Heres whats on offer for the regions to celebrate the lead up to ChristmasWellsford Santa Parade at Wellsford District Community Centre - Saturday 25 November, 10.30amFarmers Santa Parade is on Sunday 26 November, 12pm. Rain Date: Sunday 3 December 2023. Queen Street, Auckland. Matakantata Choir - Driving Home for Christmas (Matakana Village Hall) - Sunday 26th November and Sunday 3rd DecemberKaipara Flats Christmas Night Market - Thursday 30th November, 4pmKumeū Rotary Christmas Parade - Friday 1st December, 6pm Matakana Community Christmas Fair - Friday 1st December, 4pm Carols By Candlelight Warkworth - Friday 1st December, 6.30pmOne Mahurangi Business Association - Warkworth Santa Parade - Sunday 3 December, 11amHelensville Christmas Twilight Market at Helensville Showgrounds - Friday 8 December, 4pmSnells Beach School Christmas Carols & Craft Markets- Friday 8 December, 5.30pmSnells Beach - Highfield Donkey & Santa Fun Day on Saturday 9 December, 11am. Matakana Country Park - Christmas Market - Sunday 17th December, 8amMangawhai Santa Parade and Christmas Concert - Sunday 17th December, 1pm, followed by Christmas Concert at MAZ, 4pm.

Sally Murphy, ReporterPrescriptions for medicinal cannabis continue to climb - but the local industry and farmers are yet to see the benefits.Data from Te Whatu Ora shows since medicinal cannabis was legalised in 2020, prescriptions have grown from about a thousand a month to over 8000 a month.In December 2020 there were 1118 prescriptions, and in June this year there were 8217.Southern Medicinal has converted the old Mataura paper mill into a medicinal cannabis and hemp growing, testing and processing facility.But founder Greg Marshall said they could not actually sell anything yet."We peaked operating and growing at nine different sites, right now we are operating three, the reason we put sites into hibernation is because the rules in New Zealand are very difficult to navigate."Even though there's massive growth in demand, we can't access the market until the rules are changed."Marshall said at the moment the requirement is that from the moment the cannabis plant is cut down, everything that happens has to happen inside a pharmaceutical process, something that is not required in other countries.Medical cannabis was legalised in 2020. Photo: Supplied/ Southern Medicinal"It meants that means we have to put in place pharmaceutical processes which drive up costs for no benefit."He said there is a company in New Zealand growing and selling medicinal cannabis products but many others are standing by, waiting for change."The New Zealand medicinal cannabis industry is in utter duress, and many businesses are close to going under."Marshall said Te Whatu Ora has proposed amendments to the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme - but everyone is waiting for the new government to look at them."New Zealand is ideally positioned to produce the highest quality, most affordable product in the world and I think it's a massive opportunity for the country."If we could get up and running properly we'd support 500 hectares of growing and could provide a new business line for a 100 to a 150 different farms."This story was originally published by RNZ

Warkworth RegionFriday 24th November - Cloudy with showers developing this morning, clearing around midday to fine. Showers returning this evening. Southwesterlies, strong in exposed places this afternoon.Saturday 25th November - Fine, but becoming cloudy for a time in the afternoon and evening. Fresh southerlies.Sunday 26th November - Fine. Southwesterlies, becoming fresh in the morning.Mangawhai RegionFriday 24th November - Cloudy with showers developing this morning, clearing around midday to fine. Showers returning this evening. Southwesterlies, strong in exposed places this afternoon.Saturday 25th - Fine, but becoming cloudy for a time in the afternoon and evening. Fresh southerlies.Sunday 26th - Fine. Southwesterlies, becoming fresh in the morning.

Sharon Brettkelly, co-host of The DetailThere are calls for the government to spend hundreds of millions of dollars combating a fast spreading algae that looks to have a devastating impact in the waters of the Hauraki Gulf and beyond.▶ Listen to the audio fileOpo Ngawaka is chair of the Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-FarrellyOpo Ngawaka has lived on Aotea Great Barrier all his life, raising six children with his wife Elaine on the tiny island of Māhuki.Living off the land and looking after nature are their way of life.But that is under threat with the fast-spreading killer algae caulerpa."I've never seen anything like it," says Ngawaka, chair of the Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust.The exotic seaweed which smothers anything in its way was recently found near Māhuki, off Aotea's west coast, a sign that it is spreading beyond the three harbours where it was first discovered two years ago, leading to a rāhui and ban on fishing with sinkers and anchoring. This week, Aotea residents are meeting with representatives from Biosecurity NZ, an agency of the Ministry for Primary Industries, about how to combat caulerpa's spread. That includes discussion on an extension of the Contained Area Notices which enforce anchoring and fishing restrictions.They're still hoping it can be eradicated but efforts so far have failed to stop new outbreaks and the thickening mats of the seaweed now cover up to 80 hectares in some areas.Okupu Bay, on Aotea Great Barrier, post-Cyclone Gabrielle, covered in caulerpa. Photo: Noel NancekivellDr Barry Scott, a former science professor at Massey University and deputy chair of the Aotea Great Barrier Environmental Trust, says the lack of progress in tackling the pest is "staggering", not only on Aotea but in other areas at the top of the country including Northland, Hauraki Gulf, and Great Mercury Islands."It's sad, it's maddening, how Wellington has just not responded. There've been various iwi deputations to the former minister of biosecurity, they've banged on his table, they've written letters, there's all sorts of environmental groups around the HaurakiGulf including ourselves who've written to the minister, and just nothing happens. A pitiful amount of money's been spent on it."There have however been "endless meetings ... we're hui-ed out." Scott has recorded a lengthy timeline of caulerpa since it was first discovered in Okupu at Aotea in June 2021, including media coverage and efforts by different groups and communities to persuade government ministers and MPI to act.He says it illustrates the poor response."We've got an appalling record in New Zealand about how we treat the marine space, and this is just more of it."Ngawaka says he feels for the residents living by the affected harbours who have been banned from anchoring their boats or from sinker fishing for more than two years.But the entire Aotea community is "gravely concerned" about the impact, firstly on the marine environment, but also on local businesses that rely heavily on boaties who flock to the island in summer.The majority of Aotea Great Barrier Island is managed as a nature reserve by the Department of Conservation. Photo: RNZNgawaka tells The Detail that he and other iwi leaders from Aotea Great Barrier and Waiheke are calling on the government to put aside hundreds of millions of dollars to combat the marine invader as it continues its devastating march along the top of the country.Ngawaka says they've sent a joint letter to the government asking it to budget $200 million next year to fight caulerpa.He says a small amount of suction dredging in Tryphena Harbour at Aotea cost an "enormous amount of money" and he doesn't think $200 million will be enough with the algae now in waters at Northland, Great Mercury Island (Ahuahu), Kawau Island, and Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf. Ngawaka says the lack of response from the government about an increase in funding has been disappointing.Also known as 'the killer alga' and 'the foot and mouth disease of the ocean', caulerpa is one of the most serious invasive seaweeds in the world, says Dr Barry Scott. Photo: Chris Sidney Wales"What they don't understand is the danger of having this weed around. They may be able to do something about it now before it's too late but there is going to be a point where it is unstoppable."Caulerpa have green fronds up to 10 centimetres long in the shape of oar blades that rise from long runners or roots known as stolons, according to MPI.They can be found growing below the tideline at between two and 30 metres on hard surfaces and in sandy areas. When established, exotic caulerpa can cover large areas of the seafloor in dense mats. It's easily spread by currents, boat anchors, and even stingrays slicing through it. Ngawaka says he would like to see a complete ban on boats to the island this summer, but that would hurt many businesses.He also worries extending the ban further along coastline would put pressure on the fisheries of other parts of the island that are not infected. And he is concerned it would also mean that Port Fitzroy, the only all-weather place to anchor on the island, is out of bounds.Experts have told MPI that the scale of the invasion is beyond any previous successful eradications in marine environments and there are no tools available to eradicate it."Nobody in the world has managed to eliminate this pest at this scale and depth in the open ocean," the deputy director-general of Biosecurity NZ Stuart Anderson says.Prolific growth of caulerpa on the seabed of Schooner Bay, Aotea / Great Barrier Island. Photo: Glenn EdneyLocal and international scientists say the best hope is suppression and containment. Despite this, Anderson says, Biosecurity NZ is still looking for ways to remove smaller outbreaks and control it.Anderson says when it was first found at Aotea in 2021, it was thought it had been there for two to three years. There were already many hectares of caulerpa including extensive, dense mats at up to 38 metres deep. He says $5 million has been "spent or allocated to fund a consistent and thorough effort to understand the pest and its behaviour and distribution in New Zealand, trial treatments and prevent its spread through legal controls and public education".Work includes diver surveillance, seeking independent science advice, putting in Controlled Area Notices, public information campaigns, and on-water compliance using local vessels and MPI officers.Salt treatment has been trialed at Whangaparapara and Tryphena Harbours, and suction dredge treatment at Tryphena Harbour. Another suction dredge will be trialed in Northland. "Criticisms that the effort has been slow and inadequate do not account for the complexity of this issue. We are dealing with a highly invasive pest with no known effective management tools," Anderson says. Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.  

Monique Steele, Rural JournalistEgg producers are hopeful prices have peaked and the egg shortage of early-2023 will soon be a distant memory.The country's layer hen population is continuing to grow, meaning there should be more eggs in-market at a cheaper price.Eggs have been in short supply - and expensive - since the start of the year when a ban on battery-caged hens came into effect, sparking shortages across the country.He said the layer hen population had grown from 3.4 million in February to 3.8 million - and added there should be another 100,000 more by January.Egg Producers' Federation executive director Michael Brooks said it had been a "fairly brutal" time for farmers making the costly switch.He said the rising cost of grain, and the decision by Foodstuffs and Woolworths, formerly Countdown, to also ban colony-caged hen's eggs by 2025, had intensified the situation."It's been a very tough couple of years for the layer hen farming industry," Brooks said."There's been huge financial pressures on farmers ... It was a minimum of $1 million just to change from the old style cage to the colony cage, then if you were going into free range that meant buying a whole new farm, a new set up. So some really big costs and a lot of investment."All those things had an impact, so it's lead to a pretty messy situation, and it's taken a while for the supply to bounce back, but it is just about there now."Egg prices had come off historic highs, with Stats NZ's latest figures showing them falling for the third month in a row since the peak in July."That's the first time in a good couple of years we've started to see maybe it's topped out in terms of prices," Brooks said."Prior to that, for the past couple of years, it's just been up and up and up - as consumers will know."But consumers will understand, I believe, that there are all these external pressures that have come onto farmers. It's been pretty rugged. Not just general inflation but a whole range of other factors coming into the situation."Brooks said it was an extraordinary situation this year, but he was hopeful supply would be secured into the new year and prices should be more reasonable.This story was originally published by RNZ

We have heard animal shelters and rescue centres have been inundated with abandoned, abused, or unwanted pets, mainly dogs and cats.We want to help these amazing organisations who are saving animals from being put down by helping to find some forever homes for these lovely creatures.We will feature pets that are looking for adoption regularly here on the app.If you head to our Pets / Foster / Adopt / Animal Shelter page under Community on the app you will see the animal rescues centres in the area that you can contact directly for pet adoption. These organisations are often registered charities and need our support.Here is how you can help:Donate money directly to their bank accounts - look on their websites for the detailsDonate food, toys, blankets etcFoster a dog or cat while they are looking for their forever homeFoster and raise kittens and puppies until they are old enough to be adopted.This week we are featuring Saving Hope FoundationLittle Miss Nelly is a sweet and playful 4 month old pup, pictured here as a bumble bee on Halloween. Nelly is fostered with her brother Nico and sister Nikki, all three have beautiful calm natures. They enjoy a bit of puppy rough and tumble, then once the party is over their favourite place is next to you for snuggles and tummy tickles. Nelly is waiting to find her forever family so come and say hello. To apply to adopt Nelly or if you’d like to help foster a puppy please head over to https://www.savinghope.co.nz for more information.Sweet little Angel is a clever 14 week old girl that is picking up training so well, she knows sit, down, spin, hands up against the wall and many more tricks. Fostered in Matakana with her sister Annie and a menagerie of other dogs, cats, sheep, geese and goats (her favourite goat is called TJ), Angel is learning some great social skills to take with her to her forever home. To apply to adopt Angel or if you’d like to help foster a puppy please head over to https://www.savinghope.co.nz for more information.

Police are today in a position to name the person who was located deceased near Waiheke Island on Wednesday 15 November.He was Lee Douglas Perry, 48, from South Auckland.Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Allan, Auckland City CIB, says Mr Perry had travelled to Waiheke Island earlier in the week for work. “Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time and support is being provided to his whānau.”At this stage, Police enquiries into Mr Perry’s death remain ongoing and we are continuing to treat the death as unexplained.“Police are wanting to establish the circumstances of the death and the discovery of a burnt-out vehicle, which we can now confirm belonged to Mr Perry, and was located around 14 kilometres away from his body,” says Detective Senior Sergeant Allan. “We are appealing to the public for information regarding the movements of Mr Perry from Monday 13 November, in particular on or near Wharf Road, Ostend Road, and Man O War Bay Road, on Waiheke Island.“Additionally, anyone with information on Mr Perry’s vehicle, a white Mazda Demio, registration HLZ228, while on Waiheke Island, is asked to get in touch.”Detective Senior Sergeant Allan says this vehicle was sighted on Wharf Road on Tuesday and was located crashed and burnt-out on Man O War Bay Road on Wednesday morning.“Police would like to understand how it got there.”Detective Senior Sergeant Allan says there has been a positive public response to date and we would like to thank those who have already come forward to provide information.“Anyone with information on Mr Perry’s movements or his vehicle is asked to contact us via our 105 phone service or online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using Update My Report.“Please reference file number 231115/0667.“Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.”

John Gerritsen, ReporterThe government underestimated the cost of passing on school and kindergarten teachers' pay rises to early childhood teachers by $253 million.A September Cabinet paper from Education Minister Jan Tinetti showed the government set aside $428m over four years for the flow-on cost of teachers' pay settlements to early learning services. But it was not enough."The final settlements of the kindergarten, primary and secondary teacher collectives, and the change to offer funding rate parity for some education and care services with kindergartens, increases the cost of passing on salary improvements to education and care services," the paper said."This is $253 million above the funding set aside in the bargaining contingency to pass on the increases to the unified base salary scale (UBSS) from all three teacher collectives. Vote Education has no further capacity to absorb this additional cost."The pass-on of the full range of salary increases may be considered in future. It is not currently affordable for the government to continue to commit to pay parity and pass on the full settlement to education and care services."The paper said the Ministry of Education realised in June when it was updating kindergarten funding rates in light of its teachers' pay settlement there was a "mismatch" between the amount of money set aside for extending those rates to some early learning services and the likely actual cost.Jan Tinetti. Photo: RNZ / Angus DreaverIt had initially estimated the figure based on the pay gap between early childhood and kindergarten teachers and the number of teachers, but later calculated the cost of applying kindergarten subsidy rates to early childhood services that opted into pay parity."I have expressed my disappointment to officials for not identifying the problem sooner that has resulted in this funding shortfall," Tinetti's paper said."The ministry is improving its processes for managing the cost implications of new policy initiatives and calculating bargaining contingencies. I have received assurance from the ministry that I will be advised of risks such as these sooner in future."However, the error has further highlighted the complexities of the funding model for the ECE sector and the need to review the system so we can have better costing, modelling and accountability of public funds."Cabinet later agreed to pass onto early childhood centres the subsidy increases that kindergartens would receive up to and including December this year, but not subsequent increases.'Really angry and very frustrated'Early childhood teachers already knew the government could not afford pay parity, but Educational Institute national secretary Stephanie Mills said its members would not be happy to learn about the ministry's miscalculation."Early childhood teachers are going to be really angry and very frustrated because they've fought for pay parity to be recognised as professionals for decades, we've finally got there it seemed and now it's been undercut, not just by I guess accounting problems at the ministry but because education is still seen by government as something that is a cost - not an investment."Mills said the ongoing mismatch between kindergarten and early childhood funding rates was bad news for early childhood teachers and also for families."We've already got a sector that is in crisis because we've got too few qualified teachers in the workforce, we've got a high churn because pay and conditions are pretty terrible and so I think what we are going to see is real impacts on teachers, but also on the families and the children that they serve.We'll see teachers leaving for Australia, we'll see teachers leaving the sector go to into primary teaching for example, we might I think also see increases in costs to families because one of the perverse consequences of this is that if services don't get funded enough to pay for parity and they need to keep their teachers they will have to pass those costs on to parents."Mills said the incoming government should put the problem at the top of its priority list because it affected 25,000 teachers and hundreds of thousands of families.She said early childhood funding needed a "transformative review" because funding rates were based on average teacher costs which penalised those services with long-serving, more expensive teachers.Mills said the Early Childhood Education Agreement covering teachers working at about 100 mostly community-based services was still under negotiation.Simon Laube. Photo: suppliedEarly Childhood Council chief executive Simon Laube said the paper showed how stretched the government's finances were."They had a secret allowance that no one knew at the time for the collective, but actually once the secondary teachers settled they just simply did not have enough money to flow on that outcome to 18,000 teachers in education and care services, by a huge amount."Laube said funding for early learning was complicated and the paper showed the outgoing government had taken pay parity off the table until the system was reviewed."The line seems to be pay parity's off the table for education and care but we would like to do a funding review because of all these concerns," he said."Pay parity's just gone further out of reach."This story was originally published by RNZ

More than half of the 71 slips still impacting Kaipara roads in the wake of multiple severe weather events that hit Northland earlier this year should be repaired by the middle of next year.Kaipara District Council has already repaired 245 of the 330 slips caused by back-to-back storms and cyclones since February 2023. That includes Cyclone Gabrielle in February, which brought record levels of rainfall and devastated parts of the North Island and the localised damage from the 24 February Mangawhai significant rainfall event.Of the 330 slips on the Kaipara roading network, 71 of the most serious and complex required detailed inspections by engineers to confirm repair options. These investigations have often been hampered by ongoing instability of the slips caused by continued wet weather.Last week, Council finalised its formal emergency works site assessment and has confirmed that repairs to 43 Kaipara sites should be completed this financial year. The work will reinstate roads to pre-event conditions and are each estimated to cost $100,000 or less.“The remaining 28 of the Kaipara’s 71 slip sites are the most complex, requiring specialised design and will cost over $100,000 each. These repairs will require formal procurement processes before contracts can be let. Some of these repairs could take up three years to complete.Anin Nama, General Manager for Infrastructure, says some of the initial repairs will be revisited so the roads can be repaired to standard.“With ongoing wet weather, and the need to work quickly, we've had to make some temporary repairs. We’re going back over those sites to restore them to their previous condition,” says Anin.“We’re now prioritising a couple of key sites to improve access before the busy Christmas period. We’ve already started work to restore the Devich Road bridge and we’re planning to open Mangawhai Road up to two-way traffic as a temporary measure by Christmas.”Mayor Craig Jepson acknowledges the frustration felt by many residents who, for several months, have had to negotiate damaged roads, some of which are reduced to one lane.“The level of damage done over two weeks in February would normally take five years under normal conditions. We’ve completed over $11 million of an estimated $28 million of works attributed to the 2023 events. I want to thank the teams who have made huge progress to restore the network,” says Mayor Jepson.“At the same time, they are continuing with general road maintenance planned for the summer construction season. This includes repairs to potholes, grading, trimming trees and improving drainage. Slips that existed before major weather events will be included in this work.”View our schedule for repairing the remaining slips caused by the weather events. This information will be updated as slips are scheduled for repair.Updated 11:23am Friday 17 November to correct number of storm and cyclone related slips from 300 to 330. 

About the projectAuckland Transport is planning to make the complex and confusing Hill Street intersection safer and easier to useThe Hill Street intersection in Warkworth needs improvements to make it safer and easier to use. We need to include safe walking and cycling facilities to create a welcoming connection for everyone to the Warkworth town centre.The intersection of the old SH1 (Brown Road) and Matakana Road, Elizabeth Street, Millstream Place, Sandspit Road and access to Kowhai Park, the Hill Street intersection has been a traffic bottleneck for decades. Locals and holiday makers travelling between Auckland, Northland and the Kowhai Coast experienced major traffic congestion during week-day peak hours, weekends and public holidays.Since the opening of Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway and Te Honohono ki Tai (Matakana Link Road) in June 2023, traffic volumes at the Hill Street intersection have dropped by 50%. Additional future transport connections like the Sandspit Link will help cater for increases in traffic as the area grows in population and popularity.What we're proposingWe’re planning to make the Hill Street intersection safer and easier to navigateAuckland Transport is finalising a new design for the Hill Street Intersection to:Improve traffic flow and reduce congestionProvide safer and easier ways to get around on foot or by bikeIntroduce an attractive gateway to the Warkworth town centreProvide better access to active and public transport optionsPlan for future growth.We’ve talked with key stakeholders (affected property owners, local iwi, the Rodney Local Board, Auckland Council Parks and representatives from the One Mahurangi Transport and Infrastructure Forum), tweaked our plans and would now like feedback from the local community and visitors to the area.Preferred design optionAn improved Hill Street intersection will make it easier to get around Warkworth safelyThe preferred design option:The preferred design option includes the following features:A large five-arm roundabout at the Hill Street intersectionA smaller three-arm roundabout through the Sandspit Road and Matakana Road intersectionSingle lane approaches to provide better legibility and safety for all usersA free left-turn lane from Sandspit Road to Elizabeth StreetBetter and safer cycling and walking facilitiesSafer (raised dual) pedestrian crossings on Hill Street, Great North Road, Brown Road, Elizabeth Street and Sandspit RoadBoardwalks on the Kowhai Park side of Sandspit Road and at the corner of Elizabeth Street.E pīrangi ana mātou ki te rongo i ō whakaaro - We want to hear from youAuckland Transport is consulting on this proposal from 17 November 2023 until 4pm, 17 December 2023Share your thoughts by:Using the feedback form belowComing along to an information drop-in session at the Warkworth Town Hall onSaturday, 25 November at 12:30-2pmTuesday, 28 November at 12:30-2pmNext StepsWe will use all feedback received to inform the Hill Street Intersection Improvements detailed design. Once the design is confirmed we will share it on this web page.For any queries, please email [email protected]  or call us on 09 355 3553

Warkworth RegionMonday 20th November - Partly cloudy. A few showers, some heavy with thunderstorms and hail possible from afternoon, then easing evening. Southwesterlies, fresh from evening.Severe Thunderstorm WatchPeriod: 6hrs from 2pm - 8pm Mon, 20 NovArea: Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, Bay of PlentyForecast: Thunderstorms are expected to develop about northern regions of the North Island this afternoon and continue into the evening, producing heavy rain and hail. However, in areas of Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel Peninsula, and Bay of Plenty west of Rotorua, there is a moderate risk that some of the thunderstorms could become SEVERE, producing localised downpours of 25 to 45 mm/h. Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips. Driving conditions will also be hazardous with surface flooding and poor visibility in heavy rain.Tuesday 21st November - Mainly fine, isolated showers in the afternoon and evening. Southerlies, easing in the evening.Wednesday 22nd - Fine. Southerlies developing in the morning.Thursday 23rd - Fine, but becoming cloudy. Southwesterlies, becoming fresh.Friday 24th - Partly cloudy, with a few showers developing. Southwesterlies, becoming fresh.Saturday 25th - Showers, clearing but remaining partly cloudy. Fresh southerliesSunday 26th - Fine with southwesterlies.Mangawhai RegionMonday 20th November - A few showers, increasing and becoming heavier for a time this afternoon with possible thunderstorms. Southwesterlies, fresh from afternoon.Tuesday 21st November - Partly cloudy, with a few showers in the afternoon and evening. Southerlies.Wednesday 22nd - Cloud clearing and becoming fine in the afternoon. Southwesterlies, turning southeasterly in the morning.Thursday 23rd - Fine, but becoming cloudy later. Southwesterlies, becoming fresh.Friday 24th - Showers, clearing and becoming fine. Southwesterlies.Saturday 25th - Partly cloudy, with showers developing. Southerlies.Sunday 26th - Fine with southwesterlies.

Netsafe says it's not aware of New Zealanders being tricked into giving up their bank details by a sophisticated new malware but it is possible they have without realising.The ABC reported that Russian cyber criminals have targeted hundreds of bank customers across the Tasman with a malware called Octo.The scam tricks Android phone users into sharing their banking information using fake log-in screens.Netsafe's chief online safety officer Sean Lyons said it was a "pretty nasty piece of malware", as it not only attacked people's bank accounts but shut down their phones, leaving them helpless to act.Customers from 15 banks in Australia, including ANZ and Westpac, had fallen for the scam.Australian consumer advocates had warned the nation was seen as a soft target.But Lyons says that was misleading, as anyone could be a victim of cyber crime."The technology is ever changing, the technology is using the mechanisms that are out there, to become ever more sophisticated, to evolve, and to get past the tips and tricks that we have to stop ourselves falling for these," he said."I don't know that they're necessarily looking for an age demographic .... really, they're targeting people with bank accounts and that's quite a lot of us."Octo targeted Android phones - brands such as Samsung, Google and HTC - and could be hidden in what look like legitimate apps on the Google Play store.It could also be downloaded and installed independently, because of the way software on Android phones works.Lyons said people should be careful when downloading apps and software that were depositing Octo on their phone."Perhaps we could be a little more careful in what it is that we download, and look a little more closely into what permissions we're giving to the apps that we're installing."This story was originally published by RNZ

By Rachel Helyer DonaldsonThe Kaipara District mayor Craig Jepson says the surge of dog attacks in Northland is extremely concerning but the issue needs to be a top priority for all councils.A two year old child was critically injured on Friday when they were attacked at home by a family pet in Mangawhai.Police said the dog belonged to the family and they were not treating the incident as suspicious.It has since been seized by Animal Control and destroyed.Jepson said the region's councils were working hard to deal with dangerous dogs in the wake of a large number of attacks."We've had a number of dog attacks in northern districts and the Far North and it's become an issue that's been at the forefront for all councils to try and grapple with the situation."He said Kaipara District Council had been very proactive in tracking roaming dogs down, and getting rangers to take them in.But he admitted it was even more difficult when dogs turned on owners.Jepson said there seemed to be a recurring pattern of dogs who were poorly trained.He also said that children could be very trusting and were vulnerable to dogs with a bad nature.Jepson said the attack on the Mangawhai toddler was "terrible"."My first concern is that this child has been injured and my wishes go to the family and the child."It's just over a month since a woman was killed by a whānau dog in her backyard in Moerewa, in the Far North.This story was originally published by RNZ

Watercare says it is hoping to make amends to improve the health of Auckland's Waitematā Harbour because it has "suffered a lot in the past 100 years".After seven weeks, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei on Thursday morning lifted the rāhui over the harbour at Ōkahu Bay, meaning swimmers can get back in the water.Raw sewage spilled into it at the end of September when a storm and wastewater pipe burst, creating a sinkhole in a Parnell carpark and blocking the Ōrākei main sewer.On Friday, Watercare met with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to discuss the next steps in the harbour's restoration. The two groups were joined by environment regeneration experts to find a way to get the water back to health.Following the meeting, environmental care manager Nathaniel Wilson said the water quality was back to normal, but there were "subtle changes" that could take months or years to resolve."You just get a slight change in what makes up the ecosystem, so different things move in, other things move out. Just getting that equilibrium back will take some time."While results showed it had affected the water quality of the harbour, he said, "there's not a lot to directly clean up"."Natural processes will resolve that better than we can intervene."The Parnell sinkhole. Photo: Desley SimpsonIn the meantime, Wilson said action was being taken to restore the Waitemata Harbour from the poor treatment it had experienced in recent history."Through unfortunate circumstances we are in a position to do some good. It is very much acknowledging that the harbour has suffered a lot over the last 100 years, and this is an opportunity to start making things right."He said Watercare was working alongside Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and Revive Our Gulf to replenish "ancestral mussel - or kūtai - beds'.Wilson hoped there would be opportunities with other habitat restoration projects around the harbour."That's artificial reef building, and planting habitat like seagrasses and seaweed."This story was originally published by RNZ

Police are investigating the unexplained death of an infant in Dargaville.Detective Senior Sergeant Kevan Verry, of the Northland Child Protection Team, says the sudden death of the 10-month-old girl, Kween Thompson, was reported to Police in July 2023, however it was not until the following days Police were notified of potential unexplained circumstances.“It was in these following days Police were made aware of a non-accidental injury, which is now the focus of a child protection investigation.“As part of that investigation we are looking into the circumstances of the death, which at this stage is being treated as unexplained.”“It appears the non-accidental injury does not relate to the death.Detective Senior Sergeant Verry says Police are engaging with medical experts to understand more about the injury, which may take some time and we are keeping an open mind as to what has occurred.“However, we can confirm the cause of death has been determined to be asphyxia.“Police, including Dargaville CIB and the District Child Protection Team, are making enquiries into this matter, and are gathering facts about events on the day of baby Kween’s death from a variety of sources.”Police are unable to comment further at this point on the nature of the injuries while these enquiries continue.The death of a child is a tragic and distressing incident for the family involved and Police are working to analyse the information to understand the circumstances.Detective Senior Sergeant Verry says Police have spoken to a number of family members and have had varying degrees of co-operation.“We will continue to approach and speak with witnesses and family members as the investigation progresses and are hoping that all persons involved will cooperate and provide any information they may have that helps us understand what has happened to the baby.”Police are now seeking information from family members or witnesses who had any interactions with baby Kween in the two weeks prior to her tragic death.Detective Senior Sergeant Verry says Police is aware of a number of different theories from the wider family as to what has occurred and we encourage anyone with information that may assist our enquiries to consider speaking with Police in confidence.“Information can be provided in person at a local Police station or through our 105 reporting line.Please reference file number 230714/4866.“Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Police say a person has been critically injured in a dog attack in Northland yesterday.They said the person was attacked on Tara Road in Mangawhai about 1pm.They were taken to hospital and animal control has been contacted.

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, 24 November 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, 23 NovemberOteha Valley Road northbound on-ramp, 23 NovemberSouthbound lanes between Oteha Valley Road off-ramp and Greville Road on-ramp, 21-22 NovemberOteha Valley Road southbound on-ramp, 21-22 NovemberNorthbound lanes between Greville Road off-ramp and Oteha Valley Road on-ramp, 22 November(approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)Greville Road northbound on-ramp, 20 & 22 NovemberNorthbound lanes between Constellation Drive off-ramp and Oteha Valley Road on-ramp, 20 November (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Constellation Drive northbound on-ramp, 20 NovemberSH1 southbound to SH18 westbound link, 19 NovemberNorthcote Road northbound on-ramp, 19-21 NovemberCENTRAL MOTORWAY JUNCTION (CMJ)None plannedSouthern Motorway(SH1)Khyber Pass Road northbound off-ramp, 19-20 NovemberGillies Avenue northbound on-ramp, 19-20 NovemberSouthbound lanes between Mt Wellington Highway off-ramp and Princes Street on-ramp, 23 NovemberSouthbound lanes between Mt Wellington Highway off-ramp and Highbrook Drive on-ramp, 19-21 NovemberMt Wellington Highway southbound on-ramp, 19-21 & 23 NovemberPrinces Street southbound on-ramp, 19-21 NovemberHighbrook Drive northbound off-ramp, 20 November (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)East Tamaki Road northbound off-ramp, 23 NovemberEast Tamaki Road northbound on-ramp, 23 NovemberTe Irirangi Drive southbound off-ramp, 19 November (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)Te Irirangi Drive northbound on-ramp, 22 NovemberRedoubt Road southbound off-ramp, 21 NovemberNorthbound lanes between Papakura off-ramp and Redoubt Road on-ramp, 19 NovemberSH1 northbound to SH20 northbound link, 19 NovemberHill Road northbound on-ramp, 19 NovemberTakanini northbound on-ramp, 19 NovemberNorthbound lanes between Drury/SH22 off-ramp and Takanini on-ramp, 21-24 NovemberPapakura (Diamond) northbound on-ramp, 19 & 21-24 NovemberPapakura (Loop) northbound on-ramp, 19-24 NovemberDrury/SH22 northbound on-ramp, 21-24 NovemberNorthbound lanes between Bombay off-ramp and Drury/SH22 on-ramp, 20 NovemberRamarama northbound on-ramp, 20 NovemberBombay northbound on-ramp, 20 NovemberSouthbound lanes between Bombay off-ramp and Bombay on-ramp, 21 NovemberNorthbound lanes between Bombay off-ramp and Bombay on-ramp, 21 NovemberBeaver Road northbound on-ramp, 21 NovemberBeaver Road northbound off-ramp, 21 NovemberNikau Road northbound on-ramp, 21 NovemberRidge Road northbound off-ramp, 22 November (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)Razorback Road northbound on-ramp, 22 NovemberSH1 northbound to SH2 eastbound link, 22 NovemberPokeno northbound on-ramp, 22 NovemberHampton Downs southbound on-ramp, 20 November (approx. 8:00pm to 5:00am)Te Kauwhata southbound on-ramp, 17-24 November (24/7)Northwestern Motorway (SH16)Southbound lanes between Foster Road and Trigg Road, 19-23 NovemberNorthbound lanes between Trigg Road and Foster Road, 19-23 NovemberSt Lukes Road eastbound off-ramp, 21 November (approx. 08:30pm to 02:00am)Upper Harbour Motorway (SH18)Westbound lanes between Paul Mathews Road and Albany Highway on-ramp, 19 NovemberPaul Mathews Road westbound on-ramp, 19 NovemberEastbound lanes between Albany Highway off-ramp and Paul Mathews Road, 19 NovemberSH18 eastbound to SH1 northbound link, 19-20 NovemberAlbany Highway eastbound on-ramp, 19 NovemberWestbound lanes between Albany Highway off-ramp and Tauhinu Road on-ramp, 23 November(approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Albany Highway westbound on-ramp, 23 NovemberEastbound lanes between Tauhinu Road off-ramp and Albany Highway on-ramp, 23 November(approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Greenhithe Road eastbound on-ramp, 23 NovemberWestbound lanes between Greenhithe Road off-ramp and Tauhinu Road on-ramp, 19-22 November(approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Squadron Drive westbound off-ramp, 23 NovemberSouthwestern Motorway (SH20)Maioro Street southbound on-ramp, 20 NovemberMahunga Drive southbound off-ramp, 22 November (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)Walmsley Road southbound off-ramp, 21 November (approx. 8:30pm to 5:00am)George Bolt Memorial Drive (SH20A)Bader Drive northbound off-ramp, 23 November

Peter Wilson, Political commentatorAnalysis - Christopher Luxon smiled his way through media interviews this week, giving calm assurances that talks to form his "strong and stable" coalition government were progressing at pace.He's doing it well. The messaging hasn't changed since day one.That's despite the obvious difficulties he's experiencing with his potential partners ACT and NZ First - particularly NZ First.Tuesday didn't go well.New Zealand First's Winston Peters didn't show up in Wellington for what appeared to be the first planned three-way meeting between the party leaders.Luxon and ACT leader David Seymour gave the clear impression early in the day that the meeting was on the agenda.There was no explanation on the day for Peter's absence. His party's MPs were meeting in the capital for a "solidarity meeting", according to Peters' de facto deputy Shane Jones, and Peters missed that as well.Seymour went ahead and met Luxon, later telling reporters: "Not everyone showed but hey, what can you do?"That evening Luxon and Seymour flew out of Wellington for Auckland on a late flight, after it had been confirmed that the incoming prime minister wouldn't be going to the APEC summit in San Francisco.To do that he would have to leave on Wednesday night.The government announced that Trade Minister Damien O'Connor would represent New Zealand.Luxon had previously said he would like to attend APEC and would go if he could.It had become an informal, undeclared deadline for forming the new government, because he obviously wouldn't be able to go if he hadn't been able to seal the deal.A 'bruising lesson'National Party leader Christopher Luxon arrives for coalition talks in Auckland on 16 November 2023. Photo: RNZ / Katie ScotcherStuff's Tova O'Brien thought he shouldn't have talked about going in the first place and said Luxon had been taught "a bruising lesson"."Whatever Luxon's opening offer was to his respective coalition partners, it clearly didn't pass muster," she said."It wasn't enough for the prime minister-elect to safely meet his foolhardy self-imposed APEC deadline."O'Brien put it down to Luxon's political inexperience."Luxon may have thought all his experience with 'mergers and acquisitions', which he keeps reminding us about, would have put him in good stead to form a government, to negotiate with a 40-year-veteran of politics who played a key role in forming three other governments," she said."He thought wrong."O'Brien's conclusion that Luxon's opening offer to ACT and NZ First wasn't good enough was echoed in a report filed by Newshub's political editor Jenna Lynch."Newshub understands both ACT and New Zealand First were unhappy with being low-balled by National - leading to the great thawing of New Zealand First-ACT relations and multiple meetings of the minor parties," she said.That's what led to reports last week that the two minor parties were "ganging up" on National, using their combined clout to get a better deal.First three-way meetingWednesday was much better for Luxon.A three-way meeting had obviously been arranged the previous evening, which accounted for Luxon and Seymour leaving Wellington for Auckland, and it happened as planned, early in the day.Winston Peters, Christopher Luxon and David Seymour all in a room together for the first time on 15 November 2023. Photo: SuppliedPictures of the three smiling leaders, sitting together in a room in an Auckland hotel, appeared on social media.The meeting was their first three-way encounter.Seymour was reported to have been in the meeting for about an hour while Peters stayed on for a total of about three hours. Later in the day further meetings took place between Luxon and Peters.Seymour said he didn't need a long meeting."It certainly served its purpose of getting us together and getting that dynamic of us three talking about how we can operate together and how a government can function," he said."But obviously each of us has quite a lot of detail to work out with each other in terms of how those particular policies and so on will go."Peters didn't explain his Tuesday absence until Thursday.He said a foreign minister who had been at the Pacific Island Forum in Rarotonga was heading to APEC and had wanted to see him in Auckland, RNZ reported."So I had to cancel five flights to fit in with him, I was never going to Wellington in that consequence, and both Mr Seymour and Mr Luxon know that," he said.On Friday morning Stuff's O'Brien described Peters' no show as "one of the most stunning and humiliating displays of political brinkmanship".Luxon having to fly back to Auckland on Tuesday night so a three-way meeting could be held the next day was a "frankly jaw-dropping display of simpering servitude from National".On Thursday Luxon explained what went on after the three-way meeting, RNZ reported."It started with the three leaders coming together, Winston Peters and myself and our chiefs of staff met then for most of the morning," he said."David Seymour and I had lunch yesterday talking about a few issues, and then we met with the full ACT team yesterday afternoon - and then Winston Peters and our chiefs, we carried on again at 6 o'clock last night," he said."We are making great progress, we're in the final stages."Promised tax cuts and foreign buyersIt became clear this week that National's promised tax cuts and the way they're paid for was one of the most important issues being thrashed out, probably the most important - and Luxon wasn't getting his own way on it.The estimated cost is $14.6 billion over four years, and part of National's funding plan when the policy was announced was allowing foreigners to buy expensive properties and tax them on the purchase price.It estimated that would bring in $740 million a year, a figure which Labour and numerous economists said just didn't stack up.Implementing it would mean repealing the ban on foreign buyers passed by the previous Labour/NZ First coalition government.Peters has always opposed selling just about anything to foreigners and probably has public opinion behind him on that, which he knows.There doesn't seem to be much doubt that he's applying the famous "hand brake" which he used to scupper various policies when he was in coalition with Labour, and National will have to give up on that funding channel.Herald columnist Matthew Hooton, in an article published last Friday, said National's foreign buyer proposal was completely at odds with NZ First's most fundamental policy position since 1993, and thus was out of the question."NZ First negotiators certainly weren't impressed this week when their National interlocutors angrily told them in that case, NZ First would have to find the extra revenue to fund National's tax cuts," Hooton said."NZ First says that just isn't its problem."What happens if National can't use it? Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen was asked that on Checkpoint."I think most likely the two areas you could see are either a phasing in of those tax changes… or you might see a cutback, a further, deeper cutback, in the likes of public sector funding to instead fund that tax relief," he said.Olsen said all the parties plans and proposals were coming up against reality during the negotiations."None of these plans avoid first contact with reality," he said. "They're always good on paper but you're never sure exactly what comes out of coalition negotiations."Nicola Willis and Christopher Luxon outside the Cordis hotel in Auckland on 16 November 2023. Photo: Rayssa AlmeidaNational's deputy leader and incoming finance minister, Nicola Willis, wouldn't commit to the foreign buyers tax when she arrived for the Thursday morning meeting."She stood by her commitment to deliver tax cuts for New Zealanders but, despite being asked several times, refused to say it would be funded by a proposal the party campaigned on, a foreign buyers tax on houses sold for more than $2m," RNZ reported."Our tax cuts will be funded responsibly, there's really good agreement on that and as you will have seen before the election we went to the election with a manifesto that had a tax policy funded through eight different areas - of reprioritisation, of new revenue measures," Willis said."We're discussing every aspect of that."The 'mini' budgetEarlier this week Willis confirmed she would deliver a mini budget by Christmas despite the slow pace of coalition negotiations."I've always put emphasis on the word 'mini' because we're not talking about a budget in the sense of the one you get in May, but more an opening of the books done with the half year economic and fiscal update to see the true state of New Zealand's economy and the government's finances," she told First Up."You'll see us introduce legislation before Christmas to respond to our economic situation and get the economy growing again, to deal with the cost of living, (and) so ensure that we're delivering more money into New Zealanders' back pocket."Labour updateOn the other side of the political divide, the Herald's Thomas Coughlan reported on the lead up to Labour's caucus vote that confirmed Chris Hipkins as leader."A compromise was reached within the Labour Party to quell dissent about the leadership of Chris Hipkins and allay concerns the party had abandoned its base," he said."Almost immediately after the vote, Hipkins confirmed that wealth and capital gains taxes were back 'on the table' for the next election, after Hipkins ruled both out earlier this year."Coughlan said that confirmation from Hipkins raised eyebrows, because he had been clear that he was ruling those taxes out under any government he led, this year, next year, or after the next election."The Herald understands the decision is every bit the u-turn that it appears to have been, and came about as something of a compromise with the disappointed and disaffected group of MPs who were frustrated with the wealth tax decision," Coughlan said.Inside the meeting, dissenters wanted action on tax, saying it would be difficult to survive the next three years and fight another election if Hipkins' rule-out meant wealth and capital gains taxes were in deep freeze, the report said."Hipkins, without much of a fight, agreed to put both back on the table - an olive branch to the dissenters," Coughlan said.New government incomingFinally, how long should it take to form a government under MMP?Jim Bolger and Winston Peters at the head of the first MMP coalition government in 1996. Photo: SuppliedStuff looked at the 10 previous MMP elections and said that excluding 2020 when a rare one-party majority was elected, the average time between election day and the reopening of Parliament was 36.5 days.The longest was two months in 1996, the first MMP election. That's how long it took National's leader Jim Bolger and Winston Peters to form a government, although at the time Peters was also talking to Labour leader Helen Clark.The quickest turnaround was in 2011, when John Key was returned as prime minister and continued to work with United Future, ACT and Te Pati Maori. Three weeks after the election Parliament was up and running.Perhaps we should be thankful and a bit more patient. After Germany's 2017 elections it took Angela Merkel 171 days to form a government.Belgium holds the record. After their elections in 2010 the country was without a government for 541 days.*Peter Wilson is a life member of Parliament's press gallery, 22 years as NZPA's political editor and seven as parliamentary bureau chief for NZ Newswire.This story was originally published by RNZ

Warkworth RegionFriday 17th November - Fine spells, then a few showers from late morning. Northwesterlies, becoming strong in exposed places this morning.Saturday 18th November - Rain, easing late. Northerlies developing in the morning.Sunday 19th November - Rain becoming persistent. Easterlies.Mangawhai RegionFriday 17th November - Morning fine spells, then clouding over. The odd shower. Fresh northwesterlies developing this morning, easing late afternoon.Saturday 18th November - Occasional rain developing in the morning. Northerlies.Sunday 19th November - Rain becoming persistent. Northeasterlies, becoming fresh.