NZ Engine

Source: Radio New Zealand

Traffic has been building on a main road in Auckland’s North Shore, after a car flipped in a crash.

Police said a car crashed into a parked vehicle on Waipa Street in Birkenhead and then rolled at about 3pm Sunday.

One person was taken to North Shore hospital in a moderate condition.

There have been reports of heavy traffic in the area.

Police said the scene had been cleared.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A dozen fire crews and several helicopters have responded to a fire in Rotherham, a small Canterbury settlement south of Hanmer Springs.

A shed and about 100 square metres of vegetation were ablaze, but sweltering temperatures and high winds had emergency services on alert.

Fire and Emergency (FENZ) said crews on the scene were working to contain the fire, with more on their way, including three helicopters.

On Friday, FENZ suspended all fire permits for Canterbury, warning of extreme fire danger Sunday.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

More than 70 percent of those impacted by the Manage My Health breach are based in Northland, according to Health NZ.

The ransomware group behind the attack, Kazu, demanded US$60,000 (NZD$105,000) after hundreds of thousands of medical files were stolen from the privately-operated patient portal, used by some general practices around New Zealand.

So far, Manage My Health has notified around half of the approximately 120,000 patients whose data has been stolen.

The breach was limited to 6-7 percent of 1.8 million registered users, within the ‘My Health Documents’ module only, according to Manage My Health.

A spokesperson for Health NZ said it was estimated that 86,000 people in Northland were impacted.

Health NZ said it would be ensuring support is available for those in the region.

Alex Pimm, group director of operations for Northland, said it was looking for funding to allow general practices to provide consultation.

He said it would be for those impacted to discuss their clinical information as well as for mental wellbeing support.

Those who are impacted by the data breach will also be provided with an 0800 number to call.

Pimm said Health NZ used Manage My Health in Northland to enable patients to access some documents – such as their hospital discharge summaries, clinic letters, and referral notifications.

“This system allows consumers, with or without a primary care provider, to access this important information,” he said.

“While Health NZ’s own data systems have not been compromised, any issue involving patient information is taken very seriously.”

Northland is the only area of the country where Health NZ uses Manage My Health to share information with patients.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Bluebridge has cancelled all of the Connemara sailings through to Tuesday.

A problem with the winch that controls the stern door led to 200 passengers being stuck for 15 hours on Thursday.

It said it has been working hard to establish a timeframe to fix the problem, but that is not yet clear.

Further cancellations were possible for next week, and Bluebridge would be contacting affected customers directly.

Bluebridge had apologised expressing disappointment for having a mechanical issue during peak travel period.

Some passengers had previously expressed frustration at the delays, but many praised the work of the crew to keep them comfortable and up to date with the situation.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

There are fears New Zealanders are becoming more complacent around fire safety at home, Fire and Emergency (FENZ) says.

The number of fatal house fires increased to 17 for the year ending June 2025, compared to 13 in the 12 months prior.

There have been at least eight fatal house fires since July last year.

FENZ risk reduction and investigations manager Pete Gallagher said there had been a concerning uptick in devastating blazes beginning in the kitchen.

“We saw a decline in this a few years ago and now it’s starting to rise back up again.,” he said.

“And that’s a real concern because pretty much everyone’s involved in the cooking process at some time in their life. And so it’s really important that they understand that that’s a high-risk activity and they need to be aware of the dangers it creates.”

FENZ said people over 65 were at greater risk.

“That’s possibly just due to not being able to react perhaps as quickly to the circumstances around them. Which is why it’s so important that everyone has a smoke alarm so that they get the early warning that something’s gone wrong and they can start making their way out of the house as early and as quickly as possible.”

Although it was difficult to pinpoint the reasons for an increase in cooking-related fires, Gallagher felt a “complacency attitude” had potentially crept in.

“Of course, as we come into the summer months and people are cooking outside, they’re cooking on barbecues. These are very high-heat items. The grill plate is often a lot hotter than the surface of a stove.

“And so we need to adjust our cooking habits a little bit and associate the risk to the surroundings from the cooking method we’re using.”

People cooking outside with a barbecue needed to ensure it was not pushed hard-up against the house, and allow an air gap.

FENZ urged people to visit the Check It’s Alright website before cooking on a campfire.

“We need to keep an eye on the weather conditions to make sure the wind doesn’t get up. And if it does, then it’s time to extinguish the fire and make sure it’s well out before we leave the camping area.”

Fires caused by lithium-powered batteries also remained an ongoing problem, Gallagher said. FENZ reported last year fires linked to lithium batteries had more than doubled in four years.

“These devices contain a huge amount of energy. And when that’s released, it can happen quite violently, causing a very rapid fire growth or rapid fire development.”

The summer period was particularly risky for lithium-powered devices, as they did not like being exposed to excessive heat.

“Just think about not leaving the cellphone sitting in the car in the hot sun, because that can cause the lithium battery to malfunction within the phone,” Gallagher said.

“Laptop, scooter, whatever the device is, that can cause a real significant fire very, very quickly.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hastings is forecast to hit 37C on Sunday, and neighbouring Napier an almost equally sweltering 36C, as a wave of heat – and heat warnings – spread across the country.

But several warnings for rain and strong winds are also in place, particularly in the South Island and Wellington.

Heat alerts, first introduced in 2021, were in place for various locations, including Whangārei, Whitianga, Tauranga, Whakatāne, Rotorua, Taupō, Gisborne, Napier, Blenheim, Kaikōura, Christchurch and Timaru.

Hastings however had the highest forecast peak of 37C in the afternoon, down one degree from the 38C forecasters previously predicted.

That would still exceed 2025’s peak 35.6 degrees, recorded in Kawerau on 7 December.

Hastings Deputy Mayor Michael Fowler said people should avoid spending too much time in the sun.

“Keep out of the heat, keep hydrated, look after your neighbours, look after your pets.”

The district council had taken measures to prepare for the heat. It had closed Te Mata Park and told staff and contractors to avoid work that could create sparks – but residents also needed to ensure they were prepared to deal with near record temperatures, he said.

“Hastings used to get very excited about a 35C heat. Well this is going to be more than that… People need to be absolutely vigilant about this and take it seriously.”

The top of the North Island – including Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty and the East Cape – would be “fine and warm” with “patchy morning fog and cloud about Auckland and Northland”, MetService said.

The lower half of the North Island would have “cloudy periods. Showers about the Tararua Range, and a few elsewhere in the evening. Northwest gales for Wellington and Wairarapa.”

“Avoid lighting outdoor fires or doing any activities that may cause sparks or heat, and ensure any previous fires are fully extinguished,” Fire and Emergency said in a warning on its website.

Despite the heat, several weather warnings were in place across the country.

Most of Westland, and Fiordland north of Doubtful Sound, were under orange-level heavy rain warnings until 9am Sunday, as were the Westland ranges and headwaters of the Canterbury lakes until 9pm.

Orange-level strong-wind warnings were in place overnight for much of inland and high-country Canterbury, and they took effect at 3am for Marlborough, and at 6am for much of the Wellington region, where severe gale northwesterlies gusting up to 120km/h in exposed places were forecast.

Thundery rain was possible in the Buller/Grey districts, while Westland and Fiordland could expect “rain with heavy falls and possible thunderstorms”.

Rain and scattered showers were forecast to fall in Canterbury, Otago and Southland, with possible thunderstorms in the Queenstown Lakes District.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand