Author: Press Room

Twenty-one fire trucks were called to a fire at a commercial laundromat in Auckland’s Henderson last night. Fire and Emergency New Zealand was called to the Henderson Valley Road building at around 9.08pm. “When crews arrived, they found the building well ablaze and called for more resources,” a FENZ spokesperson said. Crews from across Auckland were called to the two-storey building, which was being used as a commercial laundromat. A total of 21 fire trucks, including three ladder trucks, a command unit, and multiple support vehicles, were at the scene. “A high-reach ladder was also brought in from Parnell that…

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Ten cows are dead after a vehicle collided with a herd of them near Palmerston North yesterday evening. Emergency services were called to Napier Road, State Highway 3, near Ashurst at around 8.30pm following reports of a “collision between a vehicle and a herd of cows”. Police said the driver of the vehicle suffered moderate injuries. Police said 10 of the 20 cows in the herd had died, while four had been injured. Both lanes were blocked following the crash, and diversions were put in place while the road was cleared.

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Two people have been seriously injured after a head-on crash involving a stolen car on Auckland’s Northern Motorway this morning. The crash happened around 6.20am at the Wainui off-ramp and led to a two-hour-long closure of the motorway.One of the vehicles involved, a stolen Toyota Aqua driven by a youth, entered the Northern Motorway at the off-ramp and drove against the flow of traffic. “The car travelled roughly 50 metres before it collided with an unsuspecting member of the public, who effectively had no time to react,” Inspector Danny Meade said.Police had been tracking the vehicle after it was stolen…

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Gold mining giant Santana has been told to stop any activity at Bendigo it does not have consent to do. Environmental group Sustainable Tarras this week claimed Santana had been operating an industrial factory to process drill samples and co-ordinate drilling crews at Bendigo for years. The Central Otago District Council, which is responsible for land use rules in the area, says it has not approved any activity related to the mining company other than road widening. A council spokesperson said Santana had applied for consent for proposed mining activity in Thomsons Gorge Rd including a borrow pit, workers’ camp…

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An Auckland mental health programme catering for people with long-standing or chronic problems will shut down.On Thursday afternoon, Health NZ told patients and staff of Rauaroha Segar House the service would close its doors.Operating from its central-city Khyber Pass Rd base, Segar House is a publicly-funded, intensive programme that involves group therapy and is focused on allowing people to function in society.The service had an allocation of seven full-time equivalent staff members, although RNZ was told it had been operating below that, and 10 patients at any given time.Health NZ has been consulting on its proposal to shut Segar House…

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The headline states, “This valley is no longer safe for overnight stays — and DOC isn’t explaining why”.The story that follows conjures a scene from a horror film. Something odd has been going on in Whakataki valley, east of Mount Aspiring National Park, the article claims.”Today, it’s officially been closed to overnight stays — and the Department of Conservation isn’t saying exactly why.”A former hut warden, identified only by their first name, is quoted. An anonymous DOC worker adds, “there’s more going on than we can talk about right now”.As intriguing as it all sounds, none of it is true.This…

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Two-thirds of builders are struggling with lower demand as the construction sector faces widespread job losses and new concerns about coming workforce shortages.A new survey reveals project cancellations now impact more than a third of businesses, while over 60% say it’s harder to keep their job lists full compared to a year ago.NZ Certified Builders’ Michael Bottrill said he had “certainly heard of some poor chaps having to shut up shop” with a lot of businesses “coming close”. “Certainly [I’ve] heard of apprentices being let go … it’s fair to say that’s because of a lack of work,” he said.Electrical…

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Dunedin’s Meridian Mall has seen a “noticeable uptick” in retail inquiries over the past year. Two new tenants have already been added to its lineup over the past month, while an established tenant has upgraded to a larger shopfront. The mall has also teased the debut of three new brands to the city in coming months. The Icon Group managing director Robert Platt said the mall had experienced good inquiry from retailers looking to expand into Dunedin over the past six months — a “noticeable uptick” on the previous 12 months. “And the recent leases shows this demand.” Collectables and…

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Three new cases of measles have been confirmed today, with one from Manawatū, health officials say.The new cases, which are all linked to recent cases in the Wairarapa and overseas travel, bring the total number of cases in the outbreak to eight. National Public Health Service medical officer of health Dr Craig Thornley said one of the new cases may have been infectious at several locations in Feilding for a “brief period”.Exposure sites included local branches of New World, The Warehouse, and Bunnings Warehouse. The visits happened last Friday afternoon. Thornley said: “Although the case did everything right as advised…

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It could be the start of a riddle. Wānaka woman Shannon Phillimore gave birth to two babies within a short space of time, yet they were not twins. Confused? Shortly after her daughter was born nine months ago, Ms Phillimore launched Maebl, New Zealand’s first intimate care brand offering certified microbiome friendly products. The range was designed to help women take control of their intimate wellbeing through science-backed, sustainable and stigma-free care, something she initially struggled to find for her own use. Originally from Auckland, Ms Phillimore’s background was in media and advertising. She moved to Wānaka about eight and…

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