Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
Police can now confirm the name of the man who died in a two-vehicle crash on Egmont Road, New Plymouth, Tuesday 21 January.
He was 50-year-old Brien David Vincent Mace of New Plymouth.
Police extend our condolences to his family and loved ones at this time.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
Source: Department of Conservation
Date: 23 January 2025
Ulva Island is a nature sanctuary in Paterson Inlet, 780 metres from Stewart Island/Rakiura. It is popular with visitors who come to experience the thriving wildlife.
It first achieved predator-free status in 1997 and has become a sanctuary for many native species, including Stewart Island brown kiwi/tokoeka, kākā, kākāriki, yellowhead/mohua, and South Island saddleback/tīeke.
DOC Acting Operations Manager for Rakiura, Bridget Carter, says intensive monitoring for rats is underway on Ulva Island.
“Our incursion response kicked into immediate action last week and the team has been checking traps and using lured cameras and rodent detection dogs to determine the extent of rat presence.
“Since the dead rat was found on 13 January, rat activity has also been captured on trail cameras. Further monitoring will tell us if this is a single rat or more.
“Our plan from here is to continue with increased surveillance and ongoing trapping efforts to monitor for further sign and catch any remaining rats. Toxin may be used sparingly where rats are known to be present but avoid traps.
“Although detecting rats on the island is disappointing, it does show the biosecurity monitoring system is working as it should,” says Bridget.
On average one or two rats manage to find their way to Ulva Island each year due to its proximity to Rakiura where rats are present. This risk increases when rat numbers are high on the mainland due to warm weather and food availability.
Visitors are being asked to keep an eye out for any signs of rat presence on Ulva Island – please take photos, record the location and report it to the DOC Rakiura Office.
DOC carried out a successful eradication operation on Ulva Island in the winter of 2023 after a breeding population of rats established on the island. The island was declared rat-free again in early 2024.
A single rat was caught in February 2024, with genetic analysis indicating this individual was not a survivor from the 2023 eradication. Intensive monitoring using a variety of methods following this incursion event showed the island was again free of rodents.
The risk of ongoing rat incursions on Ulva Island remains high while rats are present on Rakiura, and intensive biosecurity monitoring systems are needed to enable an effective response to protect Ulva Island’s predator-free status.
For media enquiries contact:
Email: media@doc.govt.nz
Source: New Zealand Government
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.
“In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year.
“That is completely unsustainable and helps to explain why the Reserve Bank had to hike interest rates to bring inflation back under control.
“In the equivalent period last year, government spending was less than 2 per cent higher than for the previous year.
“That shows the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for public money have worked.
“This Government is committed to improving public services and to investing for the future, but we will not be wasting public money like the last government on daft schemes and projects that have no chance of coming to fruition and only impose extra costs on families and businesses.
“Our focus is on unlocking New Zealand’s potential by growing the economy to provide greater opportunity for businesses, households and individuals.”
The Financial Statements of the Government for the five months to 30 November 2024 show government spending was 1.9 per cent higher than for the same period the year before. The equivalent figure for the previous year was a 9.8 per cent increase.
Government expenditure and revenue for the five months to November 2024 was broadly in line with the forecasts in December’s Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update.
Core Crown revenue was in line with forecast at $54.9 billion. Core Crown expenses were $200 million lower than forecast at $57.8 billion.
Source: New Zealand Government
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months.
“There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don’t fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job is working,” Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says.
“Despite the tough labour market we inherited, 33,147 people cancelled their Jobseeker benefit because they found work between July and December. That’s 22 per cent more than the same period in 2023 under the previous government’s welfare system.
“This increase in work exits coincided with a 126 per cent increase in the number of benefit sanctions issued in the second half of last year.
“Our focus is on young job seekers because they are at greater risk of staying on benefit long-term. Under the last government, the forecast for how long someone under 25 would be on a benefit over their lifetime blew out to more than 20 years.
“In our first year, we delivered:
“Unemployment is always one of the last things to improve after a recession, so we know there is much more work ahead to support people into jobs as our economy recovers from a prolonged cost-of-living crisis.
“This year, we will introduce more changes to help keep job seekers on the path to finding work if they’re able, including new non-financial sanctions and only granting Jobseeker Support for six months at a time.
“These changes will help achieve our target of 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support by 2030, which is forecast to save $2.3 billion in welfare payments.
“It’s also encouraging to see that supporting families out of emergency housing is not only paying off for them, but also taxpayers, with the spend on emergency housing grants reducing by $68 million compared to the December 2023 quarter.”
Benefit stats for the December quarter can be found here
Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
With a mixed bag of weather forecast for Auckland and Northland this Auckland Anniversary weekend NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is encouraging people to plan ahead to get the most out of their holiday weekends.
NZTA has updated its Holiday Journeys interactive travel planner for Auckland Anniversary weekend. The tool shows predicted traffic conditions for popular routes over the long weekend, based on travel patterns from previous years.
Holiday Journeys(external link)
In Auckland and Northland, the expected holiday traffic hotspots are State Highway 1 Puhoi to Wellford and SH1 Kaipara Flats to Pukerito roundabout.
Regional Manager Maintenance and Operations, Jacqui Hori-Hoult, says where possible, people should aim to travel outside the busiest periods.
“Often, leaving a little earlier or later in the day can help avoid the worst of holiday traffic.”
Because predicted travel times can change based on traffic incidents, weather or driver behaviour, people should visit the NZTA Journey Planner website for real-time travel information, traffic cameras, and updates on delays, roadworks and road closures before they travel.
Journey Planner(external link)
NZTA and its contractors stop work ahead of busy holiday periods like Auckland Anniversary weekend to leave the roads clear for holiday traffic. However, there may be temporary speed limits and other traffic management left in place at some work sites or where there has been recent road resurfacing.
“When driving through road work sites, make sure you adhere to temporary speed restrictions and follow the directions of any traffic management signs to ensure everyone stays safe on our roads.”
Ms Hori-Hoult says people should take extra care when travelling over the holiday break due to increased traffic volumes, congestion, tiredness and people driving in unfamiliar environments.
“Drive to the conditions – whether it’s the weather, the road you’re on, the time of day or the volume of traffic on the roads. Stick to the speed limit, leave plenty of space, belt up, drive sober and take plenty of breaks.
There will be some holiday congestion and delays, and we all need to factor that into our plans. Make sure you allow plenty of time. You’re on holiday, there’s no need to rush.”
For more holiday driving tips, visit:
The interim Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand for the five months ended 30 November 2024 were released by the Treasury today.
The November results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2024 (HYEFU 2024), published on 17 December 2024, and the results for the same period for the previous year.
| Year to date | Full Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2024 Actual1 $m |
November 2024 HYEFU 2024 Forecast1 $m |
Variance2 HYEFU 2024 $m |
Variance HYEFU 2024 % |
June 2025 HYEFU 2024 Forecast3 $m |
|
| Core Crown tax revenue | 49,260 | 49,261 | (1) | – | 120,623 |
| Core Crown revenue | 54,862 | 54,864 | (2) | – | 134,038 |
| Core Crown expenses | 57,835 | 58,025 | 190 | 0.3 | 144,638 |
| Core Crown residual cash | (6,450) | (5,887) | (563) | (9.6) | (16,610) |
| Net core Crown debt4 | 181,670 | 181,251 | (419) | (0.2) | 192,810 |
| as a percentage of GDP | 43.1% | 43.0% | 45.1% | ||
| Gross debt | 192,147 | 191,466 | (681) | (0.4) | 206,558 |
| as a percentage of GDP | 45.6% | 45.4% | 48.3% | ||
| OBEGAL | (4,744) | (4,688) | (56) | (1.2) | (17,317) |
| OBEGAL excluding ACC (OBEGALx) | (3,933) | (3,909) | (24) | (0.6) | (12,868) |
| Operating balance (excluding minority interests) | (145) | (1,864) | 1,719 | 92.2 | (10,161) |
| Net worth | 187,494 | 185,931 | 1,563 | 0.8 | 177,492 |
| as a percentage of GDP | 44.5% | 44.1% | 41.5% | ||
Core Crown tax revenue at $49.3 billion was in line with forecast, with GST being $0.2 billion (1.5%) above forecast, mainly offset by source deduction tax revenue which was $0.2 billion (0.7%) below forecast.
Core Crown expenses at $57.8 billion were $0.2 billion below forecast. The variance is mostly timing in nature and reflects multiple small variances across a range of functional classifications.
Both the operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL) and the operating balance before gains and losses excluding ACC revenue and expenses (OBEGALx) deficits were close to forecast at $4.7 billion and $3.9 billion respectively.
The operating balance deficit of $0.1 billion was $1.7 billion less than the deficit forecast. This is largely owing to the variances to forecast in net gains and losses for the five months to November 2024, with net gains on financial instruments $1.1 billion higher than forecast and net losses on non-financial instruments $0.6 billion smaller than forecast.
The core Crown residual cash deficit of $6.5 billion compared to a forecast deficit of $5.9 billion. This resulted in an unfavourable variance of $0.6 billion and reflects earlier than forecast personnel and operating payments. This was marginally offset by higher than forecast tax receipts.
Net core Crown debt at $181.7 billion (43.1% of GDP), was broadly in line with forecast net core Crown debt at $181.3 billion (43.0% of GDP). The nominal increase reflects additional borrowing to fund the higher than forecast core Crown residual cash deficit.
Gross debt at $192.1 billion (45.6% of GDP) was $0.7 billion higher than forecast largely owing to higher than forecast issuance of government stock due to the timing of debt issuance.
Net worth at $187.5 billion (44.5% of GDP), was $1.6 billion higher than forecast and largely reflects the operating balance results.
Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
The driver of a stolen vehicle who allegedly ran a red light and fled from Police will front court today.
At about 2.20am, officers observed a Toyota Hilux Surf travelling at speed on Ronwood Avenue, Manukau, where it allegedly failed to stop at a red light.
Counties Manukau South Area Response Manager, Senior Sergeant Minho Lee, says the vehicle then continued on and entered the Southern Motorway where the Police Eagle helicopter took over observations.
“The vehicle was tracked until it exited at Beach Road, and was spiked on Rosehill Drive however it continued on.”
Senior Sergeant Lee says the vehicle then stopped outside an address on Great South Road, Opaheke where the two occupants fled on foot through properties.
“The pair has then entered a property, where they were taken into custody without incident.
“This incident involved good coordination between a range of Police resources overnight, resulting in our staff working together to ensure this incident could be brought to a safe conclusion.”
A 19-year-old man will appear in Papakura District Court today charged with unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, failing to stop, driving with no license, dangerous driving and possession of cannabis.
ENDS.
Holly McKay/NZ Police
Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
If you’re travelling the Hawke’s Bay state highway network, you can expect to see a renewed level of activity from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and Transport Rebuild East Coast crews for 2025.
Crews are back at work repairing and renewing state highways to ensure more efficient travel and safer, more resilient roads.
Work at many sites on State Highways 2, 5 and 50 are underway or about to get underway in the coming weeks, with stop / go traffic management and temporary lower speed limits in place.
NZTA is reminding everyone using the state highway network around the region to plan their journeys and expect delays. While summer maintenance work has been staged to reduce the overall impact on road users, there is likely to be delays to people’s travel – with cyclone recovery work, annual road renewals and other projects underway.
Please allow extra time to travel around the region and use NZTA’s Journey Planner to check for updates.
The dates below are weather dependent.
SH2 (north of Napier) sites underway or starting this month
SH2 Hawke’s Bay Expressway
From Sunday 26 to Friday 31 January, sections of SH2 Hawke’s Bay Expressway will be closed from 8pm to 5am each night. The work will be finished by 5am on Saturday 1 February.
SH2 Central Hawke’s Bay sites underway or starting this month
SH5 sites underway or starting this month
SH50 sites underway or starting this month
Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
Smoother journeys are coming for motorists through Waharoa, with resealing works getting underway in early February for essential maintenance of State Highway 27 (SH27).
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Waikato System Manager, Andy Oakley, says the section of state highway outside the Matamata Aero Club needs attention.
”We’re completing the reseal work in 2 stages. It includes 4 weeks of daily road closures to allow work to be carried out safely and efficiently.
“Stage 1 entails 5 days of stop/go traffic management, between 6am and 6pm, from Tuesday 28 January to Saturday 1 February. People can expect delays of up to 20 minutes while this work is underway. Outside of this time, both lanes of the road will reopen.
“Stage 2 requires the road to be fully closed for 4 weeks, between Monday 3 and Friday 21 February, so we can complete the repair and reseal on SH27.
“We want to upgrade this road as quickly as we can and using full closures allows us to do this. We appreciate this will cause some disruption, but it will result in a better roading network for everyone to enjoy,” says Mr Oakley.
While the road is closed, the following detour routes are available and add approximately 13 minutes to journey times:
Northbound
Southbound
Road, turn right onto Wardville Road and proceed towards SH27 where the detour ends.
right onto Wardville Road and proceed towards SH27 where the detour ends.
Heavy vehicles please follow the instructions on the VMS boards. The HPMV detour will add approximately 75 minutes to journey times.
“The state highway network plays a critical role in New Zealanders lives, and we want to make sure it is up to the standard people expect.
“We’d like to thank people for their patience while this important maintenance work is carried out.
“The works are weather dependent and if you’re travelling through the area, make sure to plan ahead and check Journey Planner,” says Mr Oakley.
Increased maintenance and resilience are a priority for the government and this work forms part of the government’s $2.07 billion investment into road and drainage renewal and maintenance across 2024-27 via the State Highway Pothole Prevention fund
