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Weather live: State of Emergency declared in Ōtorohanga

Source: Radio New Zealand

Flooding at Ōtorohanga Museum. Supplied / Amanda Kiddie

Ōtorohanga is under a State of Emergency after it was hit by widespread flooding and heavy rain.

Mayor Rodney Dow made the declaration at 12:57am on Saturday. It expires in seven days.

He said there had been reports of flooding, slips and inundation.

“The situation in Ōtorohanga is serious, and with nightfall upon us, it’s important we are prepared and have the right controls in place to provide help and support, including required evacuations if needed.”

Heavy rain warnings and watches are in place for much of the North Island, with downpours likely to continue throughout the day.

Orange heavy rain warnings are in place for Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne. Gisborne/Tai Rāwhiti, in particular, is expected to see a more sustained period of heavy rain.

There are also a heavy rain watches for Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Hawke’s Bay.

Multiple roads remain closed after significant flooding and slips.

Flooding in Waikato has closed State Highway 39 between Pirongia and Ōtorohanga. A detour is available via State Highway 3.

Whirinaki Valley Road in Horohoro is open under stop/go traffic management following a slip, but the Transport Agency warns the State Highway 30 road could close at short notice if weather conditions changed.

Towards Tai Rāwhiti, other roads remained closed following earlier storms.

State Highway 2 Waioweka Gorge is closed between Ōpōtiki to Mātāwai because of slips and flooding.

State Highway 35 is shut between Pōtaka and Te Araroa while it’s being repaired, while the stretch between Whakaangiangi Road and Te Araroa is also closed for the weekend, because of the adverse weather forecast.

See our live blog above for the latest updates.

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

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Ōtorohanga Museum’s precious taonga wrecked by floodwaters

Source: Radio New Zealand

Volunteers try to protect what they can from the rising floodwaters. Supplied / Amanda Kiddie

Several precious taonga from Ōtorohanga Museum will not be able to be saved after floodwaters rushed inside it.

Almost two dozen members of the community rallied to save what they could.

But it would not be until Saturday that the full extent of the damage could be gauged.

“So by the time we got inside we had called the fire brigade,” museum treasurer Amanda Kiddie said.

“There was nothing they could do of course because it was beyond sandbagging.

“We went inside, there were taonga floating around.”

Kiddie said about 20 people turned up to help, and she was immensely grateful to the community for doing so.

“All nationalities, all cultures, everybody just wanting to save our taonga, just amazing,” Kiddie said.

When she arrived water was above the bottom of the waka whare’s door, the museum’s biggest taonga.

They had to cut power because the power outlets were under water, but managed to save some delicate items.

Some whānau took items home for safety.

But the “beautiful” display boards could not be saved.

Damage to the waka would be looked at in the light of day.

Flooding at Ōtorohanga Museum. Supplied / Amanda Kiddie

“But the flood waters have actually touched our waka … we’re not quite sure how much there is to assess,” she said.

“Definitely I had some tears.”

As treasurer, Kiddie said she knew all the hard work, money and grants that had gone into the museum.

“And I looked at it and thought, wow, how much of that is now gone in the space of a few hours?”

She spoke to RNZ after she left the museum and was trying to get home to Maihiihi.

“There’s a few cars now stuck but thankfully some of the young local boys are standing there waving people back,” she said.

“The road is a mess, there’s lots of slips, lots of floodwater … there’s floods on roads we didn’t even know would flood.

“I mean, I can’t remember even reading the museum ever flooding,” Kiddie said.

Waikato Regional Council, just before 11pm on Friday, said 165.5mm of rain had fallen on the Pūniu River at Ngaroma in 12 hours.

The town has been flooded after 100mm of rain fell in 8hrs on Friday. Supplied / Amanda Kiddie

Church, marae stood up for people unable to get home

Ōtorohanga District Council said on Friday night that St David’s Church on Ranfurly Street was open to anyone who could not make it home.

“If you need somewhere warm and dry, please come by for a hot cup of tea and stay out of the rain,” it said.

The town’s wastewater system was overwhelmed and stretched to capacity, and the council urged people not to flush toilets or use unnecessary water.

“Reducing water use will help ease pressure on the network and minimise the risk of overflows,” it said.

“If you are experiencing flooding, please stay safe and avoid driving through floodwaters. If possible, stay home until conditions improve.”

Hauraki-Waikato MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi Clarke last night posted an update from Civil Defence.

It said Police and FENZ had arrived in Ōtorohanga and were meeting with the Civil Defence controller to get a full picture.

“There are multiple slips on state highway and local roads,” it said.

Waikato Tainui said Te Kotahitanga Marae was also open “for whanau to come to get warm and dry”.

Some roads in the Waipā district are closed due to severe flooding. Waipā District Council

The Waipā district

Waipā District Council last night said it was fielding multiple calls of flooding across the district.

This was particularly around Pirongia and Te Pahu, it said.

Flooding on Friday night closed Kakepuku Road, Corcoran Road, Grey Road and Waite Road in Te Pahu.

“Our teams are on the ground, and we’ll provide updates as soon as we can,” the council said.

Debris and boulders were being pushed onto roads.

Liz Parker, who lived on Corcoran Road, said things got bad quickly.

“There has been huge flooding all the way down our little tiny stream, ripping out a lot of plants and trees and bringing boulders down the river.

“I believe that there’s a big boulder or something that’s blocking the bridge.”

Parker said she had never seen it so bad in her five years living in the area.

Waipā Networks said last night it was responding to power outages caused by the severe weather and flooding, with several areas across its network affected.

“Flooded roads and challenging conditions are limiting crew access, and some customers will remain without power overnight,” it said.

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

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What makes a good break-up song?

Source: Radio New Zealand

It’s a situation that will be familiar to many of us: you’re hurting after the demise of a romantic relationship, and you hear a song, with its key, rhythm and lyrics, perfectly putting sound and words to the feeling in your heart.

You put it on high rotation, drawing out the pain and drip feeding your soul.

“It’s the emotion around that that a break-up song can help shift,” says Chris O’Connor, a music therapist at Auckland’s Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust.

“You know, emotions, I think it is fair to say, don’t serve us when they are bottled up and when we’re not expecting them.”

Break-up songs are high-income earners for the music industry. What would we listen to if Adele didn’t need to constantly dig herself out of a break-up hole? What pain will Taylor Swift mine in her songwriting now that she is months away from marriage?

Music therapist Chris O’Connor.

supplied

We love a good break-up song, even if we are not currently reeling from a break-up. But why do we love them, and what goes into making one?

Music’s ability to piece our soul

There is a profound mystery surrounding the way music affects our emotions and physical responses.

Patrick Whelan, a Harvard Medical School lecturer who has researched music and the brain, puts some of it down to evolutionary biology. Early mammals relied heavily on hearing to avoid predators, the sounds fueling a hyperfocused and hyperattentive state, according to Harvard Medical Magazine.

Then, there’s the Mozart effect, where studies have indicated that listening to the 18th-century composer’s music can improve spatial reasoning skills, increase IQ scores and reduce the frequency of seizures in some people with epilepsy. However, some of those results have been disputed by other academics.

Music breaks down our sense of being separate, and lifts us up in something unified, says O’Connor, adding that this is amplified when music is listened to live.

“Music is kind of unique in that it can do that so quickly and powerfully.”

Music therapy, done in groups or individually, can help participants process hardship, improve their ability to socialise and move through stuck emotions, especially when a song can take them back to a time and place of difficulty. Those who come to O’Connor for a private session can expect a room full of instruments, a record player and speakers to play music digitally. The client might want to play music or simply listen.

“Really, what I’m doing… is trying to find what sparks a person.

“I’m sort of sitting there listening as carefully as I can and turning up all my Spidey senses up to 11 to understand what it is about music that this particular person is excited about.”

Why do we love break-up songs?

Break-up songs help us to get stagnant emotions moving again, says O’Connor.

“Motion is an important part of the word emotion, and motion is about movement.”

Break-up songs enable you to wallow in sadness, says Godfrey de Gut, a musician, composer and ensemble arranger who teaches songwriting theory at the University of Auckland.

However, “you might choose to find songs of empowerment that pull you through the break up and remind you that you’ve gained more control of your life, or that it wasn’t your fault.

“I think we always need cues in terms of ways to remind us to feel a particular way or remind us of connections that we don’t need anymore.”

Is there a break-up song formula?

Yes, there is a well-trodden path to writing popular break-up songs, but artists have no problem veering off that track to surprise their listeners, says de Gut.

Minor chords, the sad sounding sibling to the happy major chords, are common in break-up songs. However, these songs are broader than lament, with some aiming to empower, he said, using Dua Lipa’s ‘Don’t Start Now’ as an example.

This video is hosted on Youtube.

“That’s an uptempo break-up song… It’s in a minor key, but it has a lot of major chord elements, [that] feel uplifting when they arrive.”

(My favourite break-up song, ‘Dog Days are Over’ by Florence and the Machine, isn’t technically a break-up song, and it’s in G Major with an upbeat tempo.)

This video is hosted on Youtube.

A hook in a song that starts with a major chord often provides a contrast that songwriters use to “amplify the message”, says de Gut. A hook can be musical or lyrical and is often the most memorable part of a song, like the song’s fingerprint or ID.

An example of this is in de Gut’s personal favourite break-up song, ‘I Don’t Know What To Do With Myself’. The song was first released by Dusty Springfield in 1964 and has been covered by numerous artists, including the White Stripes in 2003.

This video is hosted on Youtube.

In de Gut’s songwriting courses, he encourages students to come up with a melody first and then build the lyrics around it. That goes for all songs, not just break-up songs.

It is the “thing that connects with the human most quickly and then everything is secondary to that, for instance, the words or the groove or the beat.

“So, don’t think you’re going to be able to make a great break-up song unless your melody is really good.”

How the vocalist delivers the song can have more of an impact on O’Connor than the chords that are used. He also likes when a break-up song mashes together lyrics that convey heartbreak with a jovial beat and major chords.

“It can actually be super effective.”

What are the best break-up songs?

Arguably, the best break-up song is the one that feels like it was written for your specific break up.

Billboard Magazine created an extensive 100-song list that boldly claims to contain the “Best Break-up Songs of All Time”. Dolly Parton’s 1974 hit ‘I Will Always Love You’ comes in at number one. The song’s more famous rendition was sung by Whitney Houston for the film The Bodyguard.

De Gut’s favourite break-up song by a New Zealand artist is ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ by Gotye, who collaborated with New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra.

This video is hosted on Youtube.

For O’Connor, numerous New Zealand artists have provided us with break-up anthems, including the Phoenix Foundation’s ‘Sally,’ The Mutton Birds’ ‘Like this Train’ and SJD’s Helensville.

Kara Richard, the host of RNZ’s Music 101, recently asked listeners to text in their favourite break-up songs. Of the dozens of responses, no two were the same, ranging from Slipknot’s ‘Vermilion Pt. 2,’ an acoustic breakaway from their usual growling sound, to Billboard toppers like ‘Iris’ by the Goo Goo Dolls and under-the-radar indie’s like Marlon Williams’ ‘Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore’.

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

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Love, lies, and prime-time pressure

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Detail’s Amanda Gillies sat down with MAFS expert John Aiken for insight into this season’s highs and lows. RNZ

Former New Zealand cricket star turned Australian love expert John Aiken talks love, scandals and the show that changed reality TV

John Aiken was 15 minutes late for our 15-minute interview to talk about desperate Australian singles chasing their 15 minutes of fame.

A text message from his publicity team explained the problem: he loves to chat, especially about Married at First Sight. And, as a result, he was behind schedule.

Sydney-based Aiken is a relationship expert on the show and is in New Zealand on the publicity trail for the latest season, number 13. But there’s nothing unlucky about this season (unless you are an awkward couple looking for love).

One week in, and the show is already number one in Australia. It now airs in 120 countries, including New Zealand. And here, it’s a ratings hit for Three.

Aiken finally arrived at The Detail studio armed with a chocolate brownie, iced with “I can’t marry you”. He roars with laughter before quickly offering another brownie, this time emblazoned with “Love You”. He has a box of the treats, for each of his interviewers.

A relationship specialist and long-time husband to former New Zealand presenter Kelly Swanson Roe, Aiken loves love.

And that makes him a perfect fit for MAFS, a job he secured after responding to a “random email” that arrived in his inbox at his relationship psychologist practice in 2014, before the start of season one.

Back then, he thought it would be a one-season wonder – four couples took part in the social experiment where they met for the first time at the altar. Just six episodes aired.

“Everybody thought it would be one and done,” Aiken tells The Detail. “I was excited by it, scared by it. But also thinking in the back of my mind, this will be six episodes, and I’ll never see it again.”

But “the show exploded” with audiences quickly falling in love with the unpredictable tears, tantrums, and love drama.

And the now 40-episode show with 12 couples has made Aiken a star in his own right and one of the most recognisable faces in Australia.

But that comes at a cost – last year, he was cornered outside a cafe, filmed, and followed by a podcaster, who told him that the MAFS experts are the “real villains of this show”.

“It’s confronting, because your mind goes into this state of ‘how does someone know where you are?’, and ‘am I being followed?’, you sort of get paranoid, really,” Aiken says.

“And it rattles you a little bit because you are in a state where you feel like you could say something wrong, and you get a ‘gotcha moment’ that could hurt the show or could hurt you. And you are on edge.”

On the show, he’s also had plenty of “moments” with lovelorn contestants who take exception to his straightforward, no-nonsense advice. He’s not afraid to call out toxic behaviour and hold couples accountable for their often-outlandish behaviour.

“During the show, yes, they have had me on, used some colourful language.”

He says this year, audiences have to “brace themselves for a hectic and confronting season”.

“Because we have a group dynamic of very overpowering, domineering women who are going to come for everybody.”

They call themselves the boss babes.

“They band together at the hens’ night, and then they go forth, and they look to conquer anyone and anything during the experiment.

“It makes it very difficult for love to come through in such a toxic environment.”

About 12,000 Aussies now put their hands up to appear on the show every year. But this is then whittled down to the “top 30 or 40” for Aiken and the team to match up.

He appreciates that many are chasing their 15 minutes of fame, but contrary to popular belief, he insists nothing is scripted, singles aren’t plied with alcohol to create drama, and there isn’t a “villain edit … what you see on camera is exactly what you see off camera”.

“People will cross the road to abuse me, but they will also cross the road to thank me because it’s polarising, people will either love it or hate it. They don’t sit in the middle.

“But there are many myths.

“It is totally unscripted and unpredictable, that’s why I watch it like everyone else … even though I have lived it, I don’t know what’s going to make it to air.”

He says couples are told they will be constantly filmed, and it’s up to them how they act and what they say.

But he adds, the show does have “a system [and] a duty of care” to ensure contestants are well supported.

“They meet psychologists before going on the show, and they get fully assessed. They have social media training before they go on the show, and then they have psychologists on set and available to them throughout the show and then after the show indefinitely … so they can really access that support all the time.”

Over the past 12 seasons, just six couples have truly fallen in love and stayed together. But they are crucial to the show’s success.

“We need this – the show has to work, otherwise people aren’t going to watch it, if it was just chaos,” says Aiken, who admitted he wouldn’t be a contestant on the show.

There’s no sign of MAFS losing momentum; if anything, it’s getting bigger and more explosive.

“The show appeals to both singles and couples, so I think it has longevity to it. How long that will be, I’m not sure, but I certainly would love to see it out if I could.”

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.

You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

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

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Blues v Chiefs: What you need to know

Source: Radio New Zealand

Blues v Chiefs

Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 14 February

Eden Park, Auckland

Live updates on RNZ

Can the Chiefs overcome three straight years of heartbreak and finally win a Super Rugby Pacific title? Their quest starts tonight at Eden Park, where they face another team with redemption on their minds in the Blues.

New Chiefs coach Jonno Gibbes inherited a very strong squad from Clayton McMillan, one that most people tipped to win the competition last year. They made it all the way to the final, before losing to the Crusaders in Christchurch. The reason they had given up home ground advantage for that final was because of a loss to the Blues in the first round of the playoffs, so there’s definitely still some feeling over that one you’d think.

Jono Gibbes PHOTOSPORT

Team lists

Blues: 1 Joshua Fusitu’a, 2 Bradley Slater, 3 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 4 Sam Darry, 5 Josh Beehre, 6 Torian Barnes, 7 Dalton Papali’I (c), 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 9 Finlay Christie, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 11 Caleb Clarke, 12 Pita Ahki, 13 AJ Lam, 14 Cole Forbes, 15 Zarn Sullivan

Bench: 16 James Mullan, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Laghlan McWhannell, 20 Anton Segner, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Xavi Taele, 23 Codemeru Vai

Chiefs: 1 Jared Proffit, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 3 George Dyer, 4 Josh Lord, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 6 Kaylum Bosher, 7 Jahrome Brown, 8 Luke Jacobson, 9 Xavier Roe, 10 Josh Jacomb, 11 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 13 Daniel Rona, 14 Kyren Taumoefolau, 15 Etene Nanai-Seturo

Bench: 16 Tyrone Thompson, 17 Benet Kumeroa, 18 Reuben O’Neill, 19 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Tepaea Cook-Savage, 23 Kyle Brown

Blues team news

Tonga’s inside centre Pita Ahki dives across the line to score a try during the France 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool B match between Tonga and Romania at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, near Lille. AFP

Vern Cotter has sprung a bit of a surprise by selecting Torian Barnes at blindside, the Christchurch product set to make his Super Rugby Pacific debut. That moves Anton Segner to the bench, but Cotter explained that was part of a plan to negate the Chiefs’ ruck speed at the back end of the game. New signing Pita Ahki starts at second five, while Stephen Perofeta gets the first five spot for at least a month or so before Beauden Barrett becomes available.

Chiefs team news

Josh Jacomb of the Chiefs, Chiefs v Brumbies Super Rugby Pacific semi final rugby union match at FMG Stadium, Hamilton, New Zealand on Saturday 14 June 2025. Jeremy Ward / www.photosport.nz

No Damian McKenzie, so Josh Jacomb steps up for a good chance at 10. Xavier Roe is inside him as Gibbes continues McMillan’s policy of bringing All Black halfback Cortez Ratima off the bench. Kyren Taumoefolau debuts on the right wing after his shift from Moana Pasifika, Quinn Tupaea and Daniel Rona will be looking to continue their excellent form from last season too.

Key stats

Dalton Papali’i of the Blues. Blues v Western Force, round 7 of the Super Rugby Pacific competition at Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand on Friday 5 March 2024. Photo by Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

The Chiefs will be aiming for consecutive wins against the Blues at Eden Park for the first time since July 2014.

This is set to be the fifth meeting between the Blues and Chiefs in round one of a Super Rugby season, the Chiefs have won the last three encounters.

Dalton Papali’i was the player to make first contact on 132 tackles in the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season, the most of any player in the competition. His 212 tackles completed were the third most of any player across the campaign.

What they’re saying

“We’re very conscious of the Chiefs’ ability to go 60 minutes and apply pressure to have a very good 20 minutes at the end. I think the bench represents what they intend to do. So locking in for 60 and having players with experience and energy is going to be important to finish this game.” – Vern Cotter.

“I think one of the really pleasing parts is our utility factor in our backline. So we have a number of players who can play a number of positions, so that helps later on down the line, and squad health has a massive impact, there’s a lot of competition for the back three, and Kyren’s right in the middle of that.” – Jono Gibbes.

The last time they met

Blues 20 – 19 Chiefs

A try after the hooter by Josh Beehre sealed an upset win in Hamilton for the Blues, after an incredibly physical and tense match. The result meant that the Chiefs lost home ground advantage for the eventual final but also made up for the very poor start the Blues had to the 2025 season.

What’s going to happen

The Blues basically need to not be beaten at their own game like they were last season here at Eden Park. That night, the Chiefs simply rolled up their sleeves and did the dirty work, so this time around the Blues should show a bit more in the first half rather than simply relying on their heavy ball carriers. The Chiefs do have a great ability to switch up on the fly, if Jacomb can get front foot ball that will make that option far easier.

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

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Ōtorohanga under week-long state of emergency, more rain on the way

Source: Radio New Zealand

A slip on State Highway 39, Ōtorohanga. Supplied / Otorohanga Volunteer Fire Brigade

A local state of emergency has been declared in Ōtorohanga, Waikato, after the district was lashed by heavy rains.

The declaration was made at 12:57am on Saturday and will stay in effect for seven days.

Mayor Rodney Dow said the district had experienced widespread flooding, slips and inundation.

“The situation in Ōtorohanga is serious … it’s important we are prepared and have the right controls in place to provide help and support, including required evacuations if needed,” he said.

“I urge you to stay safe and do not venture out into floodwater.”

Ōtorohanga District Council said an emergency operations centre had been stood up in its chambers after the initial deluge.

Duty controller Dave Simes formally advised the council to declare the state of emergency to allow response agencies to draw on additional resources and powers, it said.

Infrastructure and emergency services have worked through the night to assess damage caused by the weather, including on water infrastructure and roading, the council said.

The Lines Company website showed some households have been without power overnight, with further outages reported in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Heavy rain warnings and watches remain in place for much of the North Island, with downpours likely to continue throughout the day.

MetService has issued orange heavy rain warnings for Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne. Gisborne/Tai Rāwhiti, in particular, is expected to see a more sustained period of heavy rain.

There are also a heavy rain watches in place for Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Hawke’s Bay.

Multiple roads remain closed after significant flooding and slips.

A slip on State Highway 39, Ōtorohanga. Supplied / Otorohanga Volunteer Fire Brigade

Flooding in Waikato has closed State Highway 39 between Pirongia and Ōtorohanga. A detour is available via State Highway 3.

Whirinaki Valley Road in Horohoro is open under stop/go traffic management following a slip, but the Transport Agency warns the State Highway 30 road could close at short notice if weather conditions chang.

Towards Tai Rāwhiti, other roads remain blocked following recent storms.

State Highway 2 Waioweka Gorge is closed between Ōpōtiki to Mātāwai because of slips and flooding.

State Highway 35 is shut between Pōtaka and Te Araroa while it’s being repaired. The stretch between Whakaangiangi Road and Te Araroa is closed until Monday, because of the adverse weather forecast.

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

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As it happened: Warnings across North Island

Source: Radio New Zealand

A State of Emergency has been declared in Ōtorohanga, after the district was hit by widespread flooding and heavy rain.

The declaration took effect immediately when it was signed at 12:57am and expires in seven days.

Mayor Rodney Dow said there had been reports of flooding, slips and inundation.

“The situation in Ōtorohanga is serious, and with nightfall upon us, it’s important we are prepared and have the right controls in place to provide help and support, including required evacuations if needed.”

Significant flooding and slips have closed highways in Ōtorohanga, Waikato, as heavy rain hits the region.

Heavy rain warnings and watches are in place for much of the North Island, with downpours likely to continue into Saturday morning.

An orange heavy rain warning is in place for Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty including Rotorua and Gisborne/Tai Rāwhiti.

Meanwhile, Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Waikato and Waitomo as well as Hawke’s Bay and Manawatū are all under a heavy rain watch.

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

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Super Rugby Pacific: Highlanders v Crusaders

Source: Radio New Zealand

Caleb Tangitau scores a try during the Super Rugby Pacific – Highlanders v Crusaders at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Marty Melville/Photosport

Jamie Joseph may well have a new job next by weekend, but he can enjoy a brilliant start to his unfancied Highlanders side’s season for now. They scored a thoroughly deserved 25-23 win over the defending champion Crusaders at Forsyth Barr Stadium, first five Cam Millar ice cold when he knocked over a 50m penalty goal in the 78th minute.

It was sweet redemption for Millar, who missed a similar shot the last time these sides met that would’ve sent the game to extra time. He wasn’t alone in his heroics, with the entire Highlanders squad playing their part in an outstanding defensive effort.

The first half featured some big plays from the home side, who effected crucial turnovers through Jack Taylor, Lucas Casey and Timoci Tavatavanawai to snuff out some excellent Crusaders’ chances close to the tryline.

Down the other end, the one real chance the Highlanders had was taken when Caleb Tangitau showed his pace to burn around two defenders, after a messy move in midfield saw space open up out wide.

The Crusaders’ only first half try came off a fair bit of luck, after Millar spilled the ball only for it to fall for Sevu Reece. One good pass and a quick ruck later Noah Hotham saw an empty blindside to scoot away and score in the corner.

A Rivez Reihana penalty goal on the stroke of halftime gave the Crusaders the lead, but that only lasted a few minutes after the break when the Highlanders scored back to back tries. Angus Ta’avao first found himself far too much space after a Jonah Lowe break, then Lowe got in on the act himself when he finished off a sweeping move from inside their own half.

The Crusaders hit back with a try to Will Jordan after Rob Penney elected to make six substitutions at once, but even the injections of key All Blacks couldn’t crack the resolute Highlanders defence again.

The defending champs had to settle for a Taha Kemara penalty to edge out in front, which only set up Millar’s big kick at the end to give the Highlanders a morale-boosting win. They came in with a cloud over Joseph’s future, plus the loss of All Black lock Fabian Holland for the season. It will still be an uphill battle for the traditional strugglers, but they certainly showed what they’re capable of when in the mood.

It won’t get any easier next weekend, when the Highlanders host the Chiefs. Meanwhile, the Crusaders will be licking their wounds before a meeting with the Brumbies in Christchurch.

Read how the game unfolded here:

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

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South-western Waikato: Flooding, avoid travel

Source: New Zealand Police

Police are advising motorists in the south-western Waikato area, including Otorohanga District, Waipa District and Te Awamutu, to stay off the roads this evening due to heavy rainfall and flooding. 

SH39 south of Pirongia is closed, and it’s expected that other roads, including SH3 south of Kihikihi, may close over the coming hours. 

Police recommend delaying travel if at all possible.  

ENDS 

Issued by Police Media Centre 

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Significant flooding, SH1, Oruanui, Taupō

Source: New Zealand Police

State Highway 1 is currently experiencing significant flooding in the Orauanui, Taupō area.

Police began receiving reports of flooding around 6.30pm.

Thankfully, no one has been reported to be injured.

Police are advising the public to stay sheltered and delay travel.

ENDS