A Civil Defence centre was opened in East Auckland on Sunday night after a reported tornado hit the East Tāmaki area, damaging homes and leaving debris strewn across roads.The Auckland Emergency Management said residents who were displaced or unable to shelter with family or friends could head to the Howick Leisure Centre at 563 Pakuranga Road.Overnight, firefighters helped residents to put tarpaulins over damaged roofs and attended to other minor property damage in East Auckland.Many properties lost tiles and windows and had items damaged by falling trees.Fire and Emergency Incident Controller David McKeown said most of the damage reports were from homes in about 11 streets from Golflands to East Tāmaki.Five crews responded to about 50 requests for assistance, with some people approaching the firefighters directly for help when they saw the fire trucks in their area.A FENZ worker attends to a damaged roof at Erne Crescent in East Tāmaki, Auckland on 9 April. Photo: Stuff/Ricky WilsonFire and Emergency NZ also deployed its Specialist Technical Rescue Tender, a Command Unit and an Incident Support Vehicle with salvage equipment.There were no reports of injuries, a St John spokesperson said.Harry Bedi, resident of nearby Attymon Lane, said the loud thudding noise of the tornado came through after a short period of heavy rain."I can't explain it, but it was a thudding sound. It was scary," Bedi said.Bedi said his house wasn't damaged, but he was worried about the family cat that was outside, and Bedi had gone out to call to the feline after the thudding had stopped.Bedi said the thudding lasted for a few minutes.Trees were uplifted and knocked over. Photo: Stuff/Ricky WilsonFENZ said the calls they had received calls "include roofs lifted off houses and fallen trees, mostly in an area from Flat Bush to Tāmaki".Auckland Emergency Management said it was aware of reports of "tornado-like weather" in East Tāmaki, which had caused damage to homes.For Manukau, MetService has forecast rain that could be possibly heavy, with a risk of squally thunderstorms and hail.

A road safety charity says people driving home from their Easter holiday this weekend should plan their journey, take breaks and keep below speed limits.The Easter weekend road toll is currently at zero.Last year, four people were killed on the roads in the same period.Brake New Zealand director Caroline Perry said crashes had devastating consequences for families and communities, and everyone had a role to play in keeping the road toll down.She said it was not only important to focus on reducing deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand roads at holiday weekends, but at all times.In 2020, the Easter road toll ended at zero for the first time since 2012, but the country was under Covid-19 lockdown.

Tourism New Zealand says the industry's recovery is beginning to plateau after a stronger than expected return.Its chief executive, René de Monchy, said the tourism industry was sitting about 50 percent of where it was pre-Covid.The desire to travel to Aotearoa had been strong and people had embraced the removal of travel restrictions, de Monchy said."That first 50 percent of the recovery has come back a little faster than people had anticipated so that's been strong to see. I think the next 50 percent is going to be quite different and quite a bit more competitive."It was partly due to tougher economic times hitting world markets, de Monchy said."We are starting to get some early signals and we're seeing that a little bit in a plateau of arrivals as well, so I think it's going to be pretty competitive for us to be compelling for visitors to choose us as a destination."But the recovery was not without its hurdles as parts of the industry had struggled to scale back up, particularly with staffing, he said."A little bit more demand than expected, a little more supply constraint than expected has meant some challenges."Mid-April marks a year since the border with Australia opened without requiring quarantine or isolation.Australia and the United States had both helped the recovery, with arrivals from across the ditch returning to about 80 percent of where it was pre-pandemic, de Monchy said.The main visitor market that had been missing was China, but he said they were returning now that restrictions there had eased too.Pre-Covid, tourism was the country's biggest export earner and with its recovery tracking better than expected, de Monchy said there was the potential for the industry to provide a buffer for the economy with tougher times ahead.

Business owners feel helpless in the face of crime and and have lost hope in the authorities after more break-ins and attacks, a business group claims.Shop robberies and break-ins were making a mockery of the government's recent announcement that youth crime is down, Dairy and Business Owners Group chairman Sunny Kaushal said.A Hamilton superette worker needed hospital treatment on Thursday night after being assaulted during a robbery.And there were two smash and grabs in Auckland on Friday morning, with six young people arrested after one ram-raid.People did not feel safe doing their jobs, Kaushal said."They have no hope left in the current authorities and the law and order system, because it's currently shattered all over. No-one is feeling safe," he said.Among the frustrations facing those targeted was the knowledge they could not detain young people during a crime - which Kaushal said those committing the crimes knew too."As a business owner we can't detain kids, and the kids know it. These business owners, they are feeling helpless."The people have lost faith there is any accountability in our judicial system."He said there needed to be zero tolerance for retail and youth crime, and that the country must get tough on crime or the problem was not going to be solved.What the authorities have said about retail crimeGinny Andersen was named as the government's new police minister late last month.She quickly said she would focus on improving community safety, with a focus on targeting retail crime and youth offending by working on making sure police were available on the front line to respond.Crime reporting data showed that from 2018 to 2022 reported retail crime rose by 39 percent.The figures were released by the police minister to the National Party and reported last month.Police said the increase was partly due to the new Auror system that made it easier to report low-level crime - particularly for large retailers, and the data showed 82 percent of reports were for low-level crimes like shoplifting or theft valued at less than $500.But National Party police spokesperson Mark Mitchell said it showed an average of 292 recorded retail crimes each day during 2022, a significant rise from 140 each day in 2018, with dramatic increases in eight out of 12 policing districts, and that it was likely some crime was still going unreported.Last month the police's new National Retail Investigation Support Unit marked 1000 charges laid, since it began operating in May last year.In November, the government announced a $4 million fund to support local council crime prevention programmes to be matched dollar-for-dollar with councils. This included a $4000 subsidy to shops and dairies to install fog cannons.A $6m crime prevention package, the Small Retailer Crime Prevention Fund was announced by the government in May last year, including funds to help retailers install bollards, and other measures to prevent ram raids and robberies. And the then-police minister Poto Williams acknowledged that there had been a spike in ram raids.

On a regular Sunday, Auckland's shopping precincts are buzzing with residents and visitors trawling the stores.But not Easter Sunday - it's one of just three-and-a-half days a year, along with Good Friday, Christmas Day, and half of Anzac Day, where trading is restricted.It means unless a business meets specific criteria, it is not going to open its doors.Some shops are allowed to open throughout the weekend, while others can only operate on Easter Sunday but not Friday.The rules depend on where you are in New Zealand.So, if you find yourself wondering every year what is open on Easter weekend, you're not alone.While petrol stations, dairies, cafes, and restaurants can open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, supermarkets and department stores cannot.Among the few exemptions to the rule are garden centres.Under a 2001 amendment to the Shop Trading Hours Act, they could open on Easter Sunday, but not Good Friday.In the past, some Plant Barns chose to open on Good Friday, risking fines of up to $1000.Last year, the Labour Inspectorate only inspected two businesses from the 17 complaints it received, issuing a total of $1500 in fines.In 2021, all 19 complaints received were assessed, resulting in two prosecutions.Despite the low number of prosecutions, Andrews said Plant Barn would not be taking the chance this year."We're not open Good Friday; we're not open half of Anzac Day."We've picked the times we're allowed to be open and that's what we've chosen."In 2017, local councils got to decide for themselves whether shops in their areas could open on Easter Sunday.Most shops on Auckland's Parnell Road are able to open on Easter Sunday due to a special exemption issued in 1989.Across New Zealand, 44 councils put in place policies allowing for just that.But Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, and some other large cities, had not done so yet, meaning about two-thirds of the population were still bound by the old rules.Adding to the confusion was the fact that some specific areas within cities or districts had their own set of rules.On Auckland's Parnell Road, for example, all manner of shops (apart from off-licences covered by the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act) were able to open on Easter Sunday, due to a special exemption issued in 1989.To Aucklander Dan Clark, this made no sense."I think it's unfair, to be honest."Every shop should have its own choice and every business should have its own choice."Everyone's got to pay rent as well - the shops that are closed still have to pay rent on those days."Among the viaduct's bars and restaurants, people had mixed views on what Easter should be about."Easter for me has always been family time," one woman said."I just wish everyone could stay and enjoy each other.""I think they should have the choice," a man said."If they want to work, they should work. Having the choice is better."Venues selling alcohol had additional requirements over the weekend under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act.People could not buy alcohol on Good Friday or Easter Sunday unless they were at a venue for the purposes of dining.At restaurants like Oyster and Chop, business manager Richard Pepper said the rule made little difference."It doesn't really affect our core business, which obviously is food accentuated with beverage, rather than being beverage-driven," he said.But the restaurant was unable to deliver certain promotions like its Oyster Happy Hour, which would be too focused on drinking."Obviously our bar trade is down a little bit, but on the flipside, we find that our dining trade often increases."If people can't come in to [just] have a drink, they'll come in and have dinner and a drink, or lunch and a drink."In some ways, the negative effect on casual trade has a positive effect on spend per head."Around the corner at cocktail bar The Parasol and Swing, it was a slightly different story.Bar manager Callum Ireland said punters were often more than a little confused when it came to the weekend's rules."You're just turning people away: 'Oh, can we come and have a drink?'"'No, you can't, not unless you go and buy all this food with it as well.'"'Oh, but we were just out for lunch.'"'Yeah, you should have stayed there, because now that you've come here, I can't serve you.'"It's frustrating; it's very frustrating."Labour Inspectorate regional manager David Milne said that in New Zealand, every shop had to remain closed before 1pm on Anzac Day, and all day on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas Day under the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990.However, trading on Easter Sunday was allowed under the Act if there was an area exemption in place or it was allowed by local territorial authorities."It is important for workers to know they are able to refuse to work Easter Sunday, and it is important that employers don't take advantage," Milne said.Farmers and craft market stalls could open, but only within the premises of an exhibition or show devoted primarily to agriculture, arts, industry, or science, he said."The goods sold must be connected to that exhibition - for example, arts and crafts at an arts and crafts show."An Auckland Council spokesperson said the council had not reviewed its Easter trading arrangements since 2017, and currently had no plans to review them.Here's what can open on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday:Petrol stationsDairiesGreengrocersCafesRestaurantsTakeawaysDuty-free storesShops providing services like hairdressersReal estate agenciesPharmaciesSouvenir shopsSome shops at public transport terminalsSome shops at exhibitions, shows, or marketsGarden centres (only on Easter Sunday)

Today is the last day for our Easter giveaway with Warkworth Butchery who have gifted us a $25 voucher for their delicious meat!Enter here Easter GiveawayGood luck!A winner will be drawn over the Easter weekend!

Friday 7th AprilLeigh Sawmill - Friday Happy HourLive Music - Friday nights @ Matakana Village PubFiji Fridays @ SmithsMatakana Country Park GOOD FRIDAY NIGHT MARKETSaturday 8th AprilMatakana Food & Beer FestivalMangawhai Tavern MarketMangawhai Community MarketMatakana Village Farmers MarketMusic in the vinesMixed Messages Saturday @ SmithsSunday 9th AprilSculptureum Easter Brunch & LunchMatakana Country Park Market EASTER SUNDAYMangawhai Car Show - Mainstream Mangawhai Easter HopEaster Sunday With Kate Wood @ Mangawhai TavernSunday Service @ SmithsSunday Sessions @ Leigh Sawmill Cafe

Warkworth RegionFriday 7th April - Partly cloudy. The odd morning shower, particularly about Great Barrier Island. Southeasterlies, becoming fresh this afternoon.Saturday 8th April - Rain, easing to isolated showers and fine breaks in the afternoon. Fresh southeasterlies, turning lighter southwesterly in the afternoon.Sunday 9th April - Cloud increasing, with occasional rain developing in the afternoon. Westerlies, turning to fresh northwesterlies.Monday 10th - Cloudy periods with occasional showers. Fresh northwesterlies.Mangawhai RegionFriday 7th April - A few showers, with fine spells in between. Fresh southeasterlies.Saturday 8th April - Rain, easing to a few showers in the afternoon. Southwesterlies.Sunday 9th April - A few showers developing. Northwesterlies.Monday 10th - A few showers. Northwesterlies.

TRAFFIC UPDATESBrynderwyns are open temporarily during Easter weekend in both directions. Drive with care.Wellsford Town - Traffic is backed up for miles on state highway 1 and 16, expect delays.Glorit - State Highway 16 will have a reseal and a Stop/Go, expect delays.Kaipara Flats Road and Hudson Roads on State Highway 1 Kerbing and Channelling/paving will be done on a Stop Go and this will be night work.Puhoi Northern Bound offramp and State Highway 1 will have onsite traffic management for traffic flow northern traffic. So a stop /go will be on for 24/7 traffic lights. Major delays hours ago, but seems to have eased somewhat, still expect delays.WEATHER UPDATEWhangarei Region has a Heavy Rain WatchPeriod: 48hrs from noon Thursday, 6 Apr - noon Saturday, 8 AprArea: NorthlandForecast: Periods of heavy rain with a risk of localised downpours. Amounts may approach warning criteria.

Rising costs mean families on low incomes are struggling to farewell loved ones with dignity and respect, the Funeral Directors Association says.This month the Work and Income funeral grant increased by seven percent to $2445.Association chief executive Gillian Boyes said Work and Income often paid out 80 to 90 percent of the grant.The grant was last reviewed in 2003 and went up with inflation, she said.But just like everything else, funeral costs had increased too, Boyes said.She told Checkpoint some funeral directors were accepting drip payments for services that could take years to pay off."It's getting pretty hard for them to cover the costs with the increasing costs that they've got as well."The big costs involved in a funeral were the plot, casket and funeral director's fee, she said.People in Gisborne and Bay of Plenty, on a per capita basis, tend to be the highest users of the funeral grant, according to figures obtained from the Ministry of Social Development by the Funeral Directors Association."They just haven't got the money for a funeral and so they just have to rely on government support."How much does a basic funeral cost?"Something really basic, perhaps with a cremation would be about $6500 on average," Boyes said."Something with a burial might be upwards of $8500 - a long way away from that $2400 figure."When funeral directors charge their fee, they're consolidating all of their costs into one invoice for the convenience of the family."Even the most simple funerals still require embalming, body transfer and casket costs, which were still likely to exceed $5000, she said."There's not a lot to cut out from there, there's things you can do as a family - do your own flowers, do you're own catering etc - but those are not the big costs."

With nesting over and moulting probably over, we can now get some feeling for how the 22/23 season has gone.It must have been a horrible one for the poor little kororā as they’ve battled floods through their nests and high seas blocking access totheir shore sites. Half of our LPP penguin boxes were smashed in the cyclone.They were in positions that have never been near storm surges in the past, so if the meteorologists’ prediction that this is the new normal is correct, we need toreview where we put them! For all the Kororā who chose natural sites rather than boxes, it has been tough. Storm after storm, their nest tunnels have beenblocked by debris, opened again, only to be blocked once more.We have an important request to make. Please, if you see a Kororā anywhere, do not touch it. Lifting them can easily cause harm to the bird. While they mightlook distressed, they probably aren’t. They might be disheveled because they are moulting! (Rod Stewart’s hair can look ragged but he’s just fine!) However, ifthere are obvious injuries, or if you feel they are vulnerable to dog disturbance, please ring us and let us know. Madeleine 027 565 8817; Jenny 021 167 1524;Tony 021 0251 9299.My learning for this month came from a Kororā/Little Blue Penguin that was reported in Matheson Bay. When I saw it, it wasn’t blue. Not even a hint of blue.It was a definite brown colour. After consulting an expert from the NZ Penguin Initiative I now know that as they approach moulting season their gorgeousblue plumage fades to gorgeous grey brown. It almost looked like a different bird!Neil Sutherland. For the LPP team. Reposted with permission from Leigh Rag - [email protected]

PLAN AHEAD FOR HOLIDAY WEEKEND TRAFFICOver the Easter weekend holiday period, subject to weather activity, we expect to see large numbers of people leaving their homes and heading for popular holiday destinations. We are anticipating some traffic delays during this period, especially for those heading to the Bay of Islands or other beach destinations, or down to Auckland, so please plan ahead if you will be travelling on any state highway routes across the Northland region.To help plan your journey, check out our predictive Holiday Journeys information on our Highway Conditions map here: https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/regions/northland (white icons with 2 blue cars). These contain traffic flow forecasts across popular holiday routes, based on previous years travel patterns.Consider leaving when traffic is lighter, either early in the morning or later in the evening, or consider traveling on a different day (if possible) and always remember to drive to the conditions.

The free Mangawhai village to beach loop bus is back on the road for Easter weekend 7-10 April.The bus loops from the Domain in the village to the surf beach between 10am and 5.30pm.Schedule below.

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT by Mangawhai local artist Shann Whitaker.This Wednesday 5th April 3.30pm = 5.30pm.We are starting a mural on the two water tanks behind the Mangawhai Artists Gallery.We are looking for some kids/adults to come and grab a paint brush and get involved for a couple of hours.There is a design to follow and I will be on hand to oversee and help. So put on your paint clothes and come on down to be part of this community project.

NIWA has been called in to investigate evidence of snapper in the Hauraki Gulf suffering from milky white flesh syndrome.The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said the syndrome had been affecting snapper in the Hauraki Gulf and East Northland areas, and were reports of it in other finfish species, such as trevally. The condition can cause nutrient deficiencies.A report from Biosecurity New Zealand, obtained by Newshub, said some snapper were showing signs of prolonged starvation.MPI has contracted NIWA to investigate commercial catch samples, and recreational catch is also being monitored.NIWA fisheries scientist Dr Darren Parsons said there had been reports of the syndrome in halibut in Alaska, but it was relatively new in New Zealand.In August 2022 fishers began reporting the flesh of snapper was white, opaque and in some cases mushy and even slimy, he said."We can see externally, when looking at extreme cases of these fish, they're visibly skinny, the tissue has sunken away."Though some have suggested trawling or sediment runoff was to blame, Parsons said the cause wasn't yet known."I don't see fishing having changed in a way that would contribute to this, but it's speculation at this stage."There was less commercial fishing in the Hauraki Gulf than five years ago, while the syndrome had been reported recently, he said.One possibility was that it was the result of El Nino and La Nina climate cycles, which change the water mixing and availability of nutrients.Food safety tests had not shown up any reason why the fish would be unsafe to eat, he said."From what I'm hearing from fishers, though, they're not as palatable ... and as a result the commercial fishery has moved away from the areas where these fish have been most commonly caught, which at this stage is the Hauraki Gulf, especially the inner Hauraki Gulf."The East Northland coast and a little of the Bay of Plenty were also affected, but snapper stocks on the west coast of the North Island and Nelson were not.

Warkworth RegionMonday 3rd April - Fine spells and a few showers, becoming mainly fine this afternoon as showers retreat to the west. Southwesterlies.Tuesday 4th April - Fine. Fresh southerlies, easing early.Wednesday 5th April - Fine. Southerlies, easing early.Thursday 6th April - Partly cloudy, with isolated showers developing later. Light winds.Friday 7th April - Cloudy. Southeasterlies, becoming fresh.Saturday 8th April - Occasional rain, becoming persistent. Easterlies, becoming strong.Sunday 8th April - Partly cloudy with easterlies.Mangawhai RegionMonday 3rd April - Partly cloudy with the odd morning shower, then fine. Southwesterlies.Tuesday 4th April - Fine. Southerlies.Wednesday 5th April - Fine with light winds.Thursday 6th April - Partly cloudy a few showers developing. Easterlies.Friday 7th April - Rain. Southeasterlies.Saturday 8th April - Rain with strong easterlies.Sunday 8th April - A few showers with easterlies.

The living wage is being increased to $26 per hour from 1 September.The Living Wage Movement said the wage has undergone a full recalculation, resulting in thousands of workers receiving a pay increase.It is an increase of $2.35 or 9.9 percent on the 2022/23 rate.Employers who take part in the Living Wage Movement agree to pay their employees the set amount per hour.According to their website, it is set apart from the minimum wage, and worker and whānau focused to ensure workers can live with dignity and participate in society.A full recalculation of the living wage happens every five years.In other years, the living wage is linked to movement in New Zealand's average hourly wages.Chairperson of the Living Wage Movement Rev Stephen King said "the full recalculation ensures the living wage will continue to address in-work poverty, and offer working people greater security and wellbeing."He said "with rising costs and pressures on low waged workers, we are seeing increased hardship in the community".King said the recalculation quantified how much costs had gone up.Rose Kavapalu, a cleaner who is paid the living wage, said the increase of $2.35 an hour would make a huge impact in covering costs such as food and petrol."Since petrol prices have gone up, we've cut down on visits to extended family."Now, I'll be able to take the grandkids to visit their cousins. We would feel like a family again."Kavapalu would like to see more employers pay the living wage.She said with many employers short staffed, acknowledging the value of their employees could make a difference to retention."The living wage might feel like five cents to some people, but to me and my family, it means finally living a life."Ria Lingad, owner of Your Local Coffee Roasters in Pukekohe, is an accredited living wage employer.She said retention of staff was a big focus for her business.Lingad said they had already started incrementally increasing staff wages ahead of the September deadline.She said it wasn't just the commitment to the living wage that enticed employees, but also the company's culture.

Public hospitals are poised to start paying back tens of thousands of staff for breaches of the Holidays Act.They have been working for years with expensive consultants trying to unpick the tangle and bring in new payroll systems.Te Whatu Ora Health NZ said it now expected payments to current staff to begin in July.An estimated 270,000 current and former staff are owed money stretching back to 2010.Health NZ did not provide an update of its liability which last November was put at almost two billion dollars, double the estimate of 2021.Interim chief people officer Jim Green said teams across New Zealand were working to recalculate former and current staff holiday pay "as efficiently as possible, without compromising the process and outcomes"."It is anticipated that we will be on a pathway to making payments to current staff, district by district, starting from July 2023."You will understand that we cannot be more specific than this at the moment, given the processes that need to be worked through prior to any payments being made."Reform of the complicated Holidays Act itself has been delayed yet again, to after the election.

We are still receiving reports of text messages claiming to be from NZTA, various NZ banks and IRD asking recipients to pay a small sum or ‘toll’. This is a phishing campaign. If you receive an unexpected text message, follow these 5 steps:1. Check it’s legit - contact the organisation directly to check the message is real.2. Do not click on any suspicious hyperlinks.3. Never provide any personal details – including bank or payment card details.4. Keep an eye on the spelling – spelling and grammar mistakes are a common feature of scams and spam.5. Forward the message directly to us at 7726 for free.