NZ Engine

Source: Radio New Zealand

Bay of Plenty Regional Council has activated its flood room protocols as it prepares for a downpour.

MetService has issued an orange heavy rain warning for Bay of Plenty until 11pm on Wednesday, with 80mm to 110mm of rain on top of what has already fallen expected.

In a statement on social media the Bay of Plenty Regional Council said it was reacting as a result of the wet weather.

“This means our flood team is set up to monitor the situation 24/7 as it develops. We will be providing real-time river level information to supporting agencies (such as local councils and Waka Kotahi), to assist with planning and responding to local communities.

“We’ll also have our flood monitoring team out in the field. It’s their job to be the eyes and ears on the ground, checking flood defences (such as stopbanks and floodwalls), monitoring river levels, flows and rainfall and reporting back to the Flood Room.”

The council said members of its operations team were also out in the community, checking the condition of the flood infrastructure, assessing the weather conditions in key areas and pumping out flood waters from any drainage canals where needed.

“Your local council is also monitoring the situation and will be providing updates via their websites and social media channels around roading, blocked culverts/drains, and water/stormwater/wastewater.”

Heaviest rain in Auckland CBD

Meanwhile, central Auckland bore the brunt of the rain earlier on Wednesday, MetService says.

Orange heavy rain warnings are in place for Northland, Auckland and Great Barrier Island (until 2pm), Waitomo, Waikato and Taupō (until 6pm), Bay of Plenty (until 11pm) and Tongariro National Park (until 10pm).

MetService meteorologist Samkelo Magwala said all those areas had received a “decent amount” of rain overnight.

It was heaviest in Auckland, particularly in the central city, he said.

Have you been caught up in the weather? Share your stories and pictures with us at iwitness@rnz.co.nz

“Some stations in Auckland have recorded about 15.5mm of rain in the period of an hour, some even as high as 21mm of rain,” he said.

There was a possibility of flooding with that amount of rain, Magwala said.

The band of rain would move eastwards throughout the day, easing before another band was due to ramp up again in the afternoon.

Gisborne was not under a weather warning, but the rain was heading that way later this afternoon, he said.

After Wednesday, high pressure would begin to build, Magwala said, “giving us some more settled weather for a couple of days”.

Taumarunui and Taihape north of Ohakune, as well as Taranaki are also under heavy rain watches until Wednesday.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi reported flooding on State Highway 25 Whitianga to Tairua on Wednesday morning with delays and detours expected until further notice.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Four people charged over the death of a woman whose body was found in plastic bags in the waters of Auckland’s Gulf Harbour, have chosen to represent themselves at their trial next year.

The body, which was discovered by a fisherman in March last year, was later identified as 70-year-old Shulai Wang.

Two men and two women are facing charges of kidnapping and manslaughter, and are set to face trial in May next year.

All have interim name suppression.

The younger of the men is also facing additional charges of perverting the course of justice and giving false information to immigration officers.

At an administrative appearance at the High Court in Auckland on Wednesday, their lawyer Ron Mansfield told the court the four defendants wanted to act on their own behalf for their trial, and he was withdrawing from the case.

Justice Mathew Downs spoke to each of the defendants, two of whom needed the assistance of a Mandarin interpreter, to confirm their decision.

“You understand that you and other defendants are facing a serious charge as manslaughter,” Justice Downs asked the younger of the two male defendants.

The defendant said “We understand”.

Asked if he wished to represent himself, the man said: “yes we all do”.

Justice Downs said he would ask each of the defendants separately as the man shouldn’t be able to speak for all the others.

He also told the man “I don’t know a human on the earth that would recommend you defend yourself”, but later added he respected their decision.

The younger of the two female defendants also told the judge that she wished to defend herself in trial.

The remaining two defendants, who required interpretation, appeared confused when asked by Justice Downs what they wanted to do in the criminal trial.

Justice Downs told the younger male defendant that he could appoint standby lawyers to help them with their defences, and asked if he would like to do that.

The defendant said, “we still prefer we can communicate directly with the court so there will be no misunderstanding”.

Justice Downs approved Mansfield’s application to withdraw from the case and said he needed to reflect on what should be done in relation to the defendants.

He set a date in December to discuss with the defendants about their decision to self-represent, and whether standby lawyers will be appointed for each of them.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police attended 7370 fewer mental health-related requests in the year to June, a result of the deliberate plan to wind back on responding to calls for help.

The department expects to respond to even fewer calls this year as it enters phase three of that plan.

Under phase three, which kicked off on Monday:

• Non-emergency mental health-related requests will be assessed against updated guidance to determine if police assistance is required. This includes requests for assistance under legislation, requests for assistance from in-patient mental health units and other requests from mental health services to police;
• Reports of missing persons with mental health concerns (including those who have left mental health facilities and services or EDs) will be assessed against updated guidance to determine the appropriate police involvement.

The phased approach began a year ago and has so far involved police limiting the time spent with someone in an emergency department, raising the threshold for transport of someone with a mental illness, and tightening rules around where mental health assessments can take place.

Police maintain they will attend calls if there has been an offence committed or if there is a risk to life or safety.

Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson told Nine to Noon they were comfortable with the roll-out of phases one and two and were now ready to move to the next level.

Health NZ director of specialist mental health and addiction Karla Bergquist said mental health practitioners in particular were being given much clearer guidance about when it is appropriate to seek police assistance.

“The other thing that has been happening in the background as we prepare for this phase is making that much more consistent across the country and helping our staff to communicate what’s needed very clearly to police so that they can make good decisions about their involvement.”

But while police were rolling back their attendance, they would still respond when situations met their updated guidelines.

Johnson said on the first day of the phase three roll-out they had an example of a non-urgent request for transport which was granted.

“We had a request in Gore down south on Monday where mental health services reached out for a transport. We did an assessment and sent some police staff to assist.”

Johnson said the process for responding when people were missing with mental health concerns had been streamlined and training for both police and health staff updated.

“We want to make sure that where it’s required we will absolutely get our police staff there, but that’s not in all cases.”

The fourth and final phase, which Johnson said was scheduled for early next year, would see 15-minute ED handovers, and police lifting the threshold for welfare checks where there is not believed to be a risk of criminality or safety.

In emergency situations both the public and health practitioners were still advised to call 111.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fire and Emergency says Auckland crews have been called in to assist with the dampening down of hotspots after a storage building fire at Port Whangārei.

It says crews were alerted to a fire on Kioreroa Road at the port about 7:30pm on Tuesday.

The two-storey commercial building is used for the storage and installation of solar panels and lithium batteries.

At the height of the incident there were 11 crews attending, including a ladder truck from Auckland.

Advice from emergency services for residents to keep their windows and doors closed due to smoke drift was lifted just before 1.30am on Wednesday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Former Māori Party MP Hone Harawira is calling for its ousted MPs to be brought back “into the team”, for the party to make a “public declaration of commitment”, and a national reconciliation tour before getting “back to ^#$% work”.

He also dispelled speculation he would be rejoining the party in a formal role, saying it was not time to “jockey” for positions or power.

“In case anyone is asking – I’m not putting my hand up for MP for the Tai Tokerau, nor am I wanting to be the president of Te Pāti Māori.”

In a Facebook post shortly after midnight on Wednesday, Harawira said he had stayed out of the “public debate raging over the Māori Party” until now, “because our comments often get misinterpreted, and because the right-wing media always churns our words into racist click-bait”.

Te Pāti Māori has been in a period of turmoil culminating in the expulsion of MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris.

On the anniversary of the Toitū te Tiriti hīkoi arriving at Parliament last year, Harawira said he had not read the “he said – she said” stuff, as sometimes the detail “clouds the bigger picture”.

He said Māori were having to deal with the “greatest barrage of racist, anti-treaty, anti-environment, anti-worker legislation we have ever seen from one government”.

Harawira said the “once all-powerful Te Pāti Māori” was now tearing itself apart with “not an enemy in sight” and the “rest of our people are wondering what the hell is going on?”

“These are the people we marched for just 12 months ago, the people we marched with when we took to the roads in the biggest protest march this country has ever seen.

“We arrived in Wellington in a blaze of treaty power. We gave our people hope that our unity could overcome, we gave them belief in themselves, and now we’re telling them ‘taihoa – we’ll just tear it all apart and start again’.”

Harawira said people did not understand what was happening with the party, but were more focused on “benefit cuts, rising prices, treaty rights stripped, land rights removed, school food programs slashed, language belittled, drugs and alcohol, homelessness, domestic violence, joblessness, jail, suicide all on the rise”.

He said “our people” should be at the forefront of the party’s priorities and focus.

“But they aren’t. They’re stranded on the sidelines, waiting for us to get this shit sorted out so we can get back to hammering the government and building our base.”

Harawira said people would not support the expulsion of two MPs – “so we need to bring them back in” – but neither would people support ousting the current leadership.

He said the solution was not in blaming anyone or one side winning, nor could the solution be found in a new party and “forcing our people to take sides”.

“A lasting memory I have from when I split with the Māori Party in 2011 was the confusion and sadness on the faces of our kuia, something I’d never want to see again.”

He made a list of recommendations:

1. Bring Meno and Takuta back into the team.

2. Bring the whole team together to discuss a way forward.

3. Outline plans to manage differences and disputes.

4. Agree to a workplan focussed on Te Pāti Māori kaupapa.

5. Make a public declaration of commitment and action to our people.

6. Take the team on a national reconciliation tour.

7. Then get back to ^#$% work. We got a government to overthrow.

Harawira said only with a strong united front of Te Pāti Māori MPs can a Māori, Greens, Labour coalition overthrow the current government in 2026.

“If we don’t get rid of them next year, all the damage they have done will be entrenched over the next three, and all the gains of the past 25 years will be lost.”

His warnings came with a call to everyone to step up and work together, to “rebuild the team”, not because “we love each other, let’s call that a work in progress” he said, “but because we love our people more”.

“Let us make the sacrifices necessary to rebuild the team that helped put us all into parliament in the first place – Te Pāti Māori.

“Let us find a quiet space without constitutional clauses, lawyers and too many relations, be open to hearing and sharing, and be willing to apologise for our own shortcomings and forgive others for theirs.

“Let us rebuild the strength, commitment and unity of Team Māori.”

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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 Far North District Council is warning Kāeo residents their decade-long water woes won’t be fixed instantly.

Late yesterday the national water authority used its legal powers to take over a private water supply and order the council to operate it.

It was the first time Taumata Arowai had invoked those powers under the Water Services Act 2021.

That unprecedented intervention followed 10 years of residents having to boil their drinking water, months of unsuccessful discussions, and 30 days with no running water at all.

The council’s head of infrastructure, Tanya Proctor, said people connected to Kāeo’s town supply would be relieved staff could now act to restore water.

However, she warned that goal would not be achieved immediately.

It was the first time Taumata Arowai had used its powers to take control of a water supply, so the council had to work through several legal issues – including access to the treatment plant, which was located on a property owned by a third party.

“We need to negotiate access with the owner and only then will we be able to inspect the water treatment plant.”

The next step would be to restore the water supply to residents and businesses as quickly as possible.

Once water was flowing again, it was likely customers would still have to boil it before drinking.

Before taps ran dry a month ago, the privately-owned Kāeo scheme had been on a boil water advisory for 10 years.

Council staff would then begin a full assessment of the treatment plant and pipe network, and come up with options for a long-term solution.

Ms Proctor said the council was grateful to the owner of Wai Care, the company that owned the water supply, for agreeing to forego the normal 90-day period for putting in place statutory management.

Kāeo’s water scheme, which supplied fewer than 30 homes and businesses along the town’s main street, was originally council owned but sold to Doubtless Bay Water in the year 2000.

In 2008 the company said the scheme was no longer viable and planned to close it down. It was instead bought by Wai Care Environmental Consultants for a nominal sum.

The owner of the land where the treatment plant is located trespassed Wai Care staff earlier this year, saying the company had failed to pay rent for the past seven years.

A water tanker, provided by the council, continues to be stationed in Kāeo from 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday.

The council had previously been reluctant to intervene in Kāeo’s troubled water scheme, saying there was no funding set aside for it in the Long Term Plan.

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