The residents of two homes evacuated due to a 20-hectare vegetation fire in Whangārei yesterday have now been allowed to return to their properties.Fire and Emergency said it was notified of a fire on Whangārei Heads Rd between Onerahi and Tamaterau shortly after midday yesterday.At its peak, 10 trucks and…

One Hawke’s Bay grower has lost thousands of dollars’ worth of produce with nothing left to pick at the peak of the season.Walking the strawberry patch right now is not so easy — weeks of wet conditions on the East Coast have damaged thousands of dollars’ worth of strawberries at…

Southland’s average house asking price has jumped the highest of all regions in the country over the past year, while its neighbour has taken the biggest tumble.   A New Zealand Property Report from realestate.co.nz released yesterday said in December, Southland had a 15.3% year-on-year increase in its average asking…

New property listings hit a December low, according to data from realestate.co.nz, with nine of 19 regions also reaching their lowest levels for that month. The company’s New Zealand Property Report from December 2024 revealed a number of regions hit a record low for the number of new property listings…

This summer looks set to continue to be wetter and windier than usual.A change in air flow patterns means there will be mixed weather through to March.In NIWA’s seasonal climate outlook from January through to March, a La Niña watch will also remain in place.La Niña refers to a cooling…

Declining student rolls in Wellington is causing concern for some, with 78% of schools in the capital having fewer students than they did in 2019.Rolleston College near Christchurch has nearly tripled student numbers since 2019, with the school in urgent need of more space.In 2019, the school had 695 students.…

“What’s in a name?” wrote William Shakespeare at the end of the 16th century in the play Romeo and Juliet.Four hundred years later, the answer to that question is A LOT.Modern-day parents obsess over their child’s name more than previous generations, according to baby-naming consultant Sonya Prior, AKA TikTok’s BBNamer.”I…

Parliament’s justice select committee has decided to reopen submissions on the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill after some people trying to submit online encountered problems with the website. People reported issues with putting through their submissions online before the deadline at 11.59pm on Tuesday. MPs on the Justice…

Bowel Cancer New Zealand says Te Whatu Ora is reintroducing the postcode lottery for healthcare, after it paused regular surveillance colonoscopies for people in Manawatū-Whanganui.The preventative checks have been instrumental in helping to improve the outcomes of those at risk of bowel cancer – the second deadliest cancer in New…

A person has died following a water incident in Mount Maunganui this morning.Emergency services were notified just before 8.20am after a person was pulled unresponsive from the water at Pilot Bay Beach.”Despite the best efforts to revive the person, they died at the scene,” a police spokesperson said.”Inquiries are ongoing,…