The Government is still working closely with Australia to get New Zealanders out of Wuhan in China but details of how they will be quarantined are undecided; and the Government is heavily investing into Northland Rail ahead of its decision on whether to move the bulk of Auckland’s freight to North Port.
1.The Government is heavily investing into Northland Rail ahead of its decision on whether to move the bulk of Auckland’s freight to North Port. The region is getting $109 million through the Provincial Growth Fund.
2.The Government is still working closely with Australia to get New Zealanders out of Wuhan in China but details of how they will be quarantined are undecided. However, the Foreign Minister Winston Peters says it will be on New Zealand’s soil and not Christmas Island where Australian evacuees will end up.
3.The number of deaths at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak has risen again to 162. The World Health Organisation is said to meet again tomorrow to discuss whether the outbreak constitutes a global public health emergency.
4.A Defence Force employee has been accused of stealing $225,000 in funds administered by the NZDF. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) alleges Paniparewhakaro Elizabeth Rangiuia, 60, embezzled the money over seven years from accounts holding funds raised by Defence Force social clubs for the wellbeing of army personnel.
5.Auckland leaders are welcoming news, billions of dollars is being spent on infrastructure projects in the region but there are warnings that more needs to be done to address problems.
6.The Government is paying $10 million towards the cost of replacing Wellington Hospital’s leaky copper pipes which are at the centre of legal action. An RNZ investigation in 2016, revealed catastrophic leaks in the hospital which was only completed eight years previously.
7.A parents advocate considers a funding boost for the Hutt Hospital’s Maternity Unit a good start but says that alone won’t solve its problems. The Hutt Hospital is to get $9.4 million for maternity upgrade.
8.A long dry spell means toxic algae is taking hold in the Wellington region, rendering some rivers off limits. The most toxic is Masterton’s Waipoua River, which has passed the 50 percent alert level meaning swimming is banned.
9.Warnings are in place for a Southland river after it was found to have increased levels of toxic algae. The Waikaia River is out of bound to swimmers and dogs until the warnings are removed.
10.Emergcy services are seeking to expand their ability to locate at risk people through their cell phones. Currently people can only be searched for, if they make 111 calls but the change will allow anyone at harm’s way to be tracked.
11.The Independent Police Conduct Authority says officers were not responsible for a crash that killed three teenagers in Christchurch a year ago. Although the officers didn’t follow exact procedure, the Independent Police Conduct Authority says they did a sound risk assessment before using road spikes.
12.New research suggests the lungs have the ability to repair genetic damage caused by smoking but only if a person quits. Scientists have found the cells that escape damage can help the lungs recover.
13.A high tech predator control company says it has eradicated all pests from a remote valley in South Westland and is keeping them out.
14.The White House has informed former national security adviser John Bolton that his book manuscript appeared to contain “significant amounts of classified information” and could not be published in its current form. The letter from the White House National Security Council to Bolton’s attorney, Charles Cooper, and seen by Reuters, said the manuscript contained some material that was considered “TOP SECRET.”
15.New research led by New Zealand doctors could save hundreds of Kiwis a year from painful treatment for collapsed lungs and have implications around the world.
16.An Auckland man who failed to take proper care of his sheep has been banned from owning sheeping cattle for 10 years. Andrew Dyson faced five animal welfare charges and was sentenced today in the Auckland District Court to 175 hours of community work.
17.Some families are expected to save at least $100 per child this year, thanks to the new no donations policy. The Government will pay more than 1500 schools $150 per student if they stop asking children’s families for donations.
