Weather: Severe thunderstorm warning for Waikato, safety advice issued
3 Jan, 2021 12:00 AM
7 minutes to read
A campervan crosses the Silverstream ford after leaving the Whare Flat Folk Festival at the Waiora Scout Camp, North Taieri, on Saturday. Photo / Otago Daily Times
A campervan crosses the Silverstream ford after leaving the Whare Flat Folk Festival at the Waiora Scout Camp, North Taieri, on Saturday. Photo / Otago Daily Times
NZ Herald
The MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm warning and is urging people to follow safety advice as the wild weather continues in the Waikato.
This afternoon they said the weather radar detected severe thunderstorms near Te Kauwhata, Meremere and Ohinewai.
Weather: Flooding and slips close roads in Bay of Plenty, Canterbury
2 Jan, 2021 11:01 PM
6 minutes to read
Footage of the flooding in the South Island. Video / Otago Weather Updates / Allison Whitney
NZ Herald
Slips and flooding forced the closure of multiple sections of State Highway 2 in the Bay of Plenty and Gisborne areas today.
And the storm has caused damage in Dunedin.
The highway between Kutarere and Taneatua is closed due to flooding, with several key local roads also closed due to flooding.
NZTA said there was no suitable detour available, and motorists should consider delaying any journeys. The agency hoped to reopen the highway through the Waimana Gorge later tonight, if water levels dropped enough to allow contractors to sweep the road.
DAVID WHITE/STUFF
The Far North is fast running out of water, and heading for another drought. Kaitaia’s Awanui River and Kawakawa’s Tirohanga Stream have not recovered well from last summer’s drought, where the lowest-ever rainfall levels were recorded across the North Island. In February, there was concern the towns of Kaitaia, Kaikohe and Rawene could run out of water, and the toughest water restrictions available were introduced across most of the Far North and Kaipara. Taylor said reducing demand now can help starve off the need for even tighter restrictions in coming weeks.
Far North District Council/Supplied
AUT invites students to towering new 697-unit accommodation block: $375/week studios
15 Dec, 2020 04:44 AM
7 minutes to read
The towering blocks on the Wakefield St/Mayoral Drive corner. Photo / Supplied
AUT this week invited students to apply for places in the new twin-tower 697-unit high-rise accommodation block near its main inner-city Auckland campus. Just as the pandemic decimates the international student market, construction of the towering units has been completed and places are ready to be occupied early next year.
The new AUT-leased block adds to already burgeoning student accommodation just as overseas enrolments drop. All up, 2871 new AUT and Auckland University student accommodation rooms either opened this year or will do so next year, or are planned in the CBD by 2023. They are: