Strong winds and a dry winter have resulted in 17 fires in 15 days in the Otago region, Fire and Emergency says.Firefighters had been battling a scrub fire in Waitaki since Friday.Strong winds and a dry winter have resulted in 17 fires in 15 days in the Otago region, Fire and Emergency says.Firefighters had been battling a scrub fire in Waitaki since Friday.Fire and Emergency Incident Commander Bobby Lamont told RNZ's Morning Report there might be a few hot spots but it was largely under control."We're pretty confident with the work that we've done over the last 48 hours, we're pretty comfortable to have everything contained."Fire and Emergency would do a final walk over Monday before leaving the site, he said.Lamont said there had been 17 fires in the region in the last 15 days.That was down to a number of factors including strong winds, little rain, and the high flammability of grasses and scrub that were "frost cured" - dried out over a dry winter.Those things were normal at this time of year, but the winds were starting earlier than normal, he said."In springtime, we do tend to see these things anyway and it catches people out."People planning controlled burns should check the long-range forecast, especially the wind, and the checkitsalright.nz website had more information, Lamont said.

How does your KiwiSaver balance compare to others your age?The retirement savings scheme has become a key part of many New Zealanders' financial lives since it was launched in 2007.There is now about $110.8 billion invested in the scheme. The average balance is $31,828, although that is affected by the large number of people who do not contribute to the scheme.Milford said its average balance was about $79,000.Data from actuaries Melville Jessup Weaver for December 2023 shows that balances generally increased as people became older.Under 17-year-olds had an average balance of $2869. People aged 18 to 25 had an average of $8867. For those aged 26 to 30, the average increased to $17,326.People aged 31 to 35 had an average of $21,096. Those 36 to 40 had an average of $26,829.This might be the age at which more people withdraw their money for a first-home.Dean Anderson, founder of Kernel KiwiSaver, said that was a complicating factor for anyone trying to compare their balances."You could be back to $1000 and work up again. During that 20s and 30s there is a lot of variability in averages - what we are increasingly seeing is quite a variance in balances. It's not uncommon to see people with six-figure KiwiSavers these days in many age bands. The averages are a good reference point but don't give the full context - if you're on a lower income or you've been a stay-at-home parent for a period you want to compare to similar profile."People aged 41 to 45 had $34,741 and those 46 to 50 had an average of $43,600. As people entered their 50s, so too did their average balances. Those aged 51 to 55 had an average of $50,446. For 56 to 60-year-olds, their average balance was $55,632. Those in the last five years before becoming eligible for the pension had just under $60,000."The later someone has left [contributing to KiwiSaver] the more hard work they have to do in terms of a greater proportion of their income they have to put into it," Anderson said."Then it's about the longevity of it … the biggest question is - is KiwiSaver going go sustain the length of time that you need income in retirement? You can have a lower balance and go 'right I'm still going to take $500 a week to top up because that's what we need for our lifestyle' but you'll run out sooner. It's about the size and how much you're taking down isn't so much the key point, it's how long it will get you through retirement, topping up to your desired income levels you may have or lifestyle needs."He said some people might be happy burning their fund out in 10 years and living off superannuation after that but other people wanted their money to last 30 years.After 65, balances dropped a little and hovered around the $60,000 average mark. People aged 80 to 85 had an average balance of $113,807 and those aged over 86 had $156,039. This may reflect the more limited numbers of people in these age brackets usingKiwiSaver, and deliberate investment planning decisions being made.Sam Stubbs, founder of Simplicity KiwiSaver said the "rule of four" was a good guide to indicate how much might need to be saved."Work out how much you need a year and that needs to be 4 percent of what you have saved, and that will last forever … if you want $40,000 a year in after-tax income on top of NZ Super you probably need $1 million saved."He said people should not be spooked by that figure, because it assumed they would want to give their children the full $1m, and only live off the returns."There's an awful lot of opportunity for you to spend the kids' inheritance. I've often personally thought if you want to have a normal lifestyle and you've got something like half that you'll probably be in okay territory. But it depends what you spend in retirement - some people have very expensive retirements and some don't."The earlier you start, the easier it gets … it's so much easier to start saving young and so much less is required. But if you're 50, start doing it."He said regular withdrawals from a still-invested KiwiSaver were also likely to make the money last better than taking it all out of the scheme and putting it in a term deposit."I'll be in a growth fund until the day I die. But I'll just take regular withdrawals so when the market falls I won't panic, I'm still getting my same regular income. Yes it will drop down but it will pop back up again over time. There are ways to manage what little you have to make it last longer."Financial planner Liz Koh said it was never too late to consider KiwiSaver."Because it is still a relatively young scheme, it is unlikely that people retiring in the near future will be able to rely on KiwiSaver alone for their retirement, as they won't have been contributing for their entire working life. It is important for people to get the maximum possiblebenefit from KiwiSaver before they retire by way of tax credits and employer contributions. KiwiSaver can be used as a low-cost investment vehicle after retirement."Money can be left invested in KiwiSaver with regular payments coming out to supplement NZ Superannuation. Alternatively, it can be left untouched as a fund for the late stage of retirement, or a fund with a special purpose, such as covering health costs - surgery and specialists, house maintenance, car replacement or a bequest for family members. In essence, KiwiSaver is an essential part of everyone's retirement planning."

Spring has sprung and it feels like things are looking up.Ōamaru and Palmerston's weather is looking pretty good for the weekend despite a possibility of showers on Saturday. Further up the valley Omarama's weather is forecasted for cold and wet on Saturday but Sunday's looking great!The weekend is packed with opportunity and this is just what we know about. If we've missed anything, click here to give us the details - the Waitaki App What's on Guide is forever free to share your events with everyone locally (please note, weekend deadline is Thursdays, 5pm).Friday and Saturday is the DE Midlands Masters' Tournament Too Good to Miss on Friday Sept 6th until 7th at the Oamaru Squash & Badminton Club. Check it out - proceeds go to support the team at Nationals.Saturday is full on this weekend with so many different activities happening...In Ōamaru, it's the last day for Thames St's Pop Up Art Exhibition: Colour Me Creative on Wednesday August 14 until Sept 7, on Saturday so if you haven't popped in yet, make sure you do.The Harbour Street Collective is hosting an all-day coffee giveaway with Ross Palethorpe Counselling providing mental health resources from 10-12 pm - details on this link Coffee & Mental Health Support - in honour of Worldwide Suicide Prevention Day on Saturday Sep 7.And since it's the first Saturday of the month, Amy's Little Dog Spa is offering Dog Nail Trims - Free with her walk-in session 10-12pm.Also on, in and around Ōamaru is;Waitaki Rec Centre's Summer Jam Family Fun Day on Saturday Sept 7,Worm Farming with Joey on Saturday Sept 7th at the Waitaki Community Gardens in Chelmer St,St Luke's mini garage sale on Saturday Sept 7th,Japanese inspired Sashiko stitching on Saturday Sept 7th at the Revitalise Waitaki Pop-Up ShopThe Third Annual English Regency County Dance on Saturday Sept 7 at the Masonic Halland from a near sell-out season n Dunedin Fringe - check out Baroness on Saturday September 7 at Ōamaru Opera HouseIn Kakanui, check out Lindsay Murray's workshop Hand Tool Maintenance and Sharpening-from Garden tools to Knive on Sunday Sept 1 until 14 (reminder that this is by appointment so get in touch with Lindsay to arrange your workshop).In Kurow, check out the Mental Health Awareness Night on Saturday Sept 7th with Matt Chisholm hosted by McSkimming Shearing and the Upper Waitaki Young Farmers at the Kurow Rugby Club.In Otematata, check out Otematata Spring Fling-Community Get Together on Saturday Sept 7.For Sunday, there's the;Oamaru Rowing Club Open Day on Sunday Sept 8,Asian Cultural Festival on Sunday September 8 at the Station Yuan's in Humber Street with a host of different activities from tea ceremony to sushi & dumplings, QiGong, lantern making and more!Excelsior Petanque Club - Sundays - All WelcomeThe Reveal @ Scotts Brewing Co looks like a bit of fun too. Have a super weekend!Want us to share your event? Click here to give us the details ~ free to you thanks to our wonderful local advertisers. Shop local everyone!

MetService is forecasting sunny and dry conditions for much of the country before rain and wind make a return this weekend. After a chilly Thursday morning, temperatures make a quick recovery over the coming days.Thursday is a picture-perfect day over the country with the sun making an appearance and most places remaining dry. The only exception is the west, where a few showers are expected. MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane says this trend continues into Friday. “But we’ll see wetter conditions developing over the western South Island later in the day – a precursor to the next weather system arriving early Saturday,” she says.Westland wakes up to rain on Saturday morning, which could be heavy in the ranges. The wet weather gradually spreads north through Grey, Buller, Tasman, and Nelson by the afternoon and evening. On the eastern side of the Southern Alps, periods of rain are also expected, although not in the same intensity as the west.For the North Island, the rain looks to move in late Saturday into Sunday, but is expected to clear quickly by the afternoon, with just a few lingering showers.Beginning early Saturday, vigorous westerly to northwesterly winds will sweep over the South Island and lower North Island, with several Strong Wind Watches already in place. The Canterbury High Country is expected to bear the brunt of the most intense winds. These winds are expected to ease by Sunday, although some areas may continue to experience breezy conditions.After a chilly start to Thursday – the coldest morning felt in weeks – temperatures are set to rise rapidly. By Saturday, eastern regions could even see mid-20s temperatures, driven by westerly winds ahead of the incoming weather system. Once it moves through, temperatures are expected to return to the seasonal September norm.“If you’ve been feeling like the weather’s been on a bit of a rollercoaster lately, you’re not alone,” Mmathapelo says. “Spring is a time of transition as the atmosphere shifts from winter to summer, and this year has already seen its fair share of ups and downs. It wouldn't be unexpected if this season has a few more swings in weather up its sleeve.”

We're paying higher prices, specials are confusing and loyalty schemes aren't delivering overly significant rewards.Those aren't just the musings of a frustrated supermarket shopper - but are some of the findings in the Commerce Commission's first annual grocery report, issued on Wednesday.It might have been depressing reading for anyone hoping for major change in the sector.But what does it all mean for consumers?Here are five things households should know.High prices aren't in your headThe report notes that food is a major expense for New Zealand households - and that what we pay is high by international standards.In the year to June last year, the average household was spending $214 a week on groceries, or about 13 percent of their total weekly budget, it said.Grocery prices had increased more than any other common household bill between 2019 and 2023. That was primarily due to fruit and vegetables - the prices of which have softened more recently as weather effects have passed.In 2022, New Zealand had the fourth-highest grocery spending in the OECD and the report said New Zealanders spent more on grocery shopping than their counterparts in Australia or the UK.The report also said "high-low pricing" - where supermarkets offer deeper discounts on certain products at particular times - made it harder for shoppers to judge whether things were really a bargain.Rewards schemes were only giving a return of between 0.71 percent for Flybuys and 0.75 percent for Everyday Rewards.Between 2007 and 2019, the average weekly spend on grocery food increased 7.3 percent every three years but the latest data showed a leap of 28.9 percent.Rob Hamlin, a senior lecturer at the Otago University business school, said he felt that New Zealand shoppers were worse off than others around the world."The last big trip I did, I went to Tokyo and considered food there to be cheap. From Tokyo I went to Berlin and food in Berlin was ridiculously cheap and better quality. The UK was equally cheap but maybe comparable quality to what it is here."He said there was a problem with supermarkets but in general, people in New Zealand were paying too much for a lot of things.Competition is not bringing down margins, or pricesThe commission's report said supermarkets would point to their own rising costs as the reason for price rises.But it said margins had continued to grow - all of the major supermarkets had experienced an increase in price-cost margins, which meant that retail prices were increasing faster than the cost of the goods.For non-fresh product categories, New World in the North Island had a margin increase of 3.9 percentage points between 2019 and 2023. Pak'n Save increased 2.3 percentage points.In the South Island, New World had a 2.9 percentage point increase and Pak'n Save a 2.7 percentage point lift.Countdown, now Woolworths, had a margin increase of 3.6 percentage points.The report noted that, across fresh categories, margins dropped 0.4 percentage points on average.The report said supermarkets "continue to achieve higher levels of profitability than we would expect in a workably competitive market".It said Foodstuffs in particular had consistently achieved elevated profit levels between 2019 and 2023.Consumer NZ head of research and advocacy Gemma Rasmussen said she did not think households would get relief at the checkout any time soon."Financial food concern remains the second-highest financial worry, coming second to only housing costs. For context, three years ago, concerns around food was ranked eighth of 10 major concerns, so food stress is certainly present."The Grocery Commissioner has been quick to emphasise that changes to improve the health and competition of the grocery sector will beslow."The grocery report reveals that while thousands of households have been struggling to pay for food on the table, the supermarkets retail margins have increased, and competition is not improving. We think this speaks to the audacity of our duopoly who continue to squeeze suppliers and increase their margins at the checkout."Woolworths argued that the role of multinational suppliers also needed to be looked at.Foodstuffs argued it had kept price increases below the rate of food price inflation in 24 of the past 27 months.Other competitors aren't finding it easyThe report noted Costco's opening generated a lot of interest and 150,000 members had signed up by March.But while it recorded revenue of $341 million in its first full year, it suffered a $20.5m loss.The commission said any new Costco outlets would not be open quickly and it could take two or three years from the time one was announced. It was not likely that Costco would be able to expand to the point where it could become a serious third supermarket contender, it said.The report said the Warehouse could be an option - its network of shops meant it was in a good position to encourage shoppers to split their shopping in many cases - but it had said it had no intention of raising the capital needed to compete.Other competitors could come from changing consumer demands and preferences, but attempts to pursue that sort of progress with online-only retailing had not been successful yet.It noted that Bin Inn closed five stores since March 2022, Huckleberry was placed into liquidation and high-profile online retailer Supie failed.But others, such as Reduced to Clear, were expanding.Innovation, but is it what we want?The grocery report noted that supermarkets' online offerings had increased and they were also investing in things like security.Many stores had been improved and supermarkets were replacing paper price tickets with electronic ones.But some customers were more interested in innovations that would lead to lower costs - such as a food discounter business model with a narrower range of products and lower prices.Bodo Lang, a professor of marketing analytics at Massey University, said it would be wrong to conclude that there had not been a benefit in the appointment of the commissioner and the review of the sector carried out two years ago.He said the deregulation of the electricity market in the late 1990s proved that policymakers had the power to substantially change markets and force them to become more competitive."As a result of the alleged increasing profit margins of supermarkets, the Grocery Commissioner is considering utilising more serious tactics to lower grocery prices. Using the Fair Trading Act, a whistleblower website, and large penalties of up to $10 million are some of the next steps to make the sector more competitive and to reduce food prices for all New Zealanders."Would fines make a difference?But Hamlin said he doubted that fines would work. "My feeling would be that I don't think the amount of voltage they've got available to them will be sufficient to change these people's minds about complying with what the government wants them to do."He said any fine could end up being passed on to shoppers in higher prices."If the Commerce Commission wants this to work they have to up the voltage considerably, that means going after the individuals with executive authority to make the decisions that are causing problems in the first place."Hamlin said he suggested to the commission that supermarkets could be required to have a constant margin on everything they sold, so that if a supplier wanted to reduce what they charged, the retailer could not pocket the difference.

A multi-million dollar upgrade to the Forrester Gallery is expected to go out to market for tender next week. The Waitaki District Council approved the extension design and procurement plan at its meeting earlier this week.Architectural renders show the extension of 780m2 at the rear of the current gallery, connecting on all three floors by an atrium. There will be new climate-controlled collection storage, a large main gallery and increased education space on the first floor, as well as a lift for upstairs access.The extension was proposed 30 years ago, just 10 years after the gallery was opened, with successive directors and curators, as well as the Friends of the Forrester Gallery and other groups, advocating for an expansion of both gallery and storage space. Waitaki District Council has long supported the extension, and in 2019 approved the expansion of the 1884 former Bank of New South Wales building, on the condition that external funding was sought for the project.Last year, in its 40th year of operating, the gallery received $6.5 million from the Government’s Regional Culture and Heritage Fund - a contestable fund to help communities meet fundraising shortfalls for capital construction projects.This brings the total funds raised to around $7.3 million, which include contributions from the Friends of the Forrester Gallery, bequests and anonymous donors.Forrester Gallery director Chloe Searle says they are pleased with the support councillors have shown to this extension. “That we are heading towards construction in 2025 is a testament to the hard work of my predecessors, and the many people in the community who support the Forrester Gallery.”Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher says the extension will provide several important features the current building has been lacking. “It has been an awesome achievement to be able to see this project get to this stage, with minimal funding from ratepayers thanks to the external funds raised.”The next stage will involve procurement, and building consent, with the focus on ensuring the project remains within its available budget.Wellington firm Tilt Architecture has provided the exterior design, with Designtech Architectural responsible for the interior.A close-up of the atrium joining the old and the new. Photo: Supplied

A working group has been set up to gather views on the idea and feasibility of the Waitaki River operating as a single catchment. Working group member and Otago Regional Councillor Kevin Malcolm, says the current arrangement is difficult and it’s time to take it out of the “too-hard basket” and apply a more common-sense approach. Responsibility is currently split between Otago Regional Council and Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury), with water consents governed according to the Resource Management (Waitaki Catchment) Amendment Act 2004. “This has created a complex regulatory environment that is often difficult and expensive to navigate,” Kevin says. "It is important for us to work in collaboration with the rūnaka of Arowhenua, Waihao and Moeraki, whose whakapapa runs deep in the Waitaki. “The Waitaki is a very special place to us all. We have a responsibility to look after it to the best of our ability for now and for the benefit of future generations.” Environment Canterbury chair Peter Scott says this is only the first step on a long road for this important piece of mahi. “At this stage we are simply asking the question ‘Should this happen and if so, how?’,” he says. The first task for the working group is to identify and make contact with the groups that are most affected and/or can inform this plan. “We understand and appreciate that the Waitaki is the source of nationally critical renewable power generation, that it is critical for food production and an important fishery, and we need to treasure the whenua’s unique landscapes and biodiversity,” Peter says. “It is these people and key organisations we want to sit down and talk with over the coming month, and for these reasons we want to step up our role as kaitiaki.”

Young people are the future of this community, and we need to really listen to them, says The Y Central South Island chief executive Keith Shaw.Keith spoke in Ōamaru on Monday night (2 September), at a Business South BA5 (Business After 5pm) event hosted by The Y, and held at The Station Yuan’s on Humber Street.The purpose of the event was to share results of the Youth Survey 2024, which is conducted to “take the pulse” of the region’s taiohi, aged 12-24 years, on a range of topics.About 935 young people from Waitaki, Waimate, Mackenzie, Timaru and Ashburton districts took part in the survey - which was split into three parts: Attitudes, Education and Employment, and Wellbeing.The Y Central South Island has conducted the survey every two years, since 2014, as a public service and advocacy project to give the area’s young people a voice. Survey results are widely shared with local government, health, education, social sector organisations, and the business community to help inform and improve services for young people. Youth Survey project manager Michèle Keggenhoff says it is the Y’s “great hope and expectation that service providers, planners, strategists and decision-makers across the region will take note and take action”.This is the first time Waitaki has been included in the survey, and new questions this year include factors and barriers in choosing a career, the impact of the cost of living crisis, access and barriers to medical and mental health services, Rainbow support services, the effect of social media usage on well-being, and the Government’s ban on cellphones in schools.Key findings from the Youth Survey 2024 Results Report are that overall, quality of life is pretty “sigma” for Waitaki youth, you gave it a rating of 4.01 stars out of 5 - slightly higher than the average of 3.87 stars across all the districts.A crowd of about 45 attended Monday night's event. Photo: Nico CousauYoung people identified their top five health issues as vaping/smoking 82% (2021: 78%), mental health/depression/stress 62% (2021: 64%), bullying 56% (2019: 54%), social media addiction 46% (2021: 35%) and alcohol 40% (2019: 50%). Drugs has dropped out of the top five for the first time since the youth survey began in 2014, and self-harm (29%) and eating disorders (12%) appear in the survey for the first time.Health issues among the small number (62) of gender-diverse respondents varied slightly, with mental health/depression/stress notably high at 86%, vaping/smoking next at 71%, bullying at 64%, and self-harm and eating disorders also disturbingly high for this group, at 43% for each.Nearly a quarter (23%) of young people say it is ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to get help for a medical health issue in their district, with Waitakians finding it the most challenging at 28%. (Ashburton 22%, Timaru 19%).For mental health issues specifically, this increases to 28% across all districts, although there is only a slight rise in the Waitaki to 29%, while Ashburton jumps to 35% (Timaru 22%).Among the gender-diverse respondents, the figures are again much higher - with 50% struggling to access help for medical health issues and 75% for mental health issues.Not having the confidence to acknowledge that help is needed is a big barrier to accessing medical or mental health services, although many commented they are not taken seriously when they do seek help. Lack of qualified staff, long waiting lists and cost were also frequently identified barriers.Survey results are remarkably similar across districts, Michèle says.Youth Survey project manager Michèle Keggenhoff. Photo: Cara Tipping Smith “Since the inception of the Youth Survey in 2014, young people consistently tell us they mostly have a good quality of life and that their district is a pretty good place to live – although there could always be more made available for young people to do. “But they also consistently tell us they are stressed.”Stress or anxiety negatively affects on average 41% of young people (2021: 44%) “most of the time” or “always” (ASH 50%, TIM 40%, WTK 36%), according to the survey. By age 16 that figure reaches 58% (2021: 59%) and continues to increase with age, a pattern seen in all previous surveys.“On their journey to adulthood, they juggle the demands of school, extracurricular and work obligations for some, societal expectations and judgements, and there are few opportunities for them to have a say on policies and decisions that affect them. “This survey is one way of enabling their voice to be heard,” Michèle says.The thing young people most wish employers understood about them is they make mistakes and are still learning. Young people also feel strongly that age does not define capability, and they do not all fit the phone-obsessed slacker stereotype, but can be hard workers who should be valued and encouraged. Keith says at The Y, they “listen to young people” and are proud of their accomplishments. Young people who come to them to further their education generally have struggled in mainstream school for a variety of reasons. “Everyone makes their own stereotypical view of what that might be, I'm telling you, it's probably nothing like what you're thinking about. “It's actually their journey that we in the Y respond to, their need and their academic outcomes."The Y has had a presence in Ōamaru since 2013, and the organisation is keen to increase its “on-the-ground” youth work support in the town.“And that's not about competing, it's about finding gaps in this community that are not filled. We're not here to compete with those who do this work well. We're here to walk alongside and work alongside."Photo: Nico CousauKeith asked that people “listen hard” to the youth voice. “You don't necessarily have to agree with everything you hear, but you definitely do need to listen hard and reflect on how this could inform our mahi, okay?“Because, actually, young people are the future of this community. And no matter how wise we think we are, it is important that youth have a voice and that's what this project is about."Business South Waitaki navigator Rebecca Finlay, who facilitated Monday’s event, says the depth of information in the survey is impressive and validates a lot of the work they do to create pathways for school leavers.“It’s also given us direction at Waitaki District Council and Business South on placemaking projects and how to create the right workforce for the current and future economy,” she says.“I’d personally like to commend Michèle on this highly valuable body of research.”(additional reporting Cara Tipping Smith)

Transport commentators and mainlanders say the South Island has missed out on its fair share of transport funding.The government's National Land Transport plan for the next three years is worth nearly $33 billion] and focuses on more state highways, road maintenance, and greater public transport in big cities.Auckland alone has secured $8.4b - more than twice as much as the entire South Island, which has been allocated $3.9b across its regions. That was up from $2.78b in the last three-year plan.The South Island's roads had been consistently underfunded by successive governments, but this disparity felt more extreme, Dunedin City councillor Jim O'Malley said."It didn't come as a surprise, it just comes as a disappointment, largely," he said."Everybody got ... a good spread of the budget when it comes to things like potholes and other such things, but when it comes to things like the roads of national significance and the roads of regional significance, then you really start seeing the South Island, and especially the lower South Island, just disappearing from the list."Of the 17 roads of national significance, just two were in the South Island.But safety improvements were desperately needed on highways in and around southern cities, O'Malley said."There's a section of road south of Dunedin that's only about 10k's [kilometres] long, [that] has one of the worst deaths and serious injury rates in the country."They are doing some work there, but that needs to be turned into a separated highway, but we'll never get anything like that."Auckland public transport commentator and blogger Matt Lowrie said funding would naturally fluctuate, for example, Waikato had a decent chunk of change over the last decade while the expressway was built."But if you look at the long-term trend, the South Island particularly gets underfunded, against ... places in the North Island," he said."Just because there are some new roads that have been built doesn't mean there's not other things that are needed, like better public transport."There were plenty of opportunities for improvement in the South Island, he said.Even those who stood to benefit from the transport plan pointed out the South Island's share seemed a little light.Transporting New Zealand Ia Aotearoa advocates for road freight companies, and its interim chief executive Dom Kalasih said there would always be more transport work to do than the government could afford."There was always going to be some good projects missing out, and arguably the South Island, that's missed out a little," he said.But on the whole, the government's road-heavy transport plan priorities were "dead right", Kalasih said."At the end of the day, you need freight and goods and people to be able to move around for the economy to grow and prosper."RNZ asked Transport Minister Simeon Brown about the South Island's share of funding, but he passed the query on to Waka Kotahi.The transport agency said most regions received significantly more than in the last three-year plan."Consistent with the strategic priority of economic productivity and growth, a significant focus of the 2024-27 NLTP will be progressing the Roads of National Significance projects," it said."With the majority of these located in the North Island, this has an impact on the distribution of investment in the 2024-27 NLTP."On top of that, road maintenance spend generally aligned with population - but that varied due to things like geotechnical conditions and weather patterns, it said.Data from the 2023 census showed 75 percent of New Zealanders live in the North Island, with 25 percent calling the South Island home.

ACC has reinstated personal case managers for nearly 12,500 clients, u-turning on part of a $74 million restructure that had removed them.The reintroduction of one-to-one case management for new clients receiving weekly compensation has occurred after "gaps" emerged in a case management model introduced four years ago, ACC said.A lawyer specialising in ACC law said the reversal was not a surprise, because the agency had been warned the new system would fail.The roll-out of what the agency called its 'Next Generation Case Management' system was completed in 2020.It was touted as a way to increase productivity, save costs and improve workloads, but has been plagued with problems.A 2022 internal review of the system found running costs had almost doubled and the benefits to clients were still "unclear".Despite the "teething problems", the new system was still worth the investment, ACC chief executive Megan Main said at the time.Another internal review carried out in May 2023, obtained by RNZ under the Official Information Act, found it was still not working as intended due to "gaps" between "the blueprint and the delivered product".With little improvement to case backlogs by March this year, and deteriorating rehabilitation rates, the agency reverted to one-to-one case management for new 'low-complexity' clients receiving weekly compensation on its Assisted Recovery scheme.The category typically covers people with temporary injuries, who need some support to rehabilitate - the agency's website provides the example of a teacher with a dislocated shoulder.Clients with more serious or complex injuries, handled by the 'Supported Recovery' and 'Partnered Recovery' teams, have continued to have personal case managers.As of the end of August, 200 staff were working one-to-one with 12,499 new Assisted Recovery clients.Lawyer Warren Forster, who founded conciliation service ACC Advocacy, said he was unsurprised at the decision to reinstate one-to-one management in thousands of cases."It went from people managing cases, to queues of things, and it failed. We told them in 2017 that they were going to fail, and they have."Specialist lawyer Warren Forster says the failure of the restructure was unsurprising. Photo: RNZ / Ian TelferOne of the biggest changes under the new model was the switch to Assisted Recovery, where claims from people receiving weekly compensation were now managed by teams of people rather than a single case manager.Administrative tasks normally handled by case managers were passed to dedicated administrative staff in order to free up case management capacity, but it did not work as hoped."At times the recovery teams' efforts to create a task is similar to them completing the task themselves rather than passing it on," the 2023 review said.Claimants faced payment delays due to ACC "underestimating the complexity" of the rules. Staff - who were supposed to have more discretion rather than "hard and fast rules" - became bogged down by processes and guidelines that had to be followed."The process to carry out a Welcome conversation (excluding having the conversation) is 49 steps," the review noted.Staff hired to work in the new teams were supposed to have been trained within six to eight weeks, but were taking more than a year to become fully competent, and many found they were not doing the job they were hired for, the review said."They have instead been adversely impacted by backlogs, a disconnect from client outcomes and workload issues created by high attrition."The number of cases handled by staff ended up being nearly double than planned, because of their complexity.The agency's quarterly report in March this year said the case management model was "struggling to cope with the volume of management claims" as volumes returned to pre-Covid-19 levels.The need for a new case management model was first identified in 2014, with the business case for the current system put forward in 2017. The $74m restructure was part of a $700m overhaul of ACC's systems that was meant to produce $438m in cost savings by 2030.The 2022 review found there was a "high degree of uncertainty" over whether those forecasted benefits would be achieved.Forster said the new model had failed to improve rehabilitation rates."ACC staff are not getting people back to work. They're not getting people back to independence, and that's because of the way that they've been managing claims," he said."When rehabilitation fails, that doesn't just increase the cost of levies - it increases the cost to society, to people, to communities."We've lost 10 years going down a rabbit hole of Next Generation Case Management."ACC respondsACC declined to be interviewed. In a statement, it said a "large number" of Assisted Recovery clients continue to be managed through a teams-based approach.An internal 'Rehabilitation Improvement Group' formed in December 2022 identified that the Assisted Recovery category was "constrained" by the task-based teams-based approach. It hampered clients' recovery and their ACC experience, ACC deputy chief executive of service delivery Amanda Malu said.ACC chief executive Megan Main said Assisted Recovery was an area that "continued to evolve" but Covid-19 and a huge increase in demand had not been anticipated.ACC chief executive Megan Main Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone"In 2023/24, there were 4000 more new weekly compensation claims than the previous financial year, reflecting a 3.9 percent growth rate. In line with international trends, it's also taking longer and costing more for clients to recover from injury," Main said in the statement."ACC is committed to improving rehabilitation outcomes and the experience of clients and providers. Sometimes this involves honest conversations about areas where we can do better."We'll continue to critically review our systems and programmes to ensure we deliver the best outcomes for New Zealanders," she said.

Waitaki District Libraries' 'Love Your Library' month returns for 2024 and while open to all Waitaki residents, "due to staff constraints" it is only running within Ōamaru Library.The Waitaki District Libraries team lost its manager at the end of July and its deputy manager at the end of August, in a time of transformation for the Waitaki District Council.Four $50 Prezzy cards are on offer for new library members who can sign up in person or through the Waitaki District Libraries website. There will be a weekly draw for new members and a draw for existing members at the end of September. Waitaki District Council says, "The six Waitaki District Libraries are host to a world of resources, and your library card is the key to unlocking them". "By signing up to the library, you can borrow books, but also get access to our e-book and e-audio collection on the Borrowbox platform." People are encouraged to check out the Waitaki District Libraries website or their Facebook page for details.

Applications for the Chorus NZ Cabinet Art Project opened on September 1st.Chorus NZ is once again calling for local artists to bring their creativity to Waitaki District's streetscapes inviting them to submit designs for the beautification of two telecommunications cabinets in Ōamaru.Local artists including Sarka Cibulcova (featured image), Tracey Vickers, Matthew Wicks (Wicksey) and Dave Herbert are amongst a growing coterie who've successfully submitted winning designs and created some of Waitaki's most loved street art.The project was conceived in 2010 as a trial to see if art works on cabinets decreased the frequency of tagging. It did and the project has been running ever since throughout the country.The two cabinets selected for painting in this round are located at 371 Thames Highway, and the corner of Frome Street and Thames Highway.Artists are paid $600 for their work with an additional $100 budget for materials.Use the following links to access more information about the process or see the cabinet art project application form.Penguin Classics by Dave Herbert, 2019. Photo: Supplied

At 19 months old, little Billy Casey is already exceeding expectations.“He had a 50 percent chance of making it to his first birthday,” his mother says. “So he's doing well as far as Billy goes, you know. He's still got a lot of medical issues.”Billy (William) is the son of Weston couple Hayley and Mathew Casey. He was diagnosed with semi-lobar holoprosencephaly (HPE) and microcephaly at just six days old.HPE is a congenital condition that causes a developing baby’s brain to improperly separate into the right and left hemispheres. Microcephaly is a small head and is secondary to the HPE.The HPE means Billy is also missing his corpus callosum - the bundle of nerve fibres between the hemispheres, which allows the sides to communicate with each other.The Caseys were told Billy would not be able to communicate or walk, and in June he needed surgery to have a gastrostomy tube (or G-tube) fitted because he aspirated badly when feeding.It was also revealed his sodium levels were dangerously high, which kept him in the intensive care unit for five days following the surgery, Hayley says.“So the part of the brain, well, not the part - there's lots of parts affected - but one part is the hypothalamus, which is where the growth hormones are done.“That's where the sleep issues come from, ‘cause he doesn't produce melatonin properly, and I don't know the technical reason behind it, but that's why he can't regulate his sodium himself . . . That is also linked into his thyroid issues as well, which he's now medicated for, which he wasn't before his ICU stay.”Billy is the third of the couple’s four sonsHamish (five) has just started school, and before Billy came along, Hayley and Mat suffered the loss of their second son Lewis who was born prematurely at 23 weeks and six days gestation and only lived a few days.Their fourth son Ryan is a healthy seven-week-old, except for some niggly reflux, which means he also doesn’t give his mother much of a break during the day.Hayley and Mat have a child each at night - Mat attends to Billy, while Hayley sees to Ryan.One thing the Caseys have found makes a difference for Billy is a form of intensive therapy, at a place called Centre of Movement, on Australia’s Gold Coast.The therapy has made such a difference for him, the family are left trying to foot the bill themselves to continue with it, after changes around funding for disabled people’s support, services and equipment were made unexpectedly in March.It costs $8,100 for an intensive three-week block of three hours a day, five days a week, and then travel costs are on top of that - bringing the total costs close to $20,000.“So that was individualised funding and we could use it for anything that gave us respite as a family.”Now funding can only be used for “practical” things for Billy, such as sensory toys, in-home care, or classes for him (but not his parents).“But nobody's going to take a disabled 18-month-old,” she says.They can use the money for in-home care, and have somebody who helps for ten hours a week, but doesn’t want to work more than that - and the job is not an easy one.“It requires someone that can kind of cope with the medical side of things, but also cope with him when he's just screaming and you can't settle him.”And then it has to be somebody the couple trusts, Hayley says. “So, although it is nice to have that respite from him, it's not the solution . . . you can't use it for that as easily as the ministry seemed to make out you can, you know?”Hayley’s life is busy, mostly with what she calls “William admin” - making appointments, following up on appointments, keeping on top of medications, doing at-home therapy, and travel to and from Dunedin or Christchurch, if he needs to be seen at a hospital.She also spends a lot of time filling out forms to be reimbursed for costs.“We can use our funding for sensory toys, which I'd swap in a heartbeat for therapy if I could . . . But when you buy that, then you've got a claim for it and you've gotta write an explanation about why he needs that. “And if you've got hospital appointments in Dunedin, obviously that takes a whole day, but then we do get a portion of our travel that we can claim back, but then you've gotta go through and do all that.”She also has to manage the other two children’s needs as well as Billy's, and Billy’s are a lot, she says.“When he's happy, he's a very, very happy boy, but he requires 100 percent of your attention, you know, he won't just sit and chill. There's no chill baby.”The last time Billy received the therapy, he learnt the hand sign for ‘more’, Hayley says.“I mean it's not much communication, but it's more than what we thought he'd do, and at only 18-19 months old, I'm pretty stoked with that.“The significant progress that we see through this therapy is amazing because, you know, to not be able to communicate ever, but then after two blocks of therapy, we are learning communication.”Billy is also learning to hold himself upright, and his parents hope he might one day gain independent mobility. He has also been feeding better orally since his last session.“I mean, he's always going to be delayed, the therapy's not going to fix him by any means, but it's going to give him a better quality of life,” she says.Billy learns to balance with the help of one of his therapists at the Centre of Movement in Australia. Photo: Supplied/FacebookThe therapy is physical, but through the physical movement of the body, new neural pathways in his brain are created and so Billy’s cognitive skills are also improving.“It's been incredible”The other benefit of the therapy, is it connects Hayley and Mat with other families facing the same struggles they are. “And it's really nice, you know, we’re battling the same systems and the same challenges that are very different to typical parenthood, so that side of things has been really, really good for me, ‘cause it can be very lonely.”Ideally, Billy would have a session at the centre every three months, but the Caseys accept that’s probably not attainable, and they just want to do it as often as possible - especially while he’s young.Hayley’s mother Karen Fraser says nobody realises quite what Mat and Hayley go through. “It really breaks my heart to see my daughter like this - and the stress, you know, I don't know how she does it. I really don't.”Karen is determined to help raise the funds for Billy to continue his therapy, and has formed a committee with other supporters to bring together a Weston Gala Day on January 11, which will be run in a paddock on her and husband Don's Airedale Road farmlet.The day will run from 10am to 4pm and include retail stalls, food and plenty of entertainment such as bouncy castles, laser tag and arts and crafts.The Lions Club is coming with the chocolate wheel and candy floss, and Karen has just managed to lock in The Wonky Donkey author and performer Craig Smith.Hayley’s 89-year-old grandfather is also making two leadlights to be auctioned off on the day.The community has been “absolutely incredible”, Hayley says. “Which is really humbling, but also it's really sad that the community are footing the bill, you know, for something that should be funded.” Karen says the gala idea popped into her head, because raffles and sausage sizzles weren’t going to cut it.“That’s all only two or three hundred bucks . . . we need big money,” she says.“It's gonna be huge. It's gonna be very good. We are very, very excited.”The plan is to make the gala an annual event, Karen says. “Billy's life expectancy is not huge, so we'll do it in honour of him every year, and then we can help other kids as well.”People wanting to be part of the gala day - by either sponsoring or running a stall, are encouraged to get in touch via Billy’s Linktree. People can also follow Billy’s journey on Facebook.

There are some indications that home loan borrowers may have taken heed of the Reserve Bank's May warning that interest rates could rise further - and fixed their mortgages for longer terms as a result.In May, the Reserve Bank said its monetary policy committee had discussed whether another increase in the official cash rate was appropriate.It published a forecast in which the OCR was likely to increase again towards the end of this year.Then in August, it cut the OCR by 25 basis points and signalled more reductions were likely to follow.Data from the Reserve Bank relating to new loans and top-ups - not those refixing - shows that the proportion of lending on a six-month rate fell from 18 percent to 16 percent from May to June. At the same time the proportion fixed for a year increased from 37 percent to 38 percent and the portion fixed for 18 months increased from 15 percent to 16 percent.Of fixed lending alone, the proportion fixed for six months fell from 22 percent to 19.5 percent.Those who chose a 12-month term will have watched retail rates fall from about 7 percent for a one-year fix in May to as low as 6.45 percent advertised now.Gareth Kiernan, chief forecaster at Infometrics, said there could be an element of "twice bitten, thrice shy" for borrowers who decided not to take the risk of a shorter fix."Given the previous falls in mortgage rates in August and September 2022 and February through May 2023, where if they'd believed financial markets, or anyone who wasn't an economist, we'd reached the peak in rates and the emerging falls were the start of better times ahead - only for the Reserve Bank to - rightly - maintain tighter monetary policy. Third time around, should you believe financial markets who seem to go off on massive runs because this week's data has come out weaker than expected, or the Reserve Bank that sets the rate and still seemed to be involved in a battle to get inflation back to 2 percent before they'd believe they'd won the war?"Deputy Reserve Bank Governor Christian Hawkesby told media that the OCR track was "overanalysed" without enough recognition that it was based on a set of assumptions.He said the record of the meeting should be the focus rather than the OCR track.But Kiernan said if the bank had not mentioned that a rate increase had been considered in May, people would not have read so much into the track."Essentially they need to get better at looking forward, and get better at communicating a consistent message rather than chopping and changing every meeting."As it stands, their heavy reliance on current and recent data puts them in a position where they risk being too influenced by the volatility of month-to-month data - kind of like financial markets have been at times with US CPI data being low one month and high the next, or similar with US payrolls data."A central bank needs to be charting a course through the middle of that volatility as best they can, not being blown around by every different gust of wind that comes along. The bank obviously needs to retain the right to change its mind, but it should be considered and carefully thought about, rather than being overly reactive to variable conditions."He said banks did not publish their forecasts a decade ago but changed the approach because it was thought to be better to publish exact, but wrong forecasts, than vague but wrong ones."They haven't adequately communicated the uncertainties around their projections, although even better communication wouldn't help with how badly they seemed to misread the economic outlook in May."NZIER chief economist Eric Crampton said one lesson could be to closely watch the survey of inflation expectations."The August MPS showed greater confidence that inflation expectations had re-anchored to the 2 percent midpoint of the target window. The faster expected track for inflation returning close to midpoint would have increased bank confidence that it could ease rates more quickly."But the August MPS may already be out of date. The extent of the current energy price shock is unlikely to have been in the August forecasts. That shock has already hit output and potential output, with factories shuttering in response to high energy prices. I don't envy the bank's forecasting team."Mortgage adviser Jeremy Andrews, of Key Mortgages, said he had been advising clients to hold off as long as possible before fixing."It seems almost every day lately one of the banks or other lenders is dropping their rates. We can often get other banks to then match or sharpen up their pricing. Sometimes floating for a few days pays off if that means getting a rate that's five or 10 basis points better."Nobody can predict exactly what will happen, so best you can do is talk to an adviser who sees both advertised and 'below the table' non-advertised rates movements every day. They can help share some knowledge of what's happening then from that you can make a plan on what refix strategy to use."

Many Kiwi dads on Sunday morning would have woken up to Father's Day cards calling them the 'best dad ever'. But what does it actually take to earn that title, for real?And how have father-child relationships changed over the past half-century?Victoria University psychology professor Dr Marc Wilson says father-son bonds were likely emotionally stronger than they were for past generations, becoming more like those shared between mothers and daughters."The gap has grown smaller over time as the way that we think about the paternal and the maternal role and what it means to be a father and what it means to be a mother - what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman has changed somewhat over time," he told RNZ's Sunday Morning."So I think we live in a world where men are told to express themselves a little bit more than perhaps they used to previously."It was not always easy though, with the pace of technological and societal change getting in the way of just spending quality time together, he said."But I do think that the speed with which technology has changed means that we do have things that don't easily have a direct analogue to 10, 20 30 years ago that do make it harder for not just parents, but probably adults to keep up with what is changing."As a result, we potentially have less in common with our children now than we might have 30 years ago. I think that we lived in more similar worlds, and some of this comes to the way that we think about the kinds of activities that fathers and sons might have done back 30 years ago compared to now."I mean, it's still true that probably fathers are more likely to go to the rugby with their sons than perhaps their daughters, and certainly more than mothers might be with their sons, but I think… gaming is a really good example of that."I was a teenager at the time when people started playing computer games, and I was very jealous of next door for having an Atari game console, and I know that there's a certain amount of education that sons have to do for their fathers when these kinds of generational shifts come along."Listen: What fathers and sons need from each other duration 20′ :15″ from Sunday Morning One suggestion he had was not to worry too much about setting up specific bonding activities with your kids."I'm a big fan of the notion of quantity time. I don't like the idea that we should be setting aside small but precious moments of time that we go and do special things with our children. I think that our children get an awful lot out of seeing us move through our everyday lives."Some of the students in my research group have been looking at the way that our relationships with our parents influences our ability to manage stressful situations, and it should be no surprise that young people who feel that they are strongly attached to their parents are more likely to be able to deal with life's challenges, in part because our parents are our role models for how we move through the world."I think that my children, most people's children, learn at least as much from watching what happens when the car breaks down on the way to the dairy, as they do from those amazing opportunities to go and see a musical or go to the rugby or whatever it might be."Marc Wilson. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-KingAt the very least, he said to make sure your children know you are thinking of them."So, for example, dropping a text or dropping an email or having just a quick phone call to say, 'Hey, I was just thinking about you.' 'I wonder if we can catch up sometime soon,' is a really, really important type of thing to do."And again, it comes back to this idea that it's not just quality but quantity. It's not just the special things, but it's actually the relatively mundane things as well. And rather than saving everything up for a chance to tell someone that we love them, showing them that in many different small ways is very good."Sunday Morning host Jim Mora asked Wilson if he was allowed to ask just one question of his dad, what would it be?"I'd probably ask him what does he know now, that he didn't know when he was my age. I mean, we have the sense that we know it all from a very early age, and I've been in a situation where we've all been - in situations where our parents or other adults have said, 'You wait until you're older."But it's also the case now that you know, I'm in middle-age now and we make the assumption that our development stops maybe from from our early 20s or when our frontal lobes are fully developed around about 25. But actually, I'd be really interested to know what he has learned since he was my age."

It's Daffodil Day.The well-known national Cancer Society fundraiser is held on the last Friday of August every year, to raise money to help fight the disease which will affect everyone in some way in their lifetime. The money raised from Daffodil Day helps cancer patients and their whānau receive care and practical support, as well as helping to fund cancer research.There are stands selling daffodils in Ōamaru and other North Otago towns for most of the day, and an online donation can be made if you don't have cash available or can't make it to a stand.Statistics show that one in three of us will get cancer in our lifetime - a donation today could be helping you or a loved one tomorrow.

“Everyone should be free to question and challenge, but please do so in a respectful way,” says Waitaki District Councillor Rebecca Ryan.Rebecca, who is almost two years into her first term as an elected member of the council, says she appreciates she is in a public role and “absolutely” expects people to tell her if they are unhappy with something the council has made a decision on.“But I do feel like something has changed and the current political climate feels more hostile.”Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) recently polled some elected members about the abuse they received - with 53% saying it was worse than a year ago, LGNZ chief executive Susan Freeman-Greene says.Sixty-five percent of elected members polled said they faced abuse online, 39% faced it at community events, and 33% faced it doing everyday activities like shopping or collecting children from school. No one deserves to be subjected to this sort of behaviour when going about their job, she says.“Elected members are facing an increasing level of intimidation and abuse. This is a rising trend that affects everyone elected in our democracy – whether you’re an MP or a local councillor.”Rebecca is thankful to have not experienced a lot of abuse from the public directly, but it is a problem she is aware of in Waitaki and further afield, she says.“As a result of the way a lot of people speak and engage online, I have become a more passive user of social media than I intended to be when I was first elected.”She does continue to keep an eye on social media to gauge the community feel on issues, and as she feels more settled in her role, her confidence is increasing to engage more in that space.“I actually much rather engage with people face to face, and enjoy those discussions I have in supermarket aisles, at cafes, and on the sidelines of sports games etc. “People find it more difficult to be rude in person and I think they remember they’re dealing with humans.”As one of the younger councillors, Rebecca has a particular passion for engaging and educating more young people in the work of local government.Facebook, which seems to be the most popular social media platform for council abuse, is used by only about a third of teenagers, while 71% or those 50 and older were on the platform, she says.“It’s sad the negative behaviour we’re seeing online is from older people, who I’d like to think would know and behave better.”“People find it more difficult to be rude in person and I think they remember they’re dealing with humans," Councillor Rebecca Ryan says. Photo: SuppliedThere is a good mix of community-minded councillors around the table in Waitaki and they are trying to make decisions with the best interests of the district at heart, she says.“We all go about our mahi in different ways and I have a lot of respect for each of them for putting their hands up to do the job.”Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher says he is passionate about his role to make the district “an even better place”, so he finds it difficult when people take a step beyond commenting on that work, and get personal and abusive.Gary does not want to promote most of what has been sent or said to him, but did share a “poster” he received.“[They] let me know my arrest was imminent and that I should prepare my family for that. I would either be imprisoned or executed,” he says.“When people mention my family in the same comments, I know most of that is nonsense and bluster, but there are always deranged people who may take it further. Protecting my family is very important and something I don't take lightly.” While he is “mildly concerned” for his safety, he knows the types of messages he receives have the potential to affect other people more, and his family worries for him and themselves. Hearing stories like when former Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese came home to a 'Sovereign Citizen' in her house with a nail gun, it is difficult to know whether some people will carry out their threats, he says.The abuse from a few is tempered by comments from others who understand what a challenge it is be in a local government role right now, but the negative comments can still have an impact when they are so “personal and full of hate”, he says.A poster sent to Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher. Photo: SuppliedMeanwhile, council policy has been likened to Nazi concentration camps, and the council being part of “shadowy links” to global conspiracies are two of the more unusual accusations that have been made, a council spokesperson says.Employed staff are also coming under fire, with roading contractors and customer liaison staff in particular, two undeserving targets in recent months who are just doing their jobs, he says.There have also been “quite a lot of letters”, with content ranging from the “obviously furious to the outright weird".Most are not anonymous.Quite aggressive threats made on Facebook have been reported to page owners and Facebook, as breaches of their terms of service. Many of our local community Facebook page owners are more than happy to remove them, and we’d like to thank them for that.The spokesperson does not want to give any unnecessary credibility to the insults but emphasises the letters, emails, calls and requests that come in from the community highlighting issues, expressing concerns and giving genuine critical feedback are encouraged and valued, and help the council “do its job better”.“There are far more members of our community engaging with council positively (even to constructively criticise us) than there are being weird.”

The Māori King, Tuheitia Paki, crowned Te Arikinui Kiingi Tuheitia, has died at the age of 69.Kiingi Tuheitia succeeded his mother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, following her death in 2006.He was the seventh of the line of Pootatau Te Wherowhero to head the Kiingitanga, which was founded in 1858.He grew up around Waahi near Huntly. He started his schooling at Rakaumanga but at the age of eight, like his mother before him, was sent to a pakeha school in Hamilton before going on to boarding school at St Stephens College.Tūheitia enjoyed his time there, meeting boys from around the country. He spent his final year at Huntly College and then embarked on a series of jobs, including working as a meatworker and as a farmhand. He joined the army and served three years in the artillery, and then joined the construction crew building the Huntly Power Station.Kiingi Te Arikinui Tūheitia Paki is shown seated on the throne at Tūrangawaewae on 21 August 2006, soon after his succession. Photo: NZPA / Peter Drury via RNZAlthough he was the eldest son of Dame Te Ata, he expected his older sister Heeni would succeed her and did not discover he was to head the Kiingitanga movement until just before the Queen's death.He had five brothers and one sister. His father was Whatumoana Paki.The position of Māori monarch is not hereditary by right and a new leader is appointed by leaders of the tribes associated with the Kiingitanga on the day of the previous monarch's funeral and before burial.Kiingi Tūheitia was an unpretentious man and his home remained the house he and his wife built at Huntly at Waahi Marae.He had suffered from poor health for a number of years, with cancer and diabetes-related ailments.Kiingi Tūheitia has died aged 69. Photo: RNZHe underwent surgery in what his office called a minor operation in September 2013.There was serious concern over his wellbeing in August 2014 when he spent some weeks in Waikato Hospital.At the time his spokesperson, Tukoroirangi Morgan assured people that the King had been overwhelmed by an outpouring of aroha and support from the public and that he wished to allay any fears over the latest setback in his ongoing recovery.During that period of ill health, a King's Council, Te Kaunihera a Te Kingi was created to help guide the King's eldest son, Whatumoana Paki while he acted for his father and took over his duties.Whatumoana was given the title Te Whirinaki a te Kiingi.The Kiingitanga flag at Ihumātao has come down and Kiingitanga representatives say a positive resolution is expected ahead of Waitangi Day. Photo: RNZ / Dan CookKiingi Tūheitia slowly returned to work and did attend the annual Rātana celebrations at Rātana Pā in January 2015.His younger son, Korotangi caused him some problems during 2014 when at the age of 19 he appeared in court charged with being five times over the youth alcohol driving limit and stealing surfboards in Gisborne.Korotangi Paki was discharged with out conviction after it was argued that a conviction could end any chance he might have to be the next Māori King.The Crown appealed and Korotangi was convicted of drinking and driving and was disqualified from driving for eight months.The High Court allowed the discharge on the burglary charges.Kiingi Tūheitia is survived by his wife Te Atawhai and their two sons Whatumoana and Korotangi and daughter, Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki.Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII: 21 April 1955-29 August 2024

As cases of bird flu mount overseas, New Zealand officials are bolstering their plans in case the virus arrives on our shores.Hundreds of millions of birds have now been destroyed around the globe due to infection with the highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza, mostly the H5 and H7 strains.In June, the first human case of H5N2 died in Mexico, and this month, pet cats have been confirmed infected in the United States.Overseas officials are ramping up testing amid fears of infected beef being eaten by humans, while experts here at home are vaccinating native manu against the deadly virus.Here's what you need to know.Bird flu's spread overseasAvian influenza has been recorded as far back as 1878, but the current outbreak of highly pathogenic forms of the virus began in 2020 on turkey farms in the United States. Wild birds then spread the virus to Europe, and from there to the Middle East, parts of Africa and Asia, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.In February 2024, bird flu was detected in Antarctica, then entered Australia - where it spread to numerous poultry farms - a few months later.In June, more than one million birds were slaughtered across Victoria to try to halt the spread of the virus.In July, ABC News reported nearly 10 percent of Australia's egg laying hens had been affected by the outbreak. McDonald's stopped serving breakfast early to conserve its egg supply and supermarkets imposed restrictions on how many cartons of eggs could be purchased in one transaction.Meanwhile, bird flu has spread from birds to at least 26 species of mammals, according to Harvard Health Publishing. Among them are mice, bears, foxes, dolphins, otters, alpacas, goats and hedgehogs. In Denmark, millions of mink have been culled after the virus spread through fur farms, and tens of thousands of seals and sea lions have died throughout the Americas, the BBC reported.Cases of bird flu have been confirmed in goats, among other mammals. Photo: 123RFThis month, the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association reported six domestic cats in the US state had been diagnosed with the virus. This is not the first time it has threatened pets - in 12 cats died of bird flu in Poland and nearly 40 in South Korea. Their deaths were traced back to raw pet food that contained infected chicken and duck.The BBC estimates at least half a billion farmed birds have been slaughtered due to the H5 strains of bird flu.In the United States, nearly 200 dairy herds have been infected since March, when the virus jumped from wild birds to cows. The country's Department of Agriculture will in September begin testing beef entering the food supply over concerns the virus could be infecting meat, according to Reuters.Human cases of bird fluCompared to bird flu's spread in animals, relatively few people have been infected so far, and the risk to human health is still classified as low.In 2020, there were 13 human cases of bird flu reported - mostly in China, with one each in Russia, Hong Kong and Senegal, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.The following year, 2021, was the deadliest of the epidemic for humans. There were 62 human cases reported in China, of whom 19 died, World Health Organization figures show. All but one of the deceased had the H5N6 strain.Over the next two years, human cases were reported in the United States (where the majority have been dairy farm workers), the United Kingdom, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Mexico and Spain, according to the World Health Organization. Two further cases in China died in 2022, while a person from Mexico - the first confirmed human case of H5N2 - died in June.Australia reported its first human case of the H5N1 strain in May - a child who had likely contracted the virus while on holiday in India.A digitally colourised microscopic image of H5N1 virus particles (seen in gold), grown in epithelial cells (green). Photo: CDC/ Cynthia Goldsmith, Jacqueline Katz, Sherif R ZakiThat development led New Zealand public health experts to issue a warning, saying Aotearoa needed to update its national pandemic plan in response to the "evolving threat" posed by bird flu.According to the World Health Organization, there have not yet been any cases of H5N1 that have been transferred from person to person. However, the virus is "constantly evolving" and could potentially become transmissible in that way."If this occurs, it could be the start of a new influenza pandemic, as was the case with the 1918 and 2009 H1N1 pandemics."The situation in New ZealandNew Zealand has never had a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza, but the Ministry for Primary Industries has been monitoring its movement around the world for more than 20 years, chief veterinary officer Dr Mary van Andel says."New Zealand's geographical isolation has protected us from HPAI in the past, but we can't rely on it forever. Given the unpredictable journey of wild birds who can travel with HPAI, it may still arrive here."The ministry is developing a response plan alongside the Department of Conservation, Ministry of Health, Te Whatu Ora and key sector groups, van Andel says. That will cover surveillance, biosecurity, wild bird populations and human health.This month, representatives from the ministry and the poultry industry visited the United Kingdom to meet with experts and learn about the British response to the virus. A small delegation visited Victoria in July.Some takahē have been vaccinated against bird flu. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver"Both trips will be used to sharpen ongoing operational planning and building of sector resilience at home," van Andel says.The ministry meets regularly with representatives from the poultry and egg farming sectors to raise awareness about bird flu and the need for good biosecurity practices, she says."We are also working closely with New Zealand's wildlife hospitals, poultry industry groups, veterinarians, wildlife hospitals and rehabilitation centres on monitoring and awareness to enable early detection."The Dunedin Wildlife Hospital is surveilling migratory wild birds and shorebirds and sampling for bird flu, and the ministry is working with Fish & Game to conduct summer surveillance programmes for waterfowl, she says.Meanwhile, the Department of Conservation has vaccinated 50 native birds, including takahē, kākāpō, tūturuatu, kakī and kākāriki, as part of a trial to see if it is an effective line of defence, The Guardian reported.The birds, which are about to undergo six-month efficacy tests, are all part of DOC's breeding programmes.Meanwhile, van Andel says, anyone who sees a sick or dead bird is encouraged to report it to the Exotic Pest and Disease hotline on 0800 80 99 66. Samples will be taken to rule out bird flu.