More than 100 firefighters are battling a large blaze with potentially toxic smoke in an industrial building in the Auckland suburb of Penrose.Residents in Onehunga, Māngere Bridge and Favona were being told to keep windows closed and stay indoors if possible.Crews were called to the industrial building in Neilson Street, which was well engulfed by flames, at 1.55am.Fire and Emergency said potentially toxic smoke was being carried by wind over nearby suburbs.Incident controller Brad Mosby said firefighters had contained the spread of the blaze but the building was still alight."Our firefighters did a really good job to contain the fire spread in the building," Mosby said."To start with, the smoke was going straight up, but the wind is now taking it across Onehunga, Māngere Bridge and Favona, so we're asking residents to keep their windows shut and stay inside if possible this morning."We would also advise people to stay away from the Neilson Street area of Penrose."

A drug expert says there is no evidence to suggest widespread underground fentanyl use in Aotearoa.A dozen people have been hospitalised due to suspected fentanyl overdoses in the Wairarapa region.National Drug Intelligence Bureau manager detective inspector Blair Macdonald said education was crucial to the opioid crisis.Macdonald told Morning Report police were making inquiries to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the supply of this drug, and to understand where it was imported from.He was confident it was imported because "the licit supply here in New Zealand is typically in liquid form, whereas this fentanyl was powder, and so highly likely that's ... generated from China".He said two of the victims over the weekend bought what they believed to be cocaine.Drug information website High Alert said 12 people displayed the same symptoms as an opioid overdose after consuming white powder sold as cocaine and methamphetamine."I actually handled the sample yesterday when we were testing it and to my eyes, it is indistinguishable from cocaine," he said."Upon the testing that we conducted yesterday, this drug was fentanyl only and didn't have any cocaine in it."He was encouraging users to get their powders tested."In North America alone for 2021, this particular drug killed over 60,000 Americans and there is quite a pandemic in relation to the substance fear."I don't believe we're looking at an uptake or something like that occurring here in New Zealand."However, he said the drug could cause harm because it was highly active in small doses."What it does is it decreases respiratory and heart function. What we saw over the weekend was most people very quickly losing consciousness."So if you happen to be an individual who's with someone who's taken something and they lose consciousness, they need to be ringing 111 and seeking an ambulance immediately. And again, be really open and honest with the ambulance or the first responding people, you won't get in trouble, but let them know."Macdonald said education about substance use was the priority."We are surprised that we've seen this drug pop up, particularly the Wairarapa area."It's really important that we create resilient communities, giving people the opportunity to understand the real risks behind the substance, such as fentanyl, and making sure that we are addressing some of the underlying issues that actually help people in a position where they choose or want to choose to use drugs."

Four years after Waka Kotahi was slammed for not doing its job of keeping roads safe, a core unit of it has been labelled so ineffective it is being pulled apart.The unit undergoing a restructure includes the road network safety team.The unit's head said in an internal report a month ago, obtained by RNZ: "Increasingly, our functions and ways of working are perceived as barriers to better regulatory outcomes."We have lost clarity of how we add value, why we are here, what we exist for."Transport industry sources question if the restructure will work, asking why it is getting rid of all of the unit's seven engineer jobs.Waka Kotahi has been struggling to meet its targets to make roads safer. RNZ has asked what role the network safety team played in that.Since 2018 the agency has installed just a fifth of the median barriers due by 2024 to prevent head-on smashes on state highways, and less than a fifth of the side barriers.The harm being done by trucks and utes on roads is the main item highlighted in WorkSafe's explanation last year for why work fatality and harm rates are not coming down.Waka Kotahi was ordered by the government in 2018, after various damning inquiries, to get its act together on the regulatory front.But the internal report says the four-team System Integrity unit has not done that.It labels it "not fit for purpose" and "no longer effective"."In many cases external parties and internal Waka Kotahi teams are finding ways to work around us - effectively shutting us out of the tent," the unit manager Chris Rodley wrote."Therefore, we are no longer effective in our roles or in the delivery of our functions."The four teams in the unit worked in silos and did not know what they were meant to do to deliver on the 2020-25 regulatory strategy."We do not have a risk-based and intelligence-led prioritised work programme," said Rodley, who came to NZTA from the Ministry for Primary Industries just over a year ago.By stark contrast, an external review last December that Waka Kotahi promoted to the media, found it had made "significant progress" on regulatory improvements.The agency has been telling partners this year that its regulatory function "is now clearly defined and understood, and we have a clear pathway forward".The external review found Waka Kotahi had clarified its direction, roles and responsibilities, and the changes needed to be a "highly effective" regulator, the agency said.Those changes included further work to be more responsive and focused on core purposes, and covered the restructure."It is important to note that network safety is not the responsibility of a single team within Waka Kotahi, it is at the heart of the work that all of our teams deliver," director of land transport Kane Patena said in a statement."The realignment of functions does not diminish the importance of network safety, in fact, it enhances it by ensuring the technical expertise required is well supported, aligned and focused on land transport system priorities."At the same time, an internal email said the System Integrity unit "has grown to the point that their current operating model isn't sustainable".Reducing risks on the road is proving tough.WorkSafe in its 2020-21 annual report said, "There has been an increase in truck accidents per kilometre driven since about the middle of the past decade."Road-to-Zero targets for new median barriers and side barriers are in danger of being undershot: 61km if medians have been installed against a 2024 target of 300km (not including new highway medians); 312km of side barriers against a target of 1700km.The latest stats on roundabouts are better: 77 safety improvements so far - versus none as of last year; and lower speed limits on 584km of highway.The agency said $3.6 billion was invested in safety from 2018-21, and another $2.9 billion would be up till 2024.The System Integrity unit's restructure was expected to be finished next month.As outlined in documents, it scuppers four teams - Network Safety, Vehicle Standards, Operational Policy, and Driver and Operator - and sets up four new teams - regulatory technical, implementation, programmes, and standards and guidance.Most of the positions within the old teams were to be scrapped or "redeployed".Seven engineering positions were to go in favour of new "technical advisors".A stated aim was to shift the focus of managers away from "technical knowledge", and towards leadership and management.One industry source RNZ agreed not to name, gave the restructure a one-in-10 chance of succeeding. "It is going to be worse 'cos I no longer know who to talk to," they said.Many sources over recent years have told RNZ Waka Kotahi lacks technical nous, an impediment to improving the likes of truck and brake rules.The restructure announced in May allowed for a two-week consultation period "to give everyone certainty as quickly as possible".Since the 2018 regulatory debacle, Waka Kotahi had more than doubled its number of inspectors from 82 to 184.Numbers have also soared away from the front line: HR staff have doubled from 57 to 122; admin up 60 percent to 509; accountants from 44 to 66; and communications almost trebled from 32 to 88, according to figures released to the National Party in response to written questions.Transport Minister Michael Wood told National, that increased numbers were a response to "an expanded mandate to meet government expectations and outcomes, improvement to capability in support services such as IT, and investment and resourcing in the regulatory function at Waka Kotahi, which was left in a state of disrepair by the previous National government".Road safety work also falls on police.Their numbers of officers warranted to do health and safety investigations including of truck accidents has dropped from 27 two years ago, to 23 now, though there are more trucks on the road.

OVERNIGHT MOTORWAY CLOSURES: 26 JUN - 01 JULA wide range of overnight closures are planned on the Auckland Motorway network for the upcoming week (Sun-Fri, 26 June to 01 July), including northbound lanes on the SH1 Southern Mwy between Bombay and Papakura on Mon night (27 June) between 9pm and 5am.Check here for the full list of overnight roadworks that may affect your late night journey next week: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/.../auckland-overnight-motorway.../Please note that all overnight motorway closures are subject to weather and other factors and may be cancelled or postponed at late notice.To check for the most current overnight closure information please visit our website (journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic) before you go each day.

Yesterday's brief power emergency is a good reminder for people to be prepared for power cuts, a consumer advocacy organisation says.National grid operator Transpower issued an alert to power companies just before 8am on Thursday, warning of a risk of insufficient generation and reserves to meet demand.Consumer New Zealand's Paul Fuge said complacency about power outages is the downside of having a generally reliable system."People kind of get used to their power being reliable and we're not prepared as we probably should be for situation... situations will arise despite best endeavours, you know there will always be a time when things don't go according to plan or the weather doesn't play ball or we get an emergency."Consumers should be aware of the risk of a power outage and ensure they're prepared for one to happen at any time, he said.The National Party said the vulnerability of power supplies was a huge concern.Opposition spokesperson Nicola Willis said the Energy Minister's main job was to keep the lights on, and the grid emergency showed that was at risk."National has been clear - we thought the decision to stop exploration for oil and gas was a bad one and we're now seeing the consequences of that."We are now importing more coal from Indonesia than ever before and we're seeing more insecurity in our energy supply as generators are less able to look to gas for a solution."Energy Minister Megan Woods said the national grid operator worked with power companies to cut the load - including switching off hot water - and no-one lost power, she said.

Events Roundup for this long weekend:Friday 24th June MatarikiMatariki Celebrations at the SculptureumSaturday 25th JuneMangawhai Tavern MarketBarfoot & Thompson - Charity Sausage SizzleCreative Carving Workshops The Matakana Village Farmer's MarketSunday 26th JuneWarkworth Country MarketCreative Carving Workshops

A woman ran screaming from Murrays Bay Beach this afternoon running from a man wielding a large knife. He chased the woman up the beach. The woman managed to stay out of reach and called police they arrived 10 minutes later .Local people apprehended the man believed to be in his early twenties. Several people were left hurt.Police are currently updating the incident.

A new weedkiller to target wilding pines has been approved for use in New Zealand.Wilding pines cover 1.8 million hectares of New Zealand land, threatening biodiversity, native bush and farmland.But the weedkiller Method 240 SL, which has just been approved by the Environmental Protection Authority, could help to stop their spread.The herbicide can be used to control wilding conifers and other woody plants on non-crop farmland, conservation land and recreational parks. Its active ingredient, aminocyclopyrachlor, is new to Aotearoa, but has been approved in Australia, Canada and the US.The hazardous substances manager at the Environmental Protection Authority, Dr Lauren Fleury, said Method 240 SL was a valuable addition to fight the pines' spread."I think we can see from the struggles that people are having at the moment and the fact that they [the pines] are still spreading, it really is important that we can approve new tools for dealing with problematic wilding conifers," she said.Dr Fleury said the herbicide can be applied aerially to better target hard-to-reach areas."That's one of the challenges in dealing with wilding pines is that are often in remote and inaccessible areas," she said."The aerial application can be done by spraying large areas, but it can also be used in a targeted manner. It can also be used on the ground and applied to individual trees."Unless stopped, wilding pines will cover 20 percent of New Zealand in 20 years, she said.Dr Fleury said strict controls will be applied to the herbicide and how it can be packaged, labelled, stored, disposed of, transported, handled and used.The EPA received three submissions supporting the new chemical and six against.

PLAN AHEAD: HOLIDAY TRAFFIC DURING MATARIKI LONG WEEKEND Heading away for the long weekend? Plan ahead for possible congestion on key routes across Northland State Highways with the help of our interactive holiday journeys map here:https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/.../matariki-weekend-2022/ Popular holiday routes include, SH1 Whangarei and SH1 in Kawakawa. Consider leaving when traffic is lighter, either early in the morning or late at night, or look for an alternative route and always remember to drive to the conditions.

Although the weather was a bit cold and threatening rain with lightening predicted, this didn’t deter over 100 people from jumping in the water, many hooting and hollering as the cold hit them! There were just as many spectators on the shore encouraging the swimmers on!This year’s event was the biggest turn out yet, beating the 80 odd people last year. There were plenty of young ones and the oldest person was 94!Photos credited to Jane EnderbyThe Leigh primary school raised over $1000, beating last year so they will be pleased.The Leigh pre-school raised $150 providing tea and coffee donated by New World Warkworth.The Leigh Minimisation made about $60, selling products made from recycled wool and materials.The Leigh Community Patrol were there to support their new organisation and Pest Free Leigh was giving out more rat traps.This is a small community with big hearts, very supportive and all is done by volunteers! Well done to everyone involved and those brave enough to get in the water!  Written by Jan Scott and Anita Savin. 

Matariki is a time to gather with whānau and friends, to gaze at the stars, to reflect, hope and plan - and to celebrate. Here are nine ways you can embrace the kaupapa of the Māori New Year in Tāmaki Makaurau – one for each star in the cluster.1. ReflectIn te ao Māori, Matariki is about the reappearance of the constellation to the sky, honouring loved ones who have died in the preceeding year, and blessing the year ahead. Umu Kohukohu Whetū will be held at Ōrākei Marae on Takaparawhau / Bastion Point as Matariki reappears in the morning sky on 21 June. At home, you might like to light a candle to remember loved ones or try to do your own Umu Kohukohu Whetū. Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei have produced a booklet as a DIY guide.2. GatherMatariki is a time for coming together. Over the weeks of Matariki Festival, events in each corner of the region will unite Aucklanders in celebration. Check matarikifestival.org for events in your community.3. StargazeOn a clear night, head to your nearest maunga or north-east facing beach before dawn – the best time to spot the cluster - check out the 5 places we recommend here. Or take the tamariki to the Stardome at Maungakiekie in the evenings. Matariki Lights at Stardome is on until 25 June featuring an installation of moving pillars of light with the beautiful sounds of taonga pūoro. Or head to the Matariki on the Move shows in later weeks and take a virtual journey to the stars with live music performed by contemporary Māori musicians.4. FeastSeveral Matariki stars are associated with food, and it’s an excellent time to invite whānau and friends over for a Matariki midwinter hākari (feast) – perhaps a pork roast, served with rewena bread and hearty traditional kaiwhenua such as kūmara, taewa (Māori potatoes), taro, uwhi (yam) and pūhā, and kaimoana starters. After dinner, have a crack at mū tōrere, a Māori board game you can create yourself.5. NurtureA focus of Matariki is acknowledging nature’s gifts and planning for future harvests. Many community planting days are planned around Tāmaki Makaurau to coincide with Matariki. Or nurture your own garden and prepare it for the journey through to spring.6. Share storiesWhether through kōrero, waiata, dance or art, Matariki is a time to share our stories and those of Aotearoa and our tīpuna. Tell your stories to your whānau, your workmates and your friends. Here are some story thought-starters aligned with the kaupapa of Matariki: What made you happy this year and what have you enjoyed? What didn’t work out, and what won’t you miss about the year that’s gone? And in the spirit of looking to the future, what stories do you want to be telling this time next year?7. LearnThere’s so much more to Matariki than the appearance of the famous cluster in the sky, and the traditions that accompany it. Matariki is an ideal time to enrich your knowledge of the stars - starting with their names and the stories behind them - and deepen your understanding of its significance within te ao Māori, along with te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and a whole lot else! The very act of learning ties into the kaupapa of enriching the self for the year ahead.8. CreateCelebrate traditional crafts of Aotearoa by trying weaving or making poi, kites or kete. Many community hubs are offering Māori arts and crafts workshops during the weeks of Matariki. Check out our guide to making traditional kites as well as an easy-to-follow guide to home-made poi.9. Wish upon a whetūMatariki encourages us to look to the future. At the Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson, manuhiri can write down a wish to Hiwa-i-te-Rangi, the youngest whetū (star) in the cluster and tie it to the whai (string game) installation by artist Penny Howard. At a dawn ceremony to mark the end of Matariki on July 16, the wishes will be burned and sent up to Hiwa to mark the new year.

Former British TV presenter Noel Edmonds has put his Matakana mansion up for sale. Edmonds used to host Deal or No Deal and Noel’s House Party and heavily involved in Radio One programming.Noel only brought the Sharp Road estate last year but has decided to sell up. Perhaps him and his wife will move into one of the many properties they have been buying up around NZ since gaining residency in 2020. They came in under the Investor1 category, which requires $10 million of investment over three years. They reportedly have at least three properties just in Nelson.Ray White Matakana / Omaha agent Annie Mellor is selling the home. For all the details call Annie on 027 929 7767

Six young people who were playing with BB guns have been let off with a warning after sending an Auckland mall into lockdown.Armed police rushed to Glenfield Mall around 8pm after a report a person had what appeared to be a firearm. Instead, police say officers found a group of youth in an underground car park with three toy guns. The six young people were taken into custody and the BB guns were recovered by police.Police soon let the youths off with a warning. Police said the mall went into lockdown on its own accord.Many customers reacted on social media to the scare. "Everyone avoid Glenfield mall at all costs and all surrounding areas," one wrote on Facebook. "We've just left there as we were trying to enter we were informed by the mall security that (there) are gunman on the ground floor."Shanan Halbert, the MP for Nortcote, also reacted on his official Facebook page."I am pleased that no one has been hurt but it is very frightening for the public Glenfield community. Thank you to our police for acting swiftly on this."

Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars called Pleiades or The Seven Sisters. This group of stars rises midwinter here in NZ and for Māori symbolises the start of a new year.Traditionally Matariki was a time to acknowledge the dead - honouring those who have passed on since the last rising of Matariki; to release their spirits to become stars! A similar tradition exists in Mexico with Day of the Dead celebrations where they dress up, sing, dance and make offerings to people who have passed. Matariki is also a time to reflect and look forward to the promise of a new year. An opportunity to give thanks for what we have; to share and feast with family and friends. Sounds like an amazing potential for merriment and gratitude!Matariki celebrations were once popular before the 1940s but fell out of favour until the 2000s where it was revived. Hopefully with it officially becoming a public holiday this month, more of us will get involved and celebrate its true essence.The Matariki public holiday will always fall on a Friday and will shift slightly each year to align with the Maramataka (Māori stellar-lunar calendar). The first official Matariki public holiday is on June 24th this year. However, the date will be 14th July in 2023, and different once again for 2024.Matariki Public Holiday Bill passed its first reading on 30th September 2021 with 77 votes to 43. A total of $10 million is provided by the government for Matariki and Waitangi Day celebrations and events. New Matariki educational resources will be available for schools and Kura.According to MP Kiritapu Allan (Minister of Justice) “research shows there are many benefits to public holidays, with business representatives themselves noting Matariki would give a much-needed mid-year boost to the hospitality and tourism sectors….And we all know holidays contribute to employee well-being by reducing stress, helping to prevent burn-out and promote work-life balance.”We know for ourselves the benefits to our wellbeing of having public holidays…but what about the costs?The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has said the cost will be “something in the order of $400 million per annum and that cost has to be picked up somewhere along the line.” ACT party puts the cost at about $450 million. Much of these costs will be put on employers to cover employees who would be away from work; with increased payments for employees who work the public holiday. Both ACT and National have called for an existing holiday such as Labour Day to be dropped to compensate for Matariki being picked up, otherwise they believe the cost is too great. But could Kiwi’s adjust to not having Labour Day when it has been a public holiday since 1900?MBIE estimates that the net financial impact of a new Friday public holiday is between a net positive (benefit) of $25.7m and a net negative (cost) of $133m depending on the assumptions made about the value of people’s leisure time. It is a difficult one to know the true cost to taxpayers, but we know business owners will bear the biggest brunt and will have to pass that cost on to consumers.The timing of this first Matariki statutory holiday could be better, with many businesses already stretched financially (and emotionally) after an incredibly challenging few years due to lockdowns. However, hopefully it will bring benefits to businesses and the economy with the tourism and hospitality industry benefiting from increased spending.Money aside, perhaps for this new and true Māori public holiday, we can really appreciate what it truly represents: honouring our loved ones (e aroha ana) that have passed; spending quality time with our loved ones who are still on Earth; being grateful we are still here and for all that we have, and perhaps remembering businesses who are doing it tough in order for us to have this new public holiday to enjoy.References available upon request.

Planting season is a busy time for Rodney volunteers getting ready to plant thousands of trees and plants over winter.Rodney Local Board Chair Phelan Pirrie says environmental restoration remains a top priority for the board and community, and that includes local planting days which require support.“Our volunteers have a busy three months ahead of them, with large areas to plant out, and a short season in which to do it.“Lending a hand is what it is all about. Our students are leading the way and signing up to plant trees in parks near their schools.“Planting days are a great opportunity to give something back to our community and with just a few hours of hard work, you are making a positive contribution.”Parks with large planting areas and planting dates are:Matheson Bay – 2 JulyHelensville River Reserve – 31 JulyRiverhead War Memorial Park – 20 August.Other planting sites across Rodney (excluding school planting sites) include Fairwater, Kowhai Park, Sesquicentennial Walkway, Kumeu River Reserve, Riverhead's Victoria St, Wellsford Centennial Park, Omaha Quarry Reserve, Kaukapakapa Library Reserve, Te Whau Walkway and Puhoi Pioneers Park.A decade-long volunteer in the Rodney District, Tim Armitage is a great advocate for conservation and plays a key role in encouraging rangatahi / youth to get involved at local parks. Tim is Chair of Restore Rodney East, Deputy Chair of Forest and Bird Warkworth, Head of Pest Free Warkworth and supports Friends of Awa Matakanakana.“Planting is an essential part of our multi-pronged approach to restoration. Not only does planting play a key role in forest regeneration but it also helps reduce sediment and provide other major benefits to the environment.”Ways to get involvedTo sign up for a planting day, visit facebook.com/aucklandparks, tiakitamakimakaurau.nz or contact Auckland Council on 09 301 0101 and ask for your community park ranger.Stay up to dateWant to stay up to date with all the latest news from your area? Sign up for your Rodney Local Board E-news and get the latest direct to your inbox each month.

Crisis meetings and investigations are continuing after Middlemore ED's long wait times appear to have cost a life on Wednesday.Another short statement from Counties Manukau District Health Board today reiterated "extreme pressure" at the Middlemore, with "abnormally high" demand for services.The heath board said patient presentations had jumped a full 17 percent on pre-Covid levels in 2019 - an extra 400 patients a week - and were still going up.It has been reviewing the woman's death, which happened after she showed up at the ED early on Wednesday, left and returned just a few hours later critically ill.Health Minister Andrew Little. Photo: RNZ / Samuel RillstoneLate this afternoon Health Minister Andrew Little fronted media saying hospitals were doing the best they could in busy times.He declined to speak on the individual case."I know that there are individual hospitals that are facing very, very serious pressures. The system as a whole, I think, is coping," he said."When I look at the Auckland region I look at the cooperation between hospitals. So hospitals that are under extreme pressure are seeing patients that would otherwise go there, go to other hospitals nearby. That is a system that is doing its job."New Zealand Resident Doctors Association national secretary Deborah Powell called the death "a doctor's worst nightmare"."Doctors go to work to help people - and if they don't get to help them because they don't even get to see them ... its another psychological hit at the moment, that would be fair to say," she said."Already tired, pretty much exhausted and then this sort of thing happens. It's really hard out there."Exactly how long people are waiting in the ED is not clear.National health spokesperson Shane Reti said there was no way of knowing because the government did away with public health targets last year.National health spokesperson Shane Reti. Photo: RNZ / Samuel RillstoneThe final data set from Middlemore, last June, showed a fifth of people - 21 percent - were waiting longer than the target six hours in the ED."The more it looks like our waiting times have been a factor in this really tragic and unfortunate case, the more we need to look back and say 'why did it stop getting reported, and what's being done to fix it?'" Reti said.It has been reported the woman left Middlemore ED after being told the wait time would be eight hours, and that she died from a brain bleed.Powell said the death had already prompted one emergency meeting between unions and health boards.Another is due to happen on Monday.She said they were considering bolstering staff numbers at Middlemore by taking resident doctors from other parts of the country."If we've got five other EDs, say, just off the top of my head, where they could manage with one less registrar and five registrars can come into Counties, that could be a good thing to do," she said."We have to look at those sorts of options to make sure that where there's greatest need [we act] - and let's be honest, people dying while waiting to be seen in ED, that's about as bad as it can get. So we're going to have to get more flexible in looking at those sorts of options."Little acknowledged shortages in other parts of the health system had contributed to the ED pressure problem."We know that there are people turning up to a hospital, EDs in particular, because they can't get to a doctor or they can't get that other primary level care. We have to fix primary care. But if people need hospital-level care, then they should go to hospital," he said.Emergency doctors and the Nurses Union said they had been warning for months that extreme workloads for health workers would cause something to be missed.The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine said the $11.1 budget boost allocated to the health system did not target areas that contribute to overcrowding of emergency departments.Reti took aim at health reform funding."Their decision to spend $486 million on health reforms, and restructure a health system in the middle of a pandemic - that has not helped at all, the waiting times that are increasing across the country," he said.Counties Manukau District Health Board declined to be interviewed about the death, saying its focus was on managing the demands and pressure on the health system.It said it offered deepest sympathies to the family involved.Little did not believe the pressure on EDs at the moment warranted a shift to the red traffic light setting.

OVERNIGHT MOTORWAY CLOSURES: 18-25 JUNA wide range of overnight closures are planned on the Auckland Motorway network for the upcoming week (Sat-Sun, 18-25 June), including northbound lanes on the SH1 Northern Mwy between Greville Rd and Oteha Valley Rd and southbound lanes between Greville Rd and Upper Harbour Hwy from Sun to Wed nights (19-22 June) between 9pm and 5am.Check here for the full list of overnight roadworks that may affect your late night journey next week: http://spr.ly/6181zdqHUPlease note that all overnight motorway closures are subject to weather and other factors and may be cancelled or postponed at late notice.To check for the most current overnight closure information please visit our website (http://spr.ly/6182zdqHq) before you go each day. ^LB

What's happening this weekend!Friday 17th JuneMcSweeney Brothers and Marian Burns NZ's leading Irish BandMatakana Comedy ClubSaturday 18th JuneSeniors Expo in WellsfordWarkworth RSA's Lift Appeal AuctionThe Matakana Village Farmers MarketLa Soiree at the StablesSunday 19th JuneLeigh Mid Winter SwimMatakana Country Park Market - CANCELLED due to muddy grounds. Resumes 2nd Oct.ENJOY!

More than 1000 Pakiri seabed sand mining protesters are expected at an event in Northland's Mangawhai Heads next month ahead of resource consent application hearings for Auckland-based company McCallum Bros to harvest the resource from nearby waters.The 10 July event on Mangawhai Heads Beach is expected to be one of Northland's biggest protests, drawing Northlanders and Aucklanders living along the 20-kilometre-long Pakiri-Mangawhai coastline and beyond.Save Our Sands (SOS) spokesperson Ken Rayward said opposition to the mining was growing and the protest event would provide an opportunity for the community to publicly express its views.Greenpeace campaigner James Hita, who headed the years-long campaign to stop Taranaki seabed mining for iron and titanium magnate will address those present. The Court of Appeal in 2020 refused Trans-Tasman Resources permission to mine millions of tonnes of ironsands.Kaipara Mayor Dr Jason Smith will also be speaking."I am looking forward to hearing from the community and working on the next steps in fighting the sand mining," Smith said.McCallum Bros wants to harvest more than eight million tonnes of sand over 35 years from 8.2 square kilometres off the sea floor off Pakiri and Te Arai. McCallum Bros started in 1904 and its past sand mining has also been at Waipu and Mangawhai.Rayward said 400 people had turned out to a similar event last year. More than three times that number of people were expected at the July event. Community opposition would be expressed in a giant 60-metre high wording SOS on the sand.SOS has about 30,000 members across a coalition of groups including Greenpeace, Mangawhai Harbour Restoration Society and Friends of Pakiri. It delivered a 15,000-signature petition in opposition to the offshore sand mining to Auckland Council in April.Save our Sands (SOS) protestors deliver their 15,000 signature petition against Pakiri sand mining to Auckland Council in April. Photo: LDR / Northern AdvocateEleven days of resource consent renewal application hearings for McCallum Bros to continue harvesting seabed sand in near-shore and newly in the mid-shore zones near the beach start on 27 July.These are happening as the company also heads to the Environment Court to challenge Auckland Council hearing commissioners' May decision not to allow mining in the off-shore zone.Rayward said opposition to the seabed sand mining had for the first time now reached the point where the three councils connected with its operation and potential impacts - Auckland Council, Kaipara District Council and Northland Regional Council - had all expressed their concerns over the activity.Pakiri sea floor sand has played a major role in Auckland's building scene. It is the concrete industry's sand source preference for major infrastructure projects, high-rise construction, and marine structures.The Pakiri-Mangawhai coastline is a 20-kilometre sweep of east coast surf beach ending at Mangawhai sandspit in the north. The sandspit provides a critical barrier for Mangawhai township, New Zealand's fastest-growing coastal settlement, and the Pacific Ocean.Eighty percent of this coastline is in Auckland Council, 20 percent in Northland. Mining takes place in the sea off the middle section of the coastline.The Northland-Auckland land border runs out into the sea in a north-easterly direction from roughly the base of Mangawhai spit. This means the spit, a critical barrier between Northland's Mangawhai and the Pacific Ocean, is in the spotlight when it comes to the mining's potential impacts.File photo: Pakiri Beach sand dunes Photo: RNZ / Marika KhabaziSeabed sand mining is allowed only off the Auckland end of the beach. This area is under the jurisdiction of Auckland Council.The beach's northern end is under the council jurisdiction of Northland Regional Council (NRC) and Kaipara District Council (KDC).Northland Regional Council (NRC)'s submission on the near-shore and mid-shore resource consent applications raised concern regarding the lack of research that had been done about Pakiri sand mining's potential impacts north of the Auckland/Northland border. It was important any potential cross-boundary effects were addressed.NRC said it was important Mangawhai spit was protected from adverse effects.The barrier spit was classed as outstanding in terms of landscape, natural character and natural features. These high-ranking values were a matter of national importance under the Resource Management Act.Kaipara District Council has also submitted against the company's near-shore and mid-shore resource consent application. It said Mangawhai Harbour, Mangawhai estuary, and Mangawhai Heads were at risk of exposure to the coastal elements should the spit's protection disappear or decrease."KDC opposes the two applications for sand extraction within the Mangawhai-Pakiri embayment ... Opposition is in full and pertains to actual or perceived adverse effects on the Mangawhai sandspit morphology, wildlife habitat of nationally critical or vulnerable bird species, as well as on the local Mangawhai community," the submission said.