People heading out and about have been advised to slip, slop, slap and wrap this weekend. Photo / Sylvie WhinrayTātaki Auckland Unlimited director of destination Annie Dundas said it would be an “absolutely phenomenal weekend”. The weekend is capped off with Round the Bays and the Auckland FC v Perth Glory clash on Sunday, with forecasters advising people in Auckland to “slip, slop, slap and wrap”. Smorgasbord for southMetService head of weather news Heather Keats told Ryan Bridge TODAY the South Island is in for a smorgasbord of weather. An orange heavy rain warning is in place for the South Island’s Fiordland and Westland until 6pm on Saturday.

After this preferred option was ditched, the council’s events arm, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU), further developed a “Western Springs Bowl” concept. The site would continue to operate as a community sports facility and remain the home of Ponsonby Rugby Club. Concert promoter Brent Eccles said the latest plans for Western Springs would target younger, more contemporary artists. Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson today said the process had been about unlocking the full potential of Western Springs Stadium so it could be used more often and by more people. In 2024, rugby great and Ponsonby Rugby Club member Sir Bryan “Beegee” Williams spoke out against plans to move the club.

Golden Bay farmer Melvin "Speedo" Robinson, was killed in December 2023 after the vehicle he was working beneath crushed him. Melvin Patrick "Speedo" Robinson was the first of two farmers killed days apart in December 2023 when using a tractor to lift a vehicle. Golden Bay farmer Melvin Robinson with sons Brendon (right) and Zane Robinson. Melvin was one of two farmers killed in separate accidents in December 2023 while working beneath a vehicle. Photo: NZMEThen, days later, on 22 December, 69-year-old Patrick Richard Goodin died on a farm in Ōhaupō, Waikato, when he was crushed by a farm vehicle which fell on him as he worked beneath it.

Photo: RNZA woman was punched in the face when an argument between neighbours escalated in a Dunedin suburb. Police were called to an Andersons Bay address after reports that a man and woman were loudly arguing with one another, Sergeant Matt Lee, of Dunedin, said. When police arrived shortly after at 8.30pm, the neighbours were still arguing. Officers quickly discovered the 41-year-old man had punched the 39-year-old woman in the face. She was treated at the scene by paramedics and the man was arrested and charged with common assault.

The teenager was violated at a party and then at the Northern Cemetery. The next day, the defendant picked up the victim from school and drove her to the Northern Dunedin Cemetery. The victim had become someone the family ‘‘did not recognise’’, the victim’s mother said. Judge McMeeken set a starting point of two and a-half years’ imprisonment. ‘‘This will not be an easy sentence,’’ Judge McMeeken told the victim’s mother.

Best Cafe’s chef Lisa Chan serves up a plate of Bluff oysters a day after the shop received their first batch of the season. Sunday marked the start of the Bluff oyster season, and with that came keen southerners itching to get their hands on a dozen. Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters general manager Graeme Wright said there had not been big numbers of oysters yet, and most of those had been snaffled up by Southlanders. ‘‘The southerners are very, very keen on their Bluff oysters — demand is normal, as in it’s crazy.’’His small store in Invercargill had been inundated. Oceans and Fisheries under-secretary Jenny Marcroft said while 2026 was likely to be challenging, there were good numbers of new oysters beginning to grow.

Photo: Wellington WaterWellington Water says replacement equipment to repair the failed Moa Point wastewater plant is yet to be ordered. At the time, Wellington Water chief executive Pat Doughty said up to 80% of equipment in the plant had been damaged. A month on from the shutdown, the company's chief operating officer, Charles Barker, said additional equipment to repair damage parts of the plant had not yet been ordered. In a prior statement, Wellington Water said the clean-up of the site was completed last week and the plant was being readied for "recovery work". "Moa Point plant was designed to be essentially airtight, in part to manage odour.

John Hill went to visit his friend in Birdlings Flat and found flames coming from his house on Lake Terrace Rd. The Lake Terrace Rd house in Birdlings Flat was engulfed by fire and black smoke was pouring out of it. The aftermath of the fire at the Birdlings Flat house. Photo: Geoff SloanAnother Lake Terrace Rd resident saw the smoke and called the fire service. John Hill at the Lake Terrace Rd house.

An ESO is used to monitor and manage the long-term risk posed by a high-risk sex offender or a very high-risk violent offender who is back in the community. At the High Court hearing in October last year, the court heard Douglas-Finch was using anti-libido medication and unwilling to engage with professionals when in a heightened emotional state. A health assessor told the court Douglas-Finch had enduring sex drive and urges that had been present for a long time. He had essentially been institutionalised for most of his life and would continue to require external assistance to regulate his emotions and manage his stresses and his sexual risk. “In my view, an ESO is inadequate to mitigate the risk Mr Douglas-Finch poses to the community.”

Photo: Getty ImagesVegetablesWhat to do in your garden this week. The success of winter and spring crops depends on work done now. Hardy annuals sown now will fill a gap in the garden once the spring show of bulbs is over. Plants that look good in the garden and as cut flowers include Calendula newer varieties have peach and cream shades cornflower, annual chrysanthemum, godetia, larkspur, Nigella (Persian jewels is one of the best mixes) and Scabious. June or July is the best time to transplant fruit trees and garden shrubs, but it pays to get them ready for the shift now.

Photo: SuppliedFormer National MP Jackie Blue is changing her political allegiances, saying the government's handling of pay equity changes was her breaking point. She's resigned her National Party membership and is joining the Opportunity party as a mentor to its new leader. "This is not a decision I take lightly, but I can no longer remain aligned to the National Party," Blue said in a statement to media on Friday. She said workers were "belittled and mocked" during MPs' debate on pay pay equity changes. She joins former Labour MP Iain Lees-Galloway, who also advises Wong in his capacity as the party's general manager.

But as a new season begins in Melbourne this weekend, Lawson’s importance to his team takes on new meaning. For a start, his driver feedback will be key in helping develop Racing Bulls’ car after sweeping new regulations. As Red Bull as an organisation underwent huge changes throughout 2025, none was perhaps more significant than the departure of long-time adviser, Dr Helmut Marko. Dr Helmut Marko pictured talking with Liam Lawson prior to the Grand Prix of Qatar on November 30, 2025 in Lusail City, Qatar. Photo / Getty ImagesHowever, after former team principal Christian Horner said Lawson’s demotion from Red Bull wasn’t his decision, it’s widely understood Marko had played a role in that brutal call.

The Dart Engineering building in Kaikorai Valley Rd was mostly empty yesterday as the business was placed in liquidation. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERYDart Engineering Ltd was put into liquidation yesterday with staff still in the dark about their future. Staff at the company’s Dunedin headquarters were unsure of what was happening with the business when approached yesterday morning. About 25 people worked at the Dunedin business in Kaikorai Valley Rd but many had already left, after being offered opportunities at other engineering businesses in Dunedin. Mr Williamson was believed to have set up an engineering business in Canada, operating in Red Deer, a city in Alberta with a population of 100,000.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon survived an embryonic coup from Senior Minister Chris Bishop at the end of last year. Photo / Marika Khabazi, RNZNicola Willis, the National deputy leader, told Newstalk ZB this morning “it is not a good number”. “If that was the number National got on the actual election, that would not be an acceptable result. Asked if Luxon was the right person for the leadership, she said, “he has the backing of the National Party caucus”. Collins, the former leader and a current minister, said it was a “tough job” being Prime Minister at a time like this.

PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERYA relic of the past holds a mob of sheep at Longford, near Middlemarch. The schist stone sheepyards were built in 1912 using draught horses to drag the stones into place. Restored by current owners Andrew and Lynnore Templeton, the yards still see occasional use.