/news/auckland/rss 九一星空无限 Keep up with the latest news from around the Auckland region with 九一星空无限talk ZB. Fri, 31 Jan 2025 06:48:53 Z en /news/auckland/altercation-near-newmarket-train-station-leaves-person-hospitalised-with-serious-injuries/ /news/auckland/altercation-near-newmarket-train-station-leaves-person-hospitalised-with-serious-injuries/ A person has been hospitalised with serious injuries after falling during a fight near Central Auckland’s Newmarket Train Station. Emergency services were called to Remuera Rd, Newmarket, shortly after 4.30pm following reports of an altercation between two male members of the public in the Newmarket Station Square. A police spokesperson said during the course of the fight, one of the men suffered a fall. “The offender left the station as police were being contacted. Inquiries remain ongoing to locate this man.” A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said it was notified and one patient in a serious condition was being transported to Auckland City Hospital. One rapid response unit, an ambulance, and an operations manager attended the scene. Auckland Transport (AT) said it was aware of the altercation near the train station on Friday afternoon. No AT train services were affected because of the incident as the rail network remains under maintenance. Bus services in the area were also not affected. Fire and Emergency New Zealand attended the scene with one fire truck but were stood down shortly after. Anyone with information on the incident that may assist police inquiries is asked to call 105 and use the reference number P061314502. More to come Fri, 17 Jan 2025 04:44:25 Z /news/auckland/armed-police-arrest-shirtless-man-in-auckland-s-grey-lynn-after-car-chase/ /news/auckland/armed-police-arrest-shirtless-man-in-auckland-s-grey-lynn-after-car-chase/ Armed police arrested a 49-year-old man after a pursuit across central Auckland. The chase ended on Tuarangi Rd, Grey Lynn, with spikes deployed to stop the vehicle. Last year, Maxwel-Dee Repia was shot dead on the same road during a neighbourhood dispute. Armed police arrested a man this morning following a pursuit across central Auckland. At least 11 officers were at the arrest scene on Tuarangi Rd, Grey Lynn. A shirtless man could be seen in handcuffs surrounded by police. Armed police arrested a man following a high-speed pursuit across Auckland, which ended on Turangi Road in Grey Lynn. Photo / Hayden Woodward Police said a 49-year-old man was arrested in Grey Lynn after failing to stop for police. “The vehicle was seen speeding just before 1am,” a spokesperson said. “Eagle deployed to monitor the vehicle’s movements. Eventually spikes were successfully deployed in Grey Lynn.” Armed police arrested a man following a high-speed pursuit across Auckland, which ended on Turangi Road in Grey Lynn. 17 January 2025. 九一星空无限 Photograph by Hayden Woodward The vehicle later stopped on TuarangiRd and the driver was taken into custody. Armed police arrested a man following a high-speed pursuit across Auckland, which ended on Turangi Road in Grey Lynn. Photo / Hayden Woodward Last year 18-year-old Maxwel-Dee Repia was shot dead on Tuarangi Rd, and three others were hospitalised with gunshot wounds. An “altercation” took place between two groups who knew each other before shots were fired. Police said the parties had been involved in an ongoing “neighbourhood dispute”. Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei. Fri, 17 Jan 2025 01:58:34 Z /news/auckland/auckland-transport-hiking-fares-across-buses-trains-ferries/ /news/auckland/auckland-transport-hiking-fares-across-buses-trains-ferries/ Auckland Transport is increasing the average public transport fare by 5.2%. The 10% off-peak discount will also be axed. Auckland fare zones are being merged from 14 to nine. Aucklanders who use public transport face rising fares for many routes with discount off-peak travel to be scrapped. Auckland Transport (AT)announced a series of pricing changes that will come into effect February 2 and increase the average bus, train or ferry ticket cost by 5.2%. Director Stacey van der Putten said the move was to offset substantial increases in operating costs. The changes will increase the average bus and train fare by 15c to 25c and ferry journies by 20c to $1.40. AT will also be removing the 10% off-peak discount, as it said it did not have the intended impact. The off-peak reduction was introduced in 2021 to help manage public transport capacity at peak hours. The average fare is set to rise by 5.2%. Photo / file The $50 seven-day fare cap for public transport users and the $20 daily fare cap for contactless payment will remain in place. Along with the fare increases, AT is reducing the number of zones from 14 to nine. These changes will make it cheaper for people travelling the longest distance, it said. The newly merged zones are: East Coast / South Rodney zone, combining Helensville, Huapai, Hibiscus Coast and Upper North Shore. Northern Manukau zone, merging Manukau North and Beachlands. Southern Manukau zone which combines Manukau South and Franklin. In addition, bus or train users won’t be charged for travelling over more than four zones of travel, even if they go across five or more. Ferries will also be given separate fare prices, with adult tickets increasing by $1.40 per journey. AT director Stacey van der Putten said the changes would offset substantial increases in operating costs. “We know any increases add to people’s cost of living and so these are carefully considered, however, the cost of running, maintaining and investing in Auckland’s public transport network is also increasing and we need to keep up with this,” van der Putten said. “During the Covid-19 pandemic we had two years when we didn’t increase Auckland’s public transport fares despite a sharp increase in operating costs and we’re now effectively playing catch-up.” The changes to the bus and train zones are AT’s biggest adjustments in nine years, and come as Auckland is in the middle of its first train shutdown, with none running until January 27. Fri, 17 Jan 2025 01:28:47 Z /news/auckland/thieves-steal-75k-worth-of-safety-fences-on-auckland-s-north-shore/ /news/auckland/thieves-steal-75k-worth-of-safety-fences-on-auckland-s-north-shore/ By Finn Blackwell of RNZ Thieves have stolen $75,000 worth of road safety fences from a suburb on Auckland’s North Shore. More than 60 panels have been stolen from on top of a newly built retaining wall in Albany, between Silver Moon Road and Gills Rd. Around 50 fence panels were stolen at the end of last year and more were taken last week, said Auckland Transport. “The large black metal pool-like fencing panels would require at least two people to dismantle, and their removal would have required a vehicle and taken a fair amount of time,” it said in a statement. AT said 10 panels were also stolen from a recently repaired site on Glenvar Rd in early November. A total of 76 panels have been stolen from around the North Shore, costing about $75,000. Upper Harbour local board deputy chairperson Uzra Casuri Balouch said the panels were there for pedestrian safety. Panels have been stolen from a newly built retaining wall in Albany. Photo / Supplied via RNZ “The appalling theft of these panels has put the public’s safety at risk, as these fences were protecting pedestrians from the drop-off of a steep embankment,” she said in a statement. “We’re disgusted by the actions of these thieves, and all the thefts have been reported to the New Zealand police, and the incidents are currently being investigated.” Police said they were not immediately aware of reports of stolen fencing but were looking into reports referenced by Auckland Transport. Thu, 16 Jan 2025 05:13:55 Z /news/auckland/westmere-s-meola-garnet-rds-roundabout-to-get-traffic-light-locals-irate-at-extra-changes-as-wider-works-wind-down/ /news/auckland/westmere-s-meola-garnet-rds-roundabout-to-get-traffic-light-locals-irate-at-extra-changes-as-wider-works-wind-down/ Auckland Transport will install traffic lights at the Meola Rd, Garnet Rd and William Denny Ave roundabout.  Locals are upset, claiming previous roadworks caused congestion and are questioning the need for the lights.  Auckland Transport says the metered roundabout will improve traffic flow during peak times, citing long-standing issues.  Frustrated residents who hoped the end of more than a year of roadworks on a busy suburban Auckland road was in sight are irate that more construction is in the works.  Auckland Transport (AT) says it’s working to make Pt Chevalier, Meola and Garnet Rds “safer and more accessible and efficient”.  To do this, it will install traffic lights at the Meola Rd, Garnet Rd and William Denny Ave roundabout in Westmere to turn it into a “metered roundabout”, a letter sent to affected residents said.  The lights will only be for traffic driving north on Garnet Rd, and will be intermittently active when sensors detect a backlog of traffic on Meola Rd trying to get through the roundabout.  But some locals have disputed the need for the roundabout to be metered, claiming traffic had been fine in the past, and some further claimed AT’s “improvements” of narrower lanes, a bike lane and pedestrian crossings on Meola Rd had created congestion.  Locals in an inner west area notorious for its roadworks are irate Auckland Transport is planning more changes, calling it "insane" and "absolute madness". Photo / Alex Burton  “This is insane. Their recent ‘improvements’ will almost certainly result in traffic jams due to the road narrowing at the roundabout and the inline bus stop,” one local man said on social media.  “And now they want to spend how many more millions installing traffic lights to reduce congestion? Is this ... a joke?” he said.  AT said traffic queues have existed at the roundabout for years – before it began working in the area – and pointed to a public feedback report from July 2020 in which some submitters called for improvements.  AT told the Herald that introducing metering at the roundabout would help improve overall traffic flow.  “For a number of years, our modelling shows Meola Rd traffic has had difficulty entering the roundabout during the morning peak period, causing long queues and delays for those drivers,” AT’s group manager, infrastructure project delivery, Mark Banfield said.  “The traffic light will only be active when it is needed on weekday mornings when there are long queues of peak traffic on Meola Rd, making it quicker and easier for those drivers to enter the roundabout. At all other times, the roundabout will function as normal.  “Roundabout metering helps balance traffic flow at each point entering the roundabout. It has already been successful in other parts of Auckland.”  AT did not respond to the Herald‘s questions on the cost of the lights. Previous reports have placed the total cost for the improvements for the Pt Chevalier to Westmere project at $29.3 million last year.  Locals also expressed frustration they had only just learnt of the traffic light from AT’s letter, with speculation the transport board had not been transparent about it since the beginning of the improvements.  AT’s letter to residents said underground “ducting” for traffic lights had been installed under the road during the main tranche of work last year as a future-proofing strategy.  The lights will only be for traffic driving north on Garnet Rd, and will be intermittently active when sensors detect a backlog of traffic on Meola Rd trying to get through the roundabout. Photo / Nicola Lamb  Locals have also said they had seen holes in the ground they believed had been prepared for the traffic light poles.  AT’s Banfield said: “Introducing metering at the Garnet Rd/Meola Rd roundabout has always been a consideration as part of this project, and after a robust analysis, it is clear that this will help improve overall traffic flow.”  Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.  Wed, 15 Jan 2025 18:15:43 Z /news/auckland/grey-lynn-rock-thrower-has-central-auckland-residents-on-edge/ /news/auckland/grey-lynn-rock-thrower-has-central-auckland-residents-on-edge/ By Finn Blackwell of RNZ Residents in a suburban Auckland street say they have been terrorised for months by someone throwing rocks through the windows of houses along the road. A number of houses on Sackville St in Grey Lynn had their windows smashed by rocks on Monday, the latest in a series of attacks dating back to February last year. A long-time Sackville St resident – who RNZ has agreed not to name – said residents have spent thousands of dollars to repair damage and install security cameras. “We just really want this to stop,” they said. “It’s a really nice street with mixed housing, so there’s some rentals, and there’s some owners, and there’s the Kāinga Ora flats, which we all really like. “This person is the most unwelcome and frightening intrusion that I could imagine. “It’s terrifying lying in bed, waking up for every sound, thinking that a rock’s going to be thrown through your window.” Six windows had been smashed on Monday, said the resident. They said it was a near-daily occurrence. “All it takes is for somebody to be on the other end of that rock for it to escalate to grievous bodily harm,” they said. They said the person they believed was responsible for the damaged property stayed with a tenant in the nearby Kāinga Ora development, but was not a tenant themselves. The resident said police were on the street on Monday night after more properties were damaged. They believed the person’s behaviour was escalating. “All of us are having sleepless nights, we’re all terrified,” they said. “We’ve all been told by the cops to ring 111 when it happens, but only occasionally when we do that do the cops turn up, because it’s not a hugely high priority for them.” Auckland City West Acting Inspector Alan Rowland said they had received complaints from Sackville St residents in recent weeks regarding wilful damage. “Our staff are actively looking into this matter,” he said. “We will take appropriate action as necessary. “In the meantime, we ask any residents that have not yet reported offending to ensure they lodge a report online or call 105,” said Rowland. “I think the tenant will have to be moved on,” said the longtime Sackville St resident. “I think that will be the only solution, and how Kāinga Ora go about that I don’t know.” Kāinga Ora regional director for central and east Auckland John Tubberty told RNZ they were aware of the situation, and that the behaviour was clearly unacceptable. “The allegations involve a person who has been visiting one of our properties – they are not a tenant,” he said. “We are looking into whether we can take any action under the Residential Tenancies Act to address the situation.” Tubberty encouraged anyone witnessing any illegal activity to contact the police. - RNZ Wed, 15 Jan 2025 03:22:27 Z /news/auckland/summer-weather-could-be-the-reason-for-burst-water-pipe-on-auckland-s-queen-st/ /news/auckland/summer-weather-could-be-the-reason-for-burst-water-pipe-on-auckland-s-queen-st/ Summer weather could have caused a water main to burst, leading water to gush down Queen St in Auckland’s CBD yesterday. Watercare’s head of water Sharon Danks today said what caused the 80-year-old pipe to burst can’t be pinpointed but said more water mains tended to burst more in summer when the ground dries up and retracts from pipes, causing them to crack or break. A large amount of water began “leaping from the ground” and pouring down Queen St yesterday afternoon after an underground water main burst. A video sent to the Herald showed the rupture outside the Queens Court Shopping Centre on the corner of Wakefield St near the Town Hall. The road had cracked and ruptured in places near where the water was coming from on Queen St. Images showed the road had cracked and ruptured in places near where the water was coming from. Danks said crews continue to work reinstating the road and footpath where the burst occurred on the corner of Wakefield and Queen Sts. A one-way traffic system is expected to remain in place until tomorrow morning. She said the 250mm cast iron pipe was installed in 1945. Danks said the incident is unrelated to a $115 million project by Watercare to upgrade wastewater services running through the midtown area of the CBD to reduce wet weather overflows into the Waitematā Harbour and to allow for growth. Water main burst on Queen St outside the Auckland Town Hall. Photo / David Williams The burst water main is on the same section of Queen St where a tunnel boring machine is laying a new wastewater pipe from a shaft at the corner of Queen St and Mayoral Drive for the project. The new pipe will capture wastewater flows from the eastern side of the city to connect with the Ōrākei main sewer, which will undergo relining as part of the project. Two other shafts will be excavated at the corners of Wellesley St and Victoria Sts with Queen St. The Queen St incident was the second burst water main in Auckland over the past week. Last Thursday morning, motorists were told to stay away from an entrance to the Sylvia Park Mall after a water main burst on nearby Carbine Rd in Mt Wellington, rupturing the road and flooding vehicle lanes. Pictures showed the seal surface on two lanes ruptured into a pipe-shaped mound and water rushing out of cracks onto the street. A burst water pipe last week caused traffic delays at Carbine Rd in Mt Wellington near Sylvia Park mall in Auckland. Photo / Nichola Barnden Emergency workers were at the scene cordoning off sections of the flooded road while cars cautiously travelled over the disintegrated road surface. As a result of the incident, about 50 properties experienced low pressure or no water, Watercare said. The cause of the burst pipe remains unknown, Danks said today. Two days earlier, a sinkhole formed in the wealthy inner-city suburb of St Marys Bay. The hole was about 50cm wide, but a a firefighter said there was a larger void of about 2sq m under the surface. The chasm revealed extensive brickwork beneath the road. A council spokesperson said repairs began last Friday filling the cavity under the catch pit and are expected to be completed tomorrow. The council will continue to investigate the cause of the sinkhole, which doesn’t appear to be related to public drainage, the spokesperson said. The sinkhole in Saint Marys Bay. Photo / Michael Craig While the cause of the sinkhole remains unclear, large hollows elsewhere in the city in the past two years have been blamed on deteriorating pipes and high rainfall. In September 2023, a 13m-deep hole on St Georges Bay Rd in Parnell opened to a 2.1m-wide collapsed brick pipe that served Central Auckland and West Auckland. About 150 litres of sewage a second flowed into the Waitematā Harbour at the time. Calculated over 24 hours, there would be at least 8.64 million litres a day draining to the harbour. Watercare released findings of a report six months later with the council organisation apologising profusely and promising to work on rebuilding its sewer network. The report said the condition of the pipe, weakened concrete blocks at the sinkhole’s location, excavation for a power cable nearby and corrosion and erosion led to the chasm opening up. Another sinkhole on College Hill appeared months earlier in July 2023 when a stormwater pipe cracked and led groundwater to seep in during heavy rain events. Earlier still, another sinkhole occurred on the same pipe a bit further down College Hill near the corner of Victoria Park during the January 27, 2023 floods. This sinkhole, on a busy intersection, was quickly filled in. Mon, 13 Jan 2025 03:28:59 Z /news/auckland/major-works-under-way-following-water-main-fault-beneath-auckland-s-landmark-queen-st/ /news/auckland/major-works-under-way-following-water-main-fault-beneath-auckland-s-landmark-queen-st/ A water main burst in Auckland’s CBD, causing water to gush down Queen St and develop a crack in the asphalt A Queen St apartment resident was left exasperated after she was the only one left guarding the broken site Major repairs are now under way, with part of Queen St being ripped up to fix the fault An Auckland woman is furious after she was forced to guard a burst water main and direct traffic while trying to contact officials. A large amount of water began “leaping from the ground” and pouring down Queen St yesterday afternoon after an underground water main was believed to have burst. This morning, the leak is no longer flowing on to Queen St and major works have begun. Part of the road is being ripped up to repair the fault. Auckland Transport has posted online that bus stop 7060, Auckland Town Hall, is closed and passengers should use stop 7054 on Wellesley St instead. A bus stop on Auckland's Queen St has been closed due to a burst water main. Photo / Michael Craig A video sent to the Herald showed the rupture outside the Queens Court Shopping Centre on the corner of Wakefield St near the Town Hall. Images showed the road had cracked and ruptured in places near where the water was coming from. Nakita Bunyan told the Herald yesterday she had been waiting at the intersection outside Aotea Square when she heard a small rumble followed by a loud bang. The repair of the burst water main is now under way. Photo / Lachlan Rennie “I just saw the water go straight up in the air to about the height of the Queens Food Court sign,” she said. “The road crumbled beneath a bus and a car. The way the road moves up and down is like quicksand.” A Watercare spokesperson said they were alerted to a water main burst at 4.52pm on the corner of Wakefield St and Queen St, outside the Civic Centre. Images showed the water flowing down from the corner of Wakefield St and Queen St and forming a deep puddle on the corner of Wellesley St and Queen St. “Our crews arrived at the site within the hour. They are currently working to isolate the water main and investigate its cause. “For those experiencing low or no water pressure, a tanker will be set up on the corner of Wakefield St and Queen St to collect water from 10pm. “We advise people to bring their own containers to collect the water. If people are experiencing discoloured water, we advise them to flush their taps until they run clear.” Part Auckland's Queen St has been blocked following a burst water main. Photo / Michael Craig Images showed the water flowing down from the corner of Wakefield St and Queen St and forming a deep puddle on the corner of Wellesley St and Queen St. Bunyan later told the Herald she had coned off the affected road section because she was terrified something would happen. “I saw a bus get stuck, its tyre was caught in the hole, it was terrifying,” she said. An exasperated Bunyan said no one had shown up. “I’m standing there directing traffic, I witnessed three buses after I had sectioned it off have to try and avoid traffic, and as they come on, the bus driver is wondering why they can’t move in the road. “I was on the phone to police saying I don’t want to stand there and I’m waiting for someone to actually do something about it. Commuters are advised of a burst water main on Auckland's Queen St on Monday morning. Photo / Michael Craig “I called and demanded they section it off and start directing traffic because I’m not going to stop calling you until someone comes and does their job.” Bunyan said it was not okay that no one did anything. “I’m just a pedestrian who lives here on the corner of Queen St. I’m not qualified for this but no one else was able to help.” In an update this morning, Watercare head of maintenance Richie Rameka said the water main burst has now been repaired. He said water was restored to the affected properties just before 6am. “Our teams worked well into Sunday night and the early hours of Monday morning to isolate the burst and repair the four metres of the affected watermain,” he said.A one-way detour remains in place while crews work to finish off repairs and reinstate roading surfaces. The cause of the burst is still being investigated. A section of Queen St is under major repairs following a burst water main, January 12. Photo / Michael Craig David Williams is an Auckland-based Multimedia Journalist who joined the Herald in 2023. He covers breaking news and general topics. Mon, 13 Jan 2025 00:27:10 Z /news/auckland/m%C4%81ngere-east-street-crowned-auckland-s-rowdiest-with-one-house-triggering-nearly-60-noise-complaints-in-2024/ /news/auckland/m%C4%81ngere-east-street-crowned-auckland-s-rowdiest-with-one-house-triggering-nearly-60-noise-complaints-in-2024/ Sixty years ago, Hokianga St in Māngere East was dotted with just a few homes and bordered by farmland and the sound of mooing from wandering cows. But now noise of a different kind is creating a disturbance in the South Auckland neighbourhood – with Auckland Council confirming the street is home to the city’s rowdiest property. Hokianga St boasts about 70 large flat sections. Most of them feature 1950s or 60s-era houses, many home to Pasifika families, working renters or retirees who have put down roots. Others have been subdivided, and some of the old homes knocked down by developers and replaced with modern townhouses. Cars are jammed alongside the pavement or parked on people’s lawns. Many properties have dogs guarding front gates. A few days before Christmas, one was adorned with Samoan flags and another with a large inflatable Santa. It’s a typical community. But what makes this street unique is the raucous behaviour of one of its inhabitants, with a single property triggering nearly 60 noise complaints last year – more than any other across the super city. One property in Hokianga St, Māngere East boasts a giant inflatable Santa. Photo / Alex Burton However, Auckland Council is refusing to identify the property, despite having done so in previous years, citing privacy concerns for those responsible for the din. It would only confirm the street name and the number of complaints received: 56 at last count. So the Herald visited Hokianga St to see what locals thought. Resident Siaosi Tohi said most people on Hokianga St kept to themselves, “pretty much minding their own business”. He wasn’t too bothered by noise, other than the sound of vehicles heading to and from work. A woman a few doors down said every property on the street seemed to have a dog, so there was a lot of barking, but she had never made a noise complaint. Her housemate said she’d lived in Hokianga St since 1970 and the neighbourhood had changed considerably. One source of noise was boy racers and dirt bike riders who used the street as a race track. Another was the sound of arguing from residents’ homes. Hokianga St in Māngere East used to be bordered by farmland. Now it is home to many dogs. Photo / Alex Burton But she admitted she was no angel, regularly playing loud music until 3am. “I’m the noisy one.” Down the road, a pensioner clutching a dagger-like gardening tool gave a suspicious look before confirming he had lived in the street for 60 years. A girl across the street had been “murdered” a few years back, he said. He came to Hokianga St because he “wanted a house” and remembers the area being bordered by farmland. The man had been approached by land agents over the years but had no plan to move anywhere else. Asked if he had lodged any noise complaints, he replied: “I’m too bloody old for that. Christ, I’m 84.” A property in Hokianga St, Māngere East recorded 56 noise complaints last year, making it the most complained-about property in Auckland. Photo / Alex Burton Another retired neighbour said she and her husband bought their Hokianga St home in 1965 when she was still a teenager. “There were cows down the end of the road and it was a dead-end street. It was just farmland all around us. It was like we were in the wop-wops.” There was a lot more traffic these days. More houses and more people too. Rowdy “no-hoper” renters used to live nearby but they moved on. These days she wasn’t bothered by the noise, describing it as “bearable”. And she didn’t envisage selling up and moving. Asked how she might leave, she replied: “In a box, I suppose.” Aucklanders made thousands of noise complaints in 2024 Auckland Council said it received at least 25,000 noise complaints last year. More than half of the complaints were assessed by officials as “no noise” (11,500) or “not excessive” (5881). Excessive noise directions (END) were served nearly 4000 times, requiring the property’s occupants to rein in the noise for 72 hours or risk having noise-offending equipment seized or being slapped with a $500 fine. Noise control officers served 158 non-compliance with END notices and seized stereos or other equipment 125 times, dishing out 18 infringement fines and 18 abatement notices. More than 300 noise complaints were referred to police. Regarding the Hokianga St property, nearly 60 complaints were received, with two END notices served. There were no current noise prosecutions under way – with a case involving Waiheke vineyard Cable Bay Wine Ltd recently resulting in a conviction and $50,000 fine. Lane Nichols is Deputy Head of 九一星空无限 and a senior journalist for the New Zealand Herald with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry. Sat, 11 Jan 2025 21:28:58 Z /news/auckland/auckland-man-reeling-after-armed-robbers-ransack-his-flat/ /news/auckland/auckland-man-reeling-after-armed-robbers-ransack-his-flat/ By Katie Todd of RNZ An Auckland man says he is reeling after four armed robbers ransacked his flat last week, demanding money and valuables. Binh Hoang says the group stormed the house, threatened his housemates with weapons and broke down his bedroom door during the “terrifying” home invasion. The police are asking the public for any information about the incident, which happened on January 2 in Flat Bush. Hoang and four other people live in the rental property which was targeted. He described hearing screaming at about 9.45pm as four people barged into the house. He said the group first made their way to the garage, where they held a gun to his housemate’s head and threatened her with a crossbow-like device. “She couldn’t say anything... she didn’t even know English so she didn’t know what they were saying,” he said. Hoang said two of the assailants shepherded her and another housemate into a small bathroom, while the others searched the house for valuables. Hoang and his father – who was visiting from Vietnam – tried to barricade themselves behind his bedroom door upstairs. “We were basically just trying to hold the door ... and then I picked up the phone and gave 111 a call. I said ‘We’ve got a thief in our house’,” he said. As he was talking to the police, Hoang said the assailants broke through his door and demanded money from him and his father. He said one of them was holding what looked like a rifle. Binh Hoang says the robbers left behind a 'mess' of broken locks and damage, including to his bedroom door. Photo / Thanh Binh Hoang “I just froze at that point,” Hoang said. Hoang said the group fled with a small amount of cash and paperwork from his room, as well as his and father’s passports. He said they also took a gold necklace, a bank card and car keys from the other housemates, and left behind a “mess” of broken locks and doors. The police arrived minutes after the group left, Hoang said, but the offenders have not been caught. Hoang has started a Givealittle page to fundraise for a trip to the Vietnamese embassy in Wellington, to replace his and his father’s passports. The group of housemates have decided to leave their flat later this month and all move elsewhere – largely out of fear of a repeat robbery. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, if [the robbers] are going to be caught ... so of course it does feel a bit scary,” Hoang said. In a statement, the police said they were still working to establish the circumstances of the incident. They asked anyone who heard any suspicious activity in the area at the time to get in touch. Police data shows 54 people were the victims of aggravated robberies at dwellings in Auckland from September 2023 to September 2024. – RNZ Sat, 11 Jan 2025 02:08:33 Z /news/auckland/auckland-homicide-harrowing-scenes-as-family-arrive-at-avondale-house-where-woman-s-body-found/ /news/auckland/auckland-homicide-harrowing-scenes-as-family-arrive-at-avondale-house-where-woman-s-body-found/ Distraught family members of a woman whose body was found in an Auckland house overnight have arrived at the property, as police officers investigate the homicide. There were emotional scenes as a group of people arrived at the Holly St property, in the suburb of Avondale, about 10.30am. A witness said: “There were five of them and they walked down the driveway to talk to police. “Then one of them, a woman, just broke down. She needed to be held up by the others. She was just sobbing.” Police were called to the house just after 1.30am and found a dead woman inside, Senior Sergeant Scott Armstrong said earlier. Police were called to the property in the early hours of this morning. Photo / Hayden Woodward A 35-year-old man has since been charged with murder and has been remanded in custody. He is due to appear in the Auckland District Court on Monday. Officers are not seeking anyone else in relation to the death, Armstrong said. Residents and locals are being told to expect a high police presence in the area over the next few days, as a scene examination is carried out today and tomorrow. More than a dozen police and emergency services-type vehicles remain on the street early this afternoon. Residents are in shock after learning that someone has been killed in their neighbourhood. One person told the Weekend Herald that although he did not know what had happened or know the neighbours involved, he felt unsafe. Others said police officers had knocked on their doors to ask and take statements. Sat, 11 Jan 2025 01:37:06 Z /news/auckland/seabather-s-eruption-sea-lice-rash-plaguing-auckland-beachgoers/ /news/auckland/seabather-s-eruption-sea-lice-rash-plaguing-auckland-beachgoers/ Auckland Council warns beachgoers after reports of itching and rashes from seabather’s eruption. The condition is caused by stings from sea anemones or jellyfish, but sea lice are also suspected. Warnings have been issued for several beaches; treatment includes calamine lotion, antihistamines and mild steroid creams. By Pretoria Gordon of RNZ Auckland Council is urging beachgoers to exercise caution after swimmers reported itching, rashes, or red spots after entering the water. The council’s environmental health technical specialist, Darryl Thompson, said it was seabather’s eruption — a rash caused by stings from the nematocysts, or stinging cells — of certain sea anemones and thimble jellyfishes. However, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) emeritus researcher Dr Dennis Gordon told RNZ the rash could be caused by sea lice, a completely different type of organism, instead. Gordon said seabather’s eruption in Auckland was likely to be caused by a siphonophorae. “Divers call it the long, stringy, stingy thingy because it looks like long strings with little bubbles attached in the plankton. “The little bubbles are little individuals because it is a colony, and they can break off in the seawater and get trapped between your bathers and your skin. “The movement of your swimming togs when you’re swimming causes these things to activate.” Auckland woman Tracy and her two daughters developed a rash after swimming at Takapuna Beach on Tuesday afternoon. She told RNZ her daughter had said she saw a jellyfish. Auckland beachgoers are reporting symptoms similar to chicken pox after an influx of sea lice in the region. Photo / Supplied Hundreds of people replied to a Facebook post she made, having also developed a rash after swimming at various beaches along the east coast, including Martins Bay, Brick Bay, Ōrewa, Stanmore Bay, Long Bay, Mairangi Bay, Milford, Castor Bay, Cheltenham, Narrow Neck, Onetangi and Oneroa. As of Wednesday, Safeswim had only warned to exercise caution at Ōrewa and Milford. However, further warnings had been issued for Takapuna and Big Manly on Thursday. Another Auckland woman, Juliette, thought her daughter had chickenpox until she saw the post Tracy had made. She told RNZ her daughter went swimming at Ōrewa Beach on Monday. “I didn’t notice anything unusual until Tuesday during bath time, when she told me she had pimples. “It was kind of on the areas where her swimsuit was. It was in patches, not really spread all over. “At first I thought it was the beginning of chickenpox, but she wasn’t unwell, so I decided to wait and keep an eye on it. Then I found that post on Facebook, and it all made sense.” Meanwhile Laura, who went swimming at Mairangi Bay on Wednesday, said a pharmacist told her it was sea lice. “Our girl had red spots all over her torso, legs and arms. The pharmacist said that four people had been in this morning with the same.” Sea lice tend to bite uncovered parts of the body and leave itchy red dots on the skin, similar to a mosquito or flea bite. Sea bather’s eruption, on the other hand, occurs under swimwear and can consist of hundreds to thousands of little red dots that may join together to form larger patches or appear as weals. The Auckland Regional Public Health Service said children were the most affected by sea bather’s eruption. The rash could vary from being mild to severe, and could last for a week or more. It said calamine lotion, antihistamines and mild steroid creams could help. However, some children can become unwell with headaches, nausea and lethargy for several days, and would require treatment with steroid tablets or syrup instead. - RNZ Fri, 10 Jan 2025 22:35:41 Z /news/auckland/health-new-zealand-to-increase-security-at-middlemore-hospital-s-emergency-department/ /news/auckland/health-new-zealand-to-increase-security-at-middlemore-hospital-s-emergency-department/ Health New Zealand (HNZ) said it will be increasing security at Middlemore Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) over the coming weeks after an attack on a nurse on Monday. It also disputed claims by an employee, that staff affected were not offered mental health support following the incident. A patient attempted to strangle an ED nurse on Monday afternoon and a 23-year-old man has been charged. The incident comes just nine days after another nurse was hospitalised with stab wounds following a callout to a property in Rotorua. An article published by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation’s (NZNO) publication, Kaitiaki, reported on Friday that a staff member at Middlemore said while there was usually a security presence in the ED, the guards were not present at the time of the attack. Another staff member told Kaitiaki that other than being offered a week off work, those affected have not been offered mental health support. HNZ’s national chief clinical officer Richard Sullivan told RNZ “no level of violence is acceptable” and it intends to increase security at Middlemore Hospital’s ED in the coming weeks to send a clear message that hospitals are no place for aggression. “We have also asked security to increase how often they are walking through ED, and decided to station our police liaison within the department for the next week at least,” he said. In addition, Sullivan said it has reviewed the placement and function of duress alarms, to ensure these will be more visible and easier to access if needed in the future. He said HNZ has and will continue to offer extensive support to staff at Middlemore and Rotorua hospitals affected by the recent violent incidents. Clinical psychologist support has been offered to those affected at Middlemore Hospital, as well as victim support, and EAP counsellors who have been regularly checking on staff at ED, Sullivan said. “Anyone requiring support is encouraged to connect with their line manager, take up EAP, or connect with the support that has been offered,” he said. Sullivan said it HNZ was awaiting the outcome of the police investigations into these incidents. The attack on a nurse was the second security incident at Middlemore Hospital in a week, following a firearm being discharged in the hospital’s carpark last Saturday. Earlier, HNZ’s Counties Manukau acting group director of operations Dana Ralph-Smith said Middlemore Hospital is one of eight high-priority EDs that received an increased security budget over the summer period. - RNZ Fri, 10 Jan 2025 22:30:05 Z /news/auckland/police-investigating-woman-s-death-in-avondale-auckland/ /news/auckland/police-investigating-woman-s-death-in-avondale-auckland/ Police are investigating the death of a woman in the Aucklandsuburb of Avondale early this morning. Officers were called to a Holly St property just after 1:30am, and found a dead woman inside, Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Armstrong said. “A scene examination is ongoing this morning, and locals will notice a police presence in the area as we work to determine the circumstances that led to her death.” A man at the address was helping police with their inquiries, Armstrong said. “At this time there is not thought to be any risk to the public. More information will be released when we are in a position to do so.” Fri, 10 Jan 2025 21:14:59 Z /news/auckland/melbourne-man-liam-james-drew-located-in-auckland-after-earlier-fears/ /news/auckland/melbourne-man-liam-james-drew-located-in-auckland-after-earlier-fears/ A Melbourne man who had disappeared on Auckland’s North Shore on the eve of his return flight has been found. Family confirmed to the Herald he was located after police earlier began searching for him. Liam James Drew was last seen on Saturday at 6.30pm walking on Shakespeare Road in Milford, his mother Rebekah Simpson said. Simpson told the Herald he has lived in Melbourne with his father for five years and was visiting family for the holidays. The 20-year-old was due to fly back to Australia today, she said. Melbourne man Liam James Drew was seen in Torbay, Auckland, and was due to fly back to Australia today, his mother says. In an earlier appeal on social media, Simpson said the family had “grave concerns” for his wellbeing and they had contacted New Zealand and Australian police. Liam James Drew was seen leaving a house in Torbay at around 1pm Saturday. Simpson told the Herald Drew’s phone couldn’t be pinged as it was an Australian number, and his bank “probably” wouldn’t allow police to see his last transaction. Police initially said they had received a missing persons report overnight and have been making inquiries since. Sun, 05 Jan 2025 03:07:33 Z /news/auckland/fatal-crash-in-karaka-auckland-one-dead-another-seriously-injured/ /news/auckland/fatal-crash-in-karaka-auckland-one-dead-another-seriously-injured/ One person has died and another has serious injuries after a car crashed into a bank in Karaka last night. Emergency services were called to the intersection of Walters Rd and Blackbridge Rd at about 8:50pm. A single car had crashed into a bank in the rural south Auckland area, a police spokesperson said. “One of the occupants sadly could not be revived by first responders and died at the scene, while the other was transported to hospital in a serious condition.” The Serious Crash Unit attended the incident which remain under investigation. A St John spokesperson said they responded to the incident with two ambulances, one rapid response and one manager. “We transported one patient to hospital in a serious condition.” One community member said they “heard a huge bang” followed by police sirens and lights in a social media post. Sat, 04 Jan 2025 20:13:23 Z /news/auckland/auckland-council-confiscating-recycling-bins-in-bid-to-stop-people-putting-rubbish-in-wrong-place/ /news/auckland/auckland-council-confiscating-recycling-bins-in-bid-to-stop-people-putting-rubbish-in-wrong-place/ By RNZ Auckland Council has been confiscating recycling bins in an effort to stop people throwing rubbish in the wrong bin. Some 104 bins were seized from households from Manurewa, Papakura and Wiri in the first phase of a trial to combat growing contamination of recycling, which ended in May 2024. General manager of waste solutions Justine Haves said bins were confiscated from residents who repeatedly put rubbish in their recycling bin, even after warnings. Recycling contamination from bagged waste, clothing and textiles was getting worse, Haves said, and intervention was needed. “The contamination in recycling actually costs us. It obviously slows down the recycling of good material, and at the moment, contamination is costing us about $3.5 million a year to deal with. “We really need to reduce that and make sure we’re getting good recycling through the system, to make sure that the system is working well for all Aucklanders.” The trial had varying approaches in four locations, and at least two warnings were served before a bin was taken away. “If the contamination has occurred and customers have received a first and second warning, then in some areas of the trial we then remove the bin after the third time of contaminating. So we really try and do the informed phase first, and then the bin removal is the third step,” Haves said. Of 1504 total properties in the trial, 1046 put bagged waste or other non-recyclables in their bins and had their bins red-tagged. Some 392 households in three areas – Wiri, Papakura and Manurewa – got a second warning after rubbish was found in the bin again, and repeat offenders in Papakura and Wiri were treated to a door-knock from a council officer or community partner. After that, it was goodbye to the wheelie bin and hello to a plastic bag for recycling. Haves said the good news is that tagging bins and having conversations with repeat offenders were helping people recycle better. “We’re getting more of an impact in areas where we are doing both tagging and conversations. So either with council officers or with our community partners, it really helps create an understanding of why recycling right helps. “It’s really showing that creating understanding for people is just as important as the intervention. So now we are interested in exploring further how we can make that approach scalable across Auckland to help reduce our contamination overall.” The second phase of the trial is currently being expanded further out to South and West Auckland, and will run until February 28, 2025. After that, council officers will be developing a plan for how to take the strategy to crack down on waste in the recycling bin to the rest of Auckland. What can go in the recycling bin “We can recycle plastic bottles, trays, and containers, any of those items that are numbered 1, 2 or 5, you can also recycle glass bottles and jars,” Haves said. That includes clean food and drinks containers, steel, aluminium and tin cans, and paper and cardboard. “One of the things that we don’t want in our recycling bins is plastic bags or soft plastics, they get caught in the sorting machines. You may be able to drop these at collection points at local retailers.” - RNZ Sat, 04 Jan 2025 03:49:40 Z /news/auckland/serious-crash-in-%C5%8Dtara-leaves-two-people-critically-injured-traffic-diversions-in-place/ /news/auckland/serious-crash-in-%C5%8Dtara-leaves-two-people-critically-injured-traffic-diversions-in-place/ Emergency services were called to the scene of aserious crashin South Auckland this morning. A police spokesperson said at about 5.35am a car had collided with a power pole on Gilbert Road. “Two people were transported to hospital with critical injuries,” they said. “Traffic management is in place – it looks like traffic is being diverted at the intersections of Gilbert Road and Lappington Road, and Gilbert Road and Franich Street." More soon. Fri, 03 Jan 2025 20:17:53 Z /news/auckland/person-suffers-serious-spinal-injury-jumping-from-auckland-s-maraetai-beach-wharf/ /news/auckland/person-suffers-serious-spinal-injury-jumping-from-auckland-s-maraetai-beach-wharf/ A person has suffered a serious spinal injury after jumping off a notorious wharf in East Auckland. A police spokesperson told the Herald that shortly after 3pm on Thursday someone jumped off the Maraetai Beach wharf. “They were taken to hospital with a serious spinal injury.” A St John spokesperson said they attended the scene with one ambulance and one first response unit. One person was transported in a moderate condition to Middlemore Hospital. The wharf has a well-recorded history of leaving people with serious spinal injuries and carries warnings against diving due to shallow water, changing water depth and submerged rocks. Fri, 03 Jan 2025 03:49:49 Z /news/auckland/armed-person-on-the-loose-in-beach-haven-one-person-seriously-injured-on-auckland-s-north-shore/ /news/auckland/armed-person-on-the-loose-in-beach-haven-one-person-seriously-injured-on-auckland-s-north-shore/ An armed person is on the loose in Auckland’s Beach Haven this afternoon after allegedly assaultingsomeone and leaving them seriously injured. A police spokesman said officers responded to a report of a grievous assault on Hayman Pl about 10am. The alleged offender fled from the property, the spokesman said. Police have cordoned off the road. Witnesses said officers were armed with rifles. The victim took themselves to hospital, the spokesman said. Police said the alleged offender was armed with a weapon other than a gun. Police believed the alleged assault was “an isolated incident” posing no risk to the wider community, he said. “There is an increased police presence in the area while inquiries are ongoing to locate the [alleged] offender,” he said. “We ask that members of the public avoid the area.” Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022. Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:55:44 Z /news/auckland/person-in-critical-condition-after-man-assaults-relative-police-officers-in-clendon-south-auckland/ /news/auckland/person-in-critical-condition-after-man-assaults-relative-police-officers-in-clendon-south-auckland/ One person is in a critical condition and another has been arrested after an early-morning fight between two family members in South Auckland. Police said the two were fighting at a residential address on Moncrieff Ave in Clendon at 2.40am. “Upon arrival the man was extremely agitated, assaulting responding officers. The officers were uninjured.” One person was taken to hospital and remains in a critical but stable condition. A 23-year-old man was arrested at the scene. He is due to appear in the Manukau District Court on Monday on charges of assaulting police, resisting police, and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:23:58 Z /news/auckland/auckland-shoplifters-caught-with-2700-of-goods-on-boxing-day-in-albany-north-shore-police-say/ /news/auckland/auckland-shoplifters-caught-with-2700-of-goods-on-boxing-day-in-albany-north-shore-police-say/ By RNZ Auckland police say they have caught three men with $2700 of shopliftedloot, after a sticky-fingered Boxing Day spree. Staff at a store in Albany’s Greville Rd spotted and reported two men leaving with items they had not paid for, police said. They left in a car driven by a third man, which officers spotted parked nearby. Items believed to be from the store were seen in the car, which was then searched, with officers turning up a haul of clothing, perfume, food and toys they said were stolen. “All of these items have been returned to their respective stores,” a police spokesperson said. Shoplifting charges were laid against three men aged 31, 34 and 33. The 33-year-old also faces a charge of aggravated assault. All three men were scheduled to appear in the North Shore District Court today. - RNZ Fri, 27 Dec 2024 03:55:11 Z /news/auckland/smoke-from-large-fire-closes-busy-road-on-auckland-s-north-shore/ /news/auckland/smoke-from-large-fire-closes-busy-road-on-auckland-s-north-shore/ Smoke from a large scrub fire has closed Hibiscus Coast Highway on Auckland’s North Shore. Firefighters are battling the blaze in Silverdale, with motorists warned to avoid the area. Five fire trucks, a water truck, and volunteers are on the scene; no injuries reported. Smoke from a large scrub fire has closed a busy road on Auckland’s North Shore. Firefighters are battling the growing blaze in Silverdale as motorists are being warned to keep clear of the area. A Fire and Emergency spokesman said crews were called to the Hibiscus Coast Highway at 1.47pm. He said the scrub fire was ripping through a 30m by 200m area of grass next to the busy route. Photos show cars being engulfed by grey smoke from the fire. Five fire trucks, one water truck and two support vehicles were on the scene as well as volunteers assisting with traffic control. There were no reports of injuries and it was too early to tell what sparked the blaze. A police spokesperson said the road is closed and diversions are in place. - More to come. Fri, 27 Dec 2024 02:09:04 Z /news/auckland/auckland-mayor-wayne-brown-kicks-up-a-stink-after-waterfront-pool-declared-unsafe-for-swimming/ /news/auckland/auckland-mayor-wayne-brown-kicks-up-a-stink-after-waterfront-pool-declared-unsafe-for-swimming/ Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown criticisedSafeswim after Karanga Plaza Pool was deemed unsafe due to bacteria. The $500,000 pool was closed days after opening, following a second red pin warning. Former councillor Sandra Coney called the pool a “useless, dangerous, redundant facility” on social media. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is kicking up a stink after the city’s latest pool, affectionately known as “Browny’s Pool”, was declared unsafe for swimming yesterday. Days after its opening, the Karanga Plaza Pool on the Auckland waterfront received a second red pin on Safeswim, indicating that levels of faecal bacteria or toxic algae bloom exceeded national swimming guidelines. Brown opened the $500,000 outdoor saltwater pool seven days ago. He shared a video of himself diving into the pool in his board shorts and swimming three laps of the 33m-long swimming lanes. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said the Viaduct's latest attraction was "really nice". He gave the pool a big thumbs up and said it was only part of his “bigger piece of work” to make the most out of Auckland’s harbours. After yesterday’s red pin, the mayor said the Safeswim programme is based on computer modelling, “which can mean anything”. “There needs to be actual on-site testing as well. “Remember the computer modelling that said 20mm of rain in January 2023 when we actually got 400mm and I got blamed for the flooding,” Brown said. Council’s Healthy Water general manager Craig McIlroy said daily sampling at Karanga Plaza and other beaches cannot provide real-time information about water quality. “Results of the sampling tests can take about 48 hours to be returned, and the water quality at Auckland’s beaches can change in much less time,” he said. Safeswim uses real-time data on rainfall, wind, and other environmental factors to simulate water quality at each beach. The water quality estimates are updated at least every 15 minutes. “Regular water quality sampling is also an important part of the programme and helps to validate and improve the performance of models. We will continue to sample at Karanga Plaza throughout the summer,” McIlroy said. The tidal steps leading down to the pool at Karanga Plaza are proving a popular spot for swimming. It has ladder access, a jumping platform, changing facilities, and the water quality is regularly monitored on the council’s Safeswim website. Lifeguards monitor the pool during peak swimming periods, and it is open during daylight hours over the summer. Former Auckland councillor Sandra Coney was not surprised the mayor’s “vanity pool at Karanga Plaza is shut days after it opened”. “He described the pool as ‘doing things better, faster and cheaper’ but now all we have is a useless, dangerous, redundant facility taking up space on the harbour edge. “This pool was always going to run into problems with pollution,” Coney said on social media, adding “it’s a disaster waiting to happen for inebriated patrons who are tempted by a dip in the briny on their way home” from nearby bars and restaurants. The new swimming pool at Karanga Plaza is proving a hit with Aucklanders. Photo / Alex Burton Data from the council’s Safeswim programme shows the percentage of time Karanga Plaza was safe to swim last summer was 85%. This was near the bottom of the 130 or so beaches tested, which found 17 beaches were swimmable 100% of the time, eight were swimmable 99% of the time, and most were swimmable 90% or more of the time. Launched in the summer of 2017, Safeswim has won international awards for providing residents with “transparent and accurate” real-time information on the water quality at 147 beaches and swimming spots across the city. In 2020, Safeswim was awarded the Smart Water Project of the Year by Global Water Intelligence, and in 2023 it was selected by the world Economic Forum as one of three winters of the Digitial Twin Cities. Global Pioneer Project. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday. Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:49:41 Z /news/auckland/wynyard-quarter-bridge-malfunctions-three-days-after-reopening-pedestrians-frustrated/ /news/auckland/wynyard-quarter-bridge-malfunctions-three-days-after-reopening-pedestrians-frustrated/ A key pedestrian bridge on Auckland’s waterfront was closed due to a fault only three days after its highly anticipated opening. The Wynyard Crossing bridge was reopened on Friday morning after a lengthy nine-month closure that forced pedestrians to walk around it or take a ferry. But this morning the bridge suffered a malfunction with gates preventing anyone from crossing for 10 to 15 minutes. A worker on site told the Herald the fault was fixed at 9am and the closure briefly affected pedestrians. Aucklander Dilan Jivan said he took the later train this morning anticipating he would save 20 minutes on his journey getting to work. He said about 50 people were waiting at the bridge entrance, but the gates never opened. Jivan said he asked workers near the bridge and they told him to go around or take the ferry. He said he would now be late for work and was “very frustrated” by the lack of communication. Many of his co-workers were also late to work and had missed important meetings because of the unexplained closure. The bridge was reopened on Friday morning after being intermittently out of action for a little over a year after it broke in November last year. It has forced people to walk a 20-minute detour or use a ferry to cross the Viaduct Basin. It was fully closed in March for repairs. The bridge, constructed at a cost of $3.7 million and opened in 2011, was built to raise and lower its span to accommodate boats passing below. It has cost at least $10.6m to fix the bridge, according to an update from Auckland Council’s development arm Eke Panuku in October. Auckland Council has been approached for comment. Sun, 15 Dec 2024 20:58:53 Z /news/auckland/auckland-mayor-wayne-brown-has-change-of-heart-over-running-major-events-like-sailgp/ /news/auckland/auckland-mayor-wayne-brown-has-change-of-heart-over-running-major-events-like-sailgp/ Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has allowed major events like the Fifa Women’s World Cup to remain with Tātaki Auckland Unlimited. Brown’s council-controlled organisation reform package is expected to be approved by councillors on Thursday. The mayor is also proposing a bed tax of 2.5% to 3% to fund a $7 million shortfall for major events. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has changed heart and proposed allowing major events like the Fifa Women’s World Cup and SailGP to stay outside a radical shake-up of council bodies. Councillors are expected to approve the mayor’s council-controlled organisation (CCO) reform package on Thursday, less than a week after Transport Minister Simeon Brown gave the green light to “surgically change” Auckland Transport. Under the package, AT will be stripped of its policy and strategy functions, the council’s urban generation body Eke Panuku Auckland, will be abolished, and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU) will lose its economic development function. The mayor, however, has decided that TAU should keep its destination marketing and major events functions after an earlier proposal to bring them in-house to the council. A spokesman for Brown said in consultation with the tourism sector, the mayor decided that keeping destination marketing and major events with TAU was consistent with a commercially funded model. The mayor believes ratepayers should not be subsidising activities with a significant private benefit, and TAU has been useful in attracting a small amount of private sector funding and partnerships, the spokesman said. Mayor Wayne Brown at Eden Park. The Fifa Women's World Cup, meanwhile, also played games at Eden Park. Photo / Alex Burton In background documents on the mayor’s well-signalled CCO reforms, TAU chief executive Nick Hill said that bringing destination and major events into the council was out of step with comparable cities. “Cities who have successfully used their visitor economies to drive vibrancy, regional and city benefits like Melbourne and Brisbane have pioneered stand-alone agency models,” he said. Today, a Tātaki Auckland Unlimited spokesperson did not wish to comment on the proposed change ahead of Thursday’s vote. The mayor is also looking at a potential name change for TAU so Aucklanders can better understand what the CCO delivers. When TAU was set up in 2020 from the merger of two CCOs - Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA), and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (Ateed) - the name Tātaki Auckland Unlimited was chosen to convey “energy, vitality, action and creativity”. Another option, “Auckland Live” did not fit the bill. The mayor is keeping an open mind on a possible name change. Transport Minister Simeon Brown (left) and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown (right) announced a major shake-up to the functions of Auckland Transport. Photo / 九一星空无限 With events split between TAU and the council, Brown wants most events and activities under TAU, but thought be given to local events usually organised and delivered by local boards and their communities. The mayor is also pushing for a bed tax of between 2.5% and 3% to fund a $7 million shortfall for major events, which, he said happens in most world-class cities and “is a no-brainer”. “The mayor’s expectation is that Tātaki and the sector will work with the Government to progress a bed night visitor levy as soon as possible,” the spokesman said today. In his mayoral proposal for next year’s budget, Brown said after a decade of tinkering with the CCOs through reviews “we are still contending with issues of public trust and confidence with the Auckland Council Group”. “It is clear that if we want to address the challenges embedded within the CCO model, we must change the system itself. This means structural reform and cultural change,” he said. Wayne Brown said the reform package does not require public consultation, which would delay implementation and create further uncertainty for staff. The CCO reforms would leave Auckland Transport running the trains, buses and ferries, and little else. Photo / Greg Bowker The magnitude and complexity of the reforms have led councillors to question how the proposed reforms would be implemented, whether management is up to the task, and want greater detail of what the new set-up would look like. Wayne Brown said if the reform package is approved, council chief executive Phil Wilson will provide regular updates, including a more detailed timeline, where things will sit in the council group, service continuity, and risk management. The Eke Panuku and TAU reforms are expected to come into effect from July next year, but the need to repeal legislation for the AT reforms means the changes will not occur before mid-2026. Tue, 10 Dec 2024 02:25:21 Z /news/auckland/auckland-world-first-hydrofoiling-electric-boat-joins-fullers-fleet/ /news/auckland/auckland-world-first-hydrofoiling-electric-boat-joins-fullers-fleet/ Auckland’s first 200 to 300-passenger electric ferries might be in a holding pattern, given multi-megawatt chargers on wharves that were supposed to be operational by the end of this year have only just been publically notified (an early stage of the consent process, which could be fraught Councillor Mike Lee marshalling opposition over what he sees as an “eyesore”). But there is a smaller, recreational option from today. Vessev’s 10-passenger, electric hydrofoiling VS-9 has joined Fuller’s fleet, having received commercial approval from Maritime NZ. Tickets are on sale today for $195 each for a twice-daily 45-minute “hydroil experience” starting on January 29. The VS-9 is also being offered for a charter around the Hauraki Gulf for $2000. Vessev and Fullers are working on a 100-person, 19m version, which will have commuter service potential. But unlike the 9m model just launched, which can charge at 0.8 nautical miles per minute from a regular marine power outlet, the larger model would need specialised charging infrastructure. “This is the first time ever that a vessel of this type - certified electric hydrofoiling - has been delivered to a private operator for private service applications. That’s an enormous endorsement of the commercial potential of this technology,” Vessev chief executive Eric Laakman told the Herald. “Private” is the operative word. Swedish startup Candela, a close rival to Vessev, had a small electric hydrofoiling ferry go into commuter service in Stockholm and last week said its “P12″ would be used for a new service crossing Lake Tahoe in the US, with a launch date yet to be revealed. Laakman said Candela’s Stockholm pilot involved two public transport authorities rather than private commercial entities. Auckland ferry commuters have been able to watch the Vessev ripping around the inner harbour during testing. Laakman says the VS-9 beat expectations by coping with waves of up to 1m. The VS-9 was designed and built in Auckland by Vessev, with its hydrofoiling technology adapted from race-winning America’s Cup yachts, Fullers and Vessev say. It’s battery-powered propulsion system uses approximately 55kW - the equivalent of 70HP - while cruising at 25 knots, Laackman says. That is unprecedented for a standing-height 9m vessel, he says. The startup’s Vessev’s mix of backers also includes Icehouse Ventures, Sir Stephen Tindall’s K1W1, Australasian VC firm Blackbird Ventures, US VC firm Shasta Ventures, founder and original CEO Max Olson (now chief technology officer) and Laakmann - an American who was development lead for the original Apple Watch before going on a sail-the-world sabbatical that saw him stranded in Auckland by Covid border closures; he never left. Olson began with the big vision of electric ferries for the Cook Strait run. Laakman says larger models are on the way, but doesn’t have a timeline. Fullers chief executive Mike Horne says his firm is committed to buying more electric “and hydrogen” vessels from Vessev and other players. Horne’s company led the initial design and development of two 300-passenger hybrid commuter ferries. Both vessels are funded by AT and NZTA at a cost of around $20m each and are earmarked for the Devonport-CBD run. The hybrids have batteries as their primary power source, but can also run on backup diesel generators - a fallback that might prove useful given the slippage in AT’s mega charger timetime. April 2025 is pencilled in as the delivery date for the first of the hybrids, which are being built by Q-West in Whanganui and incorporate HamiltonJet propulsion systems. The second is due in 2026. Two 200-passenger fully-electric ferries are also under construction by McMullen & Wing in Auckland, based on a design by EV Maritime. The AT-owned vessels will service the Half Moon Bay and Hobsonville runs. The latest schedule has the first vessel handed over to AT “in 2025″. Vessev VS-9 tech specs: Length: 8.95m Weight: 4 tonnes fully loaded Power: Battery electric Capacity: 10 passengers Cruise speed: 25 knots (46km/h) Top speed: 30 knots (56km/h) Range: Up to 50 nautical miles (92km) at 25 knots Charging time: 0.8 nautical miles per minute Source: Vessev, Fullers Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer. Sun, 08 Dec 2024 22:53:36 Z /news/auckland/report-over-fears-of-cost-and-time-blowouts-at-city-rail-link-shouldn-t-be-public-says-auckland-council-boss-phil-wilson/ /news/auckland/report-over-fears-of-cost-and-time-blowouts-at-city-rail-link-shouldn-t-be-public-says-auckland-council-boss-phil-wilson/ Auckland Council chief executive Phil Wilson called the public release of a report on the City Rail Link a “cock-up”. The report revealed a lack of confidence in French contractor VINCI Grand Projects’ forecasts for the $5.5 billion project. Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown remain committed to holding all parties accountable to deliver the project on time and budget. The public release of a report that revealed a lack of confidence in a French construction firm’s forecasts on the $5.5 billion City Rail Link was a complete mistake, says Auckland Council chief executive Phil Wilson. “It was a cock-up. It wasn’t intended for the public agenda,” Wilson said. The Herald reported last week that French construction executives are flying to New Zealand over fears of time and cost blowouts for New Zealand’s biggest infrastructure project. The report revealed alarm bells have gone off with the body set up to run the project expressing a lack of confidence in the main contractor’s forecasts, and taking concerns to the highest political levels. Wilson said that while the “horse had bolted” with the Herald publishing contents of the report, the appropriate thing to do was to move the report to the confidential section of the council’s audit and risk committee on Tuesday. The seven-page report is now in the confidential section under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act on the grounds of ongoing commercial negotiations. “It was a human error situation where somebody didn’t tick the confidential box on the report template,” Wilson said. The report said VINCI Grand Projects, the French contractor leading the Link Alliance building the CRL, is sending senior executives from France on December 12 to meet with City Rail Link Ltd, the company set up by Auckland Council and the Government to oversee the project. The council and the Government (sponsors) are joint partners in the 3.4km underground rail project that began construction in 2016. It has caused massive disruption to central city businesses, faced cost and time blowouts, and is due to be operating in 2026. The CRL was originally costed between $2b and $3b and was expected to be completed in 2023-24. The most damaging comments in the report said that on September 25, CRL Ltd wrote to the sponsors “with an outline of their concerns and lack of confidence in the Link Alliance’s reporting and forecasting”. In the letter, CRL Ltd said they would issue a notice to the Link Alliance “indicating their lack of confidence with the provision of risk (both time and cost) and seeking a meeting to discuss concerns”. The City Rail Link has caused years of financial and emotional disruption for central city businesses. Photo / Alex Burton Asked if the matter had caused any friction with VINCI, Wilson was not aware of any reaction as of Friday. The plan is for CRL Ltd to meet with the VINCI executives to undertake a joint review led by a former chief executive of Fulton Hogan and the project director for the Puhoi to Warkworth highway, Robert Jones, for completion in December. An independent assurance manager who regularly advises the sponsors about time, costs, and quality on the CRL project is also delivering a deep dive into operational readiness by December, and assurance managers are delivering a review of the testing and commissioning phase. “These two pieces of work will help CRL Ltd and sponsors to gain a more accurate understanding of the programme and costs,” the report said. In a joint statement on Friday, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said they know how important the CRL is for Auckland and remain committed to holding all parties accountable to deliver it on budget and on time. “CRL Ltd has advised us that since the letter was sent, there has been greater alignment between the Link Alliance and CRL on the programme and its cost. (They) have advised us that the project remains on track for opening to the public in 2026,” they said. Furthermore, the two leaders said they had been advised the joint review would agree to the remainder of the programme and costs. Wilson said he received a call from Simeon Brown on Friday wondering what the story was with the report being in the public arena. “He wasn’t exercised about it to be clear but he was wondering how it had happened … and had a question if things were on track or not,” Wilson said. Transport Minister Simeon Brown (left), and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown (right) issued a joint statement on the report. Photo / Alex Burton Asked about the matter today, Simeon Brown said the release of the report is a matter for Auckland Council. On Friday, CRL Ltd chief executive Patrick Brockie and the council’s resilience and infrastructure director Barry Potter played down the language in the report about a “lack of confidence” in the Link Alliance and risks to time and cost. Brockie said the language about a lack of confidence was not uncommon when the Link Alliance tried to complete work early to generate more income, and what the sponsors think is realistic. Said Potter: “We are very clear in our current reporting that we have no concerns with the delivery of the overall CRL programme. There is no suggestion that the project budget or overall timeframe are at risk – people will be stepping off trains in 2026, and this hasn’t changed.” Sun, 01 Dec 2024 19:18:16 Z /news/auckland/papakura-crash-one-dead-after-single-vehicle-crash-on-great-south-rd/ /news/auckland/papakura-crash-one-dead-after-single-vehicle-crash-on-great-south-rd/ One person is dead after a crash on Great South Rd in the South Auckland suburb of Papakura on Saturday morning. The crash was reported just before 11am. Police said traffic management is in place at the scene on Great South Rd, Papakura, near O’Shannessey St. “The road remains closed, with diversions in place, while the Serious Crash Unit examines the scene,” police said in a statement. “Please avoid the area, if possible, or expect delays.” A St John spokeswoman said they sent one ambulance and one rapid response unit to the scene after they were called at 10.57am. St John referred further questions to police. A Fire and Emergency NZ shift supervisor said they had not been called to the crash. Sat, 30 Nov 2024 02:08:39 Z /news/auckland/huge-queues-at-auckland-airport-after-security-breach/ /news/auckland/huge-queues-at-auckland-airport-after-security-breach/ Travellers going through Auckland Airport’s domestic terminal faced disruption this morning after an individual refused to comply with screening protocol and entered a restricted area. At 6.40am, a passenger refused to follow all instructions when going through security screening, a spokesperson for Aviation Security Services told the Herald. “A passenger undergoing security screening refused to fully comply with the process and left the screening point into a restricted area prior to the process being complete.” The person was found by Aviation security officers then removed from the restricted area. “As a result, the terminal was emptied and rescreened,” the spokesperson said. One traveller, who shared a photo of the security screening area to Instagram Stories, claimed the line of passengers stretched all the way through the airport as people were re-screened. Screening recommenced with four lanes open and Avsec confirmed there was no longer a safety or security risk. It is unclear what happened to the passenger after they were removed but Avsec said “further investigation into this incident will occur”. There have been reports of large queues at the domestic departures. An Auckland Airport spokesperson confirmed the security breach had caused significant queues and delays, and thanked travellers for cooperating. “We thank travellers for their patience and they should please check with their airline about any impact to their flight,” they said. The cause of the security breach is currently unclear. Passengers due to fly were advised to check with their airline for details if they have been impacted by the disruption. On November 12, travellers were also hit with queues and disruption due to an influx of Coldplay and Pearl Jam concertgoers arriving in and departing Auckland’s Domestic terminal as well as an out-of-action security scanner. Some travellers said it took an hour to get through security, while others described the queue as “absolute chaos” to Stuff. Thu, 28 Nov 2024 21:02:42 Z