Recycling plant fire leaves worker shaken
A worker at an Auckland recycling plant that burnt down on the city's North Shore is sad and shaken by what has happened.
The Abilities Group plant in Glenfield caught fire on Thursday evening, burning to the ground.
The organisation provided employment and support to more than 100 disabled people.
Bridie Sarah Daly was at home when she saw news of the fire and was feeling sad and shaken.
"My sister ... she sent the photo of Abilities to me ... and I had a look at it and I was like 'oh my gosh, I know where that is, that's Abilities."
Daly said she hoped her co-workers would stay strong as they wait to see what happens next.
"It feels like I've got no work, where to go really, which is quite sad and quite hard.
"I hope my friends out there from Abilities, be strong to find out what's happened to their work.
"Kia kaha means be strong, and just move on [with] what you have to do, that's how I'm feeling as well, so I'm trying not to get myself too stressed."
Abilities Group launched a Givealittle page, asking members of the public to donate to support staff, replace essential equipment and find a new temporary facility.
Managing director Peter Fraher described the loss as a huge blow.
"Abilities is more than a workplace - it's a supportive environment where disabled people find purpose, opportunity and community," he said in a statement.
"We've had an incredible outpouring of kindness from the community already, and we're so grateful.
"Now we're asking anyone who's ever believed in our mission - or simply wants to help us support our team as we rebuild - to support our fundraiser."
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Otago Daily Times
15 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Nema explains issues with tsunami alerts to phones
By Nik Dirga of RNZ The National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) has revealed what caused people to get multiple alerts to their phones - or no alerts at all - during a tsunami scare caused by a recent powerful earthquake. The 8.8-magnitude tremor struck off Russia's remote east coast on Wednesday, July 30, triggering tsunami waves on multiple countries' shores. The answer boils down to a combination of individual device settings, cell tower coverage and where the tsunami alert was sent - for example, those living far away from coastal areas were not included in the alerts. ''We know explanations are little consolation for those who were awoken by alerts in the middle of the night,'' Nema director civil defence emergency management John Price said. ''We are very sorry that this happened, and we're looking at ways to address this in future. However, we make no apologies for getting the message out to keep people safe. ''Nema only issued two alerts - at 4.13pm on July 30 and 6.30am on July 31 - but some people received multiple alerts during the night. We've discovered this is likely related to overnight software updates and device settings. ''As for those who didn't receive alerts, tsunami alerts are only sent to coastal areas, so if you were inland then we didn't send you the message because you were not at risk.'' Why some got multiple alerts Some people reported receiving up to 50 mobile alerts. Marlborough resident Terry Costello told RNZ he got the first alert on that Wednesday afternoon, followed by many more. "By the time I went to bed at 10pm, they were still going on and there'd been 32 of them by then. And I turned my phone off at 10pm and went to bed. And I turned it on again at 7am this morning and since then I've had another 16. So that's 48 altogether I've had." NEMA laid out several reasons why this might have happened: • When your phone does an automatic software update overnight it reboots. If you turn your phone off and on again during an alert broadcast, you will get the alert again. So when your phone reboots after an update, you will get the alert a second time. • During the early morning hours, some devices refresh their network connections. This process may have cleared cached data, prompting your phone to give you the alert again. While your device should recognise that it has already received and displayed the alert, it appears that some devices are more conservative and elect to redisplay. • If you have multiple active Sims / eSims, you will get an alert for each Sim. • If your phone moved between 3G and 4G networks during the alert broadcast, you will get the alert again each time your phone connects to the new network. This can happen if you're travelling into a poor coverage area, or if your phone drops in and out of networks. • Some phones have an optional alert reminder feature turned on. This can cause your phone to alarm repeatedly during the alert broadcast. If your phone does have this feature, you should be able to find it in your phone settings and turn it off. "As we don't have any control over how individual devices behave, we can't completely stop these issues from happening again - but we are looking at ways we can reduce their impact," Price said. Alert delays or not getting it at all Alerts use cell broadcast technology known as geotargeting to send alerts through cell towers in a selected area which can be the entire country or down to a small section of a city. "We identify the cell towers from all three telecommunications companies in the hazard area, draw a shape around them, and send the message to the area inside that shape," Price said. Some reported not getting the alerts at the same time as others. People might have received the 4.13pm or 6.30am alerts later because they entered the broadcast area. "We continued to transmit these alert broadcasts for several hours. This was so people entering the area later still got them. You might have got an alert when commuting home at 5.30pm, or into work at 8am. "The most likely answer is that you were outside the coastal areas we sent the alert to. But then you entered the broadcast zone at a later time, triggering the alert on your phone." If a person's phone was off or in flight mode they would receive the alert once it was turned back on. Some may not have gotten an alert at all during the tsunami scare, but that could be because it was aimed only at coastal regions - which admittedly covers most of the country, but not all of it, Price said. "Do you live in Hamilton? Palmerston North? Geraldine? Or perhaps an inland suburb of a coastal city? Then don't worry - we never sent it to you." In some households, there were reports that one person got the alert but another person did not. This is typically due to being on the border of the geotargeted broadcast area, Price said. "The geotargeted areas aren't a clean border. It depends on where the cell towers are and how far they transmit. "If some people in your household get the alert and others don't, you're probably right on the border and those who didn't get the alert may have a different network provider or are connected to a different cell tower than those who did." NEMA also has a section on their website where people can troubleshoot issues with alerts. Why was a second alert sent at 6.30am? The second tsunami alert that came at 6.30am on July 31 also drew a lot of criticism at the time on social media, with one person on Reddit calling it "an anxiety inducing alarm clock". However, NEMA said it has a statutory responsibility to warn of the ongoing risks as people began their day. NEMA chief executive Dave Gawn defended the early hour, writing in an editorial that "this is where the tough decision making comes in". "We knew we would wake some people up. We knew there'd be criticism. But we also knew the tsunami activity - while not spectacular or scary to witness - posed a grave risk to every one of those people. "We're hard-wired in our profession to plan for the worst case scenario. Imagine if a mother or father - having not received any alerts since the previous afternoon - assumed the threat had passed. Later that morning, they take their toddler to the beach for a paddle, only to helplessly watch their child get swept away by a fierce current." People cannot opt out of the mobile alerts, and the only way to avoid them is turning off your phone entirely or putting it in airplane mode. Price said that despite the kinks in last month's tsunami alert, NEMA had confidence in the system overall. "The good news is that there is no problem with the systems we use to send the messages," he said. "The alerts were effective in reaching the targeted coastal areas and getting the message out to stay away of the water while dangerous tsunami activity was happening. "We sent alerts to over three million mobile devices around the country, and when you consider the sheer variety of makes, models, and software, it's inevitable some variations will emerge at the receiver end. "After every emergency, we debrief to identify what went well and what needs to improve. We're working through this now to ensure we're doing the best we can at keeping people safe from tsunami and other threats." NEMA said they are still analysing the tsunami event and have not yet identified any potential changes in the system they may make.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Homeless people ordered to leave church grounds by Christchurch Council have 'nowhere to go'
A group of homeless people living on a church's grounds in Christchurch will have nowhere to go if the city council moves against the impromptu encampment, advocates say. About ten people call a carpark at Holy Trinity Avonside home. The Christchurch City Council has issued an abatement notice "requiring the property to cease being used, or allowed to be used, as a campground". The council would consider further action if nothing changed by Friday. But church community workers said the group, who lived in tents, busses and - in one case - a shed, had complex circumstances that led to their living situation. But, most importantly, they had nowhere else to go. The carpark at Holy Trinity Avonside. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Community worker River Rain said a trust - Te Puna Ora - was being established to take over the work of the church. "We're not a campground and we're very clear on the fact that camping is something you do as a leisure activity - that's not what's happening here. We are meeting a need for people who don't have anywhere else to go," Rain said. The church first allowed freedom campers to use the carpark, but increasingly it was the homeless who were turning up for help and a place to stay. Rain said he hoped the church - and the trust that would takeover its work - could find a "creative solution" with the help of the council. But those who now called the carpark home said they had few options left. Will Kenneally was one of those living in the carpark. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Will Kenneally had been living at the carpark for about six months. He had health issues which prevented him working and about a year ago was attacked. Kenneally's head was stomped on, fracturing his skull and breaking his nose and a tooth. He felt safe staying at the church - the first time he had felt that way in a long time. "Now I can actually go to sleep and I don't have to worry about someone pounding on the window at three in the morning trying to hustle me or take things off me or trying to take the van off me," he said. A couple of the tents set up in the church grounds. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon The church had also provided the support he needed to heal. The idea of the council closing the site down was terrifying. "If you're cruel, you only hurt your own soul. But if you're kind, you will heal many souls. That's how I see it," Kenneally said. "Thoughtless words can destroy many hearts, but wisely spoken words will heal many hearts, and they're going out of their way to be cruel. "I only have to walk from there to there and I'm in a church - that makes a really big difference... When you have that emotional support, it means a lot more than even having a bed, in my eyes." Christina Karaitiana had been living in the carpark for about three months with her partner, who was currently in hospital. Christina Karaitiana had been at the carpark for about three months. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Karaitiana also had health problems, including a pacemaker. "There's a lot of people not even helping us, but ever since we've been at this Holy Trinity Church, the people here have been really great - supportive. They've been really wonderful," she said. She feared what would have happened to herself and her partner if they had not had a bus to sleep in over winter. "Out on the street in the cold," Karaitiana said, when asked where she would be without Holy Trinity. "We could have ended up really cold, having pneumonia. We could've even died. If it wasn't for this place, we wouldn't be here." Alastair Linfoot, who would serve as a trustee for Te Puna Ora, said he understood what those staying at the church were going through. Alastair Linfoot would serve a trustee for Te Puna Ora. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon "A year ago I was in a similar position to these guys - living in my car," he said. "So it's relatable - it means a lot to me because I had people help me and people gave me hope and now I'm a full time student, doing really well, living in a house and hope for the future. I want to be able to help and pass on that hope through what... the workers here are doing." His experience demonstrated how precarious many people's lives were. "We're all just one, might not even be a bad, decision away from being homeless or living in our cars," Linfoot said. "It's really tough out there. We have people living out in tents who work full-time jobs, families living in cars that can't survive because of the cost of living. It's kind of atrocious really." One of the concerns raised about high concentrations of homeless people was crime. But Bryan Gilchrist, another trustee, said the work of the church was dispelling that myth. Bryan Gilchrist was a trustee at the church. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon "My office overlooks the carpark next to Beverly Park and for so long it was home to the unhoused and to freedom campers and I would witness drug deals, altercations, so much littering. It was mind boggling. Even when council posted the no camping notice it still occurred, it still transpired," he said. "Then these folks came into the picture and offered them a space here and ... it feels like it has changed the landscape for this area and for the better. "They have provided a community for these folks. A reason to be, a reason to do something, a reason to get up. They provide food, they provide the shelter, they provide that community support that these folks really lack when they are unhoused and that mahi has been terrific to observe." Iain MacInnes, another community worker at the church, said they had worked to build relationships with other community service providers so they could help those staying at the site with their physical and mental health, access to employment and, ultimately, housing. Iain MacInnes, a community worker at the church. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Some who had stayed at the carpark had now found permanent homes, he said. But for those living at the church at present, it was about building a sense of community and belonging, MacInnes said. The advocates agreed homelessness was increasing. River Rain said they were guided by the church's principles. River Rain said she couldn't turn her back on those in need. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon "My boss - the vicar - is very motivated by a verse in Matthew that talks about Jesus commanding us to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and care for the sick, and at the core of our work that's what we felt called to do," he said. "At this point we've gotten to know the people, we've gotten to know the stories and we've gotten to know the need. And I don't see any way that I could turn my back on that." A Christchurch City Council spokesperson said an abatement notice had been issued. "Council has issued an Abatement Notice requiring the property to cease being used, or allowed to be used, as a campground. The compliance date is 5pm on 22 August 2025. If the notice is not complied with, further enforcement action will be considered," the spokesperson said. "As the compliance date has not yet been reached, we are unable to comment on the outcome at this stage. "Staff continue to liaise with community organisations who support the homeless community and currently contract Christchurch City Mission to deliver on-the-street outreach workers. "Council recognises the need for a citywide strategy including community providers to deliver a collective process to address the issue and is in the early stages of planning this." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
‘Leaks', 'mould' and sewage: Christchurch school kids still waiting for permanent site
Rangimarie Parata-Takurua and pononga (students) harvesting food in the māra kai (garden for food) at Te Pā o Rākaihautū. Left to right: Kade Te Whata-Kururangi, Deegan McGarr, Hineterā Davis, Rangimarie, Wahawaha Winiata, Celia Williams and Hawaiki Jones-Fiso. Photo: Phil Tumataroa When you step through the gates at Te Pā o Rākaihautū, you can feel the manaakitanga from its people wrap around you like a korowai. Every morning, students and their whānau from the Christchurch-based school are welcomed in with a big 'kia ora' from kaiako. "You'll hear waiata playing in the background. You'll hear genuine laughter and happiness to be there," said kaiurungi and principal Terina Tahau. Inside, along the corridors, sepia-toned portraits of students dressed in feather kākahu (cloaks) and adorned with mataora and moko kauwae (Māori facial tattoos) line the walls - on one side photos show students on their first day of school, the other side displaying graduates - it serves as motivation for whānau Māori, many of whom haven't felt engaged or served by traditional Western systems of education. But that wairua, or spirit, you feel in the school is a stark contrast to the actual temperatures inside. The almost 70-year-old repurposed buildings are doing their best to keep the bitter cold out. Still, the students' breaths are visible as they giggle and chatter to each other on their way to class. Signs of water damage are visible in one classroom, with parts of the wall rotting away and the ceiling paint peeling. Te Pā o Rākaihautū is the South Island's first kura-ā-iwi, a state school mandated by local hapū or iwi. It was established as a 'Designated Character' school in 2014, and is a unique 21st-century pā wānanga (learning village). But it never received a permanent site or new school buildings. Instead, it has been operating out of a temporary site, which leaders say is causing health and safety problems. School leadership feels it has been battling against institutional racism and inequity from the Ministry of Education for more than a decade. RNZ examines the school's efforts to secure a permanent site and sufficient resources, despite its success in Māori-medium education. Ministry of Education chief executive for school property Jerome Sheppard has acknowledged the school's concerns and said it was working with them to ensure that all students and staff have access to safe, warm and dry facilities. A long and winding road Te Pā o Rākaihautū originated from a group of friends gathering in an Irish pub. Brought together by their shared love of waiata Māori, they established what is now a well-known South Island-based Kapa Haka rōpū, Te Ahikaaroa. But when there was a 'baby boom' in the group, the education options catering specifically to Māori were few and far between. Te Pā founder and now chairperson Rangimarie Parata-Takurua said they started asking each other: "What is the environment we need to create for our kids to not just endure education, but really enjoy it and thrive?" In the process, they thought back to their own experiences of the education system and when they were most engaged in learning. "Inevitably it wasn't when we were sitting in a classroom or sitting in assembly … It was when we were back at our own marae, when we were surrounded by people that loved us, that fed us, that we did things with them that mattered to us. "That was the beginning of Te Pā," she said. The school's founders first applied to open the pā in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch, but it was not until three years later that the government approved the establishment of Te Pā o Rākaihautū as a year 1-13 co-education school in Christchurch, opening in 2015. The approval came without a business case or property budget attached, and Te Pā was assigned a temporary site at Richmond Primary School, a school that had previously closed down due to earthquake damage. Due to rapid roll growth and the site's unsuitability, the school moved to another temporary site the same year it opened, this time to the previously closed-down Linwood Intermediate School. Signs of water damage were visible in one of the classrooms. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Since 2015, the old repurposed buildings in Linwood have had numerous health and safety issues. According to principal Terina Tahau, she and the property manager meet every morning at 7am to walk around the pā, identifying any new leaks, broken pipes, or other issues. One of the last major incidents involved sewage flooding on a Sunday. "We had to get that cleaned up because we got kids coming on Monday, and the last thing they need to even think is that that's okay, because it's not. "We spend many a weekend here because something's popped up." The buildings are also cold. "We know we have to keep our heat pumps on overnight because these facilities freeze, and if we don't have those heat pumps on 24/7 from Monday to Friday, then we're letting our pononga (students) come into something that's not suitable," Tahau said. An independent workplace health and safety report - commissioned by the school's board in May - outlines what it says are "critical issues" that require "immediate and comprehensive action". The report was done by Health and Safety at Work NZ, a Christchurch-based company that offers certifications, audits, investigations and training. Some of the findings included "rotting window frames and sills" throughout classrooms, "significant ongoing leaks" over the kitchen area where school meals are prepared, and "widespread water damage to internal walls and ceilings, with visible mould growth in certain areas". It also noted that evidence had emerged of health deterioration among staff and students, including "increased asthma symptoms reported among staff. Breathing difficulties and respiratory illness reported in students not previously affected". "The findings from the 2025 inspection confirm that Te Pā o Rākaihautū continues to pose significant health and safety risks to its occupants. Despite partial repairs, the buildings remain cold, damp and in disrepair compromising the wellbeing of staff, students, and visitors." Additionally, successive reports done by the Education Review Office (ERO) in 2017, 2021 and 2025 all highlighted the need for a permanent site and new buildings. According to the most recent draft report by ERO, provided to RNZ by the school, securing a permanent site and building that "reflects the unique kaupapa of Te Pā o Rākaihautū" is "required". "The pā has operated out of a temporary site for 10 years that compromises the health and safety of pononga and hinders realising the strategic goals of whānau." A draft ERO report says the buildings "need replacing". Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon The 2025 ERO report also said that the board, Te Tautarinui o Matariki, spends a "disproportionate amount of time and resources managing the ongoing aged property related issues". "The pā continues to operate from a temporary site after 10 years. Again, ERO supports the need for Te Pā to establish their permanent pā site to realise their aspirations and full potential. "The buildings are well past their use by date and need replacing," the ERO report said. ERO did note that students are emotionally safe and healthy. International and local successes The school has demonstrated strong academic results. The draft 2025 ERO report stated that students are achieving above national averages across all levels of NCEA. "We can show results that the ministry has been unable to achieve in mainstream schooling since forever," said Parata-Takarua. Part of their success story can be attributed to their kai programme, Parata-Takurua said. Each day at school, all of the students, from year 1 to 13, receive two full meals. "We were able to install commercial kitchens straight away, and we feed our kids breakfast and lunch." Over the years, they have even built gardens and grown food themselves to supply the kitchen, something the students are actively involved with. Half of the back field is now gardens, alongside 30 hectares they are leasing in the red zone, near the school. With the first crop expected in the next season, Parata-Takurua said the initiative helps students reconnect with the whenua and understand composting processes. The school was recognised internationally, winning the Zayed Sustainability Prize in the Global High Schools East Asia and Pacific category. Returning home In May of 2023, a new site was identified near Te Waipapa, Diamond Harbour, at the base of Te Ahupātiki Eight hectares of ancestral whenua, the same location where the school's namesake, Ngāi Tahu ancestor Rākaihautū, buried his famous kō (digging tool). The new site would allow the school to return home. The land had been owned by the local council since 1913, and in 2024, Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke went through the process of buying it, which was unanimously agreed to by the council. If the proposal is approved by the Ministry of Education, the school hopes to run a dual-site model, a city-site, and the Diamond Harbour site. Under the proposal, the hapū would lease the land back to the Ministry for Education. But the school's leadership is not holding out hope, as out of the 10 options presented by the Ministry, Parata-Takurua said nine focused solely on fixing up the current buildings. "The current buildings being a temporary site that we never ever envisaged that would be the permanent home for our pā wananga. It completely ignored all the work we'd done on the site in Diamond Harbour." In a statement, Jerome Sheppard from the Ministry of Education acknowledged the concerns raised by Te Pā o Rākaihautū. "We have been working with them to ensure that all students and staff have access to safe, warm and dry facilities. That is why we continue to work with Te Pā o Rākaihautū to finalise a scope that will allow for investment in the redevelopment of the existing site, which will include a mixture of new and existing buildings to support up to 350 students." Sheppard said that many schools throughout New Zealand operate from ageing building stock. "These buildings can and are being successfully maintained and upgraded to support learning, and we are confident we can achieve the same with the property for Te Pā o Rākaihautū. "We continue to work closely with Te Pā, within the current fiscal environment, to make sure their provision reflects the importance of Kaupapa Māori Education," Sheppard said. Parata-Takurua said treatment of Te Pā feels like racism to her. "I've yet to be persuaded that it's something else." She said she feels there are "elements of ignorance and arrogance" from the ministry, leading to the dismissal of Māori-medium education's proven success. The Ministry of Education did not wish to respond to the school's comments regarding perceived racism, ignorance, or arrogance within the ministry when contacted by RNZ. "I'd like to invite people to come and spend a couple of days in our shoes and see what that 'privilege' looks like. That privilege looks like this. We're still in old broken buildings, and now we're being pushed down a path of 'accept this or it could be nothing." According to the Ministry of Education, Budget 25 allocated $544 million for growth (including roll growth, new schools, and learning support roll growth), of which $50m is earmarked for Māori Medium Education/Kaupapa Māori Education. Kura make up approximately 6 percent of schools nationwide. The land leased in the red zone was contaminated from previous housing, with old piping and waste underneath. Now, Te Pā has built up enough compost on the surface to start growing food on one hectare. Photo: Phil Tumataroa Parata-Takurua said it means only one or two kura might get lucky with new builds each year, while others must "scrape it out of wherever they can find some loose change". The property challenges Te Pā is facing are felt by the tamariki and their whānau too. Kay-Lee Jones is a māmā of three children who attend or have attended Te Pā. She feels the whole situation is "inequitable". "All around Ōtautahi, especially post-earthquakes, we had all these very fancy schools being established here, there, and everywhere, and our kids see this, and it's disheartening." She said she worries about the well-being of the staff and students. "Our kids, they don't deserve this." Jones shares the example of her son Wi, who was around nine years old when discussions about the need for new school buildings first started. Now at 17 and about to graduate, he will never see any improved facilities. She worries the same might happen with her nine-year-old child as well. In 2013, the government announced the Christchurch School Rebuild (CSR) programme, with the aim to replace or repair 115 earthquake damaged schools in Christchurch over the following 10 years. As of March this year, 100 schools have been completed, 11 schools are under construction, and three schools are in the planning and design stages. As Te Pā o Rākaihautū was not established until 2014, its redevelopment or rebuild is not within the scope of the CSR programme, according to the Ministry of Education. The property challenges Te Pā is facing are felt by the tamariki and their whānau too. Photo: Phil Tumataroa Tahau said the health and safety challenges have been more than frustrating. "We already know what works. We're acknowledged for it, so get out of the way. "Get on the waka or get out of the way. Because, pono katoa mātou ki tō mātou kaupapa (We are all true to our cause)." Late last week, Parata-Takarua said the school had received another letter from the ministry, which reconfirmed the funding for the "redevelopment" of their current site in Linwood, instead of a custom build at a new site. Parata-Takurua said it was now left with a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum and had engaged its lawyers. "For more than a decade, our children have been left in unsafe, cold, damp buildings while 100 other Christchurch schools were rebuilt around us. The ministry's legal responsibilities extend well beyond 'warm, safe and dry'." A spokesperson for Education Minister Erica Standford said she would not be commenting as it was an operational matter for the ministry.
