NZ Engine

Source: Radio New Zealand

Northland and Auckland residents should “be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions”, MetService has warned, with possible thunderstorms on the horizon.

“Afternoon and early evening heating and wind convergence bring a moderate risk

of thunderstorms,” the forecaster said on Friday morning.

“Localised downpours” of 25 to 40mm/h were possible.

“Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips.”

MetService said the severe thunderstorm watch was in place until at least 9pm, with the possibility of being upgraded to a warning.

As for the weekend, MetService has issued an orange heavy rain warning for Gisborne/Tai Rāwhiti, lasting 24 hours from 11am Saturday, with a low chance of upgrading to a red warning.

A similar warning was in place for Hawke’s Bay north of Napier and the Ruahine Range between 9am Saturday and 11pm.

Wild weather hit much of the country over the New Year period, including the popular Rhythm and Vines festival.

Scientists in November predicted a wet and humid summer.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The operator of a ferris wheel in Christchurch says three men were warned to stop swinging their bucket, just before they fell.

Two of the men were seriously injured when they fell from the ride at the Rolling Meadow Festival at Bottle Lake at about 2am on New Year’s Day.

St John ambulance said they took the injured men to hospital.

Operator of the ride, Event Hire, said in a statement that three men purchased tickets for one of the final rides of the evening, and all patrons are assessed prior to boarding to ensure they are fit to ride safely.

“During the ride, the operator observed the three men swinging the bucket they were sitting in and immediately told them to stop as it was against the safety rules and dangerous,” the company said.

“As the operator began the process of stopping the ride and safely unloading all occupants, the bucket which the men had made swing tipped and they fell out.”

Qualified medical personnel were already onsite and the men received prompt treatment before two of them were taken to hospital for further assessment, the statement said.

Owner of the company, Phil Anderson, said the safety of riders and the public is their “absolute priority”.

“Our rides operate under clearly displayed safety rules and are overseen by trained staff, including measures to ensure patrons are fit to participate,” he said.

“As this matter is now under investigation, we will not be providing further comment at this time.”

A WorkSafe spokesperson said they have issued a prohibition notice, which prevents use of the ferris wheel until the department is satisfied an engineering expert has fully investigated and reported back to the device owner, Event Hire.

“The notice also requires a copy of the engineer’s report to be provided to WorkSafe,” they said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Members of the NZ Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) will walk off the job for an hour at midday on Friday.

The union says pay talks with Fire and Emergency (FENZ) have broken down.

FENZ deputy national commander Megan Stiffler said 111 calls would be answered during the hour, but responses would be delayed.

“Our dispatch system will direct volunteers from their own stations to help as they regularly do when there are multiple emergencies at one time, but it will take them longer,” Stiffler said.

“Businesses should take care with any work practices that could result in fire, and make sure their tenants understand their evacuation schemes and procedures.

“We are advising everyone that, should there be a fire, they should evacuate early and, once out, stay out, and call 111.”

FENZ previously applied for independent facilitation to put an end to its long running dispute with the firefighters union.

NZPFU began pay talks with FENZ in July 2024.

FENZ said the union’s most recent proposal was more than three times its offer and far beyond what it was willing to agree to.

“We’re asking the Employment Relations Authority to provide facilitation to help bring the parties together because of the protracted nature of bargaining and the impact on public safety from prolonged and repeated strike action,” Stiffler said in a statement.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

An investigation is underway after two people died at an address in a Bay of Plenty township.

Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Wilson said officers were called to a house on Old Coach Road in Pukehina about 3pm on Thursday as a woman had died.

In the early hours of Friday morning, police were called back to the same property where a man has been found dead in a separate house.

On Thursday, a 50-year-old man was arrested and charged in relation to the woman’s death.

He was taken into custody as is due to appear in Tauranga District Court on Friday, charged with assault on a person in a family relationship.

Meanwhile, the man’s death was being treated as unexplained.

Wilson said scene examinations were being conducted to work out exactly what has happened.

He said police were not ruling out further arrests or charges.

Post-mortems for both the woman and the man would take place.

“Police would like to speak with anyone who has information about what has happened, or who may have visited the Old Coach Road address between 7pm Wednesday 31 December 2025 and 3am Friday 2 January 2026.

“If you can help, please make a report through 105, either online or over the phone, and reference file number: 260101/9901.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Health Minister has described the breach of private health records as concerning, but says there’s no clinical impact on patient care as a result.

The country’s largest patient information portal, ManageMyHealth, confirmed on Wednesday it had identified a cyber security incident involving “unauthorised access” to its platform.

Roughly 1.8 million people are registered on the ManageMyHealth portal. The company said between six and seven percent may be affected.

A cyber crime group claiming to have the data was demanding $60,000 ransom by 15 January.

Health Minister Simeon Brown said government agencies were working with ManageMyHealth to fully understand the scope of the breach and to protect the privacy of patients.

“This is a concerning breach of patient data and Health NZ is working closely with ManageMyHealth to ensure it is being appropriately addressed,” he said.

“At this stage, there is no evidence any Health NZ systems, including My Health Account, have been compromised as ManageMyHealth has separate systems.”

Brown was expecting a co-ordinated and robust response.

“I expect ManageMyHealth will continue to keep the public informed as more verified information becomes available and will put appropriate measures in place to ensure patient safety and privacy are protected and given the highest priority.”

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has said it will help ManageMyHealth to notify those affected by the breach.

“Given the highly sensitive nature of health information, we will be working closely with them as they step through the complex process of notifying affected individuals,” a spokesperson said.

“Our initial focus in this situation is to support [ManageMyHealth], and it is too early to anticipate what if any further action [the Office of the Privacy Commissioner] might take.”

But Labour Party health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall said users had every right to be concerned over the breach.

She said ManageMyHealth users should have been contacted directly much sooner.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand