Latest news with #GREGORRICHARDSON
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Elderly pay price for Covid ‘complacency'
The Home of St Barnabas Trust is in a Covid-19 lockdown while New Zealand rides the eighth wave of the disease. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON The elderly are paying the price for people's complacency towards Covid-19, a Dunedin aged-care advocate says. The warning comes as a St Clair rest-home is in lockdown and New Zealand's leading epidemiologist says the country is riding a eighth wave of the disease. The Otago Daily Times contacted rest-homes across Dunedin yesterday. St Clair's Home of St Barnabas Trust confirmed it was in lockdown. New Zealand Aged Care Association (ACA) Otago board representative Malcolm Hendry said it was not the only rest-home that had needed to go into lockdown during the current eighth wave. A few weeks ago, two residents of a different home had tested positive for Covid-19 — one was the result of an infected family member coming to visit, Mr Hendry said. "They possibly came in with symptoms that they didn't take seriously enough at the time. "[Covid] has gone off the radar for a lot of people as a serious issue and people are just getting on with life — I think there is a complacency out there now." Rest-homes still had to be extremely cautious with any infectious outbreaks, because their residents were vulnerable, he said. "Gastro, flu, Covid, they're all issues that we take very seriously." University of Otago (Wellington) epidemiologist Michael Baker said New Zealand was in the midst of its eighth wave of Covid-19 infection, dominated by a new sub-variant called NB.1.8.1. The main problem with new sub-variants was they got past existing immunity, he said. "The main damage is they simply cause more cases. However, the waves are generally beginning smaller." Covid-19 was New Zealand's number one infectious disease problem last year, but this year it looked as though the numbers were going down, he said. However, elderly people in care homes, hospitals or just living at home were still very much at risk. People were becoming more complacent and not getting their boosters, Prof Baker said. "We've got some evidence that 10%-15% of our cases in New Zealand were acquired in hospitals ... the risk of serious illness and death rises exponentially with age." He recommended taking a Covid-19 test before visiting elderly relatives, particularly if feeling unwell, and keeping up to date with boosters and vaccines.
Otago Daily Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Stopped in his tracks
PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Southern lock Corben Agar shows nothing but determination as he tries to break the tackle of Kaikorai hooker Henry Bell during their Dunedin club rugby semifinal on Saturday at Bathgate Park. However, Agar's efforts were in vain as Kaikorai edged to a 13-10 win after a tense encounter. They will play Harbour in the final.
Otago Daily Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Arts fellows field questions
PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON About 100 people gathered in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery on Saturday to fire questions at the 2025 University of Otago Arts Fellows. Answering questions from attendees are (from left) The Robert Burns Fellow Dr Octavia Cade, Mozart Fellow Dr Simon Eastwood, Frances Hodgkins Fellow Reece King, The Otago College of Education Creative New Zealand Children's Writer in Residence Samantha Montgomerie, and The Caroline Plummer Fellowship in Community Dance Dr Carol Brown. The group all answered questions on a range of topics about what they had been doing in their fellowships and about their specialties.
Otago Daily Times
07-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Voice opinion on proposed blue cod limit, angler says
Keen angler Steve Bennett asks anyone who recreationally fishes to let their voice be heard in regard to proposed changes to the blue cod limits allowed per person. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON A Dunedin angler unhappy with proposed cuts to the blue cod catch limit for recreational fishers is asking everyone to have their say on the matter before it is too late. Keen angler Steve Bennett said it was only a few years ago that the limit was 30, and dropping the blue cod limit from 15 to 10 would make the reward of fishing not worth the cost of heading out. "I can't see the rationale for dropping it from 15 to 10 — I think that the blue cod fishery is in pretty good state at the moment and has been for a while." If the limit was reduced, it would be hard for people going out in a boat fishing to justify the fuel costs. He said Mother Nature had her own protection methods in place. "Our coastline is reasonably weather protected and there's a lot of days where, even if you could go out, you can't because of the sea conditions." Mr Bennett encouraged all fishers to have their say — whether that be for or against the proposed changes. "Too many consultation processes go through and people don't actually know about it until after it's happened. "If people are interested, then they need to put their names on a piece of paper and have their say — this has the potential to impact a lot on recreational fishers." Fisheries New Zealand director of fisheries management Emma Taylor said changes to catch limits were in store for the next fisheries sustainability review this October. The review included proposed changes for three blue cod stocks, snapper on the West Coast and blue mackerel on the west coast of the North Island. "Proposed cuts to commercial catch for two blue cod stocks are in response to latest abundance estimates, while the third had a commercial catch limit cut last year. "Recreational daily catch limits are proposed to be reduced for all three fisheries, in line with the settings in place under the National Blue Cod Strategy," she said. The review said blue cod stock in the Foveaux Strait was significantly overfished. Public consultation began on June 24 and closes on July 23.
Otago Daily Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Something to buzz about
PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Invercargill resident Mia Padgett, 12, has a crack at the Beat the Buzz activity in the New Zealand International Science Festival hub in Meridian Mall, Dunedin. Mia was successful in moving the loop around a long twisted pipe without touching it. The festival hub is hosting activities every day until Sunday from 10am to 3pm. Activities include gaming, computing and technology and hands-on science workshops.
