Latest news with #Taupo
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Tramper rescued from Tongariro Crossing 'knows he had a close call'
Police said the man realised he would not be able to make it through the Tongariro Alpine Crossing alone. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police A tramper rescued from Tongariro Alpine Crossing 'knows he had a close call', police say. The man called police at about 7.30pm on Saturday, after getting into difficulty on the crossing and realising he would not be able to make it out alone. Senior Constable Barry Shepherd of Taupo Police Search and Rescue said it was an example of how things could go wrong quickly. "He realised that he was not dressed or equipped at all for the harsh reality of the landscape in winter," he said. "There had been recent heavy snowfall with freezing conditions. "He didn't have food with him or any extra gear for warmth or shelter. "Luckily, he realised his error pretty quickly and called us." Police Search and Rescue responded with a helicopter, alongside LandSAR. Despite being extremely cold, the man was not injured and was able to walk out. "I think he knows he had a close call," Shepherd said. "If conditions had worsened or he had been unable to make a phone call, he'd have been in real trouble." Anyone heading out into the back-country - even experienced trampers - needed to prepare for harsh conditions through winter, he said, as they could "change on a dime". "Particularly anyone heading out into the alpine environment should take and know how to use ice axes and crampons, and wear suitable footwear. "Take adequate supplies, clothing and shelter, and do your planning - know what the forecast holds and if you're at all in doubt about what conditions might be like, don't go." Department of Conservation Tongariro operations manager Libby O'Brien said the national park was a place "that demands respect". "Temperatures are often freezing, and drop even lower at night and at elevation," she said. "If you don't have alpine experience and the right gear, you need to think long and hard about whether you're going to be able to survive in these conditions. "We all love being out there, but ensure you know what you're doing so you don't put yourself and others at risk by being ill prepared." 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
- Business
- RNZ News
New Plymouth District Council credits property owners $3.1 million to fix rates bungle
New Plymouth District Council chief executive Gareth Green. Photo: Taupō District Council / Supplied New Plymouth councillors have agreed to credit residential ratepayers an average of $102 each after a gaffe in its annual plan meant property owners faced a 12.8 percent rates hike rather than the 9.9 percent advertised. At an extra-ordinary meeting on 22 July, councillors decided to try to find $3.1 million in savings to absorb the cost of the mistake. In a chamber filled with members of the New Plymouth Ratepayers Alliance wearing black T-shirts with "Respect Our Rates" emblazoned on them, council chief executive Gareth Green kicked proceedings off with a lengthy apology. "I stand before you today to introduce this paper for your decision making, but more importantly to own on behalf of this organisation an error which has let each of you, the community and ourselves down. "Standing here having to introduce this matter brings me no joy, however, as your chief executive it is my responsibility to own what is a significant failing of this organisation." The residential rates error was discovered as part of an internal review called for following an earlier GST bungle which could've cost council $20 million in lost revenue. The GST mistake - which had been characterised as a "typo" and "cut and paste" error - was corrected earlier this month. As well as ironing out the average residential rates glitch, councillors also corrected an annual plan wording error relating to industrial water use which could've cost council a further $1.4 million in lost revenue. An external Simpson Grierson review, which ran concurrently with the internal investigation, found council lacked financial reporting and modelling capability which "strongly suggests a need for training, and possibly recruitment / restructure and training". Green was not sure exactly how the rates error occurred but said it involved an incorrect assumption about the average value of residential land. "I put it into the context that there was a lot of pressure about getting rates down and being able to keep them down and that potentially could've contributed. "We were going through a restructure process which adds stress and pressure into any organisation and there were a lot of other processes going on nationally and locally at the time. "Just like in the airline sector a plane doesn't crash because one engine stops, it does when a number of things line up and we had a number of things lining up here which created this issue." Councillors had to decide whether to offer the automatic rates remission, go ahead and charge the full 12.8 percent or initiate a Rates Replacement Proposal to increase the commercial / industrial differential rate for 2025/26 which would've required a round of consultation. New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin Mayor Neil Holdom's recommended councillors opt for the rates remission. He acknowledged councillor Amanda Clinton-Ghodes for repeatedly raising the issue of risk when council lost two senior finance leaders - one through a resignation - during the restructure period. "Today's meeting is about transparency and finding a way forward. We've published the details of the errors and the external report including a suite of recommendations developed to ensure we are legally compliant and square these issues with the community in a fully transparent manner. The motion before you does that." Deputy mayor David Bublitz said corrosion of the public trust the gaffes caused couldn't be overstated. "The first thing we have to do is restore the trust of the public and we restore the trust of the public by doing what we said we were going to do which is rate them at the right number. "We've got no choice. We then need to ... whoever is back [after the local body elections] ... needs to work hard to ensure that our council is a little bit leaner, a little bit more efficient and a little bit more innovative, so we can make that money back. We have to get it back." Councillor Murray Chong wanted to be done with it and charge the full 12.8 percent. "The real rate is 12.8 percent. That's it. We weren't being honest or we didn't realise we weren't being honest, but it wasn't 9.9 percent at all. "So what do we do? Do we give you a remission or do we face the reality and pay it this year because the reality is because if we don't pay it this year we will have to pay it next year or we make cuts and how are we going to make cuts? We already tried to make cuts." Chong didn't believe $3.1 million in savings could be found before June next year so council would end up borrowing to pay the shortfall. Outgoing councillor Anneka Carlson-Matthews admitted she didn't often agree with councillor Chong, but she wasn't comfortable with lumping more debt on the incoming council either. "To be fair I can't leave in good faith with a $3.1 million deficit for the [incoming] council on our mistake. That doesn't sit well. "All the talk about us being able to find it [the money] and we're going to cut service levels and we're going to reign [spending] in. We reigned it in. "And we heard from the CEO today that part of that reigning it in and restructure - which was great and we saved $10 million - was actually part of potentially why we're in the situation we are now." Carlson-Matthews didn't believe council could find the savings without making significant sacrifices. Councillors voted 13-2 in favour of the rates remission. Rates bills for the first of four quarterly instalments were expected to be sent out at the end of this month as normal. The amount owed showing on the bill would reflect the resolution in adopting the Annual Plan, but an "adjustment" or credit would be applied to each bill to reflect the decision made by the council on 22 July. The credit would be spread across the year.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
New Plymouth rates blunder caused by lack of financial reporting knowledge
New Plymouth District Council chief executive Gareth Green concedes an earlier restructure played a part in the error. Photo: Taupō District Council / Supplied An external review following a New Plymouth District Council rates GST blunder - which could've cost it $20 million in lost revenue - indicates key managers may not have a sufficiently sophisticated understanding of the rating process and its impacts. The Simpson Grierson review found the council lacked financial reporting and modelling capability which "strongly suggests a need for training, and possibly recruitment/restructure and training". Council chief executive Gareth Green conceded an earlier restructure - which saved the district council $10 million - played a part in the error. "That necessitated some significant pressure being applied through the business. "I think that pressure along with other pressure points in the local government sector has contributed to this [mistake] occurring, so certainly the pressure that restructure has applied has had an impact, most definitely." He was instigating another restructure designed to bring more financial and local government experience to council staff. Green said this would result in a "small number of job losses" due to new positions being created. He wasn't thinking about falling on his sword. "I do take full responsibility for this, but I am not tendering my resignation at the current time. "My total focus at this point is leading this organisation through this situation and making sure we can resolve it in the best possible way." The Simpson Grierson review also uncovered two further bungles . It revealed the council hiked average residential rates 12.8 percent rather than 9.9 percent as advertised. The gaffe equated to $102 per ratepayer or $3.1 million. The review also identified an annual plan wording error relating to industrial water use which could've cost council a further $1.4 million in lost revenue. In his report, consultant Jonathan Salter said sophisticated knowledge and understanding of the rating process and rating impacts tended to be the domain of specialist officers with a long-standing understanding of the rating function. These staff were usually intimately familiar with the council's financial reporting and modelling systems, the valuation and rating information database and the district itself, he said. "There appears to have been a lack of capability in these two areas. This strongly suggests a need for training, and possibly recruitment/restructure and training." New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin Mayor Neil Holdom said one reason why he called for an independent review when the GST error was discovered was so council could learn from its mistakes. "I just want to make it clear the councillors - the governance team - made decisions based on information that was incorrect. "Our long-term plan was audited by Audit NZ and they also didn't pick up this error in our rating calculation model." Holdom said the proposed restructure would bolster the financial capability and bring people onboard council with local government experience. The Simpson Grierson report also recommended an independent legal review be a component of the annual rate setting process, and that council not rely on the Audit NZ review alone. Holdom said an extra-ordinary meeting on 22 July would consider a proposal for future annual-plan and long-term plan calculations to be externally peer reviewed as part of a parcel of steps to address the recent errors. Salter also wanted the council to review how it handled documents. "It appears that document management may have been an issue ... the restricted water supply targeted rate issue appears to have arisen from an incorrect 'cut and paste' from another document." Holdom earlier described the GST blunder as a "typo" and a "cut and paste" error. The Simpson Grierson consultant also thought council should consider moving away from an average residential rates model to an overall rates model. "This would be a more transparent and certain disclosure. If there is reference to the 'average' rather than 'overall' rates increase, this concept should be defined." At the extraordinary council meeting on 22 July, the mayor would recommend councillors approve a one-off rates refund to all residential property owners to ensure the average residential rates increase equalled 9.9 percent. That would require council to find $3.1 million in savings elsewhere. Councillors would also vote on amending the rates resolution wording regarding properties on a restricted water flow - usually industrial users - to ensure council was able to charge $418 for each cubic metre of water as intended. 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
- Health
- RNZ News
Two popular regional flights on the chopping block
Two popular regional flights in the South Island are on the chopping block due to what is has been described as 'out of control' costs. Sounds Air will soon can its flights from Blenheim to Christchurch and Christchurch to Wanaka. It comes after the airline cancelled its services from Wellington to Taupo and Wellington to Westport last December, and sold an aircraft. It has been seen as not just a blow to hopes of boosting tourism but also for healthcare and those needing treatment at Christchurch Hospital. Tess Brunton reports. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Taupō clinicians plan for emergency hospital shutdown amid critical staff shortages
Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook Contingency measures drawn up by concerned Taupō Hospital clinicians include plans to move patients to Rotorua Hospital if staff shortages forced Taupō's clinic to close. The hospital, which serves a population of 40,000 people in the tourist region, has struggled to attract enough senior doctors to fill its roster, which forced workers to plan for the worst. The hospital relies on locums to fill gaps, and permanent staff take on a high portion of night and weekend work. There are 3.3 full-time-equivalent senior doctors working there permanently, out of nine funded positions to staff the emergency department and general ward. Overnight, one senior doctor is on duty to take care of the department and ward. RNZ has obtained a copy of the Escalation and Closure Plan for Taupō Hospital, which outlines what could happen if the hospital were forced to shut down due to not finding enough staff. No closures have happened, and Health NZ's top manager for the area, regional deputy chief executive Cath Cronin, has told RNZ she wouldn't allow this and was instead focused on keeping the hospital open. But closures aren't unprecedented. Last year, Westport's hospital shut its doors several times due to short staffing. The plan's introduction outlines the gravity of a closure: "Temporary closure of Taupō Hospital poses a potential risk to the population and, as such, Health NZ Lakes has a responsibility for managing the risk with a contingency plan, to safeguard the public to the best of its ability." The document said its purpose was to set out an agreed process when there weren't enough senior doctors to staff the hospital's emergency department. It said authority to consent to a closure sat with the regional deputy chief executive - Cronin - and "every possible option for covering vacant roster shifts must be exhausted" before the plan was put into action. If closure were required, contingency measures would swing into action three days before the unstaffed shift, allowing time to tell the public and other affected parties. If the emergency department were to close, but some services continue, security would be stationed at the hospital entrance with a list of patients allowed inside. A February memo from senior clinical staff to management outlined further details. The senior staff cited upcoming vacancies and difficulties in getting locums. "Consequently, we are unable to guarantee that the Taupō Hospital will be able to cover every shift in the ED or the inpatient ward. Therefore, we thought it prudent to have contingency options documented and agreed in advance, which could be employed if and when this situation arose." The memo described possible situations in which the plan would be enacted. "Although none of these scenarios are considered acceptable under normal circumstances, we may be forced to implement one or more of them to ensure continuation of service provision," it said. Two scenarios involved using doctors from Rotorua to keep open Taupō's general ward, or its ward and emergency department. A third scenario suggested closing the Taupō general ward, which usually has about 15 patients. "All inpatients requiring admission will be transferred to Rotorua, increasing the workload for Rotorua physicians and registrars/nurses." Option four was to use telehealth for emergency department patients. Option five tabled closing the department, which sees an average of 50 patients a day. This would also potentially involve telehealth, but otherwise, emergency cases would have to travel to Rotorua. The memo said risks for this were: "No access to emergency care for Taupō-Turangi communities. No onsite clinician for ward. No onsite support for birthing unit." The sixth option was the status quo, with a reliance on locums (temporary staff). This was time-consuming to sort and expensive. Emails released to RNZ show the hospital's battle to find staff. On 15 May last year, then-clinical lead Jared Bayless said there were five emergency department shifts, including four overnight ones, unstaffed in the coming week. Another email from Bayless, a month later, discussed juggling staff to cover vacancies during the week, which stretched the weekend roster thinly. There was concern that the hospital would have to operate at decreased capacity. Bayless subsequently informed emergency services about the possible staff shortfall. In other messages, Bayless stated what would happen if staffing wasn't found to cover all shifts, options that the Escalation and Closure Plan covered. A draft memo to Cronin in October from Health NZ's Lakes district group director of operations, Alan Wilson, again talked about the possibility of closure when staff couldn't be found, and outlined the risks of this, including having to rely on an already under-pressure Rotorua Hospital. The memo said $1.29 million was spent on locums for Taupō Hospital in 2023-24. It recommended changing the staffing structure away from senior doctors working 24/7, and employing more doctors to allow for round-the-clock coverage. Cronin found out about the memo from doctor unions and emailed them to say she had concerns about the issues at Taupō Hospital's emergency department and how they'd been addressed. "All discussions, planning or other communications regarding Taupō ED are now on hold." Cronin also emailed Wilson expressing her disappointment about the memo's contents and that he let it happen. "The proposed plan is not a direction I will endorse without further discussion, so don't progress any further planning or discussions with the team." However, the Escalation and Closure Plan was circulated early this year in further emails. Cronin told RNZ this week the Escalation and Closure Plan wasn't an "active plan". "My approach is always to work on plans to keep hospitals open and EDs open," she said. "This wasn't an approach that I endorsed. It got a life of its own, with the team wanting to do the right thing but not in quite the right way. "When I found out about it, I did stop that approach to making a plan to close the ED, and instead we reconvened to work together on how we keep our ED open." Cronin said she'd never been asked to consider closure, as outlined in the plan, although it was challenging to fill shifts. "But we always get there, one way or another," she said. "We always manage to cover that. We haven't had to close. "We've got a particularly tough time in the next couple of months, not only in Taupō but across the whole country. "We're getting right into the middle of winter, with lots of sick leave, but everyone's endeavouring to do what they can to maintain that access for patients." There were plenty of other mitigations before closure would even be considered. "We take that week by week when we plan, then day by day, or shift by shift if we need to." Cronin said this year she met with Taupō's medical staff weekly and would regularly check in with the lead clinician. Asked about shifting patients to Rotorua if required, Cronin said moving patients to ensure they received the proper standard of care was something that happened nationwide. This week, there were 4.7 full-time-equivalent senior doctor vacancies in Taupō, which would drop to 2.7 in October when two staff members joined. Two extra junior doctors had recently joined, and one would soon start. By January, another two were due, which left two vacancies. She said recruitment would focus on how Taupō was a great place to live and the quality of the clinical team at the hospital. Rural hospital medicine specialist Ralston D'Souza has just taken over as Taupō Hospital's clinical lead. He said the lack of permanent staffing at Taupō wasn't new, and he and the other clinicians developed plans in response. "It's probably been known about for a couple of years," he said. "With that short staffing, there's going to be gaps in the normal, everyday roster. So, as a group, we were trying to [say] to management: Look, this is a risk to the organisation. "If permanent staff are unable to fill these gaps, if locums are unable to fill these shifts, we have to have a contingency plan on what we need to do. "There's a huge amount of people affected in the hospital and in the community if there's no doctor in the hospital, so we wanted to get something on paper or get protocols in place if that were to occur because of the vulnerability of our workforce." He said additional junior doctors were welcome, although it would take some time until they were trained to fill overnight shifts, with their varied responsibilities. But he was more hopeful than previously, and he said Cronin was working closely with the hospital on staffing issues. Clinicians, management and the community were working together to find solutions, D'Souza said. Sarah Dalton, the executive director of the senior doctors' union, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, said clinicians drawing up the Escalation and Closure Plan showed there weren't enough doctors to staff the hospital. "Between 40 to 50 percent of their roster at any given time is filled either by locums or their employed staff being prevailed upon to do extra shifts, so do extra work for extra pay to keep the place open." She said the arrangements to fill the roster were "hand to mouth, subsistence stuff". Dalton criticised Health NZ for paying little attention to the well-being of permanent staff, while spending plenty on locums. Patient Voice Aotearoa's Malcolm Mulholland said the Escalation and Closure Plan showed how concerned clinicians were. "It's pretty confronting seeing that plans have been drafted to actually shut down one of our hospitals in New Zealand, and to know that it serves a community of 40,000 people or more. "It's extremely concerning." Mulholland said the advocacy group held a public meeting in Taupō earlier this year, where he heard from clinicians' concerns about staff shortages and the prospect of patients transferring to Rotorua. It was planning to hold a further public meeting in the town on 30 July at 6pm, at Taupō's Hilltop School. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
