New Zealand has upped its support for earthquake-stricken Turkey and Syria.
Another $3 million will be provided to help with the humanitarian effort, making New Zealand’s overall contribution $4.5 million.
Of the new money, the government said $2 million will be delivered through the World Food Programme in Turkey to provide immediate relief for displaced families. The remaining $1 million will go to UNICEF in Syria.
“It is clear the earthquakes have been devastating for the people of Turkey and Syria. New Zealand’s thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those affected,” said acting foreign affairs minister David Parker.
New Zealand will also provide two Fire and Emergency NZ information management specialists to assist with the coordination of international search and rescue efforts on the ground in Turkey.
Three sandbagging stations will open in Auckland tomorrow morning ahead of the predicted arrival of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Torrential rain and potentially damaging winds are expected after the weekend, just two weeks after the city was hit by major flooding.
Auckland Emergency Management said the sandbagging stations will be open from 8am to 8pm – or while stocks last – and will allow people to self-fill sandbags to take home.
“At each sandbagging station, you can collect sand and bags (to fill your own trailer) or make sandbags – BYO shovel,” Civil Defence posted.
The sandbagging stations will be open from 8am to 8pm (or while stocks last) on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 February at:
📍 East Coast Bays Church, 87 Hastings Road, Mairangi Bay 0630
TVNZ’s long-running reality series Police Ten 7 – now called Ten 7 Aotearoa – has been cancelled after 20 years on screens.
The show will wrap with three hour-long specials in April, designed to highlight the programme’s legacy.
There have been 750 episodes of Ten 7 produced across 29 seasons, making it one of the country’s longest-running factual shows.
“It has made an immense contribution to TVNZ over its 20-year run,” said TVNZ content director Cate Slater. “The topical nature of this content means it’s only available on digital platforms after the initial broadcast for a short time, making it difficult to sustain the viewership needed across both broadcast and digital as more of our audience migrates online. As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to conclude the programme.”
The show came under fire in 2021 over allegations of racism, with Auckland councillor turned mayoral candidate Efeso Collins saying it “feeds on racial stereotypes”. A later review into the show determined that Māori and Pacific people who participated in the show were fairly portrayed, but that the programme did little to discourage negative stereotypes.
Following the review, the show was rebranded to Ten 7 Aotearoa and given a stronger focus on crime prevention and education.
With the Auckland floods exposing the, err, communications challenges of Auckland Council under mayor Wayne Brown, we’ve all ended up hearing a lot from deputy Desley Simpson over the past fortnight.
She’s been a regular on media slots that would traditionally be filled by the mayor. She’s offered clear, concise advice to people wanting to know how to clean up after the flooding. And when people have suffered injustices like having their flood-stricken cars ticketed by AT, she’s jumped into action straight away to solve the issue.
But who exactly is Simpson? Newsroom’s Tim Murphy has explored how Simpson filled the mayoral breach over the past two weeks in this piece here.
He writes:
“On the evening of January 27, when Mayor Brown was unwilling or incapable to step up and front an anxious Auckland public as the heavens opened and homes and lives were seriously upended, Simpson was one of the councillors most prominent in listening and talking to the people on social media and elsewhere.
“It was Simpson, remember, who told media almost half an hour before Brown and the city emergency team made it public, that he had finally signed a declaration of a state of emergency.
“It was Simpson who for the first few days, as Brown and his team recalibrated their view of the mayor’s ‘public’ functions, spoke on TV and radio with clear emergency information and reassurance that everything possible would be done to help those most in need.”
On the latest episode of When the Facts Change, Bernard Hickey talks to Irrigation NZ CEO Vanessa Winning about the new version of the RMA creating perverse and unintended consequences. The hope is that the reforms create more resource and eco friendly industries in Aotearoa. However, Winning and Hickey discuss how the government’s good intentions could negatively impact our produce production.
“There’s going to be some real memorable impacts unfortunately.”
That’s Niwa’s latest update on the impending arrival of Cyclone Gabrielle, which is still on track to hit this weekend, though with the chance it might veer off slightly east. As reported in The Bulletin this morning, Auckland’s state of emergency has been extended for another week – so I thought I’d share some of the advice circulating on how to prepare.
It’s possible that due to the lack of warning many of us had for the recent flooding that we’re all going to over-prepare for Gabrielle. But that’s not a bad thing, so here is what you can do to get ready.
Firstly, Auckland Council has asked people to help clear any remaining debris from the January floods that could be blocking drains. “Please help us to ensure kerbs, inlets and stormwater drains are clear of leaves and debris; and if you’ve already had flood-damaged items collected from your kerbside, please do not put anymore out,” said Auckland Emergency Management’s deputy controller Rachel Kelleher.
People are asked to take any remaining rubbish to one of the 15 drop-off facilities across the region.
Mayor Wayne Brown said the council’s Waste Solutions team was working “at pace” alongside the defence force to clear drains, berms, and rubbish, to prevent flooding and potential public health risks. “We ask Aucklanders to do their bit to ensure kerbs and drains are as clear as possible too.”
Metservice has weather watches in place for the top of the country (Photo: Screenshot)
Additionally, the council said people need to be ready to leave their houses if required. “Think about your family members, pets and belongings – be prepared to leave if you need to, and have enough supplies to sustain yourself for up to three days,” the council said. “If you are reliant on prescription medication, it is worth ensuring you have enough supplies to get you through next week.”
And finally: Check on neighbours, particularly those who are elderly or vulnerable.
We’ll keep you updated today on any changes in Gabrielle’s path – and we’ll have updates over the weekend should the situation devolve.
The cyclone has made a slight shift east according to some weather forecasters but at this stage, that hasn’t diminished the severe weather risk for New Zealand. Latest models show bad weather will start hitting on Sunday with the worst of the cyclone expected on Monday and Tuesday. People in the upper North Island are being warned to prepare for up to 300mm of rain and 150km/h winds.
Authorities have extended the states of emergency in Auckland and Coromandel and are asking people to prepare to be able to sustain themselves for three days, and to make sure they have enough required medication to last a week. Auckland mayor Wayne Brown says “We’re preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. It’s not looking good.” RNZ has a good guide on how to prepare.
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