahi changemakers: Applications now open for Save the Children’s 2025 Youth Ambassador programme

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Source: Save the Children

Save the Children is searching for passionate young changemakers to join Generation Hope New Zealand, an inspiring youth leadership programme that empowers rangatahi aged 14 – 18 to take action for children’s rights and global issues.
Now more than ever, young people need the support, skills, and opportunities to make their voices heard. From leading workshops and hosting panel discussions to advocacy and engaging with political leaders. Generation Hope Youth Ambassadors take real action to shape a fairer world.
“This programme really stands out as an opportunity for young people to not only learn about the work of Save the Children and their own rights but also to feel empowered to act – for themselves, their peers, and their wider communities,” says Vira Paky, Save the Children NZ’s Youth Engagement Co-ordinator.
“Bringing together like-minded young people who care about fairness, education, and community creates an unparalleled environment. Watching the friendships and knowledge blossom from this programme is such a privilege.”
Through Generation Hope, youth ambassadors receive leadership training, advocacy skills, and a platform to drive meaningful change. During the programme, past members have held youth-led events and panel discussions, met with politicians, including presenting children’s climate action messages to Ministers at Parliament. Past members have gone on to set up their own youth councils and youth-led organisations.
“Generation Hope allowed me to form so many friendships with so many other young people willing to advocate for the issues in their communities, that I’m sure will last for many years to come.” says Generation Hope alumna Annamieka.
“Just go for it and apply,” says Generation Hope alumna Cassie. “There’s nothing for you to lose and everything for you to gain.”
SCNZ Media and Communications Director Amie Richardson is currently travelling for work. For interviews, please contact Advocacy and Research Director Jacqui Southey on 027 647 7004.  About Save the Children NZ: Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected. Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.

MIL OSI

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