More than 150 homes in Churton Park are still without power but electricity has been restored to houses in Johnsonville Wellington Electricity estimates it could be close to midnight before the power can be restored to all the remaining properties Fire and Emergency said a transformer was on fire but had since been put out Fire and Emergency spokesperson Murray Dunbar said two firetrucks were called to the scene at 11.30am They had to wait while the power was turned off before they could extinguish the fire A Wellington Electricity contractor who did not want to be named said they were trying to find out how the transformer caught fire It was fully burnt out and would need a complete replacement Earlier the contractor said they would try to "back feed" power which meant getting power back on to households while they were replacing the transformer and work would likely continue into the evening "It's the first time I've seen a transformer on fire," he told RNZ A woman said she called 111 after spotting smoke coming from an electricity transformer which caught fire which earlier cut power to about 1000 Wellington properties Resident Lisa Prior said earlier she was driving past the transformer and noticed that the door was open and firefighters told her flames from the tranformer had caught nearby trees on fire - but it was now out and initially thought it might have been the rubbish truck but then a neighbour told her about the transformer She used the outage as an excuse to read her book and said she and her husband would probably visit one of their children for dinner if the power was not restored by then Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday alert-top RSS Follow RNZ News Fire and Emergency responded to black smoke billowing from the electrical structure in Churton Park with two trucks at around 11.30am. Footage provided to 1News showed crews at the scene of the blaze on the corner of Halswater Dr and Burbank Cres. Black smoke issued from the burning transformer as firefighters moved in to tackle the situaton. Wellington Electricity said around 1000 customers were directly impacted by the outage while another 1600 had their power disconnected as repairs were made. By 3pm, the number of affected customers was down to 148, whose power was expected to be restored by midnight. "We are working to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible," Wellington Electricity said. Fire and Emergency responded to the fire in Churton Park with two trucks at around 11.30am. (Source: Roger Feng) (Source: Supplied) Around 150 homes in Wellington's north are expected to be without power until midnight tonight after a transformer burst into flames this morning. Man's cigarette smuggling attempt stubbed out Customs said the body-packing of the more than 1600 cigarettes was "an attempt to defraud Customs revenue" Crime and Justice Wellington Airport's giant eagles to depart terminal "They have been a huge success and travellers from around the world have loved admiring them." New Zealand How this city is bucking the national trend for new home builds More than 500 homes were built in the city last year about half of them social housing or affordable rentals New Zealand's most valuable state house cannot be subdivided The almost $4 million villa sits on 619 square metres of land in one of Auckland's sought-after heritage areas Politics Wellington residents 'left in limbo' as power outages continue Thousands of homes lost power during the storm which battered the region this week 'Politics has become an ugly place': Tory Whanau on mayoral role Whanau announced this week she will not stand again for the Wellington mayoralty US states push for speed-limiting devices on the cars of dangerous drivers 23 mins ago Ten dead after tourist boats capsize in sudden storm in China 36 mins ago Qantas confirms new Auckland-Perth flights 52 mins ago Britain's VE Day parade draws thousands celebrating 80th anniversary 8:30am Blaze at McDonald's in east Auckland treated as suspected arson 8:24am Person dies following morning crash on Auckland motorway 14 mins ago 1Two men's shared name brings years of trouble and a hefty bill to one The 'Trump slump' boosts the left in Canada and Oz – but what about NZ? Destiny Church to move out of its South Auckland headquarters Erica Stanford sent pre-Budget documents to her personal email Erin Patterson shared love of mushrooms in online group Two arrested over alleged plot targeting Lady Gaga concert in RioBrazilian police said they thwarted an alleged bomb attack planned for Lady Gaga's concert on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. Lady Gaga rocks Copacabana Beach with free concert for over 2 million fansCries of joy rose from the tightly-packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Lorde announces new album name, dateThu, May 1 Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris trial over 2016 armed robberyMon, Apr 28 Chubby Checker, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper join Rock & Roll Hall of FameMon, Apr 28 Lorde releases new single after weeks of cryptic teasesThu, Apr 24 Chubby Checker, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper join Rock & Roll Hall of FameMon Around 150 homes in Wellington's north are expected to be without power until midnight tonight after a transformer burst into flames this morning Fire and Emergency responded to black smoke billowing from the electrical structure in Churton Park with two trucks at around 11.30am Footage provided to 1News showed crews at the scene of the blaze on the corner of Halswater Dr and Burbank Cres Black smoke issued from the burning transformer as firefighters moved in to tackle the situaton Wellington Electricity said around 1000 customers were directly impacted by the outage while another 1600 had their power disconnected as repairs were made the number of affected customers was down to 148 whose power was expected to be restored by midnight "We are working to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible," Wellington Electricity said Wellington's famous eagles will take flight from the airport this week after 12 years in the terminal They will be replaced by a new display that is currently being kept under wraps Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke said that the departure of the birds (and their passenger Gandalf) will be emotional for staff "They have been a huge success and travellers from around the world have loved admiring them After 12 years it's the right time for them to fly the nest “We’re working with Wētā Workshop on some exciting plans for a unique locally themed replacement to take their place." The eagles were created by Wētā Workshop as a tie-in with the Hobbit movies and unveiled in December 2013 Each bird weighs 1.2 tonnes and has a 15-metre wingspan Wētā Workshop co-founder and chief creative officer Richard Taylor said it's a "bittersweet moment" saying goodbye to them "There are many more stories to be told and we're looking forward to working with Wellington Airport on bringing a new chapter to life."  The eagles will be taken down and disassembled on Friday May 9 and placed into storage with long-term plans for them still yet to be decided "We’ll unveil what’s next later this year so keep watching the skies," Clarke said Tolkien fans will be relieved to know that Smaug the Magnificent will remain in the check-in area Rotorua has hit its highest number of new build homes in 14 years It comes as a new assessment finds the city has more than enough future housing capacity Rotorua Lakes Council destination development group manager Jean-Paul Gaston told an April meeting many of the 522 houses were built in the central and western areas Net new homes reached 483 after accounting for homes removed to make way for developments It was the third year in a row that new home numbers peaked since 2011 and another 600 homes were in the pipeline for the next couple of years Data provided to Local Democracy Reporting showed 304 of the new houses were built in Rotorua's western and central areas: The council had a goal of building 3000 new homes in those areas by 2032 Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said improving housing options for the city remained a top priority for the council as it would have "huge benefits for our community" "These housing developments are not just public homes including affordable rentals and retirement options for our older residents "I know the economy has been uncertain but despite slower markets elsewhere we've got a strong number of building consents coming through in Rotorua." Tapsell said the council would continue to work to unlock land and opportunities for new homes Local Democracy Reporting wrote that $259 million worth of new residential and commercial buildings were consented in Rotorua in the year to September — more than double the $112.2m of consents issued in 2023 new dwelling consents nationwide in 2024 were down 9.8% on 2023 Gaston wrote in the meeting’s agenda the city avoided the national decline in building numbers because of multi-year investment by Kāinga Ora and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development support for Māori affordable rental development and significant staged developments such as Freedom Village The recent fast-track consenting of a new Summerset lifestyle village in Fairy Springs provided additional future certainty of 260 housing units within the short/medium-term Other projects included the first 16 homes in the Ōwhata Kōhanga Rākau iwi-led housing development on the east side of Rotorua which opened in November and will eventually have 93 homes including 38 affordable rentals and kaumātua housing A council spokesperson said it knew of 262 among last year's 522 new builds that were social housing or affordable rentals Among these were 17 two-bedroom and three three-bedroom homes on Lake Rd A Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga — Ministry of Housing and Urban Development spokesman said 101 homes were built as part of MHUD housing programmes including 80 iwi-led Māori affordable rentals Kāinga Ora added 104 new social housing places to its stock in Rotorua The spokesman said Rotorua's housing shortage resulted from a rapid increase in the resident population from 2013 and too few houses being built to meet the demand The rental market tightened and rents rose relative to incomes leading to more households on the Housing Register and large numbers in temporary or emergency accommodation This peaked at 699 households in December 2021 The ministry partnered with others including iwi and the council to make a plan for Rotorua including short-term and more permanent housing solutions The number of households in temporary and emergency housing had dropped to 96 as of March "This is a result of the Government's significant investment in Rotorua." The city remained a priority for the Ministry with a "strong pipeline" of additional housing places to be delivered — 170 state homes by mid-2025 and another 72 by July 2026 The Government was criticised for using Rotorua's motels as a "dumping ground" for the country's homeless during peak pandemic years but consistently denied actively bringing in out-of-towners The last Housing and Business Development Capacity Assessment in 2021 projected the city was heading for a 10,000-home shortage in the long-term An updated assessment from 2024 presented to a council meeting on Wednesday found an overall surplus of 300 — 1600 dwellings short-term This turnaround was broadly credited to work identifying and preparing new greenfield (undeveloped) land for housing "This puts the district in a good position to respond to what the community needs as it grows and to make adjustments if needed," Gaston said in a statement LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air The country's most valuable state house sits on a large plot of land that cannot be subdivided because it is in one of Auckland's sought-after heritage areas The state house is a 1900s villa on a leafy street in the inner city suburb of Ponsonby and is worth close to $4 million It is a neighbourhood associated with celebrities from sailors to pop stars — last year Lorde sold her luxury villa next door for $4.3m Auckland Council records show the state house is on 619sq metres of land and is subject to hefty development restrictions because it is in both a special character area and historic heritage area That means the land could not be subdivided and any changes to the villa would need council permission Data from Corelogic shows the five most valuable single dwelling homes in Kāinga Ora's portfolio are all worth more than $3.5m Building projects that would create more than 1000 state homes are on hold while Kāinga Ora reviews its portfolio The agency also intends to sell about 900 homes nationally over the next 12-18 months — currently 49 state homes are on the market — of which 32 are in Auckland The money generated by selling off those properties would then be reinvested in more affordable areas The woman living in the country's most valuable state house last week told RNZ it should be sold in part because she feels increasingly out of place in the upmarket suburb finance and policy Gareth Stiven said none of the five most valuable state homes were for sale or had development plans "Like other high value properties in our portfolio these five homes could be sold further down the track Our current national divestment programme has just begun so assessing homes that will be sold is an ongoing process." All five of the most valuable state homes are in Auckland and all but one could be subdivided according to council planning rules is worth $3.7m and the 4626 square metre land has no significant development constraints is worth $3.5m and is on 2904 square metres of land that could be developed into up to 20 homes could potentially be subdivided into four units Corelogic head of research Nick Goodall earlier said the properties' values were tied up in large plots of land "It shows that you could probably build multiple units on that block of land to get better use and more people living in that area which would be well in demand from people wanting to live there to be closer to town." Goodall believed Kāinga Ora should be considering the future of all five of its most valuable properties "There's probably lots of potential development all across Auckland You would expect that these would be ones that would be on the list to look at." rnz.co.nz Frustration is mounting among residents in Wellington who have been without power since early Thursday but Wellington Electricity says some repairs will continue until the middle of next week Natasha Eagle and her two children have been coping without electricity at their Island Bay home for four days She said communication had been muddled and sparse and it was difficult having no idea whether restoration was hours or days away That view was backed up by Brooklyn resident Sean Keaney He said he and his family of five had been without electricity since midnight Thursday He said they were the only house in the street affected and an electrician had confirmed the problem was at the pole Keaney said communication from Wellington Electricity had been appalling "However there is absolutely no information for us and others like us I've called multiple times to be told 'we have no ETA' we don't have any information on when someone will be there' and when I pushed and asked to talk to someone to escalate this was told they 'don't want to talk to you and you can make a complaint when it's all resolved' "This is appalling communication from Wellington Electricity - they will have a schedule of work and an idea of when they could be out to fix but refusing to share it as our family of five approach 60 hours without electricity not knowing how long it will be and unable to plan." venting frustration about the lack of communication and updates from Wellington Electricity Wellington Electricity said it was progressively restoring power to single-premise outages - with faults being prioritised by how long they had been out "After the strongest winds in a decade lashed the Wellington region on Thursday Wellington Electricity has restored power to the bulk of affected customers," it said in a statement to RNZ on Sunday afternoon adding that 8000 customers had been impacted "Crews have worked 14-hour days since Thursday managing safety with regular check-ins and roster rotations to manage fatigue." "Wellington Electricity anticipates restoring the bulk of its remaining customers without power by Monday evening however further repairs will be necessary including streetlight circuit restoration." Anyone without power who has not been contacted should call their electricity retailer directly so repair crews can be dispatched to restore supply "Wellington Electricity acknowledges the extended disruption these outages have caused and thanks customers for their continued patience while final restoration work is completed." rnz.co.nz As a progressive mayor Tory Whanau has had to deal with the "old guard" resistant to change Her decision came shortly after former Labour leader Andrew Little confirmed he would be contesting with Whanau saying she didn't want a Greens versus Labour narrative to swamp the election she plans to run for the council's Māori Ward Whanau has previously said she would consider quitting the mayoralty after facing scrutiny for her political and personal challenges including the appointment of a Crown observer for the council She told Saturday Morning she has attracted extra attention because the "old guard" are resistant to issues such as climate change "Being the progressive change mayor - that does bring a lot of negativity." Being wahine Māori has also posed extra difficulties citing the treatment of other Māori politicians such as Tamatha Paul and the negativity had also moved onto the rainbow community "Politics at the moment has become quite an ugly place and I'm just an example of part of that." especially this week since her decision on the mayoralty politics could be "a lonely place" and "isolating" "It's absolutely crucial" to have discussions about the online criticism directed at women and gay politicians "When is it OK to threaten the life of a politician It is never OK," she said in response to a councillor's claim that she had asked for the abuse she received because of her behaviour She did not regret using social media in her bid to attract support from young people the political landscape had changed a great deal US President Donald Trump and some of the New Zealand coalition government members had helped to ramp up the criticism politicians received "The online trolling has accelerated significantly .. the political landscape has become a lot more toxic." the abuse would turn off women and rangatahi Māori from any thoughts of going into politics "And that becomes a danger to our democracy." She appealed to other politicians to make debate about policy rather than personal Whanau said she was surprised by former Labour Minister Andrew Little's announcement after he had ruled out the suggestion last year "I accepted it [Little's decision] I am really excited about running for the Māori ward." She said she was not disappointed some on the left had backed Little instead of her The most important thing was to keep the city "on track" with issues such as the cycleway network She said many of the things she had campaigned on such as more investment in water and more social housing had started during her mayoralty "The biggest thing I didn't achieve was light rail .. I at least was able to keep the Golden Mile." Questioned about her "flip-flop" over the sale of Wellington Airport shares There was a need to address the $2.3 billion underinvestment in insurance and she believed the share sale would be the best option The council had moved on and relationships had been rebuilt It had caused "great upset" that iwi did not have a voice over ther sale of the shares her relationship with iwi remained strong throughout the saga and having a voice at the table were the main priorities for mana whenua They had been supportive over her decision to stand for the Māori ward Whanau said the atmosphere was "light" during her meeting with Local Government Minister Simeon Brown during which the appointment of a Crown Observer was discussed "We've had independent advice that it didn't need to happen but I wanted to show Wellington that I was more than willing to work with the government to prove we could have a successful Long Term Plan .. it's back on track without the airport." The presence of the observer had helped with the management of councillors' behaviour She had a "polite" relationship with Brown and said things were warmer with the new minister Simon Watts Whanau said it had been an honour to perform her first karanga at two events during her term as mayor "One of the most special honouring moments of my life .. that has been an absolute privilege of this role." rnz.co.nz A teenager who admitted being "addicted to speed" behind the wheel had totalled two other cars in the year before he slammed into a minivan at 180km/h in a Seattle suburb killing the driver and three of the five children she was transporting for a homeschool co-op After sentencing Chase Daniel Jones last month to more than 17 years in prison the judge tacked on a novel condition should he drive again: His vehicle must be equipped with a device that prevents accelerating far beyond the speed limit Virginia this year became the first state to agree to give its judges such a tool to deal with the most dangerous drivers on the road already is using it and similar measures await governors' signatures in Washington state and Georgia New York and California also could soon tap the GPS-based technology to help combat a recent national spike in traffic deaths "It's a horror no one should have to experience," said Amy Cohen who founded the victims' advocacy group Families for Safe Streets after her 12-year-old son was killed by a speeding driver in front of their New York home more than a decade ago the minivan driver who was killed when Jones ran a red light was building a backyard greenhouse with her husband to help educate several kids who shuttle between homes during the school day Also killed in the March 2024 crash near Hudson's home in Renton were Boyd "Buster" Brown and Eloise Wilcoxson Hudson's two children were sitting on the passenger side and survived "You always hear of these horrific accidents Smith knew Washington state Representative Mari Leavitt who reached out to offer condolences and tell him she was sponsoring legislation to mandate intelligent speed assistance devices as a condition for habitual speeders to get back their suspended licenses Leavitt predicts it will have an even more powerful impact than revoking driving privileges citing studies showing around three-quarters of people who lose their licenses get behind a wheel anyway the state saw a 200% increase in drivers cited for going at least 80km/h over the speed limit according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission "I guess I don't understand why someone is compelled to want to drive that fast," Leavitt said "But if they choose to drive that fast with the speed limiter It's going to stop them in their tracks." which Washington legislators passed last month and Democratic Governor Bob Ferguson is expected to soon sign using the first letters of the names of the four victims: Buster didn't receive a speeding ticket in his two previous crashes he likely wouldn't have been required to use the speed-limiter ahead of the fatal one And because it could be 2029 before the law takes effect the judge's requirement at sentencing only applies to his time on probation after being released from prison Competing tech companies that joined forces to lobby for ignition interlock requirements for drunken drivers have been working in unison again the last few years to pitch intelligent speed assistance chief government affairs officer at one manufacturer said fleet vehicles including school buses in the nation's capital have been trying it out for years But it took a lot of refinement before the GPS technology could instantly recognize speed limit changes and compel vehicles with the devices installed to adjust accordingly "We've got a lot more satellites in the sky now," said Ken Denton a retired police officer who is the chief compliance officer at Cincinnati-based LifeSafer the devices would prevent cars from exceeding speed limits or whatever threshold regulators set An override button allows speeding in emergencies but states can decide whether to activate it and authorities would be alerted any time the button is pushed which beeps to alert drivers when they are going too fast is required for new cars in the European Union California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar proposal last year explaining vehicle safety requirements are set by the federal government and he was concerned a patchwork of state laws could stir confusion Before Delegate Patrick Hope agreed to sponsor the proposal in the Virginia Legislature he tried out the device in Nannini's car which was calibrated to not go more than 14km/h over the speed limit "That was my first question: Is it safe?" Hope said Hope is now pondering whether to install it on the cars of his three children the price could be hefty: US$4 (NZ$6.70) per day and a US$100 (NZz$167.50) installation fee The fee would be less for low-income offenders which provides support services to the loved ones of crash victims knows firsthand the kind of impact slowing down speeders can make A year after her son was struck and killed in front of their New York apartment the road's speed limit had been lowered "When you are going a few miles slower it's much less likely to be deadly." Four boats capsized in a sudden storm at a tourist spot in southwestern China More than 80 people fell into a river when strong winds hit the scenic area in Guizhou province late Sunday afternoon The boats capsized after a sudden rain and hail storm on the upper reaches of the Wu River a man could be seen performing CPR on another person while one of the vessels drifted upside down Initial reports said two tourist boats had capsized but state media said on Monday that four boats were involved and the seven crew members were able to save themselves Guizhou's mountains and rivers are a major tourism draw and many Chinese were travelling during a five-day national holiday that ended Monday Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to find the missing and care for the injured the official Xinhua News Agency said on Sunday Xi underscored the importance of strengthening safety at tourist attractions large public venues and residential communities as well as for the rush of people returning at the end of major holidays CCTV said the capsized boats had a maximum capacity of about 40 people each and were not overloaded An eyewitness told state-owned Beijing News the waters were deep but that some people had managed to swim to safety the storm had come suddenly and a thick mist obscured the surface of the river Qantas has announced that direct flights between Perth and Auckland will take off later this year Flights between Auckland and Western Australia's capital would begin in December The airline also added flights between Perth and Johannesburg and Sundays with an approximate flight time of 8 hours Perth to Auckland flights would operate as QF111 on Monday The approximate flight time was around six hours and 45 minutes Both flights would use Qantas A330 aircraft with 27 business class seats and 224 economy seats The new flights would allow a one-stop route to London via Perth It would also allow for connections via Perth from Auckland to airports across South Africa the new flight to Auckland would also allow a one-stop connection to New York on the airline's QF3 service “We’re so excited to be launching two new international routes unlocking more options and greater choice for all Australians to connect to the world through our growing network," Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace said “By connecting Perth directly with Auckland and Johannesburg we’re supporting the local economy by opening valuable inbound tourism opportunities for Western Australia as well as generating new jobs for the state These routes also enable further growth throughout Australia with connections across our domestic network." A 100-year-old Royal Air Force veteran accepted the thanks of a nation as Britain paused to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day and honour the men and women who fought to save the country during World War II The day featured a procession by 1300 members of the British armed forces accompanied by troops from Ukraine and the UK’s NATO allies The parade didn't begin until Alan Kennett accepted the salute from Garrison Sgt Major Andrew Stokes in front of an audience that included King Charles III “Thank you and your generation for securing our freedom 80 years ago,” Stokes wearing a navy blue blazer with his medals pinned on the left breast This year’s V-E Day events have taken on increased significance because they are likely to be the last major observance to include significant numbers of World War II veterans actor Timothy Spall recited the victory speech wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered to a roaring crowd in central London on May 8 Britain started its V-E Day ceremonies three days early because Monday is a public holiday in the UK “I think we’ve been very lucky that we’ve had 80 years of peace … and we’ve got to think about all those that have (made) the ultimate sacrifice and there’s very few of them left now because they’re all over 100,″ said Michael Burn who wore a suit patterned after Britain’s red “This is the last time we will celebrate the day in this sort of scale.” Then it was time for the parade from the Houses of Parliament through Trafalgar Square and down the Mall to Buckingham Palace won a huge round of applause as their flag swept past the royal viewing platform The event ended with a flyover by British military aircraft including a wartime Lancaster bomber and the RAF’s Red Arrows aerobatic team the Princess of Wales chatted amiably with Bernard Morgan a veteran who worked as a code breaker during the conflict Their place in the front row was a reminder of the gulf between those who fought in World War II and the present generation With even the youngest of those men and women nearing their 100th birthdays and their ranks dwindling rapidly many have said they feel a special imperative to tell their stories and attend events that honour their fallen comrades a mechanic who landed in Normandy to set up an airfield said he was proud to represent the veterans “I just remember those that didn’t come back,” he said A person has died following a crash on Auckland's south-western motorway this morning The single vehicle crash was reported to police shortly before 5am the sole occupant of this vehicle died at the scene," a police spokesperson said "Earlier closures of northbound lanes have now lifted and police advise motorists to continue to expect delays as earlier backlogs clear "We appreciate motorists' understanding this morning while emergency services carried out their work." Police said the serious crash unit examined the scene this morning and an investigation was underway into this morning's crash on behalf of the Coroner This is in addition to an earlier crash on Auckland's northern motorway near the Auckland Harbour Bridge Emergency services responded to a two-truck collision on the northern motorway near the Auckland Harbour Bridge shortly after 5am New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said all lanes south on State Highway 1 were open again following this earlier crash with five lanes available on the Harbour Bridge "Allow extra time for delays on the Northern Motorway to slowly ease this morning three lanes going south were now open again between Onewa Rd and the Harbour Bridge," NZTA said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's landslide win at the weekend following Canadian Prime Minister's Mark Carney's victory less than a week before should indicate to our politicians that the New Zealand "Trump trend" of 2024 may have peaked Trying to capitalise on the electoral success of US President Donald Trump now that his policies are having real-world effects is proving to be a big mistake for conservative leaders Australian voters have delivered a landslide win for the incumbent Labor Party returning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a second term with a clear majority of seats When he said in his victory speech that Australians had “voted for Australian values” an unspoken message was that they’d firmly rejected Trumpian values opposition and Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton had such a bad election he lost his own seat While not the only reason for his electoral demise Dutton’s adoption of themes associated with Trump backfired Opinion polls were projecting Dutton’s Coalition to win and exceeded expectations in the election itself the Liberals were “reduced to a right-wing populist party that is all but exiled from the biggest cities” Commentators identified a number of reasons including his “culture wars” and being depicted by Labor as “Trump-lite” Following a Trumpian pathway turned out to be a strategic blunder And Dutton’s downfall mirrors Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s defeat in Canada’s election on April 28 Canada’s incumbent centre-left Liberals were heading for defeat to the Conservatives But there were two gamechangers: the Liberals switched leaders from Justin Trudeau to Mark Carney and Trump caused a national uproar with his aggressive tariffs and his call for Canada to become the 51st US state Pre-election opinion polls then did a dramatic flip in favour of the Liberals who went on to win their fourth election in a row Poilievre’s campaign had adopted elements of the Trump style such as attacking “wokeness” and using derogatory nicknames for opponents His strategy failed as soon as Trump rolled out “America First” policies contrary to Canadians’ economic interests and national pride The takeaway for serious right-wing leaders in liberal democracies is clear: let Trump do Trump; his brand is toxic Trump’s actions are harming America’s allies affirmative action and climate change have seen voters outside the US react with self-protective patriotism A perceived association with Trump’s brand has now upended the electoral fortunes of (so far) two centre-right parties that had been in line to win and had been banking on the 2024 MAGA success somehow rubbing off on them what has been dubbed the “Trump slump” isn’t a universal trend the centre-left Social Democratic-led government was ousted in February in spite of Trump ally Elon Musk’s unhelpful support for the far-right anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party the populist Reform UK party has risen above 25% while Labour has fallen from 34% in last year’s election to the low 20s in recent polls But other governing centre-left parties are seeing an upside of the Trump effect In early January it looked like the incumbent Labour Party would be trounced by the Conservatives and the right-wing Progress Party Opinion polls dramatically flipped in early February boosting Labour from below 20% back into the lead Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will get another term in office Denmark’s governing Social Democrats have enjoyed a small polling boost since Trump declared he’d like to take Greenland off their hands The common denominator underlying these shifts to the left seems to be the Trump effect Voters in countries normally closely allied with the US are turning away from Trump-adjacent politicians people are rallying patriotically around centre-left Trump is harming leaders who could have been his allies the man himself seemed proud of the impact he had in Canada polls in mid-2024 showed support for Trump was growing – heading well above 20% Australia’s election suggests that trend may now be past its peak with debate over ACT’s contentious Treaty Principles Bill behind it and despite NZ First leader Winston Peters’ overt culture-war rhetoric (which may appeal to his 6% support base) the right-wing coalition government’s polling shows it could be on track for a second term – for the time being While the Trump effect may have benefited centre-left parties in Australia and Canada polling for New Zealand’s Labour opposition is softer than at the start of the year While “America First” policies continue to damage the global economy centre-right leaders who learn the lesson will quietly distance themselves from the Trump brand while maintaining cordial relations with the White House could do worse than follow Anthony Albanese’s example of not getting distracted by “Trump-lite” and instead promoting his own country’s values of fairness and mutual respect.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GUGWB5HTRVGGNP5PFWDLBH7SXM","content":"Grant Duncan is a teaching fellow in Politics and International Relations This story is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BMPLRKQ2NRDPZOPKHPADSUD4UE","content":" Erin Patterson had shared with true crime fans her love of mushrooms excitement over buying a food dehydrator and plans to cook beef Wellington The 50-year-old mother of two has pleaded not guilty to all counts against her including three murder charges for killing her estranged husband's family after feeding them lunch at her Leongatha home Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson all died in hospital from death cap mushroom poisoning after eating a beef Wellington Patterson had prepared for them on July 2023 Patterson claims it was "a terrible accident" Three members of a true crime Facebook group Patterson was part of gave evidence on day five of her Supreme Court trial in Morwell The group was created to go over the case of convicted baby killer Keli Lane she was a really good researcher," group member Christine Hunt said about Patterson's online reputation said in 2023 Patterson had shared photos of a black dehydrator with mushrooms inside "She was a bit excited that she'd purchased a food dehydrator," Barkley said via video link Screenshots of Patterson's messages to the group were also shown to the jury "I've been hiding powdered mushrooms in everything the kids had no idea," she wrote in one post said Patterson "seemed to really like mushrooms" In the weeks before the deadly mushroom meal Patterson asked the group if anyone had cooked a beef Wellington and if they had advice Erin said she was making beef Wellington," Hay said "I think she was at the supermarket and she messaged us something about the beef that she was buying." She said Patterson had told them the mushrooms came from an Asian grocer Hay said Patterson asked her for tips on how to make sure the beef Wellington pastry did not go "soggy" as it was one of Hay's favourite dishes said she joked: "I'd make a tofu Wellington" so we had a good laugh about that," she said Patterson's estranged husband Simon finished his evidence to the jury after almost three days in the witness box Defence barrister Colin Mandy SC put it to Simon that he had asked Erin - two days after the lunch - "is that what you used to poison them?" "I did not say that to Erin," Simon responded The jury of 15 people were shown messages from a family group Signal chat between Simon his former wife and his parents - in December 2022 - after he last week claimed she had sent "extremely aggressive" messages to his mother and father which he said were from a few months later having a crack at me and accusing me of some things in response to what I'd messaged her about," he said After his parents tried to help Erin and Simon resolve a dispute over his child support payments his mother Gail took a step back and stopped reading messages from Erin in the group chat "Mum really struggled with anxiety," he said The trial before Justice Christopher Beale will continue today Lady Gaga gave a free concert Saturday night in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach for the biggest show of her career (...) Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd kicked off the show at around 22.10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary Cries of joy rose from the tightly-packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand Concert organisers said 2.1 million people attended the show switching between an array of dresses including one with the colours of the Brazilian flag Some fans – many of them young – arrived on the beach at the crack of dawn to secure a good spot “Today is the best day of my life,” said Manoela Dobes a 27-year-old designer who was wearing a dress plastered with a photograph from when she met Lady Gaga in the United States in 2019 Madonna also turned Copacabana Beach into a massive dance floor last year The large-scale performances are part of an effort led by City Hall to boost economic activity after Carnival and New Years’ Eve festivities and the upcoming month-long Saint John’s Day celebrations in June “It brings activity to the city during what was previously considered the low season – filling hotels and increasing spending in bars generating jobs and income for the population,” said Osmar Lima the city’s secretary of economic development in a statement released by Rio City Hall’s tourism department last month Rio’s City Hall said in a recent report that around 1.6 million people were expected to attend Lady Gaga's concert and that the show should inject at least 600 million reais (NZ$178.3 million) into Rio’s economy Similar concerts are scheduled to take place every year in May at least until 2028 Lady Gaga arrived in Rio in the early hours of Tuesday The city has been alive with Gaga-mania since as it geared up to welcome the pop star for her first show in the country since 2012 Rio’s metro employees danced to Lady Gaga’s 2008 hit song LoveGame and gave instructions for today in a video A free exhibition celebrating her career sold out While the vast majority of attendees were from Rio the event also attracted Brazilians from across the country and international visitors More than 500,000 tourists poured into the city in the days leading up to the show according to data from the local bus station and Tom Jobim airport Rio’s City Hall said in a statement yesterday made a cross-continent trip from Colombia to Brazil to attend the show “I’ve been a 100% fan of Lady Gaga my whole life,” said Serrano who was wearing a T-shirt featuring Lady Gaga’s outlandish costumes over the years the mega-star represents “total freedom of expression – being who one wants without shame” Rio officials have a history of organising huge concerts on Copacabana Beach Madonna’s show drew an estimated 1.6 million fans last year while 4 million people flooded onto the beach for a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart in 1994 that was the biggest free rock concert in history sixteen sound towers were spread along the beach Rio state’s security plan included the presence of 3300 military and 1500 police officers Among those present were Lady Gaga admirers who remember their disappointment in 2017 when the artist cancelled a performance scheduled in Rio at the last minute due to health issues “She's the best artist in the world,” the 25-year-old said I love you” in Portuguese rose from the crowd behind him whose real name is Ella Yelich O'Connor which also displayed what appears to be the album cover art — an X-ray of a pelvis "100% written in blood," the website read The new album's announcement came a week after she released her latest single What Was That The song's music video was filmed at a mysterious pop-up event in New York City's Washington Square Park that was initially shut down by police. The event ended up going ahead after all, and fans who stayed got to hear the new song for the first time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lorde (@lorde) It was the first sign of a follow-up to Lorde's previous album Her other albums were 2013's Pure Heroine and 2017's Melodrama she collaborated with British singer Charli XCX on a remix of Girl so confusing — on a re-release of the Grammy award-winning Brat Kim Kardashian thought she was going to be raped and killed when criminals broke into her bedroom in central Paris tied her up and stole more than US$6 million in jewellery 10 people will go on trial in Paris over the robbery abduction and kidnapping of the media personality and the concierge of the residence where she was staying during Paris Fashion Week the night of October 2 Kardashian’s lawyers said she will testify in person at the trial starting Monday and scheduled to run through May 23 "Ms Kardashian is reserving her testimony for the court and jury and does not wish to elaborate further at this time," they said "She has great respect and admiration for the French justice system and has been treated with great respect by the French authorities "She wishes the trial to proceed in an orderly fashion in accordance with French law and with respect for all parties to the case." In interviews and on her family’s reality TV show Kardashian has described being terrified as robbers pointed a gun at her In a 2020 appearance on David Letterman’s Netflix show she tearfully recalled thinking: "This is the time I’m going to get raped Twelve people were originally expected in the defendants’ box and another is seriously ill and can't be tried five of the 10 defendants were present at the scene of the robbery The French press has dubbed them The Granddad Robbers because the main defendants are elderly and have careers as bank robbers with long criminal records Kardashian told investigators she was taken to a bathroom next to her bedroom and placed in the bathtub Her attackers fled on bicycles or on foot and she managed to free herself by removing the tape from her hands and mouth She had also removed the tape from her feet and rushed to her stylist’s room She called her sister Kourtney to tell her about the theft Kardashian told investigators that she had not been injured adding that she wanted to leave France as soon as possible to be reunited with her children According to her testimony and that of the concierge at least one of the suspects had a handgun The gangsters stole many pieces of jewellery estimated to be worth more than US$6 million (NZ$10 million) Only one piece of jewellery — a diamond cross on platinum that was lost during the suspects' escape — has been recovered Two of the accused have partially confessed to the crime is one of two suspected robbers who allegedly entered the apartment his genetic profile was found on the tape used to gag Kardashian who was waiting for him in a parked car at a nearby train station The second robber said he tied up the concierge with cables but did not go up to Kardashian’s apartment said he acted as a lookout in the ground-floor reception area He said he was unarmed and did not personally threaten Kardashian but admitted he shared responsibility for the crime Abbas was arrested in January 2017 and spent 21 months in prison before being released under judicial supervision he co-authored a French-language book titled I Sequestered Kim Kardashian is the second alleged robber suspected of entering the flat although he was filmed by CCTV cameras and numerous telephone contacts with the other co-defendants show his involvement The other defendants are suspected of providing information about Kardashian’s presence in the apartment Others are accused of playing a role in the resale of the jewellery in Antwerp Joe Cocker and Bad Company will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — in a class that also includes pop star Cyndi Lauper the rock duo the White Stripes and grunge masters Soundgarden the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status and the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will get the Musical Influence Award pianist Nicky Hopkins and bassist Carol Kaye will each get the Musical Excellence Award who sang at Woodstock and was best known for his cover of The Beatles’ With a Little Help From My Friends a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions who argued that Cocker is "about as rock and roll as it gets" Soundgarden — with the late Chris Cornell as singer — get into the Hall on their third nomination They follow two other grunge acts in the Hall — Nirvana and Pearl Jam Bad Company get in having become radio fixtures with such arena-rock staples as Feel Like Makin’ Love Can’t Get Enough and Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy The Ahmet Ertegun Award — given to nonperforming industry professionals who had a major influence on music — will go to Lenny Waronker Some nominees that didn't get in this year included Mariah Carey and subsequent Let’s Twist Again are considered among the most popular songs in the history of rock 'n' roll The 83-year-old has expressed frustration that he hadn't been granted entry before including telling the AP in 2014: "I don’t want to get in there when I’m 85 years old so you better do it quick while I’m still smiling." Lauper rose to fame in the 1980s with hits such as Time After Time and Girls Just Want To Have Fun and went on to win a Tony Award for Kinky Boots have six Grammys and a reputation for pushing the boundaries of hip-hop The White Stripes — made up of Jack White and Meg White — were indie darlings in the early 2000s with such songs as Seven Nation Army Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall Nominees were voted on by more than 1200 artists historians and music industry professionals The selection criteria include "an artist’s impact on other musicians the scope and longevity of their career and body of work as well as their innovation and excellence in style and technique" Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton were inducted Lorde has dropped her new single What Was That after weeks of cryptic posts and teases that set fans buzzing It's the lead single from her upcoming fourth album and her first original solo release since 2021's Solar Power which is three minutes and 28 seconds in length Some fans had been lucky enough to hear the track in full earlier this week. On Wednesday, Lorde posted a picture of Washington Square Park yesterday with the caption "tonight 7pm". Fans flooded the park an hour before she was supposed to appear, with photos shared of eager fans scaling trees to catch a glimpse of the singer. Shortly before she was to perform, the Royals singer took to social media to tell fans police had shut the event down. "Omg @thepark the cops are shutting us down," the message read. "I am truly amazed by how many of you showed !!! "But they’re telling me you gotta disperse ... I’m so sorry." However, the pop-up event ended up going ahead after all, with fans who stayed getting their first full airing of Lorde's new single. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lorde (@lorde) Lorde, real name Ella Yelich O'Connor, announced the single last week sharing a headshot-style photo of her wearing a red shirt with a dripping wet face Earlier this month, she dropped a 15-second snippet of the unreleased song Lorde was seen wearing a white shirt and jeans while walking through New York City I gave you everything/Now we wake from a dream What was that?” she sings over a synth beat It was the first sign of a follow up to Lorde's previous album By RNZ More than 1000 homes are without power in the Wellington suburbs of Churton Park Wellington Electricity says the outage is unplanned but expects to restore the power about 3 o’clock Fire and Emergency said a transformer was on fire but had since been put out Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said this move is intended to protect young people Tory Whanau launches Golden Mile project yesterday Become a Wellington.Scoop Supporter » Police located a clandestine laboratory as part of the operation Police have filed more than 200 charges against 20 people and seized more than 260kg of illicit substances as part of an continued Trans-Tasman anti-drugs operation officers executed search warrants in Auckland suburbs including Morningside Police also carried out warrants in Wellington's Churton Park and Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast and a clandestine laboratory uncovered under Taskforce Morpheus— a joint Australasian taskforce focused on "targeting criminal activity committed by motorcycle gangs" Authorities revealed details about what they called a "week of action" this afternoon It follows several big operations which resulted in the seizure of large quantities of methamphetamine in Auckland over the past month. Police said officers executed two simultaneous search warrants on August 5 in Henderson and West Harbour, where a "senior gang member and a gang prospect" were arrested. "At the West Harbour address, police located a clandestine laboratory where the items for manufacturing methamphetamine, including precursor substances, were uncovered." Officers seized 68 LSD tablets, 180g of methamphetamine, nine unidentified pills, gang clothing, and around $3000 in cash. Two men, aged 29 and 35, were arrested and were facing charges including possession for supply of methamphetamine, and possession of precursor equipment and materials. On August 6, at a Churton Park address in Wellington, police arrested a gang associate and seized approximately $20,000 cash, a handgun, around 4g of methamphetamine and items consistent with methamphetamine supply. A handgun seized by police at an address in Churton Park. (Source: NZ Police) The 43-year-old man has been charged with possession for supply of methamphetamine, and possession of a handgun and ammunition. The next day, police in Waikanae arrested a "gang associate" and seized "around 400 grams of cannabis, 550 millilitres of butanediol (similar to GBL or GHB), psilocybin (magic mushrooms), testosterone, and items consistent with drug dealing". A 44-year-old has been charged with possession for supply of Class B and C substances. Later on August 8, police seized 58kg of methamphetamine, two handguns and 111 rounds of ammunition at a Dairy Flat address, where they arrested a patched Rebels gang member. The gang member was charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, importation of a Class A drug, and possession of a Class A drug for supply, according to police. 'Significant' $63m Mexican crime syndicate meth bust in AucklandThree men face serious charges including participating in an organised criminal group A spokesperson said he was on active charges relating to a clandestine drug lab and has been remanded in custody Two additional operations, "Havana" and "Fix", disrupted major drug smuggling syndicates in Auckland last month, police said in early August. Blaze at McDonald's in east Auckland treated as suspected arson Counties Manukau CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Michele Gillespie said a scene guard has been in place at the restaurant overnight Person dies following morning crash on Auckland motorway A person has died following a crash on Auckland's south-western motorway this morning Two men's shared name brings years of trouble and a hefty bill to one but one has spent years breaking the law while the other just pays a steep price for sharing his name Stephen Stone’s son files complaint over Crown Solicitor’s statement Stone spent more than 26 years wrongfully imprisoned for the murders of Deane Fuller-Sandys and Leah Stephens Police believe wave of Invercargill robberies two burglaries and one attempted burglary took place in Invercargill between 2.30am and 4.20am and are believed to be connected 'Wake up call': Businesses warned over lithium battery fires Authorities urge the public to avoid putting lithium batteries in the rubbish or recycling but have also told merchants to "take responsibility for disposal" 37 mins ago Three men have been arrested after allegedly importing and distributing nearly 180kg of methamphetamine through a Mexican crime syndicate operating out of central Auckland police and customs jointly investigated the operations resulting today in the arrest of three Mexican nationals aged 23 Detective Inspector Tom Gollan said customs officers located approximately 175kg of methamphetamine at the Port of Tauranga on July 26 The container was full of scrap metal and originated from Mexico customs notified police about an alert that resulted in the arrest of a 32-year-old man at Auckland Airport as he attempted to leave New Zealand," Gollan said "Further search warrants have since been carried out Gollan said police and customs officers carried out search warrants at hotel rooms and Air BnB units in Auckland’s CBD this week "We believe the methamphetamine seized in the operation has all originated out of Mexico and would be worth around $63 million in retail value." All three men appeared in the Auckland District Court yesterday facing charges including participating in an organised criminal group importation of methamphetamine and possession and supply of methamphetamine Customs investigations manager Dominic Adams said the "significant and complex" joint operation has stopped tens of millions of dollars from funding further transnational criminal activity from New Zealand "It's satisfying to know that the months of meticulous investigative work that's gone into this operation adds to the success of New Zealand law enforcement dismantling those groups which are targeting New Zealand in an effort to amass criminal profits at a huge social and economic cost to our communities and country." Further charges were likely as inquiries continued into whether this group was linked to a particular Mexican cartel "This seizure is a significant find and demonstrates how vital the partnership between police customs and overseas partners is in combating transnational organised crime," Gollan said "This represents around nine million doses of methamphetamine and after being seized has prevented nearly $200 million in social harm." The son of Stephen Stone has filed a Law Society complaint against the Auckland Crown Solicitor alleging she misled the court with her statement about the lack of evidence to retry his father who was acquitted of double murder last week said Alysha McClintock’s statement had caused "significant harm" to his father and family by “perpetuating a myth” the Crown case was dropped because witnesses were unavailable Stephen Stone spent more than 26 years wrongfully imprisoned for the 1989 murders of Deane Fuller-Sandys and Leah Stephens the Crown admitted he and three others convicted in connection with the crime suffered a miscarriage of justice The Court of Appeal accepted a police failure to disclose two key documents led to the miscarriage Stone’s convictions were quashed in October and a retrial ordered Known as the "Larnoch Road Four" their convictions relied heavily on four eyewitnesses who were given immunity from prosecution and name suppression McClintock told the High Court in Auckland one of the key reasons a retrial couldn’t go ahead was because three of the four witnesses were "no longer available through a combination of the consequences of the appeal decision death and witnesses no longer being in New Zealand" The Evidence Act sets out scenarios where a witness is considered unavailable These include if the person is dead; outside of New Zealand and it’s not reasonably practicable for them to be a witness; they are unfit to be a witness; or they cannot be compelled to give evidence Daniel Stone acknowledged one witness was dead and one was in Australia he claimed that it was not correct to say three witnesses were no longer available the others were “wholly unreliable” witnesses and the Crown’s statement was: “Designed to publicly spin the position in favour of the prosecution in an inappropriate abuse of the Crown's role.” During the Court of Appeal hearing in August the court heard the two non-recanting witnesses had changed their stories significantly multiple times and how bodies were disposed of,” Stephen Stone’s lawyer Annabel Maxwell-Scott told the court The Court of Appeal declined to rule their evidence inadmissible “The fact Mr X and Mr Y each made a number of startling contradictory statements to the police was before both juries in the earlier trial,” the judgement said McClintock said there was no longer enough evidence to prove charges against Stone beyond a reasonable double – referring to additional ESR testing on samples collected by police at the time which had not produced any results of significance; and Stone’s admissions of murder to get parole did not provide a basis for prosecution said outside the court on Wednesday that the Crown’s statement was “incredibly frustrating” “There is no acknowledgement of their own role in these miscarriages of justice and they gave the distinct impression that they believe Stephen has done something — and that's outrageous in my view." McClintock told 1News: "It is not appropriate for me to engage in debate about the reasons for my decision or the content of the statement through the media." Attorney-General Judith Collins’ office said: "It is not appropriate for the Attorney-General to comment about what has been said in Court by a prosecutor about a particular criminal prosecution." Stephen Stone’s acquittal was handled very differently to the acquittal of Alan Hall – another high-profile miscarriage of justice case the Crown and court acknowledged the miscarriage "We cannot end this judgment without acknowledging that just as the criminal justice system has failed Mr Hall so too has it failed the Easton family," said the 2022 judgment Alan Hall was declared innocent in 2023 and received nearly $5 million compensation for 19 years wrongful imprisonment Police have appealed to the public after two aggravated robberies and a series of burglaries in Invercargill overnight Detective Inspector Stu Harvey said officers were called to a premises on Dee St at around 2.30am on Monday to reports of two people entering a store demanding cash A worker was assaulted but not seriously injured Harvey said an attempted burglary and two burglaries were reported at three further premises on Windsor St Police then received a report that two people had entered a Tay St premises and demanded cash and items Harvey said information suggested the incidents were linked "Two vehicles were seen in the vicinity of some of the incidents "The other vehicle is described as a dark-coloured car," said Harvey "We would like to speak to anyone who saw vehicles fitting these descriptions between 1am and 5am." Anyone with relevant information about these vehicles or those involved should contact police on 105 Report a problem Wellington City expects its population to grow by 50,000 – 80,000 people over the next 30 years The Council’s strategy to accommodate this growth includes intensification in the central city and around existing town centres and developing new urban areas in Lincolnshire Farm Upper Stebbings and Glenside West are an attractive location for new housing being close to existing shops and services in Churton Park The area is well connected to the transport network with the existing State Highway interchange at Westchester Drive the train station at Takapu Road and existing bus services in Churton Park and along Middleton Road.  The area is currently zoned for rural activities in the District Plan the District Plan zone needs to be changed.  Engagement with the community on future development in Upper Stebbings and Glenside West started in 2018 with the development of a vision and design principles We then engaged on three high level development scenarios The current development concept builds on the feedback received to date and provides more detail on what the development might look like People living in a community unique to Wellington that is an inclusive and diverse urban area with green spaces The Upper Stebbings and Glenside West area has some streams including the Stebbings Stream and tributaries of the Porirua Stream It also features “Significant Natural Areas” – these are typically native bush areas and forested gullies The area includes high grounds around Marshall Ridge and All of the above features have been taken into consideration in the preparation of the development concept with the view of protecting the natural values of the site while providing much needed new housing Upper Stebbings and Glenside West consultation summary (6.2MB PDF) We will consider all feedback from the community landowners and stakeholders and finalise the development concept.  We will then start preparing the material to go in the District Plan to manage development in the area This will include a map showing where residential activities and open spaces are anticipated We will also draft District Plan “provisions” ie objectives rules and assessment criteria specific to this area which will be used in future to make decisions on resource consent applications There will be opportunities to provide feedback on the maps and provisions as part of the wider Draft District Plan engagement in 2021 Upper Stebbings and Lower Glenside engagement report (5.8MB PDF) The District Plan is the “rule book” used to manage the city’s natural and built environment – including the types of land use activities and building heights that are permitted.  While the District Plan’s provisions are specific to particular zones they can be grouped under five overall goals: the District Plan sets out a range of objectives The resource consent process is the main method of implementing the District Plan The District Plan allows some developments to take place as of right and without the Council’s specific consent Other developments that have the potential to cause environmental impacts may not take place without a resource consent The land proposed for new urban areas is in private ownership and will be developed by agreement between the landowners and developers the District Plan needs to change the zoning of the land from its current “rural” status to other land use activities The process of changing the District Plan involves engagement with the community and can take a few years to complete Infrastructure will have to be provided including roads Earthworks will be required to form roads and development platforms to build houses Landowners and developers will be leading the development process so the timeline is dependent on their decisions and may be influenced by progress in adjoining development areas such a Lower Stebbings and the Reedy Block The development is anticipated to include a mix of 1-2 storey detached and semi-detached houses as well as some 2-3 storeys terraced housing We have listened to earlier community feedback and are not proposing a connection to existing suburban streets in Tawa We looked for opportunities to create a new road connecting Upper Stebbings to Takapu Road station but a number of factors made this unviable: the steep topography and associated costly earthworks; the presence of streams areas of ecological values and transmission towers that must be retained; and the visual impact of constructing a road over the ridgeline There are a number of ways the open space network can be managed in the future Parts of the network can be “vested” with the Council – this means the Council has ownership of this land Some open spaces can remain in private ownership and be protected from development through covenants.  The Ministry of Education will work closely with WCC to respond to population growth There are a number of ways the Ministry can do this adding capacity to existing schools or building new schools The response depends on the existing schooling network connections to existing suburbs and the views of the community.  We have gathered background information for the area to help inform the development concepts Service desk locations Scam alerts: we’ve seen an increase in scam texts and emails claiming to be from us, asking for payments.Check our example scams or report a scam to us NZTA App: our mobile app provides a simple and secure way to access your driver licence and vehicle information.Learn more and download the NZTA app The first of two additional overhead gantries has been installed on the state highway between Porirua and Tawa Originally two nights of work had been planned work was postponed on the first night due to the windy conditions All remaining work to complete this gantry will happen under lane closures New technology and signage is being installed along SH1 between Porirua and Tawa to help people navigate the roads more easily and keep them informed of any incidents or crashes on the road ahead This includes new electronic signage to advise of incidents or estimated journey times and new CCTV to ensure that the motorway is operating safely and efficiently While most of the work generally won’t disrupt motorists there will be some parts of the project that require overnight road closures or diversions Additional CCTV and electronic signage is being installed on other parts of SH59 and SH58 to help make for better journeys Above left: VMS sign on SH1 south of Porirua Above right: Gantry installation on SH1 north of Johnsonville during an overnight closure in January 2022 Our current focus is on installing additional managed motorway technology and infrastructure along State Highway 1 to help people navigate the roads more easily and keep them informed of any incidents or crashes on the road ahead.  View larger image [PDF, 587 KB] Waka Kotahi has made changes to signage and road markings to improve safety and efficiency and to help road users when getting on and off State Highway 1 (SH1) This is part of work we are doing throughout the Wellington region to help improve safety and efficiency of the wider network and to ensure drivers are aware of how they can help ensure the network is flowing smoothly In addition to this work at the intersections signs have been replaced or installed on all ramp approaches in both directions Within a gore area these remind motorists to merge in either direction Used to indicate the edge of the through carriageway where it is intended the line be crossed by traffic entering or exiting the highway They are called ‘flush’ because they are not raised The marked space between a highway and on/off ramps that merge into it White diagonal lines painted onto the shoulders of roads Digital signs on the side of the road indicating the speed of each vehicle that travels past it Speed limit road marking indicating the point which the speed limit begins On Wednesday over 100 Council staff and local volunteers came together armed with gumboots and shovels to celebrate planting more than 2 million native plants around the city over the last 20 years This milestone is the result of a team effort from thousands of Wellingtonians committed to creating a greener city for future generations on a hillside in Erlestoke Reserve at Churton Park was a success with many keen helpers on hand including Mayor Andy Foster The Mayor says it was a special time to chat with some of the volunteers who make it all possible and to reflect on the day and ponder what it means for the future “Two million plants is a fantastic achievement and an absolute credit to all of the hours put in by volunteers and staff It simply wouldn’t be possible without the many thousands of hands that have helped with planting over the last two decades.” Staff planted more than 5000 native plants on the grassy hillside Council’s Urban Ecology Team is committed to making conservation easy and meaningful by connecting people Anita Benbrook, Biodiversity Specialist on Native Plants, works hard behind the scenes planning and mapping all the planting sites to connect the efforts across the city. She’s condensed a lot of her knowledge down into two easily digestible restoration planting guides which can be downloaded on our website Anita has been with the Council for over 20 years so she’s been part of the journey to two million plants every step of the way She’s thrilled with the outcome so far and says the celebration doesn’t mean we’ve reached our destination yet “It’s incredibly rewarding to reach this point That’s what we’re here to celebrate today.” The groups and individuals who have contributed over the years are many and varied From mountain bike groups planting thousands of trees and native plants contributed from community nurseries to collaborative projects such as Forest in the Heart of the City between Rotary Wellington is fortunate to have inspiring community leaders bringing communities together to deliver environmental outcomes with groups like Te Motu Kairangi Trelissick Park Group and Southern Environmental Association These groups make a massive contribution through the work they do both in terms of environmental restoration and in helping us towards our goal of being a net zero carbon capital by 2050 The Council recently formed a new environmental partnership with Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington which allows the University to lease 11 hectares of land in Ohariu Valley for 33 years and undertake an annual native tree planting programme to progressively revegetate the site is the Council’s first collaboration with the aim of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by establishing new native forest and complements the long established programme of planting native trees and expanding carbon sinks in the Outer Green Belt This partnership will actively engage many Wellingtonians in restoring better ecological connections between Rangituhi/Spicer Forest and the forests on the flanks of Tarikākā (Mt Kaukau) offsetting carbon and generating new research Growing our Future is being launched on Thursday 8 July with a native planting day in Ohariu Valley led by Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Guilford and around 100 volunteers from the University community “This project will allow us to contribute to regenerating biodiversity in the Outer Green Belt while offsetting carbon generating new research and providing an opportunity students staff and alumni to connect with the city.” Students and staff from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington will plant new native forest on the Outer Green Belt in an environmental par.. Arbor Day marks the start of the native tree planting season in Wellington – and while the goal of reaching 2 million set in 1997 has been impacted by.. Brooklyn has its American political figures What other suburbs have themed street names Enjoy this story? Wellington City Council looks after more than 700km of streets across the capital, and each one has its own unique tale. Check out our full Street Smart story collection on Our Wellington Discover the unique stories behind Wellington's 700km of streets Find out which names you might be pronouncing wrong as part of our Wellington Street Smart series From pre-European ara to mass rapid transit discover the history of Wellington's streets with local historian Gábor Tóth A Wellington woman whose parked car was crashed into by a bus resulting in the vehicle being written off is furious at the response she got from the bus company Laura Nalder arrived home in Churton Park to find her car on the footpath the back corner crushed in and with yellow paint visible "Our car was parked on the street outside our house A bus accidentally turned into a small side road around the corner and then when it realised it had made a mistake and they cannot possibly have not noticed it happened." Nalder is one of 88 people in Wellington whose parked cars were hit by buses in the past nine months Tramways Union secretary and Wellington bus driver Kevin O'Sullivan said the numbers were no surprise If you ride a bus and stand there by the front you'll see for yourself What has come as a surprise to car owners is the fraught process of getting someone to take responsibility Nalder called Metlink which runs the bus service "They were annoyed that I'd got in touch them and I was pretty unimpressed that that was their response when I called them After an email exchange she sensed it was a losing battle and gave up on the $500 of insurance excess she was owed Similar experiences have been aired on social media with people complaining about poor customer service and slow responses including one person who said it took two months to get a payout Tranzurban and Wellington's other main operator Kinetic both declined to be interviewed Kinetic said the process for dealing with buses hitting parked cars was clear "Accidents are recorded on a third-party Accident Recording Card and attached to the damaged vehicle if no one is in it The Kinetic operations control centre is then immediately advised and a motor vehicle accident form is completed on return to depot which then commences the insurance process." Tranzurban said its response was equally thorough "We have a robust internal process for reporting incidents and accidents involving Tranzurban services "Tranzurban arranges repairs for vehicle damage confirmed through our insurance provider who liaises with the other party and their repairer." But crash data from this year has found that some bus drivers left notes and other collisions - like Laura Nalder's - went completely unreported until car owners got in touch Legislation allowing bus companies to pay higher wages and recruit migrants has passed its third reading in Parliament under urgency "Tens of thousands" of Auckland commuters could be affected by bus driver industrial action Safety improvements and better pay are among major incentives for easing a shortage of bus drivers there were 88 missed trips per day in March New Zealand RSS this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read A photograph was partly at the centre of a dispute over a Wellington property that was sold Two Johnsonville real estate agents listed but did not sell a house there Catherine and Craig Freear of Real Estate Now wanted the money from David and Janet Lammas whose Churton Park property the agents had listed but subsequently failed to sell The couple appointed another agency which did sell the Furlong Cres home but that agency had first been introduced to the property by the Freears The Freears initially claimed the commission when Craig Freear hand-delivered a letter of demand at the couple's front door to David Lammas the agency was "apparently no longer pursuing the Lammas [couple] for the commission," according to a ruling from the Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal The tribunal heard the case after the Lammas couple complained to the Real Estate Authority that the agents failed to provide a list of prospective purchasers when their agency ended which meant they had no idea about being potentially liable for the commission At the initial case before an authority complaints assessment committee the agents were each censured and fined $3000 for how they acted over the sale But the retired couple appealed to the tribunal in a case which partly centred on a complaint they made about photography: using an iPad Catherine Freear had photographed Craig Freear hand-delivering the letter demanding for the $30,000 commission to David Lammas at his home The Lammas couple were unhappy about those two issues and cited privacy laws in their appeal to the tribunal over the photograph and also that the agents had failed to give the couple a list of prospective purchasers who - if they subsequently bought the property - could mean a double commission because the Freears had introduced those buyers to the property when they had the sole agency But the agents rejected the couple's complaints and said there was no intentional breach of privacy when the photograph was taken in a public space The agents also cross-appealed to the tribunal against the upholding of breaches of the law The Freears thought they had a valid commission claim and the photograph was taken to assist them in the pursuit of that claim The couple's lawyer Dahl Calder told the tribunal that Craig Freear was "physically imposing The Lammases are both retired superannuants Mr Freear's arrival unannounced at their front door to serve a letter of demand with Ms Freear sitting in a vehicle pointing an iPad at him A proper and courteous licensee would at the very least have called them in advance Mr Freear has been in the industry for 31 years and ought to have known better" the tribunal said citing Dahl's submissions The tribunal said the agents' claim for the commission was not relevant to the case "At the relevant time and throughout this complaint the Freears were asserting their entitlement to a commission from the Lammases There are or were court proceedings concerning this Nor is it relevant whether the agency is legally entitled to a commission from the Lammases," said the tribunal decision out last month The tribunal has now dismissed the Lammas couple's complaint about the photography but partially allowed the appeal by the Freears The committee's decision to find the agents guilty of unsatisfactory conduct was partially reversed The unsatisfactory conduct for the list of names and that breach was reversed but the unsatisfactory conduct on the guide and that breach was upheld The tribunal also upheld the committee's decision to censure both the agents but it said they only had to pay $500 each to the authority instead of $3000 each David Lammas told the Herald today he didn't want to comment on the case at this point including 340 travel buyers from 26 countries The Glendale Grove house where a 55-year-old woman was stabbed to death in the Wellington suburb of Churton Park Police have named a woman stabbed to death in Wellington the man accused of killing her is in custody awaiting a mental health assessment is charged with murdering Mrs Silverwood at a Glendale Grove property in the northern suburb of Churton Park He appeared in the Wellington District Court dock this afternoon The man did not enter a plea and defence lawyer Noel Sainsbury successfully sought an interim name suppression order He said the man was seen by forensic psychiatrist Dr Justin Barrie-Walsh today that [the man] be detained in a psychiatric hospital for a report under the Criminal Procedure Mentally Impaired Persons Act." Judge Peter Rollo ordered the report and declined applications from media organisations to photograph and film the man "At this stage it's very uncertain just how the case will pan out," the judge said "[The man] has some health issues that need to be addressed before the case can proceed." The man will be detained in a psychiatric hospital until his next appearance in the High Court later this month Only a light police presence remained at the scene of the stabbing today Police were called there just after 7.30 yesterday evening Police say the man was found a short distance from the property Newstalk ZB's Laura Dooney said the cul-de-sac was quiet Just one policeman remained guarding the scene while walkers and joggers went by on their business She said the house where the stabbing happened was a two-storey weatherboard structure with two cars parked in the driveway and a boat on the property Neighbouring houses had Christmas lights up and it was difficult to tell anything untoward had happened A police statement says it is believed Mrs Silverwood was stabbed at the property Police and victim support were speaking to her family and providing support police said they would complete their scene examination today A post-mortem examination of the body would be conducted tomorrow "Police would like to assure the community that this was not a random act and that no one else is being sought in connection with this case," a police statement says "As this is an active homicide investigation police are unable to provide any further details at this time." said she didn't know the people who lived at what is now a crime scene "They brought us fish last Christmas but I haven't really spoken to them much," she said Mrs Silverwood's husband was often in his garage Family friends came by with flowers to leave outside the letterbox The woman wept and said "it's just not fair" Another neighbour often walked past the house "I've often seen the lady gardening and her husband is in his garage sometimes drinking a beer," he said The neighbour saidMrs Silverwood's death was a "shock" Nobody has been hurt in a gas explosion in a Wellington suburb A Fire Service shift manager said a gas main ruptured on Westchester Drive in Churton Park "We understand that the gas was ignited by an electrical discharge of some sort," he said He did not know how big the explosion was but said there were no injuries A police spokeswoman said police were alerted to the incident at 1.40pm by the Fire Service "They just let us know that potentially gas mains have been hit when some contractors have been digging in the area and of course the power lines have then arced and set off a small vegetation fire there." The fire was around the area of 223 Westchester Drive The spokeswoman said no injuries had been reported and some houses may have been evacuated if they were close to the fire Furlong Crescent resident Nicola Adams was evacuated from her home after hearing "a big bang" The power went out at Adams' house and she went outside to see the fire "Some workmen had been doing some digging around our area they've dug into our pipe and there's a massive gas leak and flames is what we saw," she said Firefighters keeping the area damp told Adams the fire was actually a good thing as it was stopping the gas from spreading through the area "It's going to take some time to turn it off." Adams was told to evacuate and come back in a few hours for an update She had originally felt nervous until the Fire Service turned up She and her family were now spending the afternoon at a friend's house Police and ESR staff investigate a backyard in Churton Park Website intended for a New Zealand health professional readership Kia ora and welcome to New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Not a subscriber? Unlock this article by subscribing here. Hall discusses the evaluation of thyroid nodules which primarily aims to determine the likelihood of malignancy He then reviews the treatment of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Online is intended for a New Zealand health professional readership. Use of this site implies acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Statement. New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa Online is not a consumer medical advice service. Consumers should seek advice from a health professional and not act in reliance on any statement contained in the information provided. Police and ESR staff investigate a backyard in Churton Park, Wellington, where a baby was found buried. Photo / NZPA Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said this move is intended to protect young people. Follow the Kiwi model to fix the house price nightmareThe New Zealand government has intervened heavily to fix bottlenecks in housing supply There are equivalent things that Australia could be doing SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy link Share via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe Australia was a place where people of all ages and incomes had a reasonable chance to own a home But the great Australian dream of home ownership is rapidly turning into a nightmare for many young Australians Home ownership rates are falling. Between 1981 and 2016 the share of 25 to 34 year-olds who owned their own home fell from more than 60 per cent to 45 per cent Half of the poorest 40 per cent of Australians aged 25-34 owned their homes in 1981 younger Australians’ best chance of owning a home is to have parents who already own one Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.