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Two killed in two-vehicle crash in Hamilton

Source: Radio New Zealand

123RF

Two people have died after a crash in Beerescourt in western Hamlton overnight.

Emergency services were called to the two vehicle crash on Te Rapa Road at around 12.30am.

Two people were found dead at the scene.

The road was closed while the Serious Crash Unit conducted a scene examination, and was due to reopen by around 8.30am on Friday, a police spokesperson said.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing, the spokesperson said.

A person has also died after a two-vehicle crash in Winton in Southland on Thursday.

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Woman charged with murder month after man’s death in Tauranga

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Patrice Allen

A woman has been charged with the murder of a man in Tauranga last month.

A man was found dead at an address on Fraser Street on 14 December.

The woman, initially charged with assault on a person in a relationship, has today been charged with murder following further investigation into the death.

Police said their investigation into the death of the man is ongoing.

Tauranga Police would like to hear from anyone who may have information about this incident or those involved. They are urged to contact the police with the reference number 251214/9237.

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Scott Robertson sacking ‘couldn’t have come sooner’: former All Blacks captain

Source: Radio New Zealand

Scott Robertson’ reign as All Blacks coach came to an end after just two years. Marty Melville

A former All Blacks captain says New Zealand Rugby was left with no option but to sack Scott Robertson.

The coach’s reign came to an end after just two years in the top job following a less than favourable internal review.

NZR’s chair David Kirk said they took on a wide range of opinions before making the decision.

Former New Zealand skipper Taine Randell said Robertson’s removal comes after significant changes made by the board – and it couldn’t have happened sooner.

“I was very shocked … but it’s not unprecedented to sack All Black coaches, he told Morning Report.

“I was playing in 2001 when Wayne Smith had his tenure cut very short, but I think … if you look at what’s been happening at the New Zealand union over the last 12 months, it hasn’t really been talked about.

“I think Razor’s removal is just the latest in a number of massive changes that have occurred at New Zealand Rugby that signal that actually, ‘hey look, the New Zealand Rugby Union that we have today is a very different beast to the one we had 12 months ago’ and to be perfectly honest, it couldn’t have happened soon enough.”

Randell said NZR had been in a funk over the past seven years, and all indicators suggested there was disillusionment with the game in New Zealand.

He said there had been a lot of issues between NZR and the provinces.

Taine Randell playing for the All Blacks in 2002. © Photosport Ltd 2002 www.photosport.nz

“As a result of that, we’ve ended up in February with a new chairman. They say a fish rots from the head,” Randell said.

“Well, with Dame Patsy Reddy, my personal thing, she did quite a bit of damage to New Zealand Rugby and then she fell out with a lot of our stakeholders, as did the rugby union.

“In result, David Kirk was the new chairman. Now, since then, we were looking for a new CEO because the CEO has essentially been removed. That’s a big call.

“Last week, head of high performance has basically gone … those things don’t happen in a vacuum. But as a result, I believe that the changes that we’ve had at the top and the most recent change that we’ve got, we’ve got to have a new coach.”

Randell said while Robertson’s win record as All Blacks coach was 74 percent, the performances weren’t good enough.

He said the internal review pointed to a culture problem in the All Blacks set up, which led to record-breaking defeats.

“If you have a good culture of the team, you do not have two of your leading assistant coaches leave,” Randell said.

“If the culture of the team is going well, actually, irrespective of win, lose or draw, which the All Blacks you should win, at least the performance of the team should give you some encouragement that they’re on the right track and if you’ve got a good culture of the team, you don’t have colossal losses to the Springboks.”

Randell said losses to nations like Ireland and Argentina had become commonplace, which also pointed to a “terrible” culture.

He said it was easy to determine if things were going well, and Kirk had put it right by sacking Robertson.

Randell also refuted ideas that players had too much influence, and said you didn’t need degree in psychology to see that things weren’t going well.

“One of the things I really liked, irrespective of the decision, is that when it came to making the decision on the coaches, actually the chairman and one of the directors, Keven Mealamu, were directly involved in the review.

“They didn’t farm out that process to some consultants or a board of other people. They did it themselves. That’s what they were elected to do and they did it themselves.”

He said whether supporters agreed with the decision or not, the board had made a strong call and that was a good sign of leadership from NZR.

They’ve got institutional knowledge that’s been missing from the New Zealand Rugby board for a long time, he said.

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Warnings over car heat missing the mark for some dog owners

Source: Radio New Zealand

File pic 123RF

SPCA inspectors in Bay of Plenty and Waikato have been getting up to four calls a day this summer for dogs left in hot cars.

Jason Blair, who leads the local team of inspectors, told Summer Report they were receiving more calls every summer, and the message didn’t seem to be getting through.

“I think people underestimate or underappreciate the risk that they are putting their dogs in,” he said.

His inspectors arrived to find dogs in a variety of states.

“Sometimes if they’re up and about, distressed, yapping at the window, that’s concerning as well, but really, we are really concerned if we do arrive and a dog is seeking shade or is low in the vehicle, if they really are panting heavily and they’re drooling, that’s when we start getting really concerned.”

He said there was no safe way to leave a dog in a car, as leaving a crack in the windows did nothing to increase airflow, and the temperature would keep climbing, even parked in the shade.

He urged people to ring the SPCA or the police if they found a dog in distress, and they could give advice over the phone and dispatch inspectors if required.

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Fatal crash, Te Rapa Road, Hamilton

Source: New Zealand Police

Two people have died following a serious crash in Beerescourt overnight.

Emergency services were called to the two vehicle crash at around 12.30am.

Sadly, two people were located deceased at the scene.

The road was closed while the Serious Crash Unit conduct a scene examination, however is currently being reopened.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Weather: Thunderstorms for North Island after tornado

Source: Radio New Zealand

Residents are without power as stormy weather continues to lash the North Island.

Thunderstorms, heavy rain and localised downpours are forecast to drench parts of the North Island today.

MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, and Waikato.

A heavy rain warning has been issued for Bay of Plenty and Rotorua, with up to 110mm of rain expected on top of what has already fallen.

Further north, residents in Auckland’s Northcote Point were without power on Friday morning, after a stormy night.

The city was hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms overnight.

Energy company Vector has reported an outage at Northcote Point at about 6.30am on Friday. It said work was underway to resolve the issue, and power is expected to be restored between 10 and 11am on Friday.

It comes after reports of small tornadoes in the North Island on Thursday.

A tornado happened near Orewa, north of Auckland, at about 7pm.

The second reported tornado was seen near the Waikato town of Ōtorohanga.

Luke Care and his wife live in Maihiihi, near the town, and he said the tornado formed very quickly.

The first thing they noticed was the power going out.

“I looked out the window and holy smokes, there’s this giant tornado ripping through the neighbour’s property, it’s quite scary actually,” he said.

He told RNZ it looked like a small water spout at first, and when he grabbed his camera it accelerated and “formed just a full on tornado”.

The tornado carried on up into the mountains and then faded off in the distance, Care said.

Earlier on Friday, a severe storm warning was issued for near Kawerau, Rotoehu, Totoitoi and Lake Tarawerea, as well as Rerewhakaaitu.

The storms moved east-south-east later on Friday morning, and lay near Waiohau, Matahina, Murupara, Kopuriki, and Galatea.

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Top seed Ben Shelton in strife as rain disrupts ASB Classic

Source: Radio New Zealand

Rain delay at the ASB Classic Men’s ATP 250 tennis tournament at Manuka Doctor Arena, Auckland, New Zealand. Thursday 15 January 2026. © Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

Rain wreaked havoc on the ASB tennis Classic in Auckland on Thursday, with just one quarter-final in the men’s singles able to be completed.

Marcos Giron’s three-set win over Luciano Darderi took almost seven hours due to weather delays, the American eventually prevailing over the fourth seed 1-6 7-5 6-4.

“With the rain, I just thought, ‘it’s a new set, start over.’ There’s a solution here, I knew I wasn’t that far off in the first, even though I got beat 6-1. It was just tightening the bolts and I won a few more of those close games,” the American said.

The remaining three quarterfinals have been rescheduled for an earlier start time this morning.

Among them will be top seed and fan favourite Ben Shelton who found himself a set down when his match was officially suspended.

Argentina’s Sebastian Baez led Shelton 7-5, 0-1, when the rain became too relentless.

The match will resume following the completion of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard against Jakub Mensik with the winner to meet Giron later in the day.

In the final top eight clash on court one at Stanley Street, Eliot Spizzirri and Fabian Marozsan will recommence their battle where Marozsan is ahead five games to four in the first set.

In doubles action, Kiwis Finn Reynolds and James Watt meet Robert Galloway and Alexander Erler in their quarterfinal match-up.

Play will start at the earlier time of 11am.

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Funeral service to be held today for Sir Tim Shadbolt

Source: Radio New Zealand

Supplied/LDR – ODT/Stephen Jaquiery

A funeral service to publicly mark Sir Tim Shadbolt’s life and legacy will be held in Invercargill this afternoon.

Tributes have been flowing in for the former mayor of Waitematā and Invercargill since he died last week, describing him as a colourful and charismatic character who championed local politics and his city.

Sir Tim was made a Knight Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2019 New Year’s Honours List for his services to local government and the community.

The funeral service will be held at Invercargill’s Civic Theatre from 2pm with doors open from 1pm.

The service will also be livestreamed on the Invercargill City Council’s website.

After the service, the funeral procession would leave for the Invercargill Airport – home to the Sir Tim Shadbolt Terminal, via Tay Street and Clyde Street, before making its way to Eastern Cemetery for a private interment.

Mayor Shadbolt stands in front of his portrait in November, a piece that is titled Seriously. Stephen Jaquiery / ODT

Anyone who wants to pay their respects is invited to line the streets for the procession.

Sir Tim first came into the national spotlight as a student activist in the 1960s, drawing attention to issues including apartheid and the Vietnam War.

He donned the mayoral chains for the first time in Waitematā in 1983, holding them for six years.

He tried his luck again in 1992, standing for mayor in Auckland, Waitākere and Dunedin.

While he was unsuccessful in those races, he breezed into the top job the following year during a by-election in Invercargill.

He also dabbled in national politics, becoming the New Zealand First candidate for the Selwyn by-election in 1994 – less than a day after joining the party.

Sir Tim served in Invercargill until 1995, but was re-elected in 1998 and held onto the mayoral chains until an unsuccessful tilt in 2022.

Tim Shadbolt with a group of protesters outside the Auckland Town Hall in 1973 Te Ara / Public Domain

With the city in decline, he championed the Zero Fees scheme at the Southland Institute of Technology, in a bid to attract more to the south and keep more young people in the region.

Major buildings including Stadium Southland were built during his term, and others including the Civic Theatre were refurbished.

On the screen, he competed on Dancing with the Stars, broke the world record for the longest television interview – just over 26 hours – and made cameo appearances in the 2017 remake of Goodbye Pork Pie and The World’s Fastest Indian.

He became known as the man who put Invercargill on the map, with Invercargill Airport officially naming the Sir Tim Shadbolt Terminal last year to mark his legacy.

In a statement announcing his passing, his partner Asha Dutt said they lost the cornerstone of their family and the man who devoted himself to promoting Invercargill for almost 30 years.

“Tim was a kind-hearted man who cared deeply about the people around him. He was a champion for the underdog and an active political campaigner from his student days of anti-war protest, his activism for Māori rights, and his fight to keep the Southern Institute of Technology and Zero Fees autonomous.

“Tim will be remembered with gratitude, respect, and affection for his commitment to the south and his passion for life.”

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Weather: Thunderstorm warning for North Island

Source: Radio New Zealand

Thunderstorm warnings are in place for parts of the central North Island this morning.

MetService has forecast severe storms near Kawerau, Rotoehu, Totoitoi and Lake Tarawerea, as well as Rerewhakaaitu.

The storms are expected to move east-south-east later on Friday morning, and lie near Waiohau, Matahina, Murupara, Kopuriki, and Galatea.

MetService’s weather warnings and watches. MetService

MetService said the storms are expected to hit with very heavy rain.

It said a severe thunderstorm watch is in place for Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, and Waikato.

It comes after reports of small tornadoes in the North Island on Thursday.

A tornado happened near Orewa, north of Auckland, at about 7pm.

The second reported tornado was seen near the Waikato town of Ōtorohanga.

Luke Care and his wife live in Maihiihi, near the town, and he said the tornado formed very quickly.

The first thing they noticed was the power going out.

“I looked out the window and holy smokes, there’s this giant tornado ripping through the neighbour’s property, it’s quite scary actually,” he said.

He told RNZ it looked like a small water spout at first, and when he grabbed his camera it accelerated and “formed just a full on tornado”.

The tornado carried on up into mountains and then faded off in the distance, Care said.

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One dead after two-vehicle crash in Southland, three injured

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Robin Martin

A person has died following a crash in Winton on Thursday afternoon.

The two-vehicle crash on State Highway 6/Great North Road was reported just after 3pm.

One person died at the scene and three other people were injured in the crash.

One person suffered moderate injuries while two people were treated for minor injuries.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are underway, a police spokesperson said.

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