Latest news with #NorthIsland
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Colville people ensure the mail gets through
rural farming 15 minutes ago An hour's drive from the northern tip of Coromandel, you'll find a tiny post office run by volunteers. As rural postal services shrink, the small community here - population about 15-hundred - has taken things into its own hands to ensure the old motto "the mail must get through"
RNZ News
2 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Pilot has near-miss with radio tower on high country farm
A screen shot from the video posted by a pilot showing their near miss with a radio tower (to the right) which they failed to detect. Photo: Supplied / Screenshot Farmers are being urged to tell agricultural pilots about flight hazards on their farms, after a near-miss between a pilot and a radio tower that runs electronic farming systems. It comes as more high-tech devices are being used on farms. The video taken in high country central North Island showed a helicopter spray pilot narrowly missing a tall radio tower of technology company Halter for its virtual farm fencing and electronic cattle collar systems. Halter said its towers that were just under 10-metres tall enabled farm connectivity, and were compliant with Civil Aviation Authority rules. The pilot, who wanted to remain anonymous, sent the video to the New Zealand Agricultural Aviation Association, that then shared it on social media. Association executive officer Tony Michelle said poor light conditions meant the pilot did not know the tower was there, until they were right above it. "The towers vary in height from 3 to 10 metres, which is in the normal operating range for helicopters undertaking spray operations, so these are quite a significant flight hazard," he said. "But I'd like to reiterate they're no different to the other hazards that our pilots deal with everyday in the low level environment; wires, power poles, trees and the likes, pivot irrigators." Michelle said the association was pleased with the reponse it had from Halter, that promised to remind its clients to inform pilots about the location of towers on-site. "This isn't about a beat up at all on these on these systems, it's more about getting some awareness out there, particularly with farmers, so that they are aware of their obligations to notify our pilots of these hazards when they're on farm," he said. A Halter spokesperson said it was "proactive" at ensuring safe installation and operation of towers on farms. "Halter works alongside the New Zealand Agricultural Aviation Association to promote safe operations for farmers and agricultural aerial operators," they said. "Halter also educates farmers of the importance of informing agricultural aviation operators of tower locations before they commence operations on their farm." Meanwhile, Michelle said the farmer of the site in the video had since posted the tower's location to the New Zealand Defence Force's Flight Advisor platform for identifying local flight hazards. "There is some of the GPS systems that are used by agricultural aircrafts now where hazards can be loaded onto online platforms that then come up when the pilot is downloads the GPS files for any particular operation on farm," he said. "But the best way is for the farmer in a pre-operational brief, to have a map, identify with the pilot where the location of a tower or any other hazard, and actually do a fly around to make sure that they have identified all those hazards to the pilot." Civil Aviation Act rules showed agricultural aircrafts could operate below 500 feet above ground level, and low-level operations came with known risks like wires or other obstacles. A Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson said agricultural pilots doing low-level work like crop dusting "must stay alert for hazards". "Sometimes small towers and poles can blend into the environment and can easily be missed in a recce flight which can be problematic," they said. "Pilots need to be informed about all hazards and associated risks by landowners and there is also onus on the pilot to ask about these. "As well, things like cabin configuration and the time of day (sunstrike - shade) can also be barriers to not identifying small obstacles." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Watch: Pilot has near-miss with radio tower on high country farm
A screen shot from the video posted by a pilot showing their near miss with a radio tower (to the right) which they failed to detect. Photo: Supplied / Screenshot Farmers are being urged to tell agricultural pilots about flight hazards on their farms, after a near-miss between a pilot and a radio tower that runs electronic farming systems. It comes as more high-tech devices are being used on farms. The video taken in high country central North Island showed a helicopter spray pilot narrowly missing a tall radio tower of technology company Halter for its virtual farm fencing and electronic cattle collar systems. Halter said its towers that were just under 10-metres tall enabled farm connectivity, and were compliant with Civil Aviation Authority rules. The pilot, who wanted to remain anonymous, sent the video to the New Zealand Agricultural Aviation Association, that then shared it on social media. Association executive officer Tony Michelle said poor light conditions meant the pilot did not know the tower was there, until they were right above it. "The towers vary in height from 3 to 10 metres, which is in the normal operating range for helicopters undertaking spray operations, so these are quite a significant flight hazard," he said. "But I'd like to reiterate they're no different to the other hazards that our pilots deal with everyday in the low level environment; wires, power poles, trees and the likes, pivot irrigators." Michelle said the association was pleased with the reponse it had from Halter, that promised to remind its clients to inform pilots about the location of towers on-site. "This isn't about a beat up at all on these on these systems, it's more about getting some awareness out there, particularly with farmers, so that they are aware of their obligations to notify our pilots of these hazards when they're on farm," he said. A Halter spokesperson said it was "proactive" at ensuring safe installation and operation of towers on farms. "Halter works alongside the New Zealand Agricultural Aviation Association to promote safe operations for farmers and agricultural aerial operators," they said. "Halter also educates farmers of the importance of informing agricultural aviation operators of tower locations before they commence operations on their farm." Meanwhile, Michelle said the farmer of the site in the video had since posted the tower's location to the New Zealand Defence Force's Flight Advisor platform for identifying local flight hazards. "There is some of the GPS systems that are used by agricultural aircrafts now where hazards can be loaded onto online platforms that then come up when the pilot is downloads the GPS files for any particular operation on farm," he said. "But the best way is for the farmer in a pre-operational brief, to have a map, identify with the pilot where the location of a tower or any other hazard, and actually do a fly around to make sure that they have identified all those hazards to the pilot." Civil Aviation Act rules showed agricultural aircrafts could operate below 500 feet above ground level, and low-level operations came with known risks like wires or other obstacles. A Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson said agricultural pilots doing low-level work like crop dusting "must stay alert for hazards". "Sometimes small towers and poles can blend into the environment and can easily be missed in a recce flight which can be problematic," they said. "Pilots need to be informed about all hazards and associated risks by landowners and there is also onus on the pilot to ask about these. "As well, things like cabin configuration and the time of day (sunstrike - shade) can also be barriers to not identifying small obstacles." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Councils compete to see who has best tasting tap water
The North Island and South Island are going head-to-head in a competition to see which region has the best tasting tap water. Four New Zealand district councils are vying for the coveted title, including the reigning champions, Rotorua Lakes District Council. Samantha Gee was at the grand final in Nelson. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
'Scary' hail storm hits Cambridge, severe thunderstorm warning for upper North Island
Thunderstorms and hail are battering the North Island, with forecasters warning there may even be a chance of tornadoes for some. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Kaipara, Far North, Whangārei and Rodney Thursday afternoon. MetService said the thunderstorms were expected to be accompanied by damaging wind gusts and possible tornadoes. Waipā District Council said a sudden hailstorm may have caused surface flooding in some areas. St Peter's Catholic School in Cambridge posted a video of the aftermath of the hailstorm to their social media account. Hail at St Peter's Catholic School in Cambridge, Waikato this afternoon. Photo: Screengrab A Cambridge resident also posted "scary hail storm ... never seen anything like it" on social media. Meanwhile, a low is moving eastward across the North Island on Thursday, bringing possible severe gales to Northland, MetService said. There is a risk of thunderstorms for the northwest of the North Island from Taranaki, northern Taumarunui and Taupo, and Bay of Plenty. "These thunderstorms may be accompanied by heavy rain 10 to 25 mm/h, hail of 5 to 15 mm in diameter and strong wind gusts of 80 to 110 km/h, especially from afternoon," MetService said. It said there is also a low risk of a small tornado, which could occur with or without a thunderstorm. In Auckland, Northland, northern Waikato and Coromandel Peninsula, there is a low risk that a thunderstorms could be severe late Thursday afternoon and evening, producing damaging wind gusts greater than 110 km/h. Thunderstorms could also be possible in central North Island and upper South Island. ❗Warning Update A Red Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued!! At 03:37 pm, MetService weather radar detected a line of severe thunderstorms lying from OFFSHORE WEST OF NINETY MILE BEACH to OFFSHORE KAIPARA WEST COAST. This line of severe thunderstorms is moving… Strong wind watches have been issued across the country. Northland and Auckland north of Manukau Harbour, Penrose, also including Waiheke Island are under a strong wind watch between 4pm and 10pm. There's a moderate chance of this being upgraded to a warning. Parts of Hawke's Bay and Southland have been issued strong wind watches for Friday and Saturday, both of which have a high chance of upgrading to a wind warning. "Damage to trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures [are] possible. Driving may be difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles," MetService said. The forecasting agency advices residents in these areas to secure items that can be picked up by strong winds and drive cautiously. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Kaipara, Far North, Whangārei and Rodney. Photo: MetService Metservice has issued a road snowfall warning for three roads in Southland and Central Otago. Lindis Pass (SH8), Crown Range Road and Milford Road (SH94) are expected to have snow accumulate on the roads on Friday. Meanwhile, slips are disrupting motorists in Bay of Plenty. State Highway 25 north of Thames is closed due to a slip early on Thursday. The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said the highway would remain closed while it awaits a technical evaluation and there was no detour available. It said motorists should avoid the area. Lanes on State Highway 2 near Ōpōtiki are also blocked due to multiple slips on Waioweka Gorge. Motorists can still travel on this route, however, they are advised to take care. NZTA's System Manager for Waikato Andy Oakley said it knows the state highway needs increased resilience and it is a focus for the agency. Fortunately, the wild weather is likely to clear up just in time for the weekend. During Friday and Saturday a strong west to southwest flow affects the country, MetService said. "We will still have the hangover from the current low pressure system that's moving across the country. So, strong southwesterlies persist through to Saturday," MetService's Heather Keats said. A ridge of high pressure over the North Island until Monday will calm the weather, with clear skies for most of the weekend, she said. However, there will be some showers in the south and west of the South Island. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
