Latest from NZ Herald
NZ Herald
28 minutes ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Rotorua's Run the Forest event sells out with 4500 participants
Thousands of runners and walkers are taking part in the sold-out Run the Forest event in Rotorua on Saturday, expected to inject millions into the local economy.
NZ Herald
28 minutes ago
- NZ Herald
Actors, parents ‘disappointed' by National Youth Theatre's response to Cole Johnston's sex charges
Former National Youth Theatre performers and parents allege an entertainer charged with grooming and raping a girl worked for the organisation in the years his offending allegedly occurred. There is no suggestion the alleged abuse occurred at the organisation or that the theatre group was aware of the alleged activity.
NZ Herald
an hour ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Ōhau wall: Legal threat looms and Rotorua ex-mayor admits fault in due diligence
Last month, local groups issued a letter of demand to the regional council, with Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell backing urgent calls for a long-term solution. The regional council denied breaching consent, citing improved Lake Rotorua water quality and disputing harmful leakage. It said the wall was structurally sound and repairs could be costly and unnecessary. The lakes community groups presented their case again at today's regional council meeting. They pressed for urgent attention to corroding king piles, which they said were necessary for any long-term solution. They rejected the council's recommendations of a 'dynamic adaptation pathway planning' solution. That proposal would involve the council monitoring and investigating the wall unless diverted to other solutions by further information. This pathway was eventually approved at the meeting, but concerns around its timeline and Lake Rotoiti's degrading quality resulted in two amendments: that all investigations and trialling options be expedited and options for improving Lake Rotoiti water quality be hastened. This would include trialling work, particularly involving the king piles, described as the most critical structural component. The council believed the king piles would be sound until 2038. However, their integrity is key to any long-term solutions and repair options would be assessed. Holes visible in the Ōhau Channel diversion wall. Photo / Supplied Before today's decision, an initial dive inspection and structural analysis was scheduled for next year. Winters labelled previous trials a 'waste of time' and was 'really disappointed' with the council's report, calling it a deference rather than a decision. The regional councillor was Rotorua's mayor when the wall was approved and constructed. Winters is stepping down at October's election but suggested he would not take his 'eye off the ball' again. Former Rotorua mayor and Bay of Plenty Regional councillor Kevin Winters. Photo / Andrew Warner 'It was my fault as Mayor of Rotorua,' he said. 'I dropped the ball in terms of the due diligence from our engineers at the time and it came back to bite me big time. I am not going to let this be a second time in terms of a long-term solution going forward.' Councillor Jane Nees agreed there was a 'serious problem'. 'I don't agree it is not as pressing as staff are telling us,' said Nees. She suggested they could not be certain Lake Rotoiti would not worsen and, no matter what their next steps were, work needed to be expedited. Lakes Water Quality Society chairman John Gifford (left) speaking at a Bay of Plenty Regional Council meeting. Photo / Mathew Nash Regional council chief executive Fiona McTavish said she had been advised legal action was a possibility from the community groups. Lakes Water Quality Society chairman John Gifford told the meeting they would rather avoid legal action but had done 'due diligence' and it remained 'on the table'. As for the expediting of the repair investigations, he remains unconvinced. 'The proof will be in the delivery,' said Gifford. 'I think even though there was some indication of urgency, it is hard to see how that is going to roll out practically.' The trial and inspection regime was budgeted at $1.9m under the council's most recent long-term plan. Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years. – LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
NZ Herald
an hour ago
- NZ Herald
Fire at Tokoroa flats not being treated as suspicious
A block of flats in Tokoroa caught fire this morning. Emergency services were called to the incident on Pōhutukawa Drive around 10.25am. Fire and Emergency New Zealand attended with five trucks and tankers. 'The fire... was well involved upon arrival of the first truck,' a spokesperson said. The flames were
NZ Herald
an hour ago
- Health
- NZ Herald
‘Cosmetic cowboys' to be banned from carrying out Brazilian butt lifts in Britain
People aged under-18 will be banned from high-risk procedures, such as injectables, amid concerns that children needed to be protected from 'dangerous beauty trends on social media'. Health officials said the steps aimed to protect the public from 'rogue operators' with no medical training, who often provided 'invasive' procedures in homes, hotels, and pop-up clinics. The move would also reduce the cost imposed upon the national health service to fix botched procedures, the Department of Health and Social Care said. Karin Smyth, the Health Minister, said: 'The cosmetics industry has been plagued by a wild west of dodgy practitioners and procedures. There are countless horror stories of 'cosmetic cowboys' causing serious, catastrophic damage. 'This Government is taking action to protect those seeking treatments, support honest and competent practitioners, and root out the cowboys as part of our plan for change. 'This isn't about stopping anyone from getting treatments – it's about preventing rogue operators from exploiting people at the expense of their safety and keeping people safe. We're giving them peace of mind and reducing the cost to the [health service] of fixing botched procedures.' Those who break the rules on high-risk procedures could face sanctions from the watchdog and financial penalties. The department said it would launch a consultation next year, seeking views on the range of procedures that should be covered by the new restrictions. Last month, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute warned that fat injections, Brazilian butt lifts, Botox and fillers are being offered by untrained people in places such as public toilets. There have also been concerns about rising numbers of people poisoned by fake Botox, leaving consumers struggling with breathing and swallowing problems, and slurred speech, after suffering from botulism. Millie Kendall, the chief executive of the British Beauty Council, said: 'Any measures that increase protection for the general public and professionalise the industry will help instil confidence, as well as helping to prevent the normalisation of horror stories that have become synonymous with our sector'. Ashton Collins, the director of Save Face, a register of accredited practitioners, said: 'I am delighted that the Government has recognised the significant and potentially fatal risks posed by highly dangerous procedures like liquid Brazilian butt lifts and has made it a priority to implement restrictions to protect public safety'. 'I have seen first-hand the devastating impact these procedures can have on the lives of victims and their families, none more so than the family of Alice Webb.' Webb died last year, aged 33, after suffering complications from having a non-surgical Brazilian butt lift, which involved cosmetic fluid being injected into her buttocks. The mother-of-five worked in the beauty industry and lived in Gloucestershire.
