Warkworth / Rodney RegionFriday 26th July - Partly cloudy with patches of morning mist. Chance of a light morning shower in the west. Light winds and afternoon southerlies.Saturday 27th - Fine, but becoming cloudy in the evening. Light winds.Sunday 28th - Cloud clearing and becoming fine in the evening. Light winds, northerlies developing in the evening.Mangawhai / Northland RegionFriday 26th - Fine. Light winds.Saturday 27th - Fine, but becoming cloudy in the afternoon. Light winds.Sunday 28th - Partly cloudy, chance of a shower. Light winds.

The 2024 Olympics are just days away.Across an array of sports, 10,000 top athletes will battle it out for a coveted medal - and the right to be called an Olympic champion.Here is all you need to know about dates, tickets, the schedule and more.A man plays basketball at the Place de la Concorde, which is being transformed into an urban sports arena for the Olympics. Photo: AFP/Kaname MutoWhere are the 2024 Olympics going to be held?This year, the Olympics will be held in France, with most of the competitions being held in Paris and its surrounds.Temporary venues are being set up throughout the city, including a stadium beside the Eiffel Tower and an open-air arena at the Place de la Concorde. (For history buffs, that's the site of Marie Antoinette's execution.)The former will host beach volleyball, while the latter will become the home for urban sports, including 3x3 basketball, breaking (also known as breakdancing), skateboarding and freestyle BMX.Just north of Paris, the Stade de France will host rugby, athletics and the closing ceremony, while equestrian events and the modern pentathlon will be held at the glittering Palace of Versailles, about 21km from the city.Not all of the events will be held in or near the City of Lights. Basketball and handball will be played at Villeneuve-d'Ascq in northern France and football heats will be played at stadiums throughout the country, including Bordeaux, Lyon, Nantes and Nice.Sailing races will be held in Marseilles, on the Mediterranean coast, while the surfing competition will be held in Teahupo'o, on the southwestern coast of Tahiti (part of French Polynesia).The surfing competition will be held in Tahiti. Photo: Supplied/Paris 2024How many times has Paris hosted the Olympics?This is the third time Paris will host the Summer Olympics. It previously hosted in 1900 and 1924.When are the Paris Olympics?The Olympics will be held from 27 July to 12 August NZT, with the opening ceremony beginning at 5.30am on 27 July.However, some competitions with multiple heats will begin prior to the opening ceremony. Football and rugby sevens will begin on 25 July NZT and archery and handball on 26 July.Eliza McCartney won bronze at Rio in 2016 and will contest her second Olympics. Photo: PHOTOSPORTHow much are Paris Olympics tickets?Tickets to watch many competitions are already sold out at time of writing, but there are plenty still available for some sports, including football and rugby sevens.The cheapest tickets available are for the football heats and will set you back €24 (NZ$43).A ticket to a rugby sevens pool round are available for €24 (NZ$43), while handball preliminaries are from €140 (NZ$253), rowing heats are from €65 (NZ$117) and canoe slalom heats are from €24 (NZ$43).Tickets cost more as the competition progresses. For example, tickets to the men's swimming semi-final are €690 (NZ$1250).At the most expensive end of the scale, hospitality packages - including lounge access, food, drinks and entertainment - are still available for a select number of sports and cost up to €1995 (NZ$3613).Where can I buy Paris Olympics tickets?Tickets can be bought from the official 2024 Olympics site.People are being warned only to buy from there, as those who purchase tickets from other websites may be denied entry.What sports will be played at the 2024 Olympics?The sports being played at this year's Olympics are: archery, gymnastics (both artistic and rhythmic), artistic swimming, athletics, badminton, basketball (both 5x5 and 3x3), beach volleyball, boxing, breaking, canoeing (slalom and sprint), cycling (BMX freestyle, BMX racing, mountain biking, road cycling and track cycling), diving, equestrian, fencing, football, golf, handball, hockey, judo, marathon swimming, modern pentathlon, rowing, rugby sevens, sailing, shooting, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, trampoline, triathlon, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting and wrestling.Breaking will be judged at the Summer Olympics for the first time. Photo: AFP/Takuya MatsumotoWhich sports will be new at the 2024 Olympics?Breaking is the only sport having its Summer Olympics debut this year. It was previously held at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.Sixteen B-Boys and 16 B-Girls will face off in solo battles, with a panel of judges awarding each breaker points for creativity, personality, technique, variety, style and musicality. The breaker with the highest points is declared the winner.Surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing have all been added to the Paris Olympics lineup after successful debuts at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.When is the opening ceremony and what will it look like?The opening ceremony will be held on the evening of 26 July in the centre of Paris. For those watching from New Zealand, it will run from 5.30am-9.15am on 27 July.For the first time in the history of the modern Summer Olympics, the opening ceremony will take place outdoors. Ten thousand athletes will wind their way down the Seine on boats, finishing at the Trocadéro Gardens where the final formalities will take place.If you're travelling to France and hoping to catch the opening ceremony, you're in luck: there is no admission fee for most spectators and you do not need a ticket to access the upper quays of the river. However, you'd be advised to get there well in advance to secure a spot, as about 300,000 people are expected to attend.Those wishing to watch the ceremony from the lower quays will need to buy tickets, which are available at time of writing for €900-€2700 (NZ$1627-$4890) from the official site.An artist's impression of the opening ceremony on the Seine. Photo: Supplied/Paris 2024How can I watch the 2024 Olympics?Sky has the New Zealand broadcast rights for the 2024 Olympics, including the opening ceremony.Sky will have 12 channels dedicated to the games. Some will be screened on Sky Open, which is free-to-air.How can I find out the schedule for the Olympic Games?The full schedule can be found here.It is subject to change right up until the end of the games, so check back regularly to ensure you don't miss your favourite athletes in action.When and where will the next winter and summer Olympics be held?The next Winter Olympics will be hosted by the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo from 6-22 February 2026 (local time).The next Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, California from 14-30 July 2028 (local time).Olympics 2024: Trampolining couple fall head over heels before ParisLisa Carrington to lead Kiwi canoe sprint team at Paris Olympics15-strong NZ athletics team named for OlympicsParis Olympics 2024: 'Unprecedented' security will be in placeOlympic kākahu blessed ahead of Paris GamesThis story was originally published by RNZ

Peter de GraafA Northland businessman says a decision to build a Northland expressway as one big public-private partnership has given him hope it will be completed during his lifetime.This week, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the three separate Roads of National Significance making up the planned expressway from Warkworth to Whangārei would be combined into one large project delivered in three phases.It would be built as a public-private partnership (PPP), potentially using fast-track legislation or changes to the Public Works Act to further speed up construction.Riki Kinnaird, co-owner of Russell's Duke of Marlborough Hotel, said many businesses had been hit hard by the lack of a reliable transport link between Northland and Auckland. Anything that would speed up construction of a resilient, four-lane expressway was welcome, he said.Kinnaird said treating it as one end-to-end project, built in three phases, meant none of the three sections would be left out.He welcomed the estimate that the combined approach could shave 10 years off the project's completion time."If they can speed it up by another five, that would be even better - but at least we're going get it done in our lifetime now, it won't drift out," he said."Anything that will bring it forward is amazing. Ten years is huge and it means my kids will be able to see it, versus their kids in the future."Kinnaird said he had no problem with the expressway being built as a public-private partnership."Being a pragmatist, we need it funded one way or another, and public-private partnerships are normal and don't scare us. Without it, it won't be done. There's certainly wonderful examples of partnerships working overseas and we should replicate that."Kinnaird said Northland's business community was grateful for the repairs that had been done to the section of State Highway 1 over the Brynderwyns."But it continues to scare the bejesus out of us that it will get blocked again any time there's a decent downpour, so giving us hope is a good thing."Benefits also for AucklandPaul Linton, chief executive of regional development agency Northland Inc, said the expressway would allow Northland to get its goods to Auckland faster and more reliably, benefitting both regions.Rolling the three projects into one was a sensible decision, because that made it less likely to be stopped by a change of government in future. It would also save a lot of money, because whoever ended up building it would look at the project as a totality.Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced the government will accelerate work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei, including over the Brynderwyns. Photo: NZME / Michael CunninghamLike Kinnaird, Linton had no objection to a public-private partnership."The reality is, we are constrained with how much money we've got to actually build infrastructure right across the country, not just in Northland. So we have to look at innovative financing solutions and that includes PPPs and toll roads."Everyone I have spoken to in Northland said they were happy to be tolled, as long as we get the road built and get it built as fast as possible."Linton said there was a question about equity if Northlanders were required to pay tolls, and other regions which had benefited from upgrades to SH1 did not."On the other hand, if that's what it takes to get it done, then we're up for it."The planThe project's three phases will be from Warkworth to Te Hana (just north of Wellsford); Te Hana to Port Marsden (following a yet-to-be-decided alternative route around the Brynderwyn Hills); and Port Marsden to Whangārei.Combined the three sections currently measure 98.7km, but the finished expressway is likely to be longer given the need to go around the Brynderwyns.At 101.4km the Waikato Expressway was a similar length, but it was built on vastly easier terrain.By comparison, the troubled - and costly - Transmission Gully near Wellington was just 27km.Meanwhile, the Employers and Manufacturers Association said the government's announcement would lift business confidence in Northland even before work on the expressway started.Head of advocacy Alan McDonald said Northland had been hampered by poor infrastructure for decades."The current road between Warkworth and Whangārei is too often closed, effectively cutting Northland off from the rest of the country. As a result, we've seen businesses and investors reluctant to put their money into the region," McDonald said."This is why Northland, despite its abundance of resources, has struggled economically. The new expressway will help address this, by fully integrating Northland into the country's golden triangle, which is responsible for the majority of the country's economic activity."The good news is that we won't need to wait for the completion of the expressway to see a positive economic benefit. In anticipation of the new link, it's likely we will see more investment into Northland's economic activity."McDonald said anyone who wanted to understand the potential impact need look no further than the Waikato Expressway, and the rapid growth in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty since their connection to Auckland had improved."The new expressway will connect Northland to both Auckland and these high-growth regions, providing Northland business easier access to goods, services, markets and people. It will also allow Northport to play a greater role alongside the major port Ports of Auckland and Tauranga," he said."There's no reason that Northland shouldn't be a high growth region and that is what the new expressway can help achieve, unlocking the region's potential and helping address some of Northland's long-standing social and economic problems."A study earlier this year by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research found an expressway between Auckland and Northland would lift national GDP by $2.1 billion and deliver more than $560 million in direct economic benefits to Northland every year.This story was originally published by RNZ

A message from MAZ:We often ask you, the community of Mangawhai for donations to help us with running and maintenance of equipment/facilities in the park. For new projects and builds we are constantly applying for grants from various entities such as the KDCs reserve contribution fund, the lotteries commission, COGS and our very own Mangawhai opportunity factory.At this stage in time we are primarily focussed on the upkeep of what has been built in MAZ over the past decade and a bit.Maintenance and running costs are a big expense for MAZ and as we are a free to use facility, we cannot make our money through avenues like ticket sales and with us not being a commercial facility and our License to operate (through KDC) limiting commercial enterprises on MAZ land, our only stream of regular income is the rent we receive from Cafe MAZ on a monthly basis. We have never shared with you before what these costs add up to and we thought, in the name of transparency we should share a few of these numbers with you of recent and typical costs that MAZ faces on a regular basis.A few of the costs your donations have gone towards in recent times are:Accounting and audit fees: $13,570Power $1800General Repairs and Maintenance $19,305Replacement of Lilypad swings $8095Insurance $10,374Barbecue remediation $9000Independent Playground Audit $2068Just these costs alone add up to $64,212, no small number and although some of these projects (the bbq's for instance) are a ''one off'' many of these bills are a regular part of running the park.Of course, there are other costs not mentioned here and there are future projects we are looking at having done on our maintenance endeavour. One of the next ones we are looking toward is the grinding and re sealing of our big bowl and the replacement of a handful of the coping blocks. Moving on into next year there are other, older areas of the skatepark that will need attention too. The playground requires constant checking and maintenance and some changes/upgrades will be required in the near future as well as to our gym. Regular audits and maintenance on the flying fox, cleaning of the tennis courts turf, new basketball hoops, tennis net and a myriad of other things that just slowly wear out over time.The message we would like to put across to the Mangawhai community is that MAZ is solely reliant on your donations and grant money. There are not a lot of grant opportunities out there that can be used for running costs and maintenance which makes your donations, however big or small incredibly important to us! We do not have any paid staff, we do not have commercial opportunities (ticket sales, gift shops etc) we can pursue. We are now, and always have been run and paid for by the community, for the community.We have a new sponsorship program up and running which we will update you on very shortly and this will certainly help with our regular costs but until then, we hope this helps shine some light on what our committee manages from a financial perspective.If you feel so inclined, donations can be made to:Mangawhai Activity Zone Charitable Trust12-3094 -0197695-00A dollar a day goes a long way!Thank you to our regular donors!FB page Website

Peter de GraafNorthland leaders are welcoming government plans to speed up the construction of an expressway from Warkworth to Whangārei by combining three separate roading plans into one mega-project to be built as a public-private partnership.The announcement was made this afternoon by Transport Minister Simeon Brown, just days after State Highway One over Northland's Brynderwyn Hills was once again closed by slips.The latest closure lasted less than eight hours but came just 24 days after a four-month closure for slip repairs.Tracey Rissetto, chairwoman of the Automobile Association's Northland Council, said the announcement showed the government understood how badly the region needed a resilient four-lane highway.The government's approach to building the Northland Expressway was similar to that used for the Waikato Expressway, she said."That was one project broken into different phases. That enabled contractors to get themselves the resources and capacity they needed. It meant they had ongoing work, and there's definitely economies of scale when you look not only at the contracting work, but also the design work and consents."But Rissetto said the "pinch point" would be the Brynderwyns."I appreciate that the section from Warkworth to Te Hana is shovel ready, it's got all the consents ready to go, but the road over the Brynderwyns has only got a seven-year life span, and as we've seen recently, that life span could include a lot of closures. So that's where we'd like to see the priority when it comes to the planning and design stage."The road over the Brynderwyns has been repeatedly closed during the last 18 months due to bad weather and slips. Photo: Supplied / NZTARissetto's other reservation was around the use of a public-private partnership (PPP), because that could mean more highway tolls in Northland.Northland was already the only region in New Zealand where motorists had to pay a toll to use State Highway 1, she said."I think there needs to be an overall discussion and a policy on tolling of roads. We're pragmatic and we know there's not a lot of money in the pot, especially with the underinvestment over the past decades, but we need to have a robust discussion about what roads are going to be tolled and what aren't."Rissetto said a four-lane highway to Whangārei would unlock Northland's economy and boost its contribution to the rest of New Zealand.It would also save lives because studies had shown new roads were safe roads, she said.Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo said the announcement was "wonderful news" for Northland."Having it as one big project means that it won't be stopped by any change of government. It allows a consistent approach and makes sure that Northland is looked after for the future," he said."We're all very, very excited about it. We just waiting for when we can start putting the spade in the ground."The National Road Carriers Association, which represents the nation's truckies, said the government's approach of a three-phase PPP was exactly what the organisation had been calling for from successive governments.Chief executive Justin Tighe-Umbers said an ongoing pipeline of work, with the scale to attract infrastructure companies to commit to investing in equipment and people to deliver a quality transport network, was what was needed to grow New Zealand's economy."As we saw last weekend the route into Northland is vulnerable and this announcement will be welcomed by our members and the wider Northland business community. Combining the projects into a single corridor will mean less time and money spent on procurement, design and supporting project management."Transport Minister Simeon Brown said the approach could shave 10 years off the expressway's completion date.The lack of resilient transport connections between Northland and the rest of the country had for too long been a handbrake on the region's economic development.Brown said the previous government's decision to stop planning a replacement for State Highway 1 over the Brynderwyns had left Northland more vulnerable, and a significant amount of work was now required to get the project back on track.The Northland Expressway would be treated as a single project, divided into three phases: From Warkworth to Te Hana (just north of Wellsford); Te Hana to Port Marsden (around the Brynderwyn Hills); and Port Marsden to Whangārei."Taking a corridor approach means NZTA will avoid multiple procurement processes. It will also deliver integrated design, construction, maintenance and operations across the entire Northland Expressway, and allow greater efficiencies through scale to deliver the project up to 10 years faster than traditional approaches," Brown said.The government would also consider law changes to accelerate delivery and provide increased certainty for delivery partners.Options being considered included changes to the Public Works Act, he said."The Northland Expressway is one of the largest infrastructure projects in New Zealand's history. We are considering a wide range of funding, financing, and delivery tools to get this project completed as soon as possible."The project's cost has yet to be estimated. An investment case will be considered by Cabinet later this year.This story was originally published by RNZ

Dana Johannsen, Sports CorrespondentThe wall never changes.No matter the competition, the field of play for New Zealand speed climber Sarah Tetzlaff remains the same: a standardised 15-metre high wall, with a five-degree overhang.The red, five-pointed hand holds that snake their way up the wall are always positioned in the same spot, fixed at the same angle. So, too, the narrow footholds that barely seem large enough to accommodate a big toe.At Climbing NZ's indoor training venue in Mount Maunganui, Tetzlaff - one half of New Zealand's pioneering speed climbing duo that will make their debut in Paris next month - dips her hands into her chalk bag and takes her place on the touch pad at the base of the wall.The starting position. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-FarrellyShe then stretches her body out like a slingshot ready to catapult herself to the top of the wall, as she grips the first handhold above her tightly with both hands. Her left foot sits on the first foothold, the right stays in contact with the touch pad.Three loud beeps count Tetzlaff down, before the buzzer sounds and she explodes up the wall, lightly pouncing from hold to hold. Within seconds she is slamming the pad at the top to stop the clock.It takes the top male climbers in the world less than five seconds to clamber up the wall, while the women's world record sits at a shade over six seconds, making speed climbing the fastest Olympic sport.Doing this in training is one thing. But the event format - in which climbers are pitted head-to-head in a vertical sprint - adds to the high octane, high stress nature of the sport.Tetzlaff has a more zen view.She finds a sense of calm in the familiar constellation of 20 handholds and 11 footholds that span the wall."I think because the wall is always the same, you can control the stresses," Tetzlaff, who will be New Zealand's first Olympic speed climbing representative alongside Julian David, says."You can get into this really nice flow state that you don't feel in the rest of your life, and it's just a feeling that you chase."And so she chases that feeling over and over again. The repetition is the addictive element, she says.New Zealand Olympian Sarah Tetzlaff. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-FarrellyAfter each run, Tetzlaff consults with her coach, Rob Moore, who has an iPad trained on the wall.Together they huddle around the screen, breaking the run down move-by-move to see where improvements can be made. With so little time on the wall, there is no room for error. It is a sport that rewards attention to detail."I'm definitely a bit of a perfectionist. So it works really well with how my brain ticks," Tetzlaff, who is studying towards a masters in environmental science, says."It's little micro-movements and micro-adjustments that can either keep you on the wall or throw you off the wall."So like the angles of my knees, of my hips, of my wrists - even down to something as simple as your finger hitting the hold wrong - it all contributes to either a really good run or something that can be quite average, like 0.2 seconds slower."While Tetzlaff prepares for her next run, Moore explains that each climber's method - or what they call their "beta" - is different. How an athlete tackles the wall depends on their physiology."Even though the wall is exactly the same, they will use different holds and have different methods to getting through sections, depending on their height or their amount of pop or strength, so one of the big things is always trying to work out what each athlete can do on the wall."Olympic speed climber Julian David. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-FarrellyHe says climbers develop new approaches over time. A year ago, for example, Julian David won the junior world championships using a different beta to the one he will run at the Games in just over a week.The wall never changes. But there are many pathways to the top.Selling the dreamMoore loves to make a statement.His whole look - he sports a mohawk-mullet hybrid hairdo that competes for attention with orange spectacles - is a statement in self-expression.When the International Climbing Federation announced that it would create a separate speed climbing event for the Paris Olympic Games, Moore made a huge statement in resigning as head coach of Climbing NZ.Sport climbing made its splashy Olympic debut in 2021 at the Tokyo Games. There, climbers competed in a unique format combining three disciplines - boulder, lead and speed climbing - for a single medal event.Within the sport, the format proved controversial. Bouldering and lead are more aerobic disciplines in which the emphasis is on problem solving, requiring a very different skillset to that required for an explosive five-second vertical scramble. As one athlete described it, "it's like asking Novak Djokovic to play table tennis for the opening set".But the innovative format succeeded in packaging up the essential elements of the sport to create a highly watchable event for billions around the world.Coach Rob Moore. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-FarrellyAfter the event's successful debut, the International Olympic Committee allocated climbing an additional medal for the Paris Games, allowing the world governing body to split off the bouldering and lead from the speed climbing event.Moore saw in this a golden (or silver, or bronze) opportunity."As soon as that happened, I thought 'we have a speed climbing wall here, we have all the infrastructure and facilities to run a really good programme'," he says."So I resigned as head coach of Climbing NZ and said 'I wanna run this programme - I've written it all up and I know how we can make it work'."As climbing has morphed from purely an adventure sport to one that is condensed, codified and scored for elite competition, the challenge for the sport's leaders has been to develop structures that support a high-performance programme.Moore says he learned a lot from earlier attempts to establish formal pathways."Climbing, like skateboarding and surfing and those sort of sports, comes from a pretty laid-back sort of culture, so it is hard to establish a high performance programme where athletes want to be really dedicated to the competition side of it, because there's so much enjoyment in the hobby side of it as well," he says."So part of the challenge for me was finding athletes who were like 'ok, I love the hobby side of it but I really do want to see if I can explore being better at the competitive side of it'."The view from the touchpad at the bottom of the wall. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-FarrellyMoore already had a dedicated student of the sport in Tetzlaff.After unexpectedly qualifying for the 2018 Youth Olympics, the Wellingtonian made the move to Mount Maunganui the day after her final NCEA exam to commit herself to training for the event.Back then, David was still in intermediate school in Tauranga, exasperating his teachers by spending his lunch hour climbing up onto the roof of the school building. One such teacher suggested he ought to give sport climbing a go at the AIMS Games.Only a few years later, he was starting to make waves on the international scene."[Tetzlaff and David] have been a big part of helping me sell the vision and getting others to come on board and be part of that dream," Moore says."We have a much more credible programme when we can show it is working and we are moving in the right direction."It helps, too, that Moore is a natural salesman. So good, in fact, he doesn't even realise he is doing it sometimes.When he was drawing up his programme, Moore sought feedback from Mike Flynn - a consultant at High Performance Sport NZ (HPSNZ). He ended up inadvertently getting funding for the programme."I wanted him to look over it to see if it could work and based on his knowledge, whether it was going to be a successful programme. It just so happened that I sent that through around three weeks before the funding cycle was about to close," Moore recalls."He gets back to me and says 'right we've got three weeks to make this happen, let's go'. He just assumed I knew the funding applications closed in three weeks. He never told me."Flynn set Moore up with a couple of "boffins" at HPSNZ to help put together the funding application."I was in the dark, just answering the questions they were throwing at me," recalls Moore."I had to stop them in the middle of the conversation on Zoom, and go 'hang on a second, I have no idea what's going on right now'."Climbing NZ secured $40,000 towards the speed climbing programme. It's a modest amount in the context of the millions of dollars that are ploughed into the top tier sports like rowing, cycling, canoe racing and athletics each year, but it made all the difference for Moore's fledgling programme.It meant Moore could secure an indoor facility, allowing the athletes to continue to train when the wind and rain is battering the full Olympic-size outdoor wall.Rob Moore goes through a training drill with speed climber Julian David. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-FarrellyBut Moore says the biggest advantage of the relationship with the government funding agency is gaining access to sports scientists who have taken on the challenge of helping to develop sports-specific strength and conditioning exercises."It's made the climbers feel like they are part of this world."They are already leaving their mark on it. In the HPSNZ gym in Cambridge there's a white board on the wall listing records in various strength and power exercises.The list is a who's who of rugby stars, netballers, and past and present Olympians.For 14 years, former sprint cyclist Eddie Dawkins held the record for best standing vertical jump. Last year, his name was scrubbed out and Julian David's was written in his place.Rapid ascentSix years ago, Moore cornered one of his counterparts from Japan at an event in Austria and asked him how he had built such a successful programme.At that point the Japanese were dominating the sport climbing scene, particularly in bouldering. Moore wanted to know what they had done to achieve strong, sustainable success that he might be able to apply back home.Earlier this year, a visiting coach from Japan contacted Moore to see if she could glean some insights into what is behind New Zealand's sudden rise. It was a full circle moment for the Kiwi coach."On the world stage our trajectory has climbed really, really fast," he says.It started with David's breakthrough victory at the youth world championships in 2023 - a result that saw the 19-year-old, whose father is French, being pursued to switch allegiances to France, where the sport has a large following.Later that year, both David and Tetzlaff took out the Oceania Championships, qualifying New Zealand a spot in the men's and women's speed climbing at the Olympics.Julian David & Rob Moore in between training drills. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-FarrellyIn the lead-up to the Games the New Zealand pair have both lowered their national and Oceania records several times - including twice in one day at last week's World Cup meeting in Chamonix, France.There, Tetzlaff set a new mark of 8.40 seconds, while David recorded a new personal best of 5.26."We always joke that if we started the programme one year earlier, we would have been breaking world records," Moore says."We all have long term visions for how the programme will work and we're still really young on the programme - it's only two and a bit years so it is pretty exciting to see where we have got to."David believes the rapid ascent of the New Zealand speed climbers can be put squarely down to Moore's energy and passion."It's incredible. Like he was the one with the idea, you know, he's been doing this for so long before I was born. He's had this passion, this dream. And, well, he's freaking made it happen, hasn't he?"This story was originally published by RNZ

Warkworth / Rodney RegionMonday 22nd July - Showers, heavy at times, and thunderstorms possible. Showers clearing this evening. Northwesterlies, turning lighter southwesterly this afternoon.Tuesday 23rd July - Mainly fine, chance of a shower in the morning and evening. Southwesterlies, becoming fresh for a time in the afternoon and evening.Wedneday 24th - Fine. Fresh southwesterlies, easing in the afternoon.Thursday 25th - Fine. Southerlies, easing.Friday 26th - Fine. Southwesterlies.Saturday 27th - Cloudy. Light winds.Sunday 28th - A few showers. Northerlies.Mangawhai / Northland RegionMonday 22nd July - A few showers, possibly heavy and thundery, clearing this evening. Northwesterlies, turning lighter southwesterly this afternoon.Tuesday 23rd July - Mainly fine, chance of a shower until evening. Southwesterlies.Wedneday 24th - Partly cloudy, chance of a shower until afternoon. Fresh southwesterlies, easing in the afternoon.Thursday 25th - Fine. Southwesterlies, easing.Friday 26th - Fine with southwesterlies.Saturday 27th - Partly cloudy. Southwesterlies.Sunday 28th - A few showers. Light winds.

My Food Bag has issued recall notices for sesame seed products across three weeks of its meal programme, due to the possible presence of salmonella.The warning came as the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) issued further recalls for products containing a possibly contaminated batch of sesame seeds.In its third recall notice in four days, the ministry included burger buns, marinated beef sold at Costco and more brands of sesame seeds.Its Food Safety branch said it had not received any notifications of illness, but anyone who had eaten a recalled item and had concerns should contact a health professional.In an email to customers, My Food Bag said 17 items from recent deliveries - including dressings, pastes and sauces - were affected.My Food Bag has sent an email to customers, warning them to dispose sesame products 'immediately'. Photo: My Food Bag / RNZThe products would have been in deliveries dating from 6 July to their latest delivery, which would have started arriving on Saturday 20 July, the meal-kit home-delivery service said."For your safety, if you have not consumed any of these products, please refrain from consuming them and dispose of them immediately."If you have consumed any of these products and have any concerns, we recommend seeking medical advice."My Food Bag said if the ingredients had not been used, customers could seek a credit."Please rest assured that we are working closely with our supplier and MPI to address the issue and prevent any further incidents."On Thursday, the Ministry of Primary Industries said it was supporting Davis Trading Company in its recall of imported Sesame Seed Kernels White Hulled retail packs due to the possible presence of salmonella.In its recall notice, MPI said the affected product was sold at Davis Food Ingredients in Auckland, who on-sold it to supermarkets and smaller retailers nationwide.Since then, it had updated the list of products affected by the recall:Mahadeo's Spices and Produce Warehouse brand sesame seedQandahari Bazaar brand sesame seedPapamoa Spice King brand sesame seedDough Boys Limited (Daily Bread) hamburger buns and ham and cheese croissantsKiki brand Seed Cracker Mix Sea Salt and Kiki brand Seed Cracker Mix Chilli CuminKirkland Signature Marinated Beef Bulgogi (sold at Costco)Apna Spice and Grocery store brand sesame seedFood 4 Less Otahuhu brand sesame seedBin Inn brand sesame seedClassic Taste brand sesame seedGrand Market brand sesame seedMy Food Bag Ltd white sesame seed and products containing sesame seedsBare Refill Grocery brand white sesame seedsScrumptious brand sesame seedsDavis Trading Co brand sesame seeds"New Zealand Food Safety is in the process of working with the food business to trace the product and further recalls are a possibility," the recall notice said."Symptoms of salmonellosis appear within 12 to 72 hours and include abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Illness usually lasts between 4 and 7 days but, in more severe cases, it can go on for up to 10 days and cause more serious illness."If you have consumed any of the product and are concerned for your health, contact your health professional, or call Healthline on 0800 61 11 16."New Zealand Food Safety said it had not received any notifications of associated illness.This story was originally published by RNZ

My Food Bag has issued recall notices for sesame seed products across three weeks of its meal programme, due to the possible presence of salmonella.In an email to customers, the meal-kit home-delivery service said 17 items from recent deliveries - including dressings, pastes and sauces - were affected.The products would have been in deliveries dating from 6 July to their latest delivery, which would have started arriving on Saturday 20 July, My Food Bag said."For your safety, if you have not consumed any of these products, please refrain from consuming them and dispose of them immediately."If you have consumed any of these products and have any concerns, we recommend seeking medical advice."My Food Bag said if the ingredients had not been used, customers could seek a credit."Please rest assured that we are working closely with our supplier and MPI to address the issue and prevent any further incidents."On Thursday, the Ministry of Primary Industries said it was supporting Davis Trading Company in its recall of their imported Sesame Seed Kernels White Hulled retail packs due to the possible presence of salmonella.In its recall notice, MPI said the affected product was sold at Davis Food Ingredients in Auckland, who on-sold it to supermarkets and smaller retailers nationwide.Since then, it had updated the list of products affected by the recall."New Zealand Food Safety is in the process of working with the food business to trace the product and further recalls are a possibility," the recall notice said."Symptoms of salmonellosis appear within 12 to 72 hours and include abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Illness usually lasts between 4 and 7 days but, in more severe cases, it can go on for up to 10 days and cause more serious illness."If you have consumed any of the product and are concerned for your health, contact your health professional, or call Healthline on 0800 61 11 16."New Zealand Food Safety said it had not received any notifications of associated illness.This story was originally posted on RNZ News

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi advises of the following closures for motorway improvements. Work delayed by bad weather will be completed at the next available date, prior to Friday, 26 July 2024.Unless otherwise stated, closures start at 9pm and finish at 5am. Traffic management may be in place before the advertised closure times for the mainline.NORTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)Southbound lanes between Orewa off-ramp and Silverdale on-ramp, 25 JulyOrewa southbound on-ramp, 25 JulyMillwater southbound on-ramp, 25 JulyNorthbound lanes between Silverdale off-ramp and Orewa on-ramp, 24-25 JulySilverdale northbound on-ramp, 24-25 JulySouthbound lanes between Silverdale off-ramp and Oteha Valley Road on-ramp, 21-23 JulySilverdale southbound on-ramp, 21-23 JulyEsmonde Road northbound off-ramp, 24 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Northbound lanes between Onewa Road off-ramp and Northcote Road on-ramp, 21 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Esmonde Road (Diamond) northbound on-ramp, 21 JulyEsmonde Road (Loop) northbound on-ramp, 21 JulyOnewa Road northbound on-ramp, 21 JulyOnewa Road southbound on-ramp, 24-25 JulyShelly Beach Road southbound off-ramp, 24-25 JulyCENTRAL MOTORWAY JUNCTION (CMJ)SH1 northbound to SH16 eastbound (Port) link, 21-25 July (10:00pm to 5:00am)Eastbound lanes between Wellesley Street East (SH1) off-ramp and Alten Road, 21-25 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Eastbound lanes between Wellesley Street East (SH16) off-ramp and Alten Road, 21-25 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Grafton Road eastbound on-ramp, 21-25 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SOUTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)Southbound lanes between Takanini off-ramp and Papakura on-ramp, 24-25 July (approx. 9:30pm to 5:30am)Takanini southbound on-ramp, 24-25 July (approx. 9:30pm to 5:30am)Northbound lanes between Drury/SH22 off-ramp and Takanini on-ramp, 21 & 24-25 July Papakura (Diamond) northbound on-ramp, 21 & 24-25 JulyPapakura (Loop) northbound on-ramp, 21 & 24-25 JulyNorthbound lanes between Drury/SH22 off-ramp and Papakura on-ramp, 23 JulyDrury/SH22 northbound on-ramp, 21-25 JulyNorthbound lanes between Ramarama off-ramp and Papakura on-ramp, 22 JulyRamarama northbound on-ramp, 22 JulyPioneer Road northbound off-ramp, 19 July (approx. 12 Midnight to 5:00pm)Northbound lanes between Mercer off-ramp and Mercer on-ramp, 25 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Southbound lanes between Mercer off-ramp and Mercer on-ramp, 25 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)NORTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH16)Southbound lanes between Foster Road and Trigg Road, 21-25 July (approx. 8:00pm to 5:00am)Northbound lanes between Trigg Rd and Foster Road, 21-25 July (approx. 8:00pm to 5:00am)Patiki Road northbound on-ramp, 23-24 JulySOUTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH20)Northbound lanes between Hillsborough Road off-ramp and Maioro Street on-ramp, 23 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Dominion Road northbound on-ramp, 23 JulyHillsborough Road northbound on-ramp, 23 JulyNorthbound lanes between Neilson Street off-ramp and Hillsborough Road on-ramp, 22 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Neilson Street northbound on-ramp, 22 JulyNorthbound lanes between Massey Road off-ramp and Rimu Road on-ramp, 24 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Coronation Road northbound on-ramp, 24 JulySH20 northbound to SH20A southbound link, 24 July (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Massey Road northbound on-ramp, 24 JulyGEORGE BOLT MEMORIAL DRIVE (SH20A)Northbound lanes between Kirkbride Road off-ramp and SH20A/SH20 link, 24 JulySH20A northbound to SH20 northbound link, 24 JulyKirkbride Road northbound on-ramp, 24 JulyPlease follow the signposted detours. NZ Transport Agency thanks you for your co-operation during these essential improvements and maintenance.

UPDATED 6.42pm NOW OPENLast night there was approximately 90mm of rain in the last 24 hours around the Brynderwyns according to Northland Regional Council rainfall data.This caused several slips along the main highway as well as an under slip on Paparoa Oakleigh rd resulting in both direction road closure.

Retailers will be anxiously opening their stores on Saturday morning, hoping a global IT outage has been resolved, Retail NZ says.The outage - caused by an update to a piece of software run by US cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike - caused Windows computers around the world to crash on Friday, cancelling flights, disrupting transactions and stopping people from accessing their online banking accounts.People were left stranded at petrol stations because they had no cash to pay for fuel, while stores were forced to close their doors.Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young told RNZ many stores would be "opening first thing in the morning and looking for this to be resolved"."Largely it's out of our hands," she said.The outage would have an impact on business confidence, which was already shaky thanks to the high cost of living and the official cash rate, she said.CrowdStrike deployed a fix for the software on Friday evening, but tech experts have said it could take several days for systems worldwide to be running as normal.Cybersecurity researcher Kevin Beaumont told BBC News affected computers all needed to be started in safe mode to remove the faulty update."This is incredibly time-consuming and will take organisations days to do at scale. Essentially we have one of the world's highest impact IT incidents caused by a cyber-security vendor."this story was originally posted on RNZ News

NEW Trades on the app to check out.Remember to SUPPORT LOCAL!!🌺 Hibiscus Tiling covers North Shore to Mangawhai areas. With 30 years’ experience, Darcy offers quality workmanship and materials for the following services: Wall and Floor Tiling; Underfloor Heating; Wet Rooms; Floor Levelling; Total Bathroom Renovations. He is an Accredited Water Proofer and offers free consultations.🔨 Smith Construction build exceptional architectural homes of distinction north of Auckland, predominately for clients in Mangawhai, Langs Beach and Waipu. Nick Smith and his team believe delivering premium homes requires a passion for innovation and workmanship.❄ Mangawhai Appliance Services Warwick has 34 years’ experience in the electrical appliance service industry. He's moved north to Mangawhai and bought his skills with him. Warwick is authorised to do warranty repairs on Electrolux, Westinghouse, AEG, Simpson and LG products as well as service/repairs to out of warranty products. Additionally he repairs washing machines, dryers, fridges, freezers, dishwashers, ovens, cooktops etc.🎨 The Paint Guru is your local Snells Beach painter. Covering Warkworth, Snells Beach, Matakana, Omaha. Specialising in: Interior and exterior painting; Specialised spray finishing; Roofs, doors, decks; Window cleaning; Emergency painting; Aluminium refinishing; Stains and waterproofing; Technical advice and troubleshooting. 💦 Northern Gas service the North Shore to Wellsford & Kaipara Flats to Mahurangi areas. They can assist you with both gas (certified) and electric hot water services and plumbing requirements (certified). They diagnose, repair or install new systems. Consider them for all your water and gas needs.📱 If you want your business to be on the App get in [email protected] or Contact

Warkworth / Rodney RegionFriday 19th July - Periods of rain, possibly heavy. Northeasterlies.Heavy Rain WatchPeriod: 12hrs from 8pm Fri, 19 Jul - 8am Sat, 20 JulArea: Northland, Auckland north of Whangaparaoa Peninsula, and Great Barrier IslandForecast: Periods of heavy rain, and amounts may approach warning criteria. Low chance of upgrading to a Warning.Saturday 20th July - Rain, with heavy falls north of Orewa, easing to a few showers in the morning, then clearing in the afternoon. Southeasterlies, turning to fresh southwesterlies in the morning.Sunday 21st July - Partly cloudy, with showers developing late morning, some heavy. Northwesterlies.Mangawhai / Northland RegionFriday 19th July - Periods of rain, possibly heavy. Northerlies easing this evening.Heavy Rain WatchPeriod: 12hrs from 8pm Fri, 19 Jul - 8am Sat, 20 JulArea: Northland, Auckland north of Whangaparaoa Peninsula, and Great Barrier IslandForecast: Periods of heavy rain, and amounts may approach warning criteria. Low chance of upgrading to a Warning.Saturday 20th July - Rain with heavy falls, easing to a few showers in the morning, then clearing in the afternoon. Fresh southeasterlies, turning southwesterly in the morning.Sunday 21st July - Partly cloudy, with showers developing for a time in the afternoon and evening, some heavy. Northerlies, turning westerly in the afternoon.

17th July 2024Hello Warkworth Residents & Businesses! Thank you for the massive response we got to the petition to Watercare for an alternative route through Warkworth. Following our townhall meeting we’ve continued to work hard and represent the concerns of the community and the petition was one of those steps.We managed to present this petition at the Watercare Board meeting on 10th July, ahead of their August meeting where they were slated to make their final decision on the pipeline route. At the presentation we had 3,033 signatures with a following 343 received in the following days, making a total of 3,376 signatures; estimated at over 75% of our voting age population in Warkworth! This is no small feat, and we thank the community for the support. There will however be further call to action so keep your eyes peeled for this and bring your friends and family when the call goes out – this is the only chance we have! We would like to share with you the letter we received from the Chair of Watercare Board, acknowledging our deputation at the meeting and agreeing to defer their decision until December and confirming invitation to work with their engineers to look at options, including any new proposals. As I said at the town hall meeting our primary approach is to confirm an alternative route that does not create the same issues as going down the main street. We continue to work on these alternatives, and we thank the landowners who alternative routes may affect for their positivity and willingness to consider the greater good for the community as well as the potential impact on their properties. If, through every effort, the route continues down the main street then we pivot to mitigating and reducing disruptions through potential use of alternative technology (instead of open trenching) as well as pressing for nightworks and work over weekends to complete work as quickly as possible. We also continue to explore legal and consenting avenues. We again thank everyone for their galvanizing support and while this is a huge positive step and it buys us more critical time we still have the same issues and challenges to resolve as well as raising the public and national awareness of this.Please see below to the response from Watercare as well as the presentation and letter presented to the board.Kind Regards,Bevan MorrisonCo-Chair of One Mahurangi Business Association16 July 2024 Bevan Morrison and Dave Stott Co-ChairsOne Mahurangi Business [email protected] Bevan and DaveResponse to your deputation to our Board concerning our Warkworth wastewater servicing project Thank you for presenting at our board meeting on 10 July 2024. We acknowledge receipt of your letter and petition.It is reassuring to hear your business association understands the vital need for a new wastewater pipeline: to support growth in the area and to improve the health of the Mahurangi River and harbour. We acknowledge that your concerns with our project are focused on the pipeline’s route and its potential impact on local businesses.As you are aware, we have invested $1 million over the past 18 months investigating route options. This was in response to feedback from your association in 2022. We shared the results of our investigation with you in May.Our board was planning to make the final decision on the route at their August meeting. In acknowledgement of your deputation and petition, we have agreed to defer the decision for the time being.We would like to invite your engineers to join us, as well as several developer engineers, for a facilitated workshop where we can share ideas and discuss the options, including any new proposals. We will come back to you by 26 July 2024 with details of the workshop.As the pipeline is critical for the town and protection of the environment we must continue to move forward. With this in mind, the Board expects to confirm the route for the Hill Street intersection to Lucy Moore Pump Station section of the pipeline by December at the latest.Yours faithfully,Geoff HuntChairWatercare Services Limited

Police investigating a firearms incident in Whangārei on the weekend are seeking information on a vehicle’s movements prior to the incident.Police were called shortly after 4am on Saturday following a report of shots fired towards a Collingwood Street property.The incident has left significant damage to the inside and outside of the address and the occupant of the home understandably distressed.Detective Sergeant Paul Overton says a vehicle used in the incident was recovered on Saturday afternoon.Police are releasing an image of the black Nissan Pathfinder SUV, with the registration EPW244.“We are now appealing for sightings of this Nissan in the days leading up to the firearms incident on Saturday afternoon,” Detective Sergeant Overton says.“If you saw this vehicle or have information about any of its occupants in recent days, we need to hear from you.”Police are particularly interested in sightings in the days prior up until the incident on Saturday, 13 July.“This was a terrifying incident for the victim and we are continuing to provide support to her,” Detective Sergeant Overton says.“We are asking anyone who may know anything in relation to this to please come forward.“Any piece of information, no matter how small, could assist us in locating those responsible.”Police would also like any drivers who were in the area to please check dashcam footage.Anyone with information should call 105 and quote file number 240713/7934.Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

The New Zealand team for the 2024 Paris Olympics at a glance:195 athletes98 males, 97 females17.4 percent of the team is MāoriLuuka Jones (canoe slalom), Ali Riley (football) and Emma Twigg (rowing) all attending their fifth Olympic GamesYoungest athlete: 18-year-old footballer Milly CleggOldest athlete: 45-year-old equestrian athlete Tim PriceNew Zealand will compete across more sports than ever before at the 2024 Olympic Games, with athletes to contest 23 sports, including NZ's Olympic debut in kiteboarding and speed climbing.The team is close to gender equal, made up of 98 males and 97 females. Auckland has produced the largest number of athletes, with 58 team members hailing from the region. Canterbury is next with 24, Wellington 18, the Waikato 17, and Bay of Plenty 14.The team members come from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, including athletes with Samoan, Tongan, French, Australian, Fijian, Chinese, Korean, Dutch, Indian, South African and American heritage. Māori athletes make up 17.4 percent of the team (34 athletes).Milly Clegg is New Zealand's youngest Olympian at Paris 2024. Photo: PHOTOSPORTNew Zealand's youngest athlete is footballer Milly Clegg who is just 18 years old, while equestrian athlete Tim Price is the oldest team member at 45.Attending their first Olympic Games, will be 101 athletes, while the other 94 have already competed at one or more Games. Luuka Jones (canoe slalom), Ali Riley (football) and Emma Twigg (rowing) are the most capped team members, attending their fifth Olympic Games.Emma Twigg will be at Olympics number five. Photo: PHOTOSPORTNew Zealand team Chef de Mission Nigel Avery said New Zealand's athletes are looking forward to arriving in Paris and performing at the Games."I've spoken to a lot of our athletes recently and the overwhelming feeling is that they are prepared and ready for this challenge," Avery said."Paris is also ready, there's a real buzz in the city and the venues are looking amazing. We're expecting a fantastic Games in one of the most beautiful cities in the world."Giant rings installed on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, on 14 June, 2024. Photo: Telmo Pinto / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFPAvery and the advance team have been in the Olympic Village, preparing for athlete arrivals."We've been working hard behind the scenes to create an environment which allows our athletes to perform to the best of their abilities."We've been busy unloading two shipping containers of equipment and are turning our village space into a high-performance environment. We've brought over everything from gym equipment to ice baths, snack packs and slushie machines, and all the gear we need for preparation, recovery, and strength and conditioning.Tim Price is the oldest athlete in the New Zealand team in Paris. Photo: Libby Law"We have our first arrivals to the village later this week and we're looking forward to supporting our athletes as they wear the fern and represent New Zealand on the world's biggest sporting stage."The majority of New Zealand's athletes are already in France or Europe ahead of the Games. The canoe slalom team will be the first athletes welcomed into the village, arriving on 18 July. The first athletes in competition are the men's rugby sevens team and the men's football team on 24 July.The full list of New Zealand athletes for Paris 2024 can be viewed here.This story was originally published by RNZ

Susan Edmunds, Money CorrespondentFirst-home buyers generally need to be earning at least $100,000 per year to get into the housing market.Data from CoreLogic shows that the median price paid by first-home buyers across April and May was $688,000.According to the mortgagerates.co.nz calculator, to borrow 80 percent of that amount, an individual would normally need to be earning about $100,000 if they had one car but few other expenses.A couple would need roughly $124,000 if they had two cars and no children.A couple with two cars and two children, but no childcare expenses, would need to earn closer to $140,000 a year.An individual wanting to borrow $800,000 might need income of nearly $150,000 and a couple with two children might need closer to $180,000.Squirrel chief executive David Cunningham said while individual circumstances would affect the final amount that could be borrowed, the figures were a good ballpark.Jeremy Andrews, of Key Mortgages, said there could sometimes be tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars' difference in the maximum that different lenders would approve, depending on the type of income someone earnt, their outgoings and the type of property they were buying.He said if someone was buying a three-bedroom property, some banks would allow a borrower to include the income from two boarders to show they could afford the repayments.He said he had had a client who was single approved for a mortgage of more than $500,000 on an $85,000 income with boarders.A couple might need to be earning twice that to be approved for the same amount, he said, particularly if they had childcare expenses or other debt,Cunningham said applications would be tested against the bank's test rates, which were usually significantly higher than the rates being charged.Glen McLeod of Edge Mortgages said couples often had less borrowing power on the same annual income as an individual because they had more expenses to cover - twice the food and more power and transport bills, for example.He said things like consumer debt and credit cards could also limit how much people could borrow on any set income.New debt-to-income ratios had also put a cap on how large debts could be compared to household incomes. Owner-occupiers could not have debt of more than six times their household income, including other debts such as student loans.McLeod said that had not limited any deals he had tried to do yet, but it would increasingly be a consideration.Andrews said some of the most attractive options for first-home buyers were if they could qualify for a First Home Loan, which was available to single buyers earning up to $95,000 and couples or single parents earning up to $150,000.Cunningham said banks had a "fairly decent" appetite for lending at the moment.The market was weak and they had capacity for deals even for borrowers with smaller deposits."We're getting good deals away - first-home buyers are a strong part of the market."Interest rates are likely to start falling. It's a good time to be looking, if you can afford things now it probably gets better."This story was originally published by RNZ

We have put together a fantastic and comprehensive list of family friendly walks for you to try out or redo your favs these school holidays, weather permitting of course!Puhoi River Walkway, PuhoiRecently reopened after Cyclone Gabrielle. A gentle walk along the Puhoi River, suitable for families, with opportunities for birdwatching.Puhoi Loop Track, PuhoiRecently reopened after Cyclone Gabrielle.Mahurangi Regional ParkNumerous walk and nice beaches to enjoy.Here is a PDF link of the Auckland Council park mapCudlip Point Loop trackMita Bay Loop trackTe Muri trackTungutu Loop trackScandrett Regional Park, Mahurangi EastLocated on the north-east tip of the Mahurangi Peninsula. Scandrett Regional Park encompasses Mullet Point and the rocky headlands that protrude into Kawau Bay.A wonderful beach, regenerating coastal forest, and a group of historic farm buildings await as well as stunning coastal views.Parry Kauri ParkEnjoy the boardwalks through the native trees.Tāwharanui Regional ParkLots of lovely walks, through bush and farmland as well as a stunning beach.Explore the Tāwharanui Ecology Trail and check out the native New Zealand birdlife.Matakana to Omaha Trail Matakana to Omaha Flats Cycle Path is a 6 km popular green gravel path family friendly trail, which is also suitable for walking.Mt Tamahunga This is a long and steep walk through regenerating native bush that is also home to recently released Kiwi. The views from the top are incredible!Ti Point Coastal WalkA gravel track and boardwalk follows the foreshore and passes very large, old Pohutukawa trees and huge boulders along the shore line. Look out towards Omaha Beach and the entrance to the Whangateau Harbour.Matheson Bay Bush WalkFrom Matheson Bay beach, this beautiful bush walk begins at the flat grassed reserve on the west side of the Kohuroa Stream. There are some steep sections as the track follows the stream and a series of waterfalls along boardwalk. Return alongthe same route or walk back via the road. There’s also a playground at Matheson’s Bay.Leigh Coastal WalkwayEnjoy the lovely views from the cliff tops. Look out for Dolphins, Orca and Little Blue Penguins.Goat Island Coastal TrackEnjoy the views out to Goat Island. Visit the Marine Reserve and the Marine Discovery Centre while you’re there.Tomarata Lake, Te ĀraiThe Tomarata – Te Ārai Dune Lakes biodiversity focus area in north-east Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland includes three small dune lakes in Te Ārai Regional Park and three larger, deeper dune lakes nearby (Lakes Tomarata, Slipper and Spectacle).The lakes were created when the formation of sand dunes along the coast prevented inland water from running out to sea. No rivers or streams flow into the lakes. The lake water comes from rainfall, as well as water seeping up through the sand. Thelakes are fringed with extensive freshwater wetlands.As well as the lakes explore Te Ārai Forest and Te Ārai Point. Te Ārai Point offers great peaceful beach areas and surf.Check out https://www.tiakitamakimakaurau.nz/discover-tamaki-makaurau/learn-about-your-area/bfa-tomarata-te-arai-dune-lakes/Tanekaha Loop Tracks, MangawhaiEnjoy these lovely walks with waterfalls, ridgelines, forest and farmland.https://www.mangawhaitracks.com/tanekaha-tracksWaipu Coast Walkway, WaipuWaipu Coastal Walkway is a beautiful coastal walk with gorgeous views of the rocky coastline between Waipu and Langs Beach.https://www.wdc.govt.nz/Community/Parks-and-recreation/Parks-and-reserves/Waipu-Coastal-WalkwayWaipu Caves Track, WaipuFrom the caves, a 2-km walk leads you through a picturesque karst limestone landscape across farmland and regenerating bush to a point where you can take in the magnificent views. Within the entrance to the caves themselves, you will findstalactites, stalagmites and glow worms.https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/northland/places/waipu-area/things-to-do/waipu-caves-track/Hātea Loop Walkway, WhangāreiA flat, easy walk around the Hātea River suitable for all ages.https://www.wdc.govt.nz/Community/Parks-and-recreation/Parks-and-reserves/Hatea-Loop-walkwayParihaka Summit Track, WhangāreiA moderately steep walk to the summit with panoramic views, suitable for older children in Parihaka Scenic Reserve.https://www.wdc.govt.nz/Community/Parks-and-recreation/Parks-and-reserves/ParihakaPukenui Forest Walks, WhangāreiOffers a variety of short tracks through 1700 hectares of the Pukenui/Western Hills Forest which is located on the doorstep of Whangarei City.https://pukenuitrust.org.nz/walking-tracks/AH Reed Memorial Kauri Park, WhangāreiThe A H Reed Memorial Park is a magnificent remnant of the original Northland kauri forest. Maturing kauri trees known to be at least 500 years old can be easily viewed close up from a raised walkway through the forest canopy.https://www.wdc.govt.nz/Community/Parks-and-recreation/Parks-and-reserves/A-H-Reed-Memorial-Park