The Panel with Holly Bennett and Tim Batt Part 2
The Panel talks to safety campaigner Geoff Upson who says there are too many speed humps in Manuwera and the town risks being known as "hump town". They then pay homage to the national treasure that is the Taranaki Star. The community newspaper delivers its last print edition today after 145 years of service - we talk to Cliff Hunt who worked at the paper for 47 years.
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RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Operator of troubled Kāeo water scheme trespassed from treatment plant as decade-long boil-water notice continues
Kāeo's water treatment plant draws from the Waikara Stream. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf In a new twist to the long-running Kāeo water saga , it has emerged the operator of the troubled water scheme has been trespassed from the town's treatment plant. Last month the Far North town marked 10 years under a boil-water notice , imposed in July 2015 due to the presence of E. coli bacteria in the water supply. The trespass notice meant the operator of the private water scheme had to get a police escort to access the treatment plant. Wayne Mighorst, who owned the land on School Gully Rd where the plant is located, said he issued the trespass notice. "It's because he hasn't paid rent for seven years, since I've been on the property. And that's why I got him trespassed. We still let them operate the water plant, but that could change." That was disputed by Kāeo Water operator Bryce Aldridge, who said he had a document proving he could use the land rent-free. However, Mighorst said he had never seen such a document, and believed the operator had paid rent to the previous landowner. Mighorst said he wanted someone else to operate the treatment plant. "I'd like to see it taken over by the council, or somebody else that will look after the people in Kāeo, and make sure that we get good water." The main street of Kāeo. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf The effects of the boil-water notice were "pretty bad", he said. "A lot of them [Kāeo Water customers] are commercial buildings and they rely on good clean water, they've got to serve the public with it. It's a bit of a downer not having good water." Police confirmed they were called on at times to assist with access to the treatment plant. "Police have been present at the site on occasion through agreement between both parties involved in this civil matter. Our role there is to keep the peace." The water scheme, which the Far North District Council sold to Doubtless Bay Water in 2000, supplied fewer than 30 homes and businesses along Kāeo's main street. Doubtless Bay Water pulled out in 2008, saying the scheme was not viable. It was then bought for a token sum by Wai Care Environmental Consultants, which operated it ever since. Publicity around the 10-year boil water anniversary prompted the national water authority, Taumata Arowai, to visit Kāeo on July 23 with a list of expectations and a deadline for meeting them. Aldridge said he was under a self-imposed "gagging order" until early September and could not discuss progress until then. However, he said there would be a positive announcement to make after that time, and a public meeting would be organised. Melinda Sando, acting head of operations at Taumata Arowai, said staff had met the supplier and developed a plan for achieving safe drinking water. "The supplier has agreed to provide the authority with a plan of how expectations will be met within an agreed timeframe. "The time required to do this will be dependent on access to funding, installation, and commissioning of the equipment." Taumata Arowai staff did not inspect the plant during their visit. Sando said the authority took a "balanced approach" by helping suppliers achieve safe drinking water in a way that worked for them, while also taking public health concerns into account. "Noncompliance has been long-standing for many New Zealand drinking water suppliers and this will require financial investment to resolve. Long-term under-investment means change can't happen overnight, especially for smaller suppliers. "Becoming compliant costs communities money and it can take time to get the equipment and install it." Taumata Arowai would not provide details on the agreed timeframe for improvements. The Far North District Council said it did not want to take over the Kāeo water supply. Head of infrastructure Tanya Proctor said the council's preference was for the current owner-operator to work with Taumata Arowai on a solution. "The council has not considered taking over the Kāeo water supply nor has it allocated budget in the current LTP (Long-Term Plan) for this activity." Proctor said the council was waiting for further advice from the authority. Aldridge said part of the treatment plant was located on council road reserve. RNZ asked the council if that was the case but had not received a response by publication time. Under the Water Services Act 2021, Taumata Arowai had the power to order the council to take over the water supply. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Broken pump forces Hamilton firefighters to withdraw from house fire
The professional firefighters' union says crews are under-resourced, but their employer says they're trained to cope. Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal A "catastrophic failure" to a fire truck responding to a Hamilton fire highlights how under-resourced firefighters are, the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) says. But Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) says issues like this can and do occur and crews are trained and highly skilled to cope. Six fire crews responded to a garage fire in Flagstaff late Thursday night. On arrival they were met with a fully involved house fire. Hamilton local secretary for the NZPFU Jay Culhane said that while in the middle of fighting the fire, Te Rapa's pumping appliance lost the ability to pump water. "There was a catastrophic failure of the pump, so they lost water pressure to the firefighters, both to the internal and external firefighting crew," Culhane said. The crew inside the house had to withdraw from the building and the external firefighters had to move away. "The biggest problem is a fire doubles in size every thirty-seconds so the delay in operations ... you are going to lose more property and suffer more damage." Pumping operations were quickly swapped over to the Chartwell pump truck which began pumping water to continue fighting the fire. There were no reports of injuries to the firefighters. However, Culhane said more incidents like this were happening and poor planning and under-resourcing were to blame. "You can service an old truck as much as you want but they are still going to have issues," he said. A FENZ spokesperson said it had a fleet of around 1300 firefighting trucks. "Our firefighting trucks are well maintained, safe, certified, and legally compliant. We have a strict schedule for regular maintenance and repairs. "We typically spend more than $20 million each financial year on new firefighting trucks and other vehicles. In 2023/24 we spent $26 million, in 2024/25 we spent $20 million, and in 2025/26 we will spend $29 million." The spokesperson said since FENZ was established in 2017, it had purchased 317 new firefighting trucks. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Faith Farm Fresh keeps milk flowing direct to customers
rural farming 15 minutes ago It's a busy time of year for Stacey Faith, calving 300-plus cows, rearing their calves and keeping the Faith Farm's roadside milk dispensing outlet going, providing locals with milk fresh from the cows over the fence - with the cream on top.
