An inquiry into a fatal school caving trip in Whangārei will focus on why it went ahead despite heavy rain and thunderstorm warnings, a former WorkSafe investigator says.A Whangārei Boys' High student died on Tuesday when his outdoor education group became trapped in Abbey Caves.Fourteen other students and two adults got out.WorkSafe confirmed it had launched an investigation but declined to comment further.Shenah Lintern's daughter was among six Northcote College students who got trapped for hours in the Waipu Caves in Northland in 2007.The teens and their instructors eventually had to swim to safety in the dark, and all survived.But Lintern said she felt little had changed since.Abbey Caves were just 35km from those her daughter was stuck in."I'm angry because they didn't learn from 2007," she said."In 2007 they knew that there was bad incoming weather and they still went ahead with taking the kids down into the caves. And they've done it again... I'm dumbfounded."WorkSafe helped develop the national caving safety guidelines which stated instructors should know how and when to cancel a trip.This included knowing weather forecasts, the maximum safe water level and safe waiting areas, escape routes and how to get out if the water rose, the guidelines said.A former WorkSafe investigator told RNZ the current inquiry would look at the school's decision to go into the caves despite the bad weather.It would consider who made the call and what reassurances they had that the students would be safe.Those working on the investigation would also scrutinise everything that lead up to that decision and would likely take a guide into the caves to look at the risks, the former investigator believed.Whangārei locals were struggling to make sense of what had happened."There's a weather alert, and here's a school taking these children into these caves while this is going on. Someone's arse needs to be kicked. Big time," one said."Who are you going to blame? The poor headmistress? No way. She's just doing her job," another said."No doubt there'll be a lot of finger-pointing. They've just got to get through it, work it out, what went wrong and move forward on making better decisions," a third commented."It's just sad for the whānau at the end of the day, very sad."Oparara Guided Cave Tours manager Jude Harrington runs an operation that takes visitors into Kahurangi National Park on the West Coast of the South Island."If we are concerned enough by heavy storm warnings the night before, we will actually cancel a tour rather than take the risk," she said."The most common practice is to go and assess it in the morning. There's a point on the track where if the water is flowing across the track, they simply turnaround and come back out and we cancel."Harrington said safety was paramount and there were usually several people involved in making the call on whether or not to go ahead.The size of the group going into the cave was also critical - both for safety and conservation, she said."We operate under a Department of Conservation concession, so they set the number of people that can go."Because of the sort of terrain we're dealing with and some of the viewing points within the cave, we have a restriction of eight guests plus the guide," Harrington said.The national guidelines recommended a ratio of one caving instructor to six people if they were in moving water.That was not the case for the Whangārei Boys' trip which involved an instructor, a teacher and 15 teenagers.Lintern said she felt like no one took into account the aftermath of the situations where trips did not go as planned.Her daughter, now 31, still suffered from crippling anxiety that began about a year after her ordeal in Waipu Caves."There was a lot of danger involved - she got out safely but it has affected her since then," she said."And that's what they don't take into account, that if something goes wrong these children are going to be permanently affected by it."The Education Outside The Classroom (EOTC) guidelines on the Ministry of Education website state no qualification is needed to lead most outdoor activities, with the exception of rafting.The guidelines, published in 2016, say an analysis of serious incidents found incompetent leaders and ineffective supervision were major contributing factors.

Searchers have recovered a body at Abbey Caves in Northland where a student was missing after a school trip during bad weather on Tuesday.Northland District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill announced the discovery of the body shortly before 6.30am today.He said the body was found late on Tuesday night after police continued the search using specialist equipment brought up from Auckland.The Year 11 student from Whangārei Boys' High School went missing during a trip in to the caves with a school party.The search for the missing student had been expected to conclude around 5pm yesterday, however, the equipment meant it could continue into the evening, Hill said."This helped enable searchers to locate a body, which was successfully recovered late yesterday evening. As such, the search has now concluded," Hill said."While formal ID of the body is yet to take place, police are ensuring the family is being offered support, and our thoughts remain with them at this tragic time."Some cordons will remain in place around the caves area while police continued to conduct a routine scene examination, he said."We acknowledge this event has been very distressing for the school and wider community, and that there are a number of questions the public will have."At the moment, police's focus is on supporting those affected, and we remind people to please not make assumptions as to what has occurred."Fourteen other students and two adults reported being in trouble around 10.30am on Tuesday but made it out of the caves to safety, where they helped by search and rescue teams and St John Ambulance.Ngāti Kahu o Torongare me Ngā Hapū o Whangārei has closed the area until a rāhui is lifted.The hapū has extended it condolences to the whānau of the student. It has also acknowledged the work of Land Search and Rescue, the police, FENZ and anyone else who supported the emergency response.It offered codolences to staff and students at Whangārei Boys High School also.In a statement yesterday, the school's principal Karen Gilbert-Smith promised a full investigation into the trip would be held.

OPENSH1 Brynderwyns is now OPENSH1 Dome Valley is now OPENPakiri Hill is OPENMatakana Valley Road hill is OPENWaitetei Road is OPENWest Coast RoadBaldrock RoadCLOSEDWayby Valley Road - floodedValley Road - floodingOneriri Road - floodingCAUTIONLeaving Warkworth on SH1 near the Golf Course there are massive potholes taking out car tires.Paparoa Oakleigh RoadKaiwaka Mangawhai RoadCove RoadBickerstaffe RoadPlease let us know if you have any updates [email protected] house soon? Check out Warkworth Removals

SH1 Brynderwyns are impacted with slips and surface water, both directions are now closed to traffic. Use alternative routes.Waipu has big areas of flooding and roads may not be safe to pass. This could impact the alternative route through from Mangawhai to Whangarei as Brynderwyns are closed.Pakiri river road is starting to flood, be careful as there are potholes.SH1 Dome Valley - flooding and slips starting road is CLOSED.SH16 at Woodcocks has flooding and not passable.Matakana Link Road roundabout - Serious flooding on road just near the matakana link road round about. Lease drive slow and safe.SH1 Warkworth - just south near the rifle range there is flooding that may not be passable.Rodney College and Wellsford School will be closing at 12pm due to flooding risk.More updates as we get them. Email any updates on roads from Auckland to Mangawhai to [email protected] DETAILS YOU MAY NEED:WATERWAYS: To report stormwater or flooding issues requiring urgent attention, phone council on 09 301 0101. Report a water, wastewater fault: https://www.watercare.co.nz/Faults-outages/Report-a-fault Please use the online chat function first for Watercare if possible.REPORTING ROAD FAULTSWait times at the call centre can be long. To free up the call centre to focus on the more life-threatening slips and landslides please report the less urgent issues via online.To report slips contact Auckland Council on 09 301 0101.For landslides and issues that might affect public roads or property, contact Auckland Transport on 09 355 3553.To report roading maintenance issues online:https://contact.at.govt.nz/... report slips contact Auckland Council on 09 301 0101.

Overnight closures are needed at the Southern Connection, on State Highway 1 (SH1) north of the Johnstones Hill Tunnels, to carry out the thermoplastic line marking to complete the final road layout. This area was recently paved with the final OGPA asphalt, and thermoplastic lining (a long-life road marking material) can only be put down a minimum of four weeks after the paving has taken place. To facilitate these works, SH1 northbound (Silverdale to Pūhoi) and southbound (Pūhoi to Grand Drive) will be closed from 9pm to 5am on:• Sunday 14 May to Thursday 18 May• Sunday 21 May to Thursday 25 MayWhen the closures are in place, there will be a detour along Hibiscus Coast Highway (HCH) and/or SH16. A stop/go operation will be in place on HCH to manage traffic safely.This work is highly weather dependant and can’t be done in the rain or if the ground is wet. The team have allowed contingency in these two weeks, however if there is significant rain during these dates, the work will need to be pushed out to the next fine night. To keep up to date with the closures, please check here or the project website nx2group.com While all efforts have been made to limit disruption to traffic flows, we encourage you to plan your journey over this time and check the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner before heading out https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/(Looking for a builder? 3 Dimensional Builders Ltd offer fixed price new builds to customised options, renovations and fully bespoke builds.)

Struggling families are getting caught in a poverty trap by racking up hundreds of dollars of debt using buy now pay later schemes for meat, nappies and other everyday essentials, budget advisers warn.Financial mentors are increasingly alarmed by the number of people buying groceries through lenders Afterpay and Zip, as low-income whānau struggle to cope with the cost of living.At a Mad Butcher store in Christchurch, every shopper spoken to by RNZ was buying meat using a buy now pay later service.Cleaner Mei said she used Afterpay to buy $120 meat packs for her family of six because she could not afford to pay up front."It's my pay-day today and I'm just about broke - that's just food - and I've only got my meat so far. I need to go to Pak'nSave and spend the rest of my money there," she said.Mei said she was paying $300 a fortnight in Afterpay bills for meat alone."I can't get out of it. I'm continuing to Afterpay all my meat from now on. It's just a repetitive cycle that I'm stuck in now. I suppose it's like a gambler, going to the machine and putting in $20," she said.Another shopper - a mother-of-three on a benefit - said felt she had no choice but to buy food using Afterpay."A mother will do anything to feed her kids," she said."If you were really strapped you could do a whole week's shop on Afterpay at the Mad Butcher, but two to four weeks later, if you have to do that the next week as well, eventually the payments stack up on each other."You're already broke, you've got to rob Peter to pay Paul."She had just managed to pay off her Afterpay bills, but another big expense was never far away, she said."It just depends on good week or bad week. My son just started high school and needed a school uniform. So I had to Afterpay some things for that and try to get a Chromebook. If it wasn't for my mum helping me out, I'd probably be doing more Afterpays to get through," she said.Under buy now pay later schemes, customers could pay for purchases over several interest-free instalments, side-stepping credit cards and pay-day loans, but users who failed to make repayments were stung with late fees.The latest figures from credit bureau Centrix show a record 10.5 percent of buy now pay later accounts were in arrears at the end of March.According to Consumer NZ, just over 25 percent of New Zealanders had a buy now pay later (BNPL) account, a figure that had remained consistent through the last 18 months.The data showed 20 percent of BNPL users accumulated debt from essentials such as groceries, bills and fuel, while 35 percent paid for services with a credit card, leaving them vulnerable to a second cycle of debt.When mother-of-three Larissa could not afford groceries like milk, bread and nappies she turned to buy now pay later lender Zip to stock up on family staples at The Warehouse.The financial juggling act had left her $700 in debt and despondent about living week to week in an effort to feed her children."It sucks having to go through all of this every week just to manage," she said."You've got to do what you've got to do. I would like to stop using it at some point but that's when I'm in a better financial situation, like my kids aren't in nappies."(Need help with your debt? Contact Debtfix, New Zealands first debt charity)Whanganui Budget Advisory Service manager Sandy Fage said families were getting into debt just to survive."It's horrendous. I don't know how soul-destroying it must be to be in that position, and then go: 'How do I get some meat for my family?'," she said.Fage said low-income earners could not always rely on food banks so it was only natural for them to ride out a financial storm with buy now pay later lenders.Good Shepherd head of microfinance Natalie Vincent said 90 percent of the organisation's loan applicants were buy now pay later users, some of whom had multiple accounts."People using buy now pay later to buy essential items like food is telling a troublesome story about the position New Zealand families are in at the moment," she said."The debt can become unmanageable quite quickly and spiral out of control, and then it causes all sorts of problems."Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment officials were considering draft government regulations for the buy now pay later sector to reduce the risk of people falling into a debt trap.Under the proposed changes, lenders would have to do robust affordability checks for loans of more than $600, but financial advisers argued the threshold was far too high for people on low-incomes.Natalie Vincent said any kind of threshold for credit checks was inappropriate."At $600 that wouldn't capture our clients or those on limited incomes or with low levels of credit to the buy now pay later service. These are the people who are vulnerable to harm from using a buy now pay later service," she said.A Zip spokesperson said the company conducted credit checks on all customers and subscribed to an indebtedness indicator that ensured it did not lend to people that were behind on payments to other BNPL lenders.Customers with overdue payments had their accounts frozen, default fees were capped at $40 and Zip had a hardship policy to help people struggling to make repayments, she said.A Mad Butcher spokesman said it was up to customers to choose the payment option that best suited them.Afterpay and The Warehouse did not respond to RNZ's request for comment.

By Anna Sobek* for The ConversationComment - I was part of a team that recently discovered human-made pollutants in one of the deepest and most remote places on Earth - the Atacama Trench, which goes down to a depth of 8000m in the Pacific Ocean.The presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in such a remote location emphasises a crucial fact: no place on Earth is free from pollution.PCBs were produced in large quantities from the 1930s to the 1970s, mostly in the northern hemisphere, and were used in electrical equipment, paints, coolants and lots of other products. In the 1960s, it became clear they were harming marine life, leading to an almost global ban on their use in the mid-1970s.However, because they take decades to break down, PCBs can travel long distances and spread to places far from where they were first used, and they continue to circulate through ocean currents, winds and rivers.Our study took place in the Atacama Trench, which tracks the western coast of South America for almost 6000km. Its deepest point is roughly as deep as the Himalayas are high.We collected sediment from five sites in the trench at different depths ranging from 2500m to 8085m. We sliced each sample into five layers, from surface sediment to deeper mud layers, and found PCBs in all of them.Sometimes called the Peru-Chile Trench, the Atacama Trench is visible in dark blue on this relief map (the sea level is green and mountains are red). Photo: NOAALove to send your Mum or the Magic Woman of your house to chocolate heaven? Treat her to a “PAMPER HER care package” with Swiss Bliss Handcrafted Chocolates & Fine BakingPollutants stick to dead planktonIn that part of the world, ocean currents bring cold and nutrient-rich waters to the surface, which means lots of plankton - the tiny organisms at the bottom of the food web in the oceans. When plankton die, their cells sink to the bottom, carrying with them pollutants such as PCBs. But PCBs don't dissolve well in water and instead prefer to bind to tissues rich in fat and other bits of living or dead organisms, such as plankton. Since seabed sediment contains a lot of remnants of dead plants and animals, it serves as an important sink for pollutants such as PCBs. About 60 percent of PCBs released during the 20th century are stored in deep ocean sediment.A deep trench like the Atacama acts like a funnel that collects bits of dead plants and animals (what scientists refer to as "organic carbon") that come falling down through the water. There is a lot of life in the trench, and microbes then degrade the organic carbon in the seafloor mud.We found that the organic carbon at the deepest locations in the Atacama Trench was more degraded than at shallower places. At the greatest depths, there were also higher concentrations of PCB per gram of organic carbon in the sediment. The organic carbon in the mud is more easily degraded than the PCBs, which remain and can accumulate in the trench.Scientists used this 'core sampler' to extract sediment from the bottom of the trench. Photo: Supplied/ SDU - Anni Glud (author provided)A look into the pastThe storage of pollutants means ocean sediment can be used as a rear-view mirror on the past. It is possible to determine when a sediment layer accumulated on the seafloor, and by analysing pollutants in different layers we can gain information about their concentrations over time.The sediment archive in the Atacama Trench surprised us. PCB concentrations were highest in the surface sediment, which contrasts to what we usually find in lakes and seas. Typically, the highest concentrations are found in lower layers of sediment that were deposited in the 1970s through to the 1990s, followed by a decrease in concentrations towards the surface, reflecting the ban and reduced emissions of PCBs.For now, we still don't understand why the Atacama would be different. It is possible that we didn't look at the sediment closely enough to detect small variations in PCBs, or that concentrations have not yet peaked in this deep trench.These concentrations are still quite low, hundreds of times lower than in areas close to human pollution sources such as the Baltic Sea. But the fact we have found any pollution whatsoever shows the magnitude of humanity's influence on the environment.What we can say for sure is that the more than 350,000 chemicals currently in use globally come at a cost of polluting the environment and ourselves. Pollutants have now been found buried below the bottom of one of the world's deepest ocean trenches - and they're not going anywhere.* Anna Sobek is a professor of Environmental Chemistry and Head of Department of Environmental Sciences at Stockholm University. (Disclosure statement: Anna Sobek receives funding from The Swedish Research Council (VR), Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (Formas), Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.)

Warkworth RegionMonday 8th May - Partly cloudy. A few showers, mainly this morning. Fresh northeasterlies.Tuesday 9th May - Rain developing in the morning, some heavy, squally thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. Strong northeasterlies, turning lighter northwesterly in the afternoon.Heavy Rain WatchPeriod: 13hrs from 10am - 11pm Tue, 9 MayArea: Auckland including Great Barrier Island, and Coromandel PeninsulaForecast: Periods of heavy rain with squally thunderstorms possible. Rainfall amounts may approach warning criteria.Wednesday 10th May - A few showers, clearing to fine for a time in the afternoon and evening. Fresh northerlies, turning westerly in the morning.Thursday 11th May - Showers, becoming isolated with longer fine breaks later. Strong westerlies, easing.Friday 12th May - Fine. Southerlies.Saturday 13th May - Fine. Southerlies developing.Sunday 14th May - Fine with light winds.Love to send your Mum or the Magic Woman of your house to chocolate heaven? Treat her to a “PAMPER HER care package” with Swiss Bliss Handcrafted Chocolates & Fine BakingMangawhai RegionMonday 8th May - Partly cloudy. A few showers, mainly this morning. Fresh northeasterlies.Tuesday 9th - Heavy rain, squally thunderstorms possible until evening. Northerlies.Heavy Rain Warning - OrangePeriod: 12hrs from 7am - 7pm Tue, 9 MayArea: NorthlandForecast: Periods of heavy rain, with squally thunderstorms possible. Expect 70 to 90 mm of rain, with possibly more in localised areas. Intensities of 10 to 20 mm per hour, but thunderstorms may produce downpours of 40 mm per hour or more in localised areas.Impact: Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous.Wednesday 10th - A few showers with westerlies.Thursday 11th - Partly cloudy with westerlies.Friday 12th - Fine. Southerlies.Saturday 13th - Fine with southerlies.Sunday 14th - A few showers with light winds.

When do the new toll prices take effect?The new toll prices will take effect from 12.01am on Saturday 1 July 2023.What are the price changes?Trips for light vehicles will cost 20 cents more, and trips for heavy vehicles will cost 40 cents more.Why are toll prices increasing?Toll operating costs have increased by 10 cents since they were last reviewed in 2011 and timing for debt repayments needs adjusting. The toll price increase is in line with the cost increase.Where does money from a toll go?Most of the money goes towards debt repayment, with $0.80c going towards operating costs to run the tolling business, and a component is spent on GST.For example: From a $2.60 toll, $1.39 goes towards debt repayment, $0.80c goes towards operating costs to run the tolling business and $0.41c goes to Inland Revenue as GST.Are any other charges increasing?Customers who purchase prepay trips at service stations will be impacted by a service fee increase. Our service provider is increasing the transaction fee from $1.20 to $1.50All other charges remain unchanged.I have a toll road account. Do I need to do anything because of the toll price increase?No. Since tolls are automatically debited to your account they will be charged at the new rate from 1 July 2023. You may want to review your top up amount to ensure it’s sufficient to cover your current travel requirements.I have unused pre-purchased trips. Will I have to pay more when prices increase?No. For trips purchased prior to 1 July 2023, you will not need to make up the difference. The system will recognise that the trip has been paid for, as opposed to how much the trip costs. Please note: Trip passes purchased before 1 April 2023 are valid for 2 years, and trip passes purchased from 1 April 2023 are valid for 3 months.Do toll prices increase each time the consumer price index (CPI) goes up?No. Debt repayments are impacted by inflation and this does contribute to a price increase, but a price increase only occurs at select times. The last price increase was in 2019.

Warkworth RegionSaturday 6th May - Mostly cloudy and a few showers. Fresh northeasterlies.Sunday 7th May - Partly cloudy, with isolated showers, mainly in the northeast. Fresh northeasterlies.Mangawhai RegionSaturday 6th May - Mostly cloudy with a few showers. Northeasterlies.Sunday 7th May - Partly cloudy with the odd shower possible. Northeasterlies.

A wide range of overnight roadwork closures are planned on the Auckland Motorway network next week (Sun 7 - Fri 12 May), including SH1 northbound lanes from Greenlane to Wellington St, 7 May (approx. 11pm to 5am); SH16 eastbound lanes from Great North Rd to Grafton Rd, 8 May (approx.10pm to 5am); and SH1 northbound lanes from Greville Rd to Silverdale 8 - 11 May (approx.9.30pm to 5am).Check here for the full list of overnight closures that may affect your late night journey next week: http://spr.ly/6184OZmZrPlease note, all overnight motorway closures are subject to weather and other factors and may be cancelled or postponed at late notice.To find the most current overnight closure information (updated 24/7) please visit our website before you travel: http://spr.ly/6185OZmZT 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, 10-11 MayOteha Valley Road northbound on-ramp, 10-11 MaySouthbound lanes between Oteha Valley Road off-ramp and Greville Road on-ramp, 7 MayOteha Valley Road southbound on-ramp, 7 MayNorthbound lanes between Greville Road off-ramp and Oteha Valley Road on-ramp, 8-11 May (approx. 9:30pm to 5:00am)Greville Road northbound on-ramp, 8-11 MaySouthbound lanes between Greville Road off-ramp and Constellation Drive on-ramp, 11 MayGreville Road southbound on-ramp, 11 MaySH1 southbound to SH18 eastbound link, 11 MayNorthbound lanes between Constellation Drive off-ramp and Greville Road on-ramp, 7 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Constellation Drive northbound on-ramp, 7 MayConstellation Drive southbound on-ramp, 10 MayCENTRAL MOTORWAY JUNCTION (CMJ)SH1 southbound to SH16 eastbound (Port) link, 8 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SH16 eastbound to SH1 northbound link, 8 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SH 16 eastbound to SH 16 (Port) link, 8 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SH1 northbound to SH16 westbound link, 7 May (approx. 11:00pm to 5:00am)SH1 northbound to SH16 eastbound (Port) link, 7 May (approx. 11:00pm to 5:00am)SH16 eastbound to SH1 southbound link, 8 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SOUTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)Khyber Pass Road northbound off-ramp, 8-11 MayNorthbound lanes between Greenlane off-ramp and Wellington Street on-ramp, 7 May (approx. 11:00pm to 5:00am)Gillies Avenue northbound on-ramp, 7-11 MayGreenlane northbound on-ramp, 7 MaySouthbound lanes between East Tamaki Road off-ramp and Redoubt Road on-ramp, 11 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)East Tamaki Road southbound on-ramp, 11 MaySH 1 southbound to SH 20 northbound link, 11 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Redoubt Road northbound on-ramp, 11 MayDrury/SH22 northbound on-ramp, 8 MayNorthbound lanes between Ramarama off-ramp and Drury/SH22 on-ramp, 7-8 & 10-11 MayNorthbound lanes between Bombay off-ramp and Drury/SH22 on-ramp, 9 MayRamarama northbound on-ramp, 7-11 MayBombay northbound on-ramp, 9 MayBeaver Road northbound off-ramp,7 MayBeaver Road northbound on-ramp, 7 MayNikau Road northbound on-ramp, 7 MayNORTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH16)Lincoln Road southbound off-ramp, 7-11 MayLincoln Road northbound on-ramp, 7-8 & 11 MayNorthbound lanes between Rosebank Road off-ramp and Te Atatu on-ramp, 10 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Patiki Road northbound on-ramp, 10 MayRosebank Road southbound on-ramp, 7 MayNorthbound lanes between Great North Road off-ramp and Lincoln Road on-ramp, 9 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Te Atatu northbound on-ramp, 9 MayPatiki Road northbound on-ramp, 9 MayGreat North Road northbound on-ramp, 9 MaySH16 eastbound to SH20 southbound link (Waterview southbound tunnel closed), 10 & 11 MayGreat North Road eastbound off ramp (Waterview southbound tunnel closed), 10 & 11 MaySH16 westbound to SH20 southbound link (Waterview southbound tunnel closed), 10 & 11 MayEastbound lanes between Great North Road off-ramp and Grafton Road on-ramp, 8 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Great North Road (Loop) eastbound on-ramp, 8 MaySt Lukes Road eastbound on-ramp, 8 MayEastbound lanes between St Lukes Road off-ramp and SH1/SH16 links, 7 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)St Lukes Road eastbound on-ramp, 7 MayNewton Road westbound on-ramp, 7-11 MayUPPER HARBOUR MOTORWAY (SH18)SH18 eastbound to SH1 northbound link, 7 MayWestbound lanes between Albany Highway off-ramp and Tauhinu Road on-ramp, 8 MayAlbany Highway westbound on-ramp, 8 MayEastbound lanes between Albany Highway off-ramp and Paul Mathews Road, 11 MayAlbany Highway eastbound on-ramp, 11 MayBrigham Creek Road eastbound on-ramp, 10 MayWestbound lanes between Greenhithe Road off-ramp and Tauhinu Road on-ramp, 10 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Eastbound lanes between Tauhinu Road off-ramp and Greenhithe Road on-ramp, 10 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Squadron Drive eastbound on-ramp, 10 MayEastbound lanes between Brigham Creek Road off-ramp and Brigham Creek Road on-ramp, 10 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SOUTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH20)Northbound lanes between Maioro Street off-ramp and SH16 links (Waterview northbound tunnel closed), 8 & 9 MayMaioro Street northbound on-ramp (Waterview northbound tunnel closed), 8 & 9 MaySH20 northbound to SH16 eastbound link, 8 MaySH20 northbound to SH16 eastbound link, 9 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SH20 northbound to SH16 westbound link, 8 MaySH20 northbound to SH16 westbound link, 9 May (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)

Get excited y’all we have been generously donated some amazing gifts from local businesses to give to one very lucky Mum for Mother’s Day.This massive Winter Escape Gift Prize Pack encompasses the following:1)    One night stay at Snells Beach Motel2)    One night stay at Matakana Motel3)    One night stay at Beauregard Cottages Matakana4)    Twig & Bloom Flowers5)    Swiss Bliss Handcrafted Chocolates & Fine Baking6)    $100 voucher for Creative Hospitality Group to be used at any of their three restaurants either Bam Boo, Smiths or Warkworth Hotel 7)    One bottle of wine from Ascension Wine EstateSo, enter the draw for your beautiful, amazing Mum, and who knows she may even share with you if you’re good! Enter now on our Win Stuff button!Last day for entry is Friday 12th May.

Secondary school principals have told the secondary teachers union they are facing a staffing crisis due to a lack of New Zealand teachers.The Post Primary Teachers' Association said secondary principals responding to its annual staffing survey reported unprecedented shortages.It said one in four of the 127 respondents said they had cancelled classes because they could not find a specialist teacher.They also reported that from mid-October last year to late March this year vacancies attracted an average of 1.6 New Zealand applicants - less than half the pre-Covid figure of 3.4, and much lower than 10 years ago when schools received an average 9.9 New Zealand applicants for every position advertised."The normal experience of principals was not having a choice in selecting applicants from New Zealand because there were either none (33 percent for classroom jobs) or only one (31 percent)," the survey report said.The report said one-third of positions the principals had advertised could not be filled and 5 percent were filled by getting a Limited Authority to Teach for a person who was not a registered teacher.It said 48 percent of the principals said they were employing untrained or unqualified teachers because they could not find trained and qualified staff.Principals told the survey "staffing is at crisis point", "the situation is dire" and "I think we are in a crisis"."Advertisements for jobs are having to be re-advertised multiple times before we get a worthwhile candidate," a principal told the survey."We have hired three times from overseas in the last year and each time had problems, one did two weeks and then resigned calling in sick for all of their notice period, one declined the job two days before they were due to start, and the other one we are still awaiting the visa to be approved."Another wrote: "It is so stressful, much more stress than Covid as I cannot see a way I can staff my school. I have three teachers going on maternity leave and do not have much hope of finding a replacement. It keeps me awake at night."PPTA acting president Chris Abercrombie said the results showed the secondary teacher shortage was beginning to have a serious impact on secondary education."Every student deserves to have a specialist teacher, someone who knows the subject inside out, can stretch students and enable them to grow their knowledge and skills in that subject."The fact that the teacher shortage has got this serious is an indictment on governments present and past. It must and can be reversed."Abercrombie said secondary teachers should have much better pay and conditions.Need something engraved? Check out Warkworth Engraving

Heavy rain warnings extended for both Auckland and NorthlandWhangarei regionHeavy Rain Warning - OrangePeriod: 24hrs from 9am Thu, 4 May - 9am Fri, 5 MayArea: NorthlandForecast: Expect 80 to 130 mm of rain on top of what has already fallen, mainly in the north and west. Peak rates of 10 to 20 mm/h but up to 35 mm/h possible in localised places. Note, there's a possibility that the warning period could be extended again. Also, MetService Meteorologists along with the Northland Regional Council are closely monitoring the situation as this warning could be upgraded from orange to red today.Impact: Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous.Warkworth regionPeriod: 12hrs from 9am - 9pm Thu, 4 MayArea: Western parts of Auckland and WaikatoForecast: Periods of heavy rain, and amounts may approach warning criteria.(After a good hairdresser in Mangawhai? Check out Heads of Hair )

The government says it is unlikely to follow Australia's vaping crackdown - at least this term.The Australian federal government has announced tough new measures in an effort to stop young people vaping.Health Minister Mark Butler said the bright colours, range of flavours, and accessibility had turned a generation of young people into nicotine addicts."Vaping was sold to governments and to communities all around the world as a therapeutic product to help long term smokers quit. It was not sold as a recreational product, and in particular, not one for our kids. But that is what it's become: the biggest loophole, I think, in Australian healthcare history," Butler told the National Press Club.The Australian government will restrict flavours and colours, bring in "pharmaceutical-style" packaging, reduce the nicotine content, and halve the importation of non-prescription vapes.It was also banning single-use, disposable vapes, which Butler said were clogging landfill and had become toxic to the environment."These are supposed to be pharmaceutical products so they will have to present that way. No more bubblegum flavors, no more pink unicorns. No more vapes deliberately disguised as highlighter pens for kids to be able to hide them in their pencil cases," he said.General Practice New Zealand chair Dr Bryan Betty has long called for vapes to be pharmacy-only products in New Zealand.He said there needed to be an urgent debate over what New Zealand could do next."Now is the time to really start to think about this. Maybe the Australian experience or what's happening there at this point, will give an impetus for those discussions and real thinking about what is done in the New Zealand context."New Zealand already has some vaping restrictions.Flavours in anything other than tobacco, mint, and menthol can only be bought at specialist shops.New Zealand also has something Australia was not considering: restricting the availability of tobacco so nobody born after 2009 will be able to buy it.Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall has sought consultation on regulatory measures to make vaping less attractive to young people. Photo: RNZ / Samuel RillstoneHealth Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said the steps New Zealand has taken to restrict tobacco availability were exactly why vapes needed to be available to smokers trying to quit.But she admitted the right balance has not been struck between what vaping was intended for, and what was actually happening."It is not good that young people are addicted, and vaping does cause addiction. So that's why we do want to move in terms of making them less attractive, less available, and also making sure that the law is enforced and there isn't sales to young people."Verrall has recently sought consultation on regulatory measures to make vaping less attractive to young people, such as changing the names of flavours, and ensuring vape shops cannot set up near schools.She expects to introduce some changes to the Smoked Tobacco Regulatory Regime soon, but something on the scale of Australia's crackdown will take much longer."I think in terms of moving to that step that Australia has done, that would require a legislative change."Verrall said there was no time to make such a legislative change this term.(Due for a holiday? Talk to World Travellers Mangawhai / Milford)National Party leader Christopher Luxon is open to a ban on vaping. Photo: RNZ / Samuel RillstoneBut changes would find favour with National, which supported toughening up the legislation."Originally they were introduced so they could help people come off smoking, but it's actually created a whole class and a new sector of addiction for young people. So I think that it is time that we actually stop and take a look at what's actually going on and what rules are needed," National leader Christopher Luxon said.He said he was open to any steps, including a ban.But ACT leader David Seymour disagreed."I understand people will want to have a moral panic and ban them and so on. But I just point to the fact that every generation does something crazy. This generation wants to inhale nicotine-laced water vapour, and compared with things previous generations have done, it's not so bad," he said.Bryan Betty said the long-term consequences of vaping were still unclear, but some problems were already emerging."I think we need to start to have a coherent debate about this, a transparent debate about what we need to do. So we're not in a situation in twenty years time looking back and saying we missed the opportunity."

Heavy Rain Warning - OrangePeriod: 27hrs from noon Wednesday, 3 May - 3pm Thuursday, 4 MayArea: NorthlandForecast: Expect 100 to 130 mm of rain. Peak rates of 10 to 20 mm/h but up to 40 mm/h possible in thunderstorms.Impact: Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous.Forecast for Whangarei / Mangawhai region today (Wed):Low cloud and the odd shower, then periods of rain arriving this morning, possibly heavy and thundery. Northeasterlies.Forecast for Auckland / Warkworth region today (Wed):Periods of rain, some heavy, with a risk of thunderstorms. Fresh Northeasterlies.Need some reading, puzzles or games for these rainy days? Check out Mangawhai Books & Gifts

The government is adjusting the Clean Car Discount scheme, after finding its success was potentially set to put a strain on its self-funded model.The 'feebate' scheme gives rebates to those buying low-emissions vehicles, and was funded by fees charged to those buying high-emissions vehicles like utes.More than 100,000 Clean Car Discount rebates had been paid out since its introduction in 2021.Because of the strong uptake, the scheme was set to reduce 230 percent more emissions than originally estimated by 2025, which Transport Minister Michael Wood said had exceeded industry and government projections."The scheme is facilitating an increase in the number of EVs entering the fleet we did not expect until 2027."As planned we are further targeting the scheme to maintain its success, and ensure it will be self-funding until its next review," Wood said.The cap for eligible vehicle's emissions would change from 146g of CO2 per kilometre to 100g from 1 July.This covered battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, but it meant hybrid-petrol cars would no longer be eligible for the discount.The rebate paid out on new EVs would reduce from $8625 to $7015, while it would increase from $3450 to $3507 for used imports.Wood said the increase to used vehicle rebates would encourage more lower and middle income New Zealanders to buy a lower emission car.The rebate paid out for plug-in hybrids would be reduced.And a special discount would be introduced for low emission disability vehicles.Fees charged to buyers of high emissions vehicles would increase, and the threshold for what qualified as a high emissions vehicle would reduce from 192g of CO2 per kilometre to 150g."To fund the changes to make it easier for New Zealanders to purchase cleaner imports, we're adjusting charges on high emissions vehicles," Wood said."This includes vehicles like utes which are amongst the highest emitting vehicles within our fleet."The maximum fee imposed would rise from $5175 to $6900 for new vehicles, and from $2875 to $3450 for used imports.As part of this month's budget, the discount's repayable crown grant would also increase by $100 million.

Warkworth RegionMonday 1st May - Periods of rain, with heavy falls, easing to isolated showers this afternoon. Strong northeasterlies, gusting 90 km/h in exposed places, easing this afternoon.Tuesday 2nd May - Partly cloudy, with isolated showers developing in the morning. Northerlies.Wednesday 3rd May - Occasional rain, becoming persistent later. Northerlies, becoming fresh.Thursday 4th May - Rain with heavy falls, easing later. Fresh northeasterlies.Friday 5th May - Rain. Strong northeasterlies, easing.Saturday 6th May - Occasional rain, turning to showers later. Fresh northeasterlies.Sunday 7th May - Rain with northeasterlies.Mangawhai RegionMonday 1st May - Cloudy periods. A few showers, mainly this morning. Northeasterlies.Tuesday 2nd May - Fine, then drizzle developing in the evening. Northerlies.Wednesday 3rd May - Rain. Northerlies.Thursday 4th May - Rain with heavy falls, easing later. Northerlies.Friday 5th May - Rain with northeasterlies.Saturday 6th May - Rain with northeasterlies.Sunday 7th May - Rain with northeasterlies.

Harbour Bridge - A strong winds warning is currently in place. Please take extra care especially if you are in a lighter or high-sided vehicle or riding a motorcycle.SH1 Warkworth to Wellsford - Dome Valley is NOW OPEN BOTH DIRECTIONSSH1 Brynderwyns reopening in BOTH directions has gone ahead this morning and it open to traffic. The road is a bit slippery so take extra care.Pakiri Hill Road - there was a slip yesterday, the road was just passable. It may not be now so caution is advised.Whangaripo Valley is open.Matakana Valley Hill Road is open at this point.If you have anymore updates please let us know via email [email protected] broken down and need help? Call Warkworth Towing & Salvage