The rate of house price growth is slowing, as tighter lending limits and changes to credit rules prevent some buyers from getting into the market.The Real Estate Institute's (REINZ) house price index, which measures the changing value of property in the market, rose 19.9 percent in the year ended January to 4164.Positivity Matakana However, this was a 1.5 percent decrease from December and the index was down 2.6 percent from its peak in November.The national median house decreased 2.2 percent month-on-month but is still 20.5 percent higher than a year ago at $880,000. In seasonally adjusted terms, prices rose 1.4 percent."While we do note a deceleration in the rate of price growth, it does follow a particularly strong year," REINZ chief executive Jen Baird said."Historically low interest rates and a supply deficit saw heightened demand and kept house prices rising through 2021."However, with the Reserve Bank increasing interest rates, inflation rates being at their highest in 30 years, tighter lending conditions, and government regulation, market dynamics are shifting."The number of properties sold in January fell 28.6 percent when compared with the same month a year ago.In seasonally adjusted terms, sales were down 5.3 percent.At the same time, the number of properties available for sale increased 28.5 percent to 19,897, as higher values enticed more people to sell.Baird said it was normal to see sales slow in January but feedback from agents suggest that there are fewer first home buyers in the market with some pointing to recent changes to the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act which had made it harder for some people to access credit."While hard evidence is lacking in terms of the impact of the CCCFA, data from Centrix, a New Zealand credit reporting agency, found the percentage of home loan applications that were approved dropped from 39 percent in October to 30 percent after December."The longer-term effects would be seen in the number of buyers in the market in the coming months, Baird said."Looking forward, we would expect sales volumes to increase as we head into February and March."The median number of days to sell a property across the country rose by two days to 37 days.January saw 14.5 percent of all properties sold by auction across the country, which is down from 15.6 percent the same month a year ago.This is a substantial change compared to December, when auctions accounted for nearly a third of all sales."Anecdotally, feedback in the regions suggests that current prices and access to finance has seen fewer buyers in the market," Baird said.

Locals have reported that a truck has accidentally lost a load off of the back of it's cab, causing mayhem in Dome Valley.According to Waka Kotahi, this could mean the road could be closed for up to two hours.It is recommended to take SH16 heading south from Wellsford. The dome is closed to all southbound traffic, cars are being turned around by Wayby Road.UPDTATED AT 6:41PMA local has mentioned that there may be another 1-2 hour wait before the road is open again, however Google Maps suggests closure until 7pm.Photo by Nartis Brennan

The transport agency Waka Kotahi has issued a strong wind warning for the Auckland Harbour Bridge and lines company Vector is warning people could be without power for days if the weather gets as bad as predicted.It's forecast Auckland could experience about 120 to 130 gusts an hour between 10am and 4pm.Waka Kotahi expects the Auckland Harbour Bridge will be closed for several hours, with winds expected to reach around 130 kilometres an hour later this morning.The transport agency said last night that its bridge safety protocols require the closure of the bridge to traffic when wind gusts reach 90 kilometres an hour.Auckland Emergency Management group controller Mace Ward said residents needed to check the weather conditions before travelling today."If they're driving anywhere, just check the roads first. Waka Kotahi are warning about high gusts on Auckland Harbour Bridge and the roads."Should the Harbour Bridge be closed, access to the city will be available via the Western Ring Route.

A boatload of fishermen are lucky to be alive tonight after they were thrown overboard near Kawau Island and swept away in rough 2m waves and high winds.NZ Coastguard Kawau skipper Luke McCarthy says his staff are "ecstatic" with the result of the dangerous rescue after receiving an SOS call from a fishing boat shortly after 11am today.The group of five fishermen had earlier anchored off Kawau Island in the Hauraki Gulf about 45km north of Auckland when the 6m vessel began taking on water.Within seconds the boat began listing and capsized - throwing the men into the sea.The vessel's captain managed to stay with the capsized boat as the four others were carried away.

It's a soggy start to the fifth day of the anti-mandate protest which is occupying Parliament's front lawn.Protesters clad in raincoats and carrying umbrellas are pressed up against the barricades put up in front of Parliament, occasionally yelling at journalists on the media balcony to "tell the truth".They are periodically breaking into song, with the national anthem being heard over the calls of megaphones.More vehicles have arrived and joined the hundreds that have been blocking the streets near Parliament since Monday, with members of the Freedom and Rights Coalition expected to rejoin the occupation later this morning.As rain continues to fall in the capital, the lawns of Parliament are looking more like a battleground - complete with trenches.Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard turned the sprinklers on last night and left them running in an effort to make the protesters uncomfortable, hoping it would make them leave."They're not legally on the ground, so there is no problem adding a little to their discomfort."In response, protesters placed cones over the sprinklers and dug irrigation trenches to re-direct the water.

A severe tropical cyclone will dive-bomb into New Zealand this weekend bringing heavy rain and damaging gales for both islands. Cyclone Dovi became a severe category 3 cyclone on Friday as it tracked past New Caledonia towards Aotearoa, WeatherWatch said. It's expected to still be severe when it arrives in the country over the weekend. "The storm is expected to retain category 2 strength as it dive-bombs into the NZ area this weekend from the north."While it will have a lot of intense energy as it moves southwards over the Tasman Sea it is expected to unravel over NZ - but that means it will dump a lot of rain here and as it 'falls apart' it will also bring areas of damaging gales into both main islands," WeatherWatch said. Central New Zealand is in for a battering with 100 to 300mm of rain possible. WeatherWatch warns the rain could cause slips, flooding and road closures.The storm will "fall apart" as it moves, becoming an ex-tropical cyclone and bringing damaging winds to both islands over the weekend. Gusts may be anywhere from 100km/h to 150km/h, WeatherWatch says. Dovi is expected to make landfall in Aotearoa late Sunday night or early Monday morning somewhere in the western North Island most likely between the Waikato and Taranaki. 

Inside Parliament, Minister for Covid-19 Response Chris Hipkins stressed that the pandemic is not over.Hipkins made the comments in the debate of the Prime Minister's statement in the House this afternoon.He referred to the number of protesters outside Parliament and the number of Covid-19 deaths experienced overseas."More people are dying of Covid-19 in Australia than were on the Parliamentary forecourt. Each week, more people die from Covid-19 than have been standing on the Parliamentary forecourt each week."Hipkins also thanked police officers for protecting those working on the Parliamentary precinct.Speaking after visiting a Covid-19 vaccination centre in Albany, Auckland, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told the group of anti-vaccine mandate protesters to 'move on'.Ardern said it was ultimately an operational matter for police."Obviously every New Zealander has a right to protest, but there are also rules around what is able to happen on Parliament's forecourt and of course we would expect that people have behaviours that don't disrupt the ability of others to go on with their lives as well."She said the majority of New Zealanders shared a similar sentiment, to keep one another safe and do as much as they could to ensure we could continue to live our lives as we did before the pandemic."It is not unusual to have protest activity at Parliament, that is part of our democracy, but we do need to make sure that we keep that balance with people being able to live their lives - particularly people who live in the Wellington region or work in the Wellington region. So that is of course what the police are endeavouring to do."I'm not going to question those who have the expertise around how to manage situations like this."She said she had seen a number of protests in her time in Parliament and this was certainly not the largest.The National Party confirmed it did not support the convoy protest, despite one of its MPs posting on Facebook that she wanted to thanks the protesters.Maureen Pugh edited the post before deleting it entirely, saying she didn't know the protesters were anti-vaccination.The party's Covid-19 spokesman Chris Bishop said he did not see the post before it was deleted.Bishop said Pugh has apologised for her actions and that there are no anti-vaxxers in the National caucus.

UPDATE FRIDAY 11TH 8:45PM - EVENT CANCELLED DUE TO EXTREME WEATHERThe Extravaganza Fair is coming to Matakana Country Park THIS Saturday from 9am to 5pm!The event is fun for all ages, with unique and interesting stalls bringing their own styles, crafts and business.The fair brings marvellous family shows, live music and entertainment on our very own Extravaganza Stage and the team behind it invite local performers to join also.For the kids, there are cool and interactive games! They bring back the ‘old school fun’ through sack races, tug of wars, horse derby’s, 4 man ski races etc, with prizes to be won for all.Kids toys like hola-hoops, devil sticks, balancing planks and building blocks lay waiting to be picked up by roaming children and the chill zones (bean bags, picnic tables and sun shades) create a relaxed atmosphere that encourages people to stay all day.There’s a selection of healthy food and drink options or one can also indulge on ‘classic fair’ treats.Loads of fabulous, unique and interesting shopping, rides, food, kids fun and unique NZ Tiny Homes. TThe Extravaganza Fair strives to be a fun and sustainable event that encourages communities to interact with music, arts and one another.

RNZPolice made more arrests this afternoon as they continued to hold the line.Police said it was disappointing that despite the grounds being officially closed to the public earlier today, a number of protesters are still refusing repeated requests to leave the precinct."We continue to acknowledge people's rights to protest, however those who behave unlawfully will face arrest."Some protesters responded with abuse, haka and hurling objects at officers.At an unprecedented media briefing this afternoon, Wellington District Commander Superintendent Corrie Parnell said the health and safety of police staff and the public was paramount.Parnell said two police officers who had been assaulted in today's confrontation with anti-mandate protesters were now recovering.Police had twice deployed OC spray after officers were pulled into the crowd. He said they were not seriously injured and such behaviour was unacceptable.WIN! A dinner for two at Bam Boo asian canteen here: Valentine's CompetitionParnell said that earlier today police saw some weapons such as placards and sticks, as well as a knuckle duster which signalled the sentiment of some of the occupiers.He said the presence of children was a significant risk factor and that some protesters had placed children in front of adults.He said police could not control that but could control how they dealt with the children."There has never been an occupation of this scale, it's unprecedented and there has to be a measured approach," he said.Asked how long the occupation would continue Parnell said "my intention is it won't be here for another week".

At least 100 officers greeted protesters today, many of whom had camped overnight at Parliament after travelling across the country in convoy to protest against vaccine mandates and the Government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.Protesters have tried to breach the gates of parliament, prompting a wall of police to make arrests.At least two people have been put in handcuffs and led away by police.A speaker earlier in the day said he intended to walk up Parliament's steps at 3pm, and encouraged others to join him.The crowd show no signs of retreating despite the heavy police presence and trespass notice.

A rāhui tapū has been placed over the Hauraki Gulf and much of north Auckland’s east coast, as concerns grow for diminishing tipa (scallop) numbers.The rāhui tapū (ban of an area or resource) was laid by Ngāti Manuhiri kaumatua at a dawn ceremony at Tāwharanui Regional Park on Waitangi Day.The trust's chief executive, Nicola MacDonald, said the scallop beds had been taking a hammering and the rāhui, which will be put in place on Waitangi Day, would help restore the taonga for future generations."Our scallop beds which are in and around Te Hauturu-o-Toi, Kawau Island, Omaha and parts of Mahurangi are in such a state of deprivation that we don't believe the shellfish can recover.""A rāhui acts as a korowai, cloak, of protection and says to all communities taihoa, let's stop, let's allow the natural world to recover. Let's respect this for a period of time until we see the regeneration and when it does regenerate, let's work with our mana whenua until we have sustainable fisheries."

Please see below for relevant information regarding road works through Puhoi. Images of detours included. Plan ahead.

New Zealanders will have their first Matariki holiday on 24 June. The calendar date for the holiday will shift each year to align with the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar) and will always be on a Friday.Matariki, the star cluster also known as Pleiades, rises in midwinter and marks the start of the Māori New Year.Some iwi name this time of year Puanga, after a bright star that is above and to the right of the Matariki constellation.The government says the Matariki advisory group wanted the holiday tied to a long weekend to emphasise its importance as a time when whānau spend time together. When the star cluster rises, many hapū also remember loved ones who have died.Traditionally, Matariki was used to determine the coming season's crop. A warmer season, and therefore a more productive crop yield, was indicated by how bright the stars were. Matariki provides an ideal opportunity to explore the ways that people pass on and sustain aspects of their culture and heritage."Matariki will be our first public holiday that recognises Te Ao Māori and will be one that is uniquely New Zealand," Acting Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Peeni Henare said."Matariki is more than just a public holiday. Our celebration of the new public holiday will be informed by key values such as unity, sharing, feasting, coming together, and environmental awareness."

Police are monitoring Covid-19 protest convoys heading towards Wellington from both ends of New Zealand.A spokesperson said they are not following the convoy, but are watching out for any issues using CCTV and units already on the ground.All kinds of motor vehicles from trucks to cars and campervans are travelling the length of the country to meet in Wellington in protest against Covid-19 vaccine rules and public health measures."We are fighting for New Zealand's freedom," read a poster on the Convoy 2022 NZ Facebook page.Supporters on foot are seen holding up signs on overbridges in Auckland including Wilks Rd and Bawden Rd on Sunday.Vehicles set out from Cape Reinga in the North Island and from Bluff in the south, starting 6.30am on Sunday, according to the poster.A Spotify playlist the convoy organisers made for others to add "good tunes to drive to" was taken over by people who opposed the protesters."Some people are adding some really disgusting music (don't think you can call it music). I'm guessing [it's] people that don't agree with the convoy because they have nothing better to do," one person said.Songs that were added by those opposing the convoy included 'Redneck Piece of White Trash' by Rebel Son, 'Why Don't You Get A Job' by The Offspring, and 'Dumb F**k' by Peaches.The North Island convoy is due to arrive in Wellington on Monday night and the South Island group is scheduled to reach Picton sometime that same day before getting the ferry across.

Every year on 6 February, New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. In that year, representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Māori chiefs signed what is often considered to be New Zealand’s founding document. The day was first officially commemorated in 1934, and it has been a public holiday since 1974.For some people, Waitangi Day is a holiday; for many, and especially for Māori, it is the occasion for reflecting on the Treaty. Since the 1970s the style and mood of the commemorations on Waitangi Day have been influenced by the increasingly heated debate surrounding the place of the Treaty in modern New Zealand.Waitangi Day is recognised as New Zealand's national day, but the long-standing tensions associated with it are always likely to surface in one form or another. The date is an important marker in the country's history. Recognition of the significance of the Treaty of Waitangi as the nation's founding document will continue to encourage leaders, communities and individuals to mark the day in new ways.

Delays: Area WarningSH 1 Wellsford to PuhoiTraffic CongestionDetour routeConsider using SH16 via Helensville for journeys from north of WellsfordStart7 Feb 2022 4:39amExpected resolution7 Feb 2022 6:00pmLast updated7 Feb 2022 4:57am

The North Island is in store for heavy rain and humidity as an area of low-pressure forms this week. Long-range data also shows a moderate risk a tropical cyclone could develop as the low pressure tracks southwards, according to WeatherWatch. Even if a cyclone doesn't form, the West Coast and North Island can expect heavy rain over the coming week. "This is the opposite to winter when the sub-Antarctic airflows come over NZ bringing snow to sea level, in this case instead of Antarctic air bringing Southern Ocean conditions we have tropical air bringing weather conditions Fiji and Tonga usually have," says head forecaster Philip Duncan."Basically this low-pressure zone is dragging down the tropics with it, like popping a water balloon. It's likely to drop a fair bit of moisture in a short period of time. The only thing left to work out is precise tracking as that determines if the rain will directly affect NZ, or mainly fall nearby out at sea."Duncan says it's too early to tell exactly how much rain each area will get. "We're not just watching one storm and the rain with it - we're watching to see how this large pool of tropical low pressure will interact with other systems in the NZ area. It is quite complicated so we need a few more days to be more confident of how this will pan out".And the North Island can expect a wet end to Waitangi weekend with more rain predicted over the coming days.  

This Sunday 6th you may find heavy traffic through Warkworth as truck drivers from Northland make their way through town.NZ Truckies on Facebook has made a post, which details their plans to converge in Wellington by 6am on the 8th.Their mission reads 'to fight for New Zealand's freedom', according to their social media account.The convoy is supposedly organised to be a peaceful protest of vaccination mandates. The organisers and supporters would like to see an end to all COVID-19 imposed restrictions. Similar sentiments have been expressed by thousands who have gathered in Ottawa, Canada this past weekend. Beginning on 15th of January, the convoy eventually descended upon the capital, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refusing to meet with protestors. Originally the truckers organised the convoy in response to the new regulation that truck drivers returning from the U.S must show proof of vaccination. Unfortunately in recent days, it has broadened to include Canadians critical of pandemic restrictions in general, and of PM Trudeau.Traffic updates will be available, as always via our Roads menu.

Downer will be undertaking road resurfacing works along Woodcocks Road, Warkworth in February.These works will take place at night between 7pm and 5am for approximately 6 nights on February 1st , 2nd , 3rd , 8th , 9th, and 10th . In the event weather disrupts our schedule works will move to the next available shift. We will not work Friday and Saturday nights or public holidays.While the works take place there will be parking restrictions in place and these will be enforced during our working hours of 7pm to 5am.WIN A DINNER FOR TWO THIS VALENTINES DAY! Valentine's CompetitionDuring shifts 1 – 4 (shifts shown on Map of works attached) one way traffic will be in place along Woodcocks Road and this will flow from Auckland Road towards Mansel Drive. Detours will be in place for eastbound traffic. Road closures for side roads may be in place and change as we move through the shifts. Resident and business access will be maintained for these roads.During shifts 5 and 6 a road closure of Woodcocks Road will be in place. Traffic controllers will be on site to help with detours and access for residents and businesses.