Latest news with #DavidTrewavas
1News
3 days ago
- Climate
- 1News
Roof lifts near Wellington, river level peaks near Taupō
Civil Defence says the Tauranga-Taupō River north of Tūrangi has "likely now peaked" and evacuations of homes are unlikely. Earlier this morning the river had "risen significantly and is in flood with all the rain", prompting LandSAR teams to door-knock homes in the area to advise people to prepare to evacuate if needed. In a statement shortly before 9.30am, Civil Defence Taupō said the river had not breached its banks and the water level was expected to begin to fall. "There are around 70 properties in the immediate vicinity of the river although there is a high number of holiday homes. Only 20 properties were occupied for a total of around 35 people," it said. Images of the flooded Tauranga-Taupō River north of Tūrangi this morning. (Source: Civil Defence Taupō) ADVERTISEMENT The agency said there was "no further significant rain in the 24-hour forecast". "But as always people should check the forecast, exercise caution around rivers and stay out of flooded areas. Civil Defence said it still had centres set up to assist people at Tūrangi (Te Mataapuna Sports Centre) and Taupō (Great Lake Centre), which would be stood down as the day progressed. "In addition, with all the wind and rain, a bunch of roads in the northern part of the district have debris on them and crews are out clearing," it said. Emergency services responded to weather-related callouts throughout the North Island. (Source: 1News) About 70 properties were without power this morning on Unison's networks in Taupō and Rotorua, with additional reported outages under investigation. ADVERTISEMENT "Crews are working as safely and quickly as possible to restore power this morning after restoration were delayed overnight due to high winds," it said. 'Nervous times' for Taupō - mayor Civil Defence is knocking on the doors of 70 homes south of Taupō to warn residents a nearby river could burst. (Source: Breakfast) Taupō Mayor David Trewavas earlier told Breakfast there had been significant rainfall in the past 24 hours, but "no evacuations yet". 'There's been a lot of rain up there and it's pretty high. It is in flood, but [the river] hasn't breached its banks yet, but we'll have probably a bit more to update in a couple of hours," he said. Trewavas urged people to stay home today if they were able to. Images of the flooded Tauranga-Taupō River north of Tūrangi this morning. (Source: Civil Defence Taupō) ADVERTISEMENT "Just be really careful, there's a lot of flooding on the road, a lot of surface water." He warned residents to stay vigilant and check Civil Defence and Taupo District Council's Facebook pages for more information. MetService Yesterday, MetService issued a swathe of heavy rain warnings for parts of the country. Speaking to Breakfast, MetService meteorologist Heather Keats said overnight there had been a "very long line of thunderstorms" which began in Northland and travelled to Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Taupō. MetService meteorologist Heather Keats. (Source: Breakfast) "As that long line progressed across the regions it dumped severe rain so we're talking 30mm between 10pm and 11pm in Whitianga. ADVERTISEMENT She said Taupō had about 90mm in the last 24 hours, and East Auckland has 25mm to 30mm in just one hour between 8pm and 9pm. "Not surprised to see this rain, fortunately though it is starting to ease back." Keats said most of the watches and warnings had expired today, but some strong wind watches would remain. Still in place was an orange wind warning for Wairarapa and Wellington, a strong wind watch for Hawke's Bay, a heavy swell warning for Kapiti-Porirua Coast, and a road snowfall warning for Milford Rd. "Everyone sort of has showers. The strong winds are still present this morning, but that low is moving out east so its going to clear significantly by this afternoon. But it's going to be replaced by a very cold southerly, so it's going to be very cold," she said. Keats said there would be "well below average temperatures" for many over the weekend. Cold coming, PM's press secretary scandal, science of sleep (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT Flooding in Auckland, wind in Wellington In Tamaki Makaurau, Fire and Emergency New Zealad (FENZ) said there had been 58 weather-related callouts from 6pm yesterday to 5am today across Northland, Auckland, Waikato and the Bay Of Plenty. They said these were mostly for downed trees and powerlines, and flooding in Auckland affecting roads and homes. 1News footage from the Auckland suburbs of Manurewa and Ellerslie showed emergency services responding to flooded roads, with some cordoned off. Emergency services close a road in Auckland's Manurewa following heavy weather. (Source: 1News) In Wellington, a FENZ spokesperson said strong gales lifted the roof of a house in the Wellington suburb of Newlands. ADVERTISEMENT
1News
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- 1News
Jurassic-sized fuss over Taupō's new dinosaur sculpture
A nearly 10m-tall dinosaur sculpture sitting atop a large geometric rock is the latest attraction in Taupō, but not without controversy. The Taupō District Council contributed a one-off $100,000 grant towards the sculpture, which was made by the Taupō Sculpture Trust. But the grant has angered some residents, who are facing a rates increase of more than 8%. Taupō Mayor David Trewavas told Morning Report artwork always has the capacity to cause controversy. "We had sort of a dozen well-meaning artists and business people [who] came to us probably 15 years ago to say, 'Hey, let's put a bit of colour into the town, but we'll go away and raise half the money, and would you guys contribute?'" Trewavas acknowledged locals were facing a large rates rise, but the Taupō District Council committed to the project a number of years ago, and he hoped it would bring more people into town. Trewavas said he had already heard of people keen to visit Taupō to see the new sculpture. "A family has just rung from Masterton telling me they are coming up this weekend to have a look at it." Taupō had a reputation as a place that holds sporting events, with the Ironman and Supercars, and Trewavas said it was time to support the arts community too. "The poor old arts community, they haven't had much over the years to be fair, and this is our way of demonstrating to them that we support those guys as well. We are all about community partnerships and people getting involved." And as for the sculpture itself, Trewavas said it had "grown on him", and he shared the reasoning behind a dinosaur. "[Dinosaurs] used to roam around here. They were in the Mohaka River out on the Napier-Taupō Road." But ultimately, it was the artists who selected what to install in the town. "If there's one thing for sure, I'm not going to get the councillors to select the artwork."
RNZ News
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Jurassic-sized fuss over Taupō's new dinosaur sculpture
Artist Gregor Kregar says the large rock in his sculpture relates to the giant boulders ejected by the volcanic force of Taupō's historic eruptions. The mirror-polished stainless steel Sauropod dinosaur is based on an inflatable toy and represents the town's playful 'holiday destination' aspect. Photo: Destination Great Lake Taupō / A nearly 10m-tall dinosaur sculpture sitting atop a large geometric rock is the latest attraction in Taupō, but not without controversy. The Taupō District Council contributed a one-off $100,000 grant towards the sculpture, which was made by the Taupō Sculpture Trust. But the grant has angered some residents, who are facing a rates increase of more than 8 percent. Taupō Mayor David Trewavas told Morning Report artwork always has the capacity to cause controversy. "We had sort of a dozen well-meaning artists and business people [who] came to us probably 15 years ago to say, 'Hey, let's put a bit of colour into the town, but we'll go away and raise half the money, and would you guys contribute?'" Trewavas acknowledged locals were facing a large rates rise, but the Taupō District Council committed to the project a number of years ago, and he hoped it would bring more people into town. Trewavas said he had already heard of people keen to visit Taupō to see the new sculpture. "A family has just rung from Masterton telling me they are coming up this weekend to have a look at it." Taupō had a reputation as a place that holds sporting events, with the Ironman and Supercars, and Trewavas said it was time to support the arts community too. "The poor old arts community, they haven't had much over the years to be fair, and this is our way of demonstrating to them that we support those guys as well. We are all about community partnerships and people getting involved." And as for the sculpture itself, Trewavas said it had "grown on him", and he shared the reasoning behind a dinosaur. "[Dinosaurs] used to roam around here. They were in the Mohaka River out on the Napier-Taupō Road." But ultimately, it was the artists who selected what to install in the town. "If there's one thing for sure, I'm not going to get the councillors to select the artwork." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Taupō desperate to rekindle flights to Wellington after Originair withdrawal
Originair began their service in February with three return flights a week. Photo: Supplied / Originair The cancellation of Taupō's only flight service to Wellington may not be for long, with hopes that another company might step in to fly the route. Taupō Mayor David Trewavas told RNZ the area was gutted to lose its only direct route to Wellington, as without the flight, travellers had to detour through Hamilton or Auckland. "We're extremely disappointed, as we had another airline start up with huge promises, but unfortunately, they didn't have forward booking to make it pay," he said. "We appreciate Originair giving it a go, as it's very important for the business people." The three return flights each week were mainly used by people like the Department of Conservation, Contact Energy and Corrections. The mayor hoped Originair's axing of the route won't be the end of direct flights to the capital and said the council was actively looking at other options. "We're just going to have to find another operator to take care of that route now," he said. He had his sights set on Air New Zealand possibly stepping in to plug the gap. "I had an opportunity to talk to Mr Foran of Air New Zealand last week and he certainly did not dismiss it," Trewavas said. "He was going away to talk to his team and see if it's a possibility." Air New Zealand domestic general manager Kate O'Brien told RNZ that regional flying in New Zealand was challenging at the best of times. "Rising costs across the aviation system are placing significant strain on all operators," she said. "Air travel is essential in a country like ours, where geography often makes flying the only practical link between communities. "Losing an operator from any route is very impactful." She added that, while Air New Zealand was deeply committed to serving regions across the motu, it recognised that smaller operators did an excellent job in many parts of the country. "We're actively in discussions to explore how we might work more closely together to help maintain and strengthen regional connectivity for the long term. "We're not currently looking at services between Wellington and Taupō, however, we regularly review our schedule to make sure it is fit for purpose and meets demand appropriately." Taupo's mayor said he also had an eye on Air Chathams and other similar operators. "I'm certainly contacting them all and we can do things at our end, like reducing landing fees," he said. "We have a brand spanking new terminal, which is easy to get in and out of. "We need someone who can really last the distance." Trewavas wanted prospective operators to know that his door was always open, and they could contact him or the council directly. "We're ready to take any calls, and we have all the facts and figures here," he said. "Anyone will take the call that's for sure," Local businessman and Taupō Airport Authority chair Chris Johnston said regular flights to Wellington were important for Taupō's business community. "Then people can actually do a day trip to Wellington, so if it is to work, then it really does need to be an early morning flight and a return flight in the evening. The Taupō Airport Authority suggests local industry might subsidise flights to maintain connectivity. Photo: 123rf "For those that do have to go down, then it's just an hour's commute." Johnston said Sounds Air and Originair struggled with the cost of flying the small planes, which put the fares up, but he was also optimistic about other ways to save the route. "A lot of countries around the world have subsidised regional connectivity, so that has been voiced by the Airport Association for many years with the Government to see what support they can get. "We have canvassed some of our bigger businesses around here too, like the energy sector, to see if they'd subsidise some seats, but there wasn't really the appetite," Johnston said. He pointed to Westport as an example of where a local sector helped subsidise regional flights. "I believe the mining industry helps underwrite some of the flights, just to keep that connectivity, so that's probably the only option for us, unless we can get a volume of people to use the plane," Johnston said. "There's been a lot of chatter. It could be an option, but it all involves money." The final flight from Taupō to Wellington by Originair is on 26 May and the airline said, despite their collective efforts, weak demand had resulted in the service being unsustainable. "We believe that challenging New Zealand economic conditions have influenced the low demand," it said. "Whilst ceasing operations on the Taupō/Wellington sector, we remain committed to our mature route network." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
30-04-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Proposed Average Rates Increase For Taupō District
Taupō district councillors have had some tough decisions to make to keep the rates figure at or near the 8.3 per cent forecast for the financial year beginning 1 July 2025. The final proposed average rates increase of 8.4 per cent that councillors discussed at the Taupō District Council meeting yesterday is 0.1 per cent higher than forecast in the Long-term Plan 2024-34 which was adopted on 30 September 2024. The 8.4 per cent figure is an average only and the actual amount of the rates increase will vary from property to property depending on where it is and what it is used for. Unplanned cost increases including the costs associated with central government's Local Water Done Well reforms and increases in the cost of insurance, finance costs, depreciation and committed contracts such as solid waste, security and cleaning services contributed over $2 million to Council's costs in the upcoming financial year. Mayor David Trewavas says this would have resulted in a rates increase of 10.2 per cent which would have been unacceptable to the community. Staff have responded by looking for savings and efficiencies, and delaying or slowing down projects to bring the figure back in line with the Long-term Plan projections. Mr Trewavas says in last year's Long-term Plan consultation, the community asked Council to focus on and deliver essential services. The budget reductions and project trade-offs being proposed will not materially impact Council's levels of service. They will though mean some planned additional activities and services such as reserve management plans, feature planting and landscaping projects, community hall wi-fi installation, demolition of aging buildings, some rural mowing and vegetation control and proactive tree management projects are now delayed until the following year. Mr Trewavas says that some council work set out in council's Long-term Plan will not be delivered in the upcoming year and this was the trade-off that had to be made to keep the rates increase at or near the forecast figure. The proposed rates increase will be formally confirmed by councillors at a meeting in late June.
