Bay of Plenty club Ngongotaha have confirmed their senior men’s coaching team for the 2025 Lotto NRFL Southern Conference Trevor Johnston will return for his second season as head coach of the first team with Basil Petersen as the team’s assistant coach Petersen will also be the club’s goalkeeper coach Ian Guy will coach the club’s U-23 reserves squad with club president Aaron Lawrence as the team’s assistant coach Guy replaces Mark Trembath and Lee Stubbs who coached the U-23s last season but who have stepped away due to work commitments Johnston is an OFC C-Licence coach with experience in his native South Africa Petersen played semi-professional football in South Africa before moving to Rotorua Rotorua-born Lawrence (39) played about 200 first team games for Auckland club Manurewa and had spells with Onehunga Mangere United and Ngongotaha he is leading the club through a change in direction with the club engaging in innovative community partnerships and reducing barriers to entry for children FEATURE: The programmes removing barriers for young footballers >>>> He is working towards achieving his OFC/NZF C Licence Scotland-born Guy has worked with many youth teams in the past Guy is also a former president of the club Pre-season training starts on Tuesday January 21 Players who are aged 15+ need to be at training by 6.15pm for a 6.30pm start The new season is due to start on March 29 The winners of the Southern Conference are expected to meet the winners of the Lotto NRFL Northern Conference in a play-off to decide promotion to the Lotto NRFL Men’s Championship Cambridge beat Waiheke United in the 2024 two-legged play-off This story was first published on January 17 Auckland United have started the defence of their OFC Women’s Champions League title with a.. 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WordPress Theme by Kadence WP What the proposed new houses at Ngongotaha will look like An independent panel has given the go-ahead for a controversial housing development for 202 homes at Ngongotahā in Rotorua Auckland developer Watchman Residential applied for resource consent under the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020 and approval for the first stage of the project has just been granted Watchman Residential applied to the Environmental Protection Authority and the consent was granted by three panel members Opposition to the proposal has been expressed at two public meetings with locals mainly worried about flooding lack of infrastructure and traffic congestion The site was first considered for a housing project involving 80 homes in 2018 but concerns about flooding and congestion led to its eventual rejection by then-Housing Minister Megan Woods The Government bought the 15.9 ha site in 2022 for $8 million and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work with Watchman Residential to build a total of 350 publicly and privately owned homes in three stages The consent granted this week relates to the first stage The decision said it carefully reviewed all information including extensive comments from invited parties finding the adverse environmental effects would be “minor” and not contrary to the objectives and policies of the district and regional plans The decision included a summary of comments by different invited individuals and groups The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development said it approved the application as Rotorua was one of the ministry’s priority areas Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga said there were no archaeological sites in the development area Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency was “generally supportive” of the application and the use of State Highway 36 The Bay of Plenty Regional Council said there were not any “insurmountable issues” and provided extensive comments on issues including flooding Rotorua Lakes Council said Watchman Residential engaged with the council from early 2023 and reduced several issues it had with the proposal The council was now “more accepting” of the development The council said traffic issues were dealt with and it was deemed stage one would not adversely affect the state highway roading network The effects on the local roading network would be at an “acceptable” level The council said Watchman Residential was able to demonstrate flooding from Wateti Stream did not pose a risk to residential development on the site or increase the flood risk to properties upstream and downstream The council said the development could be serviced with adequate water and wastewater and the wetland was not only an opportunity to treat water but also to provide an additional public open space for those living at the development and in Ngongotahā Ngāti Ngararanui Trust outlined traditional historical and spiritual association with the project site concerning Waiteti Stream and said the trust was actively working with the applicant Don Hammon and Andrea Hammond raised a range of issues in separate statements including traffic congestion Neighbour Patricia Hoskings raised issues about flooding rural lifestyle implications and public meeting commitments Iwi representative Guy Ngatai expressed concern about the impacts to wāhi tapu (sacred sites) and Waiteti Stream He also raised concerns about flooding and the feasibility of the number of dwellings Anyone opposed to the consent has until September 10 to appeal Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years He piko he tuna is about resilience and love the despite challenges of life By Kelly Makiha of Police say they won't tolerate unlawful behaviour from gang members gathering near Rotorua for the funeral of a teen who died following a police pursuit on Thursday The teen's name has not yet been released by police The Rotorua Daily Post understands he is closely linked to gangs through his family members A Ngongotahā resident has told the Rotorua Daily Post the community was fearful of what would happen on Monday at the teen's tangi following unruly gang behaviour when the teen's body was taken to a family member's home near Ngongotahā on Friday A video given to the Rotorua Daily Post showed the teen's body being transported near Ngongotahā amid a procession of cars that were being driven while doing burnouts and with drivers displaying unruly behaviour The resident said police were driving alongside the procession but did nothing to stop the allegedly unlawful activity Rotorua police area commander Inspector Herby Ngawhika told the Rotorua Daily Post police were monitoring the teen's tangi "Police are maintaining a visible presence as Ngongotahā sees an increased presence of gang members paying their respects." He said police were aware of the activity seen in the video on Friday and had since reiterated their clear expectations "This activity has not continued in following days Police recognise the right for people to grieve we must also ensure the law is upheld and others in the community can be and feel safe." Ngawhika said police were in close contact with the family who had set clear expectations for gang members planning to attend the tangi "Police have also engaged with gang leaders to communicate our expectations about the behaviour of those attending." A range of police staff would be deployed on Monday to monitor the funeral procession "Our expectations are very clear - we have zero tolerance for unlawful behaviour If people choose to drive poorly or engage in disorderly behaviour they can expect follow-up enforcement action." Ngawhika said police encouraged the public to report any instances of unlawful activity on the road to them so they could take action Please contact 111 if it is happening now or report other matters to police by calling 105 or going online to police.govt.nz/use-105 Ngawhika said last week police spotted a vehicle of interest about 11.30am on Thursday on Haupapa St and signalled for the driver to stop It collided with another vehicle on Vaughan Rd in Ōwhata died at the scene while his passenger received minor injuries and was taken to Rotorua Hospital Two people in the other vehicle were taken to Rotorua Hospital with moderate injuries The matter has been referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority and dash cam footage from the area at the time Hundreds of tributes have been posted on social media about the teen who died Many described him as being cheeky but loving and respectful One person said he was a "bright light when we saw your beautiful handsome face with the most cheekiest smile" The Rotorua Daily Post approached his family for comment This story was originally published by the NZ Herald The police complaints authority is investigating after a person died in a crash in Ōwhata New Zealand RSS Follow RNZ News One person has died following a crash on State Highway 5 Ngongotaha Valley early on Saturday morning Emergency services were alerted to the crash between a car and a truck at 3am State Highway 5 was closed between Maraeroa Road to Dansey Road with alternative route via SH28 SH 5 Tirau to Rotorua reopened again at 9.33am Phone 0800SUNLIVE or email newsroom@thesun.co.nz How do you feel about Tauranga’s rapid population growth Back to top Director of international humanitarian organisation Spirit of Football will be in Rotorua supporting a local club's mission to make football accessible for all players in Rotorua Ngongotahā AFC is a club on a mission to remove economic barriers stopping Rotorua children from playing football On Friday and Saturday, the sports club will host events celebrating its Children’s First (CR1) football project – which provides free transport life skills and football training to young footballers A pōwhiri at Ōwhata Marae on Friday will welcome German non-profit Spirit of Football to Rotorua with its director Andrew Aris flying in from Germany An open day will then be held at the club on Stembridge Road on Saturday for children aged 3-13 interested in the sport with leadership workshops from Aris for players Aris said CR1 aligned with what his organisation was about Aris travels the world with a football treated like an Olympic torch and signed by participants spreading a message of unity and promoting access to football Southeast Asia and will join him in Rotorua Aris said two new footballs would be gifted to the city on Friday as symbols of social change and development Ngongotahā AFC president Aaron Lawrence said the club’s goal was to “empower young people to play football and have fun” The 20-week CR1 programme was the first time the club had embarked on anything like it the New Zealand Community Trust awarded the club $21,060 for the programme It kicked off in October and 40 children aged between 3 and 13 have signed up so far Hosting Aris at the pōwhiri was one way CR1 connected young football players from Rotorua to an international platform The club also wanted to help children improve their health and develop their social CR1 co-founder and organiser Trevor Johnston had his own lessons to share about growing out of poverty he was employed as an education employment broker at the Taiohi Tūrama in 1966 and his experience of apartheid and growing up with few opportunities drove his passion to “give back to his community” “Things started opening up after apartheid ended, and that allowed me to then pursue one of my lifelong dreams, which was to climb Mount Everest, and I got selected for the 1998 South African Mount Everest expedition.” Johnston said he was the only person of colour on that expedition While they ultimately did not make it to the summit he has turned it into a lesson in resilience Southeast Asia and the Pacific before settling in Rotorua He said he identified with the community’s “manaakitanga [hospitality and saw the potential to “provide opportunities to people coming from poverty in Rotorua” The licensed Fifa agent could scout for players with the potential to turn professional “To be able to give someone an opportunity or open the doorway to help them along their journey of fulfilling their dreams is what I try to do,” Johnston said He said football was an expensive sport for many families and the new programme was a way to address that some parents in these economic times – are struggling with food “That’s why we feed [the children] on a Saturday morning first when they arrive .. so they’re not running around with a grumbling tummy and hungry.” They also offered a free bus service to pick the children up on Saturdays “What we’re trying to remove is as many barriers as possible from participation.” What: Children’s First (CR1) programme 10am-11am; Ngongotahā AFC and Love Soup community day Aleyna Martinez is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty She moved to the region in 2024 and has previously reported in Wairarapa and at Pacific Media Network Rotorua club Ngongotaha are seeking candidates to coach their men’s first team in the 2025 Lotto NRFL Men’s Southern Conference “This is an exciting opportunity to work alongside a hardworking ambitious and extremely supportive committee who are working hard in the Rotorua and Ngongotaha communities,” the club says “Work is well underway to create player and coach pathways at Ngongotaha AFC.” Remuneration will be discussed with candidates The side has finished seventh in the eight-club competition for the past two seasons For more information or to register interest, email ngongotahaafc@proton.me or ngongotahaafcpresident@gmail.com Please let us know what’s happening at your club Either send us your media releases or send us a link to your announcement/story on your website If we think it’ll interest football fans and our members we’ll do our best to share your news Email us at editor@friendsoffootballnz.com Please add our logo to your club’s website and invite your members and supporters to check us out Thousands of dollars of fencing is being installed on Rotorua's iconic Mt Ngongotahā in a bid to curb constant rubbish dumping Rotorua Lakes Council has spent $24,000 on the problem - including the cost of the fence and collecting the most recent pile of trash A local woman who has been cleaning up the maunga for 12 years says from the "expensive" types of rubbish she sees there is no reason the litterers could not afford to dispose of it properly at the dump The view from Mountain Rd can be beautiful It offers expansive sight of the city and the lake; on a clear winter morning the sunlight hits the water Far below one roadside lookout are rolling hills and rows of homes chimney smoke puffing into the air from some - quite picturesque But immediately below has been an illegal junkyard - until the council cleaned it up this week The rubbish included pizza boxes among household waste and old tyres atop broken play equipment Last year Local Democracy Reporting shared how the same spot was littered with rotting animal carcasses The council said it had spent an estimated $24,000 to install a 1.8m deer fence along the road "notorious for illegal dumping" and to clear the rubbish from the "challenging" slip face Council waste and climate change manager Craig Goodwin said most of the rubbish could fit in kerbside wheelie bins with much of it having recycling potential "It's disheartening to see how little regard some people have for the consequence of their actions and the disrespect they have not just on the environment but also the community or neighbourhood where they are dumping the rubbish they have generated "There's also the cost to the community for cleaning it up and the reputational damage for our beautiful district." That cost was $175,000 for the council to clear up illegally dumped rubbish each year With a third of public litter bins misused for household rubbish the council collected 1010 tonnes from them annually reduced landfill fees and surveillance cameras were not the solution but behaviour change was needed on waste generation and how it was disposed of "Making the landfill free or giving out landfill tickets would cost significantly more than it does to clean up illegal dumping each year because someone still has to pay - and the burden would then fall on ratepayers only "Inorganic collections (free dumping) have been trialled and abandoned due to the mess they create the significant cost to the ratepayer and because they're often abused by people outside of the area Free dumping also removes the incentive to reuse He said the council continued to use cameras to monitor dumping hotspots but there were costs associated with legal action "The best thing we can do is encourage the community to treasure their environment and simply do the right thing." do not approach the offenders but take notes and photos or videos of the person and their vehicle Report any dumped rubbish to the council at info@rotorualc.nz or 07 348 4199 as soon as possible so contractors can remove it before it's added to has spent the past 12 years periodically cleaning the mess "Looking back over all these clean-ups is very disheartening The first clean-up was in collaboration with hau kāinga those who whakapapa or connect to that land "This is of course a sacred maunga to the people from this area And it has just been dumped on continuously." She had theories about why people dumped their rubbish including that some wanted to avoid paying the transfer station fees "My answer to that is that we all live in the same system and there are many people that don't do this." and people needed to plan to do the right thing reusable building materials from renovations so no one can tell me these people couldn't afford the landfill Danielle said there were environmental issues bigger than litter and dumped rubbish "But let's all get the small stuff right first and then progress from there." Rotorua is the launch location of a nationwide campaign in which those seen being tidy -such as putting rubbish in a bin - are awarded a prize Danielle will also visit schools and will work with the council on further clean-ups For more information email info@beatidykiwi.nz or text 0222896996 with "Be a Tidy Kiwi" to get information and register for upcoming clean-ups - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air abandoned whiteware and decomposing nappies are among the mountain of regularly disposed of at illegal dumping sites in Hamilton Enforcing fines and exposing offenders on social media is deterring illegal dumping in Māngere but community leaders say more education is also needed Just three percent of tracking tunnels were visited by rats in the predator control zone compared to 96 percent in non-treated areas microwaves and lounge cushions were just some of the items that close to 1000 volunteers collected Council estimated it would take it would take 80 to 100 hours to pick up but the community came to help Local Democracy Reporting RSS Video of the fire showed large flames and black smoke coming from an address on Ngongotahā Rd at the time and Parliament tackles alcohol and mental health More than 2400 children ran the Rotorua Mini Marathon CCTV footage has emerged showing two people robbing a Lake Rd dairy in Rotorua CCTV footage has emerged showing two girls The Aronui Arts Festival Matariki drone show returns to the Rotorua Lakefront this June sustainable way of building homes at a low cost could help ease New Zealand's housing woes Recent timelapse taken of Whakaari/White Island Evidence of fresh explosive activity had been seen on the island Tove Jensen-Munroe says the drug will be her 'best option' if she relapses A "very bright" fireball seen over the Bay of Plenty on Wednesday night Rotorua’s Reg Stag speeds to victory at 2025 Red Bull Trolley Grand Prix Smoke from the Rotorua Recycling Centre fire blanketed the surrounding area Amelia Branson is going to America for surgery and radiation for her brain tumour Thousands attend official Waitangi Day event in Rotorua Locals feared they looked like container homes when they first arrived but today they had a chance to look through the finished product Security footage of a ram raid at Westbrook Liquor Centre in Rotorua Parents Sarb Mann and David McNeill want harsher penalties for impaired drivers Twelve fire crews joined the battle to contain a scrub fire in the Tahorakuri Forest area between Rotorua and Taupō on Wednesday Rotorua Māori ward councillor Rawiri Waru at the final meeting for the year Salvation Army’s choice model supermarket empowers those in need The Hits Rotorua 97.5FM presenter Paul Hickey announces the final tally for Fill the Bus 2024 The Hits Rotorua 97.5FM’s Fill the Bus fundraiser is part of the six-week annual Rotorua Daily Post Christmas Appeal for the foodbank Thousands of protesters marching up Fenton St in Rotorua Rotorua Daily Post has launched its annual Christmas Appeal supporting the Salvation Army foodbank Ngāti Whakaue has created its own subdivision for its people in a sought-after location on iwi land following a multimillion-dollar partnership with the Government Hundreds of people take part in the Rotorua Pink Walk organised by the Rotorua Breast Cancer Trust A second bronze sculpture dedicated to the memory of a much-loved stray dog in Rotorua that lived beside Te Ngae Rd has been unveiled to the public Rotorua Hospital's children's unit has undergone refurbishment Nikau Grace's latest project with Waiata Anthems has seen a new song and documentary released about her love of Kawerau and how you can beat the odds Tom Stephenson says he hears the hounds from his property daily Hosted by the Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival Taumata Soloman pays homage to cultural entrepreneur and kapa haka legend Wetini Mitai Ngatai Vehicles were caught in a slip on State Highway 2 at Waiotahe in the Eastern Bay of Plenty An investigation is under way after a body was found in a burning vehicle on State Highway 1 near Ātiamuri between Tokoroa and Taupō last night Lynmore Primary School pupils spent the day at NZME learning about the media Hundreds lost power after a car crashed into power pole on Te Ngae Rd on Monday night The Voices in the Shadows by Rotorua's Wairea Company features Tame Iti and premieres as part of the Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival 2024 recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about why he wants to donate his Tour de France bike to charity Police say they won’t tolerate unlawful behaviour from gang members gathering near Rotorua for the funeral of a teen who died following a police pursuit on Thursday The teen’s name has not yet been released by police A Ngongotahā resident has told the Rotorua Daily Post the community was fearful of what will happen tomorrow at the teen’s tangi following unruly gang behaviour when the teen’s body was taken to a family member’s home near Ngongotahā on Friday A video given to the Rotorua Daily Post showed the teen’s body being transported near Ngongotahā amid a procession of cars that were being driven while doing burnouts and with drivers displaying unruly behaviour He said locals were “up in arms” describing the police action as “absolutely hopeless” He said they thought police were meant to be “getting tough and clamping down on gangs’ notorious belligerent and intimidating behaviour” He said since Friday locals in the area had “endured” more than 500 gang members paying their respects Rotorua police area commander Inspector Herby Ngawhika told the Rotorua Daily Post police were monitoring the teen’s tangi “Police are maintaining a visible presence as Ngongotahā sees an increased presence of gang members paying their respects.” “This activity has not continued in following days we must also ensure the law is upheld and others in the community can be and feel safe.” “Police have also engaged with gang leaders to communicate our expectations about the behaviour of those attending.” A range of police staff will be deployed tomorrow to monitor the funeral procession “Our expectations are very clear – we have zero tolerance for unlawful behaviour they can expect follow-up enforcement action.” Please contact 111 if it is happening now or report other matters to police by calling 105 or going online to https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 One person said he was a “bright light when we saw your beautiful handsome face with the most cheekiest smile” this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read developer for the Ngongotahā housing project The developer behind plans to build 350 houses on Government land at Ngongotahā says the development is on track despite his other company for another Rotorua housing project owing millions and being placed in liquidation this month Marcus Jacobson, of Watchman Residential, said the funder backing the Ngongotahā project was different to the funder involved in the company behind the now-insolvent Mountview Green development at Koutū Jacobson is the sole director and shareholder of Roto Whare which owns the final stages of the Mountview Green development Jacobson this month appointed Waterstone Insolvency’s Damien Grant to the company as liquidator It was revealed this week Roto Whare owes money to several Rotorua businesses but the biggest debt of $28.2 million is to an American business Florida-headquartered financier Quaestor Advisors LLC Details of what Roto Whare owed were revealed in the liquidator’s first report Among Rotorua businesses out of pocket were Metal Line Roofing In response to Rotorua Daily Post questions Jacobson said the two projects - Ngongotahā and Koutū - were not related “Mountview was placed in liquidation because of financing issues .. The issues at Mountview are specific to Mountview and relate to financing.” He said Ngongotahā was a “completely separate project” “The funding entity is not related and the entity that financed the Roto Whare project is not involved The Ngongotahā funders and suppliers are supportive.” Jacobson did not reveal who the Ngongotahā funders were He said the Ngongotahā project was going ahead as planned “Siteworks at Ngongotahā have commenced and I am excited about the status of the project … the development can’t be linked to Mountview Community housing will be part of the development Jacobson is the sole director of Watchman Residential The 98% shareholder is AH Trustees (Watchman Trust) Ltd A Ministry of Housing and Urban Development [HUD] spokesman said the ministry entered into a development agreement with Watchman Residential for the development of at least 320 dwellings over the next decade A requirement of the development agreement was that Watchman Residential secured suitable financing Watchman Residential was not involved in the Roto Whare Limited project the two projects do not have the same funder.” The spokesman said the ministry would not contribute grant funding for the Ngongotahā development and the funds invested by the ministry – including the $8 million it spent to buy the 15.9ha site and the Memorandum of Understanding for design and consenting costs – would be returned to the Crown Asked how the Government came to partner with Watchman Residential and if there was a tender process the spokesman said Watchman Residential brought the site opportunity to the ministry and was “well placed to deliver housing in Rotorua” “The developer successfully progressed through a single-party request for proposal process where its capacity and capability were assessed by HUD as sufficient to undertake this development.” The HUD spokesman said it did not have concerns about the Ngongotahā development “Noting that HUD monitors development risks and mitigations of all the developments it is involved in.” The spokesman said in “land for housing” developments the Crown owned the land until the houses were complete and developers were not allowed to take mortgages over the land This meant in the worst-case scenario of a developer being unable to complete a development the ministry would still own the land and be able to contract a different developer to finish the job and recoup the Crown’s investment An independent panel granted Watchman Residential resource consent under the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020 in August for the first stage of the project involving 202 homes Opposition to the proposal has been expressed at two public meetings It hasn’t been said yet how many homes will be publicly or privately owned A woman has been arrested in relation to an alleged assault that left a person seriously injured at a Rotorua address this morning A police spokeswoman said emergency services were called to a Hood St address in Ngongotahā about 8.30am following a report of a serious assault She said the incident involved “parties known to each other” “A 27-year-old woman has been arrested in relation to this matter and is due to appear in Rotorua District Court tomorrow on a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.” The spokeswoman said it was alleged a weapon – not a firearm – was used during the assault A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said one ambulance and two operations managers went to the address and one patient in a serious condition was taken to Rotorua Hospital Ngarene Stevens and Paul Button at a working bee in Ngongotahā to help clear gorse from land where a papakāinga is planned “It takes a village to fulfil a vision” – and that’s exactly what descendants of Ngongotahā's Tārukenga Marae hope to do as they make plans for up to 100 affordable homes for whānau and elderly on returned whenua (land) Land in front of Tārukenga marae was returned to the descendants of Taui Takerei and Te Ao Kahira Te Putu through the Māori Land Court in 2000 who was appointed secretary of the Okoheriki 2e Ahu Whenua Trust in 2000 said when the land was returned: “Our tūpuna wrote into the trust order that their descendants have a place of habitation.” had been working on a plan to build a papakāinga (communal Māori land) housing development on a section in front of the marae Neighbouring businesses had come on board to help clear gorse in preparation for the development Taui said they had enough land available for potentially up to 100 homes in the future “We want the best papakāinga possible for our whenua,” Taui said who had owned a construction company for 39 years said the new papakāinga would include facilities such as a gym and pool The trust had been encouraged by the success of other papakāinga projects such as those of Ngā Potiki in Pāpāmoa Although the housing proposal had hurdles to overcome before it could progress 98% of trust beneficiaries had welcomed it through a hapū survey The trust planned to apply for funding through the Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga fund delivered by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and Te Puni Kokiri The ministry said there had been no formal talks with the trust but that could still happen in the future Beach said the site was in “a bit of a state at the moment” but hoped the development would bring people back live next to our marae and be part of it,” Beach said Beach, a nurse, founded Māori health-focused First Health Centre in Ngongotahā village in 1992 She said Māori experiencing ill health across the board and Rotorua’s need for affordable housing were also among reasons for pursuing the papakāinga project She believed their tamariki (children) would benefit from returning to their ancestral lands instead of “living out in urban areas” She said this had impacts on mental health “We bring them back here on the whenua and it’s going to be health Two businesses that operate across some of the land were supporting the project joining a volunteer day on October 12 to help clear gorse from the area Canopy Tours and Rotorua Rail Cruising owners said they were proud to volunteer their time for the papakāinga plan Aidan Ashmore packed up his life in Auckland and bought Rotorua Rail Cruising, which offers scenic tours of the countryside Clearing gorse along the railway tracks took him to the hapū land the tracks passed through He said he was happy to help and be a good neighbour “I like to lift up the people who are around me “I said this to them in a hui the other day but they had the land before I had the company and they will have the land after I’m gone Always has been theirs and always will be theirs,” Ashmore said He wanted to build a train station outside Tārukenga Marae so “kuia and kaumātua can jump on the rail cruisers do their shopping and then rail car back up” Canopy Tours general manager Paul Button said the tourism business’ zipline went over Ngāti Tura and Te Ngākau land “Our relationship with mana whenua is really important and the only way to move forward is if we move together,” he said Button said his team had been helping to restore the land and keep the area pest-free for more than a decade He said the native forest in Ngongotahā was “a real gem” for Rotorua and New Zealand “We really appreciate being on their ancestral lands Stevens envisaged future collaborations with the businesses such as children using Rail Cruising vehicles to get to school in Ngongotahā “Our elders will be able to get to the village for shopping Canopy Tours is offering us a whānau day so our people can have an experience and we are embracing it all,” Stevens said For four years, passionate Rotorua gardener Rob Bellingham has lovingly tended and expanded a community garden that helps feed struggling families the 80-year-old retired Baptist minister needs someone to fill his gumboots as he prepares to meet his maker after a “fabulous life” Bellingham, a non-smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer four years ago the cancer has spread and his prognosis has become terminal He stepped down three months ago as co-ordinator of the community garden at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Ngongotahā – a position he held for three years Bellingham grew up in a Christian family in Northland He was interested in missionary stories and developed a “very keen interest” in the issue of poverty and how to help the poor “Christian organisations are very prominent in that area of work working as a Baptist minister and chaplain He had studied Christian social ethics and also lived in Bangladesh and India for 10 years his work involved being part of a team that built hospitals Bellingham was invited to Bangalore to help with a community development training programme He moved to Rotorua eight years ago and married his wife Jan Jan took him to Rotorua Hospital for tests Bellingham’s cancer diagnosis was confirmed He said he dealt with the news with St Francis of Assisi’s Serenity Prayer in mind and be wise enough to know the difference.” the cancer was in his bloodstream and spreading to other organs He was waiting on test results “to plan better how to keep going for a little while” Bellingham had been “translating” the Bible into poetry – “putting the whole Bible into verse” He published that work and two other books I’ll have four books published in the last two years.” Bellingham described himself as “a bit of an athlete” “I love sport and tennis has been my lifelong game Bellingham said the community garden provided fresh pick-your-own produce for up to 80 clientele of a foodbank programme clients had to be community service card holders and in circumstances where they could not work Bellingham said the garden was about “five or six times bigger” than when he first started The production of vegetables was “prolific” He enjoyed “seeing things grow” and “knowing they’re organic and very healthy” and so I’ve been putting in about 20 hours a week weeding and harvesting.” Bellingham said the garden needed more participation He was also looking for a new co-ordinator to replace him Those interested should contact the Trinity Presbyterian Church Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post New details around a major housing development in Ngongotahā have been revealed in planning documents before commissioners tasked with deciding whether to approve it The development’s first stage proposes 202 houses at 31 Ngongotahā Rd, near Rotorua There will be a large wetland area at the site’s rear which developers say will mitigate flooding issues - a concern for residents and iwi It is proposed there will be two entrances improvements to Ngongotahā Rd and a possible speed limit reduction in the area from 80km/h to 50km/h Planning documents as part of the resource consent process say the project will have a $105m economic impact create more than 880 fulltime jobs and have several “tangible and significant positive effects” including helping relieve the housing shortage The Government bought the 15.9 ha site at 31 Ngongotahā Rd in 2022 and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work with Auckland developer Watchman Residential to build 350 publicly and privately owned homes in three stages over a decade The site was first considered for a project involving 80 homes in 2018 but concerns about flooding and congestion led to its rejection by then-Housing Minister Megan Woods Woods concluded there were several issues including the site being “reasonably complex” because it was near Waitetī Stream, and its potential to increase flood hazard to downstream properties the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development bought the site for $8 million to build 350 homes in an attempt to ease Rotorua’s housing crisis The project was accepted for fast-track consenting under the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting Act 2020 last June A resource consent application was lodged in December Three independent commissioners were appointed in April They requested more information from the developers The latest plans are now before the commissioners Watchman Residential’s plans include building 202 dwellings in different housing types duplexes and terraced and apartment-style homes There will be 160 individual freehold residential lots six private jointly-owned access lanes and six shared parking areas alongside new public roads Stage one includes establishing an extensive artificial wetland for ecological enhancement flood management and stormwater treatment and will double as a recreation area with a walking track Planning documents say the wetland will be vested as a drainage area with Rotorua Lakes Council by resource management specialists Campbell Brown Planning said it supported the development and having considered the actual and potential effects the proposal would generate “no more than minor adverse effects that subject to appropriate conditions of resource consent The document said the proposal was in line with district and regional council plans did not offend iwi management plans and ticked boxes for appropriate consultation with iwi and other stakeholders The document said the proposal should satisfy the matters the commissioners were required to assess and should be granted resource consent An economic impact study found the five-year stage-one development was estimated to bring in $105 million would employ more than 250 people during peak development and more than 880 people overall over five years Watchman Residential director Marcus Jacobson told the Rotorua Daily Post he took the three commissioners - Phil Lang John Olliver and James Whetu - for a walk over the site on Friday He said the commissioners would now consider the application which he estimated could take about three months A Ministry of Housing and Urban Development spokesman told the Rotorua Daily Post the panel had invited comments from the ministry as the land’s administrator and it had filed a supporting letter Stages two and three would need a plan change through Rotorua Lakes Council Kaumātua Wallace Haumaha told the Rotorua Daily Post Jacobson had been in regular contact with him “Our main interest and concern is in relation to our Waitetī awa including a significant increase in vehicle traffic with 202 houses proposed for the site.” He said Ngāti Ngararanui and Ngāti Tuteaiti iwi had recorded their concerns with Watchman Residential in a cultural assessment Concerns included a need to respect sites of cultural significance along the Waiteti Stream and its tributaries and surrounds It also raised issues of stormwater run-off increasing flood levels in the Waitetī Stream and increasing flow rates eroding the stream The assessment suggested a range of ways it could mitigate the iwi’s concerns including in-depth research and consultation with kaumātua having strict cultural monitoring policies during construction and fencing off waahi tapu (sacred) sites Haumaha said Waitetī Stream was the most prominent landmark of Ngāti Ngararanui descendants and gave their turangawaewae their sense of belonging and their status as an iwi “The Waitetī Stream has been the homeland of Ngāti Ngararanui and is one of deep cultural and spiritual significance “The Waitetī Stream identifies Ngāti Ngararanui as an autonomous iwi of Ngāti Whakaue an iwi charged with the responsibility of kaitiakitanga of the waters It is the single most prominent landmark that signposts the heartland of Ngāti Ngararanui.” Correction: The homepage headline on this article originally stated that 202 homes would create nearly 900 jobs This is not correct and the headline has been updated The Ngongotahā to Tarukenga railway line has reopened after 24 years The Ngongotahā to Tarukenga railway line has reopened after 24 years and was celebrated with a special event over Matariki The section of Rotorua’s original rail network is part of Rotorua Rail Cruising whose operations include self-drive rail car trips The business opened in 2011 initially running from Mamaku to Tarukenga the track has now extended through to Ngongotahā The Rotorua railway was closed as a normal passenger railway in October 2001 Rotorua Rail Cruising’s new Ngongotahā rail station opened on Friday with a one-off night-time event where visitors experienced the 6.6km of new track and light displays and heard from local iwi about Matariki and the history of the whenua Rotorua Rail Cruising rail guide and Ngongotahā local Chaylse McLeod said it was a great to get the community and local iwi together to celebrate the opening The team had forged a good relationship with local iwi Tura Ngāti Te Ngākau and Ngāti Whakaue ki Ngongotahā “The cherry on top has been working closely with iwi learning about stories from the Ngongotahā area and creating a meaningful event that honoured our heritage and brought the community together,” McLeod said Ngati Tura Ngati Te Ngakau Hapu Trust general manager said the hapū had been more than happy to play their part in supporting the developments “We’re fully supportive of activities that will boost the economy in Ngongotahā or bringing in manuhiri and telling our story – like this event did it’s our duty to do what’s best for the rohe “Building lasting partnerships with businesses in our rohe is a positive step towards achieving all of these things and more.” Rail car trips run from Ngongotahā to Tarukenga 6.6km return Ngongotahā to Mamaku – or reverse – 14.3km one way or 28.6km return Tim O’Sullivan outside the garage sale shop in Ngongotahā Railway Park A “gutting” alleged burglary from Rotorua’s long-running Ray White charity garage sale has left organisers facing a tough choice so much so we’re thinking of just canning it,” said Ray White Rotorua co-owner Tim O’Sullivan trailer and small donated items were allegedly taken from the garage sale’s storage area at Ngongotahā Railway Park on Friday night Tim O’Sullivan said if the monthly sales – which have raised more than $100,000 for charity – did not end they would at least need to be reduced to car boot sales instead of a shop to minimise the opportunity for property damage and loss The alleged burglary was discovered on Saturday morning when park manager Peter Reeglestone arrived to open the park and found the car and trailer gone Donated items such as small electronic goods were also discovered missing from storage containers and other items had been moved the Sunday sales offered items donated by people moving house and sold without price tags The initiative started as a charity drive in 2019 with administration staff at the Ray White Amohia St branch collecting donated household items that would have otherwise been discarded during the real estate sale process The agency set up a pickup and drop-off service to make the process easier for donors and those needing goods “You’d be surprised what goes to the tip,” O’Sullivan said “Items are given to us mainly by people when they’re selling a home you’ve got the seller and then you’ve got the buyer when you get to the last week of the transaction – it’s panic station consequently we saw a lot of things going to the landfill so we decided to turn that into money for fundraising,” O’Sullivan said “It’s worked really well and we don’t charge a lot for the items – nothing has a price on it.” O’Sullivan said before the move to the park the donated items were stored at his home as he and his wife Jacqueline O’Sullivan were passionate about the project and giving back to their community “I ended up with two marquees up our driveway The couple said they found the support from the Rotorua community “overwhelming” The garage sale had raised more than $100,000 over the years and supported 40 charities in Rotorua including Kaharoa School Canning the charity drive was not something the O’Sullivans wanted to do but the security challenge left them without an answer said the charity initiative rented space in the park and would be a huge loss if it did not continue whether it’s worth the while carrying on security-wise “That would be sad for the rail park, too, because of the funding that we get to maintain this park – it’s the entranceway into Rotorua from Tauranga “If we’re not maintaining the lawns and things like that it will end up like the rail track over here all overgrown and back into blackberry and scrub,” Farquhar said The trailer has since been found by police but the Ray White signage had been torn off Police said a 27-year-old man had been arrested and charged with burglary and was due to reappear in Rotorua District Court on Friday A union is mulling whether stab-proof vests and personal alarms should be rolled out for nurses after one was stabbed while on the job By Pretoria Gordon of RNZ The nurse was hospitalised on December 28 after being stabbed during an after-hours callout to the Rotorua suburb of Ngongotahā She was part of Te Whatu Ora Lakes' acute mental health response team The New Zealand Nurses Organisation – Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa – is now considering whether to call for nurses to be issued with vests and alarms The organisation and the Public Service Association are also calling for a full investigation by Te Whatu Ora and WorkSafe and for the matter to be referred to the Health Quality Safety Commission Other mental health nurses were “so worried about their safety” Incidents like these had become more frequent in recent years “We are seeing escalating aggressive behaviours in the community “More members of our society are presenting as highly distressed because of their social and financial situations increased drug use along with a swell in anti-social behaviours “We want to discuss whether extra security measures such as personal alarms or stab-proof vests should be worn from now on by nurses and kaiāwhina working in mental health.” McLaughlan said the nurse who had been stabbed was “extremely traumatised” and had quit her job of more than 20 years as a result of the incident [and] it would have allowed the other person to quickly denote where the individual had got to we are going to see more of these incidents in the future.” then-Police Commissioner Andrew Coster announced the police would start the transition to no longer respond to every mental health-related call from November 1 Nurses had become increasingly vulnerable as a result NZNO mental health nurses section chair Helen Garrick said Mark Quinn from the Ambulance Association called for stab-proof vests for all workers PSA health national sector lead Sue McCullough said it was not something the union had heard from its members “It’s concerning that we would get to that stage where people need that kind of protection rather than being in anything that looks like a uniform and it is about preventing these things happening rather than having something to protect them when it does.” McCullough said incidents like these highlighted the consequences of the Government’s “relentless” cuts will continue to endanger the entire health care system and all New Zealanders' health and wellbeing.” Te Whatu Ora and the Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti have been approached for comment UPDATE 12:45PMSH5 is now OPEN under contraflow between the SH36 (Ngongotaha) roundabout and Barnard Rd in Fairy Springs. Expect delays and allow extra time. ^JF https://t.co/JCGVS7TziE A major highway near Rotorua has reopened after a major bitumen leak and truck fire this morning Thousands of litres of bitumen leaked from the truck after a breakdown was reported on State Highway 5 between Rotorua and Ngongotahā around 6am Following the leak, police said the tanker caught fire and the highway between Ngongotahā Rd and Barnard Rd was closed with motorists asked to take alternative routes due to “significant delays”. A Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokesman said the fire had been extinguished. All crews had left the scene by midday, a spokeswoman said. “The tanker with the leaking bitumen was emptied and the highway made safe before our crews left.” Bay of Plenty Regional Council compliance manager for air, industry and response Stephen Mellor said he was advised of the situation this morning through the Pollution Hotline. A compliance officer from Tauranga attended the site and inspected the environmental impacts of the bitumen spill. Higgins staff were onsite at the time, Mellor said, and a clean-up plan was developed to manage environmental impacts. This plan would include any remedial work that needed to be done and the regional council’s compliance officer would continue to work with Higgins to ensure any work undertaken was appropriate and compliant, Mellor said. In an update at 12.45pm, NZ Transport Agency said the road had reopened under contraflow. Earlier, traffic was diverted around the lake and Paradise Valley. The Fenz spokesman said the leak had now been contained after about 12,000 litres of bitumen had leaked from the truck towards a drain at a rate of four litres per minute. The spokesman said the bitumen had now been contained in a “bunded area” – a walled area used to contain a spill. The process to decant the remaining bitumen had also begun, he said. Fenz called for further help after a small fire started in the truck during the decanting process, which had since been extingushed. Three fire appliances, two support vehicles, a Hazmat unit, a water tanker, a digger and a bobcat were on the scene. Fenz crews were assisting contractors using personal protection equipment and breathing apparatus. Bay of Plenty Regional Council had been advised and staff were coming from Tauranga, the spokesman said. He piko he tuna is about resilience and love the despite challenges of life. Police said State Highway 5 is blocked as a result of the incident, and will "likely to be shut for the next two hours". "Motorists should expect lengthy delays," said police. FENZ told 1News the tanker was carrying 12,000 litres of bitumen, and is leaking at approximately 4 litres per minute. "FENZ are working with contractors to isolate the leak and decant the tanker. "A small fire started in one of the trucks during this process, and has been since extinguished. All product has been contained." Three fire trucks, one hazmat unit and two support vehicles are at the scene. This includes one digger and one bobcat, which FENZ said has come from contractors. "They are using breathing apparatuses and a covering foam delivery hose." According to Google Maps, traffic was moving slowly on the highways surrounding Ngongotahā. Police said northbound traffic was being diverted around the lake or Paradise Valley, while southbound diversions were likely to take traffic through Ngongotaha Valley, but neither route was accessible to heavy vehicles. Fire and Emergency services are at the scene of a bitumen tanker leak in Ngongotahā, near Rotorua. 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 Minister 'cautiously optimistic' broken Whaakari tech can be fixed soon Scientists have previously been denied entry by the island’s owners Environment Lake Tarawera locals push for lower sewerage costs Residents' group has three non-negotiable funding conditions Owners on edge after spate of cat maulings in Whakatāne Whakatāne-Ōhope ward councillor Nāndor Tanczos said roaming dogs were an ongoing problem not only in town but in other parts of the district Tauranga Marine Precinct sale finalised after court dismisses injunction The settlement comes two weeks after a High Court judge dismissed the interim injunction that had halted the sale Business Severe weather to lash both islands 'unusually strong' winds for Wgtn A low pressure system deepening and moving across the country today and tomorrow has sparked a huge amount of weather warnings and watches More than 25kg cocaine seizure leads to four arrests across NZ 17 mins ago Sole survivor of poisoned beef Wellington takes the stand 19 mins ago US woman who disappeared for more than six decades found safe 31 mins ago Victoria Uni law students to sit handwritten exams due to AI fears 42 mins ago Five Big Things That Happened Today: Tuesday, May 6 50 mins ago Judge orders arrest of man over plot targeting Lady Gaga concert 13 mins ago 1Two men's shared name brings years of trouble and a hefty bill to one Bystanders prevent attempted abduction of Auckland primary student Kiwi motorcyclist killed in 11-bike British Supersport crash Person dies following morning crash on Auckland motorway Govt halts all current pay equity claims, makes it harder to lodge new ones Photos: Lorde among stars at 2025 Met Gala Photos: Lorde among stars at 2025 Met Gala A$AP Rocky and Rihanna also revealed they are expecting their third child. 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 fansSun, May 4 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 Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris trial over 2016 armed robberyMon Fire and Emergency services are at the scene of a bitumen tanker leak in Ngongotahā Police said State Highway 5 is blocked as a result of the incident and will "likely to be shut for the next two hours" "Motorists should expect lengthy delays," said police FENZ told 1News the tanker was carrying 12,000 litres of bitumen and is leaking at approximately 4 litres per minute "FENZ are working with contractors to isolate the leak and decant the tanker "A small fire started in one of the trucks during this process one hazmat unit and two support vehicles are at the scene traffic was moving slowly on the highways surrounding Ngongotahā Police said northbound traffic was being diverted around the lake or Paradise Valley while southbound diversions were likely to take traffic through Ngongotaha Valley but neither route was accessible to heavy vehicles 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 Emergency Management Minister's "cautiously optimistic" scientists will get back on Whakaari / White Island soon to fix broken technology They have previously been denied entry by the island's owners to repair the gear after the 2019 eruption killed 22 people The monitoring equipment was drastically damaged and eventually stopped working Te Herenga Waka Victoria University researcher Dr Finn Illsley-Kemp told 1News: "We're relying on seismometers that are on the mainland and they're just too far away to record the signals." when the island has erupted in bad weather or darkness "Eruptions have occurred and we didn't notice until we saw damage on solar panels," Illsley-Kemp said it's very strange to not be able to know anything about it." Normally our most active volcano has instruments showing shaking for experts watching 24/7 to help keep people in nearby boats planes and the mainland safe from hazards like ashfall University of Auckland geology professor Phil Shane said with the current blackspots "It doesn't really seem rational or logical to restrict access by scientists to volcanoes when it's part of our role." One of the complications was court action involving the Buttle family who were initially convicted of health and safety breaches which was then quashed Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell has been upping the urgency to now reinstate the technology "It's something that is complicated and I didn't anticipate that it would be," he told 1News "I'm cautiously optimistic that we're going to get equipment on there." The Buttles told 1News they met with government representatives in March from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Department of Internal Affairs the family wants to negotiate a formal licence instead of the verbal licence that existed previously They are waiting for further communication from the government on the proposed formal licence." They also said: "The Buttle family has always supported the activities of GNS [Science] in their monitoring and research on Whakaari." GNS Science would do the hands-on work to install the new gear A Lake Tarawera residents’ group says lowering sewerage scheme costs for homeowners at the lake is non-negotiable and unaffordability is "not a trivial matter" A member suggested homeowners not sign off on allowing connection works on their properties until they have funding certainty Rotorua Lakes Council is considering three funding options for the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme in its Annual Plan consultation The scheme connects lake properties to Rotorua’s reticulated sewerage replacing septic tanks blamed for declining lake water quality The most recent cost estimate is $32.2 million The council has said protests and court action added expense Tarawera ratepayers would need to fund $20.9m The council would borrow the money and households would pay it back over time Under the first funding option — the status quo — the lump-sum cost was $50,315 each it would be $3899 a year — including covering the cost of the council holding the debt one for the main pipeline and the other for connecting to the scheme with the latter only charged to households that connect About 446 existing properties and 104 more to be built in the future could be connected The figures reflected a $5286 discount if households agreed by June 1 to having installation work on their properties 65 properties have given approval for this Households that missed the deadline would need to pay for the connection themselves Any who refused to connect may have few options with the council previously saying septic tanks alone would be non-compliant and upgrades to be compliant were unlikely to get consent with reticulation available nearby The two other funding options reduced Tarawera households’ costs by increasing rates paid by all other Rotorua ratepayers Option two added $2.80 a year to all ratepayers’ bills for 25 years raising $1m and reducing Tarawera households’ contribution to $47,737 Option three raised $4m by increasing rates $11.20 per year the Lake Tarawera Sewerage Working Group recommended attendees support option three Group member Duncan Evans told the meeting option three did not "go far enough" He said the group had told council staff many could not afford the scheme and proposed three non-negotiable conditions These were to set the maximum cost for Tarawera ratepayers at $36,600; exclude all cost escalations from their bills; and ask Bay of Plenty Regional Council to increase its funding to $1.485m to match Rotorua Lakes Council’s contribution He advised attendees not to sign off on installation plans until they had certainty and a capped charge was agreed Evans suggested that if the group’s maximum was agreed then homeowners would agree to sign plans within two weeks of that decision In a statement to Local Democracy Reporting group chairman Sir Henry van der Heyden said the council must negotiate with the Tarawera community before the rates are struck Many community members simply cannot afford to pay for the options council is proposing." Submissions on the Annual Plan are open until May 5 The council’s infrastructure and assets group manager encouraged people to make submissions for elected members to consider "We continue to have discussions with Tarawera property owners and have continued to explore additional funding options to reduce the cost to ratepayers as much as possible." The council hosted a webinar on the scheme options last week Council chief executive Andrew Moraes answered questions including what happened when someone could not afford the 25-year rate "The council has a range of policies that address hardship for people who struggle to make rates payments." He encouraged people to reach out before making "significant life decisions" about their property Moraes said the council intended to seek more funding from the regional council and suggested people write to it for the same The owner of a cat fatally mauled by roaming dogs this week has been horrified to learn that her pet Stormy is not the only victim of this group of dogs in Whakatāne Whakatāne District Council dog control officers say they have impounded eight dogs over the past 10 days and are encouraging people to make formal complaints when they see roaming dogs rather than post about them on social media Trinaka Godsmark-Tawa's cat Stormy was found dead on Monday morning The James Street resident had been getting ready for work just after 5am when they heard loud and aggressive barking that lasted five minutes A neighbour told them he had just chased three dogs away outside his house and one of them had a cat in its mouth she went in search of Stormy and found him mauled to death about six houses away She posted about the attack on social media and soon learned that just minutes before Stormy was killed a nearby Riverside Drive resident had chased three dogs from their property where they had been terrorising their cat The dogs - one described as a husky and another as light-coloured - had been seen coming from Awatapu lagoon Local Democracy Reporting [The Beacon] has verified that at least four other cats have been attacked by dogs in Whakatāne this year One incident in Whakatāne south three weeks ago was witnessed by the cat’s owner and her two preschool children who did not want to be named for fear of repercussions said her two-year-old daughter had been feeding the cat when it was grabbed by two dogs She describes one as a liver-and-white husky-type dog and the other as a tall “It could have been [my daughter] they attacked,” she said It happened just before 7am while the cat waited for his food on the front doorstep “I opened the front door to let my two-year-old put the food down and all of a sudden “I quickly ushered [the girls] back inside and shut the door They watched out of the window as I chased after the dogs they were watching as [the cat] was being ripped by two dogs "He has some very big lacerations on his back." The children remain frightened to go outside their front door “They’ve only ever known this cat as their baby Now I’ve had to carry them to and from the car They won’t go out on the front porch anymore.” She urges people to call dog control as soon as they see these dogs roaming A dog control officer told her there have been multiple reports of the same dog Local Democracy Reporting [The Beacon] also heard from a Hinemoa Street resident whose cat was attacked by dogs a few weeks ago Two other cat owners have posted on social media that their cats were killed by dogs in January Godsmark-Tawa would like to see more dog control officers patrolling the area as it’s not the first time it’s happened in the area “It’s unfair that we have had to bury our cat because someone can’t keep their dogs in their own gate.” The council is currently advertising for a dog control officer on its careers website we voted for more staff for animal control One of the difficulties is that staff can’t be everywhere all the time .. so it does rely a lot on people contacting the council when they see it happening Any help with identifying the dogs is encouraged “Often the animal is gone by the time staff get there It’s not very easy to identify individual dogs and I think they are genuinely trying to do their best with the challenges that they’ve got,” he said He said most dog owners were responsible but a few owners needed to stop their dogs escaping He said other issues were whether dog control officers had the powers they needed under the council’s bylaws and how many dog control staff were needed but also people complain that there’s too many staff at council but people have to say how much extra they are prepared to pay in rates for that to happen." Council animal control team leader Verna Kinney said the council had received one formal complaint regarding a dog attack on a cat in the James Street area “As this matter is under active investigation it has received 20 service requests about roaming dogs in the Whakatāne township with several reports relating to the same incidents She urges people to report sightings of roaming dogs as soon as possible but Further severe weather is forecast to impact both islands tomorrow unusually strong winds for the capital and more disruption to transport A low-pressure system is deepening and moving across the country over the next 48 hours sparking a large number of weather warnings MetService has issued orange heavy rain warnings for Bay of Plenty east of Ōpōtiki Canterbury between Amberley and Timaru including Christchurch and Banks Peninsula An orange strong wind warning is in place from tomorrow for both sides of Cook Strait coastal areas of Wairarapa and coastal Marlborough south of Blenheim Gusts of up to 130km/h could hit the capital and further disruption was expected to Cook Strait ferry services NZTA has warned motorists of possible lane closures on the Auckland Harbour Bridge tomorrow SH1 would be blocked in Northland at the Mangamuka Gorge overnight into Thursday morning Damaging wind is a real concern for parts of the lower North Island, including Wellington, later today & Thursday.Gusts may reach 120+ km/h.Likely impacts include:🌬️ Damage to trees🌬️ Risk of power cuts🌬️ Difficult travelStay on top of weather warnings from @MetService. pic.twitter.com/E4OPApFHoQ Orange heavy snow warnings were in force overnight for the Canterbury High Country with 12 to 20cm of snow expected to fall above 800 metres including heavy rain watches for the eastern Bay of Plenty Strong wind watches were also forecast for Auckland MetService's Heather Keats said the storm was "very widespread" "It's covering almost the entire country," she said "Most of us will get at least a little taste of this system." There was a "large amount of impactful rain" forecast for the east coast of the South Island including a high chance of a red warning for Canterbury north and about Amberley which was "not to be ignored" but she said it was at "unusual levels even for them" with southerly gusts approaching 130km/h alongside high sustained wind speeds possible "When the wind is combined with the swell there will be elevated impacts from this weather coastal inundation and erosion just to name a couple," Keats said It’s about to get properly windy for parts of the country over the next day and a half💨In the capital, this looks like more than just a typical Windy Welly day - unusually strong southerlies could bring gusts of 130 km/h, making trees and structures more vulnerable to damage pic.twitter.com/KotAHrhoFa She said it had been a "really wet and warm April" "We did have a relatively quiet start to 2025 so it does feel like all the rough weather is now pushing over us but we are well into autumn now and we can expect the weather to become unstable at times." Forecast swells of up to seven metres have forced a large number of cancellations on both the Interislander and Bluebridge over the coming days SH1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has been closed since yesterday due to a slip NZTA said the road would remain closed overnight "Contractors will be on-site with specialist machinery tomorrow morning to remove loose material above the slip site in a safe and controlled manner," a spokesperson said the agency said contractors were monitoring the movement of the hillside following recent heavy rain and another slip was expected "The geology and varying terrain through the Mangamuka Gorge mean it will always be susceptible to some movement during severe weather like what we’ve seen over the past two to three weeks." NZTA has warned drivers to prepare for the possibility of short-notice lane closures or reduced speeds on the Auckland Harbour Bridge "Wind gusts of 75-89 km/h are forecast for the bridge between 4am and 9am tomorrow potentially triggering a red alert," a spokesperson said "Wind gusts of 75-85km/h are forecast for between midday and 7pm The bridge will remain in a four-by-four configuration during peak traffic tomorrow speed limits may be reduced and some lanes on the bridge may close we close all lanes because it’s unsafe for any vehicle to be on the bridge and the bridge structure is vulnerable to vehicle impacts." Drivers of high-sided vehicles and motorcyclists were urged to travel around the harbour using the Western Ring Route via State Highway 18 Bay of Plenty east of Ōpōtiki – 29 hours from 10am Wednesday to 3pm Thursday Canterbury about and north of Amberley – 35 hours from 10am Wednesday to 9pm Thursday including Christchurch and Banks Peninsula – 32 hours from 10am Wednesday to 6pm Thursday Kaikōura coast and ranges – 44 hours from 10am Wednesday to 6am Friday Wellington – 21 hours from 3am Thursday to midnight Coastal areas of Wairarapa – 15 hours from 9am Thursday to midnight including the Kaikōura Coast – 21 hours from 1am Thursday to 10pm Canterbury High Country south of the Rangitata River – 12 hours from 9pm Wednesday to 9am Thursday Bay of Plenty about and west of Ōpōtiki – 11 hours from 10am to 9pm Wednesday Wairarapa – 8 hours from 1pm to 9pm Wednesday Wellington – 45 hours from 6pm Wednesday to 3pm Friday and Waikato north of Hamilton – 5 hours from 7am Thursday to noon and Hawke's Bay south of Hastings – 12 hours from 1pm Thursday to 1am Friday Horowhenua and Kapiti Coast – 13 hours from 9am Thursday to 10pm Marlborough Sounds – 18 hours from 6pm Wednesday to noon Thursday also the Nelson Lakes – 27 hours from noon Wednesday to 3pm Thursday More than 25kg of cocaine has been seized and four men arrested following an joint investigation into the importation of the drug into Christchurch Police and Customs received information about a "significant importation" of cocaine that had come through Lyttelton Port on March 29 Search warrants were then executed across the country by specialist teams to support investigators with evidence gathering Tauranga and Auckland as a result of the six-week investigation including possession of cocaine for supply and burglary and will appear in various district courts across a range of dates Detective Senior Sergeant Phil Sparks said the seizure equated to more than 250,000 doses of cocaine and $9 million of harm "That is an enormous amount of damage and misery that had been heading into our communities that has now been halted through this investigation." Sparks said the success of the investigation was partly down to the "excellent partnership" between Customs and the police "We continue to have a focus on engaging with businesses and supporting their legitimate services by keeping them safe with prevention advice to deter drug trafficking organisations’ attempts to exploit their people and premises." Customs acting investigations manager Rachael Manning said the investigation resulted from quick action and close collaboration between the agencies as well as industry partners "We know that transnational and serious organised crime groups are actively targeting New Zealand to drive up both demand and supply of illegal drugs such as cocaine for maximum profit They’re using every method possible to exploit any vulnerabilities within international supply chains in secure areas or on vessels themselves." Audrey Backeberg disappeared from a small city in south-central Wisconsin after reportedly hitchhiking with her family’s babysitter and catching a bus to Indianapolis Nobody ever knew where she went or what happened to her All that changed last week when she was found alive and safe in another state thanks to the fresh eyes from a deputy who took over the case in February Detective Isaac Hanson discovered an out-of-state arrest record that matched Backeberg which triggered a series of investigative moves that led to finding her alive and safe in another state Turns out Backeberg chose to leave the town of Reedsburg on her own accord – likely due to an abusive husband safe and secure; And just kind of lived under the radar for that long,” he said Hanson was assigned the case in late February and he and other officials met with Backeberg’s family to see if they had a connection with that region They also started digging through Backeberg's sister's Ancestry.com account obituaries and marriage licenses from that region they found an address where a woman was living that Hanson said shared a lot of similarities with Backeberg including date of birth and social security number Hanson was able to get a deputy from that jurisdiction to go to the address "I was expecting the deputy to call me back and say ‘Oh nobody answered the door.’ And I thought it was the deputy calling me I could sense that she obviously had her reasons for leaving.” Most of the information he learned during that call he declined to share saying that it was still important to Backeberg that she not be found “I think it overwhelmed her of course with the emotions that she had having a deputy show up at her house and then kind of call her out and talk with her about what happened and kind of relive 62 years in 45 minutes,” he said Hanson described discovering her safe after more than six decades practically unheard of And while he doesn't know what will happen next in terms of her family reconnecting he said he was happy that she can reach out if she wants to so she has my contact number if she ever wants to reach out or needs anything any phone numbers of family members back here," he said "Ultimately she kind of holds the cards for that.” A law student at Victoria University of Wellington said students had been "left in the lurch" after an announcement on Monday that said next month's exams for two law subjects would have to be handwritten also said a timetable had still not been provided he said he had become "increasingly worried that the embedding of artificial intelligence (AI) in many students' laptops makes ensuring that students' work is their own very difficult" He had hoped the university would have a technical solution although he hoped one would be available at the end of the year "This means that we will not be able to allow students to use laptops for exams next month," McLay wrote "I want to make this announcement as soon as possible so students have time to prepare for handwritten examinations." McLay added that there would be an exception for students with a disability that required them to use a keyboard The situation affected the LAWS 312 Equity and LAWS 334 Ethics exams The student said the announcement was stressful during an already stressful time a representative of the Victoria University of Wellington Law Students' Society said the Council of Legal Education had to be certain that everyone who passed the exams in Equity and Ethics deserved a pass (and did not cheat) "Previously in person invigilation has been sufficient to manage these concerns due to the increasing ability and sophistication of AI the faculty were concerned about the reliability of the exams leading to their decision to make the Equity and Ethics exams handwritten." The representative said the law students' society had expressed that students' preference was for typed exams — "reflecting how our professional lives will look" once it became clear that the faculty felt they needed to proceed with handwritten exams we emphasised that students should be informed as early as possible accessibility options should be made clear and exam content and timing should reflect the fact that many students have not done handwritten exams since high school and are not used to writing for extended periods of time." The representative added it was separate from the delay to the exam timetable Victoria University Provost Professor Bryony James said students' handwriting their exams meant the university could be confident that the results truly reflected the students' own knowledge and effort — free of any suggestion of the influence of AI James said she would ensure that no student was disadvantaged and was committed to working with students — including those with disabilities — who might need further support to participate in exams and final assessments as a result "As part of this undertaking the Faculty of Law will review this Trimester's exam results to ensure this cohort's performance is in line with previous years and confirm that students are not significantly impacted by this decision." President of Victoria University's Students' Association Liban Ali told Morning Report he was aware that this could happen as early as last year "It has been on the card as of last year I feel like there was something that was going to happen." Ali said the announcement had come at the wrong time and that the Students' Association were very concerned for students He said the Students' Association had engaged the Law Society and the faculty to determine the best way to support students He added that he would make sure that any changes were communicated early in the future rnz.co.nz The Government halts all current pay equity claims Stanford concedes use of personal email 'untidy' and a Kiwi motorcyclist has been killed in a crash in England Workplace Minister Brooke van Velden said the proposed changes would "significantly reduce costs to the Crown" and would discontinue current claims There have been massive pay equity claims in recent years for nurses and rest home workers The PSA union said the changes were a "dark day for New Zealand women" while the nurse's union described it as a "blatant and shameful attack" Read More Erica Stanford has spoken after 1News revealed she sent pre-Budget announcements to her personal email last year and had used her Gmail for ministerial business over the course of her time as a minister who holds the education and immigration portfolios said today she was "not a perfect human" she put the practice down to printing issues But Stanford said she had "taken lots of steps" to avoid the issue from arising further Read More A stranger allegedly tried to force an 8-year-old boy into a car outside an Auckland primary school yesterday before bystanders intervened and the man drove off Rowandale School principal Karl Vasau told 1News the pupil was "doing fine" following the incident and was surrounded by a "supportive Police confirmed they were investigating an incident from around 3pm on Monday outside Rowandale School in the suburb of Manurewa Read More Shane William Pritchard has been charged with crimes he didn’t commit and chased for debts he doesn’t owe That’s because the Dunedin man is not the only Shane William Pritchard in town The duo’s shared name and age has sometimes been a handy loophole for one Shane but it has caused problems for 36 years and he's approached Gill Higgins for help Read More was fatally injured alongside Englishman Owen Jenner on the first corner of the race at Oulton Park who was a previous New Zealand rider of the year Cemetery Circuit in Whanganui posted to its social media in tribute to Richardson a fantastic and talented racer and a genuine human" Read More Homegrown will be held at Hamilton's Claudelands Oval confirmed it would be leaving Wellington's waterfront after being there for 18 years Organisers said Hamilton offers potential for the festival to expand and evolve as New Zealand's fastest-growing city Read More A Brazilian judge today ordered the arrest of a man suspected of being involved in an alleged plot to place explosives at a concert by singer Lady Gaga in Rio de Janeiro Judge Fabiana Pagel of the Rio Grande do Sul state court did not name the suspect in her ruling but said he is a man investigated by Rio de Janeiro police as the alleged mastermind of the plot said yesterday they had released a man under investigation for the alleged plot after he paid his bail Brazilian media reported that is the same man jailed today by Judge Pagel Rio police did not reveal names of either of its two suspects or show images of the explosives that the alleged plotters intended to use said authorities believed the suspects sought to target Brazil’s LGBTQ community The Rio event on Sunday was the biggest show of the pop star’s career attracting an estimated 2.5 million fans to Copacabana Beach with 5200 military and police officers deployed to the beach where fans were revelling While the duo’s shared name and age has sometimes been a handy loophole for one Shane for the other it has caused problems for 36 years It’s been years of fearing every knock on the door Years of wondering if he’ll be hand-cuffed and taken to jail to be honest,” says Shane William Pritchard a scout and a member of the Air Training Corp remembers getting quite a shock when her friend called one evening She'd been acting as a referee for a gun licence for Shane whose friend informed her that the police had a long list of offences against Shane’s name Not long after that the police turned up to where Shane was working at the local tannery to arrest him “You're scrambling in your head to think of ways that you can prove it's not you.” Another Shane William Pritchard had been born in Otago They were separated by just two weeks and about 50 miles – one growing up in Mosgiel the other in Milton – but also by the lives they’d been leading To watch the full video story go to TVNZ+ Shane from Milton had huge problems focusing at school He was raised in foster care and then boys’ homes I just wanted to look cool and get in trouble,” he tells Fair Go Milton Shane was used to run-ins with police he got pulled over in his car and asked about his driving licence one’s got a licence and the other hasn’t.’ And I’m like ‘obviously it must be the one with a licence’.” he went to his bank to draw out an ACC payment and was asked which bank account was his He says that at that point he was trying to figure out what was going on “I thought it was just an error.” But he took advantage of the situation and withdrew a large sum of cash Mosgiel Shane became aware of the withdrawal when a scheduled car payment was declined and when Milton Shane turned up at the bank to withdraw more money Identity fraud was considered but Milton Shane was legitimately expecting an ACC payment so the withdrawal appeared to be a genuine mistake and the police couldn’t take any action 'Anything I could get away with Mosgiel Shane thought the bank incident would have alerted police to the problem But his nemesis had cottoned on to the advantages of having a second identity to use Milton Shane acquired a suite of furniture on hire-purchase Milton-Shane clocked up more driving offences Mosgiel Shane thought about changing his name but realised he’d have to provide his previous name in the process the courts and debt collectors such as Baycorp should be able to distinguish between himself and Milton Shane The police first addressed the issue in the 1990s after Mosgiel Shane went to the media He was given a letter to carry with him should he be apprehended He and his parents felt his situation wasn’t being taken seriously Mosgiel Shane went to the media a second time in the mid-2000s the police gave their word that a record in their system would stop the misidentification from happening again This does appear to have worked as far as police action goes But while Mosgiel Shane was given the same reassurance by the Ministry of Justice he continued to receive demands from the courts for unpaid fines He’d also get stopped and questioned whenever he left the country for work trips or holidays It took a huge toll on Mosgiel Shane’s mental health not realising the constant stress it placed on his life John Pritchard says that at times his son felt his life wasn’t worth living worrying about what he was going to do to himself and that really ate me up.” he and his son were in tears as Shane admitted he was at breaking point He described going for days at a time unable to eat or sleep wondering what might happen next "Am I going to be in a position where they've got me in handcuffs or I've got debt collectors coming to the door?" ...You're spiralling into this black hole." He started taking anti-anxiety medication which helped And events regarding Milton Shane seemed to settle Milton Shane was charged for fishing without a licence in Twizel and failing to comply with fisheries officers But a court registrar incorrectly entered the birth date of Mosgiel Shane in the system both Shanes were being chased to pay the $1530 fine It was Mosgiel Shane who spotted the error and rang the court He also sent a statement from his manager saying he’d not been fishing in Twizel that day The reply he got was to say he’d been given the wrong form and that they wouldn’t accept his proof They just wanted to know how I was going to pay the fine.” The first Milton Shane knew about this was when Fair Go told him Mosgiel Shane had been chased for the fine He was told to pay up or face the consequences feeling he shouldn’t have to pay good money to correct someone else’s mistake But it cost Mosgiel Shane over $5000 in legal fees and took months of back and forth between him “Why should anybody have to pay their own money to right somebody else's wrongs and prove who they are I’m sick and tired of proving who I am all the time.” He wanted the Ministry of Justice to take responsibility and reimburse him for his legal costs saying court staff such as the registrar in this case have immunity if they make mistakes such as the one made here and if I make a mistake and it's affecting my client that it's going to cost them money to rectify a mistake that I've made.” he deserves a million apologies from those guys,” she says Milton Shane told Fair Go he still gets in trouble but wants the other Shane to know he doesn’t use his birth date anymore And he had a message for him: “We’ve got to get it sorted for you so you can have a good life with you and your family because I’m trying to get my life together with my son and my grandson” He offers to meet to see if they can sort it out together but I’m not interested in meeting him,.” says Mosgiel Shane He says he doesn’t hold any grudges and accepts Milton Shane’s apology And he believes the only way for that to happen is for the courts and the Ministry of Justice to give him a guarantee that mix-ups won’t occur in the future Fair Go asked the Ministry of Justice to appear in person to apologise and provide reassurance to Shane of its plans to guard against these mistakes The Ministry declined our request to be on camera saying any comment on an individual case would compromise the independence of the courts as the Ministry operates separately But it did send a written apology directly to Mosgiel Shane It also admitted mistakes can occur in clerical records but said instructions were clear and the importance of getting things right had been emphasised to staff Mosgiel Shane isn’t totally convinced that’s the end of it “All I want is for the Ministry of Justice and the courts to do their job I'd like to live without this hanging over me all the time his criminal check has come back showing a clean slate "Police are still working to understand exactly what was occurring at the time and our enquiries are ongoing," a spokesperson said "We have spoken with the boy and will continue to work through a careful process Rowandale School principal Karl Vasau said in a statement to social media that other parents had intervened "The student then made his way home and told his parents who then came into school to let us know and then they rung the police." Vasau told 1News the pupil was "doing fine" following the incident and was surrounded by a "supportive "Our student is safe now and his family are thankful that nothing further happened to their boy but are wanting us all to be aware and stay safe It's about working with that child to make them feel safe again but also looking forward to returning back to school with a little bit of normality." Police had reacted "pretty quickly" to the reports "They've been in this morning to touch base and connect the community police constables are going to come back to tomorrow to address the whole school in relation to what had happened and around keeping themselves safe before and after school." Increased police patrols would remain in the area after school from Wednesday Anyone with relevant information should contact police on 105 Kiwi motorcyclist Shane Richardson is one of two riders who died in an 11-bike crash at a British Supersport Championship event A statement from British Superbikes said the race was immediately stopped and trackside medical services deployed "Due to the extreme severity of the incident and ongoing medical intervention the remainder of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship event was cancelled," a spokesperson said "This catastrophic accident has tragically resulted in two riders being fatally injured and another sustaining significant injuries." Richardson was initially treated trackside and then taken to the circuit's medical centre before he was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital with "severe chest injuries" Jenner was also initially treated trackside and then taken to the circuit medical centre where he died from a "catastrophic head injury" British rider Tom Tunstall suffered back and abdominal injuries and a further five riders including New Zealander Morgan McLaren-Wood were transferred to the circuit medical centre with minor injuries which did not require transfer to hospital Three more riders were also involved but were uninjured "Devastated to hear we have lost another of our racing family Our thoughts are with Hannah and the family along with our condolences to Owen’s family too." Richardson's sponsor Whites Powersports said the team was "extremely saddened" by the news of his death "Shane will be remembered by many as a great racer Our thoughts go out to Shane’s young family and friends during this tough time The New Zealand Superbike Championship said its "deepest sympathies" went out to Richardson's family and friends 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 The government is making it harder to make a claim for pay equity that will cut costs There have been massive pay equity claims in recent years for nurses and resthome workers Workplace Minister Brooke van Velden announced the moves to raise the threshold for proving work has been historically undervalued to support a claim on Tuesday saying changes back in 2020 had created problems "Claims have been able to progress without strong evidence of undervaluation and there have been very broad claims where it is difficult to tell whether differences in pay are due to sex-based discrimination or other factors." Claims were concentrated in the public sector with costs to the Crown of all settlements so far totalling $1.78 billion a year "The changes I am proposing will significantly reduce costs to the Crown," she said "The changes will discontinue current pay equity claims." Van Velden told Midday Report she believes in pay equity but the current thresholds were "a bit too loose" Asked how she ensure women were not hurt by this the minister said "I'm a woman and I support women who work" "I also support removing gender based discriminations from our workforces but what I don't support are muddied laws and unclear laws," she said "So these changes are better for all women who are working where we can genuinely say hand on heart that what they are finding with their claims is genuine gender based discrimination." Van Velden told reporters at Parliament any current claims would be stopped and need to restart under the new threshold to show "genuine" gender discrimination and make sure the comparators were right She gave a figure of 33 current claims that would be stopped as the legislation was put through under urgency "You have librarians who've been comparing themselves to transport engineers We have admin and clerical staff at Health New Zealand comparing themselves to mechanical engineers." Social workers had compared themselves to air traffic controllers "We don't believe we have that setting right." Any comparison would now be between female employees and male employees at the same employer "But you cannot go fishing for discrimination across the New Zealand workforce." All current settled claims would continue but the government was drawing "a line in the sand" "We're not stopping claims." The nurse's union has this year had at least 10 pay equity claims in play The PSA union has said pay equity claims and settlements had resulted in significant improvements in pay and working conditions for many workers The union said the changes would make it "impossible for people in female-dominated professions to be paid fairly" "Women across the country will pay the price for this," PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said "The government's changes today are a dark day for New Zealand women as the government says it will repeal the pay equity law and extinguish 33 existing claims in a constitutional overreach "The PSA is exploring all possible avenues to oppose these unconstitutional amendments and stop this attack on women We will not be deterred in our fight to achieve pay equity for all." "This is a blatant and shameful attack on women," New Zealand Nurses organisation chief executive Paul Goulter said "Women in workforces predominantly performed by female employees have been underpaid and undervalued for generations That is what pay equity claims seek to rectify," he said "This move by the government will widen the pay gap between men and women." The union had at least 10 pay current pay claims across Aged Care These cover many nurses and support workers The E tū union also called the changes an attack on women and a green light to pay them less for work of equal value The government was pulling the rug out from under a 13-year-long fight in aged care "These changes are not about evidence — they are about saving money by keeping women underpaid," national secretary Rachel Mackintosh said in a statement A number of unions have called a snap rally at Parliament at 1pm today in light of the announcement the Council of Trade Unions and representatives of other unions say they will be "protesting the government's attack on women and the destruction of progress on pay equity..." rnz.co.nz 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 5.25pm:  Ngongotaha Road/ SH36 has reopened following a crash involving a car and a pedestrian around 1.50pm on Saturday One person has been transported to hospital in a serious condition Police say enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing 2.20pm: Emergency services are responding to a one vehicle crash involving a pedestrian on Ngongotaha Road/ State Highway 36 near Taui Street "The crash was reported around 1.50pm," says a police spokesperson NZTA Waka Kotahi advise that SH36 is closed at Ngongotaha Diversions are in place at the intersections of Ngongotaha Road Northbound traffic turn left on Western Rd {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"/2024/11/04/police-monitor-rotorua-tangi-as-gang-members-gather/"},"datePublished":"2024-11-03T18:32:25.308Z","dateModified":"2024-11-03T18:52:18.161Z","headline":"Police monitor Rotorua tangi as gang members gather","description":"\"Police recognise the right for people to grieve said it was the tangi of "a young person" who died after a crash in Ōwhata on Thursday "Police are maintaining a visible presence as Ngongotahā sees an increased presence of gang members paying their respects," he said The Rotorua Daily Post reported yesterday that a video from Friday from when the body was being taken to a family member's home showed cars doing burnouts and "drivers displaying unruly behaviour" "Police are aware of the activity depicted in the video several days ago and police have since reiterated our clear expectations "This activity has not continued in following days," Ngawhika said "Police recognise the right for people to grieve however we must also ensure the law is upheld and others in the community can be and feel safe." The tangi is set to take place today in Ngongotahā "Police are in close contact with the family who have set clear expectations for gang members planning to attend the tangi "Police have also engaged with gang leaders to communicate our expectations about the behaviour of those attending." A "range" of police staff would be deployed today "Our expectations are very clear – we have zero tolerance for unlawful behaviour," Ngawhika said "If people choose to drive poorly or engage in disorderly behaviour they can expect follow-up enforcement action." Police are monitoring a tangi in Rotorua as gang members gather to pay their respects The Rotorua Daily Post reported yesterday that a video from Friday from when the body was being taken to a family member's home showed cars doing burnouts and "drivers displaying unruly behaviour". "Police are aware of the activity depicted in the video several days ago, and police have since reiterated our clear expectations. "This activity has not continued in following days," Ngawhika said. "Police recognise the right for people to grieve, however we must also ensure the law is upheld and others in the community can be and feel safe." The tangi is set to take place today in Ngongotahā, he added. "Police are in close contact with the family who have set clear expectations for gang members planning to attend the tangi. A "range" of police staff would be deployed today. "Our expectations are very clear – we have zero tolerance for unlawful behaviour," Ngawhika said. "If people choose to drive poorly or engage in disorderly behaviour, they can expect follow-up enforcement action." More than 25kg cocaine seizure leads to four arrests across NZ Crime and Justice Sole survivor of poisoned beef Wellington takes the stand Korumburra Baptist Church pastor Ian Wilkinson was one of four guests invited to Patterson's home in the regional town of Leongatha in 2023 Man charged after gun allegedly fired in Masterton MSD office Police said it was believed to be an isolated incident with no wider risk to the public Bystanders prevent attempted abduction of Auckland primary student Police said they were investigating the incident which occurred outside Rowandale School in the suburb of Manurewa at around 3pm on Monday Homicide investigation after man dies in Auckland's Manurewa Emergency services were called to the property on Mahia Rd just before 10am to a report of a man "seriously injured" Vandals in 4WDs mow down The damage was done overnight on Saturday after the vandals first removed new vehicle barriers in front of the trees 20 mins ago A 25-year-old man has appeared in court after he allegedly fired a gun at another person inside a Ministry of Social Development office in Masterton yesterday Police were called to the incident on Lincoln Rd at around 12.40pm on Monday Wairarapa Area Commander Inspector Nick Thom said there were no reports of injuries from the incident "Following police's initial enquiries one person was taken into custody a short time later nearby." Cordons were put in place around the area and some staff were armed as a precaution Thom said it was believed to be an isolated incident with no wider risk to the public "Police would like to commend Ministry of Social Development staff for their prompt actions in following their lockdown procedures as this enabled police to provide a swift response to resolve this incident quickly." A 25-year-old man appeared in Masterton District Court today charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and conducting a dangerous act with intent to cause grievous bodily harm NZCT has awarded $21,060 to Ngongotahā AFC Rotorua to equip their free CR1 (Children’s First) football programme with new goals New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) has awarded $21,060 to Ngongotahā AFC Rotorua, to equip their free CR1 (Children’s First) football programme with new goals the CR1 project teaches kids of all ages football fundamentals and life skills through teamwork The project is based on the life of Cristiano Ronaldo good life decisions and hard work became a world-class footballer the club provides free transport to more than 100 children to and from the programme “Our mission is to make football accessible to kids from families who might struggle to fit sport into their family budget,” Ngongotahā AFC club president Aaron Lawrence said “This generous grant from NZCT helps us provide new goals allowing the children to practice and develop their skills.” marketing and communications Ben Hodges adds: “Our hope is that the kids can then take these holistic life skills back into their communities “We are proud to support Ngongotahā AFC’s CR1 project – their dedication to offering pathways for less fortunate families is truly admirable “NZCT is grateful for the responsible gaming fundraising partnerships we share with our Rotorua venues Kaspers and the West End Tavern that made our grant possible.” Thousands of litres of bitumen has leaked from a truck and a small fire has been extinguished after a breakdown near Rotorua State Highway 5 between Ngongotahā Rd and Barnard Rd is now closed and motorists are asked to take alternative routes due to “significant delays.” Emergency services were called to the breakdown about between Henderson Rd and Fairy Springs Rd Thousands of litres of bitumen now contained A Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) spokesman said the leak had now been contained after about 12,000 litres of bitumen had leaked from the truck towards a drain at a rate of 4 litres per minute The spokesman said the bitumen had now been contained in a “bunded area” - a walled area used to contain a spill The process to decant the remaining bitumen had also began Fenz called for further help after a small fire started in the truck during the decanting process which had since been extingushed Fenz crews were assisting contractors using personal protecting equipment and breathing apparatus Bay of Plenty Regional Council had been advised and were coming from Tauranga -Rotorua Daily Post. Does the trucking companies insurance pay or our tax $$ Posted on 07-11-2024 12:22 | By normal local Posted on 07-11-2024 13:52 | By Come on TCC I'm no mathematician but 12000 ltrs at a rate of 4 ltr per minute would have taken 50 hours to leak out UPDATE: Thousands of litres of bitumen is leaking from a truck after a breakdown near Rotorua Long delays have been reported on roads around Ngongotahā after police were called to the breakdown on State Highway 5 Motorists have been advised to take the alternate road around the lake due to the “significant delays” from a partial road closure.“Emergency services were called to the scene NZ Transport Agency said southbound lanes on SH5 were blocked south of the SH36 roundabout “Stop/Go traffic management is in place A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said 12,000 litres of bitumen was leaking from the truck towards a drain at a rate of 4 litres per minute Crews are working to isolate the leak and Bay of Plenty Regional Council had been advised and were coming from Tauranga A specialist hazmat unit and other support vehicles were on scene Delays are reported between Rotorua and Ngongotahā due to a truck breakdown this morning A police spokesperson said a bitumen tanker was leaking on State Highway 5 “Emergency services were called to the scene People have commented on social media saying fire crews and police were on scene Stream levels have fallen in Rotorua after Tuesday’s flooding as work continues to assess an event a council manager calls “a reminder of how quickly things can happen” Rain started the night before about 10pm and Ngongotahā recorded the most in the Bay of Plenty The Rotorua Airport station recorded 43.9mm of rain in the same period Western Rd residents in Ngongotahā were told by authorities to self-evacuate at 11am after rain caused the Ngongotahā Stream to breach in some places The stream peaked at 5.39m at 10.35am before subsiding Speaking to Local Democracy Reporting at the incident control point on Tuesday Rotorua Fire Brigade senior station officer Barry Hogan said they were monitoring water levels at Western Rd and checking that people in houses were safe “The council has done some sandbagging at people’s properties and there has been some water get into mainly garages,” Hogan said Bay of Plenty Regional Council activated its flood room Tuesday morning Fire and Emergency NZ and Civil Defence teams went door to door helping residents Regional council duty flood manager Ingrid Pak said the stream had “well receded” to 1.029m by Wednesday 10.30am and was close to pre-event levels The Utuhina Stream had similarly dropped and was at 0.703m by 10am Pak said survey teams were out on Wednesday “to capture the flood levels” “We will use this information in the future to calibrate our modelling.” Pak said its rivers and drainage operations team were checking its flood protection assets Rotorua Lakes Council infrastructure and environment general manager Stavros Michael said the council had no direct reports of water getting into homes or homes being damaged but there were reports of some commercial buildings on Riri St being flooded “People should contact their insurance companies about any damage to their homes or business premises.” Crews were still attending to and inspecting some roads on Wednesday afternoon The council received 42 weather-related calls on Tuesday the majority reporting surface flooding on roads “We were dealing with the usual network checks and weather-related callouts that happen during a rain event and tending to matters such as surface flooding and treefalls when we were alerted to rising water levels in the Ngongotahā Stream.” water breached the stream near the Brake Rd intersection “Knowing the vulnerability of the stream to breaching we decided to partially activate our Emergency Operations Centre and encourage Western Rd residents to self-evacuate as a precaution,” Michael said Twelve staff who work in a welfare function during a state of emergency visited Western Rd properties to provide advice “Longer term residents were comfortable about knowing when they should evacuate their homes and newer residents were thankful for the information and advice from the welfare officers.” In April 2018 Ngongotahā village was devastated by flooding after a once-in-100-years rain event Michael said most people decided to stay at home on Tuesday No one was forced or required to evacuate as the situation was not severe enough to declare a state of emergency “Thankfully things settled quite quickly.” The weather watch in place for Rotorua was not upgraded to a warning at any stage “While yesterday was not a state of emergency it was certainly a reminder of how quickly things can happen during weather events and that residents need to be on alert at these times and be ready to take action “This is especially the case for people living near waterways “If you become concerned about your situation self-evacuating as a precaution is a good decision to make and people can call council for assistance if needed.” Michael said other council staff worked with the regional council and contractors who responded to weather-related incidents It also arranged sandbag deliveries to help residents in Western Rd Laura Smith is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post She previously reported general news for the Otago Daily Times and Southland Express Heavy rain warnings for eastern parts of the lower North Island could be extended if a slow moving system lingers offshore Torrential rain kept emergency services busy in Auckland overnight while later in the day rising water levels threatened homes near Ngongotahā Stream in Rotorua Duty meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane says up to 200 millimeters of rain is expected to fall over ranges above Hawke's Bay before Thursday morning Have you have been affected by the weather Share your photos and stories with us at: iwitness@rnz.co.nz RNZ is New Zealand's statutory civil defence lifeline radio broadcaster providing vital information and updates as they come to hand The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) advises that in times of crisis or civil defence emergency a battery powered radio or a car radio remain essential lifelines if power is out and other forms of communication are unavailable 📊 How much rain has fallen?🌧 These are the stations that recorded the most in the past 24 hours as heavy rain moved across northeastern parts of the North Island.❗ Note that much of this rain came in short intense downpours amidst steadier moderate rain. Rainfall rates… pic.twitter.com/p1Y1j4WWfo SH5 NGONGOTAHA - 12:15PMDue to flooding on #SH5 caution is advised near Ngongotaha between Tirau to Rotorua. Delay your journey and expect delays. More: https://t.co/QnE8rKm5vD ^HJ pic.twitter.com/kZ7b18owVs Stream levels have subsided and Ngongotahā residents who self-evacuated have been told they can return home Torrential downpours caused the Ngongotahā Stream to rise Metservice meteorologist Dan Corrigan said Ngongotahā had recorded the highest amount of rain in the Bay of Plenty with 127mm falling in the 24-period ending at 3pm He said the rain started at about 10pm on Monday night He said there had been “a real contrast” in the rain that had fallen west of Lake Rotorua compared with that east of Lake Rotorua due to winds “converging” west of the lake which created a stronger uplift and heavier rain Corrigan said the rain was expected to ease this afternoon and be “on and off” in the evening The weather in Rotorua on Wednesday would be a “bit cloudy” and showers “if you’re unlucky” Tauranga Airport recorded 31.7mm of rain in the 24-hour period ending 3pm on Tuesday He said the rain started at about 8pm on Monday night and finished at about 8am on Tuesday morning Corrigan said the forecast in Tauranga tomorrow was looking “fairly overcast” and there might be “a shower or two” Bay of Plenty Regional Council duty flood manager Ingrid Pak said it had deactivated the flood room at 2.30pm after reviewing the latest forecast from MetService and analysing the situation out in the field which means our duty flood manager remains on call to maintain an overview of river levels weather patterns and forecasts affecting the Bay of Plenty “We will continue to work in with local councils and other supporting agencies to ensure they have up-to-date data to make key decisions.” Pak said the water levels of the Ngongotahā and Utuhina Streams were “slowly going down” but advised people to keep an eye on the Rotorua Lakes Council and Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Facebook pages for any further updates Just before 1pm the stream had dropped to 4.964m and continued to subside Rotorua Lakes Council’s latest Facebook post said Ngongotahā Stream water levels were dropping and it was not expecting further high-intensity rain at this time it and Bay of Plenty Regional Council would continue to monitor forecasts and water levels in all waterways across the district and respond as necessary Any residents of Western Rd or elsewhere who self-evacuated as a precaution could now return home but should remain alert Rotorua Lakes Council earlier advised Western Rd residents to leave their homes due to stream levels rising ”Our advice is to go to friends or family but otherwise move away from the waterway to a dry He was not aware of any damage to homes at this stage Rotorua Fire Brigade senior station officer Barry Hogan said they were monitoring water levels at Western Rd and liaising with people in houses to make sure they were safe “The water is receding and with the current forecast we expect the water to continue to recede Bay of Plenty Regional Council had activated its flood room in response to the high levels of the Ngongotahā Stream and was monitoring the situation checking the condition of our flood infrastructure assessing the weather conditions in key areas and pumping out flood waters from affected drainage canals,” the council said in a statement Fire and Emergency NZ said five crews had been at Western Rd providing help to those self-evacuating A spokesman said the situation was now de-escalating and two crews remained on standby at Western Rd Western Rd resident Jacky James said Western Rd from about number 73 to towards the Agrodome had been closed She said the Ngongotahā Stream had breached in several places and Civil Defence crews were going door-to-door talking to residents She said the residents in the street had set up an “eyes on Ngongotahā Stream” group chat and the locals were now well rehearsed at ensuring everyone was fully informed on what was happening She said often what the locals could see was more up-to-date than what the official records online showed so the group chat was proving invaluable ”We set it up about two flooding events ago It was up and running before the January floods last year and Cyclone Gabrielle and it’s really great for keeping in touch with each other.” She said it would be good for locals and those in the area to remember not to drive through large puddles of water as that often caused damage by pushing water back into properties In April 2018 Ngongotahā village was devastated by flooding after a once-in-100-year rain event In a Facebook post, Rotorua Lakes Council said staff will be out in Ngongotahā going from house to house on Western Rd talking to residents and providing advice about self-evacuation but it will take some time for the team to reach everyone The post said council was also working with Bay of Plenty Regional Council to monitor stream levels and the incoming rain forecast The council has activated its Emergency Operation Centre however “We are closely monitoring the situation and all Civil Defence Emergency Management staff are on standby and ready to respond as required.” Western Rd resident Lee-Ann Allerby said the Ngongotahā Stream was the highest she had seen it since they had lived at the property When the Rotorua Daily Post spoke to her at 11.30am she was on her way home from work in Rotorua after her husband and son had alerted her to the rising waters ”My son has sent me some videos and it’s the highest it’s ever been since we’ve been there which is six years.” She said thankfully the council had removed bluegum trees at the rear of their property which would hopefully stop the water from clogging up she said time would tell if they would need to get out quickly She said she was only prepared to leave if things got really bad as they had dogs at the property and it would be hard to evacuate The weather station at the TECT Park halfway between Rotorua and Tauranga reported 120.4mm of rain in the 24 hours up to midday Tuesday A video sent to Rotorua Daily Post shows the Paradise Valley Speedway flooded as a torrent of water rushes down the terraces while Paradise Valley Rd was littered with large debris and fallen trees said the flooding at the speedway peaked at 8.45am He said water was running down the terraced seating and filling the race track Police had blocked off about 100m of the road opposite the speedway and there were about 10 to 15 people at the scene He described the scene as “nuts” and said a jetski could easily ride on the field Rotorua Stockcar Club secretary and treasurer Sonja Hickey said her husband had been at the speedway this morning and had been reporting back to her and sending photos the council raised the height of the road and since then we haven’t had water come across the carpark like that ”That’s the first time it’s got that high for a long time.” Hickey said the extra water “loaded up the system even more” ”It sounds funny but because we can’t actually do anything with that amount of water when it happens up there it is actually designed to go over the terraces like that where it’s concreted It’s all very wet and still all under water but it has done what it is designed to do and go over the concrete area ”Every couple of years we do get a little downpour up there and it does cascade over the terraces like that but not to that extent It was a little bit more and lucky that we have got it so it works that way or else it would have been a lot more damage.” Hickey said the water in the pit should be cleared by the end of the day provided there were no more “big downpours” Fenz said an unoccupied house in Paradise Valley was inundated by water and they had also been called to flooding at a residential property in Hamurana Rotorua Lakes Council said Paradise Valley Rd from Te Miri Rd to Velocity Valley was closed due to debris and flooding Edmund Rd was closed between Homedale St and Nairn Rd due to flooding as was Apirana Rd at the Rongomai Rd end SunLive is reporting flooding at Walford Rd in Aongatete near Katikati has trapped people at home as the floods cover the one-way bridge “We are all stuck at home as we have a one-way bridge as our only way out,” resident Monique Wellington said Ollie Carratu took a video of near-horizontal rain and winds whipping across Tauranga Harbour from onboard his vessel near Bridge Marina at about 2am today MetService recorded the average windspeed in Tauranga was 50km/h at that time ”We made sure all the mooring lines were in tip-top shape and the boat was ready to weather the storm,” he said ”Everyone in the community seemed ready too About 970 households across the Bay of Plenty region lost power last night due to extreme weather including high winds About 24 on Matakana Island of the original 197 were still without power after lines came down and in Paengaroa 89 customers were waiting for their power to be restored 165 customers lost supply at midnight after vegetation blew into lines and fault crews were stood down due to the foggy conditions It was back on by 9.05am.Te Puke also had houses lose power last night A heavy rain watch was in place west of Kawerau until 11am while a severe thunderstorm watch was in place until 12pm An active front is lying over the Bay of Plenty and moving slowly eastwards the Taupō area from the township northwards there is a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms with localised downpours of 30 to 40mm/h The risk should ease from the west during the morning “An active front is expected to move eastwards across Bay of Plenty and Rotorua this morning bringing heavy rain,” MetService said “There is a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms with localised torrential downpours in excess of 40mm/h possible along with a chance of a small coastal tornado.” The heavy rain watch for Coromandel was due to expire at 6am Fire and Emergency NZ said it had attended eight weather-related incidents in the region overnight mostly to clear drains and a roof lifting in Matua A tree was also reported down at Okere Falls Torrential downpours hit parts of Auckland and Coromandel overnight bringing “damaging” amounts of rain to some spots Flooding has also been reported in the Coromandel More than 40mm fell in an hour over the Coromandel Range and thunderstorms remained over the Kaimai Ranges just before 6am MetService meteorologist Ngaire Wotherspoon said MetService meteorologist Dom Barry earlier said the “Tasman Sea Special” would see rain continue for most of the working week in the North Island we can expect to see some surface flooding We need to make sure we get our people out there driving and staying safe when they are out and about.” MetService said the low-pressure system and associated cool temperatures in the upper atmosphere were expected to lead to unstable conditions in several North Island areas today The last few years have been "heaven" for Ngongotahā resident Richard Kean That's because a neighbourhood skid pad closed with recent plans to revive the skid pad pitched he fears the "nauseating" smell of burning rubber and the sound of backfiring cars will return Ngongotaha Motorsport's Leon Khan said the resource consent process would address noise and believes odour is no issue A skid pad was originally built in 2015 on Khan's private whānau-owned Ngongotahā land and opened to the public in 2016 It closed in 2018 after an Environment Court case ruled he needed to obtain land use consent from Rotorua Lakes Council in order to hold motorised sporting events Community and regulatory services manager Kurt Williams previously said the venue was issued with an abatement notice and two subsequent $750 infringement notices to stop operating Five complaints had been made between 1 August all relating to noise concerns and one alleging smoke/odour from burnt rubber Williams said resource consent may need to be publicly notified if it impacted the community unless affected parties gave written approval It would also depend on the requirements of other agencies such as NZTA Discussion on the pad was re-ignited recently when Khan started a petition to gather support His plans to re-open the skid pad have been praised by some who said it would be a safe space for the car community nearby resident Richard Kean said living at his Ngongotahā home was dreadful when the skid pad was being used to the point residents needed to wear earplugs or ear muffs The smell of burning rubber was suffocating and "absolutely nauseating" He said he worried about the environmental impact and the potential loss of value to his property he said he was not opposed to opening a skid pad away from residential houses Kean said he did not complain to the council during the skid pad's open period but he would make a submission if there was an opportunity during the resource consent process Khan said people would be able to have their say during the consenting process Khan said he believed Kean was exaggerating and noise complaints would not matter if he passed the acoustic reports he would need to have done He did not think smoke or odour was an issue nor would there be any environmental impact This was based on conversations he had in 2016 with a regional council pollution prevention officer The next steps for Khan were to figure out the best ideas for improvements which was one of the concerns raised by NZTA Its recommendations included changes to the passing lane near the property using temporary traffic management during events and a drug and alcohol management plan Khan will meet with a consultant and with former managing director of Taupō Motorsport Park "Then we can put together a business plan and sort out all the reports that'll need to be done." These included the acoustic reports and consent Khan said a plan would need to be made for funding the project Rotorua Lakes Council district development deputy chief executive Jean-Paul Gaston said no resource consent application had yet been received but once it was the council would consider relevant matters and work through the process with Khan A police spokesperson confirmed police had been called to incidents at the skid pad when it was open but was unable to provide specific details "While a dedicated facility that provides a safe space for car enthusiasts can be viewed positively we would expect that it complies with health and safety regulations and local government bylaws so everyone who is there participating They said the police's focus was ensuring motorists remained safe behind the wheel "There is a huge risk to road users when a driver makes the choice to deliberately lose control of their vehicle There are many occasions and YouTube videos showing the consequences of that." the spokesperson said police would warn anyone wanting to do burn outs on public roads to reconsider that action given the risk they posed to themselves and others Bay of Plenty Regional Council compliance team lead Trudy Richards said it was responsible for regulating discharges of contaminants to air from anthropogenic sources This was included in the consent processes The Regional Natural Resources Plan policy framework and rules have been updated since Khan was last advised and she encouraged him to get in touch to discuss the current proposal to ensure compliance Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air An iconic Rotorua destination has been broadcast to millions of viewers on Good Morning America Rotorua resident and accessibility advocate Roger Loveless worries it will take an accident before a footpath is put in near a new subdivision Former Blue Baths leaseholder Jo Romanes says it has been hard to step away from the role as the historic building is continuing to decay with no one to advocate for it Thirteen motels have been given the green light to continue as contracted emergency accommodation 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 long-awaited upgrade provides a safer intersection and better traffic flow for road users addresses community concerns around safety as well as congestion at peak times Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Regional Manager Infrastructure Delivery says the upgrade has been completed just in time for Christmas “This will be a very welcome change for the Ngongotahā community and road users and a great achievement for the project team and construction in a live traffic environment is always a challenge “We acknowledge this was a disruptive piece of work and understand the inconvenience the works have caused people I’d like to thank the local community and road users especially those who commute through our work site daily for their patience during the works,” Ms Wilton says The upgrade features an additional lane around including a new bypass lane from Ngongotahā to Rotorua The upgrade through the roundabout required a significant amount of work to the underground services “We have upgraded and relocated water mains and power services and added ducting for future services around the area so we won’t have to disrupt the road surface at a later date,” Ms Wilton says raised safety platforms have been installed as part of the roundabout upgrade making the roundabout safer to navigate for all users Two raised safety platforms are in place on the Ngongotahā to Rotorua bypass lane entering and exiting the roundabout as well as one on the lane exiting towards Rotorua Roundabout metering will be upgraded to help improve traffic flow traffic lights will be operating on SH5 for traffic approaching the SH5/SH36 Ngongotahā roundabout from Hamilton The traffic lights will be phased to ease queues on SH36 when it is busy – predominantly during the weekday morning peak The lights will only operate when traffic queues activate the metering the lights will turn amber then red to stop the vehicles allowing traffic from the busiest road to enter the roundabout The traffic lights will have amber and red lights only – no green “We’re asking people to take extra care when travelling through the roundabout as they get used to the new layout.” There will be a permanent 80km/h speed limit through the roundabout “Work continues on the safety improvements along SH5 between SH36 and north of the golf course including widening the road and installing median and side barriers,” says Ms Wilton Waka Kotahi is working closely with mana whenua the local community and Rotorua Lakes Council to improve the city’s transport network to create a safe and sustainable network that supports community wellbeing and makes people’s daily journeys more enjoyable Ngāti Tura Ngāti Te Ngakau Trust chair Geoff Rice acknowledges the importance of partnering on transport upgrades to support the local community Ngāti Whakaue Tribal Lands and in particular Ngāti Tura Ngāti Te Ngakau have worked closely with Waka Kotahi to undertake a challenging remodel of the SH5/SH36 Ngongotahā roundabout serving Rotorua me nga hapori (communities) o Ngongotahā Ngāti Tura Ngāti Te Ngakau trustee and project manager TePoari Newton says with the large amount of excavation and vehicle movement and the cultural monitoring and discovery processes they’d like to acknowledge the professionalism and respect provided by Waka Kotahi and its contractor Schick Rotorua Lakes Council Deputy Chief Executive – Infrastructure & Environmental Solutions says the main highway corridors are key to connecting Rotorua to the rest of the North island and securing significant Government funding to future-proof our key transport connections is an important part of ensuring our city is ready for the population growth that is forecast for the next few decades,” Mr Michael says “The improvements are also about making our transport network safer more efficient and enabling more choices in the mode of travel that our community chooses to use.” The safety improvements project covers 8.1km of state highway Improvements include widening SH5 to allow for a new wide centreline laying rumble strips and shortening the existing passing lane so vehicles can merge safely barrier installation and other works along SH5 between the SH5/SH36 Ngongotahā roundabout to just north of the golf course are programmed to wind up for the year today Roading crews will ensure there will be minimal traffic management in place over the Christmas/New Year break Remaining road widening and further barrier installation landscaping and road rehabilitation will take place in the new year These works will recommence on 10 January and are expected to take until the end of February 2022 to complete Waka Kotahi thanks motorists for their patience as we continue work to make this busy stretch of state highway safer NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi works to create transport solutions for all New Zealanders – from helping new drivers earn their licences to leading safety campaigns to investing in public transport The first stage of a 350-home government-led housing development at Ngongotahā will be fast-tracked under a new Covid consenting law because it promises to bring more than 470 full-time jobs and help fix Rotorua’s dire housing shortage Rotorua and Ngongotahā residents will get the chance to see more detailed plans for the development this month at community drop-in sessions work would start on the first 215 homes on the 15.9ha site at the end of this year Developers intended to use locals from the building and infrastructure sectors and said employment would flourish with flow-on effects of more people working and living in the area The site was first considered for housing in 2018 but concerns about flooding and congestion led to its eventual rejection by Housing Minister Megan Woods The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development bought the site last year and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work with Auckland developer Watchman Residential to build 350 publicly and privately owned homes over a decade the project was referred to an expert consenting panel through the Ministry for the Environment after being accepted for fast-track consenting under the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting Act 2020) and a resource consent application is about to be lodged by Watchman Residential Company director Marcus Jacobson told the Rotorua Daily Post it had been concentrating on completing the design as well as the flood modelling and hazard assessment Jacobson said they had now finished detailed architectural landscape and civil engineering plans and these would be shared with locals Developers met with local Māori last week and drop-in sessions will be held for the wider Ngongotahā community this month Residents could review the designs and flood modelling landscape and ecology plans and development team members present to answer questions Jacobson said the community could be reassured “fast-tracking” a consent process did not mean “skipping” vital due diligence work more information was being collected and provided to the consenting panel to ensure the development was viable and the community felt confident He said the initial application to use the fast-track consenting process was in December and he expected to have an answer on if resource consent was approved “in a year” the traditional council resource consent process “would have taken two years” He said his company had recently finished a similar smaller development on Koutu’s Frank St in Rotorua and that too employed locals Jacobson said they had to provide an economic report on how the Ngongotahā development would benefit the community it’s the peripheral things as well with having people working in the area and what does that mean?” more people could be employed at nearby eateries to provide food for workers He said one of the key messages for locals was “this is not a Kāinga Ora development” Homes would be owned by a mix of private individuals investors and the Government in partnership with community housing providers “This isn’t about bringing people from Fenton St into these homes … But Rotorua is short of houses and we are trying to help solve this crisis.” Ngāti Ngararanui kaumātua Wallace Haumaha said he was among a group shown the latest proposals last week He said their focus was on protecting the Waitetī Stream and they needed to be assured the right systems and infrastructure would be in place “The generations of Ngāti Ngararanui have lived close to the river and it is deeply important to us a taonga (treasure) and the mauri (life force) of Ngāti Ngararanui We must be involved in the development of any project that impact our awa.” Haumaha said development was inevitable and they too were concerned about the lack of housing but they would continue to sit alongside the developers to get the assurances descendants needed The Ministry for the Environment’s website said reasons the Ngongotahā project was approved included providing 479 full-time jobs over five years and increasing Rotorua’s housing supply It said any effects on the environment and proposed mitigations could be “appropriately tested by an expert consenting panel” in line with the Resource Management Act A Ministry of Housing and Urban Development spokesperson said in response to Rotorua Daily Post questions the fast-track consenting legislation was for projects that promised to boost employment and economic recovery in response to Covid-19 Watchman had also been working with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Rotorua Lakes Council to ensure the scheme plan and development works met their requirements A consent application for bulk earthworks was submitted to the regional council on August 23 and if that was approved site preparation works would start at the end of the year The ministry said the development was part of the Government’s commitment under the Rotorua Housing Accord to reduce Rotorua’s chronic housing shortage and reduce the need for emergency housing to near zero Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years A woman allergic to wasps can now come and go from her property without fear of being stung after a 90cm wasp nest was removed from neighbouring vacant land Rotorua Lakes Council asked pest service technician Chris Brunel to remove the nest from the property Lynne Coutts lived next door and shared her story of being plagued by the wasps - which at times "smothered" her bird feeder - and her struggle in getting it sorted out Brunel visited the Ngongotahā property on Wednesday after Local Democracy Reporting first reported the story it was built "right into" the tree roots and scrub "It's not easy to see but if you have a protection suit on and all the PPE gear you can stick your head down there and have a good look." The nest accommodated the queen as well as thousands of worker wasps "We can deal to that quite simply by inserting a probe in the nest and filling it up with insecticide and we kill it," Brunel said "All hell breaks loose for about 10 minutes then usually it's all over." Sometimes a second dose was needed - "but it's rare" with the queens finding somewhere to hibernate "Then the whole process starts again next year." He came back later in the day to administer the insecticide recreation and environment manager Rob Pitkethley said wasps had been less of an issue across its reserves this season "Following removal of the bins and wasp control undertaken in spring at Tikitapu (Blue Lake) we've noted a significant reduction there." The bins were removed about a year ago from the reserve after wasps were attracted to them "We removed a nest at the lakefront but have had no reports from the public about any issues with wasps on our reserves." Lynne Coutts says she is allergic and could experience severe swelling if stung The hive - home to a swarm more than 10 times the usual size - was about 1.8 metres long The war on wasps in the top of the South Island is being ramped up A huge wasp nest found in the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park is believed to have been expanding for about two years An exterminator says they decided not to remove a giant German wasp nest to avoid a huge amount of insecticide falling into a local stream Ngongotahā Lakes FC will get their pre-season training underway on January 23 ahead of their 2024 Lotto NRFL Southern Conference campaign The first team and U-23s squad will have their first session at Linton Park and will then training on Tuesdays and Thursdays with a weekend training session every fortnight leading into pre-season matches On Saturday January 13 and Saturday January 20 the club will hold fun mini-games at their Stembridge Rd ground to help get players ready for the start of pre-season training “Players interested in playing at this level are to turn up fit,” the club says Ngongotahā Lakes have named a three-man coaching team for their next Southern Conference campaign READ MORE: Ngongotaha Lakes appoint coaching trio for Lotto NRFL Southern Conference >>>> Ngongotahā Lakes FC was formed last year as a partnership between Ngongotahā AFC and Rotorua club Lakes FC to compete in the newly-formed Southern Conference READ MORE: Clubs form partnership to compete in new Lotto NRFL Southern Conference >>>> Ngontotahā FC is considering entering multiple teams into the men’s Bay leagues in 2024 Competitive and social teams will also be available for women players Ngongotahā invite enquires via their website or Facebook Messenger Firefighters check out the burned out remains of The Village Shop in Ngongotahā after fire overnight A block of businesses at Ngongotahā are without power after fire tore through a shop overnight Local dairy The Village Shop was left smoke damaged and sodden after firefighters fought a fire in the premises early today Firefighters were called to the shop at 1.20am Fire Northen Communications shift manager Colin Underdown said the 5x15m fire was “well involved” when crews arrived and backup was called for Firefighters entered the building and fought the fire until 4am when it was eventually contained The fire engulfed the shop but was understood not to have badly affected the surrounding buildings due to concrete firewalls the fire damaged the electrics for the block of businesses which have been left without power this morning A fire investigator on the scene today was expected to help determine the cause Bay of Plenty police are monitoring a large Black Power gathering in Ngongotahā A police spokeswoman said there were a number of police staff present ''They are monitoring and issuing infringements in relation to driving behaviour.'' ''Police will also be following up and issuing further infringements for disorder or driving offences where appropriate,'' she said A passerby said ''hundreds of black power bikies and utes are congregating'' Nearly $4 million of Government funding will be used to try and prevent a repeat of the 2018 floods in Ngongotahā The money is part of a $23m Government package aimed at addressing long-standing flood risks in the Bay of Plenty and will be funded by the Crown Infrastructure Partners' Infrastructure Reference Group's "shovel-ready" projects which is administered by the Provincial Growth Fund In April 2018 Ngongotahā village was devastated by flooding after a once-in-100-year rain event Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Rotorua Lakes Council commissioned a review into the floods to make recommendations to reduce the impact of severe flood events in the future That report was published in December 2018 and made 24 recommendations including creating a specific chapter in the Rotorua District Plan that dealt with natural hazards Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council integrated catchments manager Chris Ingle said the Ngongotahā Flood Review Project was a joint Rotorua Lakes Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council programme of action to implement the recommendations of the review He said the $3.7m funding was for flood mitigation actions to reduce the risk of flooding to people and properties within the Ngongotahā community and would be undertaken by the regional council particularly that relating to engineering options was guided by a community reference group made up of 10 Ngongotahā community representatives The flood mitigation actions were a "suite of work" comprising the removal of problematic trees creation of multiple detainment bunds on farmland on the Mamaku Plateau and engineering work closer to the village itself The latter included options to raise a section of Western Rd to act as a flood defence diverting water away from residential areas or enhancing a series of bypasses and "flowpaths" to "convey" floodwaters away from homes some aspects of the work would start immediately He said the overall Bay of Plenty River Schemes Flood Resilience Project would create at least 80 full-time equivalent jobs and some of those would be created at various stages of the Ngongotahā works The number of jobs created by the engineering construction aspects would be determined by the final mitigation designs chosen Ingle said detailed design work was under way on engineering solutions and those would be shared with those directly affected by the 2018 flood with construction would start later this year Rotorua Lakes Council Ngongotahā flood review project manager Elva Conroy said the majority of actions for the project were completed or in progress Five were in progress but running behind schedule Those were analysis of flood mitigation options and associated engagement with the Ngongotahā community; completion of the stream maintenance plan; the establishment of the working group for the Ngongotahā Community Response Plan; the review of the District Plan; and the construction of detainment bunds in the upper catchment "Three actions are reliant on the completion of other actions," she said She said the reasons some actions were behind schedule included "the complexity of work" and "the time needed to enable community-driven action" In 2019 the project completed stream repairs from the 2018 flood as well as establishing the community reference group who was also a Bay of Plenty Regional councillor and DHB member Thurston said the group was "absolutely delighted" with the announced funding for Ngongotahā and said it would "go a substantial way" to addressing the issues in the area a section of [the Ngongotahā] community went to hell and back we can't … exclude it ever happening again but we can put initiatives in place to minimise it happening ever again." Elliot Pollard, along with wife Jenny, was one of the residents directly affected by the 2018 floods Pollard also sat on the community reference group and said the funding was a "hugely positive step" "It was an extraordinary event and though you can never say no highly unlikely it will ever happen again." Independent review chairwoman Judith Stanway has been sought for comment Firefighters were called to a house fire in Ngongotahā this morning Multiple fire appliances were on Ranginui St in the Rotorua suburb The smoke was thick and quite suffocating on street level at times The road was cordoned off at the Ranginui St and Waiteti Rd intersection A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman said fire crews were in attendance at a “well-involved” house fire in Ngongotahā The first call received about the incident was at 9.30am The spokeswoman said further resources were needed to respond to the scene Five appliances and a few support vehicles were at the scene black smoke was pouring from the building and neighbours were watching from the roadside A 350-house development at Ngongotahā is only weeks into planning but already opinions are divided whether the village should fight it or welcome it More details were released last night at a public meeting about a plan to bring 350 modern and healthy homes to 31 Ngongotahā Rd organised by Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers and chaired by Reynold Macpherson about 400 people packed the Ngongotahā Community Hall to hear from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development about why it had bought the 15.9ha site The meeting heard from ministry deputy chief executive Ben Dalton developer Watchman Residential director Marcus Jacobson and contracted engineer James Dufty who tried to convince residents it had done its homework on building on swamp land the Government had previously rejected for a private housing scheme Dalton said they were only into week seven of the planning stages and there was a lot of work yet to do He said the first stage was for 196 single and two-storey homes and he assured the community they would be kept informed Dufty took the residents through the detailed work to ensure the development was viable on swamp land He said hydraulic modelling had been completed as well as geotechnical quantity surveying and infrastructure investigations He said the entire area wasn’t a flood plain and homes would not be built on the flood plain itself He said it was a high-quality development and the Resource Management Act process would show there was no effect on downstream properties He said developments on such swamp lands were not unusual This is no different but it’s done all over Aotearoa and in multiple countries.” Jacobson said the homes would be high-density Homes would be 130sq m to 150sq m and he estimated it would be for about 1000 people in total He said there would be strong interest from buyers and sales were usually done using a ballot system “We want to make sure everyone in Rotorua gets that opportunity first [to buy the homes].” He told the residents not to think of it as a Kāinga Ora [KO] development We will have some social housing but don’t think of this as KO The residents demanded details and answers Progress Ngongotahā chairman Bob Martin said so far he was impressed with the type and standard of houses that would be built He said the area already suffered with its poor infrastructure “We need more houses in Ngongotahā and this is the only way we are going to get it and that’s to have Government work with us.” Kaumatua Geoff Rice said New Zealand’s population sat idle throughout the decades from the 1970s around the 2 million mark and suddenly we were now at more than 5 million We have a beautiful village but somehow we have to find balance and homes for our people.” Local man John Newton said there were families moving into caravans around marae because there were no homes and issues around the District Plan and papakāinga developments They are not even taking their councillors out for Christmas dinner you think they are going to replace the pipes (infrastructure) The only opportunity to get it done is to get this development.” Newton urged the residents to have faith in the engineers because he could guarantee the houses would be quality builds Rotorua Hospital paediatrician and Ngongotahā resident Aimee Kettoola said she had seen the downstream impact of poor housing in Rotorua and she was shocked when she moved to the city in 2018 at the lack of quality modern homes But she also urged the Government to ensure there was infrastructure around any development kaumātua and New Zealand Police Deputy Commissioner Wallace Haumaha said he considered himself a progressive person but he wasn’t convinced the right homework had been done He said residents wanted to know the impacts on infrastructure “There is going to be quality housing but can you guarantee there are going to be quality people going into those houses What impact is that going to have on the township if the town turns to custard - and I’m not making judgements on any person or characterising on any sort of person or being rude to people - but those are the questions that need to be answered when we are sitting here to have this conversation.” He said he was surprised no one had come to them as mana whenua to learn about the land “Once the flooding starts the whole thing just runs down through the river and wipes out everything in its sight and I’ve seen that in different times when we have had those floods.” He said there needed to be more work on the infrastructure with 350 extra houses having run off going into the Waiteti Stream “That runoff will still have a hell of an impact on our river.” we want more houses and good quality houses .. You owe the respect for everyone to part of the conversation.” Ngāti Ngararanui spokesman Guy Ngatai spoke about the history and cultural significance of the land and waterways “Can you give us that assurance that the river we love will not be placed under any future risk and threat than it already is?” Ngongotahā School principal Craig McFadyen expressed concerns his school of 300 pupils could have 400 more children He said he had been told there were no plans to build another school and any additional children would need to be accommodated at the existing school - something he said there was simply no room for Patricia Hosking said her property bordered 31 Ngongotahā Rd and she’d seen the land flood three times in 30 years Copies of a photograph of the land under water in the April 2018 flood were attached on the walls around the hall and Hosking referenced the photograph when she said climate change would deliver more similar severe rainfall events A local woman said she grew up in Ngongotahā and local children never played on the land because it was considered tapu “We don’t doubt we need housing but is this really the right land?” She said it felt like the Government was trying to rush through housing to fix the problem it created in emergency housing motels A woman questioned why it needed to be 350 homes saying already the trip into Rotorua already could take up to 45 minutes and more people would add to the bottleneck who was the only elected representative at the meeting said 87 houses were initially proposed for the site but the Government turned it down for flooding and congestion reasons If you were worried about congestion for 87 houses I need to know why you are no longer worried for 350.” Eraia Kiel Snr was killed in a motorcycle crash on Monday morning near Ngongotahā those around him are mourning the man known as “Billy Boy” after he died in a motorcycle crash on Monday morning near Ngongotahā The 65-year-old’s motorcycle and a vehicle collided about 11am at the intersection of Dalbeth Rd and State Highway 36 He was taken to hospital in a critical condition but died later in the day Eraia Kiel Jnr - known locally as Te Puia’s general manager - said his father was a people person loved by everyone Kiel Snr carried on the legacy of his father who ran kids’ train and pony rides for years first at Kuirau Park and then the lakefront Kiel Snr kept his father’s train and would surprise children with it at birthdays and special occasions putting smiles on their faces by giving them rides and if there’s any silver lining from this it is [that] he will be with his dad now.” Kiel Jnr said his father was incredibly proud of him and his two other children Kiel Snr spent his life doing hard labouring jobs such as roofing but he had slowed down since turning 65 in January He said his father would be remembered for his ability to care for anyone That love that he’s shown everyone has been pouring out since his accident and our family has been overwhelmed with love from the community .. That is the wonderful beauty of our culture he still took care of all our people and loved our kids and carried on that legacy when he could.” Ngongotahā Motorcycle Club treasurer Jo-Anne Edmonds said Kiel Snr was a founding member of the club and its kaupapa was around families and children and it’s a group of really cool people raising their children and supporting their community.” Edmonds said Kiel Snr believed in supporting other whānau “I will remember him for his encouraging smile; being very respectful and a gentleman.” If the club was involved in fundraising or helping people - including those with cancer or children’s charities - he would be there “He had a bounce in his step and a big smile and would get to work straight away He was a guardian of the Ngongotahā Motorcycle Club and was always the last to ride to make sure everyone got to their destination safely He would sit at the back and ensure the safety of other bike-riders around him.” She remembered him as a careful and safe motorcyclist Edmonds remembered the joy he would bring to children when he turned up with his father’s train “He would spend hours giving them rides just to see the joy on their faces He did it [for] free and he did it for absolute love He was just the man with the biggest smile and he was a giver with a contagious sense of humour.” Kiel Jnr said his father was to spend Tuesday at his family homestead with whānau before being taken to Tarimano Marae at Ngongotahā at 10am today for his tangi His funeral service will be at 11am on Friday Mark Woods has been jailed for stealing a woman's undies off a clothesline A Rotorua man has been jailed for 14 months after he snuck into the yard of a Ngongotahā home and stole women’s underwear appeared for sentencing yesterday in the Rotorua District Court after previously pleading guilty to two charges of burglary Judge Greg Hollister-Jones said pre-sentencing reports revealed Woods was stealing the underwear because he wanted to wear them Woods has two previous convictions stemming from 2018 when he was jailed for doing an indecent act and possession of objectionable material asked the judge to consider home detention and said although he didn’t have an approved address at present Judge Hollister Jones said he would grant leave for Woods to apply for home detention There needs to be a robust and comprehensive safety plan.” He noted the address Woods was looking to move to was one a local church was supporting him to get and it was in central Rotorua Judge Hollister-Jones said caution was needed if Woods was considering going into a multi-tenanted property released to the Rotorua Daily Post before yesterday’s sentencing said Woods went to the property at Ngongotahā at 3.25pm on June 30 He gained entry to the backyard through a property next door He took seven pairs of women’s underwear off the clothesline and put them in a backpack Woods went back to the same house at 1pm on November 5 and selected two pairs of women’s underwear and put them in a satchel Reparation of $30 was sought by police but wasn’t awarded by Judge Hollister-Jones Judge Hollister-Jones said the principal aggravating feature was the nature of the clothing and the fact he went to the same house twice He said while it was clear from the reports Woods intended to wear the garments the victim could rightly believe there were more sinister motives behind his offending Woods was given a range of discounts totalling 40 per cent including 25 per cent for his guilty plea and 15 per cent for issues in his past that led to the “complex set of behaviours” where he offended in this way twice Sewing runs in 11-year-old Essjay Bennett’s family have been selected as guest designers at the Dress for Success Fashion show: Through the Ages show hosted by Vanish at AUT on June 22 - it will be the event’s 25th anniversary There they will showcase Essjay’s designs which he says are based on anime Essjay has been asked to design a new collection for the event encompassing the future of workwear “My inspiration for this look,” Essjay says pointing to an upcycled dinner jacket with rivets down the lapel that he’d hand-pressed himself “is one of the suits I’ve seen in an anime called Naruto” we’re using a bunch of jackets and things that look more like a type of suity-anime and Doherty says sewing is a family enthusiasm She and her son enjoy perusing local secondhand shops for inspiration together Doherty says some shops are expensive and priced as if they were brand-new clothes but “there’s the ones where you can go in with a bag give them $5 and fill it up; they’re really good” I get a lot of denim and things like that with mine Doherty is a teacher aide at Essjay’s school and while Vanish is sponsoring Essjay and his whānau she’s helping raise funds on his givealittle page to take a team to Auckland for the show They’re planning to take eight models up with them who runs his high-end fashion brand and the Miss Rotorua Foundation told the Rotorua Daily Post he is “extremely impressed” with Essjay “Anyone that wants to go into the fashion industry needs to understand what their look is what their energy and their vibe represents and that is what makes you stand out from everybody else in the industry and he knows what his aesthetic is,” WiRepa said Doherty says teaching children to sew their own clothes empowers them “Simple things like what you’re wearing can help lift your ahua for the day and Doherty says her son’s selection helped her realise “instead of dressing kids I could help teach them to dress themselves” which she does through her Ngongotahā-based business Kiddiewinks “Initially upcycling came to me because I can buy cheaper and sell them cheaper as opposed to buying hundreds of dollars worth of fabric “I want to help the kids that need a bit more help with self-image and things like that.” To further support Essjay’s design work visit his givealittle page To purchase tickets, visit Eventbrite - This article has been updated to include more information about the Dress for Success event; and Vanish is sponsoring Essjay and his whānau for the event Rotorua Lakes Council says rain has eased and the Ngongotahā stream is not expected to flood overnight after residents were earlier urged to prepare to evacuate The council is monitoring stream levels following heavy rain in the area over the last 12 hours council staff went door to door near the stream urging residents to prepare to evacuate their homes But the council has now dialled back the concern and says it will keep residents posted if there is any increased risk to people and property In a statement on its Facebook page at 6.30pm on Monday evening along with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council was closely monitoring stream levels after 135mm of rainfall in the last 12 hours "We are not expecting any evacuations to be necessary at this stage but will continue to carefully monitor the situation and it would be sensible for residents to prepare to evacuate just in case." "Road users are reminded that driving conditions will also be hazardous with surface flooding and poor visibility in heavy rain "Keep a close eye on rising water levels and emergency services will advise you if evacuation is required." The statement said if people required assistance to call the council on 07 348 4199 and to call 111 if it was an emergency If you require assistance please phone Rotorua Lakes Council on 07 348 4199 Advice for preparing to evacuate/evacuating in the event of flooding: You can find more information from Rotorua Lakes Council here Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air Police are advising Bay of Plenty motorists to take extra care on the roads this evening Western Road detour map [PDF, 181 KB] The detour does not affect southbound traffic heading into Rotorua.  This work will be clearly signposted to assist road users in knowing where to go.  To help with traffic flow the new SH5/SH36 roundabout free flow (slip) lane will be opened and two temporary roundabouts installed - one at the SH5/Western Road turnoff and one in Ngongotahā Village at the SH36/Western Road intersection Manual traffic control may also be in place at times.  While the detour is in place there will be extra traffic along Western Road The detour will be monitored to ensure traffic is flowing and adjusted if necessary.  The changes are expected to be in place for up to six weeks.  Motorists are asked to take extra care while the detour is in place especially at the Ngongotahā Village end.  Waka Kotahi thanks motorists for their patience during this time Contractors have been working hard to get the slip lane road surface prepared so it could be sealed in time for the detour The cooler weather has meant it’s too damp to proceed and the surface needs to be left over the weekend before being sealed on Monday our contractors will lay a temporary seal to allow the detour to go ahead Tuesday and limit any more delays to the programme If our contractors have to lay a temporary seal they will go back when the weather is better suited for laying new road surface our contractors are focused on Tuesday as the ‘go live’ day for the detour and we apologise for any confusion caused From Tuesday 11 May a short section of State Highway 36 will be closed with people travelling from Rotorua to Ngongotahā Hamurana and Tauranga detoured via State Highway 5 and Western Road The detour does not affect southbound traffic heading into Rotorua This work will be clearly signposted to assist road users in knowing where to go Manual traffic control may also be in place at times The detour will be monitored to ensure traffic is flowing and adjusted if necessary The changes are expected to be in place for up to six weeks A controversial motorsports park could roar back into life but there could be some hurdles to overcome in order to make this happen Ngāti Maniapoto) first built a concrete skid pad on private whānau-owned whenua He let close friends and family use the skid pad so he opened up Ngongotaha Motorsport to the public issues with resource consent and an eventual Environment Court case led to its closure in 2018 Now Khan is trying to reopen the facility. He made a change.org petition to rally support just over a month ago and it had over 3600 signatures on the afternoon of December 21 Khan said he safely hosted about 50 events over the two-year period with no accidents or incidents. Some events were family-friendly birthday bashes, and one was a fundraiser to support a Rotorua child with a rare brain disorder in 2017. Commenters on the petition say the facility is a “huge asset,” something the car community is “crying out” for and would create a safe space for motorsport Rotorua Lakes Council and Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency say Khan’s skid pad must be compliant before it reopens Khan said the idea for the facility came from his experience tearing up the streets of Rotorua in his youth He said his dad wanted to get him and his friends off the streets because they were “wrecking roads” and causing a “nuisance” “We’d mainly do it at night time because everyone’s asleep You wake people up and by the time they’ve called the police Khan said he and his mates “definitely” knew their behaviour was wrong but they didn’t have anywhere else to go Khan said he wanted to turn the negative boy racer situation into a positive one for the city He thought the skid pad had the potential to expand and attract a wider audience beyond Rotorua with some of the previous meets attracting car enthusiasts from as far as Wellington it’ll create jobs there once it gets bigger and bigger There will be jobs for people and also for my own family.” Rotorua council’s community and regulatory services manager Kurt Williams said the venue was originally being operated without the required consent It was issued with an abatement notice and two subsequent $750 infringement notices to stop operating the matter went before the Environment Court In a decision seen by the Rotorua Daily Post the court ruled Khan could no longer hold motorised sporting events on the land until land use consent was granted Williams said the five complaints between August 1 while one of the complaints also alleged smoke/odour from burnt rubber Williams said a resource consent was needed in cases where there was a non-permitted activity It may need to be publicly notified if it affects the community unless affected parties have given written approval motorised sporting events on private land in the working rural zone the property is in is a “controlled activity” that needs consent Williams said consent would also depend on the ability to meet requirements of other relevant agencies Bay of Plenty Regional Council and the Department of Conservation Williams said the council had not received an application for a resource consent from Khan but if they did they would “work through the standard process with Mr Khan and/or his representatives in good faith” He said it had been contacted by a representative who had been told about consent requirements NZTA regional manager Jess Andrew said they had raised concerns in 2016 about the safety of events at the site – primarily relating to the accessway and consumption of alcohol Andrew said Khan had asked for clear direction about the access issue and his proposal had been reviewed NZTA’s recommendations included changes to the passing lane near the property Andrews said the conditions would be a “significant undertaking” and the next step was to arrange a traffic impact assessment Khan said he “didn’t mind” alcohol being consumed on the premises when it was operating and he had bought breathalyzers in 2016 to ensure everyone leaving the facility was sober “We tested everyone and if the driver blew anything other than 00.00 we didn’t allow the vehicle to leave the premises until a sober driver was able to drive that car.” He said he was happy to work with the police to ensure safety Khan said the biggest issues with the consent application were practicality and cost He said he had sent proposals to NZTA taking the safety issues they identified at the entrance of the property into account The entrance is at the start of a northbound passing lane “I have given multiple reasonable options of improvements to make it safer than what it is.” Khan’s next-door neighbour Chelsea Marriner was supportive of the reopening She said when it was operating everyone was well-behaved wrecked their engines and went home super happy - it was great “We got absolutely minimal noise and smoke bare minimum - fireworks are more of a nuisance to me than the skid pad was.” Marriner said the facility could address problems with boy racers sports fields - they’ve got so little places to go and just skid their cars “Get them off the roads and somewhere safe.” council liaison for Mamaku Residents Society said the society was backing Khan as Ngongotaha Motorsport would be “a great asset” Rose said it would be great for the local youngsters to practise their skills and have a family-friendly training facility to teach them to learn how to handle a car in a skid situation who sat on the rural community board last term While in favour of a purpose-built facility He said he understood the “frustrations” of the complex consent process but resource consent took precedence irritation from the smoke to be affecting the surrounding neighbours as well,” Wang said Wang said there were no known plans in the pipeline to provide a facility for Rotorua in the near future Approached for comment about calls and reports relating to boy racer activity in Rotorua NZ Police said this would need to be an official information request and it could not provide anecdotal comment The Rotorua Daily Post has made the request The Government has bought 31 Ngongotahā Rd The Government plans to build 350 homes on Rotorua land it rejected for a smaller private development about four years ago A Ministry of Housing and Urban Development spokesman said it bought 15.9 hectares at 31 Ngongotahā Rd to provide a mixed development of affordable housing for the private market and public housing The ministry would not reveal the purchase price because it was commercially sensitive and was in the process of finding a development partner for the site It had entered into a memorandum of understanding with Watchman Residential to progress design and consenting works Site works would begin late next year if the necessary consents were secured But the move has angered opponents of the original planned development of 190 homes Developer Martin Schilt’s plans were downsized to up to 80 lots as a Special Housing Area but in August 2019 Housing Minister Megan Woods rejected the plans Documents obtained under the Official Information Act then “highlighted several issues” including a reasonably complex site and its potential to increase flood hazard to downstream properties Rotorua MP Todd McClay told the Rotorua Daily Post that he questioned why the Government could develop there but the private sector could not Woods said today that ensuring Rotorua had better and more sustainable housing outcomes for its people was key to the city’s Housing Accord signed by the Government and iwi parties late last year Rotorua had experienced significant population growth in recent years with more than 9000 people added since 2013 but only 1200 private homes had been built along with a net loss of public homes under the last National Government “This has created significant demand for emergency housing The 350-home development on Ngongotahā Rd is a key part of the Government’s plan to address the significant housing shortage in Rotorua and reduce the number of people living in emergency housing the reliance on emergency housing in Rotorua will continue.” Woods said that since 31 Ngongotahā Rd was declined as a Special Housing Area further investigations had been completed by engineering and environmental consultants “Flood assessments and hydraulic modelling has been completed on the part of the site that is subject to flooding feasible solutions have been identified to mitigate flooding issues and enable residential development Further design and modelling is now under way this will be peer-reviewed and then assessed under the resource consent application process.” The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development spokesman said Watchman Residential had a project team of consultants working with local councils and the Ministry for the Environment on consenting applications and requirements “It’s in everyone’s interests to see a development that will enhance the community More housing is a solution to housing stress and related community impacts New Zealand has failed to build enough houses and we need to build more homes to catch up on decades of undersupply.” A public meeting about the development is planned for next Thursday evening at the Ngongotahā Community Hall and will be fronted by the housing ministry’s deputy chief executive Ben Dalton Watchman is behind the Mountview Green residential housing development in Rotorua that included some KiwiBuild homes if the Government had kept out of the way five years ago “we would have those houses and there would not be so much pressure on Rotorua” “Now by increasing the number of houses by 400 per cent they need to address the community’s concerns for this project to have any chance of being accepted Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers Association chairman Reynold Macpherson said the about-face was “appalling” and people had been contacting him expressing concerns because there were “massive objections” in 2018 “There is a realisation that there is a shortage of housing but on the other hand it looks like it could be terraced housing to double the number first proposed in 2018 this all comes as fresh news and people in the Ngongotahā area are appalled absolutely appalled that they could go back and revisit this.” Macpherson said the association had asked for the ministry to attend its public meeting to explain what it wanted to do and to listen to the people Ngati Ngararanui trustee Guy Ngatai said the Ngongotahā hapū was also deeply concerned Rotorua Lakes Council district development chief executive Jean-Paul Gaston said the council had a regulatory role and helped all developers who sought pre-consent application meetings with guidance on its District Plan Council staff had a pre-application meeting with the developer for this site regarding District Plan rules and no resource consent application had as yet been received it will go through the normal consenting process Research over a number of years has confirmed Rotorua has acute housing needs and this relates to all types of housing Gaston said whether public notification and consultation would be needed would be considered as part of the consent process “Rotorua is in need of more homes of all types and 350 homes would be a significant development that would contribute to reducing Rotorua’s critical housing shortage We have a deficit of about 1800 homes which has directly contributed to a significant increase in rent and house prices during the past few years “Our assessment has been that we need 6000 more homes to accommodate growth and the changing needs of our population over the next decade an ageing population means we will need more 'This is not something we’ve seen before.' Rotorua’s Ngongotahā Primary School has installed a nine-hole putt-putt golf course thanks to a $5000 donation from local iwi Ngāti Ngāraranui made the koha (donation) following the school’s annual gala held last term in a bid to help boost the school’s educational resources School principal Craig McFayden said the $23,000 raised from the school gala meant the school was able to build a musical playground we have been able to purchase things for our children to enjoy.” McFayden said deputy police commissioner and former student Wallace Haumaha had phoned him to say he could not attend the gala but he had spoken to Ngāti Ngāraranui who wanted to donate $5000 towards the school The school invited Haumaha and fellow former pupil Guy Ngatai as well as several other members of Ngāti Ngāraranui “It was a lovely time when I showed them around the school and we spoke of all the exciting things that have happened over the years “We discussed the wonderful memories of when they attended Ngongotahā School as students and looked at the [infrastructure] developments that have happened since.” McFayden said the school was “incredibly humbled” by all of the support it received from the community during its gala “Ngongotahā is a special place and we are surrounded by an amazingly supportive community “We have a good connection to all of our local marae and as a part of our school’s localised curriculum our children learn about each of these marae during their time at our school.” Ngāti Ngāraranui kaumatua Guy Ngatai said the koha was about supporting their local school we understand it’s hard for schools to seek funding or to raise [enough money] to ensure they purchase resources necessary for the advancement of student education and in particular We also have the tribal affiliation as Ngāti Ngāraranui many of our children and grandchildren [and] mokopuna have attended the school.” Some staff members of the school were also part of the iwi Ngatai said they were “really impressed with how the kids love it” at Ngongotahā Primary School “Our general observation was the kids are very excited to be part of Ngongotahā Primary.”