Households face paying an extra $150 a week as inflation and rising interest rates take their toll on budgets.An ASB research report says budgets are being "clobbered" and under intense pressure from rising living costs and increased mortgage payments, while incomes are no longer keeping pace.Senior economist Mark Smith said if current spending patterns were broadly maintained, rising costs looked set to continue to significantly dent household budgets.The report calculated the average increase in spending as made up of $50 a week in mortgage payments, $30 for food, $20 for transport, $30 for general housing costs, and $25 for sundries.Smith said the extra costs would fall unevenly with the highly indebted feeling the greatest pinch."Many households are currently living paycheck to paycheck, and another year of sizeable cost increases will add to budgetary pressures."Others will cope with higher costs but will have to make some cutbacks to keep credit card bills manageable. Some households, particularly those with little debt and higher savings, will do OK."Unlike last year, growth in wages was not keeping pace with the growth in costs."For most households, we don't expect incomes to increase by as much as the cost of living. This will likely see the household sector saving buffer shrink over 2023," Smith said.He said inflation would be held up by the costs of the recent storms and floods, while the cut in fuel taxes and subsidised public transport were also coming to an end.That would mean the Reserve Bank (RBNZ) would persist with rate rises despite the consequent impact on household budgets and broader economy, including recession."Recession will be painful, but it will hopefully cool inflationary pressures, although this is highly uncertain, and the RBNZ will not want to take any chances on rekindling pricing pressures."Smith said that would mean more cash rate increases, most likely 25 basis point rises in April and May, taking the benchmark rate to a peak of 5.25 percent, and little chance of rate cuts much before late 2024.

Northland is facing an early Cyclone Gabrielle damage bill of more than $70 million - with major increases expected on that amount as more definite figures emerge.Re-establishing the main roading access point to Northland remains one of the biggest challenges. Repairs to State Highway 1 over the Brynderwyns have so far taken 12,000 hours.Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo has already told the government almost $120m in its money needed to be spent on making increasingly damaged adjacent ratepayer-funded district roads being used for diverted Brynderwyns SH1 traffic suitable for that purpose.Urgent cyclone repair was needed as its closure - including when partially opened for one lane travel only - was costing Northland $1m a day - meaning an already $38m hit to the region's economy and counting.Initial roading damage assessments show at least $50m in Cyclone Gabrielle impacts across Northland's local ratepayer-funded council roads - Kaipara and Whangārei $20m apiece, with $10m in the Far North."And those assessments are only based on the Band-Aid approach, they're definitely not the gold-plated local roads' damage fix," Cocurullo said.Roading assessments for repairs are for basic measures, not gold-plated fixes, Vince Cocurullo says. Photo: Northern Advocate / Michael CunninghamWaka Kotahi regional manager maintenance and operations Jacqui Hori-Hoult said Northland had never had such a widespread weather event roading closure of the type created via Cyclone Gabrielle.The government agency has already spent more than $1.6m on the Brynderwyns SH1 damage - with no confirmed final cost for this job yet available, or timeframe for the provision of this figure.Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group chair Kelly Stratford said the cyclone's impacts were ongoing."This event is not over and it will take years to fully build back. However, the [response and recovery] work that has been done in a very short period of time is incredible," Stratford said.Northland Civil Defence Group chair Kelly Stratford, who is also FNDC deputy mayor. Photo: LDR / Northern AdvocateNorthland Federated Farmers president Colin Hannah said "many millions of dollars" of damage and production loss across the region could be added to the region's cyclone's bill."There's more than a million dollars of damage and lost production in the Hikurangi Swamp alone," Hannah said.Some Northland rural producers would be going to the wall as a result of the cyclone.At the cyclone's height, two-thirds of all Northland households - 46,000 of them - were without power. There were also 450 local roads impacted with 183 of those closed at some point.More than half the region's 153 schools were damaged to varying degrees, with impacts concentrated around Whangārei and south as well as Kaipara.Ministry of Education head of property Sam Fowler said his organisation was still working towards a final regional damage cost figure.Northland has 16 red-stickered houses (Kaipara 10, Whangārei five and Far North one). There are 26 yellow-stickered houses (Kaipara eight and Whangārei 18) and 19 white-stickered houses, all in Whangārei district.Northland has 16 red-stickered houses at present. Photo: LDR / Susan BottingSpeaking as Northland Mayoral Forum chair, Cocurullo said Cyclone Gabrielle highlighted the importance of the North's climate adaptation work."More frequent flooding, droughts and coastal erosion are already a reality, posing serious risks to people, property, roading access, biodiversity and ecosystems" he said.The inter-council, tangata whenua group Climate Adaptation Te Tai Tokerau had met on 20 February, acknowledging the need to move faster on Northland's climate adaptation work, he said.Northland Regional Council (NRC)'s Cyclone Gabrielle regional rainfall distribution map shows from February 11 to Valentines Day, Whangārei had the biggest rainfall with 420mm, but heavy rain was spread throughout the lower part of the North.In a 72-hour hour period over this time, as much as 340mm of rain fell across Kaipara, compared with the average summer figure over the same time of 120mm.Heavy rains in the Whangārei district upper reaches of Kaipara Harbour's catchment added to this with major flow increases downstream into the Northern Wairoa River threatening Dargaville and surrounds a couple of days later.Northland's Cyclone Gabrielle rainfall distribution. Photo: Northland Regional CouncilKaihu River flooded and the Awakino River also burst its banks with people being rescued in the darkness before the dawn. Silver Fern Farms' Dargaville meatworks flooded as did the town's wastewater treatment plant's ponds and pump station.Northland Inc chief executive Paul Linton said there had been strong interest in Northland's $1.7m Civil Defence business funding with more than 670 funding applications in the first week after the cyclone.Cyclone Gabrielle had highlighted the North's already-existing roading, communications and rail networks' infrastructure deficit, Linton said.

Tyler King's road to Grand Prix Our last update on Tyler back was in January (article here Tyler King's road to Grandprix - Update Jan 23). We found out he had crashed on his 150cc bike while down at the New Zealand Super Bike Championship (NZSBK) in Christchurch. He suffered four broken bones in his throttle hand and was out of competing for about 6 weeks. Well, in February he was back already raring to go, having been cleared by his surgeons.  Early March at Motofest in Hampton Downs, Tyler achieved 4th overall; with his first round not completed, second round he came 2nd and final race came 1st.In Taupo the following weekend, during the last round of NZSBK, Tyler had multiple podiums on the 3 bikes during the weekend, with some very exciting racing. Winning the round with a 1, 1, 2 result! He has the Kayo Grand Prix on 16th April and round 1 of the VMCC Champs in Manfield this coming weekend. Tyler's hoping to win the championship. An amazing effort at a mere age of 16. Tyler’s passion for motorbike racing is clear from his social media presence. This has been Tyler's rookie season, but his successes thus far serve as a reminder that with hard work, dedication, and the support of others, anything is possible. To follow Tyler:https://www.facebook.com/TylerKing128https://www.instagram.com/mxtyler128/ Tyler’s team are always on the lookout for sponsorship to help with the many costs associated with racing. If you would like to sponsor Tyler, please contact his team on his social media accounts.Tyler’s current sponsors include:Moto Benzina M&M Adventures Titus Transport Mad Mike Motorsport R&R Powersports Bramble CafeRob Mackisack Contracting Pirelli NZScorpion HelmetsAVANZ After Hours Wofs & CofsThe Matakana App will get behind any kid/teen/young person that has talent, energy, and drive to get to the top and needs promotion or a helping hand. We will be following Tyler’s journey with updates here on the Matakana App. Join us!Links to Tylers previous articles:Tyler King's road to Grandprix - Update Jan 23Tyler King’s journey to Grand Prix - May UpdateLOCAL BOY - Tyler King’s need for speed – his journey to Grand Prix

The Auckland Council is urging residents to respond to its proposals for reducing its $295 million budget shortfall.More than 10,000 residents have already submitted feedback on the draft budget, and there was one week left for those still wanting to have their say.Chief financial officer Peter Gudsell said most of the feedback so far received was from Pākehā."It's clear Aucklanders are already engaged with this budget and we want to ensure as many people as possible are aware of this opportunity to have their voices heard before final decisions are made by the council's Governing Body."A lot of the feedback received so far is from New Zealand Europeans, especially those 40 years and older, with Pasifika, Asian and Māori communities currently under-represented."An online questionnaire was an easy to answer multi-choice format, he said.If there was only one area someone wanted to provide feedback on, they did not have to answer all questions, he said."We have translated information and feedback forms available for those who may not be confident in English, so don't let a language barrier stop you."We would also like to see our youth and elderly audiences providing further feedback, especially those aged under 25 or over 75."People who want to have a say can do so online or in person."All of the budget documents and feedback forms are available online, at your local library, service centre or at a Have Your Say event."Feedback must be received before consultation closes at 11pm on Tuesday 28 March.

🆕🆕🆕🆕We have some new TRADES business listings for you to check out, with more to come shortly! Under the Trades button🏠 TK Revive LtdTK Revive Ltd are revitalizing your outdoors. They are committed to offering quality timber and cedar restoration services across the Auckland & Rodney regions. They offer:Cedar and Timber RevivalDeck and Fence RevivalHouse WashingWindow CleaningConcrete and Paving Clean@tkrevive 🪑☀ Oxley’s FurnitureOxley’s have been making beautiful outdoor furniture since 1991. Furniture is sustainably made using 100% recycled aluminium from drinks cans, alloy wheels, and disused aeroplane parts. Components are uniquely sand cast, welded together and then finished by hand. Each piece is immensely strong with no fixings that can come loose, it will never rust and requires minimal maintenance. @oxleysfurniturenz🍽 Intech Designer KitchensSince their founding in 2015, their creative team of design professionals and qualified tradesmen at INTECH have been transforming spaces and coming up with new ways to recreate your favourite spots.They offer a wide variety of professional cabinetry design and supply services. Including, kitchens, wardrobes, laundry's, bench tops, splash-backs, shop fitting, custom made cabinets, installation and more. 🎈🥳Carlton Party Hire WarkworthWith over 20 years’ experience in catering and events, the Carlton Party Hire Warkworth team are passionately committed to providing exceptional service and an overall experience that will ensure your event is planned perfectly.For all your wedding, event & hire needs on the Matakana Coast contact the Carlton Warkworth team today.Also can be found in our Weddings section.@carltonmatakana🏘 🏊🏼‍♀️ David Reid HomesThe new Rodney franchise covers the northernmost part of Auckland from the Johnston tunnels up to Marsden Cove.Experience the luxury of a new home tailored for you, led by you. Creating award-winning custom built homes in New Zealand since 1993.Malcolm has over 25 year’s experience as a qualified builder, and spent the past decade managing large residential and commercial builds within the public and private sectors, including civil construction. @davidreidhomes 🔨🏠 Forensic Building InspectorsFBI Ltd has 37 years of experience in the building industry with a common-sense approach to all types of construction.The purpose of the building inspection report is to give peace of mind to those who are buying, selling (not as a marketing tool) or looking to do general maintenance to a property. Services providedDomestic and commercial building inspectionsUnauthorised works reports/safe and sanitary reportsTroubleshooting and friendly advice/consultancyInvasive building inspectionsMaintenance planning 📱 If you want your business to be on the App get in [email protected] or Contact

Local Legends – the aptly named Team Little Goats are in the middle of a life time adventure riding Tour Aotearoa 2023. Angela Thomas, Julia Blennerhassett and Nicola Paterson set off on February 15th, on a 3000km trip to ride the length of NZ. With various terrain and mostly sleeping under the stars, they hope to reach Bluff in 30 days. Along the way they would like to raise funds for their chosen charity, the Matakana Coast Trail Trust. They have used their local trail for their trainings over the last 12 months and the organisation is excitedly raising funds for the completion of the next section of the trail, Point Wells to Matakana Country Park. Dig deep folks, the trail tracks are suitable for the whole family and for an array of activities, not just cycling. The whole community can enjoy them. For more information on the Matakana Coast Trail Trust https://mctt.org.nz/donate/?fbclid=IwAR2wbBJiEBtW05h-mmDn-5yKLA1tCDBik9LNPkHjQno520oegPck0JEMJNk To donate to Team Little Goats head to their Givealittle page. They have already raised over $4000. Let’s keep the momentum going and continue to donate to this worthy cause that we can all enjoy.https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/angela-julia-and-nicola-team-little-goats-ride?fbclid=IwAR1kvq6g2RJ3B57P2QQnkKmqXIz_JPHtYRjO0P4YZrnu8HXf7LPOfe1QKlk

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, March 2023..Unless otherwise stated, closures start at 9pm and finish at 5am.NORTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)Southbound lanes between Waiwera off-ramp and Silverdale on-ramp, 20 & 23 MarchOrewa southbound on-ramp, 20 & 23 MarchMillwater southbound on-ramp, 20 & 23 MarchNorthbound lanes between Silverdale off-ramp and Waiwera on-ramp, 19 & 23 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Orewa northbound on-ramp, 19 & 23 MarchSilverdale northbound on-ramp, 19 & 23 MarchSouthbound lanes between Oteha Valley Road off-ramp and Upper Harbour Highway on-ramp, 19 MarchOteha Valley Road southbound on-ramp, 19 MarchGreville Road southbound on-ramp, 19 MarchUpper Harbour Highway southbound on-ramp, 21 MarchUpper Harbour Highway northbound off-ramp, 20 & 22 MarchOnewa Road southbound on-ramp, 20-21 March (approx. 8:00pm to 5:00am)Shelly Beach Road southbound off-ramp, 19 & 22-23 MarchShelly Beach Road southbound off-ramp, 20 & 21 March (approx. 8:00pm to 5:00am) CENTRAL MOTORWAY JUNCTION (CMJ)SH16 eastbound to SH1 northbound link, 19-23 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SH16 eastbound to SH1 southbound link, 19-23 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)SH16 eastbound to SH16 eastbound (Port) link, 19-23 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am) SOUTHERN MOTORWAY (SH1)South Eastern Highway (SEART) southbound off-ramp, 22 MarchSouthbound lanes between Papakura off-ramp and Drury/SH22 on-ramp, 19-23 MarchPapakura southbound on-ramp, 19-23 MarchNorthbound lanes between Ramarama off-ramp and Papakura on-ramp, 19-23 MarchDrury/SH22 northbound on-ramp, 19-23 MarchRamarama northbound on-ramp, 19-23 MarchSouthbound lanes between Mercer off-ramp and Mercer on-ramp, 20-21 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Northbound lanes between Mercer off-ramp and Mercer on-ramp, 20-23 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Pokeno southbound off-ramp, 22-23 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Pokeno southbound on-ramp, 22-23 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Pioneer southbound off-ramp, 22-23 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Southbound lanes between Hampton Downs off-ramp and Hampton Downs on-ramp, 19 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Northbound lanes between Hampton Downs off-ramp and Hampton Downs on-ramp, 19 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am) NORTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH16)Lincoln Road southbound off-ramp, 19 MarchLincoln Road northbound on-ramp, 19-23 MarchTe Atatu northbound on-ramp, 20 MarchPatiki Road southbound off-ramp, 20 & 23 MarchRosebank Road southbound on-ramp, 20-22 MarchEastbound lanes between St Lukes Road off-ramp and SH1/SH16 links, 19-23 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am) UPPER HARBOUR MOTORWAY (SH18)Westbound lanes between Paul Mathews Drive and Albany Highway on-ramp, 19 & 23 March SOUTHWESTERN MOTORWAY (SH20)Dominion Road northbound off-ramp, 22-23 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Southbound lanes between Walmsley Road off-ramp and Massey Road on-ramp, 19 & 23 March (approx. 10:00pm to 5:00am)Walmsley Road southbound on-ramp, 19 & 23 MarchSouthbound lanes between SH20/SH20A Links and Landing Drive, 20 MarchSH20 southbound to SH20A southbound link, 20 MarchSH20 northbound to SH20A southbound link, 20 March GEORGE BOLT MEMORIAL DRIVE (SH20A)Kirkbride Road southbound on-ramp, 20 MarchNorthbound lanes between Landing Drive and SH20 Links on-ramp, 21-22 MarchKirkbride Road northbound on-ramp, 21-22 March

Paparoa-Oakleigh Road urgent remediation works Works to remediate sections of Paparoa-Oakleigh Road will begin next week. The road traverses both Whangarei and Kaipara districts, and has been used as a detour route during the full and partial closures of SH1 through the Brynderwyns. There are several sites the roading team has identified as needing urgent remediation to prevent further damage and address safety concerns. The works are planned to start from Monday 20 March and be completed over a two-week period. If you are travelling on the road, please expect delays and take care driving through the worksites. Temporary traffic management will be in place including some areas that will be under stop-go.While the work is happening, light traffic is encouraged to use Waipu-Mangawhai-Kaiwaka as the eastern southbound route, and heavy vehicles to continue to use the SH14 and SH12 detour. Note that a truck and trailer restriction remains in place on Cove Road (eastern detour route).SH1 through the Brynderwyns is open to northbound traffic and Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency are targeting the end of March to open SH1 Brynderwyn in both directions. Once the SH1 through the Brynderwyns reopens to southbound traffic, our roading teams will carry out some larger, more significant works that are needed to remediate Paparoa-Oakleigh Road. Thank you everyone, for your patience. We will keep you updated.

Warkworth RegionMonday 20th March - Fine. Light winds.Tuesday 21st March - Partly cloudy, with showers developing for a time in the afternoon and evening. Fresh northwesterlies, turning southwesterly for a time in the afternoon and evening.Wednesday 22nd March - Partly cloudy, with isolated showers clearing early. Fresh southwesterlies, easing in the afternoon.Thursday 23rd March - Fine, but becoming cloudy. Southwesterlies developing.Friday 24th March - Mostly cloudy, with isolated showers becoming widespread. Northerlies developing.Saturday 25th March - Fine. Northerlies, becoming fresh.Sunday 26th March - A few showers with northerlies.Mangawhai RegionMonday 20th March - Fine with light winds.Tuesday 21st March - Cloudy, with showers developing in the afternoon, then clearing for a time in the evening. Southwesterlies developing.Wednesday 22nd March - Fine. Southwesterlies.Thursday 23rd March - Partly cloudy with southwesterlies.Friday 24th March - A few showers. Northeasterlies.Saturday 25th March - A few showers. Northeasterlies.Sunday 26th March - A few showers with northerlies.

Police are asking for help identifying a person found dead in water in Auckland's Henderson.Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Ben Bergin said the body was found in a waterway near Edmonton Road, Henderson just before 10am Saturday.The death was being treated as unexplained and police were making enquiries to find out what had happened, Bergin said.Officers had not been able to identify the person, and "We are appealing to anyone who might have information that could assist in identification," Bergin said."The deceased is a tall young man of heavy build, with medium-length black hair to below his ears. He is possibly of Polynesian descent."He was wearing blue jeans and a light-brown tartan shirt, and the brown boots pictured. He was wearing the ring pictured, on his left hand."These boots were found with the man's body Photo: Supplied/ PoliceAnyone with information about the man was asked to contact police on 105, or online at 105.police.govt.nz, using 'Update Report' and reference 230318/8196.Or information could be provided anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Public Meeting being held today for Fight The Tip Tiaki Te Whenua Incorporated and Ngati WhatuaToday 19th March 2-4 pm at the Wellsford Community Center Corner SH1 and Matheson RoadEnvironment court update incl Fight the Tip AGMArtworks by Susan Speedy and Bumper stickers available for purchase -funds for the cause.Let's protect the Dome Valley, Hoteo River and Kipara Harbour for Future generations

Gun owners are accusing police of stonewalling their attempts to understand what is behind plans to make them pay a lot more for a firearms licence.But the police say taxpayers are subsidising the current licensing system by hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and that has to change.Firearms licensing fees have not risen in more than 20 years. In the recent public consultation, police estimated the costs behind a 10-year firearms licence were now more than seven-and-a-half times the current fee of $126.50.Gwyn Thurlow of the Deerstalkers Association said it was a "troubling sign" police were refusing to disclose exactly what was behind those estimates."It raises serious concerns on what we're paying for and how much it should be," he told Checkpoint."We know that there had to be calculations provided to Cabinet and we are not getting anywhere when we ask for that information. We are being delayed and our requests are being declined."Hugh Deveraux-Mack of the Council of Licenced Firearms Owners said police were reaching into their members' pockets to fund excessive paperwork processes that did little to improve public safety."That screams inefficiency across the board. If police are charging this much because they cannot figure out how to do it, then it needs to go to an independent agency that can clearly do the paperwork side much better than they can."More than 6000 submissions were received during public consultation on the fees, which came to a close this month.Respondents were asked to express their preference for an underwrite from a quarter to three-quarters of costs, which would see the 10-year licence fee rise to up to $730.New Zealand Police Association president Chris Cahill said police had not done a good job of gun licensing in the past. He said police had a duty to improve the delivery of firearms licensing and the new fees would make that possible.Cahill said he felt even the highest tier of cost recovery was still a reasonable proposition."They've been paying about $12 per year, which is patently ridiculous. It costs about $180 to register your dog a year. I think those figures, police are talking about, are much more realistic."Alec Melville of the Sporting Shooters Association said the hikes were just another way licensed firearms owners had been hammered in the aftermath of the mosque shootings.Gun owners were being targeted by police for their own mishandling of the licensing process, Melville said."We all feel just as bad as everybody else about what happened there, [but] the bottom line is that the police didn't do the vetting correctly. We know for a fact that the funding given to police was sufficient, but they'd taken that funding and used it for general duties."Gun clubs fear extinctionJon Phillipps represented New Zealand more than 15 times in 40 years of competitive shooting. He said new fees tacked on to the police proposal could see as much as $1500 added to the costs of anyone coming through the border to compete in events."[The National Rifle Association of New Zealand] has an invitation out to come and shoot at the Ballinger Belt [shooting competition]. The [Australian] national body has said that if those fees are imposed they will not be sending any shooters to New Zealand."Phillipps said the inclusion of new fees for gun ranges and clubs were contrary to the intentions of the reforms."The safest place for people to learn how to use a firearm responsibly is the clubs and, if these clubs are no longer there, then where will they go? That's not making it safer for people."John Gill has been hunting and shooting for sport for over 60 years. He said he was worried bureaucracy and changing attitudes were killing the future of a much-loved part of the country's rural heritage."I'm just a regular Kiwi guy who was brought up in a culture where the land provided opportunities for achieving food and having sport. I'd like to think that my grandchildren can continue that if they choose to."Submissions on the proposed fees would be analysed and put to Cabinet for discussion in the oncoming months. Police have been approached for comment.

A man who was shot by police after an "inexcusable act of violence" has died in hospital, Waitematā District Commander Superintendent Naila Hassan has confirmed.Police said early this evening that the man had undergone surgery, but died at Auckland Hospital this afternoon.Hassan spoke to media this afternoon after the man was shot by police earlier on Friday. Hassan said the man, in his mid-20s, approached a cash in transit van at a petrol station on Henderson Valley Road at about 10am Friday and fired his weapon. Nobody was injured, and the man fled the scene.He then returned a few minutes later and a firearm was pointed at a police officer, Hassan said.The man fled, firing at police as they pursued him."He was seen acting erratically and firing on multiple occasions at police staff. The offender has done this with absolutely zero regard for the safety of the public or the police staff."The man fired at police on at least seven occasions, Hassan said, and he may have also fired at members of the public.The offender drove to the Henderson Police Station, which was immediately locked down."The man exited his vehicle holding a firearm" at the police station, she said.He was warned to drop his weapon but continued brandishing it, ignoring warnings, and was shot."What unfolded today was an inexcusable act of violence towards police staff and members of the public," Hassan said."It is incredibly fortunate that no police officers or members of the public have suffered serious injuries."One police officer suffered minor injuries taking evasive action.Hassan said the offender is known to police and is on active charges relating to drugs and violence. She said his behaviour was extremely unpredictable.A number of crime scenes are being looked at around West Auckland in connection with the case."Gun crime is definitely out there across New Zealand," Hassan said, but expressed confidence that police were working to stamp it out.Hassan said Friday's incident incident brough back grim memories for many police and locals after the killing of Constable Matt Hunt, who died during a police incident in West Auckland in 2020."I've spoken to those officers involved [in today's incident], they're doing okay," Hassan said.There are now several investigations underway. The Independent Police Conduct Authority has also been notified as part of standard practice.Hassan said they will be doing additional patrols in the area.Police association president Chris Cahill said officers involved today will be severly affected for the rest of their lives, by the fact that they've had to take the action they did.Cahill said the evidence to date suggests this was an aggresive offender who left officers with no real options, and it was a difficult situation for officers and that person's whanau.

We had over 40,000+ visits last month in February!!As well as 214,000 page views!!Thank you for your support Thank you for spreading the wordWe are on the up and up, so let's all keep it going!A big year ahead with lots of plans for The Matakana App, an exciting time! Thank you, thank you, thank you from our hearts to yours.Louise, Anita and Zarah ♥💙♥💙

Friday 17th MarchADOBE Bottle Brick Earth building experiential learningRoller Disco Snells BeachLeigh Sawmill Happy Hour Friday Matakana Village Pub - MEAT PACK RAFFLE Every FRI @ 4pmLive Music - Friday nights @ Matakana Village PubFiji Friday @ SmithsSaturday 18th MarchMangawhai Community MarketMangawhai Tavern MarketMatakana Village Farmers MarketMangawhai Walking Weekend 2023Warkworth A&P Lifestyle ShowHarvest FestivalCellar Door Live Session - Matakana EstateMangawhai MenPerfume Workshop with Sarah Dwyer PerfumeMixed Messages Saturday @ SmithsMAGGIE COCCOPest Free Leigh Open DaySunday 19th MarchMatakana Country Park MarketMangawhai Walking Weekend 2023Sunday Service @ SmithsSunday Sessions @ Leigh Sawmill CafeFamily Fun Day at Leigh School

Warkworth RegionFriday 17th March - Mostly cloudy. Showers, some heavy with possible thunderstorms from afternoon. Fresh northerlies, easing in the afternoon.Saturday 18th March - Showers, becoming isolated with longer fine breaks in the morning. Northwesterlies, turning southwesterly in the morning.Sunday 19th March - Fine. Southerlies.Mangawhai RegionFriday 17th March - Mostly cloudy with showers. Fresh northerlies, easing in the afternoon.Saturday 18th March - Occasional rain, easing to isolated showers and fine breaks in the morning. Northwesterlies, turning southwesterly in the morning.Sunday 19th March - Cloud clearing and becoming fine in the morning. Southerlies, easing late.

Our teams have been working hard across Northland after impacts caused by recent weather events.We’ve been making good progress and working alongside Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM), Northland Transport Alliance (NTA), and the Lifelines groups to ensure critical supply lines are maintained and people can move around safely.The latest updates on the state of our Northland highways:SH1 Dome ValleySignificant over slips have been cleared, and temporary barriers installed to shift traffic away from under slips. The designs for permanent repairs are being finalised with materials enroute so you will start to see our teams on site in the next couple of weeks.SH1 Brynderwyn HillsWe have seven major sites that require repair. We have cleared the road surface and installed temporary barriers to allow a single lane of northbound traffic while our teams are working. At any given time, seven teams are working throughout the site.Easter will see an increase in vehicles travelling to and from Northland. To ensure our local road detours aren’t impacted by high volumes of holiday traffic, both northbound and southbound lanes will open from Friday 31 March in time for the Easter break.Our team will then close the highway later in April so they can address the severe under and over slips. Further details regarding dates and duration for the final works are yet to be confirmed.Detour routes for southbound traffic only: light vehicles use The Braigh, to Cove Rd, to Tara Rd, Kaiwaka Mangawhai Rd, return to SH1 at Kaiwaka. Heavy vehicles: use SH14 from Whangarei and SH12 (via Dargaville) to return to SH1 at Brynderwyn.SH12 Dargaville to BrynderwynOpen.SH14 Dargaville to WhangareiOpen. Two bridges have temporary speed limits to minimise the effects of extra loading.SH15 TitokiOpen but reduced to one lane near Tokiri Road due to an underslip.SH16 Kaukapakapa to WaimaukuOpen with temporary speed limits in place at Jordan Road and Omeru Falls.HPMVHigh Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMV) can access Northland in both directions, northbound via SH1 Brynderwyn and southbound on SH12 and SH14 via Dargaville. We send our thanks to the freight industry for your patience during this time.We ask all drivers to please drive to the conditions, adhere to the temporary speed limits and be kind to our people working to restore our state highways.This information is accurate at the time of release and is subject to change due to weather conditions.

Whangārei Harbour - and others along Northland's east coast - are at risk from a new superspreader invasive pest seaweed devastating parts of Great Barrier Island, a Northland ocean ecologist is warning.Tūtūkākā-based ocean ecologist Glenn Edney said it was now a case of when not if the seaweed caulerpa brachypus and or caulerpa parvifolia arrived in Northland.In the case of Whangārei Harbour, its arrival would devastate a harbour already under pressure from run-off, sediment and over-fishing.The two highly invasive exotic seafloor species were first found in New Zealand on Great Barrier Island by members of the public in 2021 and have only been confirmed there and about 65km by sea south on Great Mercury Island off Coromandel's east coast.Edney said Northland's coastline including the internally important Waipū River mouth wildlife refuge, Mangawhai, Tūtūkākā, Ngunguru, Pātaua, the Bay of Islands and Mangonui were among other at-risk harbours. Boats travelling to the Three Kings Islands often leave from Mangonui.Ōpua marina is already displaying a notice about the pest."We need to have an official plan in place before its arrival," Edney said.He said caulerpa posed a greater risk to Northland's east coast due to prevailing sea currents and boat traffic. It was unlikely to be able to get as far as Kaipara Harbour.Edney has been working with community marine projects on Great Barrier Island, visiting there in early March and also with the community, identified the spread of the new seaweed species to a new place on the island in October.He said a piece of these caulerpa species not much bigger than a freckle, arriving at Whangārei Harbour's seagrass beds could grow to become a thick mat covering the area of a rugby field within "a matter of weeks", depending on the time of the year. The short bright green smothering seaweed grows up to 10cm tall and spreads via creeping horizontal runners.Northland ocean ecologist Glenn Edney says harbours like Tūtūkākā (where he is photographed) on the North's east coast are highly at risk from new invasive seaweed on Great Barrier Island. Photo: Northern Acvocate / Tania Whyte.Last month, Cyclone Gabrielle saw 40 tonnes of the pest seaweed washed ashore in huge bright green swathes, covering the beach in a deep thick mat at Great Barrier Island's Okupu Beach at Blind Bay.Edney said the seaweeds' Whangārei Harbour arrival would threaten the estuary's internationally-famous shellfish beds at Mair Bank, Marsden Bank and Snake Bank. It would also put scallop beds at places like Urquharts Bay at risk. Seagrass beds at One Tree Point would also be under threat.This would in turn severely impact the local community's recreational fishing on the harbour. It would also add further pressure for orca visiting the harbour, due to a reduction in the availability of food for stingray, their favourite prey.The new caulerpa species up close at Okupu Beach Great Barrier Island. Photo: Sid Wales / Ministry for Primary IndustriesWhangārei Harbour's seagrass beds were critical juvenile fish habitats."Areas like the Urquharts Bay scallop beds and Mair Bank and Marsden Bank are already closed to try and help hugely under pressure stocks of scallops, cockles and pipis in these places recover," Edney said."If the pest caulerpa species arrived, it would tip these spots over the edge," Edney said.Whangārei Harbour is a major estuary habitat and food source for as many as 2000 shorebirds at a time.Edney said the invasive weed would also impact their world.The highly tenacious and invasive seaweed would cover an area like Snake Bank "within a matter of months:.Key boating harbours and bays on Great Barrier Island's south - including Tryphena and Whangaparapara - have been closed to boaties by a Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) now five-month ban and a mana whenua rāhui is also in place to try and halt the pest's spread.The ban means taking fish, shellfish, seaweed and crayfish is now illegal, along with spearfishing and netting for flounder. Movement of diving and snorkeling gear, kayaks, wetsuits, and boat trailers is also banned. Gathering shellfish and shifting crayfish pots is added into the ban at Great Mercury Island, another popular sailing mecca for upper North Island boaties.Being convicted on charges of not complying with the bans means a fine of up to $50,000 or up to three months' imprisonment.Great Barrier Island is a key part of the country's biggest and busiest Northland, Auckland, and Tauranga boating region. Boats are constantly moving between these areas. This area also includes busy international shipping.The island is about 100km by boat from the Bay of Islands, and 95km from Whangārei. Recreational yachties and boaties from Whangārei and wider Northland visit Great Barrier Island year-round. Commercial operations also take place around the island. It is about 95km by boat from Auckland, 100 kilometres by boat from Tauranga and only 25km from the tip of Coromandel Peninsula.Two species of the non-native caulerpa have been found - caulerpa brachypus and caulerpa parvifolia. The Ministry for Primary Industries website says they are a native to the Indo-Pacific from Africa to Australia, the Pacific and southern Japan. Caulerpa brachypus is considered an invasive pest in the US' Florida and Caribbean's Martinique Island.Mount Manaia watches over the entrance to at-risk Whangārei Harbour, less than 100 kilometres from new invasive super spreader seaweed on Great Barrier Island. Photo: Northern Acvocate / Tania WhyteEdney said affected Great Barrier Island communities were highly distressed about what was happening, how the pest had been allowed to proliferate and what the official plan for dealing with it was going forward.He said nobody knew where the pest, which has also majorly infested areas such as the Mediterranean, had come from to Great Barrier Island.Overseas ships whose hulls are too fouled, are regularly turned away from Auckland's port and are known to travel to deeper water including near Great Barrier Island, anchoring there to clean their boats.Edney said the two caulerpa species had been thought to cover only sandy seabeds, but at Great Barrier they were also taking over rocky areas and growing up ecklonia kelp stems.Information about the two new caulerpa seaweeds can also be found via Northland Regional Council's online pest hub.Information about the new seaweed invaders and what to do if finding it can be found here: Biosecurity New Zealand/Ministry for Primary Industries.

Auckland's City Rail Link will be finished a year late and cost an extra $1 billion.Inflation, Covid-19 and associated lockdowns and staffing are being blamed for a 25 percent increase in costs.Construction of the rail project's stations and supporting rail infrastructure is now likely to be completed by the end of 2025.City Rail Link Limited (CRL) has requested an extra $1.074b in funding, bringing the total cost to an estimated $5.493b.The previous estimate of $4.419b was approved by the council and government in May 2019.Following the end of the construction programme in November 2025, CRL will hand over the infrastructure to KiwiRail and Auckland Transport, which will carry out additional work required to open the CRL to its first passengers.Construction had been due to finish late next year.CRL chief executive Sean Sweeney said in a statement the extra funding and delays were primarily due to the Covid-19 pandemic; time lost on site and the knock on effect on the supply chain, resourcing, materials, and labour costs."People need to remember that in Auckland we endured two level four lockdowns, a further 280 days of restricted working conditions (Covid traffic light system) and we lost 3.2 million hours through illness among staff, with 800-plus workers infected."CRL chief executive Sean Sweeney says the pandemic was the primary reason for delays. Photo: STUFF / Ryan AndersonAuckland Council said the increase meant tough choices in its 10-year budget, as it also dealt with weather-related costs.Initial estimates of the council's operational response to the floods and cyclone, and returning assets to their previous service levels, are between $900 million and $1.2b.The council said it could cover the increased capital requirement from CRL and weather costs within existing debt limits, and can consider a mix of funding options through its 10-year Budget 2024-2034.Its governing body will consider the City Rail Link funding request when it meets next week.New Zealand's first underground metro rail network has already seen rising costs. In April 2019, it rose by $1b from the previous $3.4b estimate made in 2014.An estimated 54,000 passengers an hour will use CRL stations at peak times.Twin 3.4km tunnels will connect Britomart with Mount Eden Station on the western line, and two new underground stations, Karanga-a-Hape and Midtown, were being built.Auckland Airport share saleAuckland Council said its financial strategy set a limit for debt not to exceed 290 percent of operating revenues.The proposed Annual Budget 2023/2024 indicated, after taking into account debt reduction from the sale of Auckland International Airport shares, that the ratio out to 2030/2031 would track below 220 percent.Auckland Council has considered whether it should sell its stake in the airport.Initial financial modelling suggested that even without the proposed airport share sale debt and revenue would remain within limits but could make its operating position difficult from the 2024/2025 financial year.Funding options included reducing or deferring other capital spending, further sale of assets, service reductions or rates increases.It might also explore changes to funding arrangements with the government, including new revenue tools and the possible use of future 'better-off' funding as part of the Three Waters reform programme.Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance spokesperson Josh Van Veen said the City Rail Link costs would stretch Auckland Council finances to breaking point, and councillors must choose between big rate increases or the sale of non-strategic assets.In a statement, Van Veen said the council was already in trouble with a $295m budget hole."In December, Mayor Brown proposed a $130m savings package that will reduce council expenditure by 1.7 percent and keep rate increases below inflation. The proposal included the sale of shares in Auckland International Airport."While many councillors have argued against the sale of airport shares on philosophical grounds, today's announcement from CRL Limited brings home the bleak reality. Unless the council's $2b stake in the airport is sold, the Governing Body will have no choice but to impose big double-digit rate increases that will punish low-income households and worsen the cost-of-living crisis."