Latest news with #Warkworth
RNZ News
12-08-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Mahurangi oyster farmers apprehensive about accepting mysterious $10,000 payments
Oyster farmers in the Warkworth area, north of Auckland, fear their businesses won't survive the year. Photo: Supplied A payment of about $10,000 has been deposited into the accounts of Mahurangi Harbour oyster farmers, the only catch is they don't know what the money is for. The 10 marine farms have been in a seven-year battle with Watercare to stop sewage overflowing into the harbour north of Auckland, which contaminates their oyster crops with Norovirus. The farmers have been unable to sell any locally-grown oysters from Mahurangi Harbour since Christmas, leaving them on the brink all year . RNZ understands this week about 40 people that work across the oyster industry in the Mahurangi Harbour, which was worth nearly $10 million, have been let go. Tom Walters from Matakana Oysters has been vocal about Watercare taking accountability for the pollution of the Mahurangi River , which flows into the harbour where the oyster crops are. He said while the money was facilitated by Aquaculture New Zealand, it was unclear what the payment's purpose was and if it originated from it or Watercare. Aquaculture New Zealand and Watercare have both been approached for comment. Walters said he worried about what it could mean around liability and any future legal action the farmers could take up with Watercare. "I fear, and a few of the others fear, they're just going to be played like puppets by Watercare. "They'll say, oh, we've given you a little bit, maybe here's $50,000 more, and we've fixed the problem, see you later. They haven't fixed the problem yet. "I'd rather not have accepted it, because to me it was like, obviously, if you're actually doing that, then you're accepting that you've done something wrong here, number one. "It needs to be $200,000 each for something, just to get through the shit that we've gone through this year and at times eight or nine, or whatever it is, or 10 oyster farmers, rather than $200,000 between us all, it's an insult," said Walters. Watercare have consistently said it would not be in a position to directly compensate the farmers financially but did previously put forward $50,000 to support wellbeing initiatives. Jim Aitken from Mahurangi Oysters said the $10,000 would not cover "basically a couple of weeks worth of bills". He also said he was not sure whether they should have accepted the money. "But again, we're so desperate to keep operating that, of course, anything will help. "What I'm trying to say is I don't know if there's more coming or if that's a shut up and leave us alone amount," said Aitken. None of the farmers RNZ spoke to said they knew where the money was from or what it was for. More than three million litres of liquid discharge has spilled into the Mahurangi Harbour this year. It was more than an entire olympic swimming pool worth of fluid that would include sewage and stormwater. After each overflow, oyster harvesting was put on hold for 28 days to allow for testing for pathogens like Norovirus. Much of the wastewater was thought to come from a pipe on Elizabeth Street in Warkworth, which Watercare last month upgraded with a temporary fix. Watercare programme director Rob Burchell told RNZ in a statement he believed it would reduce wastewater overflows at Elizabeth Street. "We completed the installation of a temporary over-pumping solution on Elizabeth Street that will reduce the frequency and volume of overflows to the Mahurangi River. "This solution includes a manhole chamber that is three metres deep and 1.6 metres in diameter, along with two pumps and a pipeline designed to transfer wastewater across the Elizabeth Street heritage bridge, bypassing the existing wastewater network. "We may be able to bring this pumping solution into service ahead of the commissioning of the Lucy Moore Pump Station, transfer pipeline and new Snells Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant in August. Testing will soon take place to confirm if this is possible. Work is also underway as part of the long-term solution - the Warkworth Growth Servicing Pipeline." Burchell said Watercare was undertaking potholing investigations in and around Great North Road, Elizabeth Street, Queen Street and Kapanui Street to locate existing underground services, which he hoped to be completed by late August. However, a long-term solution to the piping problem on Elizabeth Street in Warkworth was not expected until 2026. Watercare maintain it was being compliant in Warkworth. "Watercare is permitted to discharge wastewater at the Elizabeth Street overflow site under the Regional Network Discharge Consent (NDC), which allows for an average of 20.5 wet weather discharges per year (based on a five-year rolling average). "Watercare remains compliant with the consent. This reflects that we are on a journey to reduce overflows to an average of 2 or less per year at Elizabeth Street by investing in new infrastructure," a spokesperson said. Watercare also said the reason for the higher volume of wastewater discharged this year, compared to 2024, reflected the wet weather Auckland had been experiencing, saying "it's important to note that the vast majority of these overflows consist primarily of rainwater". Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
02-08-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Letters: We need skilled immigrants; are we losing our Kiwi identity?
Linley Jones, Half Moon Bay Price of butter Who would have thought butter would become such a hot topic? But it has. It's reminiscent of the toilet paper frenzy at the start of the Covid pandemic, although that was caused by the fear of being caught short, while now, it's the high price of an everyday staple that has got people riled up. In her opinion article, 'The slippery slope that is butter', Heather du Plessis-Allan says: 'We are being irrational about the price of butter,' and 'We simply have to pay the price that we pay.' I agree. To compensate for the rise in price, I'd suggest those who are concerned about it look at what's in their trolley before going to the checkout, and remove an impulse item or a non-essential item. The money saved by doing that will offset the butter price increase. Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth. Butter alternatives? Heather du Plessis-Allan obviously does not bake, telling us to use margarine or plant-based alternatives to butter. I bake one cake and one batch of biscuits a week. Butter has two ingredients: milk and salt. I have just looked at a plant-based substitute: 10 ingredients, plus preservatives and colouring. If you need to melt a butter substitute, it melts as water. Try making a white sauce using an alternative to butter. Yes, I do moan about the price of butter, but I will not use 'chemical butter', preferring a natural and NZ-made product. Wendy Galloway, Omokoroa. Trades v university I agree with Trevor Green's letter (July 27) stating that 'trades are not secondary to academia but are equal'. In fact, at a time when many university departments seem more intent on indoctrination rather than education, a trade would seem a better bet in a world that wants to ignore objective truths. His statement taking exception to Chris Hipkins' derogatory comments about education and the trades would seem to endorse this, given that Hipkins, at one point, had difficulty making an objective comment about how to define a woman. This from a man who majored in criminology and politics at university. I am pretty sure that any tradie who came to my door to do a job would have no trouble defining a woman. But then again, why would anyone bother to ask the tradie such a question, given that he or she wouldn't find that necessary to do the job? Bernard Walker, Mt Maunganui. A simple life Would life be simpler, easier, cheaper, happier and safer without TV, mobile phones, iPads, e-scooters and the coalition Government? Bruce Tubb, Devonport. Are we losing our Kiwi identity? One has been fortunate enough to spend a few days across the ditch in the sun. In this instance, it was in Far North Queensland. So, what was the biggest impact: the $1 bus fare from suburb to city or the second bottle of good NZ wine for less than half price? Neither. It was something entirely different, something that we are fast losing in the big cities - our Kiwi identity. It was great to see a bus driver get out of his seat and put down a ramp for a woman with a pushchair, and he smiled while doing it. Being able to understand what the shopkeeper said and a 'Thanks, darl' to boot. Plus, they walk on the left-hand side of the footpath. It's not the country we used to know and love. Politicians need to understand that this identity is more important than a few extra measly dollars. Reg Dempster, Albany. Speed up the negotiations Getting those dropkicks (to quote David Seymour) to register early will streamline the process. So would negotiating with potential coalition partners before an election and sorting out their key non-negotiable issues so the voting public can decide which freak show they would prefer to endure for the next three years. Both could speed up the process, one by denying voters choice, the other by increasing their educated choice. Best of all, let's change to the Australian system of preferential voting. Aren't the majority sick of Seymour claiming he's the 'bantamweight' champion of the coalition, just tipping the scales on 8% support? Steve Russell, Hillcrest.
RNZ News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
'We're cleaning up their mess' - oyster farmers want Watercare to deal with sewage overflow
A group of oyster farmers in the north of Auckland have reached their breaking point over sewage overflow and want the government to intervene. The 10 marine farms have been in a seven-year battle with Watercare to stop sewage overflowing into the Mahurangi Harbour, which contaminates their oyster crops. At least one farmer is having to close their business, while many fear they will not survive the year, despite a pipe upgrade in September that will provide a short-term fix. At this stage, a long-term solution to the piping problem on Elizabeth Street in Warkworth is not expected until 2028. Oysters help remove pollution in water, but this means there is a high risk of food poisoning if they were eaten. Photo: Nick Monro Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones said Watercare had "failed in their statutory duty of care to the Mahurangi oyster farmers". "They are solely responsible for the collapse of the infrastructure that has ruined the businesses of the Mahurangi oyster farmers. "I am astounded that this colossus will not step up to the plate and offer financial compensation to these marine farmers, who through no fault of their own are now penalised because of the failure of water care," he said. An oyster farm in the Mahurangi Harbour. Photo: Nick Monro Jones said he was looking into what levers the government had over Watercare. "There are many areas where the Auckland City Council wants the assistance of central government. The Auckland Council is in control of Watercare, and it seems extraordinary that we're expected as central government to deliver positive outcomes for the Auckland City Council, yet one of their organisations is driving local marine farmers to penury and offering no assistance, no relief whatsoever. "Watercare is a well-heeled organisation, they're not short of capital. What they're short of, though, is corporate responsibility and obviously, don't place any importance on the maintenance of a social licence to continue to operate. "Their organisation should be renamed Zero Care. But more importantly, this is a comment on their culture," said the minister. "They know and they've known for a long time about how weak the piping system is around Mahurangi. They've chosen to find every excuse in the world to delay fixing it up and now the oyster farmers are the casualties of this corporate delinquency." An oyster farm in the Mahurangi Harbour. Photo: Nick Monro According to the farmers, the pipe network was originally scheduled to be upgraded in 2021, but never was. RNZ has asked Watercare for a response to the minister's comments and the marine farmers' concerns. The issue of wastewater overflowing into the Mahurangi Harbour has been ongoing since 2018, when farmers first raised it with Watercare. Because oysters are filter feeders, they help remove the pollution in the harbour but by doing so, there was a high risk of food poisoning if they were eaten. Mahurangi Oysters farmer Jim Aitken. Photo: Nick Monro Mahurangi Oysters farmer Jim Aitken said his own health working the oyster farms was also at risk. "Yeah, we're cleaning up their mess and we're not receiving any support for literally working in human waste," he said. "This farm is the exception, but most of these farms, you are in knee-deep in mud, waist-deep in water, getting cut on sharp oysters, nails, all kinds of things, and now we have to worry about potentially getting quite serious infections from sewage. "When we get 9mm of rain - which is happening almost weekly - that should not be triggering a spill so easily, and consistently too. Like it's not a random thing, and we're told that the pipes that are connecting storm to wastewater have been disconnected, which should never have been connected in the first place. "But the increase has tripled, so far it's on track to quadruple the number of spills because we've already doubled what we did last year, what they did last year for spills, it's pretty astounding that there isn't even an increase in rainfall compared to last year." "We're wondering what's going on here, why has it suddenly increased so dramatically, is another question too, what we're trying to figure out," said Aitken. Lynette Dunn of Orata Marine Oysters Photo: Nick Monro Lynette Dunn of Orata Marine Oysters said she had not been able to sell any locally grown produce since Christmas and had to approach Work and Income for financial support. She said the members of Parliament needed to take action to save the estimated $8 million oyster industry in the Mahurangi Harbour. "They need to start hammering the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, telling him we need some action. The government's the only person, or the only identity that's going to take Watercare on." Dunn's family business has run for 30 years and has overcome many adversities, but she said this has been the toughest period. "Every day I've been crying, you know? I think to myself, like, I'm not going to cry today, you know? Because it's not our fault, it's their fault and they're not doing anything about it. "You wail awake at night time, thinking, 'okay, how much sewage is going to go into the harbour', you know? "We used to have, like, 5 or 10 mils of rain, and we'd be closed for fresh water, or 50 to 60 mils of rain, we'll get closed for 10 days for fresh water, but now we're getting closed 28 days constantly on 5 mils of rain. "In some instances, there's no rain and there's sewage spills, but this last one was 670 cubic metres of sewage pumped into the harbour on Thursday. You know, like, the water in the streets of Warkworth, running down their pipes are overflowing and sewage coming out," she said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
27-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Kelly Tarlton's final treasure hunt
Hamish Williams and the sextant. Photo: Hamilton Williams "It'll be there. Absolutely" insisted veteran treasure hunter John Dearling. "You can't get it out of the reef without wrecking it … It's basically welded into that", agreed his fellow treasure hunter, Peter Pettigrew. But as Hamish Williams was standing in front of a 4.5-meter-tall iron anchor, listening to the thumping of a concert speaker, he was having his doubts. For the past year, Hamish and an intrepid group of allies had been trying to complete an unfinished adventure: Relocating the third anchor of the Saint Jean Baptiste, the oldest European artifact left in New Zealand. The Anchor had last been seen at the bottom of Doubtless Bay in 1982 by underwater treasure hunter (and aquarium founder) Kelly Tarlton. But while everyone insisted the Anchor must still be beneath the sea, nobody had seen it in 43 years. Now, Hamish was seeing an object which exactly matched the description of that historical relic. Far from the bottom of the ocean, it was standing high and dry amid gyrating party-goers at a music festival halfway between Warkworth and Mangawhai. Efforts to finish an adventure 250 years in the making had taken yet another bizarre twist. Tiger Tukariri. Photo: Hamilton Williams The story of the Saint Jean Baptiste is as tragic as it is dramatic. The name of the ship's captain, Jean-François Marie De Surville, draws a bitter chuckle from Tiger Tukariri. His Ngāti Kahu ancestors were among those who first greeted the Frenchman on his arrival over 250 years ago. "That punk" Tiger says of De Surville. "That punk who stole our tupuna." Captain De Surville had landed in Doubtless Bay out of desperation. He'd never intended to sail for these shores, but with his crew dropping dead of scurvy, De Surville was forced to make for New Zealand where his men were nursed back to health by Tangata Whenua, including a local chief named Ranginui. "He took them in, and brought them back to good health," Tiger says. First contact with Ngāti Kahu was peaceful. The sailors were welcomed ashore with the first documented example of a Pōwhiri, and given permission to restock on supplies of water and firewood. But on 27 December 1769, it all went wrong. A huge storm nearly wrecked the Saint Jean Baptiste against the rugged cliffs of the Karikari Peninsula. As the ship's bosun, Guilliam Labe recorded the near miss in his journal: "The sea was breaking over us and driving us onto the coast. To make matters worse, the vessels stayed for quite a long time without answering to her rudder, and we stared death in the face, seeing rocks along the length of the ship fit to make your hair stand on end." Against the odds, the ship was saved, but in the process, three of its enormous iron anchors - each measuring more than 4 meters tall and weighing a tonne and a half - were lost. In the aftermath of the storm, the peaceful relationship between Ngāti Kahu and the French sailors was fractured. Brendan Wade treasure hunting. Photo: Ellie Callaghan One of the ship's small boats had broken loose and washed ashore. It was claimed by members of the Iwi - who understood it to be a gift from Tangaroa. The French interpreted this as theft, and retaliated by burning huts and fishing nets. They then seized two carved waka, and kidnapped a local rangatira. This chief, named Ranginui, had given shelter and food to French sailors stranded on shore by the storm just a day earlier. The Saint Jean Baptiste sailed away, but neither Ranginui nor De Surville would survive the voyage to South America. Ranginui died suffering from scurvy and lack of water. De Surville drowned after the ship's small boat capsized in heavy surf off the coast of Peru. For centuries, the anchors sat undisturbed at the bottom of Doubtless Bay. Forgotten, silent relics of one of the earliest encounters between Europe and Aotearoa. That was, until a man called Kelly Tarlton came along. Hamish Williams with the second De Surville anchor at Te Papa Musuem. Photo: Hamilton Williams In the 1970s, Kelly Tarlton was world-famous in New Zealand as an underwater treasure hunter. Kelly exhaustively researched over a thousand shipwrecks around the coast of Aotearoa, and explored hundreds of them. Together with his wife Rosemary, he founded the Kelly Tarlton Museum of Shipwrecks - housed on a converted sugar freighter named the Tui, which was parked near the Treaty grounds at Waitangi. Over time, the museum was filled with treasures Kelly discovered - including the gold of the Elingamite, wrecked near the Three Kings Islands in 1902, and the Rothschild jewels from the Tasmania, which went down in 1897 off Māhia Peninsula. Sadly, after Kelly's death, all this treasure was stolen, and the Tui itself was destroyed by fire in 2025. But through the 1970s, the Shipwreck Museum generated enough cash for Kelly to fund his undersea adventures. To supplement that income, Kelly eventually decided to diversify his enterprise by building the famous aquarium in Auckland, which still bears his name. Newspapers and magazines were full of accounts of Kelly's daring expeditions - like his gruelling voyage to to the subantarctic Auckland Islands in a fruitless search for the gold of the General Grant, and his efforts at locating the notorious Lutine, which had claimed the lives of many divers in the years since it sank off the coast of the Netherlands in 1799. Then, of course, there was Kelly's discovery of the first anchor of the Saint Jean Baptiste in 1974. Anyone who has visited Te Papa museum in Wellington has undoubtedly seen this anchor. It's now mounted in the foyer, where it looms over visitors, - creased and crevassed like old dry wood thanks to two centuries of underwater corrosion. The second anchor was discovered by Northland diver Mike Bearsley, and donated to Te Ahu Museum in Kaitaia. Brendan Wade with the second De Surville anchor at Te Ahu Museum in Kaitaia. Photo: Ellie Callaghan Kelly Tarlton located the third anchor, and had plans to recover it. But tragically, in 1985, he died in his sleep, having just shaken the hand of the 100-thousandth customer at his then brand-new aquarium the day prior. Kelly's death at just 47 years old was a tragedy, most especially for his wife Rosemary and teenage daughters Nicole and Fiona, but also for the crew of treasure hunters he'd forged around him. People like Dave Moran, had become deeply attached to Kelly both through his treasure hunts, and his efforts to build the aquarium. "Kelly had it all worked out," Dave remembers. "We were going to just go wreck hunting for the rest of our lives. And then the guy that put the magic together and told the team together was gone, and no one's really replaced him." Hamish and Fiona Tarlton with flowers for Kelly in December 2020. Photo: Hamilton Williams Broadcaster Hamish Williams first heard this story from Kelly's youngest daughter, Fiona Tarlton, sitting on the back of his yacht as they sailed past the Poor Knights Islands. Fiona had agreed to crew for Hamish for a trip up north, but before they departed, Hamish was surprised to be passed a bouquet of flowers by Fiona's mother, Rosemary Tarlton. Rosemary explained the flowers were to be thrown overboard at the Poor Knights Islands, where Kelly's ashes were scattered. A few days later, as they tossed the flowers into the water, Hamish was entertained and impressed by Fiona's stories of her adventurous father. But he was equally enthralled by the idea of an incomplete adventure. An anchor left sitting at the bottom of the ocean - unseen in 40 years. Hamish pitched the idea of completing the hunt to rediscover the third anchor, and secured RNZ's support to make a podcast about the endeavour. But with no experience as a treasure hunter, he knew he'd need some help. Hamish enlisted the advice and support of Kelly's old treasure hunting companions - a fascinating and accomplished set of characters, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in the maritime world. Peter Pettigrew - Kelly's brother-in-law, who had been with him when he found the third anchor, insisted the key is a sextant, the tool De Surville himself had used to chart his position in Doubtless Bay back in 1769. Peter insisted the reason nobody has found the anchor since Kelly is because they don't use the device. "They don't take a sextant and they don't take, you know, the sextant readings from the journal and do what Kelly did, and you plot exactly where he says he was. And if you do that, that's where the anchor is." As Peter explained, Kelly had used the sextant to reverse engineer De Surville's old maps, adjusted them for the movement of the magnetic pole over the past two centuries, then searched the area using a device known as a magnetometer - which can detect iron deep beneath the water. Diving down on a signal from the magnetometer, Peter says they found the anchor almost immediately. "Nearly speared me up the bum," Peter laughed. Kelly had carefully noted the location of the anchor, but over the past 4 decades, the coordinates had seemingly been lost, and nobody had seen the anchor since. Kelly Wither and Brendan Wade look over maps. Photo: Ellie Callaghan In the process of working on his podcast, Hamish found an unexpected ally via his researcher and producer, Ellie Callahan. Ellie's partner, Brendan Wade, a marine engineer, became enthralled by the idea of finding the anchor. Brendan on his own initiative and cost installed an elaborate side scanning sonar-array on his boat, and on the very first day on the water in Doubtless Bay, they had found something. He pointed at an image from his sonar array. "There's this massive black shadow in the shape of the [anchor's] fluke," Brendan explained. "I'm not saying that that is an anchor. But what I'm saying is that if it isn't an anchor, I haven't got a … Scooby Doo of a clue of what it is." Brendan Wade pointing out at an image from his sonar array. Photo: Hamilton Williams Brendan sent his ROV down to investigate - along with a scuba diver friend named Kelly Withers - ironically, a former employee of Kelly Tarlton's aquarium. After days of diving on the spot identified by his sonar scan, Brendan thinks they have an answer. It's not the one they were hoping for. "It might not be an anchor," he admits. "If it looks like an anchor and it feels like an anchor, it doesn't always necessarily mean that it's an anchor. And in this case, we're pretty confident that it's just a rock that's shaped like an anchor." Discouraged, the team returned home. But, while scrolling through instagram, Kelly Withers saw something which made him jolt in his seat: An advertisement for a nautical-themed music festival called "Shipwrecked". Centre-stage was an enormous iron anchor - just like the one the team were looking for. Hamish Williams at the Shipwrecked festival. Photo: Hamilton Williams Hamish rapidly organised a ticket to attend the Shipwrecked festival and see the anchor in person. He drew some strange looks from other festival-goers as he walked up to the anchor in the middle of the dance floor and whipped out a tape measure. To Hamish's astonishment, the dimensions exactly matched what Kelly had recorded for the third anchor. But the early excitement was quenched by conversations with museum curators and metal experts. It turned out the measurements alone weren't enough to determine the identity of the anchor, nor would a chemical analysis of the metal it was made from. Basically, all anchors of the Saint Jean Baptiste's vintage were of a similar size and composition. Dave Moran, Brendan Wade and Keith Gordan pour over maps. Photo: Hamilton Williams The anchor's owner, Eric Morrow, explained that he had purchased the anchor in the 1990s and had no idea where it came from originally "I found in a scrapyard" Morrow explains. "It was Pacific Metals in those days, and they didn't know what to do with it. They were going to melt down, though. And I just happened to be there that day. So I offered them double scrap price for it." Morrow had heard many theories about his anchor over the years, including that it was the third anchor of the Saint Jean Baptiste. It seemed a strong possibility, especially with multiple searches of Doubtless Bay coming up empty. Hamish brought the Tarlton family to take a look at Morrow's anchor, as well as two of Kelly's former treasure- hunting companions: Dave Moran and Keith Gordon, head of the New Zealand Underwater Heritage Group. Dave walked up to inspect the anchor more closely. Damage to one of its flukes had caught his eye. "This here is really rough. I mean, one thing of that Kelly things said was that it had a fluke sticking into the reef." Kelly Tarlton's old photos of the anchor show it with one fluke deeply embedded in a rocky reef. The marks Dave Moran is pointing to might be a sign of that. Dave also notes the anchor has a significant bend in it. "I've never seen one of those anchors bent like that," he says. "That would have taken tonnes, you know, to bend it." David Moran theorises the bend might have been caused either by the enormous mass of the Saint Jean Baptiste pulling on the anchor's cable - or maybe been damaged when it was recovered from the ocean floor. But Keith Gordon was more skeptical. Together he and Dave decided it was worth one more trip to Doubtless Bay - just to eliminate any possibility the anchor might still be down there. "We want to go up and have another crack at it," Dave said. The hunt continues Hamish, Fiona, Brendan, Dave and Keith - as well as local Doubtless Bay diver Whetu Rutene - made their way out to the coordinates they'd determined most likely for the anchor. This time they had a new weapon: Keith's magnetometer - a more modern version of the tool Kelly Tarlton had used to find the anchor four decades earlier. Hamish was 90 percent convinced at this stage that the anchor at the Shipwrecked festival was, in fact, the third anchor. But he was happy to spend a day out on the water with Kelly's friends and family. However, it turned out this treasure hunt had a final twist. A loud beep came from the magnetometer, and a spike flicked across the screen. "Oooo we've already got a big hit!" exclaimed Keith Gordon. The first reading on the magnetometer. Photo: Hamilton Williams Scanning the same spot repeatedly, the magnetometer continued to detect a large anomaly on the sea floor - exactly what you'd expect for a 4.5 meter long anchor. The second reading on the magnetometer. Photo: Hamilton Williams Dave Moran, 82, didn't need any more excuses. Flipping backwards into water, his air regulator gripped between his teeth, he descended 30 meters to the bottom. After a few tense minutes, the octogenarian scuba diver resurfaced. "I didn't see anything" he yelled across to a disappointed crew. The next day, Dave and Whetu made two more dives on the same spot. Both turn up nothing. "It won't give up it's soul easy," Dave remarked to Whetu. Dave Moran about to dive into Doubtless Bay. Photo: Hamilton Williams But the treasure hunters aren't discouraged. They're already planning their next expedition with more advanced diving gear, hoping to catch a glimpse of the anchor they are convinced remains at the bottom of Doubtless Bay. "It's been a big adventure" grins Keith Gordon, "and it keeps us old people young". So how does this adventure end? Is this magnetometer signal truly the third De Surville anchor? If so, where did the anchor at the Shipwrecked festival come from? For now, these questions remain unanswered, and the hunt continues… To hear the full dramatic story of Kelly Tarlton's final treasure hunt , be sure to follow and listen on your favourite podcasting app.
RNZ News
23-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Fletcher Building announces hundreds of millions more in restructuring costs
Fletcher Building chief executive Andrew Reding said a strategic review of the business revealed its losses. Photo: Supplied Fletcher Building has announced hundreds of millions of dollars of new restructuring and impairment costs, and continued a suspension of its dividend as it focuses on paying down debt. At an investor day briefing it disclosed estimated losses for the current financial year between $573 million to $781m of significant items which will hit its full-year results to be announced in August. Chief executive Andrew Reding said a strategic review of its businesses revealed the losses. "We expect FY25 EBIT (earnings before interest and tax -- before significant items) to be in the range of $370m to $375m." Specific provisions detailed included the already disclosed $251m writedown of its Australian plumbing business Iplex; $58m lost on the sale of Australian distribution business Tradelink; $12m-$15m on the International Convention Centre; $10m-$15m for defending legal action for the West Australian leaky pipes issue; and just disclosed $16.4m loss on the Puhoi to Warkworth highway. Reding said the additional losses related to restructuring and redundancy costs, goodwill and brand impairments, closure costs and exiting onerous technology contracts. The company said there would be no dividends for shareholders until its net debt level has fallen to the mid-range of $400m to $900m, when the dividend policy would be reviewed. The new guidance was subject to market conditions for the remainder of June which is Fletcher Building's financial year-end. The uncertainty in the estimates related to the timing of housing settlements in its Fletcher Living unit. The company's share price tumbled nearly 4 percent to $2.96 in early trading. In materials presented for the investor day the company said it had made savings of about $200m and cut staff by about 620 full time positions. It said its medium term focus would be on manufacturing and distribution of building products and materials, in a simple and decentralised structure. In February, Fletcher Building reported half-year losses of $134m, and said it expected economic pressures to persist for the remainder of the year. The strategic review has been aimed at streamlining its businesses in New Zealand and Australia, but it did not release any details of businesses that might be sold. The company is also being sued by Sky City Entertainment for hundreds of millions of dollars over delays in completing the International Convention Centre in Auckland. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
