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Royal NZ Air Force to retire C-130H Hercules fleet
Royal NZ Air Force to retire C-130H Hercules fleet

30 January 2025, 10:00 PM

The mighty workhorses of the Royal New Zealand Air Force are set to retire after 60 years in service.From Antarctic rescues to combat zones to crocodile relocations, the fleet had clocked up 155,000 hours of flight time and 100,000 landings since they came into service in 1965.The fleet of five C-130H Hercules will cease use on Friday.C-130H Hercules NZ7005 on the ice in Antarctica. Photo: Supplied / Royal New Zealand Air ForceIn a statement, the Defence Force said it had marked the occasion with flypasts over Northland and the central North Island, and more were planned over the South Island on Monday and Tuesday.Four of the aircraft would then retire to RNZAF base in Woodbourne, and the fifth would go to the Air Force Museum at Wigram.Chief of Air Force, Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Webb, said it was the unique tasks that got talked about the most.There had been midwinter Antarctic rescues in -35°C temperatures, disaster response missions across the Indo-Pacific, short-notice evacuation tasks like Kabul in 2021, and operations in many combat zones.C-130H(NZ) Hercules aircraft from No.40 Squadron flying over the Auckland area with three MC-130J United States Air Force aircraft. Photo: Supplied / Royal New Zealand Air ForceC-130H Hercules supply drop, 2016. Photo: Supplied / Royal New Zealand Air ForceOperation Frescoe, Gulf War 1. Sergeant Phil Lane, wearing a gas mask and carrying a Steyer rifle, on security duty on the tarmac in front of No. 40 Squadron Hercules NZ7003. Believed to be at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Supplied / Royal New Zealand Air ForceOperation Samaritan, Somalia. No. 42 Squadron tents in front of No. 40 Squadron Hercules NZ7001, just before dismantling the camp for return to New Zealand. Photo: Supplied / Royal New Zealand Air ForceC-130H Hercules NZ7005 evacuating civilians in the Middle East Photo: Supplied / Royal New Zealand Air ForceRNZAF C-130H Hercules history:1965 - The first three Hercules are delivered to No. 40 Squadron at RNZAF Base Auckland, and are quickly put to work transporting personnel from NZ Army 161 Battery and aid to Vietnam, and makes its first flight to Antarctica.1969 - By now, the aircraft has proven so valuable in providing strategic and tactical airlift capabilities that a further two were purchased, bringing the fleet to five.1079s - The Hercules becomes the first RNZAF aircraft to visit mainland China and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and provided service in Pakistan, Cambodia and Bangladesh.1990s - Two aircraft and supporting crews are deployed to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War and with United Nations and other peacekeeping support in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Somalia, Uganda, the Persian Gulf and Rwanda.The aircraft has by now also helped sustain more than 1000 New Zealand troops stationed in East Timor around the turn of the century.2001 - The aircraft deploys troops from the 1st New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment to Afghanistan, the beginning of a 20-year deployment to the country.More recently, and closer to home, the fleet has supported disaster response missions on an enduring basis - the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, Cyclones Pam and Winston in the Pacific, the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and 2016 Kaikōura earthquake and more recently Cyclone Gabrielle.The fleet has also transported personnel to Europe to support Ukraine against Russia, and assisted in the evacuation of refugees from Afghanistan.Published by permission

Gravel road debate: Southern council puts off decision
Gravel road debate: Southern council puts off decision

30 January 2025, 8:33 PM

A decision on reverting sealed roads back to gravel has been delayed by a southern council.On Wednesday, Southland District Council discussed three roads which it was struggling to maintain amid funding issues — Crooked Rd near Riversdale, Waterloo Rd near Mossburn and Wilanda Downs Rd near Ohai.Mayor Rob Scott said roading was the main priority for ratepayers and a constant point of discussion at the council.He had met with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) recently and discussed the risk of the region's roads degrading to a point where they couldn't be brought back to their current state.During the council meeting, staff sought direction from elected members on investing in low-volume sealed roads moving forward, recommending they be reverted to gravel when no longer economical to maintain.At the centre of the issue was a lack of funding from NZTA Waka Kotahi, which the council said had compounded over successive long-term plans.But a decision to take a more cost-effective route with the three roads was left on the table after councillor Matt Wilson said Waterloo Rd residents had highlighted issues with their patch months before things came to a head at the end of last year.Wilson said members of that community had tried to engage the council and planned to talk to the community board on Monday.“That community’s been trying to talk to council since May last year, to address safety concerns of the road . . . they saw it coming.“They’re there and willing to engage in the conversation.”Waterloo Rd was highlighted as a key concern by staff because of its scale and high use.More than 600m was in disrepair, compared to 490m at Wilanda Downs Rd and 200m at Crooked Rd.The council will undertake essential work on the roads in question before a decision on whether to revert them to gravel is made at a later date.LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

Massive Tiwai fire now covers 1200 hectares
Massive Tiwai fire now covers 1200 hectares

30 January 2025, 5:47 AM

A vegetation fire on the Tiwai Peninsula that initially covered just 126 hectares overnight has, due to high temperatures and winds, grown to now cover 1.200 hectares this evening (30 Jan).This makes the current fire area almost as large as the 2022 wildfire that burnt 1,330 hectares of nearby Awarua Wetland in April of that year.The latest fire started around midnight (29 Jan) with seven Fire and Emergency (FENZ) ground crews initially attending.Photo: FENZTen helicopters and eight crews have been fighting the fire today, which now has an 18 kilometer perimeter.FENZ firefighters will work until 6pm tonight, then two crews will monitor the fire overnight.All crews will return at 7am tomorrow to continue battling the fire.Incident Controller Hamish Angus said the fire was not an immediate threat to people, homes, the smelter, or the Tiwai Bridge."The Tiwai Bridge is closed to all traffic except our crews and the smelter staff, and we’re asking people to keep away from Tiwai Road so we can continue to work safely," he said."We are working closely with mana whenua and the Department of Conservation, to ensure culturally and ecologically sensitive areas still threatened by the fire are prioritised for protection." Tiwai Peninsula ablaze last night. Photo: Michael BaileyAwarua Rūnaka Manager Gail Thompson says she is deeply saddened at the damage caused in such a short time."This peninsula is a precious taonga, with a history going back a long way, which is important to Ngai Tahu," she said.Thompson said she was happy to see the newly-established Mana Whenua Emergency Facilitator for Murihiku, Angie Hopkinson, at the site to support Fire and Emergency and the Department of Conservation with the response.Department of Conservation’s Operation Manager for Murihiku, John McCarroll, says Awarua Peninsula has considerable environmental value, and today’s fire is a huge blow.The critically endangered Southern New Zealand Dotterel/Pukunui. Photo: DOC"Awarua has a significant number of biodiversity values and is used by a lot of wading birds for flocking and feeding, including the endangered Southern New Zealand Dotterel/Pukunui," he said."As well as the loss of wildlife, we’ve also lost assets such as predator-trapping infrastructure.""We will assess the losses once the fire is under control and we can return there safely. We may never know the full impact on biodiversity, but it is likely significant."Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds said it was a terrible scrub fire and urged everyone fighting it to stay safe. She also said people with respiratory issues should stay indoors and to close windows due to the smoke.The nearby Awarua wetland is also a Department of Conservation area of environmental significance, which was devastated in April 2022 when wildfire burnt through 1,330 hectares.

Rising sea levels force relocation of endangered local petrel
Rising sea levels force relocation of endangered local petrel

29 January 2025, 6:31 AM

Critically threatened Whenua Hou diving petrel are being progressively relocated from Whenua Hou/Codfish Island by the Department of Conservation, in an effort to save the little seabird from rising sea levels and increasingly frequent storms.The small seabirds, known for their cobalt blue feet, breed in fragile sand dunes up to 20m from the high tide line.Over the last decade, 20% of the dune front has already disappeared.DOC Senior Science Advisor Johannes Fischer said the rising sea levels and storms would eventually destroy the birds' habitat on Whenua Hou, which meant the birds needed to be relocated in order to secure their future.The first 15 petrel chicks were moved from Whenua Hou to their new home on 31 December 2024,This is the first of five planned transfers over the next five years, aiming to establish a new colony without harming the existing one.“Before humans arrived in New Zealand, these petrels bred across the southern South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura. Now, they are reduced to just 210 individuals on Whenua Hou,” Fischer said.An action plan developed by mana whenua, DOC, fishers, the fishing industry, and Environment Southland identified the need for a second population.The chosen site, within the petrel’s historic range, is undisclosed and predator-free.The relocation effort, supported by the Whenua Hou Committee, Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka, and Ngāi Tahu whānui, required precise timing. “We transferred the chicks about a week before they fledged to prevent them from developing a homing instinct for Whenua Hou,” Fischer explains.The chicks were hand-reared at their new home, with the last ones fledging on 12 January 2025. Another 15 birds will be translocated next season.“We expect the first group of translocated chicks to return as adults in October 2026,” Fischer said.

Researchers discover never-seen-before marine life off Fiordland Coast
Researchers discover never-seen-before marine life off Fiordland Coast

29 January 2025, 6:05 AM

Researchers have filmed previously unseen marine communities off the Fiordland coast, including a protected species of red coral in unprecedented numbers.Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington Professor James Bell said they were filming at depths of 80 to 130 metres when they found the new marine communities."The most incredible find was about 4 kilometres north of Doubtful Sound/Patea."CLICK HERE to watch video footage."On the ocean floor, we saw forests of bright red coral.”The coral species, Errina novaezelandiae, is a hydrocoral, not a true coral.The discovery was made during a project aboard the Department of Conservation (DOC) vessel Southern Winds.“We’ve been exploring these deep reefs in Fiordland for many years, but we’re rarely able to work on the open coast outside the fiords because of the weather.""On our most recent trip in January, the weather was finally on our side,” Bell said.Using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), the team captured video footage of reefs at depths greater than 100 metres.Red corals, typically found in sheltered fiord conditions, were seen in massive numbers on the open coast.Video footage revealed numerous red corals alongside larger black corals, both protected under the Wildlife Act.These coral forests are crucial for maintaining habitat diversity, supporting various fish and crayfish species.The research was supported by the George Mason Charitable Trust and DOC's conservation services programme, with logistical support from DOC.

Fiordland corals used as measure of past climate change
Fiordland corals used as measure of past climate change

29 January 2025, 5:52 AM

Scientists are testing Fiordland's black corals against heat waves in the lab to see if they can survive the effects of climate change.Marine heatwaves are becoming more intense, and this is New Zealand's first experiment on how the species could cope.Victoria University marine biologist Professor James Bell recently took part in an expedition to collect and examine black corals in Fiordland - some of which are hundreds of years old."The fact that they live so long makes them a good kind of environmental indicator of disturbance generally," he told Morning Report on Monday."So if we know that there are areas where there should be these black corals and the black corals aren't there, it probably means that they've experienced some disturbance over time, so they're a kind of good indicator species."Black corals are actually white, he said, the name coming from the colour of their skeleton.With permission from the Department of Conservation - which took some wrangling - and the use of an underwater drone, Bell and his team collected about 120 corals (out of millions) to look at closely in the lab.The advantage they had in Fiordland is that corals there grow as close as five metres to the surface."One of the cool things about Fiordland is that normally all black corals occur in really deep waters - in Fiordland they occur up to 5m, but down to kind of 100m, so we can collect them via scuba divers and also with a drone."A worker with some of the samples in the lab at Victoria University. Photo: Supplied / Matteo CollinaLast year, a study of marine sponges found global temperature rises may have already exceeded 1.5C.And a heatwave in 2022 caused "wide-scale" bleaching of sponges in the Fiordland region, Bell told RNZ at the time.Black coral in Fiordland. Photo: Supplied / Matteo CollinaThe latest trip, aboard the Department of Conservation vessel the Southern Winds, was undertaken in "really warm" weather - great for them, but not so much for the corals."We brought back some of these black corals to our lab and we're running a simulated marine heatwave experiment… and we're slowly heating them up, and we should know in a couple of months how they respond to these marine heatwaves and warmer marine heatwaves in the future."Some of the samples in the lab. Photo: Supplied / Matteo CollinaPublished by permission

Frustration ‘boiling over’ for struggling Te Anau airport
Frustration ‘boiling over’ for struggling Te Anau airport

29 January 2025, 3:50 AM

Steps to improve the fortunes of an embattled Fiordland airport have been lambasted during a heated council debate.On Wednesday, Southland district councillors met to discuss the next move in the Te Anau Airport Manapouri review, which began in 2023.The review looks to address issues at a facility which has run at a loss since its inception and recorded shortfalls of $217,000 to almost $320,000 across the last five years alone.At a December meeting of the Fiordland Community Board, a decision was made to activate phase two of the review — a business case from Great South to the tune of $324,180 plus GST, on top of more than $170,000 already spent.But that decision needed final approval from the council, and hit a speed bump at Wednesday’s meeting.Te Anau Airport User Group (TAUG) representative Debbie Garlick presented to councillors, decrying past decisions and the proposed spend for the next phase.Garlick said TAUG spoke for all leaseholders at the airport and had lost all confidence in current management there.The user group had asked for a seat at the governance table but had been denied, she said, despite members being involved at numerous airports around the world.“Fiordland Community Board appointed a governance group made up of people with zero knowledge of the general running of a small airport, to oversee the Te Anau Manapouri Airport review.”Councillor Derek Chamberlain did not hold back in his assessment of the situation, saying money was being wasted on consultants.“There is a lot of frustration in the Fiordland area about the cost of this airport, it’s been ongoing for years,” he said.“I think the frustration is starting to boil over.”Councillor Don Byars was surprised TAUG hadn’t been included in efforts to turn the airport around and felt the community had been ignored.“The community’s losing faith in the ability of council to manage projects,” he said.Council group manager infrastructure and capital delivery Fran Mikulicic said there had been much engagement with user groups including community surveys, open days at the airport and business association discussions.But she conceded it may not have reached all the right groups.Other councillors talked about the problem of going against a community board decision and how deferring a decision on the funding would put things back to status quo.It was ultimately decided that the council would respond to a letter from TAUG and propose that the governance group meet with them in the next four weeks to agree on a path forward during the next phase.Te Anau Airport Manapouri was constructed in the 1960s by Mount Cook Air and bought by the council in 2002 for $401,000.The airport sells itself as the gateway to Fiordland National Park.One idea for improving its outlook is to create new homes in airport hangars.LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

Will sealed roads become a luxury in the south?
Will sealed roads become a luxury in the south?

28 January 2025, 7:37 AM

Three Southland roads are at risk of reverting to gravel as the district council struggles to maintain its network amid funding issues.A report prepared for a Wednesday meeting said Southland District Council had the second largest road network in the country with close to 5,000km of roads.But with a small ratepayer base — and unable to secure enough funding from the National Land Transport Plan — it was now having to make sacrifices.More than 600 metres of Waterloo Rd near Mossburn is also in poor condition. Photo: SuppliedThat included reverting sections of three sealed roads back to gravel because it was not economical to maintain them.The roads in question were Crooked Rd near Riversdale, Waterloo Rd near Mossburn and Wilanda Downs Rd near Ohai.Crooked Rd had an issue with a 200m section which needed “significant investment” while more than 600m of Waterloo Rd was in disrepair.At Wilanda Downs Rd, a 490m section was deemed to be in very poor condition.The council said the lack of funding from the transport plan meant levels of service needed to be reduced, including not renewing sealed roads when they reached the end of their life.“Previously, this reduction in level of service has largely been a theoretical impact if appropriate funding is not secured, however, this is now reality with three real life examples that require a decision,” the report said.It noted the cost of maintaining the 2,000km of sealed roads in the district was unsustainable long-term unless there was more investment.Roading continues to be a big topic in the south, with Southland Mayor Rob Scott penning a letter to then-Transport Minister Simeon Brown in October detailing problems the council faced maintaining the network. [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/534983/mayor-s-plea-to-minister-over-road-safety-fears]One issue highlighted was a staff proposal to drop edge markings in an effort to save $1.2 million — a move that had safety implications.Responding to Local Democracy Reporting at the time, Brown said no council had received a full allocation for its request to NZTA."There are always more bids for funding than there is money available."Brown had been advised by NZTA that a funding request of $143m was received by Southland District Council, of which 87 percent had been funded.Southland isn't the only region struggling to maintain its roads network due to a funding shortfall.In October, Tasman District Council also expressed concern road safety and hazard mitigation work would go by the wayside amid a NZTA funding gap.Ashburton District Council decided to use $2.46 million of ratepayer money to seal 50km of roads because of a funding shortfall, while Gisborne District Council has compiled a list of 86 sealed roads that it is struggling to maintain.LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

Te Anau to mark Waitangi Day with 10-day festival
Te Anau to mark Waitangi Day with 10-day festival

28 January 2025, 1:30 AM

Te Anau will be the centre of Waitangi commemorations in Southland this year with a 10-day programme of exhibitions, performing arts, films, food and games, starting on Thursday, 30 January and finishing on Sunday, 9 February.Traditional hangi being served at Te Anau Waitangi festival in 2024. Photo: Richard CrouchleySince the first celebrations of Waitangi Day in Te Anau in 2018, featuring re-enactment of Captain Cook's first arrival to New Zealand near Gisborne, which attracted a large crowd and impressed both visitors and locals alike, the event grew from strength to strength.In 2021 the Te Anau Waitangi Charitable Trust was formed, with five trustees and 4 Trust Board supporters, who transformed the event from a 1-day celebrations to a multi-day festival that celebrates Māoritanga in Southland.Trust chairman, Toni Waiwiri said the Waitangi commemorations, which would be run over 10 days, would focus on diversifying and engage with people on a more personal level rather than one big headline event on Waitangi Day."This change was necessary in 2022 when we organised many smaller events to meet the COVID-19 restrictions rather than the big concert at Lions Park.""Now, we seem to have grown into a festival that does both.""Also, it’s important to acknowledge that we are a flax-roots community-led festival.""Our Trust works alongside formal commemorations across Murihiku Southland,” Waiwiri, said.Organising a big festival like this involves a lot of work. Waiwiri says that apart from the trustees and Trust supporters help comes from a big team of volunteers and partners with whom the Trust co-host events.“Each year, Te Anau Waitangi Charitable Trust applies for funding from various community, regional, philanthropic and national grant schemes.""We also do a small amount of fundraising throughout the year. Applying for funding is a lot of work, but we do this because it’s important that all our events remain free for the community and that our performers, speakers and other guests are treated professionally and paid properly."“Undoubtedly, the funding landscape across the motu has significantly altered in the last 12 to 18 months, with less money available. As well as some significant grants, we have received generous in-kind support from our partners, enabling our festival programme to be another stand out on the event calendar for Fiordland,” the Trust chairman says.This year’s celebrations will kick off with the opening of the annual Te Anau Waitangi Festival Multimedia Arts Exhibition ‘Taonga tuku iho / Treasures of our Heritage’ on Thursday, January 30 7:00 PM at the Arts Hub Te Anau, co-hosted with the Fiordland Arts Charitable Trust.“Alongside our fantastic festival partners Ngā Herenga Waka Kapa Haka, Te Anau School’s kapa haka group will perform for the first time which we are very excited about – it’s wonderful to see the green shoots of kapa haka taking off within our community. ‘Te Tiriti-Ruapuke, June 1840 Exhibition’ is a brand-new exhibition curated especially for Southlanders by Te Kupeka Tiaki Taoka | Southern Regional Collections Trust with the support of the four Murihiku Papatipu Rūnanga,” Waiwiri said.Amongst the many events open to public, one of the highlights of Waitangi Day 2025 commemorations will be an opportunity to meet a Ngāi Tahu writer, Nic Low, author of the best-selling book Uprising: Walking the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Low will give two talks - on Thursday 6 February (Waitangi Day), 6pm at the FNP Visitors Centre, and for younger audiences, on Friday 7 February, 1:30 PM at the Fiordland College Gymnasium.Other highlights include a concert at Te Anau’s Lions Park on Saturday 8 February, 11am - 3pm, featuring live entertainment from Ngā Herenga Waka (Waihōpai Invercargill), Te Anau School Kapa Haka, music from Top of the Hour (Ōtepoti Dunedin), Niccolo Piccolo (Pōneke Wellington), plus heaps of kai/food including hāngi, and for the tamariki a giant sandpit and water slide.A special treat for those who book in time will be a historic lake cruise on board the MV Luminosa on Lake Te Anau to Aurora Caves on Sunday, 9 February at 8am – 10-45am, courtesy of RealNZ. It includes a journey into the glowworm caves and live performance on board by twin sisters Nicola and Maegan Mitchell followed by a talk at the Cavern by Nic Low.From January 30 members of the public can also view other Te Anau Waitangi Festival displays, including:• Tiriti Code Cracker competition for tamariki in conjunction with ‘Te Tiriti – Ruapuke, June 1840’ exhibition at Fiordland National Park Visitors Centre (FNP) Visitors Centre with a prize draw for a family trip with Fiordland Historic Cruises on board Faith.• Different NZ flags on display in Te Anau and Manapōuri main streets.• Children's Story Walk in Te Anau Memorial Gardens.• New Zealand book display at Te Anau Library featuring history, art, culture and te reo Māori story books.• Te Tiriti o Waitangi window display at 26 Town Centre featuring art by tamariki from Southern Stars Early Childhood Centre and Te Anau School• Art by tamariki from Mararoa and Te Anau schools at in the Wapiti CafeThe festival will be an opportunity to learn more about the Treaty of Waitangi, watch a traditional Māori welcome and sample traditional Māori food.Other Southland events planned for Waitangi Day include the Radio Southland's Waitangi Day Esk Fest on 6 January from 11am to 3.30pm in Invercargill, with live original music by local musicians The Dollys, Hoodaki and Theorem. There will be food carts, stalls and cultural performances. This is a family friendly event.Bluff will host Waitangi Day Music concert at the Bluff Oyster Festival site, 73 Barrow Street on 6 February from 12pm to 5pm.All of the Waitangi Festival events are free, however, some require advanced booking due to limited space available at their venue.CLICK HERE for more information on the Te Anau Waitangi Charitable Trust or visit Te Anau Events-

Lumsden hosts inaugural MAGNIficent Adventure race
Lumsden hosts inaugural MAGNIficent Adventure race

28 January 2025, 1:14 AM

The small Northern Southland town of Lumsden has got itself on the world map with its very popular freedom camping site and now they can add adventure racing to the list as they were the starting point for the MAGNIficent Adventure race which set off on Saturday, and will also be the end point when the teams come in at the end of the week having covered around 470km biking, trekking, abseiling and paddling over some of the most amazing terrain found in the world.LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW WITH RACE ORGANISER ANDY MAGNESSThe website has this to say about the race:“The Magnificent offers an adrenaline-pumping, eye popping expedition adventure race in New Zealand with a nod toward iconic events like the Southern Traverse and GodZone. The event returns to the "unsupported" format to make it easier and more of a level playing field for international teams, and is part of the Adventure Racing World Series (ARWS). This event promises a unique and deep challenge for experienced adventure racing teams from across the globe.”If you’ve never watched an Adventure Race before (from your warm and comfortable living room) this is a good one to start on.The updates and social media posts are frequent and engaging, but be warned, you’ll find yourself watching dots in 2D and 3D for a lot longer than you thought possible including into the small hours of the morning as some of these athletes never seem to sleep!It is not just a race of stamina and strength, it is also about strategy and mental agility and these athletes have a lot of that!Teams from New Zealand, Canada, Japan, USA, Europe and South Africa are taking part and already the Kiwis are showing that this is terrain they are used to, but this doesn’t mean that the international teams aren’t in the running for top placing.You can follow along during the week via the website themagnificentnz.comThere are also lots of updates and photos going up on the race's Facebook page.

Two youth arrested following burglaries
Two youth arrested following burglaries

27 January 2025, 7:29 AM

Two young people are facing Youth Court in Invercargill after a series of burglaries in a stolen car overnight (26 Jan).A Mazda vehicle was stolen from a Kingswell address in the early hours of the morning by two people, who later pulled up to a jewellers in the central city around 5am.They have got out and attempted to smash the windows with a scooter, and when they were not able to gain entry, travelled to a service station in Newfield.Again, they were not able to gain entry.Stopping the vehicle on a street nearby, they have had an interaction with a member of the public, in which they have pretended to have a firearm with them in order to scare them away.They have then travelled to a dairy in Winsdor, where they have managed to smash their way in.The pair stole items including vapes, cash, and confectionery before getting back into the vehicle and driving a short distance away.A Police dog unit has located the vehicle and tracked the occupants who had fled on foot, taking them into custody shortly after 6am.Two young males were due in the Invercargill Youth Court today, appearing jointly on three charges of burglary, one of theft of a motor vehicle and one of being unlawfully in a closed yard.This behaviour is incredibly frustrating for residents and business owners in our community, and it’s pleasing to have been able to immediately hold this pair to account, Invercargill Police's Detective Peter Smallfield said.We want to extend our thanks to the members of the public who observed suspicious behaviour and reported it to Police on 111 straight away, enabling the quick apprehension of the two youths, he said.It is also a reminder to take every precaution possible to help avoid becoming a victim of crime.Remember to take property security measures with your vehicles – keep them inside a secure garage if possible, remove valuables, and consider a steering wheel lock.This all helps make your vehicle less desirable for opportunistic thieves.

Awarua fire: Home detention, community work and fines for offenders
Awarua fire: Home detention, community work and fines for offenders

26 January 2025, 7:53 PM

Two people have been sentenced to home detention and community work, and fined thousands of dollars, two years on from a fire which devastated Southland's Awarua Wetlands.They pleaded guilty to charges of lighting a fire during a prohibited season and allowing a fire to get out of control and spread, when the case was heard in the Invercargill District Court on Thursday.One offender was sentenced to seven months' home detention, and to pay reparations of $10,000, and the other was sentenced to 200 hours' community work and 12 months' supervision, and reparations of $10,000.A third person is yet to be sentenced.The fire was lit in the Awarua Wetlands in Southland on 2 April 2022 during a prohibited fire season which meant a total fire ban was in place.Fire and Emergency deputy national commander Steph Rotarangi said firefighters fought the fire for more than a week.It burnt through 1330 hectares and had environmental and financial consequences in an internationally recognised conservation area."Given the significance of the impact of the Awarua Wetlands fire, and the fact the area was under a total fire ban, we considered it appropriate to prosecute three individuals for the fire," she said.This was the second prosecution under the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017 - the first resulted in an $18,000 fine for an unauthorised burn-off.The Department of Conservation's southern South Island operations director Aaron Fleming said the fire caused significant damage to the biodiversity and ecosystem of the wetlands, released vast carbon emissions, and seriously set back conservation work in the area.Photo: Supplied / Ngāi Tahu"Awarua Wetlands is one of the largest remaining wetland complexes in this country and was recognised as New Zealand's first Ramsar Convention on Wetlands site of international importance in 1976," he said."The fire burned about 980ha of wetland plants, which is an important habitat for threatened species like matuku-hūrepo/ Australasian bittern and other birds, plants, insects, lizards, and fish. It also injured or killed a high number of animals."Weeds like gorse and Spanish heath were already beginning to invade the burned areas, in some places outcompeting native plants.It was estimated about 104,000 tonnes of carbon emissions were released into the atmosphere from this fire - equivalent to driving about 409,829,000 kilometres in an average petrol car.Published by permission

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