One person has died following a workplace incident involving machinery in Whangārei Emergency services were called to an Onerahi address around 5.30pm on Tuesday Inquiries into the circumstances of the incident are ongoing.” A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said two crews attended an accident “We removed a person from machinery and handed them over to ambulances.” A St John spokesperson said two ambulances and one rapid response unit attended the scene about 5.30pm A WorkSafe spokesperson said the organisation had been notified and was making initial inquiries Sign up to The Daily H a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday The boy described the man's car as having offensive words and gestures on its panels A person is dead and a second has been left with life-threatening injuries after a shooting at a Whangārei waterfront park There is a significant police presence at Onerahi's Beach Road the area is dotted with emergency services vehicles and police are enforcing a cordon around what is believed to be a shooting at the reserve Police said they received reports of a person injured at Beach Road Reserve about 11am on Thursday one person was pronounced deceased at the scene," they said in a statement "A second person was located with serious injuries and has been transported to hospital." and a homicide investigation has been launched Locals said the incident involved a man and a woman Armed police at the scene were turning people away The cordons on busy Beach Road were set up from Church Road onwards People leaving the cordoned area were being questioned by police and some reported seeing and hearing guns a rapid response vehicle and an operations manager to the scene and one patient was taken to Northland Base hospital in a critical condition acting detective senior sergeant Shane Pilmer said police did not believe there was any risk to the wider community but police want to hear from anyone who saw the incident "We understand this incident would have been unsettling for the wider community and we appreciate the assistance from the public during this time "The key focus for us is determining the series of events that led up to this tragic incident." Cyclists trying to do the popular route around the headland were being turned away and told the cordon would remain in place for some time Although police had visited nearby Raurimu Avenue School Anyone with information about the incident was asked to call Police on 105, or to visit their Update Report page online at 105.police.govt.nz and quote file number P061751387. Information could also be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or on their website Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday Police received a report of a person injured at Beach Road Reserve in Onerahi at around 11.10am last Thursday "Upon arrival, one person was pronounced dead at the scene," a police spokesperson said, naming the victim as 63-year-old Yvonne Chapman earlier today A second person was taken to hospital in a critical condition Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said police were not looking for anyone else in relation to the homicide investgiation "We are pleased to have been able to arrest someone in relation to this tragic incident "I would also like to thank those members of the public who provided information which was crucial to this investigation." The 63-year-old man charged was under police guard at Auckland Hospital and had a bedside court hearing today He was remanded in custody to reappear in the Whangārei District Court on March 21 Police said they did not believe there was ongoing risk to the community following the incident at Beach Road Reserve in Onerahi A man has been charged with murder following the death of a woman at a waterfront reserve in Whangārei last week "Upon arrival, one person was pronounced dead at the scene," a police spokesperson said, naming the victim as 63-year-old Yvonne Chapman earlier today. A second person was taken to hospital in a critical condition. Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said police were not looking for anyone else in relation to the homicide investgiation. "We are pleased to have been able to arrest someone in relation to this tragic incident. "I would also like to thank those members of the public who provided information, which was crucial to this investigation." The 63-year-old man charged was under police guard at Auckland Hospital and had a bedside court hearing today. He was remanded in custody to reappear in the Whangārei District Court on March 21. Blaze at McDonald's in east Auckland treated as suspected arson Counties Manukau CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Michele Gillespie said a scene guard has been in place at the restaurant overnight Crime and Justice Two men's shared name brings years of trouble and a hefty bill to one but one has spent years breaking the law while the other just pays a steep price for sharing his name Stephen Stone’s son files complaint over Crown Solicitor’s statement Stone spent more than 26 years wrongfully imprisoned for the murders of Deane Fuller-Sandys and Leah Stephens Police believe wave of Invercargill robberies two burglaries and one attempted burglary took place in Invercargill between 2.30am and 4.20am and are believed to be connected Tree planted as Kyle Whorrall's mother Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei blessed and planted a provided pōhutukawa tree at St Johns Bush in honour of the slain PhD student from the United States Man's cigarette smuggling attempt stubbed out Customs said the body-packing of the more than 1600 cigarettes was "an attempt to defraud Customs revenue" Govt halts all current pay equity claims, makes it harder to lodge new ones 13 mins ago New Zealand's Cardinal John Dew prepares to go into conclave 51 mins ago Iwi boss to head new board for Taranaki Maunga 56 mins ago Kiwi motorcyclist killed in 11-bike British Supersport crash 10:33am National introduces members' bill to ban social media for under 16s 9:51am Three in hospital after Christchurch house fire 6 mins ago 1Two men's shared name brings years of trouble and a hefty bill to one Person dies following morning crash on Auckland motorway The 'Trump slump' boosts the left in Canada and Oz – but what about NZ? Erica Stanford sent pre-Budget documents to her personal email Two arrested over alleged plot targeting Lady Gaga concert in RioBrazilian police said they thwarted an alleged bomb attack planned for Lady Gaga's concert on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. Lady Gaga rocks Copacabana Beach with free concert for over 2 million fansCries of joy rose from the tightly-packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Lorde announces new album name, date Thu, May 1 Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris trial over 2016 armed robbery Mon, Apr 28 Chubby Checker, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper join Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Mon, Apr 28 Lorde releases new single after weeks of cryptic teases Thu, Apr 24 Chubby Checker, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper join Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Mon A man has been charged with murder following the death of a woman at a waterfront reserve in Whangārei last week Police say a fire at a McDonald's restaurant in Pakuranga is being investigated as a suspected arson Emergency services attended the fire on Pakuranga Rd just before 3pm yesterday Large plumes of smoke could be seen and explosions heard at the fast food restaurant which has "sustained significant fire damage as a result" "At this point in time we are treating this fire as a suspected arson "A scene examination is being conducted this morning and police will work alongside a fire investigator," she said Gillespie said part of these inquiries would be working to understand how the fire began She said police would like to hear from anyone who saw suspicious activity prior to the fire Anyone with information was urged to contact police online or anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 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 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 The son of Stephen Stone has filed a Law Society complaint against the Auckland Crown Solicitor alleging she misled the court with her statement about the lack of evidence to retry his father who was acquitted of double murder last week said Alysha McClintock’s statement had caused "significant harm" to his father and family by “perpetuating a myth” the Crown case was dropped because witnesses were unavailable Stephen Stone spent more than 26 years wrongfully imprisoned for the 1989 murders of Deane Fuller-Sandys and Leah Stephens the Crown admitted he and three others convicted in connection with the crime suffered a miscarriage of justice The Court of Appeal accepted a police failure to disclose two key documents led to the miscarriage Stone’s convictions were quashed in October and a retrial ordered Known as the "Larnoch Road Four" their convictions relied heavily on four eyewitnesses who were given immunity from prosecution and name suppression McClintock told the High Court in Auckland one of the key reasons a retrial couldn’t go ahead was because three of the four witnesses were "no longer available through a combination of the consequences of the appeal decision death and witnesses no longer being in New Zealand" The Evidence Act sets out scenarios where a witness is considered unavailable These include if the person is dead; outside of New Zealand and it’s not reasonably practicable for them to be a witness; they are unfit to be a witness; or they cannot be compelled to give evidence Daniel Stone acknowledged one witness was dead and one was in Australia he claimed that it was not correct to say three witnesses were no longer available the others were “wholly unreliable” witnesses and the Crown’s statement was: “Designed to publicly spin the position in favour of the prosecution in an inappropriate abuse of the Crown's role.” During the Court of Appeal hearing in August the court heard the two non-recanting witnesses had changed their stories significantly multiple times and how bodies were disposed of,” Stephen Stone’s lawyer Annabel Maxwell-Scott told the court The Court of Appeal declined to rule their evidence inadmissible “The fact Mr X and Mr Y each made a number of startling contradictory statements to the police was before both juries in the earlier trial,” the judgement said McClintock said there was no longer enough evidence to prove charges against Stone beyond a reasonable double – referring to additional ESR testing on samples collected by police at the time which had not produced any results of significance; and Stone’s admissions of murder to get parole did not provide a basis for prosecution said outside the court on Wednesday that the Crown’s statement was “incredibly frustrating” “There is no acknowledgement of their own role in these miscarriages of justice and they gave the distinct impression that they believe Stephen has done something — and that's outrageous in my view." McClintock told 1News: "It is not appropriate for me to engage in debate about the reasons for my decision or the content of the statement through the media." Attorney-General Judith Collins’ office said: "It is not appropriate for the Attorney-General to comment about what has been said in Court by a prosecutor about a particular criminal prosecution." Stephen Stone’s acquittal was handled very differently to the acquittal of Alan Hall – another high-profile miscarriage of justice case the Crown and court acknowledged the miscarriage "We cannot end this judgment without acknowledging that just as the criminal justice system has failed Mr Hall so too has it failed the Easton family," said the 2022 judgment Alan Hall was declared innocent in 2023 and received nearly $5 million compensation for 19 years wrongful imprisonment Police have appealed to the public after two aggravated robberies and a series of burglaries in Invercargill overnight Detective Inspector Stu Harvey said officers were called to a premises on Dee St at around 2.30am on Monday to reports of two people entering a store demanding cash A worker was assaulted but not seriously injured Harvey said an attempted burglary and two burglaries were reported at three further premises on Windsor St Police then received a report that two people had entered a Tay St premises and demanded cash and items Harvey said information suggested the incidents were linked "Two vehicles were seen in the vicinity of some of the incidents "The other vehicle is described as a dark-coloured car," said Harvey "We would like to speak to anyone who saw vehicles fitting these descriptions between 1am and 5am." Anyone with relevant information about these vehicles or those involved should contact police on 105 A pōhutukawa tree has been planted in honour of Kyle Whorrall the US PhD student slain during an attack at an Auckland bus stop last month The 33-year-old was attacked at a bus stop on St Johns Rd in Meadowbank on April 19 friends and colleagues of Whorrall gathered for a vigil on April 24 at the bus stop where he was attacked Whorrall's mother Carole was joined by members of the community and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei for the blessing and to plant a pōhutukawa tree in honour of his life The planting ceremony began with a blessing by Otene Reweti from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei "This tree will stand as a memorial to Kyle to come to this special place and remember Kyle and what he has done and what he was looking to do "This tree indicates times to harvest different things in our seasons and also pōhutukawa in terms of the star from Matariki and pleiades So Kyle is one of those that we are reminded again of his tragic passing in this area," said Reweti Carole was flanked by Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson and one of Whorrall's flatmates as she shovelled dirt onto the base of the tree She softly commented that she enjoyed gardening as the sun shone down on her in St Johns Bush Others shared a poem or short tribute to Whorrall's life and the tragedy that it was cut short Ōrākei Local Board chairperson Scott Milne said that in times of tragedy it was important to "look at the good stuff" and find moments of connection with one another "We have now forged a relationship across the waters This family will come back to see this tree thrive and out of that tragedy we will find good," he said He told Te Karere the tragedy had "turned our community upside down" "Yet in the matter of a few short weeks the community have come together certainly like nothing I have ever seen before "There is just this deep disappointment and we all feel so privileged to live here He said he hoped over time the grief would "turn to healing" and that Carole would continue to come back and see the tree flourish and grow "People understand they have to talk more to each other watch out for one another and we want to make something of this lovely young man's life by changing our attitude." He said the board had worked hard to build relationships over the past six years "The relationship with Ngāti Whātua is deeply personal and important to this board A 16-year-old youth has been remanded in custody after being charged with his murder and a 32-year-old woman was also charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said the investigation was "by no means over" as police believed "there were other occupants in the vehicle" when Whorrall was attacked He said officers have since seized a black SUV on the North Shore It was being forensically examined by police "Our enquiries are ongoing to locate these persons of interest and I encourage them to do the right thing and come into their nearest police station or phone us." The detective inspector said police were also seeking "critical witnesses" including a white Toyota ute that was cut off by the black SUV doing a U-turn in front of them He said police were still working to fully understand the events leading up to his death 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 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 rnz.co.nz Cardinal John Dew is about to go into conclave to vote for a new pope is among the 133 cardinals gathered in the Vatican to elect a successor to Pope Francis Dew and his fellow Cardinals will be locked away from the world as they participate in daily votes in the Sistine Chapel until white smoke billows from the rooftop signalling a new pope is selected Read more about how the conclave works here He follows in the footsteps of Cardinal Reginald Delargey and Cardinal Thomas Williams - Kiwis who had previously entered conclave in 1978 and 2005 Dew said cardinals had been meeting daily to share their perspectives on the needs of the church and what qualities a new pope would need to possess to address said needs “Listening to what everyone is saying and the kind of person they're looking for to hear the passion that people have for spreading the work of the Gospel,” Dew said “I think one of the things that a new pope will need to do is to continue to try and give hope to the world “But as well as being the leader of the Church he needs to be a world leader who's prepared to speak out and in this world of disinformation and misinformation and sometimes lies Dew said other cardinals who had previously participated in conclavce described the centuries-old tradition as "divinely inspired" “A couple of the cardinals actually said you can go into the conclave and even have some ideas but it's only after a vote or two that things start to clarify,” he recalled but it became very clear that he was the one They described that as the work of Holy Spirit “And the fact that you're in a place where you have no contact with anybody else – no cell phones no iPads – the whole thing becomes a bit like a retreat and a real time of prayer.” Dew said finding a successor among a sea of so many contenders also had him feeling some "apprehension" the fact that this only happens once every few years and it has incredible consequences for the Church and for the world A trail-blazing tribal leader today starts a new job bringing together eight iwi to look after Taranaki Maunga Iwi now have equal say with the Crown in running the former Egmont National Park The Minister of Conservation will need iwi agreement to approve management plans for what is now called Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki Wharehoka Wano will lead Te Tōpuni Ngārahu – a new body of representatives from the region’s eight iwi – to govern the park alongside the conservation minister The arrangement is laid out in Te Ture Whakatupua mō te Kāhui Maunga, the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Act passed unanimously by Parliament in January Another group called Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi – half appointed by iwi and half by the Crown – will develop management plans for Te Tōpuni Ngārahu and the minister to consider Wano has for nine years been the first chief executive of Te Kāhui o Taranaki the agency set up when Taranaki iwi settled its historical Treaty claims Wano has helped shape Taranaki iwi’s future and he’s also a trustee for the neighbouring iwi’s post-settlement agency Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa. He’s one of the dozen counsellors on the Kīngitanga’s Tekau-mā-rua the advisory body for Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po – as he was for her father the late Kīngi Tūheitia At Wano’s farewell from Te Kāhui o Taranaki veteran campaigner Peter Moeahu said Wano was “an ambassador a diplomat extraordinaire,” and reckoned he would need those skills “You might have thought handling one iwi was bad enough referring to South Taranaki’s Te Pakakohi and Tangahoe which are not recognised as iwi by the Crown Te Kāhui o Taranaki chair Jacqui King said Wano had dealt with arms of the Crown on many fronts really challenging because often you get so impassioned by the unjust behaviours and practices “You have to carry that in such a way that you can't be asked to leave - and Whare is an absolute expert at ensuring he says what needs to be said without being offensive.” Te Kāhui’s operations manager Mark Wipatene said he’d known many aggressive cut-throat chief executives – “silverback gorillas who have massive egos” “They wouldn’t last a day in this space because you can’t operate that way.” “Whare has the ability to navigate through that world and bring his kaimahi with him because he has no ego Liana Poutu helped negotiate the maunga settlement and said Wano’s calming influence wasn’t limited to dealings with government “And when we want to take on some whawhai (fight) Whare’s like ‘are you sure that's how you want to do it?’” Wano’s niece and former colleague Puna Wano-Bryant said he would bring impeccable communication to the Maunga job “He has the ability to open new ways for people to heal and reconcile their own relationships with each other.” Wano-Bryant said she often spotted surfboards in her uncle’s car and he would explain he was off to a “board hui” Fellow surfer and new Taranaki Regional Council chair Craig Williamson has known Wano for almost 20 years and praised his work for the betterment of Taranaki communities We’ve had three board meetings this week.” In 2016 the Crown accepted that Taranaki Maunga and the adjacent ranges would become a legal person and own itself as Te Kāhui Tupua the Crown agreed to share management of the national park Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki with iwi There's now a search on for four people to represent the iwi of Taranaki on Te Tōpuni Kōkōrangi serving as the face and voice of Te Kāhui Tupua When Parliament passed the redress law in January it officially recognised the peaks as tupuna maunga – ancestral mountains LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ on Air We want to protect our kids from the harms of social media. That’s why today National has introduced a members bill to ban social media for kids under 16 years old. pic.twitter.com/TiQJs87DhQ A person has died following a crash on Auckland's south-western motorway this morning The single vehicle crash was reported to police shortly before 5am the sole occupant of this vehicle died at the scene," a police spokesperson said "Earlier closures of northbound lanes have now lifted and police advise motorists to continue to expect delays as earlier backlogs clear "We appreciate motorists' understanding this morning while emergency services carried out their work." Police said the serious crash unit examined the scene this morning and an investigation was underway into this morning's crash on behalf of the Coroner This is in addition to an earlier crash on Auckland's northern motorway near the Auckland Harbour Bridge Emergency services responded to a two-truck collision on the northern motorway near the Auckland Harbour Bridge shortly after 5am New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said all lanes south on State Highway 1 were open again following this earlier crash with five lanes available on the Harbour Bridge "Allow extra time for delays on the Northern Motorway to slowly ease this morning three lanes going south were now open again between Onewa Rd and the Harbour Bridge," NZTA said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's landslide win at the weekend following Canadian Prime Minister's Mark Carney's victory less than a week before should indicate to our politicians that the New Zealand "Trump trend" of 2024 may have peaked Trying to capitalise on the electoral success of US President Donald Trump now that his policies are having real-world effects is proving to be a big mistake for conservative leaders Australian voters have delivered a landslide win for the incumbent Labor Party returning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a second term with a clear majority of seats When he said in his victory speech that Australians had “voted for Australian values” an unspoken message was that they’d firmly rejected Trumpian values opposition and Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton had such a bad election he lost his own seat While not the only reason for his electoral demise Dutton’s adoption of themes associated with Trump backfired Opinion polls were projecting Dutton’s Coalition to win and exceeded expectations in the election itself the Liberals were “reduced to a right-wing populist party that is all but exiled from the biggest cities” Commentators identified a number of reasons including his “culture wars” and being depicted by Labor as “Trump-lite” Following a Trumpian pathway turned out to be a strategic blunder And Dutton’s downfall mirrors Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s defeat in Canada’s election on April 28 Canada’s incumbent centre-left Liberals were heading for defeat to the Conservatives But there were two gamechangers: the Liberals switched leaders from Justin Trudeau to Mark Carney and Trump caused a national uproar with his aggressive tariffs and his call for Canada to become the 51st US state Pre-election opinion polls then did a dramatic flip in favour of the Liberals who went on to win their fourth election in a row Poilievre’s campaign had adopted elements of the Trump style such as attacking “wokeness” and using derogatory nicknames for opponents His strategy failed as soon as Trump rolled out “America First” policies contrary to Canadians’ economic interests and national pride The takeaway for serious right-wing leaders in liberal democracies is clear: let Trump do Trump; his brand is toxic Trump’s actions are harming America’s allies affirmative action and climate change have seen voters outside the US react with self-protective patriotism A perceived association with Trump’s brand has now upended the electoral fortunes of (so far) two centre-right parties that had been in line to win and had been banking on the 2024 MAGA success somehow rubbing off on them what has been dubbed the “Trump slump” isn’t a universal trend the centre-left Social Democratic-led government was ousted in February in spite of Trump ally Elon Musk’s unhelpful support for the far-right anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party the populist Reform UK party has risen above 25% while Labour has fallen from 34% in last year’s election to the low 20s in recent polls But other governing centre-left parties are seeing an upside of the Trump effect In early January it looked like the incumbent Labour Party would be trounced by the Conservatives and the right-wing Progress Party Opinion polls dramatically flipped in early February boosting Labour from below 20% back into the lead Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will get another term in office Denmark’s governing Social Democrats have enjoyed a small polling boost since Trump declared he’d like to take Greenland off their hands The common denominator underlying these shifts to the left seems to be the Trump effect Voters in countries normally closely allied with the US are turning away from Trump-adjacent politicians people are rallying patriotically around centre-left Trump is harming leaders who could have been his allies the man himself seemed proud of the impact he had in Canada polls in mid-2024 showed support for Trump was growing – heading well above 20% Australia’s election suggests that trend may now be past its peak with debate over ACT’s contentious Treaty Principles Bill behind it and despite NZ First leader Winston Peters’ overt culture-war rhetoric (which may appeal to his 6% support base) the right-wing coalition government’s polling shows it could be on track for a second term – for the time being While the Trump effect may have benefited centre-left parties in Australia and Canada polling for New Zealand’s Labour opposition is softer than at the start of the year While “America First” policies continue to damage the global economy centre-right leaders who learn the lesson will quietly distance themselves from the Trump brand while maintaining cordial relations with the White House could do worse than follow Anthony Albanese’s example of not getting distracted by “Trump-lite” and instead promoting his own country’s values of fairness and mutual respect.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GUGWB5HTRVGGNP5PFWDLBH7SXM","content":"Grant Duncan is a teaching fellow in Politics and International Relations This story is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BMPLRKQ2NRDPZOPKHPADSUD4UE","content":" Lady Gaga gave a free concert Saturday night in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach for the biggest show of her career (...) Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd kicked off the show at around 22.10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary Cries of joy rose from the tightly-packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand Concert organisers said 2.1 million people attended the show switching between an array of dresses including one with the colours of the Brazilian flag Some fans – many of them young – arrived on the beach at the crack of dawn to secure a good spot “Today is the best day of my life,” said Manoela Dobes a 27-year-old designer who was wearing a dress plastered with a photograph from when she met Lady Gaga in the United States in 2019 Madonna also turned Copacabana Beach into a massive dance floor last year The large-scale performances are part of an effort led by City Hall to boost economic activity after Carnival and New Years’ Eve festivities and the upcoming month-long Saint John’s Day celebrations in June “It brings activity to the city during what was previously considered the low season – filling hotels and increasing spending in bars generating jobs and income for the population,” said Osmar Lima the city’s secretary of economic development in a statement released by Rio City Hall’s tourism department last month Rio’s City Hall said in a recent report that around 1.6 million people were expected to attend Lady Gaga's concert and that the show should inject at least 600 million reais (NZ$178.3 million) into Rio’s economy Similar concerts are scheduled to take place every year in May at least until 2028 Lady Gaga arrived in Rio in the early hours of Tuesday The city has been alive with Gaga-mania since as it geared up to welcome the pop star for her first show in the country since 2012 Rio’s metro employees danced to Lady Gaga’s 2008 hit song LoveGame and gave instructions for today in a video A free exhibition celebrating her career sold out While the vast majority of attendees were from Rio the event also attracted Brazilians from across the country and international visitors More than 500,000 tourists poured into the city in the days leading up to the show according to data from the local bus station and Tom Jobim airport Rio’s City Hall said in a statement yesterday made a cross-continent trip from Colombia to Brazil to attend the show “I’ve been a 100% fan of Lady Gaga my whole life,” said Serrano who was wearing a T-shirt featuring Lady Gaga’s outlandish costumes over the years the mega-star represents “total freedom of expression – being who one wants without shame” Rio officials have a history of organising huge concerts on Copacabana Beach Madonna’s show drew an estimated 1.6 million fans last year while 4 million people flooded onto the beach for a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart in 1994 that was the biggest free rock concert in history sixteen sound towers were spread along the beach Rio state’s security plan included the presence of 3300 military and 1500 police officers Among those present were Lady Gaga admirers who remember their disappointment in 2017 when the artist cancelled a performance scheduled in Rio at the last minute due to health issues “She's the best artist in the world,” the 25-year-old said I love you” in Portuguese rose from the crowd behind him whose real name is Ella Yelich O'Connor which also displayed what appears to be the album cover art — an X-ray of a pelvis "100% written in blood," the website read The new album's announcement came a week after she released her latest single What Was That The song's music video was filmed at a mysterious pop-up event in New York City's Washington Square Park that was initially shut down by police. The event ended up going ahead after all, and fans who stayed got to hear the new song for the first time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lorde (@lorde) It was the first sign of a follow-up to Lorde's previous album Her other albums were 2013's Pure Heroine and 2017's Melodrama she collaborated with British singer Charli XCX on a remix of Girl so confusing — on a re-release of the Grammy award-winning Brat Kim Kardashian thought she was going to be raped and killed when criminals broke into her bedroom in central Paris tied her up and stole more than US$6 million in jewellery 10 people will go on trial in Paris over the robbery abduction and kidnapping of the media personality and the concierge of the residence where she was staying during Paris Fashion Week the night of October 2 Kardashian’s lawyers said she will testify in person at the trial starting Monday and scheduled to run through May 23 "Ms Kardashian is reserving her testimony for the court and jury and does not wish to elaborate further at this time," they said "She has great respect and admiration for the French justice system and has been treated with great respect by the French authorities "She wishes the trial to proceed in an orderly fashion in accordance with French law and with respect for all parties to the case." In interviews and on her family’s reality TV show Kardashian has described being terrified as robbers pointed a gun at her In a 2020 appearance on David Letterman’s Netflix show she tearfully recalled thinking: "This is the time I’m going to get raped Twelve people were originally expected in the defendants’ box and another is seriously ill and can't be tried five of the 10 defendants were present at the scene of the robbery The French press has dubbed them The Granddad Robbers because the main defendants are elderly and have careers as bank robbers with long criminal records Kardashian told investigators she was taken to a bathroom next to her bedroom and placed in the bathtub Her attackers fled on bicycles or on foot and she managed to free herself by removing the tape from her hands and mouth She had also removed the tape from her feet and rushed to her stylist’s room She called her sister Kourtney to tell her about the theft Kardashian told investigators that she had not been injured adding that she wanted to leave France as soon as possible to be reunited with her children According to her testimony and that of the concierge at least one of the suspects had a handgun The gangsters stole many pieces of jewellery estimated to be worth more than US$6 million (NZ$10 million) Only one piece of jewellery — a diamond cross on platinum that was lost during the suspects' escape — has been recovered Two of the accused have partially confessed to the crime is one of two suspected robbers who allegedly entered the apartment his genetic profile was found on the tape used to gag Kardashian who was waiting for him in a parked car at a nearby train station The second robber said he tied up the concierge with cables but did not go up to Kardashian’s apartment said he acted as a lookout in the ground-floor reception area He said he was unarmed and did not personally threaten Kardashian but admitted he shared responsibility for the crime Abbas was arrested in January 2017 and spent 21 months in prison before being released under judicial supervision he co-authored a French-language book titled I Sequestered Kim Kardashian is the second alleged robber suspected of entering the flat although he was filmed by CCTV cameras and numerous telephone contacts with the other co-defendants show his involvement The other defendants are suspected of providing information about Kardashian’s presence in the apartment Others are accused of playing a role in the resale of the jewellery in Antwerp Joe Cocker and Bad Company will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — in a class that also includes pop star Cyndi Lauper the rock duo the White Stripes and grunge masters Soundgarden the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status and the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will get the Musical Influence Award pianist Nicky Hopkins and bassist Carol Kaye will each get the Musical Excellence Award who sang at Woodstock and was best known for his cover of The Beatles’ With a Little Help From My Friends a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions who argued that Cocker is "about as rock and roll as it gets" Soundgarden — with the late Chris Cornell as singer — get into the Hall on their third nomination They follow two other grunge acts in the Hall — Nirvana and Pearl Jam Bad Company get in having become radio fixtures with such arena-rock staples as Feel Like Makin’ Love Can’t Get Enough and Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy The Ahmet Ertegun Award — given to nonperforming industry professionals who had a major influence on music — will go to Lenny Waronker Some nominees that didn't get in this year included Mariah Carey and subsequent Let’s Twist Again are considered among the most popular songs in the history of rock 'n' roll The 83-year-old has expressed frustration that he hadn't been granted entry before including telling the AP in 2014: "I don’t want to get in there when I’m 85 years old so you better do it quick while I’m still smiling." Lauper rose to fame in the 1980s with hits such as Time After Time and Girls Just Want To Have Fun and went on to win a Tony Award for Kinky Boots have six Grammys and a reputation for pushing the boundaries of hip-hop The White Stripes — made up of Jack White and Meg White — were indie darlings in the early 2000s with such songs as Seven Nation Army Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall Nominees were voted on by more than 1200 artists historians and music industry professionals The selection criteria include "an artist’s impact on other musicians the scope and longevity of their career and body of work as well as their innovation and excellence in style and technique" Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton were inducted Lorde has dropped her new single What Was That after weeks of cryptic posts and teases that set fans buzzing It's the lead single from her upcoming fourth album and her first original solo release since 2021's Solar Power which is three minutes and 28 seconds in length Some fans had been lucky enough to hear the track in full earlier this week. On Wednesday, Lorde posted a picture of Washington Square Park yesterday with the caption "tonight 7pm". Fans flooded the park an hour before she was supposed to appear, with photos shared of eager fans scaling trees to catch a glimpse of the singer. Shortly before she was to perform, the Royals singer took to social media to tell fans police had shut the event down. "Omg @thepark the cops are shutting us down," the message read. "I am truly amazed by how many of you showed !!! "But they’re telling me you gotta disperse ... I’m so sorry." However, the pop-up event ended up going ahead after all, with fans who stayed getting their first full airing of Lorde's new single. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lorde (@lorde) Lorde, real name Ella Yelich O'Connor, announced the single last week sharing a headshot-style photo of her wearing a red shirt with a dripping wet face Earlier this month, she dropped a 15-second snippet of the unreleased song Lorde was seen wearing a white shirt and jeans while walking through New York City I gave you everything/Now we wake from a dream What was that?” she sings over a synth beat It was the first sign of a follow up to Lorde's previous album A witness says they saw the moment a man reportedly shot a woman dead in a popular Whangārei park The suspected gunman was found critically injured at Beach Road Reserve in Onerahi about 11.10am today He was taken to Whangārei Hospital by ambulance Residents reported hearing gunshots before police suddenly swarmed the waterfront park The witness said they did not know who the man and woman were Police have not confirmed a shooting occurred or any further details around the incident A cordon is in place around the public toilets and playground located on the popular park Neighbours said they are shocked and saddened by the incident Rahera Tau and her family live close to the park and use it often either for exercise or for her two kids to play on the playground She said she was sad to hear there was a shooting and felt a bit unsafe People won’t want to come out here anymore.” Tau said the area is used often by freedom campers but is also popular for fishers and dog walkers They left after being interviewed by police People reported seeing more than eight police cars in the area as well as armed police and multiple ambulances an operations manager and one rapid response vehicle to the scene Beach Rd has been closed from Church St and police asked motorists to avoid the area Onerahi School was aware of an incident unfolding but was not currently impacted One man was arrested on Church St in Onerahi after attempting to evade police Charges are pending over this morning’s incident which started after a vehicle of interest was seen possibly parked at an address Whangārei-Kaipara area commander Maria Nordstrom said a unit was deployed to Cresta Place around 8am The vehicle was spotted on the road before they arrived in the area and staff signalled it to stop “The vehicle failed to stop and continued at low speed for a short period of time “It turned in a driveway and then backed into the unit causing damage to the police vehicle Both occupants of the vehicle then fled on foot The second man was taken into custody on Church St One of the men suffered dog bites while being arrested and was taken to Whangārei Hospital for treatment “I acknowledge our Whangārei staff who responded quickly and brought this matter to a conclusion,” Nordstrom said Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond A company ignored requests to remove a pontoon and rubber fenders A witness says they saw the moment a man reportedly shot a woman dead in a popular Whangārei park Police this afternoon confirmed they have launched a homicide investigation after a person died in a shooting in Onerahi today The woman was found dead at Beach Rd Reserve at about 11.10am The suspected gunman was discovered critically injured at the same location A cordon was in place around the public toilets and playground located on the popular park Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said police did not believe there was an ongoing risk to the wider community “We understand this incident would have been unsettling for the wider community and we appreciate the assistance from the public during this time.” Police were calling for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward “The key focus for us is determining the series of events that led up to this tragic incident,” Pilmer said the reserve was busy with fishers and freedom campers who left after being interviewed by police Pilmer said cordons around Beach Rd would remain in place He asked the public to avoid the area as police carry out a scene examination and further enquiries Anyone with information can contact police on 105 or online via https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 Information can be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 A man has been charged over the death of a woman who was fatally shot at a Whangārei park last week The 63-year-old man was charged in a bedside court hearing at Auckland Hospital today at Beach Road Reserve in the seaside suburb of Onerahi on Thursday and Chapman was found dead at the scene when police arrived with a man also found with serious injuries Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said nobody else was being sought over the incident "We are pleased to have been able to arrest someone in relation to this tragic incident "I would also like to thank those members of the public who provided information The man is currently under police guard at Auckland Hospital and has been remanded in custody to reappear in the Whangārei District Court later this month RNZ understands the pair had been in a relationship has been described by family members as a much-loved mother and grandmother In a tribute on social media one of her sons said: "She touched the lives of so many with her kindness and love she was a precious taonga to us and will be terribly missed." and the outpouring of love and support from friends and the wider family A funeral service will be held in Whangārei on Wednesday morning which took place near a busy playground frequented by local children Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday A community is shocked after a shooting at a Whangārei waterfront park that has left one woman dead and another person critically injured the Beach Rd foreshore reserve in Onerahi was quiet with just a bouquet of flowers to mark the victim A man remains in a serious condition in hospital after a fatal shooting at a popular park in the Whangārei suburb of Onerahi Police began a homicide investigation on Thursday after a woman was reportedly shot dead at the Beach Rd Reserve about 11.10am A witness said they saw a woman shot twice by a man The woman was found dead at the park by police who also discovered the suspected gunman in a critical condition He remains in a serious condition in hospital police investigators were still piecing together the events leading to the incident Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said that at this stage police are not seeking anyone else about the shootings “Our thoughts are with the woman’s whānau and loved ones at this difficult time.” A post mortem examination was done on Friday and was to include formal identification “The investigation is still in the very early stages and we will continue to establish the facts about what unfolded,” Pilmer said Police have called their investigation Operation Ravenwood Pilmer urged anyone in and around the Beach Rd area on Thursday who hasn’t spoken to police to come forward Raurimu Ave and Church St areas between 8am and 11.15am with any dashcam cellphone or CCTV footage is urged to reach out.” Videos can be uploaded online to ravenwood.nc3.govt.nz or people can call police on 105 and quote file number 250227/1223 The incident rocked the Onerahi community which has been described as a loving and caring suburb a bouquet of flowers was the only sign at the park of the incident where a few local residents came to give their respects A freedom camper from Auckland said he parked at the reserve about 10pm on Thursday just as police were packing up and removing the cordons said he had no concern about safety and never had trouble with fellow freedom campers but had heard loud noises from other people staying outside the freedom camping area Sport Northland have changed the route of the 10km run in Sunday’s Chilltech Beach 2 Basin event Out of respect for the families and everyone involved the organisation decided to move the start line away from the park to Handforth St Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference A community is shocked after a shooting at a Whangārei waterfront park that has left one woman dead and another person critically injured were called to the Beach Road Reserve in the suburb of Onerahi about 11am on Thursday They found one person who was already dead while the second person who had serious injuries was taken to Northland Base Hospital Residents said the incident involved a man and a woman A homicide investigation has been launched She told the New Zealand Herald she felt a bit unsafe People won't want to come out here anymore." Her concerns were echoed online as people said the shooting had left them feeling unsafe Whangārei mayor Vince Cocurullo told the Herald Onerahi was a lovely suburb It's got a great football club and rugby club and lots of things that the community is involved in there's no doubt about it but the good thing is that there are no safety concerns at all." Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said police did not believe there was any risk to the wider community but officers wanted to hear from anyone who saw the incident Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police on 105, or to visit their Update Report page online and quote file number P061751387 Information can also be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 Police have cordoned off Whangārei's Onerahi's Beach Road and people are being warned to avoid the area A fatal shooting in broad daylight at a Whangārei park popular with families has rocked the suburb of Onerahi Questions were raised about how safe the seaside community is Police yesterday launched a homicide investigation after a woman was reportedly shot dead at the Beach Rd Reserve about 11.10am Nearby residents reported hearing gunshots before police suddenly swarmed the waterfront park Neighbours were shocked and saddened by the shooting A freedom camper from Auckland said he parked at the reserve at about 10pm on Thursday as police were packing up police said investigators were still piecing together the events leading to the “tragic” incident Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said at this stage police are not seeking anyone else in relation to the homicide and we will continue to establish the facts about what unfolded yesterday.” Pilmer urged anyone in and around the Beach Rd area yesterday cell phone or CCTV footage is urged to reach out.” Videos can be uploaded online Whangārei-Kaipara Area Commander Inspector Maria Nordstrom understood the incident was unsettling for the wider community “Police would like to reassure the community that this is an isolated incident and there is no ongoing risk to the wider public.” She said serious incidents such as yesterday’s shooting were not the norm But we know when events like these happen they can cause angst for our communities and those involved.” Tau said a lot of people freedom camp by the park and can get a bit loud at night Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo called Onerahi a lovely suburb It’s got a great football club and rugby club there’s no doubt about it but the good thing is that there are no safety concerns at all.” who said there are many nice people in the community Nordstrom said police would carry out reassurance patrols to alleviate some concern Yvonne Chapman was shot dead at Beach Road Reserve in Onerahi A 63-year-old man has been charged with murder after the death of a woman at a Whangārei park in broad daylight last week The seriously injured man had a bedside court hearing on Tuesday Police swarmed the Beach Road Reserve in Onerahi just after 11am on Thursday following reports of gunshots heard and a person injured They found Yvonne Chapman dead at the scene and a man with serious injuries Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said Whangārei police are not looking for anyone else in relation to the investigation “We are pleased to have been able to arrest someone in relation to this tragic incident “I would also like to thank those members of the public who provided information Chapman has been remembered by her sons as a “beloved mother” and a “precious taonga” one of her three sons said she touched the lives of many with her kindness and love “She was a precious taonga to us and will be terribly missed.” A fundraiser has been set up for Chapman’s family to help ease the burden of the challenging road ahead The man charged is currently under police guard at Auckland Hospital and had a bedside court hearing on Tuesday He has been remanded in custody to reappear in Whangārei District Court on March 21 where a shooting in a waterfront reserve was reported Mairehau house fire: Firefighters battle two-storey house blaze 10 patients were assessed and treated by our crews in total Auckland commuters face a chaotic morning after two highways leading into the central city have been majorly disrupted by crashes NZ film industry faces uncertainty over US tariff ongoing decline in livestock numbers and questions over longer sentences reducing reoffending Reporter Sierra is at Magnificent Moa Day where experts are revealing their incredible 3.6 million year-old find Emergency services are attending the fire at a McDonald's on Pakuranga Rd Christopher Luxon holds a post-Cabinet press conference Air New Zealand's chief executive talks about the $490m Dreamliner retrofit and his job A video of a dog abuse incident is circulating on social media showing a dog swinging in the air and slamming into the ground on a walk in Manurewa Goodman Group is upgrading Highbrook Crossing to add retail dining and public space to New Zealand’s largest business park in East Tāmaki where hip hop crews from all over the world are battling to see who’s the best and Parliament tackles alcohol and mental health The Coleman family has been melting down precious metals for more than 40 years This is the first time they've shared inside their multi-million dollar gold and silver operation The Prime Minister joins Mike Hosking in the Newstalk ZB studio to talk all the big politicial issues Moana Pasifika beat the Highlanders 34-29 in Dunedin Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was joined by Deputy PM Winston Peters and Minister of defence Judith Collins to make a pre-budget defence announcement The NBA star's split-second jab at an Australian reporter’s accent was picked up by microphones and 3D-printed limbs help child amputees in Gaza Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is expected to be joined by Defence Minister Judith Collins and deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters make a pre-Budget defence announcement Neighbours heard explosions as a fire ripped through a Mt Roskill house Mum pays tribute after Auckland bus stop killing Australians vote early and insurance companies brace for claims Megyn Cordner and Lucas Prince started their business from the back of a van in 2022 Andrew Che lost his life savings after sending it to the wrong account Barclays Bank has refunded his money after a prolonged battle for compensation Aerial footage reveals the scale of flooding across areas of Canterbury after a destructive weather system hit the region and prompted a state of emergency North Shore real estate agency chief responds to a Real Estate Disciplinary Tribunal decision Mark Mitchell provides an update on the state of emergency in Christchurch and Selwyn A possible mini tornado was spotted about Auckland Harbour as the latest band of wild weather hits the city Fire and Emergency NZ said it responded to more than 30 callouts overnight more Kiwis turning to methamphetamine and Drs are back at the negotiating table NZSA chief executive Oliver Mander speaks about CEO pay in 2024 Waiwhetu woman Julie Paterson heard 'a loud cracking' and saw a tree branch falling towards her during Wednesday's storm Heather Keats updates the powerful system battering New Zealand breaks down why Wellington is under a rare red warning with extreme winds and Local MP Hon Nicola Grigg speak to the media on the local state of emergency in Selwyn Gisborne locals and health workers marched to Heipipi Park where speakers highlighted what they say is a regional health crisis NZ Herald Live: Simeon Brown talks to media A tourist in the Philippines climbed into a crocodile cage to pose for a selfie The Ministry for Primary Industries is calling on fishermen to better consider how they return carcasses to sea after rig sharks and an eagle ray were found at Onerahi foreshore this week A member of the public shared images on Tuesday after they discovered the shark species also known as lemonfish or spotted dogfish The Advocate visited the area on Wednesday morning and counted nine lemonfish Among the decaying remains was an eagle ray Fisheries New Zealand regional manager for fisheries compliance Andre Espinoza said rig sharks are legal to catch in New Zealand and return to sea - but under specific conditions “We would encourage fishers not to return carcasses to sea very close to shore as it can leave an unpleasant odour and attract pests.” The National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks offers useful information about minimising waste such as promoting the full use of bodies or the live release of those that are caught He encouraged anyone with information about the dumping at Onerahi to contact fisheries on 0800 4 POACHER (0800 47 62 24) A Department of Conservation spokeswoman said the species were not protected so were the responsibility of the Ministry of Primary Industries Seven species of shark and ray are protected in New Zealand including great whites According to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) rig sharks are found in coastal waters around New Zealand Adult females migrate into shallow coastal waters around spring and summer to give birth to live young and mate before heading to deeper waters The species are usually bronze or grey with a white belly and small white spots along the lateral line and their upper body Lemonfish feed mainly on animals that burrow on the sea floor In Aotearoa New Zealand they are a staple fish-and-chip favourite because of their firm white flesh and low oil content Brodie Stone is an education and general news reporter at the Advocate Brodie has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond Searchers scouring Whangārei Harbour and foreshore this week for a missing swimmer Fishers and shellfish gatherers are reminded that a rāhui has been placed over the upper Whangārei Harbour for the next fortnight in respect of a missing swimmer The call for people to refrain from fishing, netting, and taking shellfish from a specific area of the harbour was made yesterday by hapū Te Parawhau. Searchers this week were unable to locate an 83-year-old man believed to have gone missing while taking his daily swim in the harbour during which he would normally wear a wetsuit and pink cap He was last seen on Saturday and reported missing on Monday An official search, based at Onerahi Yacht Club, began on Tuesday but was scaled back last night by police The area now under rāhui covers roughly half the Whāngarei Harbour It runs from the upper harbour’s Kissing Point down to Manganese Point on the harbour’s northern side and across to Takahiwai on the harbour’s southern shoreline and back to Kissing Point the rāhui boundary continues down the northern harbour shoreline through the Whangārei Marine Reserve at Waikaraka and Tamaterau to Manganese Point The rāhui’s seaward boundary runs from Manganese Point across the harbour to Takahiwai From there it heads back up the harbour following the shoreline back towards the city via Hewlett Point and across the mouth of the Mangapai River to Golden Bay’s Portland cement works It continues through the southern shoreline’s mangrove forests and returns to the marine services area opposite Kissing Point The rāhui includes all the waters around Matakohe Limestone Island It will remain in place for two weeks by which time it is hoped the missing man might have been located The no fishing zone would then be reviewed Police are continuing to appeal to the public and in particular to motorists who were in the Beach Road area in Onerahi on the morning of Sunday for any sightings or information that might assist the search “If you have any dashcam footage or information that may assist please update us at 105 online or call 105 referencing file number 241021/1742,” Detective Sergeant Paul Overton said Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference The woman shot dead in broad daylight at a Whangārei park is being remembered by her sons as a “beloved mother” and “precious taonga” One of victim Yvonne Chapman’s three sons posted a heartfelt tribute online: “She touched the lives of so many with her kindness and love A fundraiser has been set up for Chapman’s family “As they face this unimaginable grief and unknown territory we are reaching out to help ease the burden during this challenging road ahead,” the page said Her funeral is at 10.30am on Wednesday at Morris and Morris Funerals on Kamo Rd Chapman was shot dead by a man at Beach Road Reserve in Onerahi about 11.10am on Thursday Police launched a homicide investigation later that day The suspected gunman was found in the park critically injured and was taken to hospital of the Whangārei criminal investigation branch said police were not seeking anybody else in relation to the alleged murder Pilmer has been asking any witnesses to speak to police Raurimu Ave and Church St areas between 8-11.15am with any dashcam but police say it is an isolated incident and there is no wider risk to the community Local mother Rahera Tau told the Northern Advocate she felt unsafe being in the park after the incident People won’t want to come here anymore,” she said “But we know when events like these happen they can cause angst for our communities and those involved.” A large vegetation fire in Whangārei Heads in Northland is expected to take three days to put out one which self-evacuated and the other which continues to be threatened Structure protection at the property will take place overnight Incident controller Graeme Quensell says the fire Crews were called shortly at 12.30pm Thursday to the blaze on Whangārei Heads Road between Onerahi and Tamaterau "We currently have five helicopters on site four with buckets and one acting as observation and they will be operating until sundown "If at any point residents in the area are worried about their property Fire and Emergency's Northland District manager Wipari Henwood earlier said the fire was burning in a "problematic area" It has advised people affected by the smoke to close windows and doors and reduce outdoor exercise Air conditioning should be switched to 'recirculate' or turned off and pets should be kept inside with clean food and water The cause of the fire was not yet known and will be investigated One resident said the fire was scary and bigger than she had seen in previous years She said she could see flames and several helicopters pouring buckets of water onto the fire Ryan Houbar lives near Whangārei's port and said the smoke from the fire had been drifting over from across the harbour and was visible from where he was at Port Nikau "There's this big plume of smoke coming off it and it's coming down through where we are down at the port and it looks like quite a large fire We can definitely smell it all down here and it's getting pretty hazy down here." The weather has been mostly dry for a couple of weeks with all but a few instances of light showers said he was one of about a dozen people at a lookout at the end of the Whangārei Airport runway From there they could look directly across the water to the fire at Waikaraka scooping water from the harbour and dumping it on the fire "There's smoke billowing all across the airport and down the other side of the harbour towards Oakleigh Through the haze he could see a number of homes on the hillside but they did not appear to be in immediate danger breezy weather in Northland is largely set to continue over the next 24 hours Metservice meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane says the wind around Whangārei Heads will ease Thursday afternoon While there was a chance of a shower on Friday she said it likely won't be enough to put a fire out Whangārei Airport remains open and airport duty manager Gareth Worswick said the fire was close but an easterly wind was blowing the smoke away from the runway so visibility remained good The Whangārei District Council said Whangārei Heads Road had reopened but with a 30km/h speed limit near the Beach Road intersection at Onerahi Motorists were advised to drive with caution Helicopters would be operating at first light on Friday People wanting to take another route to Whangārei Heads can use Mount Tiger Road Whangārei Heads Road was closed earlier this afternoon at Waikaraka She was 66-year-old Yvonne Ann Chapman of Parua Bay. She died on Thursday morning following the shooting at Beach Road Reserve in Onerahi. A man was found at the scene with serious injuries - police said they are not seeking anyone else over Chapman's death and believe there is no ongoing risk to the community. Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said inquiries into the events leading up to her death are continuing. "Our team has been working hard to piece together the circumstances leading to the tragic death of Yvonne. "Our thoughts are with her whānau and those closest to her during this unthinkable time. "We understand this was a distressing incident for those involved and the wider community, and want to reassure those affected we have a dedicated team working on this case." Anyone with information can contact police by phoning 105 or anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111. Yvonne Ann Chapman died on Thursday morning following the shooting at Beach Road Reserve in Onerahi. (Source: 1News) Police have released the name of the woman who died in a fatal shooting in Whangārei last week. One person fatally shot at Whangārei reserveA second person was taken to hospital in a critical condition and police do not believe there is an ongoing risk to the community 15 mins ago 53 mins ago 58 mins ago 8 mins ago Police have released the name of the woman who died in a fatal shooting in Whangārei last week She was 66-year-old Yvonne Ann Chapman of Parua Bay She died on Thursday morning following the shooting at Beach Road Reserve in Onerahi A man was found at the scene with serious injuries - police said they are not seeking anyone else over Chapman's death and believe there is no ongoing risk to the community Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said inquiries into the events leading up to her death are continuing "Our team has been working hard to piece together the circumstances leading to the tragic death of Yvonne "Our thoughts are with her whānau and those closest to her during this unthinkable time "We understand this was a distressing incident for those involved and the wider community and want to reassure those affected we have a dedicated team working on this case." Anyone with information can contact police by phoning 105 or anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 One person has died and a homicide investigation has been launched after a shooting at a waterfront reserve in Whangārei this morning Police received a report of a person injured at Beach Road Reserve in Onerahi at around 11.10am one person was pronounced dead at the scene," a police spokesperson said one operations manager and one rapid response vehicle were sent to the scene was transported to Northland Base Hospital by ambulance." Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said police did not believe there was any ongoing risk to the wider community "The key focus for us is determining the series of events that led up to this tragic incident." Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward in particular anyone who witnessed the incident "We understand this incident would have been unsettling for the wider community and we appreciate the assistance from the public during this time." Cordons would remain in place alongside a increased police presence while a scene examination is completed and inquiries are carried out Yvonne Chapman has been described by those who loved her as a beautiful person The man who allegedly shot a woman in a public park almost four weeks ago is yet to appear in court in person Yvonne Chapman, 66, died after being shot at the Beach Rd public reserve in Onerahi, Whangārei the man accused of her death suffered injuries and has been in hospital since A charge of murder was laid in the Auckland District Court on March 4 and he was formally remanded in custody the man – who has interim name suppression – was due to appear in the High Court at Whangārei to enter a plea but his lawyer told the court he had been unable to take instructions from the defendant Justice David Johnstone mentioned the lack of clarity thus far around the procedure for the man to appear in court Under section 36 of the Criminal Procedure Act for category four charges such as murder a defendant must appear physically in the District Court before being transferred to the High Court “He still has not been put before the courts in the appropriate way,” Justice Johnstone said Crown lawyer Bernadette O’Connor said some research would be undertaken in terms of what constituted a first appearance She advised the court that detailed medical records would need to be provided before the next appearance so the court would know how to proceed Discussions were held around name suppression and hardship to people linked to the defendant The judge indicated the threshold did not appear to have been met he granted interim name suppression for at least two weeks and remanded the man in custody until his next scheduled appearance for a case review hearing on May 23 in the High Court at Whangārei a three-week trial date is being set for February 2027 Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region She is of Ngāpuhi/Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years It's unclear how long the Hamilton District Court building will be shut for The man was caught by police at Onerahi while allegedly driving with a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit A man who was allegedly driving with a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit has been arrested by Northland police thanks to the eagle eyes of a member of the public Police arrested the man about 8pm on Thursday. A police car driving along Onerahi Rd was flagged down by a member of the public The person told police they had seen a man in a nearby takeaway shop they believed was intoxicated said Whangārei-Kaipara area commander Inspector Maria Nordstrom “The person was able to provide officers with a detailed description of the male and his vehicle “[Police] units have subsequently located the man driving and pulled him over where he was allegedly more than three times the legal alcohol limit.” Nordstrom said the man allegedly admitted to drinking more than a dozen beers and blew a reading of 805 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath “We thank those who are alerting us to this behaviour Vigilant reporting is often the key to police being able to respond in a timely manner and hold people to account for their actions,” she said A 57-year-old man was arrested and charged with driving with excess breath alcohol and driving contrary to terms of a zero-alcohol licence and is to next appear in Whangārei District Court on October 27 Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate She has more than 20 years’ experience in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference Tennis Northland held its annual Northland Junior Closed Singles Championship on Sunday Winners were: 16U Boys - Noah Jones (Mairtown) 12U Girls - Sasha Kilgour (Onerahi) and Hera Lyndon (Kamo) No CityLink Whangārei or BusLink bus services will run on the upcoming public holidays – on April 18 This applies to all CityLink routes and the Far North Link’s Kaitāia-Mangōnui route CityLink Whangārei’s SchoolLink service will not run for two weeks during the school holidays starting next Monday One person was taken into custody on Monday morning after a firearm was located during a dispute between people known to each other at a Fulton Rd address in Mata Police are investigating after a man was found dead at a Te Kamo Detective Senior Sergeant Michelle Harris says police were called to the Eden Tce address around 3.45pm Harris said the circumstances around the man’s death were unclear and would require further inquiries A scene guard was in place on Eden Tce on Monday so a scene examination could be carried out A post-mortem examination would also be completed as part of the investigation the first council-owned māra hūpara in the Far North Māra hūpara were historically used as play areas The project has been driven and designed by local advocates and leaders in partnership with Ngāti Rēhia and the Far North District Council A karakia was held on Thursday to mark the occasion This is due to a significant risk to lives and property Whangārei firefighters are confident they will be able to contain a large scrub fire burning on the outskirts of the city by the end of Friday Fire and Emergency New Zealand operations manager Dennis Cooper said two helicopters equipped with monsoon buckets and 39 firefighters battled the blaze in a steep valley between Onerahi and Tamaterau "We don't have any active fire on the edge line We've just got crews working today to make sure it's fully contained today is about getting a ring right around the fire and making sure it's contained and tomorrow we start mopping up the middle." A survey of the fire this morning established it had burned through an area of 14 hectares less than the initial estimate of 20 hectares At the peak of the fire on Thursday afternoon Whangārei Heads Rd was closed to traffic and two homes were evacuated Firefighters and helicopter pilots had done a great job saving it The pilots' initial instructions were to let the fire run through the valley and focus on protecting the houses Once the fire's intensity had been reduced ground crews were placed around the houses with more on standby if required All residents had since been able to return to their homes The fire had burned through farmland on one side of the valley and scrub and tōtara on the other The terrain was the main challenge for firefighters so it's going to take probably three more days to make sure it's fully out." A mountain bike park and cafe located in the same valley Firefighters were making use of the park's access roads and staging areas Two fire investigators were now at the scene to establish how and where the fire started They would also be interviewing people in the area on Friday afternoon It was too early to say what had caused the fire The helicopters would pause when planes were due at nearby Whangārei Airport Some flights were reportedly diverted to Kerikeri on Thursday with passengers then taken to Whangārei by bus Metservice meteorologist Alec Holden said weather conditions in Whangārei were expected to remain favourable for firefighting efforts "There is a lot of cloud cover and roaming showers around It should make conditions or easier for firefighters to get hold of the blaze Conditions should be cooler and hopefully if they get a shower over the top of the fire it should be real easy to jump on top of it and wrestle it down," he said Holden said Friday's easterly wind would likely shift to a northerly in the evening but was not expected to be strong enough to threaten containment lines A restricted fire season was declared in Northland at 8am on Friday which means all outdoor fires will require a permit from FENZ until further notice Incident controller Graeme Quensell said the Whangārei fire proved the need for restrictions with supporting resources and aircraft to contain and control fires in Northland so it's hoped introducing these restrictions now will help us avoid further wildfires," he said Fire and Emergency said the Whangārei blaze is now under control and firefighters will be stood down for the night at 8pm Incident controller Denis Cooper said several fire crews will be back in the morning to extinguish what's left of the 14-hectare vegetation fire and dampen down hotspots He said its been a huge effort by all of the firefighters and they've done a great job Cooper said the firefighters appreciate the support they've received from Whangārei residents Two properties were evacuated at the height of the fire on Thursday but no homes were lost Helicopters are due back in the air to help battle the scrub fire that has destroyed about 20ha of vegetation The fire has burned through three hectares of bush and pine tree slash Fire and Emergency NZ says all outdoor fires in Northland will require a permit starting from 8am Friday Two close calls this week has Fire and Emergency asking Northlanders to avoid lighting fires this weekend Police received a report of a person injured at Beach Road Reserve in Onerahi at around 11.10am. "Upon arrival, one person was pronounced dead at the scene," a police spokesperson said. St John said three ambulances, one operations manager and one rapid response vehicle were sent to the scene. "One patient, in a critical condition, was transported to Northland Base Hospital by ambulance." Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said police did not believe there was any ongoing risk to the wider community. Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward, in particular anyone who witnessed the incident. Cordons would remain in place alongside a increased police presence while a scene examination is completed and inquiries are carried out. One person has died and a homicide investigation has been launched after a shooting at a waterfront reserve in Whangārei this morning. Police said they did not believe there was ongoing risk to the community following the incident at Beach Road Reserve in Onerahi. (Source: 1News) A man accused of killing a woman who was fatally shot in a Whangārei park has been unable to appear in court on Friday because he's still in hospital being treated for serious injuries is charged with murdering Yvonne Chapman in a beachside reserve in the suburb of Onerahi three weeks ago The accused man was to have made his first appearance in the Whangārei High Court this morning The judge remanded him in custody at Auckland Hospital until his next hearing in May and set down three weeks for a possible trial in early 2027 Both the defence and prosecution asked for continued name suppression Justice Johnstone said he had reservations about whether the case met the threshold for ongoing suppression but gave both parties two weeks to make a formal application He also asked the defence to seek information from medical professionals treating the man about when he would be to able to appear in person More than a dozen of Chapman's friends and family members were in court After her death she was described by family as a precious taonga who touched the lives of many The 63-year-old is accused of murdering Yvonne Chapman at Beach Road Reserve in the seaside suburb of Onerahi Two properties in Whangārei Heads have been evacuated after a large fire broke out in a valley difficult to access A third home remains under threat from the 20ha blaze that broke out about 12.30pm today in a narrow gully with farmland on one side and heavy fuels - gorse tea tree and old tōtara - on the other side Fire and Emergency NZ operations manager Denis Cooper said because of the “pretty heavy fire danger conditions” a large number of crew were called in including five helicopters and 15 fire trucks Four of the helicopters have monsoon buckets while the fifth directs from the air Earlier today one of the four helicopter’s monsoon buckets caught on fire while attempting to fight the blaze The helicopter was forced to retreat and dump the bucket in the harbour but a fire investigator will be on site tomorrow to determine the cause Families were expected to be allowed back into their homes tonight Firefighting efforts are expected to continue for the next three to five days given the difficult conditions eight to 10 properties were threatened but were protected thanks to the helicopters “Our aircraft operators are incredibly good in Northland Their first task was to just let the fire run and protect the assets.” the fire crews are working around the one property still at risk The helicopters will work until dark and will be back at first light tomorrow when specialised forestry firefighters will also start Fire crews were notified about the fire shortly after midday today The fire comes the same day Fire and Emergency NZ announced Northland would move to a restricted fire season tomorrow at 8am because of the fire danger The change means fires are only allowed by permit Henwood said very little to no rain was expected across the region for the next 10 days along with continued strong southwesterly winds “Grass is drying out and forecast spike days increase the difficulty of controlling fires quickly once they’ve started,” he said it takes a large number of our fire brigades with supporting resources and aircraft to contain and control wildfires in Northland.” Some residents had questioned whether the fire restrictions had come too late Cooper said the need for a fire ban had been under debate for a number of days A resident who watched the fire unfold on the hillside above her home said she had not seen such a large plume of smoke above the area in the 20-odd years she had lived there around 7km away from the fire in Waikaraka Some described seeing large plumes of smoke coming from the hills behind Whangārei Heads Rd Flights in and out of Whangārei Airport were diverted or cancelled Whangārei District Council closed Whangārei Heads Rd for several hours to clear the area for firefighters The fire is the second major blaze in the Whangārei Heads area in less than a week Three helicopters were called in to help firefighters extinguish a blaze in Patāua South on January 3 People affected by smoke should close windows and doors and reduce outdoor exercise For health advice contact your GP or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 Sign up to The Daily H Land Search and Rescue Northland Rapa Taiwhenua’s most experienced member Grant Conaghan QSM (left) leads the organisation’s incident management team during the search for an 83-year-old man who is believed to have gone missing during his daily swim in Whangārei Harbour Also pictured is radio communications manager Brian Winger who has 30 years of experience with the Northland branch A search for a missing swimmer in Whangārei Harbour continues with police appealing for the public’s help to find the 83-year-old was reported missing on Monday night (October 21) and was last seen on Saturday Searchers began scouring the water and shoreline around Onerahi and surrounding areas of Whangārei harbour on Tuesday after it was suspected he most likely went missing there “The man typically goes for a daily swim in the Whangārei Harbour and wears a wet suit and pink swim cap,” a police spokesperson said This afternoon police appealed for sightings of the missing swimmer Coastguard and Surf Life Saving New Zealand have continued to search for a man believed missing in the water off Onerahi The Police Eagle Helicopter was deployed to conduct a wide search of the area Coastguard would be conducting a dummy exercise in the water Police are appealing for any public sightings of the man particularly by motorists who were in the Beach Rd area of Onerahi on Sunday If you saw the swimmer or have any dashcam footage from the area that relates, please update police at 105 online or call 105 referencing file number 241021/1742 Police said they were grateful for the assistance of all the organisations involved: Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR) Northland Rapa Taiwhenua squads from Whangārei Heads Volunteer Surf Life Saving Patrol and Waipu Cove Surf Life Saving Club and Northland Coastguard air patrol volunteers “Our thoughts are with the missing person’s friends and whānau during this difficult time.” Brodie Stone and Sarah Curtis are staff reporters at the Northern Advocate One of Northland's three containment zones A biosecurity watchdog says an infestation of one of the world’s most invasive weeds at Onerahi could spread to an eco-sanctuary island in nearby Whangārei Harbour The outcrop of Lantana camara – an aggressive and soil-poisoning weed – is on a bank at 270 Beach Rd. There are fears it could potentially spread to nearby Matakohe-Limestone Island It was reported in late October to Northland Regional Council (NRC) by one of its councillors Jack Craw who chairs the council’s biosecurity and biodiversity working party Local weed buster groups had also spotted the outcrop but said it was too big a challenge for them They were pleased NRC had told Whangārei District Council (WDC) to get rid of the weed which has been scheduled for spraying (weather permitting) on December 9 It was introduced to New Zealand from tropical South America as an ornamental garden shrub It is a serious problem in Northland and Auckland where it forms dense thickets that invade and smother a wide variety of areas from native and exotic forests to domestic gardens That category is for areas of weeds that were already well established and could not be eradicated short-term but could be reduced over time and the spread into uninfested areas lessened or stopped Northland currently had three containment areas of Lantana camara: Rangaunu Anyone who saw or suspected it outside of those mapped containment zones should report it to NRC immediately “We have two rules in the plan relating to Lantana; for infestations on small properties (less than 0.5ha) landowners are required to control all Lantana For larger properties/infestations we assist land occupiers to develop a management plan to reduce the risk of spread it is an extremely difficult weed to contain so the programme’s focus is on slowing spread and reducing the impacts,” Barr said Lantana has thorny stems and a strongly herbaceous smell It blooms year-round with clusters of brightly coloured flowers which turn into berry-like fruits that birds eat and then disperse the seed The plant also spreads via suckering roots which can be spread in contaminated soil and dumped vegetation Lantana camara can be poisonous to people and grazing stock The plant can thrive in all soil types and growing conditions including drought which gives it a competitive advantage over native species It is also allelopathic in that it produces a toxin that poisons the soil around it so other species can’t survive As it is listed on the country’s National Pest Plant Accord, it is an offence under the Biosecurity Act 1993 to breed Barr said all cultivars of Lantana camara are banned from sale in New Zealand The flowers of those variants varied in colour but were mostly a combination of pink and creamy to bright yellow There was a similar species Lantana montevidensis The NRC and New Zealand Weedbuster websites advise similar methods for getting rid of Lantana camara, saying it can be sprayed with glyphosate The weed could also be cut down and its stumps painted with glyphosate or dug out although that was not generally recommended as any remaining root fragments could resprout Another non-chemical method to destroy the plant was to cut it off at ground level and cover the stump until it rotted with thick black plastic The removed plant material should either be left on site to rot or dried thoroughly then compost or burnt Barr said WDC had also previously been asked by NRC to deal with infestations on Boswells track NRC was currently in discussion with the Far North District Council about infestations at Coopers Beach The leaf rust Prospodium tuberculatum had some impact on vigour and seed production but not enough to provide substantial control of the plant at this stage Searchers scouring Whangārei Harbour and foreshore for a missing swimmer The search for a missing swimmer in Whangārei Harbour is continuing in a “limited capacity” The 83-year-old man went swimming daily in Whangārei Harbour but failed to return from his swim on Sunday and Surf Life Saving New Zealand have been searching the area covering Whangārei Harbour and Bream Bay authorities say they are “reassessing the search to ensure all likely places have been covered” Police said in a media release they have been in touch with the man’s family and support is being provided to them Police would still like to hear from anyone who may have information to help have any dashcam footage from the area or have any information Fishers and shellfish gatherers are reminded that a rāhui has been placed over the upper Whangārei Harbour for the next fortnight as authorities and volunteers continue the search for the missing swimmer The rāhui remains in place for at least one more week The call for people to refrain from fishing, netting, and taking shellfish from a specific area of the harbour was made last Thursday by hapū Te Parawhau. Vessels searched the Whangārei Harbour for the swimmer not long after he was officially reported missing Police will stop a search for an 83-year-old man who has been missing in the Whangārei Harbour since October 21 A formal suspension of the search will occur in the coming weeks,” a spokesperson said “Police have been in contact with the man’s family and support is being provided to them at what is an understandably difficult time.” Police told the Advocate last week that they would assess any further information before deploying further staff “The case will be reviewed over the coming weeks before any further decisions are made.” who was understood to have been wearing a wetsuit and pink swim cap while going for his daily swim at Onerahi Police thanked the wider Onerahi community for their help and support Coastguard and Surf Live Saving New Zealand were involved and the police Eagle helicopter was also deployed has any dashcam footage from the area or has any further information regarding their disappearance Police are asking the public for sightings of an 83-year-old swimmer missing for more than three days They also want to hear from motorists with dashcam footage from Beach Road around that time Police said the man went swimming daily off the shore at Onerahi wearing a wetsuit and a distinctive pink swimming cap said more resources have been brought in to find the man by air The search extended as far as One Tree Point on the other side of the harbour with the police Eagle helicopter joining a Coastguard boat and plane and volunteers from the Waipū Cove and Whangārei Heads surf lifesaving clubs Volunteers from the Whangārei and Far North LandSAR teams searched the shore The search team also deployed a dummy today to establish which way the harbour currents flow On Tuesday volunteers from the Waipū and Whangārei Heads surf lifesaving clubs also took part in the search but concern for the missing man was growing as time went by He usually wore a wetsuit and a pink swim cap and had not been seen since Saturday evening The search will continue and expand over a wider area tomorrow They would decide which area searchers would focus on this evening but it was likely to be expanded further down the harbour Overton said police were supporting the man's family They want to hear from anyone who was in the Beach Road area in Onerahi on Sunday morning or have any information that could help our search "Please use the reference number 241021/1742." The cost-of-living crisis means parents are cutting back on swimming lessons for their children Learning to swim is a right of passage for many kiwi kids A new report reveals that nearly two in four New Zealand kids don't attend swimming lessons with a third of parents surveyed believing their… Audio Fire and Emergency said it was notified of a fire on Whangārei Heads Rd betwen Onerahi and Tamaterau shortly after midday. "Ten trucks and five helicopters are currently on scene," a spokesperson said. Assistant Commander Denis Cooper said the fire covered approximately 20 hectares. "It started at around 12.30pm in a narrow gully and it's gone up both sides. One was farmland on the west and the east side has gone up into heavy fuels, such as scrub land, totara and gorse." The steep countryside and "very thick and very hot smoke" provided "challenging conditions" for crews, he added. Eight to 10 houses were threatened at the height of the fire, however, just two remained evacuated as of 5.45pm. "They will be back in their houses tonight," Cooper said. Incident Controller Graeme Quensell said crews would continue working at the scene until just before 9pm. "We currently have five helicopters on site, four with buckets and one acting as observation and they will be operating until sundown. "If at any point residents in the area are worried about their property, they should self-evacuate and call 111." Firefighting efforts were expected to last three to five days and a fire investigator would be on site tomorrow. The Whangārei District Council said Whangārei Heads Rd had been reduced to a 30km/h speed limit near the Beach Rd intersection. "Please drive with caution and be prepared for smoke. Give way to emergency vehicles." People were advised to avoid the area while firefighters and helicopters worked. A "large amount of smoke" in the area also prompted a warning from Fire and Emergency NZ. "If residents in the area are impacted by smoke, please keep windows and doors closed and stay inside. Call your GP or Healthline for health advice." Two domestic flights were affected by the blaze, a Whangārei Airport spokesperson confirmed in a statement. The airport was about 6km west of the fire, directly across the Whangārei Harbour. "A 5pm flight went into a holding pattern to assess the situation, and was ultimately diverted to Kerikeri, where passengers could then bus to Whangārei. "An 8.25pm flight was cancelled due to ongoing helicopter and fire presence." Fire and Emergency NZ earlier announced on Thursday that Northland would move to a restricted fire season from Friday, January 10. District manager Wipari Henwood said very little or no rain was predicted in the region for the next 10 days with strong southwest winds continuing. "Grass is drying out and forecast spike days — where fire risk rises sharply — increase the difficulty of controlling fires quickly once they have started," he said. "As we have seen with recent fires, it takes a large number of our fire brigades, many of them volunteers, with supporting resources and aircraft to contain and control wildfires in Northland." Two houses remain evacuated with one being threatened by a large vegetation fire that broke out east of Whangārei this afternoon. Northland's meth crisis: 'There's no magic wand for any of this' Wastewater testing has shown methamphetamine use tripled in Northland last year Two arrested after robbery at property in Kawakawa The armed offender's squad responded to a report of two offenders carrying firearms and demanding a vehicle parked at a property Selwyn lifts state of emergency as severe weather recovery continues Flooding from heavy rain has led to a state of emergency being declared in Christchurch (including Banks Peninsula) New Zealand Conservation Minister sees caulerpa's 'catastrophic' impact in Northland Potaka said it was a serious invasion issue like Mycoplasma bovis or freshwater golden clams Police investigate two incidents in Northland Incidents took place in Kawakawa and Kaikohe 'Not what we were wishing for': Further heavy rain for Northland MetService issued a watch for the region north of Whangārei as a front associated with a subtropical low moves over Northland tomorrow 14 mins ago 52 mins ago 57 mins ago 7 mins ago Two houses remain evacuated with one being threatened by a large vegetation fire that broke out east of Whangārei this afternoon Fire and Emergency said it was notified of a fire on Whangārei Heads Rd betwen Onerahi and Tamaterau shortly after midday "Ten trucks and five helicopters are currently on scene," a spokesperson said Assistant Commander Denis Cooper said the fire covered approximately 20 hectares "It started at around 12.30pm in a narrow gully and it's gone up both sides One was farmland on the west and the east side has gone up into heavy fuels The steep countryside and "very thick and very hot smoke" provided "challenging conditions" for crews Eight to 10 houses were threatened at the height of the fire "They will be back in their houses tonight," Cooper said Incident Controller Graeme Quensell said crews would continue working at the scene until just before 9pm "We currently have five helicopters on site "If at any point residents in the area are worried about their property they should self-evacuate and call 111." Firefighting efforts were expected to last three to five days and a fire investigator would be on site tomorrow The Whangārei District Council said Whangārei Heads Rd had been reduced to a 30km/h speed limit near the Beach Rd intersection "Please drive with caution and be prepared for smoke People were advised to avoid the area while firefighters and helicopters worked A "large amount of smoke" in the area also prompted a warning from Fire and Emergency NZ "If residents in the area are impacted by smoke please keep windows and doors closed and stay inside Call your GP or Healthline for health advice." Two domestic flights were affected by the blaze a Whangārei Airport spokesperson confirmed in a statement The airport was about 6km west of the fire "A 5pm flight went into a holding pattern to assess the situation where passengers could then bus to Whangārei Fire and Emergency NZ earlier announced on Thursday that Northland would move to a restricted fire season from Friday District manager Wipari Henwood said very little or no rain was predicted in the region for the next 10 days with strong southwest winds continuing "Grass is drying out and forecast spike days — where fire risk rises sharply — increase the difficulty of controlling fires quickly once they have started," he said with supporting resources and aircraft to contain and control wildfires in Northland." Organisations trying to help people get off meth in Northland towns such as Kaikohe say they are overwhelmed by "a tsunami of need" More funding — and residential care for addicts trying to quit — is desperately needed to tackle the problem which now has the unenviable title of meth capital of New Zealand a Kaikohe-based iwi organisation that provides housing health services and programmes like Paiheretia which helps men caught up in the Corrections system "We see the daily the toll it takes on whānau the demand is outpacing our capacity," she said "We're just not funded at the scale needed to respond to the tsunami of need we are facing." Jade and Scott — they did not want to give their last names because their work brings them into contact with organised crime — are employed by Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi as kaiarataki helping meth addicts and their whānau get the help they need and the money spent on drugs meant other family members missed out on essentials "The biggest thing that we see is the effect on the kids You've got whānau that are going without kai and has some real atrocious effects." Scott said the men they helped came with a whole raft of problems they often found the underlying cause was meth Scott said there were many reasons behind the drug's prevalence It's about unpacking it all to find out why people are addicted to methamphetamine Nothing will ever end good unless people stop taking it." Ashby said the government's Resilience to Organised Crime in Communities ROCC programme which had so far been rolled out in seven regions across New Zealand ROCC aimed to stop people becoming addicted in the first place "It will build up resilience within whānau and prevent rangatahi [youth] from ever wanting to pick up the pipe by making sure they're on the right pathway for education or employment and not being led by gangs," Ashby said we don't want to be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff all the time There's no magic wand for any of this." While ROCC was "a step in the right direction" more and sustainable investment in prevention was needed culturally responsive residential treatment in mid-Northland for people who wanted to come off drugs Currently most providers of those services such as Grace Foundation and Higher Ground Ashby said everyone would have to work together to tackle the meth conundrum Māori providers and local services such as Whakaoranga Whānau Recovery Hub were doing their best with the resources they had It's time to match the scale of the response with the scale of the need." it hit headlines last month when Ngāpuhi chairman Mane Tahere made a public call for more policing and direct funding for iwi organisations whose work was slowed by government red tape Northland MP Grant McCallum subsequently met Tahere and Far North Mayor Moko Tepania as well as staff at the local medical centre He was shocked by the stories they told him They included accounts of a young man high on meth assaulting staff and "causing mayhem" at the medical clinic and of drug-induced family dysfunction with girls as young as 11 becoming pregnant your dad might give you a sip of his beer or something when you're a young kid they're giving him a little bit of P." McCallum said he was pleased Tahere and Ngāpuhi were standing up and saying they had had enough and one of the key things we've got to do to help break that cycle is get children to school and keep them there," McCallum said he said the answer lay in a stronger local economy and a good education system so people in towns like Kaikohe had well-paying jobs and children had options for their future "But ultimately - and this applies to any community it's just the first cab off the rank - the community has to own this problem If they don't want drugs in their community they need to make it clear they don't want it in their community And they need to push back and feed information through to the police when they find people dealing." Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said the government was focused on trying to stop drugs entering the border coming down hard on dealers and organised crime and taking a health-led approach to drug users Although wastewater testing had shown a big jump in meth use other data showed the number of users had not increased significantly That suggested the same group of people was taking more meth Doocey offered a sliver of hope to organisations like Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi who were calling out for more funding to prevent people becoming addicted in the first place "We're looking at the Proceeds of Crime Fund to fund some of that When you look at some of the high-need areas like Northland we'll be looking at how we can resource existing services on the ground which reopened recently for applications after a three-year freeze Jade said collective action and more funding were vital "I'm not sure that heavy handedness in the justice system and filling the jails in a system that isn't working for our people anyway "It's going to get worse unless we can get ahead of it I'm not saying we haven't done that in the past but it's going to need an even more collective approach And I'm hoping people come with wallets open because it's going to need to be funded." Scott highlighted the need for comprehensive residential treatment in Northland so people didn't need to have to be shipped off to Auckland for help but we can come together and try to minimise it Police are obviously under the pump out there "I think we need some more healing centres for whānau up here in Kaikohe I don't like using the word rehabilitation What's needed is a one-stop shop where people can reside rnz.co.nz Two people have been arrested in relation to an aggravated robbery at a property in Kawakawa The armed offender's squad was deployed to the address on State Highway 1 after police responded to a report of two offenders carrying firearms and demanding a vehicle parked at a property A 22-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman were arrested last night They are facing charges including aggravated robbery unlawful possession of ammunition and failing to answer to bail "They will appear in Kaikohe District Court this morning," police said Cordons were placed on a section of State Highway 1 between the roundabout in the Kawakawa township and Waiomio Rd yesterday before being taken down at around 1am police said it was also investigating another firearms incident at a property in Kaikohe at 11.15pm Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has likened the "catastrophic" caulerpa seaweed invasion to the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis — which led to one of the country’s biggest biosecurity responses and the culling of 176,000 cattle Potaka’s comments came after visiting the Bay of Islands to see firsthand the "disastrous and catastrophic" impacts of the super-spreader caulerpa seaweed He visited the biggest mainland caulerpa infestation at eastern Bay of Islands Omākiwi Cove this morning in the wake of 500 tonnes of caulerpa washing ashore due to high winds and waves of ex Tropical Cyclone Tam over Easter Potaka said caulerpa’s impact was "disastrous and catastrophic" on beaches and the health of the whenua and clearly impacted the wairua of the environment Caulerpa is a super-spreader seaweed that can grow from a tiny bean sprout fragment to cover a rugby field-sized area of seafloor within three months in the right conditions Potaka said was a serious invasion issue like Mycoplasma bovis or freshwater golden clams Eradicating the cattle disease from New Zealand led to one of the country’s biggest biosecurity responses costing $880 million over a decade Around $12 million has been spent on New Zealand’s freshwater gold clam invasion to date Potaka said he would be speaking to Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard upon his return to Wellington his efforts supporting biosecurity efforts The Conservation Minister met Te Rāwhiti hapū working to fight the caulerpa invasion so he could visit kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) "It was important for me to be here to see people on the ground dealing with it on a daily basis." Potaka had never seen caulerpa first-hand and said it was worse that he had imagined The tonnes of caulerpa washed up onto Omākiwi Cove and Whiorau Bay are now heaped into huge 150 metre-long piles Locals rushed to remove the seaweed from the shoreline before it washed back out to sea creating huge new infestations He said exotic caulerpa was a massive incursion and the Government was taking steps to deal with it but getting rid of it would not be a one-shot wonder Caulerpa’s effects went beyond the environment as it impacted the economy and intersected with identity He said the time and resources the community had put into fighting caulerpa was impressive Potaka also met Bay of Islands ocean engineer Andrew Johnson in Paihia Johnson is leading the development of New Zealand’s first large-scale underwater tractor unit for removing caulerpa infestations from the sea floor This work was recently boosted with a $6.2 million Government grant Potaka said innovation such as this was something he was particularly interested in He said Northland/Te Tai Tokerau was a beautiful place everybody should visit Dealing with caulerpa was important in that context Exotic caulerpa was first identified in New Zealand at Great Barrier Island in 2021 Its first mainland infestation was confirmed in the Bay of Islands in 2023 Local Democracy Reporting is local-body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air The armed offenders squad was called to a property in Kawakawa Northland last night after two men carrying guns arrived demanding a vehicle Police were called to the property on State Highway 1 following a report that two men had arrived at the address According to Detective Inspector Rhys Johnston the two men were carrying firearms and demanded a vehicle parked at the property “The occupants managed to leave the address without injury and contacted police," Johnston said Police initially thought the two offenders were still at the property Cordons were placed on a section of State Highway 1 between the roundabout in the Kawakawa township and Waiomio Road “AOS staff voice appealed the address before midnight and eventually cleared the property however no offenders were present," Johnston said police were also investigating another firearms incident at a property in Kaikohe at 11.15pm Johnston said at least two men made "threats" toward the occupant of the address before assaulting him "Medical attention was not required" Johnston said police "do not believe these events to be random" and that investigations were following lines of inquiry “Police need to take these matters seriously and we do not tolerate threatening or violent behaviour involving firearms,” he said Police also thanked locals who had been turned around or delayed at cordons in Kawakawa overnight 🟡🌧 SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE🟡🌧 Heavy rain watches have been issued for Northland north of Whangārei and Christchurch and Canterbury Plains north of Timaru🟡 Northland has a HIGH chance of upgrading to a warning🟡 Canterbury has a MODERATE chance of being upgraded to a… pic.twitter.com/jxZPMxxeE4 More resources have been brought in today to help with the search for an 83-year-old missing in Whangārei Harbour since Saturday sea and land resumed at first light on Wednesday Searchers are focused on the area around Onerahi and Waikaraka across to One Tree Point on the other side of the harbour Overton said a Coastguard boat and plane had been joined today by LandSAR volunteers from Whangārei and the Far North Police said he usually wore a wetsuit and a pink swim cap Police say they're still piecing together the events connected to a shooting in Whangārei that left a woman dead and a man with serious injuries The fatal shooting happened in a beachfront park in Onerahi at 11.10am on Thursday said a post-mortem examination and formal identification of the woman were taking place on Friday while the man remained in a serious condition in hospital Witnesses told RNZ about hearing gunshots and seeing parents rush their children to the safety of their cars The shooting occurred in the Beach Rd Reserve while children were in the playground nearby RNZ understands the man and woman were aged in their 60s and had been in a relationship Pilmer said the scene examination had been completed but the homicide investigation was still in its early stages "Our thoughts are with the woman's whānau and loved ones at this difficult time," he said The investigation team was still speaking with people who witnessed the shooting and urged anyone who had not yet spoken to police to come forward Police also wanted to hear from anyone with dashcam Raurimu Ave and Church St areas between 8am and 11.15am on Thursday Any relevant photos or videos could be uploaded to the Operation Ravenwood portal Information could be passed on by calling police on 105 Northland's rescue helicopter at the base in Kensington A Kensington resident, frustrated by noisy rescue helicopters still flying overhead says he is not surprised the controversial chopper base will remain in the Whangārei suburb for another year Alan Kerrisk is opposed to the base staying in his area and wants assurances it will be gone from Kensington “I want to know what is happening to make sure the move does actually take place,” he said The year-by-year lease extension ends on July 31 Whangārei District Council (WDC) extended Northland Emergency Services Trust (NEST)’s Kensington lease for three years from August 2023 It was granted to NEST days before its 2013 Kensington lease expired in July 2023 Last year the helicopter went on 1106 missions which meant more than 2000 flights in and out of the residential Whangārei suburb of Kensington The extension’s first year ends at the end of this month Ahead of the extension, Kerrisk called on the council to create a council rescue helicopter committee for Kensington “The council setting the committee up would show it is working with affected residents to look at mitigation and ensuring the helicopter base’s move from Kensington is not stalling.” WDC district development manager Tony Collins said nothing had changed in terms of NEST needing to leave Kensington in June 2026 The council expected the operation to relocate to Whangārei airport (in Onerahi) by then “We anticipate that by then the lease will have been formalised that NEST will have built its new facilities and that it will be operating from the airport site,” Collins said He said the council and NEST were working towards relocating the rescue helicopter base to Onerahi following a High Court decision in the council’s favour “We are working with NEST for a potential lease at the airport with NEST progressing its building design,” Collins said The trust’s Kensington presence has been of ongoing concern for neighbours Many Whangārei airport neighbours are also against the base shifting to their Onerahi seaside suburb Both groups are worried about helicopter noise Collins said NEST had exercised its right to take up a second year’s lease extension This was an administrative matter and did not need a formal council decision NEST chairman Paul Ahlers said the lease extension allowed an adequate but flexible timeline for NEST and the council to work through the relocation Ahlers said plans for a new base at Whangārei airport were nearly completed A lease agreement would soon be finalised for land at the airport The new Onerahi airport-based building would be finished before the end of 2025 and the relocation would happen before the 2026 lease expiry date Ahlers said High Court action by “a small group” of Onerahi airport shift opponents had held up the move Onerahi shift opponents group Sound spokesman Paul Doherty said the group’s High Court judicial review case had been an important step in the democratic process Ahlers said NEST continued to engage with residents who had concerns about its flight operations or base activity we are not aware of any current complaints from Kensington residents,” Ahlers said Collins said NEST had been operating from Kensington since 1988 There had been no noise monitoring during that time NEST refuels its helicopters at Onerahi airport Local Democracy Reporting Northland asked how often the helicopters breached the Fly Neighbourly programme’s 1000 feet flying height between Kensington and Onerahi The height is designed to mitigate helicopter noise production Ahlers said the Fly Neighbourly programme was voluntary especially when weather conditions or safety may dictate different operating conditions.” ■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. Visit image gallery to purchase the image. Fire crews were called to the blaze shortly after 2pm today, on Whangārei Heads Road between Onerahi and Tamaterau. Ten trucks and four helicopters were in attendance. Fire and Emergency's Northland District manager Wipari Henwood said a number of houses were being evacuated, and crews were undertaking a reconnaissance flight to confirm how many structures were at risk. He said the fire was burning in a "problematic area", with numerous access points. Northland Fire and Emergency said if you have not been told to evacuate, but feel unsafe, please self-evacuate if you are able to. It was advised people affected by the smoke to close windows and doors and reduce outdoor exercise. Air conditioning should be switched to 'recirculate' or turned off and pets should be kept inside with clean food and water. A large amount of smoke could be seen at Whangārei Heads. A resident, who lived about a kilometre from the fire, said it was scary and bigger than she had seen in previous years. She said she could see flames and several helicopters pouring buckets of water on to the fire. Ryan Houbar lives near Whangārei's port and said the smoke from the fire had been drifting over from across the harbour and was visible from where he was at Port Nikau. "There's this big plume of smoke coming off it and it's coming down through where we are down at the port and it looks like quite a large fire. We can definitely smell it all down here and it's getting pretty hazy down here." The weather has been mostly dry for a couple of weeks, with all but a few instances of light showers, he said. Paul Doherty, a church deacon in Onerahi, said he was one of about a dozen people at a lookout at the end of the Whangārei Airport runway. From there they could look directly across the water to the fire at Waikaraka. He could see several helicopters at work, scooping water from the harbour and dumping it on the fire. "There's smoke billowing all across the airport, and down the other side of the harbour towards Oakleigh. It seems to be less intense than it was, which is a good sign." Through the haze he could see a number of homes on the hillside but they did not appear to be in immediate danger. Dry, breezy weather in Northland is largely set to continue over the next 24 hours. Metservice meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said the wind around Whangārei Heads will ease this afternoon, but pick up again on Friday. While there was a chance of a shower on Friday, she said it likely won't be enough to put a fire out. Whangārei Airport remains open and airport duty manager Gareth Worswick said the fire was close, but an easterly wind was blowing the smoke away from the runway so visibility remained good. The Whangārei District Council said Whangārei Heads Road had reopened but with a 30kmh speed limit near the Beach Road intersection at Onerahi. Motorists were advised to drive with caution, be prepared for smoke, and give way to emergency vehicles. People wanting to take another route to Whangārei Heads can use Mount Tiger Road. Whangārei Heads Road was closed earlier this afternoon at Waikaraka, between Onerahi and Tamaterau. A Kensington resident frustrated by noisy rescue helicopters still flying overhead says he is not surprised the controversial chopper base will remain in the Whangārei suburb for another year. Alan Kerrisk said he had expected that when Whangārei District Council extended the Northland Emergency Services Trust Kensington lease for up to three years from August 2023. The helicopter went on 1106 missions in 2023, which meant more than 2000 flights in and out of the residential Whangārei suburb of Kensington. Kerrisk opposed the base staying in his area and wanted assurances it will be gone from Kensington. “I want to know what is happening to make sure the move does actually take place,” he said. The year-by-year lease extension ends on July 31, 2026. It was granted to the Northland Emergency Services Trust days before its decade-long 2013 Kensington lease expired in July 2023. The extension’s first year was up at the end of this month. Ahead of the extension, Kerrisk called on the Whangārei District Council to create a council rescue helicopter committee for Kensington, with formal agendas and recorded minutes. This has not happened. “The council setting the committee up would show it is working with affected residents to look at mitigation and ensuring the helicopter base’s move from Kensington is not stalling." Council district development manager Tony Collins said nothing had changed in terms of the Northland Emergency Services Trust needing to leave Kensington in June 2026. The council expected the operation to relocate to Whangārei airport in Onerahi by then, subject to successful lease negotiations. “We anticipate that by then the lease will have been formalised, that the Northland Emergency Services Trust will have built its new facilities and that it will be operating from the airport site,” Collins said. He said the council and the Northland Emergency Services Trust were working towards relocating the rescue helicopter base to Onerahi following a High Court decision in council’s favour. “We are working with the Northland Emergency Services Trust for a potential lease at the airport, with the Northland Emergency Services Trust progressing its building design,” Collins said. The trust’s Kensington presence has been of ongoing concern for neighbours. Many Whangārei airport neighbours were also against the base shifting to their Onerahi seaside suburb. Both groups were worried about helicopter noise. Collins said the Northland Emergency Services Trust had exercised its right to take up a second year’s lease extension. This was an administrative matter and did not need a formal council decision. Northland Emergency Services Trust chairman Paul Ahlers said the lease extension allowed an adequate but flexible timeline for the trust and the council to work through the relocation. Ahlers said plans for a new base at Whangārei airport were nearly completed. A lease agreement would soon be finalised for land at the airport. The new Onerahi airport-based building would be finished before the end of 2025 and the relocation would happen before the 2026 lease expiry date. Ahlers said High Court action by "a small group" of Onerahi airport shift opponents had held up the move. Onerahi shift opponents group SOUND spokesperson Paul Doherty said the group’s High Court judicial review case had been an important step in the democratic process, despite being unsuccessful. Ahlers said the Northland Emergency Services Trust continued to engage with residents who had concerns about its flight operations or base activity. “At the time of writing, we are not aware of any current complaints from Kensington residents,” Ahlers said. Collins said the Northland Emergency Services Trust had been operating from Kensington since 1988. There had been no noise monitoring during that time. The Northland Emergency Services Trust refuels its helicopters at Onerahi airport. Local Democracy Reporting Northland asked how often the helicopters breached the Fly Neighbourly programme’s 1000 feet flying height between Kensington and Onerahi.The height is designed to mitigate helicopter noise production. Ahlers said the Fly Neighbourly programme was voluntary. “It is not always possible to do this, especially when weather conditions or safety may dictate different operating conditions." Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. 16 mins ago 54 mins ago 59 mins ago 9 mins ago Police at a house in the Whangārei suburb of Onerahi on October 27 where Hikurangi man Bob Kleiman had allegedly been murdered the day before A High Court murder trial in Whangārei has come to an abrupt halt with a judge declaring a mistrial Ike Wellington Kingi was 42 when he allegedly murdered Kleiman by shooting him at close range in the face at an unoccupied house in the Whangārei suburb of Onerahi Kleiman’s body was discovered the following day by the homeowner who’d recently moved out but had reason to return to the property the jury was told Kingi denied murdering Kleiman; that Kleiman had the 0.22 Rossi rifle from which the fatal shot was fired and went off accidentally while Kleiman was showing him its new homemade scope On trial with Kingi for lesser associated charges who was 32 at the time of the alleged murder Farrell and Jamieson were each accused of being an accessory after the fact to murder allegedly by tampering with evidence and hiding the firearm Farrell was accused of having assisted Kingi to avoid arrest by leaving town She was additionally charged with two counts of conspiring with Kingi to pervert the course of justice by trying to get two witnesses to change their statements Kingi’s counsel, Martin Hislop told the jury the three accused were all friends of Kleiman The group were at the house because Kingi and Farrell were planning to move in The old Onerahi scout den had been sitting derelict for a number of years A fire which saw the Scout Den on Whangārei’s Beach Rd destroyed is being treated as suspicious Two crews from Whangārei and one from Onerahi were in attendance after receiving a call around 12.50 on Sunday morning Fire Investigator Craig Bain told the Advocate there was “no doubt” the fire had been deliberately lit The fact there was no power to the place and it was “supposedly secure” led him to that conclusion He went to the fire around 1.30am Sunday and returned during daylight to carry out his investigation There were reportedly squatters living near the building though it is not yet known who was responsible for the incident people have “no right” to deliberately set a fire A resident whose home overlooks Beach Rd said they saw a “glow” in the sky just after midnight but thought it was firecrackers They had observed graffiti on the building regularly and said it usually looked “very unkept” They were shocked to hear it had burned down overnight Other Onerahi locals flocked to the site on Sunday morning having heard about the incident through Facebook community pages and word-of-mouth The smell of ash lingered in the air even hours after the fire had been extinguished Graffiti was still visible on one wall of the building which sat burned and unsteady Those who spoke to the Advocate said they were saddened to hear of the building’s demise but were not surprised to see it go down in flames One resident said he heard about the fire on a community page and thought he would go and have a look The sea scouts used to run a mean operation out of it.” he said the building had been “abandoned for years” and the target of repeated vandalism Another local heard about the fire through a friend and said it was “sad” to see the landmark that’s been there for “so long” go She noted “riff-raff” used to come around often so the building was getting “a little bit derelict” I just hope they can build something nice out of it,” she said The land on which the building sat overlooks Limestone Island on Whangārei Harbour One couple who drove up to see the devastation said they weren’t surprised by the event “We walk the dog past here most days and it’s a pity to have seen it just sitting there falling apart.” “There were a lot of people around here a lot of the time so I guess it’s not surprising that someone’s taken it too far,” they said Broken windows and rubbish dumped nearby were not an uncommon sight Brodie Stone is the education and general news reporter at the Advocate Police at the scene of an alleged murder in Onerahi on October 28 A third person has appeared in court in connection with the alleged murder of an Onerahi man last year The 36-year-old - whose name is currently suppressed - was due for sentence on a number of possession and supply of methamphetamine charges two new charges were laid on him when he appeared on Wednesday Those new charges are accessory after the fact to murder and unlawfully carrying a firearm and are linked to the death of 56-year-old, Bob Kleiman who was found dead at an Edge St property in October 2022 he entered not-guilty pleas to both charges and elected trial by jury His matters were sent to the Whangārei High Court to run alongside two co-offenders, 43-year-old, Ike Wellington Kingi and 32-year-old, Leonie Farrell the man was in possession of a .22 Rossi Rifle and disposed of a firearm on behalf of the main offender in the case Kingi is charged with the murder of Kleiman and Farrell has been charged with accessory after the fact to murder Kingi and Farrell are due to stand trial in June 2024 The new defendant was remanded in custody and will appear on May 19 at a High Court callover alongside Kingi and Farrell Police and forensic staff are no longer visible at the house on Edge St in Onerahi where a man's body was found on Thursday charged with murder after a body was found in Onerahi He appeared in Whangārei District Court this afternoon and entered no plea will next appear in the Whangārei High Court on November 11 Whangārei CIB Detective Inspector Bridget Doell said police were still appealing for the public to come forward with information to assist with inquiries She acknowledged those who had already provided information and said police continued to provide support to the victim's family as they dealt with the loss Police have not yet released the name of the deceased man although Doell said on Sunday they would "look to do so in due course" Those who knew him had acknowledged his passing online without revealing who the man was Police were called to an address on Edge St at around 3pm on Thursday At least six police vehicles were seen at the scene on Friday police appealed for anyone who had seen a dark-coloured Nissan Navara in the area to come forward Police were particularly interested in the vehicle's movements around Onerahi and Whangārei on October 26 and 27 It was also understood to have travelled through Kawakawa and Kaitāia over the next three days Doell said at the time police were interested in the vehicle and identifying its occupants as they may have been able to assist police with enquiries She added that police knew a number of people with information about the man's death had not yet come forward Anyone who withholds information from police in relation to the investigation or was found to be assisting the person or persons responsible could face serious charges she asked anyone with information who had not yet spoken to police to contact them on the 105 phone service or online Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 Police at the scene of the homicide in Onerahi last week Police have named the man who died in an alleged homicide in Onerahi last week Police said the investigation into his death was ongoing He appeared in Whangārei District Court on Monday and entered no plea Detective Inspector Bridget Doell of Whangārei CIB said police were still appealing to the public to come forward with any information to assist their inquiries She asked anyone with information who had not yet spoken to police to contact them on the 105 phone service or online Whangārei District Council has started clearing a campsite on public land at the end of Pah Rd Onerahi after a couple started occupying the land at the start of the year The long-running saga of a campsite occupying public land in Whangārei is drawing to a close as the council makes moves to clear the site by the end of the week Whangārei District Council (WDC) has started the task of cleaning a public reserve on Pah Rd which some locals have taken to calling a “squatter camp” At the start of the year, Ngaronoa and Priscilla Hepi set up a makeshift camp on the land saying they had nowhere else to live after being kicked out of emergency accommodation Their arrival sparked a number of complaints to the council and also garnered the support of some Onerahi residents Reports of alleged unsavoury activity by people visiting the camp drew visits from local police confirmed it had no plans to evict the couple it was working with them and other agencies to find a solution Some residents were irked by the choice of action claimed it meant it was now open season for squatters a number of old or abandoned vehicles - including a Toyota Rav4 that had been driven into the mangrove area and become stuck - and many steel chemical drums corrugated iron and various household equipment/items and rubbish Numerous complaints about the state of the site moved the council to start cleaning up a task it believed would be completed this week WDC general manager of planning and development Dominic Kula said the situation required sensitive work from a range of organisations but good progress has been made He expected the site would be restored to its initial condition by the end of the week While the council would not comment further the Advocate understands it will have to store anything that can be deemed personal possessions for up to several months in case the owners want to claim it back Anything identified clearly as rubbish can be taken to the dump Ratepayers will have to stump up the money for these as well as any other clean-up costs which included retrieving the dumped car from the mangroves who led the campaign to return the land to the public was pleased it had finally happened but disappointed at the long battle needed for the “living nightmare” to end “But now it’s caused huge environmental damage to the harbour and that land There’s been cars and other things dumped into the harbour that are not good for the environment And who will pay for that - the ratepayers.” He hoped that the council would act far quicker if a similar situation occurred in the future Mike Dinsdale is a news director and senior journalist who covers general news for the Advocate He has worked in Northland for almost 34 years and loves the region could become a major retail and housing development if the airport moves Onerahi's Whangārei Airport site could become a major multimillion-dollar mixed residential and retail development according to a Whangārei resident who recently returned from Dubai Garrith Cordiner's comments came at Whangārei District Council's (WDC) public consultation meeting at Forum North on Thursday night about the future of the airport He said the airport site could become a new Onerahi urban centre It offered a major Northland development opportunity It offers major Northland development opportunity," Cordiner said He shifted back to his Whangārei home town in August after living in Dubai for 14 years He said the airport "absolutely" needed to shift from Onerahi as it was too small to serve a growing city and district of 100,000 people into the future although he had reservations about the river running through it Cordiner said Onerahi and Whangārei Heads were growing and would continue to do so.He said the value of the Onerahi airport site was its land That was almost more important than what happened to the airport It's got those great views of Whangārei Harbour There would be plenty of investor interest," Cordiner said could be shifted to the airport into a new modern facility The rest of the retail area was a strip of shops that needed updating Cordiner said the multi-use Onerahi airport site could also include a retirement development There would also be a rest home with graduated care support facilities including a hospital A Northland Emergency Services Trust helipad could be established at the hospital There was opportunity for a new school too The government owns the airport's land and has a 50-50 share in the airport itself with WDC WDC chief executive Simon Weston said it would be the government that would make any decision about the site's future use Weston said the council would be deciding on the future location of Whangārei's airport on June 30 WDC's public consultation on four future location options ends on May 25 with a final public meeting to be held online next week The options are a new $150 million airport at Ruatangata Ruatangata West or One Tree Point West and staying at Onerahi WDC has said Onerahi is limited in its future capacity due to short runway length meaning Civil Aviation Authority compliance issues Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai has said the public consultation does not mean shifting from Onerahi was a foregone conclusion and any potential shift would be at least 20 years away a former Rotary district governor for north of Auckland said at Thursday's meeting that Whangārei needed a new airport – at Ruatangata He said the government should be paying for it A new $150 million airport would be Whangārei's biggest infrastructure project Weston said there would need to be some form of government funding towards a new airport "It would be too big a project for ratepayers," Weston said The council would need to work with the government on this but the airport location process had not progressed far enough to be able to say what funding might look like WDC has received 260 consultation submissions to date Just over 300 people have turned out to three face-to-face public meetings since consultation started on April 20 ■ Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air where a pair of unknown men shoved a 16-year-old fisherman off the pontoon before stealing money from his wallet Two men filmed themselves repeatedly throwing a puppy into Whangārei Harbour before shoving a young lone angler off a wharf and stealing the money from his wallet The duo were drinking by Onerahi wharf in Beach Rd yesterday about 3pm while a 16-year-old fisherman from Horahora enjoyed his favourite pastime on the floating pontoon was extremely upset when he noticed the pair – who looked in their mid-20s - kept tossing a young labradoodle-like puppy over the side of the walkway into the water "He said the dog would crawl back up out of the water and it would hunker down Then they would pick it up and throw it again." The teen kept an eye on the men because he didn't feel comfortable He told Coleman they were "loud and unapproachable" as they filmed the dog's plight on a phone He also felt he couldn't leave the wharf because the two men were on the narrow walkway linking the pontoon to land "At 4.45pm I received a call from a number I didn't know," Coleman said When Coleman arrived after dashing to her son's aid she discovered him soaking wet with goosebumps and missing his slip-on shoes He relayed to his concerned mum how one of the men had approached him under the guise of a fishing query Her son obliged and stepped to the side to demonstrate the skill only to be suddenly shoved off the pontoon and into the tide but if they'd pushed off a person who was unable to things could've been a lot worse," Coleman said When he finally surfaced he spotted the men running away with the puppy still in their possession Coleman said another fisherman had helped her son out of the water Whereupon the teen realised the pair had taken the $30 from his wallet the philosophical teen has assured his mum that he won't be put off fishing – a hobby he has enjoyed since he started aged 18 months And despite Coleman's frustration that places in Whangārei where youngsters should be able to feel safe failed them the Whangārei-based counsellor recognised it could be a sign of bigger problems "I'm upset that it happened but I understand that when you feel powerless in your life you do things like this .. it takes being shown empathy to be able to show it to others who are more helpless." The family had not reported the incident to police or the SPCA because they felt they did not have enough information that would help net the pair A person has died after crashing while trying to flee police in Northland Police confirmed the death tonight in the incident which happened at about 6.40pm in Whangārei A police spokesperson said the vehicle fled from officers conducting a checkpoint Police located the vehicle which had crashed The driver of the vehicle died at the scene More information will be provided when available A witness told the Herald the car was driving at speed He said officers had since closed the road The boy described the man's car as having offensive words and gestures on its panels.