Midday Report Essentials for Monday 14th July 2025
In today's episode, Forestry slash and silt is being blamed for extensive damage in Tasman, carving out a path of destruction in the Motueka Valley; The weather and damage haven't just been isolated to the Nelson/ Tasman area - with Geotechnical engineers assessing a large slip in Auckland's Muriwai; The Black Sox have been pipped at the post to win an eighth Softball World Cup; Funeral directors are calling on councils to curb price rises for burial and cremation fees, ahead of this year's local body elections.
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RNZ News
7 hours ago
- RNZ News
Families remain isolated in parts of Motueka Valley following Nelson Tasman floods
Nearly 30 families remain isolated in the Motueka Valley as the Nelson Tasman region transitions into recovery , after two floods weeks apart caused widespread damage. The state of emergency, which was declared on July 10, expires on Thursday with the region moving into a transition period for the next month. About 28 families were cut off in parts of the Motueka Valley where damaged roads were impassable and could remain so for several months, Tasman District Council group recovery manager Richard Kirby said. The residents in Graham Valley Rd, Hinetai Rd and the Wangapeka West Bank Rd had been delivered supplies by helicopter and the focus over the coming days was to reassess their needs and look at whether emergency access could be put in place. "The couple of roads that we're talking about are fairly major and may not be repaired for two or three months so we need to also look and see what sort of access we can put in, alternative access, if we can. "Most of them are lifestyle blocks and small sections so we've been talking to them and finding out what they need and dropping it off and we will continue that during the recovery period." Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi As of Wednesday, 10 homes had been red stickered, 42 yellow stickered and 48 white stickered, which meant further assessment was needed, with Nelson Tasman Civil Defence currently providing accommodation for 12 people following both floods. The district received two months of rain in a 48-hour period from June 27 and the scale of damage was exacerbated in the second flood on July 11, which was smaller but resulted in greater damage caused by high winds and saturated ground. Kirby said there were still 40-odd road closures across the district, with contractors working across the roading network to reinstate one-way access wherever possible. "There will be a big job to come back and do the final repairs, that work is likely to take probably 12 to 18 months, maybe two years to actually fully recover from." The other area of focus was stabilising the river network, ahead of the long range forecast predicting more heavy rain in the months ahead, but Kirby said full repairs and work with landowners on private properties adjacent to rivers likely to take years. "The rivers team are just highlighting where the urgent areas are so if there is any more heavy rain, we minimise further erosion and further damage, but it's fair to say that we're not going to get the rivers in any state ready for major floods for at least two, three, four years." The ground in Motueka Valley is sodden. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Six households in the region remained without power after the most recent flood, Network Tasman operations manager Robert Derks said, with work underway to reconnect most of them before the weekend. About 3200 households were left without power in last Friday's storm. Three homes in Hinetai Rd and surrounds, two homes in Riwaka-Sandy Bay Rd and one in Teapot Valley Rd remained without power. Derks said the power poles at the Mārahau site in Riwaka-Sandy Bay Rd had been wiped out by a slip and needed to be rebuilt before the power could be reinstated. The same site had been wiped out by ex-Tropical Cyclone Gita in 2018. Abel Tasman Sea Shuttle's Greg Knapp had been collecting debris from the Motueka Sandspit after the Tasman District Council and civil defence got in touch to see if he had a vessel to assist with the clean up from the first flood. "Basically looking for anything that is not meant to be in the sea, tanalised posts, timber, apple bins, hail netting, fridges, I even found a kid's Ninja is all sorts out there, LPG bottles, you name it, it's all ended up out there." He's spent the last few weeks loading flood debris onto his barge, Astrolabe and almost had the spit cleaned up last week, only to have to start again after last Friday's flood. Knapp said the community had been amazing in pulling together to clean up after the floods. A number of churches in Motueka are co-ordinating a relief effort to provide affected families with essential items lost in the floods. Donations of clothes, shoes, household goods, kitchenware and furniture are being sought and can be dropped off at the Motueka Rec Centre on Saturday July 18 between 8.30am-9.30am with affected residents able to collect what they need between 12pm and 4pm. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
'First priority should be Samoa or Tonga' - Pacific rugby players choose club over country
Samoa kick off their international season against Scotland in Auckland tomorrow night, however with some notable omissions from their lineup. Photo: Manu Samoa Manu Samoa vs Scotland Kickoff: 8:05pm Friday, 18 July Eden Park, Auckland Live blog updates on RNZ Provincial pay cheques are continuing to cost the Pacific Islands their top talent. Samoa kick off their international season against Scotland in Auckland on Friday night, however with some notable omissions from their line-up. Miracle Faiʻilagi, Ereatara Enari, Danny Toala, Jonathan Taumateine, Lalomilo Lalomilo and Neria Fomai have all made themselves unavailable for the test, opting to focus on club commitments with the NPC kicking off on 31 July. With NPC contracts worth more than what Samoa can offer, players are forced to choose club over country. Samoa forward coach Census Johnston was disappointed by the snub, particularly on the back of Moana Pasifika's Super Rugby rise. "It has been a bit of a subject at the moment, you think teams like Moana are there for to develop Samoan, and Tongan players, they should make themselves available and their first priority should be Samoa or Tonga." However, Johnston understood the reasons behind the players opting to skip the Scotland test. "They've got to make money for their families. But that's probably where we need to look at with World Rugby in terms of trying to make sure there is a bit more funding for those boys to make sure that they do choose country over club." Samoan stalwart Rodney Iona said the squad had enough depth to compensate and said there was no ill-will toward the unavailable players. "Obviously everyone's got their own reasons, but it's something that doesn't hurt the team. Boys will choose what they need to do and what they have to do whether it's family or whatever. The new boys that have come in and filled those spots are ready to go and I can see the keenness and throughout the week I felt like boys have stepped up and really taken on those roles. So, no hard feelings. Whatever the case is, it's all good. We've got boys that are representing the jersey now." The situation is yet another setback for Pasifika rugby, with recent questions raised regarding the Moana Pasifika's financial future. Johnston said Moana's demise would mark yet another significant blow to Pasifika rugby. "I'm not in their camp, but I've had a couple of chats with everybody, they've done something really special this season and it'd be a shame for them to not be able to front up for the following season. I'm hoping they do pull through, but who knows?" Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
NZ Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck considers switch to Saudi-backed Rugby 360
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is a key part of the Warriors' top-four run during the 2025 NRL season. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ NZ Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck admits a return to rugby union is not off the table, once his current contract with the Auckland league club ends in 2026. The double international logged three tests for the All Blacks in a brief dalliance with the 15-man code, before returning to league last year and has been linked with a possible switch to a new Saudi-financed Rugby 360 competition to launch in two years. Other NRL stars in the mix appear to be Newcastle Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga and Melbourne Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen. "It's something that my manager is aware of and he's put in front of me, but it's something in the future," Tuivasa-Sheck said. "I don't know what's happening - I'm just taking it game by game. "My contract ends in 2026 and he's doing his job just keeping my future open, but at the moment, I'm enjoying playing my footy here and hopefully I can be here for a long time." The former Dally M Medal winner left the Warriors in 2021 to chase All Blacks selection for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but never really adapted to requirements of rugby union and rejoined the Warriors for the 2024 season. The Sydney Morning Herald reports his commitment to the LIV Golf-type rebel outfit is imminent, although the competition doesn't begin until 2027. Tuivasa-Sheck has not discounted a switch back to rugby, but insists an extension with the Warriors is still an option. "That's what the manager is doing right now," he said. "He's putting options in front of me, so we'll see what happens after 2026." Tuivasa-Sheck spent last season in the centres, but is back on the wing and hitting his straps, as his team consolidates their position in the top four on the competition table. "This is home," he said. "I came back for a reason and just want to keep playing footy. "You don't get those contract chats if you're not playing good footy, so I've got to focus on that." Warriors chief executive Cam George alerted other NRL CEOs to the threat at a conference last week. "I'm aware of players that have been interviewed and engaged with," he told Sydney Morning Herald . "I'm aware of the significant financial opportunities that it could bring, particularly around the branding of the players as individuals. "I needed to alert everyone, so that they are across this and what it could bring in the next few years, because it's a real and genuine concept that is growing momentum and could be quite attractive to any number of players. "My understanding is that the financial windfalls are real and they're significant. I'm sure that the financial windfalls are far greater than anything we've ever seen before in rugby." At 32, Tuivasa-Sheck has a reputation for his professional approach to the game - whichever code - and he's nowhere near a decline in his powers. His 2025 campaign was hampered by an early hamstring injury, which sidelined him for six games, but he scored seven tries in 10 appearances, including a double against South Sydney Rabbitohs in June. "I haven't spoken to him about it [Rugby 360]," Warriors coach Andrew Webster said. "I just asked him if he was OK today with the story and he said, 'Yep', so we left it at that. "I think there might be six players that come off contract on 1 November, so we've got plenty of time to sort that out and we haven't spoken to any of them. "I don't know if Roger wants to keep playing or what his dreams are, so we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it, but we've got plenty of time at the back end of the season, before 1 November, to have those conversations." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
