Warkworth RegionTuesday 24th October - Mostly cloudy with isolated showers becoming more widespread this afternoon. Northerlies, fresh for a time this afternoon and evening.Wednesday 25th October - A few showers, clearing to fine in the afternoon. Fresh northerlies, turning westerly in the morning.Thursday 26th October - Cloud increasing with the chance of a shower from early. Fresh westerlies.Friday 27th October - Occasional rain, clearing but remaining cloudy. Fresh southwesterlies, easing.Saturday 28th - Partly cloudy. Southeasterlies.Sunday 29th - Cloudy. Strong easterlies.Mangawhai RegionTuesday 24th October - Partly cloudy, with the chance of an afternoon or evening shower. Northerlies.Wednesday 25th October - Partly cloudy, chance of a shower until afternoon. Fresh westerlies, easing in the afternoon.Thursday 26th October - Mostly cloudy with the chance of a shower, becoming fine in the afternoon. Fresh westerlies, easing in the afternoon.Friday 27th October - Cloudy. Westerlies, turning to fresh southerlies.Saturday 28th - Cloudy with southeasterlies.Sunday 29th - Cloudy, with rain developing. Strong easterlies.

Kaiwaka - north of Kaiwaka heading Southbound has some congestion, expect delays.Te Hana - traffic crawling southbound from Te Hana to Wellsford due to apparent accident and holiday traffic. Expect delays. Use SH16 if possible.Traffic congestion in Wellsord.Traffic congestion heading Southbound through Dome valley from Wellsford to Warkworth.Road Hazard: SH 1 Millwater to Silverdale, Southbound - Crash - An earlier crash just after the Silverdale off-ramp has been cleared. Expect delays.

An Auckland butchery has snagged the top spot at The Great New Zealand Sausage Competition with its 'lamb delight' creation.Judges had to taste a record 646 entries but Sam's Butchery in Silverdale was crowned the overall winner at a gala dinner in Auckland last night.Owner Sam Nadason said the secret to the winning entry was taking the time to get the basics right, concentrating on perfecting the flavours and years of experience."My grandson was born last week too, and I think he's brought me good luck!"Judge and food writer Kathy Paterson said there was quite a buzz around the judging table this year with some innovative flavour combinations, but it was a pure lamb sausage that took out the top spot.Sam's Butchery was the supreme winner for its 'Lamb Delight'. Photo: Supplied / Great NZ Sausage Competition"It can be quite tricky creating a single meat sausage, but this was an incredibly well-made sausage with a good balance of meat and fat."The flavour of the lamb really shone through with just a hint of mint to add freshness - it was sensational."The judges were able to savour the entries with judging taking place in two stages.The first round of category judging was done across six days with 17 panels of judges, each panel was made up of a technical judge and two aesthetic judges.Entries were judged on their technical composition, aroma, appearance, texture and most importantly - the taste.This story was originally posted by RNZ News

A class action lawsuit has been filed alleging thousands of Toyota cars sold in New Zealand since 2015 are faulty.Shine Lawyers filed the lawsuit at Palmerston North High Court last month, which estimated 35,000 Hilux, Fortuner and Prado models had been fitted with a defective diesel particulate filter.The models were manufactured from 1 October 2015 and fitted with a 1GD-FTV engine or 2GD-FTV engine.The filter was required for the cars to meet Euro 5 emission standards.The fault meant it produced foul-smelling white smoke and was believed to negatively affect performance and efficiency, Senior Associate Hamish Davies said."The proceedings allege that this would likely reduce the value of the vehicles and the lawsuit is seeking compensation for affected owners."Owners could have incurred repair costs, excess GST and finance costs paid when purchasing their vehicle, inspection fees, service costs, and loss of income connected to owning a defective vehicle, he said.The Australian Federal Court ruled in favour of 250,000 owners in a similar case in 2019, finding the value of the vehicles was reduced by 10 percent."Even if your vehicle was repaired or sold on, you could still be entitled to compensation," Davies said.The class action was being funded by Court House Capital, an Australian-based litigation funder.Meanwhile, Toyota New Zealand said it would defend the class action lawsuit."Toyota has been and remains committed to assisting any customer whose vehicle experiences a [filter] issue and will continue to provide any related repairs free of charge. This has been our position to date, and we will defend the class action announced today," a company spokesperson said."As this matter is now before the courts, we have no further comment."Toyota New Zealand provided RNZ with a standard filter guide for Toyota vehicles, but it made no mention of the faulty filters.This story was originally published by RNZ

Felix Walton, reporterNew Zealanders are bananas for bananas, but the country relies on imports from Mexico, Ecuador and the Philippines for its supply.Some fruit growers hope to change that by sowing the seeds for a homegrown industry.Aotearoa imports roughly 85,000 tonnes of bananas each and every year, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.That supply is mostly stable, but changes in the weather make it hard for exporters to keep up with the enormous demand.Dole New Zealand, the country's biggest supplier, gets its bananas from Ecuador and the Philippines.Tropical Fruit Growers of New Zealand chair Hugh Rose's banana harvest. Photo: Supplied / Hugh RoseGeneral manager Stephen Barton said it had been a challenging season for growers in both countries."Some importers are only getting 70 to 80 percent of what they need," he said."Ecuador, for instance, was very wet and flooding, and the Philippines has had the opposite, it's been a little dry."Dole had largely kept up with the demand, but banana lovers were particularly hungry at this time of year, Barton said."What we're seeing is a shortage based on seasonal demand," he said."The weather is excellent and people are starting to eat a lot more bananas."Dole sold 50,000 boxes a week, Barton said."We have containers arriving from Ecuador every week and we have a charter vessel from the Philippines every second week."Does New Zealand rely on imports too much?Tropical Fruit Growers of New Zealand chair Hugh Rose says banana stems make great cattle feed. Photo: RNZ/Carol StilesTropical Fruit Growers of New Zealand chair Hugh Rose wondered if New Zealand relied too much on imports."My biggest concern is getting sufficient bananas to meet demand, particularly as overseas productivity starts to wane and the shipping costs [get higher]," he said."All of these things lead us to say if you want to eat bananas, particularly good ones, plant your own."Bananas had some a-peeling qualities for New Zealand farmers, Rose said."Bananas aren't just grown for their fruit, they make awesome cattle feed."Every part of the banana is edible, so if you want winter feed, you can harvest the stems and chuck them over the fence to the cows and they'll be very grateful."While bananas are typically grown in tropical areas, NIWA climate, atmosphere and hazards manager Nava Fedaeff said New Zealand's climate is warmer than it used to be."Bananas are certainly looking more and more viable if we look at our future warmer climate," she said."They are a tropical species so they like warmth, sunlight and higher humidity, and bananas are already grown in places like Northland, Waikato, Gisborne and Hawke's Bay."Twice as long to grow in NZ, but better quality, says growers' group chairTropical Fruit Growers of New Zealand chair Hugh Rose's banana harvest. Photo: Supplied / Hugh RoseSelf-described "banana enthusiast" Geoff Mansell already had 200 trees on his plantation.He believed New Zealand should grow its own banana industry."Food security is definitely a benefit," he said."If we get a disruption in supply, we'll be able to keep eating bananas because we would have an industry growing them locally."Rose said it took a bit longer to grow bananas in New Zealand but the pros outweighed the cons."They generally take twice as long to grow as they do in the tropics, but the freshness and density of the sugar content... we can grow far better quality than what you'd find in the average import," he said."I cannot understand why we're importing fruit from around the world when we can grow it locally."Some trees were surprisingly hardy and easy to grow in the right conditions, Rose said."Some varieties are much tougher, I mean we've got bananas growing down in Invercargill, with a bit of protection," he said."The main thing is a frost-free environment and don't expect miracles over winter, you've got to protect them over winter.He hoped bananas could become a staple in gardens across the country."If places like Idaho can grow bananas, I'm sure New Zealand can."This story was originally published by RNZ

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises of the following closures for motorway improvements. Work delayed by bad weather will be completed at the next available date, prior to Friday, 27 October 2023.Unless otherwise stated, closures start at 9pm and finish at 5am.NORTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)Northbound lanes between Oteha Valley Road off-ramp and Silverdale on-ramp, 24-26 October (approx. 9:00pm to 05:00am)Oteha Valley Road northbound on-ramp, 24-26 OctoberNorthbound lanes between Greville Road off-ramp and Oteha Valley Road on-ramp, 23 October (approx. 9:30pm to 7:00am)Greville Road northbound on-ramp, 23 October (approx. 9:00pm to 7:00am)Southbound lanes between Oteha Valley Road off-ramp and Greville Road on-ramp, 23 October (approx. 9:00pm to 5:30am)Southbound lanes between Oteha Valley Road off-ramp and Upper Harbour Highway on-ramp, 24-26 October (approx. 9:00pm to 5:30am)Oteha Valley Road southbound on-ramp, 23-26 October (approx. 8:00pm to 5:30am)Greville Road southbound on-ramp, 24-26 October (approx. 8:00pm to 5:30am)Esmonde Road southbound on-ramp, 26 OctoberCENTRAL MOTORWAY JUNCTION (CMJ)Eastbound lanes between Wellesley Street East off-ramp and Tamaki Drive, 26 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SH16 eastbound to SH16 (Port) link, 26 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SH1 northbound to SH16 eastbound (Port) link, 26 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SH16 Grafton Road eastbound on-ramp, 26 OctoberSOUTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)Khyber Pass Road southbound on-ramp, 24 OctoberSouthbound lanes between Greenlane off-ramp and Mt Wellington Highway on-ramp, 26 October (approx. 10:30pm to 5:00am)Greenlane southbound on-ramp, 26 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Tecoma Street southbound on-ramp, 26 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Ellerslie-Panmure Highway southbound on-ramp, 26 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Redoubt Road southbound off-ramp, 24 OctoberSH1 southbound to SH20 northbound link, 23 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Redoubt Road southbound on-ramp, 23 OctoberNorthbound lanes between Manukau off-ramp and Puhinui Road on-ramp, 23 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SH1 northbound to SH20 northbound link, 23 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Southbound lanes between Takanini off-ramp and Takanini on-ramp, 23 & 25-26 October (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)Northbound lanes between Takanini off-ramp and Takanini on-ramp, 24-26 October (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)Southbound lanes between Takanini off-ramp and Drury/SH22 on-ramp, 24 October (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)Takanini southbound on-ramp, 24 October (approx. 9:00pm to 05:00am)Papakura southbound on-ramp, 24-25 OctoberNorthbound lanes between Ramarama off-ramp and Drury/SH22 on-ramp, 25-26 October (approx. 9:00pm to 5:00am)Ramarama northbound on-ramp, 24-26 OctoberNorthbound lanes between Bombay off-ramp and Drury/SH22 on-ramp, 24 October (approx. 9:00pm to 5:00am)Bombay northbound on-ramp, 24 OctoberSouthbound lanes between Ramarama off-ramp and Bombay on-ramp, 24 OctoberRamarama southbound on-ramp, 24 OctoberSouthbound lanes between Mercer off-ramp and Mercer on-ramp, 26 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Northbound lanes between Mercer off-ramp and Mercer on-ramp, 26 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Te Kauwhata northbound on-ramp, 24-27 October (24/7)Te Kauwhata Northbound off-ramp, 24-27 October (24/7)NORTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH16)Southbound lanes between Foster Road and Trigg Road, 23 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Southbound lanes between Foster Road and Trigg Road, 24-26 October (approx. 9:00pm to 5:00am)Southbound lanes between Brigham Creek Road Roundabout and Royal Road on-ramp, 25 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Hobsonville Road southbound on-ramp, 25 OctoberUPPER HARBOUR MOTORWAY (SH18)SH18 westbound to SH16 southbound link, 25 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SOUTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH20)Southbound lanes between Massey Road off-ramp and Puhinui Road on-ramp, 25 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Massey Road southbound on-ramp, 25 OctoberSouthbound lanes between Puhinui Road off-ramp and SH1 links, 24 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Puhinui Road southbound on-ramp, 24 OctoberCavendish Drive southbound on-ramp, 24 OctoberCavendish Drive northbound on-ramp, 23 OctoberLambie Drive northbound on-ramp, 23 OctoberLambie Drive southbound on-ramp, 24 OctoberLambie Drive northbound off-ramp, 26 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SH20 southbound to SH1 northbound link, 24 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SH20 southbound to SH1 southbound link, 24 October (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)

Police can confirm one person has died following a serious crash in Waipu yesterday.Emergency services responded to the crash involving multiple vehicles, at the intersection of State Highway 1 and Shoemaker Road, around 1.55pm.Sadly one person received critical injuries and has since died at the scene.Police extend their condolences to their family at this difficult time.Four other people have received injuries ranging from serious to minor and have been transported to hospital.A scene examination has been completed.

THE LEIGH PENGUIN PROJECT - Mr. Lonely and Mrs. DopeyLast season a volunteer found penguin poo at the entrance of a nesting box where no signs of penguins were seen before. It was exciting that penguins had explored the box and began nesting. But onshoreeasterly storms caused many boxes to wash away, including this one. Later, a local found the box washed up on a beach and returned it.Tony and I placed it back in the same location but a little further up the hill where it would be safer from stormy weather.In early August a volunteer saw penguin poo at the box entrance. A motion camera confirmed the presence of one penguin. Over the next five weeks the camera recorded Mr. Lonely Penguin carrying nesting material into the box. I wondered how long before he found a mate? Then on September 15th two penguins arrived at the nesting box! Lonely had finally found his girl. However, she seemed to have a lot of trouble finding her way into the box, (so I called her Mrs. Dopey). She would go right past the doorway to the back of the box, jump on top and look around. When Mr. Lonely poked his head out to see where she was, she would follow him inside. The camera recorded a huge amount of noise as they greeted each other. After a few days Mrs. Dopey got the hang of getting inside without his help.The pair were frequently recorded moving in and out of the box at night. Then on September 24th one penguin emerged while the other stayed inside. I guessed that an egg was laid and hoped a second egg would come soon. Unfortunately, a downpour mud-splattered the camera, requiring a day’s maintenance. That night a large dog pushed the box downhill in an attempt to get the penguins. The dog succeeded in killing at least one.Some remains were found nearby and dog footprints around the box. Hopefully the story doesn’t end here and the other penguin escaped!DOG OWNERS! KEEP YOUR DOG LEASHED ON COASTLINE TRAILS.Many thanks to those who already do this!Author: Jenny Enderby [email protected] 0275-658-817Reposted with permission.

Stats NZ says it will not prosecute people for failing to fill out this year's census.Census and collections operations deputy chief executive Simon Mason said it had not met the full requirements of the Act, so it felt it was unable to prosecute."Generally, we seek to prosecute only a small number of people - between 30 and 60 people - for refusing to take part in the census," Mason said."In the past, prosecutions focused on those who were threatening to census staff and those who actively encouraged others not to complete the census. Prosecutions can lead to a fine of up to $2000."But the agency found an error in its processes; it had been too vague in its census wording.By law, a data request must specify:the section of the Act the request is being made underthe date people must respond bythe consequence of non-compliance, for example, facing a fine or prosecution.Mason said they accepted they needed to be more specific with respondents."We did not meet all the requirements of the Act in detail, and as a result have decided not to proceed with prosecutions for the 2023 Census," he said."We are undertaking an internal review to understand how we fell short of meeting all aspects of the legislative requirements of our new Act, to learn from it and take action to ensure it does not happen again."StatsNZ said it had considered issuing an additional mandatory request for data, but found it was not in the public interest nor was it necessary because 89 to 91 percent of eligible people had responded on Census Day.The decision had no impact on the quality of the 2023 Census, Mason said.This story was originally published by RNZ

Warkworth RegionFriday 20th October - Partly cloudy, with isolated morning showers. Cloud increasing this evening with scattered rain at night. Easterlies.Saturday 21st October - Scattered rain clearing in the afternoon then becoming fine. Southerlies, becoming fresh for a time in the afternoon and evening.Sunday 22nd October - Mainly fine, chance of a shower late. Southerlies, becoming fresh for a time in the afternoon and evening.Monday 23rd - Partly cloudy with isolated showers, clearing late. Northeasterlies.Mangawhai RegionFriday 20th October - Occasional rain. Easterlies becoming fresh this morning.Saturday 21st October - Occasional rain clearing in the afternoon then becoming fine. Southerlies, fresh for a time in the afternoon and evening.Sunday 22nd October - Mainly fine. Fresh southwesterlies, easing.Monday 23rd - Mainly fine. Northeasterlies developing.

Attributable to Detective Inspector Al Symonds, Whangārei CIBNorthland Police investigating the homicide of Ruakākā man Teina Pickering are continuing to appeal for information to assist them in their enquiries.Mr Pickering, 24, was found deceased in the middle of Peter Snell Road in the early hours of Thursday 12 October.Two men, aged 28 and 29, were arrested over the weekend in connection with the case, and Police are not seeking anyone else at this time.However, we continue to ask anyone with information who has not yet spoken to us to please get in touch.Police are also launching an online portal for any witnesses to upload relevant photos or video they might have of suspicious activity around Ruakākā leading up to, and after, the homicide occurring early on 12 October.If you have anything that will assist our investigation, the portal can be accessed by going to https://misty-river.nc3.govt.nz/Additionally, we continue to ask anyone with general information that will assist the investigation to contact Police on 105, or by going online to https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105.Please reference file number 231012/4721.Reports can also be made anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

Wellsford CRC on Rustybrook Road is CLOSING 25th of October. Our Wellsford Reuse Store on Station Rd is getting a facelift and will be offering further recycling services for our Wellsford community when it reopens on the 24th of October. Thank you for your understanding!Mahurangi Wastebuster’s digger had its window smashed by a vandal just last week.

NEW NEW NEW businesses to the app under Health / Beauty The Fade Room located in the heart of Warkworth, these guys are your male grooming specialists. They also offer kids and women’s cuts. Open 6 days Monday to Saturday. The Well Body Clinic located in Matakana offers a range of body, face and therapeutic therapies including LPG's most advanced endermologie machine - the Cellu-M6 Alliance. LPG is a French company with over 30 years of experience treating scars, fibrosis, lymphedema, post-surgical recovery, and burns. They offer a free 30-minute consultation. Snap Fitness Warkworth is open 24/7 and offer group classes (including boxfit, pilates, yoga), strength training, free weights, private showers and personal trainers. Mahu Pelvic Physio based in Warkworth they specialise in pelvic health for men and women and treat: Stress and urinary incontinence; Pre and post-natal pelvic health; Prolapse symptoms; Returning to sport prep; Post prostate surgery recovery; Back and pelvic pain. LOVE | Beauty, Brows and Nails are qualified specialists for brows, waxing, facials, IPL, dermaneedling, lash lifting, tanning, skin rejuvenation and cosmetic tattoos.📱 If you want your business to be on the App get in Contact

A survey of drug users in New Zealand has found that more people are using nicotine vapes, even if they have never smoked.Massey University's New Zealand Drug Trends Survey also found that doctors were more willing to prescribe medicinal cannabis, but many patients were still too nervous to ask for it.The survey is conducted every two to three years by the university's SHORE and Whāriki Research Centre to keep track of Aotearoa's ever-changing drug landscape.More non-smokers were using nicotine vapes with senior researcher Dr Marta Rychert saying they had become extremely common."Sixty-nine percent of people who responded use vapes, compared to 55 percent in 2020," she said."Of those, around 90 percent were nicotine vapers. It's overwhelmingly nicotine."Even though nicotine e-liquids were designed to help smokers quit, Rychert said one in five vapers had never touched a cigarette."That's a worrying number because it's not what nicotine vapes are all about," she said.Rychert said the survey was targeting adults, but she expected it to be even more common among younger people."We've had the proliferation of stores and marketing on social media, it's been normalised."Senior researcher Dr Marta Rychert. Photo: suppliedCompared to vapers who used non-nicotine or cannabis liquids, those who used nicotine liquids vaped far more often."We found nicotine vapers were predominantly daily users, they use their vapes daily or a few times a day. It speaks to the addictiveness."For non-nicotine vapers it was much more occasional, maybe at a party, and cannabis vapers were also less frequent."That meant nicotine vapers were more exposed to the health risks associated with vaping, she said."Vaping anything is bad, a pulmonologist would tell you breathing anything other than fresh air is not the best idea for your lungs."Medicinal cannabis users opt for grey, rather than greenMost medicinal cannabis users are too nervous to ask for a prescription.Rychert said doctors and patients were still coming to grips with the government's medicinal cannabis scheme, with many users still choosing to source their cannabis illegally."There is positive movement on the implementation of the scheme," she said."Users are more willing to ask their doctors for a prescription [than three years ago], and more of those requests are successful."But a vast majority of people who used cannabis for pain relief, mental health issues or other medical reasons accessed it through the grey market, Rychert said."Roughly one in 10 medicinal cannabis users had a prescription, which is an improvement [over just one in 50 in 2020]."The rest used "different sources," such as sharing with friends, buying from dealers, or growing their own."One of the leading reasons was that they didn't think their doctor would prescribe it, or they were scared to ask," she said."There's still a stigma around talking about cannabis."She said acquiring cannabis illegally had several risks that could be avoided by getting a prescription."You don't actually know what you're getting when you get cannabis from the grey market," she said."They haven't been through all the testing and procedures the legal products have been."Rychert said doctors appeared to be more open to the idea of prescribing medicinal cannabis than they were when the scheme first started in 2020."When we did this survey a couple of years ago we saw that roughly one in three requests were successful, but now it's actually two in three," she said.She said the opening of private cannabis clinics around the country had also made it easier to access legally.This story was originally published by RNZ

A new bypass pipe installed in Parnell has reduced the sewage discharged into the Waitematā Harbour but has not stopped it, Watercare says.It has been three weeks since a waste and stormwater pipe burst under a 13-metre-deep sinkhole in a central Parnell car park.Crews have since created a 400-metre long above-ground bypass pipe to skip the broken section and stop hundreds of litres of wastewater flowing into the ocean every second.Watercare head of service delivery Sharon Danks told Morning Report water samples were being taken from the ocean to measure the environmental impacts of the sewage overflow."The pumps are running from today, it'll be a slow ramp up over the next couple of days because there's a few things that we need to do ahead of the pumps being at full capacity."This included pumping down all of the water that was stored in the main and resolving the overflows fully."The sewage is still overflowing into the Waitematā right now and it will be over the next day or two but it will be with decreasing volumes as the pumps pump down."Overflows would still occur in wet weather, she said."And they probably will occur more often than they occur in normal circumstances. 'Cause of the catchments being combined catchments which take a lot of stormwater as well there is always a risk of wet weather overflow in this catchment."Sinkhole in Parnell Photo: WatercareBanks said it was a huge milestone for Watercare that the pumps were running.She said the underground pipe was still blocked and it was hoped this would be unblocked in the coming few weeks.Rehabilitating and repairing a larger section of the main was likely to take about five months, she said.Some beaches still unsafe to fish and swim inAuckland Council's Healthy Waters is continuing to monitor water quality over 40 beaches, and about 20 are still marked as unsafe to swim in by Safeswim.Watercare chief operations officer Mark Bourne said environmental monitoring of the harbour was also ongoing, including the sampling of oysters for pollutants like heavy metals and viruses.The gathering of kaimoana across those affected beaches was still strictly off limits, Bourne said.Deputy mayor Desley Simpson said even after Safeswim marked a beach as safe, people were advised not to eat seafood from those areas until 28 days later.Meanwhile, beachgoer Te Ngakau Rakete said officials had taken too long to stop the overflow."It's a long time when you think about three weeks of sewage flowing into the ocean, that's horrendous actually, when I think about it, I'm very shocked to hear that it's taken that long."Te Ngakau Rakete, who was visiting Okahu Bay on Tuesday, said it was disappointing there was no water quality warning signage in the area.Orakei local Carmen Goodwin said the Parnell sinkhole incident reflected a wider problem."I think it's probably a systemic problem in making sure that infrastructure is up kept, and I don't think it's a surprise but it's a shock that it's come at such an extent."Goodwin would like to see more communication from officials."A little bit of transparency perhaps around what the issues are, it seems to be everything comes to a crisis and action is taken that is very last minute approach."Auckland Council alcohol and environmental health manager Mervyn Chetty said there were water quality warning signs at all locations marked as unsafe by Safeswim, including "no fishing" signs at Okahu Bay Wharf.Chetty said they had sent an officer to check if the signage was still in place at Okahu Bay.

A recent decision by Kaipara District Council has given Fagan Place community housing tenants assurance on a way forward for new warm, dry, modern and healthy homes. Council owns community housing across the district, at Fagan Place Mangawhai, Kauri Court and Awakino Road in Dargaville, and in Ruawai. Dargaville and Ruawai housing was upgraded in the late 2000s. The Mangawhai units, originally constructed in the late 1970s have not been upgraded and are in poor condition.For some time now, Council has been investigating different options for improving the homes and ensuring they met Healthy Homes standards before the deadline.In 2020, Council began discussions with a community housing provider to purchase and run the Fagan Place housing units, which stalled after parties were unable to reach an agreement. Multiple options were then investigated and considered to upgrade the current units.The new Council decided to look at modular, pre-fabricated homes for the Fagan Place site after considering the costs to refurbish and upgrade the existing units. Following reports prepared by staff, pre-fabricated housing was identified as cost-effective and the preferred option for Council to provide new, modern, warm, dry, healthy, homes for the tenants. Building off-site also meant disruption for the current tenants is also minimal. As landlords, Council must provide housing that complies with the Healthy Homes standards no later than 30 June 2025.Kaipara District Council Mayor Craig Jepson commented that the process had taken some time, “and I acknowledge the uncertainty and anxiety many tenants will have been feeling. The new Council worked through the options as quickly as possible, to ensure the solution was suitable and cost-effective, and looked after our current tenants. I have seen examples of some of these pre-fabricated one-bedroom homes. We are really happy that they will provide safe, dry and healthy homes for some of our community’s most vulnerable.”Council discussions about the pensioner housing have been publicly excluded (held in confidential workshops and meetings), to protect the privacy of the current tenants.“It was important that once Council had made a decision and agreed a way forward, that we met and discussed the solution with the current residents first before we released the information more widely,” Mayor Jepson said.“We hope that with this resolution, the new Council has provided confidence for the tenants that we are making the decisions and getting on with it. We will be keeping them updated throughout this process.”As part of the procurement process, Council has developed and agreed a set of standards for the homes based on feedback the residents have previously provided and that are in line with best practice for this type of community housing.Council-owned community housing in Kaipara is currently provided without ratepayer contribution. The costs for the new homes have been included in this year’s Annual Plan (2023/2024), with $1.5 million set aside. This will be mainly loan funded and paid off over time by the rental income generated from the housing. Additional capital will be required in the following year to complete the project.Council will shortly begin the search for a company who is able to build the homes through an official procurement process, and plans to make a decision to award the contract before the end of the year. It’s expected that a tender will go out to market in late October, with proposals received, evaluated and the contract award made by Council later this year.

Two men have been arrested in a homicide investigation into the death of Teina Pickering in Ruakākā.The 24-year-old's body was found on a street in the Northland settlement on 12 October.Police said a 29-year-old man was arrested yesterday and appeared in the Whangārei District Court on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm.He has been remanded in custody and is due to reappear on 17 October.Another man, aged 28, was arrested this morning and charged with weapons and firearms-related offences.He is due to appear in the Whangārei court tomorrow.Detective Inspector Al Symond said they were not seeking anyone else at this time, but further charges were likely.Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact police.This story was originally published by RNZ

Warkworth RegionMonday 16th October - Partly cloudy. The odd shower from afternoon. Northerlies.Tuesday 17th October - Partly cloudy, chance of a morning shower. Northerlies, becoming fresh for a time in the afternoon and evening.Wednesday 18th - A few showers, clearing to fine in the afternoon. Fresh northeasterlies, easing in the evening.Thursday 19th - Partly cloudy, with a few showers developing. Easterlies, becoming fresh.Friday 20th - A few showers. Easterlies.Saturday 21st - Rain, clearing to partly cloudy weather. Southwesterlies.Sunday 22nd - Partly cloudy. Southwesterlies.Mangawhai RegionMonday 16th October - .Partly cloudy. Chance of a shower from afternoon. Northwesterlies.Tuesday 17th October - Partly cloudy, with the chance of a morning shower. Fresh northerlies.Wednesday 18th - Showers, clearing in the afternoon but remaining cloudy. Fresh northeasterlies.Thursday 19th - A few showers, turning to rain. Fresh easterlies.Friday 20th - Rain. Southeasterlies.Saturday 21st - Showers with southwesterlies.Sunday 22nd - Partly cloudy. Southwesterlies.

We’ve been working with Mangawhai Surf Club on temporary lifeguard facilities. Two temporary buildings and a shipping container have already been moved onto the lower car park, and a second shipping container will be delivered sometime this week.Fencing will remain up around closed parts of the reserve, including Mangawhai Heads lookout and public tracks behind the clubhouse, as well as around the lower car park where Mangawhai Surf Club will operate.The Mangawhai Surf Club and surrounding area remains off limits to the public due to a significant landslide behind the clubhouse.The beach is still accessible for the public by using the northern access track, across from the upper car park.Thank you for your patience while Council and Mangawhai Surf Club work on long-term solutions for the Club and access at Mangawhai Heads Recreation Reserve.