Auckland iwi have today lifted the rāhui that was in place across the entire Waitematā, a month on from the collapse of a sewer line that created a massive sinkhole and caused eight million litres of sewage to flow into the harbour.

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei is keeping a smaller rāhui in place, however, which covers the inner-city harbour area between Ōkahu Bay and Masefield Beach Reserve at Curran St.

“We will continue to keep the rāhui under review – the health of the Waitematā and of all who enjoy using it are paramount to our iwi,” said Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust chair Marama Royal in a joint press release with Auckland Council.

Green ticks are also returning to Auckland beaches on the Safe Swim website, but swimmers should check it regularly. As of 4pm, formerly black-ticked beaches such as Mission Bay, Kohimarama and St Heliers, as well as the Devonport beaches on the harbour side, were now sporting green ticks.

A bypass was put in place 10 days ago as a temporary fix to the broken sewer line, which had stopped the sewage flowing by the end of last week, but Watercare said overflows would continue during wet weather.

TVNZ’s profit fell 78% year-on-year, with the state-owned broadcaster reporting a profit of $1.7m for the year ending in June. That’s down from $7.9m the year prior.

Advertising revenue was down $12.1m to $309m, part of an overall revenue dip of just over $14m.

TVNZ said total operating expenses were reduced by $2m to $313.6m in response to the declining revenue.

Interim chief executive Brent McAnulty acknowledged the tough media environment but called the result “solid”, citing increased digital revenue. “Strong audience numbers helped TVNZ outperform the market this past year,” he said. “Local content including Te Matatini, new seasons of Celebrity Treasure Island and T20 Cricket Internationals resonated with viewers.”

While conditions were expected to remain challenging, “we remain committed to advancing our ambitious digital strategy to secure a sustainable future for the business”, said McAnulty.

Christchurch City Council has formally apologised to residents of the eastern suburb of Bromley over its response to the stench caused by a fire at a wastewater treatment plant. The smell sat over Bromley and surrounding suburbs for months after the November 2021 fire, with residents complaining of “nausea, vomiting, coughing, sore and watering eyes, headaches and migraines, and sleeplessness”, The Press’s Tina Law writes (paywalled).

Following a highly critical report by Wellington consultants Tregaskis Brown earlier this month, the council yesterday released an improvement plan which included an acknowledgement that it failed to properly consider the impact the fire and its aftermath would have on residents’ wellbeing.

The council has promised better communication with affected communities, but residents advocate Stephen McPaike is doubtful, calling the improvement plan a “PR effort to placate the east”.

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