A search was launched this afternoon after reports a fisherman had fallen into water off rocks at the southern end of Auckland’s Piha Beach. In a statement, police said it was making inquiries about the whereabouts of a fisherman who was unaccounted for. “It has been reported the man was…

Auckland Council is urging beach-goers to exercise caution after swimmers report 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…

Businesses in Northland’s Kaipara District say they’re frustrated by a 13-hour internet outage that forced many shops to close or switch to cash-only transactions for a day.Dargaville Community Development Board manager Sue Curtis said Wednesday’s fibre outage meant eftpos terminals and ATMs stopped working, and banks closed.As a result, anyone…

The owners of a large carving that washed up on a Northland beach have been found — but how it ended up in the sea remains a mystery.The wheku, a carved representation of a human face, was discovered at Omakiwi Cove, at Te Rāwhiti in the Bay of Islands, last…

North Canterbury schools are continuing to back NCEA level 1, despite calls to scrap the certificate.Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said the qualification is “robust” and provides a “benchmark” for student achievement.In November, Education Minister Erica Stanford said she was open to NCEA level 1…

Home loan borrowers should see rates below 5% before too long, one mortgage expert says.The official cash rate is expected to be lowered by another 50 basis points in February, and further cuts are predicted later in the year.Wholesale rates have fallen since the last OCR cut, and the two-year…

New Zealanders travelling to or through the UK will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter the country from this week on.They cost £10 – just over NZ$22 to apply for, are valid for two years, allowing multiple journeys for stays of up to six months at a time,…

A bottlenose dolphin that became entangled in a net in Auckland waters has now been freed.On Tuesday the Department of Conservation (DOC) appealed for sightings of the subadult, or juvenile, dolphin which was travelling with a fully grown dolphin.It was first reported to DOC’s hotline on December 29.DOC operations manager…

An Invercargill brewery’s owners are feeling frustrated and fear for the future of their business after restrictions they consider “anti-competitive” were imposed for their new off-licence shop located within a licensing trust area. Gadoochi Brewery owners Nicola McGilvray and Chris Ellenden will appeal the decision from the Invercargill District Licensing…

A Powerball player from Wellington is $7 million richer after winning Lotto’s Powerball First Division last night. The winning numbers were 14, 15, 20, 32, 33, 34, the Bonus Ball was 13 and the Powerball was 9.The winning ticket was sold on MyLotto.The prize is made up of $6 million…