Latest news with #Blundell
NZ Herald
21-07-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Northland kūmara growers ready for new Freshwater Farm Plan rules
The aim is to improve water quality and reverse past damage to waterways while recognising the good work many growers were already doing. According to Northland Regional Council, the region's biggest freshwater problems are high levels of sediment and Escherichia coli (E. coli), and a lack of riparian vegetation to support healthy ecosystems. The new rules were designed to address these problems and ensure growers operated within environmental limits. Blundell said Northland growers had been working with Horticulture New Zealand's (HortNZ) Growing Change programme and Kaipara Moana Remediation (KMR) to ensure their Freshwater Farm Plans were ready before the rollout. Through Growing Change, HortNZ provided one-on-one support from horticultural consultants to help growers develop their plans using the NZ Good Agricultural Practice (NZGAP) Environmental Management System (EMS) add-on. Blundell's company and its suppliers were among the first to gain NZGAP accreditation. Growing Change also partnered with KMR to build resilience across the Northland/Te Tai Tokerau kūmara industry, including through native planting schemes. Kūmara is gaining popularity overseas and widely considered a superfood. Photo / Unsplash, Mary Potoplyak Blundell said support was critical as growers faced escalating costs and increasing regulation. 'There's a compliance cost – and all the costs of growing keep rising: machinery, diesel, fertiliser, electricity, rates, freight, and land.' HortNZ chief executive Kate Scott said that with mounting pressure on the horticulture sector, regulatory settings needed to support growers like those producing kūmara in Northland to keep growing healthy, affordable food. Blundell also serves on the executive of United Fresh, which promotes fruit and vegetables to consumers. He said another threat to the sector – and NZ's food security – was a shift in consumer habits from fresh vegetables to cheaper, less nutritious options like rice or pasta. Blundell said sweet potato was gaining popularity overseas in Europe, Spain, and the United States and was widely recognised as a superfood. Kūmara holds deep cultural importance. The Ōwairaka red variety, commonly used in hāngī, is not grown anywhere else in the world. The vegetable's significance to Māori was recognised under the Wai 262 claim to the Waitangi Tribunal, which protected taonga Māori. New Zealand does not import kūmara – a status Blundell said is worth protecting. Biosecurity risks were high, and almost all kūmara grown locally was consumed domestically, with only some frozen wedges exported to Australia. Most kūmara production is based in Northland/Te Tai Tokerau, which supplies 90% of the domestic market. It is a vital industry for this region, where a socio-economic profile of Kaipara district last year found 42.3% of residents lived in the most deprived decile. Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years' experience in journalism, much of which she spent court reporting. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.
New York Post
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Teen tragically dies after hitting his head in botched backflip attempt
An Australian teenager died after a celebratory backflip attempt took a tragic turn. Sonny Blundell, who just moved from New South Wales to an apartment in Queensland for a concreting job and to 'start a new life with his girlfriend,' was found unresponsive by his roommate after the stunt on June 24, his heartbroken older sister, Izabella Cromack-Hay, told The Daily Telegraph. 'He hit his head in the lounge room on the ground and had a headache went to bed,' Cromack-Hay told the outlet. '[He] woke up, went to the toilet vomiting and then passed out. That's when his best friend found him unresponsive in the morning.' Advertisement 3 Sonny Blundell died after a backflip attempt took a tragic turn. GoFundMe The 18-year-old was rushed to the Queensland Hospital Intensive Care Unit and suffered 'multiple strokes.' 'The first 24hrs was the most critical which we nearly lost him after having multiple strokes and another bleed which lead (sic) to him needing a drain in his brain,' Cromack-Hay shared on the GoFundMe page that was made to help pay for Blundell's medical bills and rehab. 'There is major uncertainty that Sonny will or will not pull through. He's working his hardest as there could be recovery and rehabilitation.' Advertisement Doctors placed him in a coma and performed brain surgery but he eventually died from his injuries on June 30, his sister confirmed on the GoFundMe page. 'Our beautiful Sonny has grown his wings and passed away,' Cromack-Hay added. 'We are all in disbelief and major pain.' Money raised from the fundraiser will be used to return his body to his family in New South Wales and pay for funeral costs. 'We need to bring Sonny home as his sisters are waiting for him,' Cromack-Hay wrote in a GoFundMe update on June 30. 'We are all here in Queensland trying our hardest to organize this horrible time and prepare ourselves.' Advertisement 3 Blundell was rushed to the ICU after a roommate found him unresponsive. GoFundMe The page has raised nearly $16,000 for the expenses. 'I'll bring you home my boy, my love, my soul and my heart,' his mother, Madeline Blundell, wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday. 'My best friend and my shoulder to laugh with and cry. I miss you so much my baby .. ma is here.' Celebratory stunts have had fatal consequences in the past. Advertisement 3 Blundell died from his injuries on June 30, 2025. GoFundMe South African bodybuilder Sifiso Lungelo Thabete died after a botched backflip attempt while he entered an arena before a competition in 2017. In 2014, Indian soccer player Peter Biaksangzuala died from injuries he sustained while celebrating a goal with somersaults.
Mint
03-07-2025
- Mint
Tragic death: Backflip to celebrate ‘new life' with girlfriend costs 18-year-old his life
An 18-year-old in Australia lost his life after hitting his head on the floor of his new apartment while doing a celebratory backflip. According to media reports, Sonny Blundell, the teen who died in the incident, was very happy to start his "new life" with his girlfriend, having moved to a new apartment in Gold Coast, Queensland. On June 24, he "was found unresponsive" by his housemate in the lounge of their apartment and was shifted to a hospital soon after. Blundell was placed into a coma before undergoing brain surgery. However, on June 30, he succumbed to his injuries. Sonny Blundell's sister, Izabella Cromack-Hay, said he had recently moved to the Gold Coast suburb of Southport 'to start a new life with his girlfriend' after being offered a concreting job in the area. 'Moving to Queensland only a month ago, which was his greatest accomplishment, he worked the hardest concreting and making himself known,' she told The Daily Telegraph. She said that her brother had Facetimed her on the day of the incident. She recalled that he had been celebrating moving to Southport Beach with his best friend, Mitchell Bullard, when he did the backflip. 'He hit his head in the lounge room on the ground and had a headache, went to bed,' she told the outlet. '[He] woke up, went to the toilet, vomited, and then passed out. That's when his best friend found him unresponsive in the morning.' Sonny Blundell suffered 'multiple strokes' and a brain bleed ahead of having brain surgery, his sister shared on a GoFundMe page. 'The first 24 hours were the most critical … we nearly lost him after having multiple strokes and another bleed, which led to him needing a drain in his brain,' wrote Cromack-Hay. 'There is major uncertainty that Sonny will or will not pull through. He's working his hardest as there could be recovery and rehabilitation,' she wrote before his death. The GoFundMe page has raised nearly $14,500 so far, with a goal of reaching $18,000 to bring Blundell back to his hometown, New South Wales, and pay for funeral costs.
International Business Times
03-07-2025
- Health
- International Business Times
Australian Teen Dies While Performing Celebratory Backflip
An Australian teenager has died after hitting his head while doing a backflip in his new apartment, according to reports. Sonny Blundell, 18, was celebrating his move from the Central Coast in New South Wales to the Gold Coast in Queensland when the incident occurred on June 24. Blundell "was found unresponsive" by his housemate in the lounge room of their apartment, according to local newspapers The Daily Telegraph and The Courier Mail. He was hospitalized and placed into a coma before undergoing brain surgery. He later succumbed to his injuries on June 30. Blundell was Celebrating Moving to Southport to 'Start a New Life with His Girlfriend' Blundell's sister Izabella Cromack-Hay said he had recently moved to the Gold Coast suburb of Southport "to start a new life with his girlfriend" after being offered a concreting job in the area. "Moving to Queensland only a month ago, which was his greatest accomplishment, he worked the hardest concreting and making himself known," Cromack-Hay told the outlet. Blundell had facetimed with his sister on the day of the incident, she recalled. He had been celebrating moving to Southport beach with his best friend Mitchell Bullard when he performed the backflip. Blundell Suffered 'Multiple Strokes,' Brain Bleed "He hit his head in the lounge room on the ground and had a headache went to bed," Cromack-Hay told the outlet. "[He] woke up went to the toilet vomiting and then passed out that's when his best friend found him unresponsive in the morning." Blundell was sent to the Queensland Hospital Intensive Care Unit. He suffered "multiple strokes" and a brain bleed ahead of having brain surgery, his sister shared on a GoFundMe page before his death. "The first 24 hours were the most critical ... we nearly lost him after having multiple strokes and another bleed, which led to him needing a drain in his brain," wrote Cromack-Hay. "There is major uncertainty that Sonny will or will not pull through. He's working his hardest as there could be recovery and rehabilitation." The GoFundMe page so far has raised nearly $23,255 (AUD) to bring Blundell back to New South Wales and pay for funeral costs.
Perth Now
03-07-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Teen dies after horror backflip accident
A teenage tradie has died after suffering horror head injuries from a backflip accident in his new apartment - with his family remembering the 'beautiful' young are flowing for Sonny John Orlando Blundell, 18, after he suffered a major accident last Friday when he hit his head during a celebration at his new apartment in Queensland. Mr Blundell had been performing a backflip when he hit his head. He had just moved to the Sunshine State from the NSW Central Coast to start a new life with his girlfriend, where he had been offered a concreting job. Sonny John Orlando Blundell suffered critical injuries performing a backflip in a Queensland apartment, with his family confirming he passed away in hospital on Tuesday. GoFundMe Credit: Supplied Mr Blundell's sister Izabella Cromack-Hay told The Courier Mail that she had Facetimed him on the day he hit his head. 'He hit his head in the lounge room on the ground and had a headache went to bed, woke up went to the toilet vomiting and then passed out that's when his best friend found him unresponsive in the morning,' she said. Mr Blundell was left in a coma in the Queensland Hospital Intensive Care Unit, fighting the brain injury. Mr Blundell fought for his life in Queensland Hospital ICU. GoFundMe Credit: Supplied In a GoFundMe organised by his sister she said that Mr Blundell had been 'fighting this battle' as much as he could, but in an update on Tuesday she confirmed he had died in hospital, surrounded by his family and loved ones. The crowd-funding page has raised over $23,000, with proceeds going towards bringing Mr Blundell home and organising his funeral. 'I ask everyone to still support our family as we need to bring Sonny home as his sisters are waiting for him,' Ms Cromack-Hay wrote on the page. 'We are all here in Queensland trying our hardest to organize this horrible time and prepare ourselves. 'We are all in disbelief and major pain.' Tributes for the teenager flowed on social media, including from his mother Madeline Blundell who wrote: 'I'll bring you home my boy, my love, my soul and my heart, my best friend and my shoulder to laugh with and cry. 'I miss you so much my baby. Ma is here.'
