Nearly two months on from a sewage spill that completely destroyed their crops, Mahurangi oyster farmers are still waiting to see a full compensation package.More than a thousand cubic metres of sewage overflowed from a Watercare pump station in late October contaminating thousands of oysters in the Mahurangi river and preventing the farmers from harvesting for nearly a month.Watercare agreed to give a million dollars in compensation to 10 affected farmers, who split it between them.The organisation also promised to provide a second payment before the end of the year.But as that date creeps closer the farmers are still waiting and getting increasingly desperate.It has been around two weeks since Tom Waters was able to reopen Matakana Oysters.It means he has only been able to farm for around six weeks of this year.With little time to harvest, his bills and debts have quickly built up, and the $100,000 in compensation he got for October's sewage spill was gone in 48 hours.He has already considered closing the doors on his business twice this year, and if Waters does not see more compensation soon, he is not sure how he will carry on."This year's been diabolical, I wouldn't even be in business if it hadn't been for lovely people who had donated and kept me going"But Waters said even the money can't quantify the damage done to his business.He is worried the reputational impact is also too much to bounce back from."[The spill] was just devastating, I personally just struggled a lot after that spill, it was the worst feeling, because we'd just been trying to get the reputation back up again because all of us have suffered from people not wanting Mahurangi oysters because they're legitimately concerned about their safety."Both sides agreed to an independent loss assessor reporting on how much further compensation was needed.A few days after the report was lodged, Watercare came back with a request for more information from the farmers.However, the farmers said they have already given them all the information they have.Jim Aitken from Mahurangi Oysters said he is close to losing all faith."They're stalling, they're not believing us, we've sent an email saying no we've given you everything you've asked, they're simply not believing us, come and see us if you don't believe it. We're here, we exist, these are all our oysters, and we're sick and tired of jumping through hoops for Watercare."Much like Waters, Aitken's compensation went straight into paying off debt incurred from the sewage spill.While he was able to finally reopen his farm two weeks ago, the spill means they have missed out on the peak season and lost thousands of oysters."Without that money you just sit there in the red looking at your debt get bigger and bigger because quite simply even if we are open, it's not like we can sell every oyster we have right then and there, we have to start this whole new process, get customers confidence back."While Aitkin said he has lost all confidence in Watercare, he is still hopeful that they will pay up."I want compensation to make up for the fact that I've had to stop two roles because I can't afford to pay them, so I want compensation to be able to employ people so they can continue to work and keep the farm running."I want to make sure that this never happens again... and actual accountability from Watercare, so if this ever happens again it's just an immediate fine."Chair of the Mahurangi oyster farmers association, Lynette Dunn said she is disappointed by the back and forth with Watercare.She said they were originally promised compensation by the 19th of December."We've been fighting for the last seven years, we've been going into more and more debt. So with that last payment sort of income that came through that just got gobbled up into paying all our expenses that had occurred over quite a period of time, so there's nothing in our accounts to get us through the next three months, four months."As the clock ticks on Watercare's promise the farmers have all agreed on one thing.They have got a long road ahead, not just to recover financially, but also revive their product's reputation.In a statement to Checkpoint, Watercare chief operations officer Mark Bourne said they expect the loss assessment report to be finalised in the new year.He said Watercare acted quickly and in good faith to respond to the impacts, by first providing $1 million to the oyster farmers affected, and then appointing an independent loss assessor with aquaculture expertise."The assessor has met with the oyster farmers and is now assessing losses on an individual, per-farm basis. This is a complex process, and care is being taken to ensure assessments are thorough and fair."He said with the information in the report they will be able to confirm the next steps and timing.This will involve Watercare contacting the oyster farmers individually to discuss outcomes and arrange any final payments.Bourne said they know the overflow caused considerable stress to the farmers, who they reassured that Watercare will learn from the incident.Seen something local we should cover?Let us know at [email protected]

If your daily drive has been rattling over cracks, help is on the way this summer. Auckland Transport has launched its annual Summer Road Reno programme, with plans to repair and reseal more than 450km of Auckland roads between Monday, December 29 and Monday, February 23, aiming to keep disruption to motorists as low as possible. AT says the work is about road safety, durability and resilience, and it is asking drivers to take care through work sites, follow temporary speed limits, and treat road workers with courtesy and respect.For Hibiscus Coast locals, some of the larger January projects are planned for major routes including Hibiscus Coast Highway and Dairy Flat Highway, so it is worth allowing a little extra time if you commute runs that way.Last summer, AT resurfaced 427km of roads and renewed 80km of footpaths, supported by extra investment and resources from Auckland Council and the NZ Transport Agency.GM Road Asset Maintenance & Renewals Alan Wallace says, “We’re building on last summer’s success, where we resurfaced more than the distance between Auckland and Taihape. This year, we are targeting more than 450km to keep Auckland moving and make our roads safer and smoother to drive on.” Updates and more information are available at at.govt.nz/roadrenoSeen something local we should cover?Let us know at [email protected]

Happy Sunday, Coasties! Grab a coffee and settle in. This is your essential 5-minute download of the week's biggest Hibiscus Coast news and updates. Don't miss a thing!Red Beach Park Gets Permanent Pump TrackRead more → Coastie Summer Garden Survival: Compost, Mulch, WaterRead more → Wēiti River Bridge Pylons Set To Hit 60mRead more → Three Red Beach Dads Launch Simulator GolfRead more → Hot Days, Cool Dogs: Summer Safety GuideRead more → Never miss a beat again. Get instant alerts and local updates delivered straight to your pocket. Download the Hibiscus Coast App now for news, events, and essential community info, anytime, anywhere.Know something local worth sharing?Send it to [email protected] — we’ll help spread the word.

If you’ve ever wondered what ‘fractions’ looks like in class, a new online guide may help. The Ministry of Education’s Parent Portal is now live on the Ministry of Education website with every learning area of the refreshed, knowledge-rich curriculum from Year 0 to Year 10, including draft areas.Education Minister Erica Stanford says it is designed to help parents see what their child will learn at each year level in a clear and understandable way. For Hibiscus Coast families, it means you can pop in, click through the year levels, and get a feel for what the proposed new curriculum looks like across every learning area, with more activities and resources also due to be added to support key learning at home over summer. The first new resource will be a curriculum-aligned, freely available online maths practice tool for children in Years 3 to 8, due next Tuesday.It will cover basic facts, fractions, rounding, working with money, place value, counting patterns, square numbers, and word problems, with further content planned for January for children ready for more topics. Consultation is currently open for feedback on the Year 0 to 10 draft learning areas, so locals might see this become an easy go-to for a midweek hit or a weekend catch-up.Know something local worth sharing?Send it to [email protected] — we’ll help spread the word.

Have you had a Christmas gift from your KiwiSaver provider?A small number of KiwiSaver schemes have been sending gifts to members this Christmas.RNZ has discovered an umbrella sent to a member from Generate KiwiSaver, who said he received a gift last year, too.Pie Funds said it liked to give gifts to recognise customers."Christmas is a time for giving, and at Pie Funds we view our investors as whole-of-relationship clients, not just account holders," chief executive Ana-Marie Lockyer said."At this time of year, we like to recognise and thank our clients for the trust they place in us and have been lucky to be able to do so in person with many over the last month at our annual investor updates."Any Christmas gift we provide is personal to the individual client and reflects that relationship, rather than being a broad promotional item or incentive. There is no universal entitlement or set criteria - it is about acknowledging our clients in a thoughtful and appropriate way at the end of the year."MAS, while not giving a gift to customers, is giving gift bags showcasing New Zealand food and beverage products to customers at random through the pre-Christmas period.The largest KiwiSaver provider, ANZ, said it was not sending gifts.Simplicity did not give gifts but donated to charity. Milford said that was its strategy, too. It had donated $66,600 each to Nurturing Families, Pet Refuge and Pillars this year.Bodo Lang, a marketing expert at Massey University, said showing customers they were appreciated was "seldom used but is an incredibly powerful tool to keep customers for longer, particularly when the relationships are likely long-lasting and revenue and profit from each customer is high"."So sending gifts to every person who buys Wattie's baked beans would not be feasible but sending gifts to highly profitable customers in subscription industries, such as banking and finance, can be well worth it. The success of such tactics would have been calculated in advance. The campaign would have taken place because that analysis showed it would likely be profitable."Mike Lee, of the University of Auckland, said it could help keep the KiwiSaver provider top of mind for a service that did not have many opportunities to provide immediate benefits."So just something to remind their customers that the relationship still exists and potentially to stop them from transferring their funds to another provider."Rupert Carlyon, founder of KiwiSaver provider Koura, said people were better off to pay lower fees and miss out on Christmas gifts.Seen something local we should cover?Let us know at [email protected]

Coast Chronicles is our regular deep dive into the stories and decisions that shaped the Hibiscus Coast you live in today.Christmas, 1926. More than 100 cars sit nose to tail on the East Coast Road near Silverdale, wheels spinning in thick clay, drivers beaten by the “winterless north”.It was not a one-off bad patch.It was a public failure, right in the middle of the holiday rush, on the route people relied on to reach the Hibiscus Coast.To see why it got that bad, go back before cars.The Weiti River was the real highway, used by Te Kawerau ā Maki and Ngāti Kahu, with portages that connected people to Whangaparāoa and its shark fisheries.Early European life clung to the riverbank for the same reason.The clay roads were often impossible in winter, so the settlement grew where the water still moved.The place was first known as “The Wade”, a twist on the Māori name Weiti.In 1911 it was renamed Silverdale, partly to escape the jab of “Muddydale”.But a nicer name did not change the ground.By the 1920s, motor transport was overtaking river steamers, and the road network was lagging badly.The East Coast Road mattered because it linked Devonport to Silverdale, yet it was described as being in a “very bad state” and a serious block to trade.Local politics did not help.Silverdale sat in the Pukeatua Riding of the Waitemata County Council, where Albany members were said to refuse funds for the northern road.The Christmas jam was the breaking point.Locals stopped waiting for a vote that never came and went straight to the Minister of Works.Their offer was blunt and practical.If the government paid for the metal, Silverdale residents would supply the labour and spread it themselves.That “Battle for Metal” changed the trajectory.In the late 1920s and early 1930s, road works followed, including the Birkenhead to Silverdale road being metalled for £6,800.The old river economy felt it quickly.By 1930, the Northern Steamship Company’s Omana stopped servicing the river route, and the steamer era was effectively over.Silverdale began to turn away from the river that had shaped it and toward the roads that could carry it into Auckland year-round.In the 2025, that clay-road isolation is hard to picture.Silverdale is now a commercial gateway for a Hibiscus Coast population said to have grown past 69,000, and the Silverdale statistical area rose to 2,043 residents, up nearly 50 per cent from 2018 to 2023.The argument today sounds different, but it rhymes.People still talk about holiday choke points, only now the hope is pinned to projects like Penlink, rather than a fresh layer of metal over clay.The point is not nostalgia.It is a reminder that this connection has always been hard-won, and that Silverdale’s growth was never inevitable, it was built the moment locals refused to stay stuck.Coast Chronicles is written by the Hibiscus Coast App editorial team, under the shared byline “the Coast Chronicler.”Got a local memory or a news tip?We’d love to hear it. Send it to [email protected]

No parent expects a bus ride home to end in fear.A new Facebook group, HBC Bus Safety – Community Action Group, has been formed by local mum Lucy after she says her 16-year-old son was assaulted on a local bus travelling from Albany to the Hibiscus Coast on Tuesday, December 9.According to Lucy’s post, her son was sitting upstairs with friends when a group of teenagers approached.One girl accused him of “staring” and, without warning, punched him several times in the mouth, cheek, and throat.His inner lip was cut and bleeding.Another teenager stood in a blocking position beside the attacker, making it hard for anyone to step in.A third teen held a phone and tried to film, or pressure him into making hand gestures.Lucy says her son and his friends heard threats to “get him at the next stop” or “finish it”.Lucy says several adult witnesses have since come forward, confirming the behaviour, the filming, the threats, and the assault.When the bus arrived at the Hibiscus Coast Bus Station, she says her son and his friends ran straight to a security guard for help.They were frightened, shaking, and unsure if the group would follow them.Afterwards, Lucy says she posted online asking for witnesses and the response was overwhelming.People replied with story after story of similar experiences, she says, with some involving violence and others involving intimidation.The group, she says, is there to collect stories, support each other, identify patterns, and present clear evidence to Police, Auckland Transport, and local representatives.Staying safe on public transportWhatever your view, it’s clear this has left one Hibiscus Coast family shaken, and it has struck a nerve with others.Know something local worth sharing?Send it to [email protected] — we’ll help spread the word.

The Government has put $12 million into wiping out yellow-legged hornet in Auckland after North Shore detections earlier this year.Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says the funding will cover the cost of the response through to Tuesday, June 30.He says the hornet is a predator that poses a serious threat to honeybees and, by extension, to New Zealand’s agricultural sector and overall economy, and that it is crucial to stop it establishing here.Biosecurity New Zealand will contribute $2 million from its baseline funding, with the remaining $10 million coming from reprioritised funds.If costs rise, Mr Hoggard says the Government will consider further funding.He says Biosecurity New Zealand is working with industry partners under the Government Industry Agreement, including cost sharing for the response, and is engaging with beekeepers via their groups.The response escalated after it began on Monday, November 3. Biosecurity New Zealand says it has so far:Detected and safely destroyed 37 queen hornets and 28 nestsDeployed more than 730 traps, with the surveillance zone extended to 11kmWorked with beekeepers on surveillance around hives, with over 575 registered apiaries within the 11km zoneSearched thousands of properties within 200m of confirmed findsSet up an independent technical advisory groupBought electronic tracking gear to trace nests by tagging foraging worker hornetsLaunched a national advertising campaign and community awareness efforts“I can’t overstate the importance of public vigilance,” Mr Hoggard says, urging people to report suspected sightings immediately to Biosecurity New Zealand. For Hibiscus Coast locals, the ask is the same: keep an eye out, and report it fast if you think you’ve seen one.Seen something local we should cover?Let us know at [email protected]

How often does a test drive actually change your mind?Earlier this week I took the Zeekr 7X for a drive, one of the newest EVs to arrive in New Zealand, and it genuinely shifted my expectations.I have only driven a Tesla model S many years ago, so I assumed the usual EV trade-off: impressive pace, lots of screens, and not much warmth.The Zeekr 7X felt different from the first few minutes.The cabin came across as properly luxurious, with the sort of comfort you notice straight away, including massaging seats that feel more than a gimmick.I also appreciated the basics done well, like real buttons you can use without hunting through menus, and a heads-up display that makes driving feel calmer and more intuitive.And yes, it has effortless acceleration that will put a smile on most faces, even if you are not chasing speed.Zeekr 7X now available in New Zealand. Photo: Giltrap ZeekrThis is not a review, or a recommendation to buy this exact car.It is a nudge for anyone on the Hibiscus Coast thinking about changing vehicles any time soon to keep your options wide.The EV market has moved fast, and there are now brands and models worth serious consideration beyond the usual names.If you are shopping in the next 6 to 12 months, do yourself a favour and test drive broadly across makes and models, then decide based on what you will live with every day: comfort, controls, visibility, storage, ride feel, and how confident you feel behind the wheel.Know something local worth sharing?Send it to [email protected] — we’ll help spread the word.

Making plans?Here’s what’s coming up around the Hibiscus Coast, curated by your team at The Hibiscus Coast App.Orewa Free Santa PhotosSat 20 DecClick here for more details Silverdale Village MarketSat 20 DecClick here for more detailsNew Years Eve PartyWed 31 DecClick here for more detailsFind more things to do anytime in the Hibiscus Coast App, your local hub for events, food, and fun.Have an event coming up? Get featured next week!List your Event for FREE now.

Ever wondered what it takes to stop sewage overflows when a town keeps growing? Watercare has signed a contract with McConnell Dowell to deliver the Warkworth growth-servicing pipeline, described as the final piece in a $450 million programme transforming wastewater services for the Warkworth and Snells/Algies areas, with construction set to begin in the new year. The pipeline will run from the Warkworth Showgrounds to the new Warkworth Street Pump Station, and Watercare chief programme delivery officer Suzanne Lucas says it will “almost eliminate wet-weather overflows to the Mahurangi River” once complete, while supporting growth in northern Warkworth. With around 20,000 more people expected to move to the area in the next few decades, Watercare says pressure on the wastewater network has made the project critical for environmental protection and public health. Originally planned for completion in 2028, the work has been accelerated and split into two stages, with stage one due by December 2026 and stage two expected to be completed and in service in late 2027, supporting new housing north of the river. Watercare is investing an extra $2.5 million to fast-track stage one, and says early work will include service relocations, followed by shaft excavation for tunnelling, with more construction details to be shared in the new year. Lucas says the build is complex because it must happen while the wastewater network keeps operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Watercare says it has already completed upgrades around Kowhai Park and Great North Road, plus a town centre upgrade delivered in winter, to help reduce overflows in the meantime. For Coasties keeping an eye on how fast-growing towns manage infrastructure strain, this is one to watch.Know something local worth sharing?Send it to [email protected] — we’ll help spread the word.

A University of Auckland lecturer says crash delays cost Auckland billions, not just lives.Tim Welch, a senior lecturer in the School of Architecture and Design, says Auckland recorded 34,628 reported crashes between 2022 and 2025, and the real economic bill goes well beyond injuries, deaths, and emergency response.A new analysis puts Auckland’s crash costs at NZ$9.23 billion over three years, about 2% of the region’s NZ$157 billion economy. Welch says nearly NZ$200 million of that never really enters the public debate because it sits in a category most people overlook: network disruption.NZTA’s official crash-cost method covers medical costs, lost productivity, property damage, and the statistical value of a life. One fatal crash is costed at NZ$15.2 million. But Flow Transportation Specialists, working for Auckland Transport, estimated how crashes trigger wider congestion using GPS travel-time data and traffic counts.The analysis found a multi-vehicle motorway crash can generate NZ$1.4 million to NZ$3.5 million in network delay costs, while a serious arterial crash can cost NZ$26,000 to NZ$37,000 in lost time across affected road users. Applied across Auckland, network delays add about NZ$195 million, a 2.2% lift on conventional estimates.Welch argues this matters as the Government rolls back earlier speed reductions, because claimed time savings ignore the time lost when higher speeds increase crash frequency and severity. He notes the delay estimates are conservative and likely understate the true disruption.Know something local worth sharing?Send it to [email protected] — we’ll help spread the word.

Coasties, here’s what the next four days have in store:Friday, 19/12Cloudy with a few showers, turning to rain later, with a breezy westerlyHigh: 23Low: 16Saturday, 20/12Morning rain and heavy showers, clearing to fine later, with westerlies turning southwesterlyHigh: 22Low: 14Sunday, 21/12Cloudy spells then fine in the afternoon, with easing southwesterliesHigh: 22Low: 14Monday, 22/12Partly cloudy with a few showers, with westerlies developingHigh: 24Low: 17See the full Weather & Travel section in the Hibiscus Coast App for:🌊 Tide times🌬️ Wind conditions🌊 Wave updates🌞 UV levels🏖️ Safe swimming spots...and plenty more.The Hibiscus Coast App has everything you need, accessible at any time and from any location.

The economy has rebounded from its mid-year slump as stronger manufacturing, construction, and business services pushed growth, backing the case for interest rates to be held steady.Stats NZ data showed gross domestic product (GDP) - the broad measure of economic growth - rose 1.1 percent in the three months ended September, to be 1.4 percent higher than a year ago.Expectations were for quarterly growth of about 0.9 percent, although the contraction in the previous quarter was revised lower to 1.0 percent from 0.9 percent."The 1.1 percent rise in economic activity ... was broad-based, with increases in 14 out of 16 industries," Stats NZ spokesperson Jason Attewell said, adding the economy had grown in three of the four past quarters.Turning the economic cornerThe strongest sectors were manufacturing and business services such as professional and technical, which both grew 2.2 percent, and construction rising 1.7 percent.Exports were up 3.3 percent, on the back of strong dairy and meat performances, but households' activity rose 0.1 percent.There were smaller positive contributions from real estate services, retail, and energy and water industries.The sectors to contract were telecommunications and internet services, and education and training.Individual shares of the economy - per capita GDP - rose 0.9 percent,.The country's purchasing power (disposable income) improved 0.7 percent for the quarter.Slow recoveryThe latest GDP reading has already been overtaken by more recent data with the monthly surveys of the manufacturing and services showing they have been going backwards, despite positive sentiment surveys.Retail sales have been improving, the GDP data showed increased demand for televisions, computers, and mobile phones.Dr Anna Breman Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone"The retail trade survey shows increased spending on durables in the September quarter, with motor vehicle parts retailing up 7.2 percent, and electrical and electronic goods up 9.8 percent," Attewell said.However, consumer sentiment has remained pessimistic, with households concerned about the weak labour market and the continued high cost of living, while lower interest rates have been slow to filter through.Forecasts are for a gradual pick up in growth next year to around 1.5 percent, rising towards 3 percent in 2027.Rates on holdThe Reserve Bank last month cut the official cash rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 2.25 and signalled it was likely the end of the rate cutting cycle, although it left the door ajar for further easing if the economic numbers turn sour.That message has been reinforced by the new Governor, Anna Breman, over the past week who has said financial markets are getting ahead of themselves by starting to price in RBNZ rate rises next year.Economists expect the economy to post stronger growth, which might underpin inflation pressures, although they believe there is sufficient slack in the economy to counter inflation.New Zealand's quarterly growth rate matched China's 1.1 percent, but outpaced most of our main trading partners, with Australia and the EU at 0.4 percent, Canada at 0.6 percent, and UK at 0.1 percent.Seen something local we should cover?Let us know at [email protected]

By mid-afternoon, even a loved garden can look thirsty and stressed.On the Hibiscus Coast, these Summer Gardening Tips come down to three basics, compost, mulch (easy to source from local suppliers), and smarter watering that respects any water restrictions in place.If watering is needed in dry spells, water less often but more thoroughly, aim for occasional deep soaks rather than light sprinklings, and check the soil is wet to at least 5cm so moisture reaches the subsoil.Water early morning or early evening to reduce evaporation.Keep food coming by making successive sowings and plantings of edible summer crops, and keep planting salad greens for steady summer harvesting.Strawberries start ripening now, protect them from birds and keep water consistent.Watch for white butterfly and other pests, act early, and if you need to spray around veg, use an environmentally friendly option and do it late in the day when bees have gone home.Deadhead roses, perennials and annuals to prolong flowering, prune shrubs once flowering has finished, and prune stone fruit trees once harvest is complete.This is also a good time to keep planting, including veggies, citrus, passionfruit, subtropical fruit, roses, trees and shrubs, plus flowers and perennials.If you are heading away, harvest what you can, then weed, feed and water well, and double-check any watering systems are working before you go.February is the main month for planting spring bulbs, so it is worth pencilling in now while you are in garden mode.Know something local worth sharing?Send it to [email protected] — we’ll help spread the word.

WorkSafe’s road cone hotline closes Friday, December 19, after six months of reports and site checks.The pilot is wrapping up ahead of schedule to line up with NZTA’s requirement that councils have a plan to apply new risk-based temporary traffic management guidelines to local roadworks contracts before projects get government funding approved.“This pilot has done exactly what we needed it to do,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden. “We now understand what's really causing the excessive use of road cones, and changing to a risk-based approach is key to resolving these issues.”When the public saw what looked like excessive cones, site visits found councils had usually signed off the setup. WorkSafe says 86% of sites were compliant with the number of cones and other devices in council-approved traffic management plans.The problem flagged by the pilot is that councils across New Zealand were not required to apply NZTA’s most recent guidance, so a council-approved plan can still feel excessive on the ground.NZTA has said all councils must be fully compliant with the new guidance by Tuesday, July 1, 2027. WorkSafe inspectors have been trained in temporary traffic management and will keep applying the guidance in business-as-usual checks, as part of a wider culture change programme.Seen something local we should cover?Let us know at [email protected]

Renewables advocates claim it's "madness" that thousands of new piped gas connections are being installed into houses every year, despite dwindling supply.Organisations pushing for the country to electrify say households will face steeply rising bills in the short term and huge costs when they eventually need to switch.They say the country's declining natural gas supply should be saved as much as possible for manufacturers and other businesses, who are facing a costly and disorderly transition away from fossil fuels.One advocate says, instead of banning new connections, an education campaign combined with a proposed financing scheme to help households switch to electric would be a better choice.Data from the gas registry shows the overall number of 'active' gas connections has dropped and the rate of new connections has slowed.However, new connections are still proceeding - more than 2000 were added in the last year, at a rate of nearly 200 a month.Electrification non-profit Rewiring Aotearoa estimated another 300,000 households may use liquid petroleum gas (LPG) bottles for some form of cooking or heating.No public data existed on the number of households using LPG, but the overall volume of LPG powering household cooking appliances, gas water heaters and heating went up nine percent between 2017-23, the most recent year of data.The largest gas retailer in the country, Genesis, stopped accepting new piped connections last year.But some retailers still offered gas-only connections, and Auckland network owner and distributor Vector said it would still allow new connections, if customers paid the full commissioning cost - usually about $2000.The company, which had 120,000 residential connections on its gas network, forecasted earlier this month that it would have no new customers from 2029.However, chief public policy and regulatory officer Mark Toner said it was "important to maintain that customer choice"."Some of the research shows that people really love infinity hot water, never-ending hot water," he said. "They love cooking with gas hobs."Toner said he used gas at home himself and had recently replaced a gas hotwater heater with another one.He acknowledged the long-term future of gas in New Zealand was "highly uncertain", but customers could continue to have confidence in supply for now."There has been a lot of commentary about the state of natural gas in New Zealand," he said. "There is no prospect of residential customers running out of gas any time soon."Green Building Council chief executive Andrew Eagles said the fact that new connections were still going in - even if that number was declining - was "absolute madness".The council published a report earlier this year looking at how much natural gas and LPG could be saved for industrial processes, if gas heating in homes and buildings were replaced with electric heat pumps."The amount that we need for manufacturing and industry is exactly the amount that homes and buildings will be using in 2035," Eagles said."You've got firms that are closing or firing people, and down the road, you've got people connecting new gas, when it's going to be significantly cheaper for that household to electrify their home."Retail gas prices had increased markedly and there was no indication that would change, he said.Green Building Council chief executive Andrew Eagles says it's "madness" that new gas connections are still being put into houses. Photo: Supplied / NZGBCRewiring Aotearoa chief executive Mike Casey said that message was not filtering through to many homeowners."It's preference, plus a very serious lack of knowledge around the energy future for this country."Similarly, developers were encouraged to build and sell houses as cheaply as possible at the moment, he said."Avoiding any form of capex cost is a way to do that, so installing a $2000 gas califont, instead of an $8000 hot water heat pump matches what they're incentivised to do, which is to sell turn-key solution houses at the cheapest price possible."All that did, he said, was "shift the economic burden onto the person who will live in that household".People love gas, but it was unhealthy, increasingly expensive and the arguments for it no longer held up, Casey said."They talk about instant and infinite hot water, but hotwater heat pumps can provide that same outcome now electrically."People say they love cooking with gas, but I think anyone who moves to induction likes induction more."Homeowner who wants outWhen Pip Gay, 71, and her husband moved into their house in Auckland 26 years ago, the water heating, heaters, oven and stove were all gas.Over time, as appliances have reached the end of their lives, they've switched almost everything to electric - except the gas hobs on a large kitchen range."That is wildly inefficient and uneconomic, because of the monthly line charge and the tiny amount of gas we use."Just having the connection now costs more than $70 a month, while the gas itself is only about $3.Gay said she'd be very happy to eliminate gas altogether."It's terrible pumping that gas out from where it's quite happy under the sea and piping it all the way up the country, and forcing it into our houses and then burning it - it's a bit bizarre, really."The upfront cost of replacing the range - which she loved - was prohibitive."If a young family bought this house, it's probably the first thing they'd do, because they'd hopefully be looking at staying here for a good long spell, just like we have - but I don't feel like doing it at the end of our run."The same reasoning had also put them off installing solar panels - another thing they would have liked to do."I wish we'd done it five years ago."Her example illustrated the plight of many households who could see the benefit of switching to electric or installing solar, but either could not afford the upfront cost or were running out of runway to make it worth it, Casey said.The cost of decommissioning gas, once it was connected, could become a further disincentive."You often hear stories of people being charged $2000 for a disconnection, but that involves digging up all the pipes," he said. "It should be no more than the labour cost of getting the guy around to cap the pipe."Toner confirmed a current charge of $2500 for full decommissioning, but said capping the pipe was also an option, at a cost of a few hundred dollars."If you're doing works on property and earthworks in particular, you would want a full disconnection at the street to make the site safe," he said. "If you've simply replaced an appliance in your house, it would be a very sensible option just to cap and remove the meter."'Running out of gas'Earlier this year, the government rolled back the previous ban on new oil and gas exploration, and set aside $200 million as a 'co-investment' to encourage development of new fields, recently extending that to include new drilling in existing fields.It was also exploring options to import liquified natural gas (LNG) as a back-up option in the meantime - a move that has been widely criticised as expensive and inefficient.Gentailer Genesis, which has a 46 percent share in the Kupe field, stopped accepting new household gas connections last year.Chief revenue officer Stephen England-Hall said the decision was made "once the national gas supply began to decline faster than was expected"."The thought then was, how do we prioritise existing customers on the gas network and also electricity generation, and not necessarily prioritise new connections to an infrastructure that is clearly going to come under stress?"While the decision was partly driven by economics, it was also "better for the environment and everybody", England-Hall said."One of the things we're very focused on is how do we help customers electrify as much of their lifestyle as they can? Fundamentally, electricity is a very, very efficient and very cost-effective type of energy."Genesis chief revenue officer Stephen England-Hall says the energy crisis prompted the company to stop accepting new gas customers. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-KingEven so, Genesis had not ruled out accepting new customers again, if future supply became more certain - but the data "continues to show signs of decline", he said."We're not seeing any major new finds occurring and we're not seeing major new drilling investment occurring that would give us confidence that there's going to suddenly be a big supply of new gas in the New Zealand market."Importing LNG was "technically viable", he said. "What we are very interested in around that discussion is at what cost?"Eagles described the search for new gas as "a strategy of hope"."[Companies] have spent billions of dollars searching and the massive amount of territory they've still been able to search over the last 20 years has not found anything," he said. "We are running out of gas."Alternatives like biogas offered false hope, because it was still mostly fossil gas, he said.Financing transitionEven if new natural gas was found, it would take 12-14 years to bring online - time and money that Eagles said would be better spent electrifying the country."If you look at the state of Victoria in Australia, they've said all new builds will be all-electric… and at end-of-life for existing homes, you need to move to electric systems."More than 60,000 households had taken up hotwater heat pump support packages in Victoria, since the policy was introduced in 2024.Similar policies were needed here, he said."The poor and people who can't move are going to be stuck with unhealthy, massively rising costs on a network that has less and less people."Energy Minister Simon Watts said there was "not a clear case for further subsidies at this time in the residential gas market".Energy Minister Simon Watts Photo: RNZ / Samuel RillstoneThe Warmer Kiwi Homes programme had provided subsidies for heat pumps for many years, he said."In addition, most major banks in New Zealand provide low-rate loans for households who are installing renewable energy or switching their appliances to more energy-efficient options."There was no need to intervene in the residential gas market to "limit consumer choice", Watts said."With new builds, data shows the rate of new connections has been declining and I understand that only one gas retailer is offering new connections where existing infrastructure is not in place."Ending gas connections for existing homes would impose extra costs for households, and the government had "a clear plan" to improve gas supply through encouraging exploration and procuring an LNG import facility.Casey said simply banning new gas connections was likely to create "an allergic reaction"."We saw it happen in America, when the Biden administration… tried to ban gas cooktops and you literally had celebrity chefs handcuffing themselves to their stovetops, saying 'Over my dead body'.Finance was the solution, but the switch could happen without subsidies, Casey said.His organisation supported a Local Government New Zealand business case to develop a ratepayers' assistance scheme, funded by capital raised by councils.The scheme would offer long-term, flexible loans to anyone who wanted to make renewable upgrades to their property."Most New Zealanders can't access [bank] loans - pensioners, renters, and also those who are struggling to make ends meet and struggling to pay off the mortgage."The scheme would fund electric appliances like heat pumps and hot water heat pumps, switchboard upgrades where needed, solar panels and batteries, Casey said.Crucially, it would allow homeowners to transfer the remaining portion of the loan when they sold their house - making it a viable option for anyone who might not plan to stay in a property long term.Watts gave tentative support to the idea earlier this year, and said Local Government New Zealand and the Local Government Funding Agency were currently revising the business case."I understand they have taken a few additional months to get it right and are ready to present it to me shortly."Once he received it, he would consider it alongside official advice and expected to make decisions in the new year."I endorse the efforts made to bring relief to ratepayers, but I will be looking at the proposal closely to understand the mechanics and viability, before sharing any further views."Casey said it was positive that the numbers showed people starting to leave the gas network of their own accord, but not all households were in a position to make that choice."If we don't plan for a decommissioning of the gas network, then it's going to be a chaotic transition, where vulnerable New Zealanders really suffer."Know something local worth sharing?Send it to [email protected] — we’ll help spread the word.

Penlink crews are pausing for the holidays from Monday, December 22, with work set to restart on Monday, January 5, 2026.A few teams may still be active on Monday, December 22 and Tuesday, December 23, so locals may notice some site movement.Regular site checks will continue during the break, and the work area remains an active construction site that is not safe for public access at any time.One of the biggest milestones sits over the Wēiti River, where multiple cranes are building two V-shaped pylons that will eventually stand 60 metres tall.Work on the bridge super-structure is underway, and crews are preparing to install form travellers, movable platforms used to build the bridge deck section by section.That deck build is expected to start in early 2026.The Wēiti River bridge is planned to be 535 metres long and 45 metres above the water.It is designed to carry vital services including water, power, communications, and wastewater.It will include two vehicle lanes and a 3.5-metre shared path for walking and cycling, with a deck width that allows for future bus lanes.Watch the Weiti River Bridge timelapse video.Across the wider project in 2025, more than 1 million cubic metres of earth has been moved, two of six bridges are complete, and 2,300 metres of drainage and 83 manholes have been installed.Stillwater residents are now using the new Duck Creek Road bridge and a new two-lane section opened on Thursday, December 11.A short section is expected to return to one lane in early 2026, with more details to come in the new year.Seen something local we should cover?Let us know at [email protected]

New Zealand Food Safety is urging Kiwis to keep food safety front of mind this festive season, as food poisoning cases typically rise over summer.“No one wants to spend their holiday sick or knowing that they have made others ill from food,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy-director general Vincent Arbuckle.One key reminder is to skip washing raw chicken. It does not make it safer and can spread harmful bacteria around the kitchen. Pat it dry with a paper towel, bin the towel straight away, then wash hands. Keep raw chicken away from ready-to-eat foods, and use separate boards, plates, and utensils.For barbecues, use separate tools for raw and cooked meat. Cook meat right through, with chicken, pork, and sausages turned often until juices run clear. New Zealand Food Safety says meat should be more than 75°C all the way through.If you’re eating outdoors or travelling, keep salads, meats, and cheeses cold in a chilly bin with ice packs. Chill leftovers within 2 hours and eat them within 2 days if they’re usually eaten cold. Reheated leftovers should be eaten within 4 days and reheated until piping hot. Rice-based leftovers should be eaten within 2 days.For Hibiscus Coast families planning picnics, camping, or backyard BBQs, these are the small steps that help keep everyone well.New Zealand Food Safety also points people to download the MPI “Food Safety in the Home” booklet (PDF).Seen something local we should cover?Let us know at [email protected]