Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews have made good progress in clearing hotspots out of the burnt scrub and wetland on Tiwai Peninsula today.
Incident Controller Hamish Angus says that despite warmer conditions this afternoon, firefighters have been able to hold down any potential flare-ups.
“As well as having four helicopters dousing the fireground from above, we’re using four excavators to widen firebreaks around the perimeter so the fire doesn’t spread if the wind gets up,” he says.
“This work will also help firefighters if they need to deal with any more fires here in the future.”
Fire crews will work until 6pm, and one crew will remain overnight to monitor the fireground.
“Our crews will be back on-site tomorrow morning to continue mopping up and ensuring there are no hotspots left,” Hamish Angus says.
“They’ve all worked incredibly hard over the last two days, and done a great job at getting such a large vegetation fire under control.”
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government’s blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike.
“What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Education Tākuta Ferris.
“Many tamariki rely on these meals as their only nourishment of the day, it is disgraceful that the government has put the wellbeing of their books over the wellbeing of our mokopuna.
“David Seymour may as well have cut the program entirely instead of insulting our tamariki with this slop.
“You do not sweep this kind of failure under the rug by blaming “teething problems.” This should have been thoroughly planned and tested before it was rolled out to ensure it worked for all tamariki. Instead, we have a system that has failed them, and now, it seems, no one wants to take responsibility.
“For every serious issue in this country, the government’s only solution has been to hand off their responsibility to someone else.
“We don’t have enough housing? Get overseas investors to sort it out. Our education system is failing? Charter schools will save us.
“School lunches are ‘too expensive’? Let’s get the cheapest contractor we can find and hope our kids don’t get food poisoning.
“It’s time for these Ministers to stop passing the buck. They must apologise- publicly and without delay- to all the tamariki, mātua, and kura affected by this. They must own their mistakes and fix the system, because right now, it is failing the very people it was supposed to help”, said Ferris.
Drivers can expect to see more work on State Highway 6 at Dellows Bluff with work to fix a new slip site set to get underway in February.
Resilience work has been ongoing at the area since a major rockfall in July 2022. This has seen rock scaling and rock blasting to remove overhanging rock and debris from the cliff face above the highway. Rock anchors, steel mesh, and protective shipping container barriers have also been installed at the site.
SH6 Dellows Bluff rockfall, July 2022.
Rob Service, System Manager Nelson/Tasman, says bad weather late last year caused a slip less than 200 metres away from the original rockfall site.
“This site also has an ongoing rockfall risk that we need to fix. From 10 February we’ll have crews and heavy machinery on site for around six to eight weeks carrying out remedial work.”
“Contractors will need to excavate and remove roughly 10,000 cubic metres of clay and rocks to establish a more stable face and create a bench above the road to capture any further rock falls,” Mr Service says.
Slip clearing, SH6 Dellows Bluff slip site – October 2024
He says the job is a big one and cannot be completed without affecting traffic on State Highway 6.
“We will have to close the highway’s southbound lane during the project. The space is needed to allow heavy machinery to operate and also to provide a safety buffer zone for traffic.”
“Reducing the road to one lane also means we will have to use stop/go traffic management and there will be times when we will have to stop traffic in both directions for 45-minute periods to ensure material, particularly dangerous overhanging boulders and trees, can be removed safely. Night closures are also likely to be used to help complete tree-felling too,” Mr Service says.
He appreciates the work will create significant delays for traffic.
“The nature of the work and the need to keep the public safe means this is unavoidable. Please bear with us while we get this job done. State Highway 6 is a critical transport link and resilience work like this is all about make the highway safer and more resilient in the future. There will be short-term pain, but it’s all about getting a long-term gain for road users and the local community.”
Steps will be in place to ensure access is available when needed. Allowances are being made to ensure school buses and school traffic can get through the work site, and access will always be available for emergency services. Updates on the project will be shared with the community as it progresses, including updates on any changes to traffic management at the slip site.
Works schedule
10 February to 13 March. Monday to Friday, 7 am to 6 pm
Southbound lane closure.
Stop/Stop controls will operate from 13 February to 15 February, 8 am – 6 pm.
These will be on the hour with the road to reopen at 45 minutes past the hour to allow queued traffic to clear.
Stop/Stop may occur outside of these times if there is a risk to road users, like a tree or boulder dislodged.
Outside these times stop/go will be in place, when necessary, please plan accordingly.
Drivers can expect delays of up to 10 minutes under stop/go.
There will be lot of truck movements from the works area up to 1.5 kms to the north of the site. Drivers must follow all speed signs and warnings in place.
State Highway 29 continues to be a hive of activity with night works starting on the Kaimai Range from Sunday 9 February for 10 nights.
SH29 Kaimai Range night closure schedule:
Sunday 9 February to Friday 14 February, 8pm to 4.30am
Sunday 16 February to Friday 21 February, 8pm to 4.30am
“The SH29 scheduled full closures for maintenance are providing huge safety benefits for both our crews and road users,” says Sandra King, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi System Manger, Bay of Plenty.
The Kaimai Range closures are enabling crews to carry out scheduled maintenance more efficiently. By locking in a schedule, regular road users including freight operators, can make plans to minimise disruption to themselves and their customers.
We’re taking advantage of the closure to do other work on SH29, increasing the effectiveness while traffic volumes are reduced across the Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty state highway network.
“With so much work taking place it is inevitable road users will come across worksites and traffic management. When you see roadworkers out on the road, travel safely through their site, follow signage and any instructions you receive, and give them a wave to say thanks for their tremendous work,” says Ms King.
And, it’s likely there’s another long weekend in the mix for a lot of people, for those who decide to take Friday 7 February off after Waitangi day. If you do take the break with friends and whānau, don’t let your extra day lose its charm by getting stuck in the car, beat the traffic by using the NZTA Holiday Journey Planner, which shows predicted traffic flow across popular journeys.
“Patience is key when driving public holidays. Keep a safe following distance from vehicles in front so you can stop safely and drive to the conditions. We want to see people enjoying the long weekend and arriving at their destinations safely,” says Ms King.
To plan ahead and see where disruptive works are, people can use the NZTA Journey Planner (journeys.nzta.govt.nz(external link)) This is kept up to date in real time so you can see all disruptive activity and potential hazards on the state highway network.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 31 January 2025 – Memecoins were on the rise in 2024. Their overall market capitalisation increased from $20 billion last January up to $120 billion in December 2024. Such coins as DOGE, PEPE, or SHIB have thrived, primarily driven by community support and innovative strategies. Some experts have even acknowledged meme coins as a viable crypto trend. TRUMP, a meme coin created by Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th U.S. President, has emerged as a speculative and rather controversial asset. However, it may still signal mass adoption of crypto, regulatory warm-ups and new crypto trends. Global broker Octa explains how the meme coin may impact the market.
Source: Shutterstock
TRUMP: launch and accelerated growth Donald Trump surprised society on 17 January 2025, three days before his inauguration, by launching the meme coin TRUMP based on the Solana blockchain. Trump announced the launch on his official X and Truth Social accounts. The coin’s value quickly surged, particularly when it was listed on several CEX (centralised crypto exchanges) like ByBit. Within two days, it increased from $7 on 17 January to $75 on 19 January. The next day, when the President entered the White House, the price soared significantly. The minimum was around $38 per coin. At one point, the coin became the 19th most valuable crypto globally during its peak on 19 January. At the moment of writing the article, the coin ranks 25th on CoinMarketCap in terms of market capitalisation, outperforming popular memecoins like PEPE and, notably, 10-year-old XMR.
TRUMP is considered a memecoin since it has no inherent value, and the asset’s price entirely depends on the market sentiment: buyers and sellers can manipulate the price. Nonetheless, Trump’s fans and crypto enthusiasts have actively supported the coin. The volume of daily traded coins reached its maximum on the inauguration day, 20 January, and surpassed $52 billion.
Currently, the circulating supply accounts for almost a fifth of the whole supply: 200 million tokens. Another 800 million are controlled by Trump-owned entities. The developers plan to release the remaining tokens gradually within three years. However, many experts are concerned because the owner can ruin the market by selling the controlled assets.
MELANIA meme coin: launch and impact on the market Following the TRUMP coin hype, Melania Trump announced the launch of her own meme coin, MELANIA. While its value almost reached $13 on 20 January, and a lot of crypto traders abandoned TRUMP to trade MELANIA, the asset’s price has dropped since then. The First Lady’s coin was officially presented by her incorporated company, MKT World LLC.
The coin has contributed to the Trump family’s crypto hype. There were even rumours that another coin from Ivanka Trump, the daughter of the elected President, was about to see the world. However, no official news or proof was released, so this could be fake.
The future of TRUMP TRUMP has been a controversial asset. Some believe it signals ‘a new regulatory era, where governments see crypto as a technology to reach out to the masses directly’. Others are sure that the launch has undermined the credibility of the industry, as the coin is rather volatile and speculative. For example, a popular Bitcoin investor, Erik Voorhees, has criticised the asset.
‘Although TRUMP may be considered as a ‘rug pull’—a quickly abandoned coin—it may have potential longevity. One of the deciding factors is the remaining 80% of the supply and its future’, comments Kar Yong Ang, a financial market analyst at Octa Broker. ‘For now, the future of the asset depends on the crypto society and its willingness to buy TRUMP. This is proved by the MELANIA launch, which shifted liquidity in its favour and significantly dropped the President’s token price.’
Considering the emotion-driven buying frenzy of the TRUMP coin, which potentially drove many newcomers to the crypto market, it’s likely to provoke another rise of memes from celebrities and influencers. While meme coins are known for their high returns, especially during the launch on CEX, they are very volatile and speculative. Traders should avoid quick decisions and overbudgeting to secure their funds.
What is more, it’s advised to beware of scams. For example, there are fake TRUMP tokens now. Moreover, hackers can try to capitalise on the meme hype. Just recently, scammers breached Nasdaq’s X account and promoted a fake meme coin, STONKS. It was launched the same day and was a copycat of a pre-existing memecoin on Solana. Despite this, the project’s market capitalisation reached $80 million. Several days later, the token’s price dropped.
Nonetheless, TRUMP can be considered an evidence of a crypto-favourable regulation. Since Donald Trump was elected as the U.S. President, crypto society has considered this as another proof of an anticipated bull run and crypto mass adoption. For example, Bitcoin hit another ATH (all-time-high) on the inauguration day. This is probably driven by the President’s crypto-related plans, such as industry deregulation or a potential strategic Bitcoin reserve.
Hashtag: #Octa
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Please attribute to Detective Inspector Lindsay Pilbrow:
In November 2023, Tauranga Police launched a homicide investigation after Harley Shrimpton was killed at a rural property in Poripori Road, Lower Kaimai, Tauranga.
He had been missing since he was kidnapped on 3 November 2023 and a missing person report was filed with Police by his whānau.
In January 2024, 23-year-old Tauranga man Piripi Tukaokao was charged with murder, kidnapping and other related offences. He is remanded in custody and will be appearing in Hamilton High Court in November 2025.
We know that there were others who assisted the defendant and we are continuing to follow positive lines of enquiry.
It is crucial that all those responsible in relation to Harley’s death are held to account.
It’s now been over 14 months since Harley was found and since then a dedicated Police team has continued with enquiries and are closely analysing new information.
We continue to speak with people close to the investigation and have not ruled out laying further charges against others who may have been involved.
On behalf of Police and Harley’s whānau, I want to acknowledge the significant public support shown over the last year, to thank everyone who has come forward with information during the course of the investigation, and to urge anyone with information that could assist the investigation to contact Police and tell us what you know.
Information can be passed to Police via our 105 phone service, or by going online to https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 and using ‘Update Report’, referencing file number 231117/9085.
Alternatively, information can be passed to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers-nz.org.
New Zealand is likely to experience a blend of typical La Niña climate patterns, along with occasional atypical patterns over the next three months, according to the latest Seasonal Climate Outlook released today (Friday 31 January 2025) by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).
A La Niña Advisory is in effect, though weak and expected to be short-lived, says NIWA National Climate Centre Principal Scientist Chris Brandolino, with international guidance indicating around a 50% chance for La Niña conditions persisting through the February to April period. “When combined with atypical characteristics including sea surface temperature anomalies, is likely to mean New Zealand will experience La Niña-like patterns with occasional deviation.”
Overall, New Zealand can expect wind from the easterly quarter, ranging from NE to SE flows, along with occasional periods of westerly quarter flows, from SW to NW, for the three-month period, he says. “The north and west of the North Island can expect warmer than average temperatures, with equal chances for near average or above average seasonal air temperatures for most other regions.”
Early February weather is likely to be drier than normal, but over the three months through to the end of April seasonal rainfall is forecast to be near or above normal for most regions. However, northern and eastern North Island may see occasional heavy rain events.
Soil moisture and river flows are expected to be near or below normal in most areas. At the same time, sea surface temperatures are forecast to be above average, with a normal to elevated tropical cyclone risk with the potential for an ex-tropical cyclone to pass near New Zealand.
Attached is the February-April 2025 Seasonal Climate Outlook in pdf and Word formats, along with three supporting infographics showing national rainfall and temperature forecasts.
Please read the ‘Note to Reporters and Editors’ at the end of the outlook to assist your understanding of the content, its creation and the terminology used.
The Coalition Government’s scaled-back new Dunedin hospital build is putting cost-cutting ahead of health and wellbeing, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) says.
NZNO President and emergency nurse Anne Daniels says today’s announcement fails to future-proof the health needs of the Southern community.
“This is short-sighted. The Southern community has a growing and aging population. We also have a failing primary care health sector which means more people will unnecessarily need hospital level care.”
NZNO is disappointed but not surprised with today’s announcement, she says.
“We had hoped the Coalition Government would keep its promise to fund the new build as outlined in the 2017 business case which was worked on by 500 clinicians.
“But this Government is still intent on putting dollars before the people. That is a choice.
“They are making decisions about the health and wellbeing of the Southern community rather than doing what they were elected to do,” Anne Daniels says.
The new hospital will open with 16 beds fewer than the existing hospital and even after it is scaled up over time, will have six beds less than originally promised, she said.
“Fewer beds also means fewer jobs for nurses as Te Whatu Ora will resource this hospital based on bed numbers.”
Please attribute to Detective Inspector Lindsay Pilbrow:
In November 2023, Tauranga Police launched a homicide investigation after Harley Shrimpton was killed at a rural property in Poripori Road, Lower Kaimai, Tauranga.
He had been missing since he was kidnapped on 3 November 2023 and a missing person report was filed with Police by his whānau.
In January 2024, 23-year-old Tauranga man Piripi Tukaokao was charged with murder, kidnapping and other related offences. He is remanded in custody and will be appearing in Hamilton High Court in November 2025.
We know that there were others who assisted the defendant and we are continuing to follow positive lines of enquiry.
It is crucial that all those responsible in relation to Harley’s death are held to account.
It’s now been over 14 months since Harley was found and since then a dedicated Police team has continued with enquiries and are closely analysing new information.
We continue to speak with people close to the investigation and have not ruled out laying further charges against others who may have been involved.
On behalf of Police and Harley’s whānau, I want to acknowledge the significant public support shown over the last year, to thank everyone who has come forward with information during the course of the investigation, and to urge anyone with information that could assist the investigation to contact Police and tell us what you know.
Information can be passed to Police via our 105 phone service, or by going online to https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 and using ‘Update Report’, referencing file number 231117/9085.
Alternatively, information can be passed to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers-nz.org.
The people of Dunedin have won in an almost year-long battle to have their hospital confirmed, but National’s delays have cost dearly.
“Though there are fewer beds than originally planned, this is a win for the people of the Southern region,” Labour health infrastructure spokesperson Tracey McLellan said.
“We have always said there is money to pay for this hospital, and the announcement today proves National was trying to make savings at the cost of good healthcare for the Southern region.
“Together we have fought hard against National’s attempts to scale back New Dunedin Hospital. The people of the Southern region deserve a state-of-the-art hospital that meets their needs now and into the future.
“According to one estimate, the Government’s poor negotiation and delays cost $100,000 per day while it sat still. This is money that should have been spent improving healthcare.
“The building of the new hospital, which Labour began and paid for, falls short of the promises National made during the election campaign, but it is the best of a bad situation.
“We’ll be watching closely to make sure this Government actually delivers on their promise and doesn’t try to cut corners down the line, both in Dunedin and at other hospitals which they said were threatened by the Dunedin project,” Tracey McLellan said.
