A person died at Piha Beach, Auckland, today despite the efforts of police and surf lifesavers. Sign in hereAccess to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Person dies at Auckland’s Piha Beach after being swept out by wavesA person died at Piha Beach, Auckland, today despite the efforts of police and surf lifesavers. Photo / Jason OxenhamA person has died at Piha Beach on Auckland’s west coast today after being swept away by waves. Police were called to the scene about 12.30pm after receiving a report of someone being washed away, a spokesperson said.

Two inflatable rescue boats and two jet skis were launched, joining a rescue effort including the Police Eagle, the Northern Rescue Helicopter and Coastguard NZ. Surf lifeguards retrieved a 5-year-old child from the water, leaving one male still missing, Surf Life Saving said. Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter, the Eagle helicopter and Surf Life Saving performed an extensive grid search for him. A rāhui has been placed over Port Waikato and surrounding areas until 8pm tomorrow by the people of Te Pūaha o Waikato. It affects Sunset Beach and the Waikato River from Port Waikato to Kariotahi Beach.

Stott, the head chef at the Old Packhouse Cafe in Kerikeri, tends to have Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, so he and his whānau can spend the next day at the beach. “It gives us the opportunity to be together ... and be grateful for everything.”Aqua Restaurant head chef Craig EstickAqua Restaurant head chef Craig Estick aims to keep things simple for the festive season. A few years ago, Aqua Restaurant head chef Craig Estick and his wife, Suzy, made two decisions to reduce Christmas stress. “I’d rather concentrate on downtime than be in the kitchen.”How to reduce Christmas food wasteShop smart: Make lists, estimate portions, and avoid impulse festive deals. Get creative with leftovers: Transform ham and turkey into new meals like fried rice, pies, frittatas, or soups.

The Commerce Commission said it was not convinced at this stage a takeover of Bremworth Carpets by US-based Mohawk Industries would not reduce competition. PHOTO: SUPPLIEDThe Commerce Commission has competition concerns about a takeover that would bring the country’s two biggest carpet manufacturers under a single owner.The regulator said it was not convinced at this stage that a takeover of Bremworth Carpets by US-based Mohawk Industries, which owns Godfrey Hirst and Feltex, would not reduce competition. Bremworth’s board agreed in October to a takeover by Mohawk Industries, for between $70 million and $77m, through an agreed scheme of arrangement, which requires a lower level of shareholder approval. It followed the launch of a strategic review in February, and the ousting of directors and the chief executive in a boardroom coup this year. At the time, Bremworth chairman Rob Hewett said the buyout agreement was the best outcome for shareholders after it looked at several potential buyers, and was unanimously backed by the board.

Several weather watches have been issued as thunderstorms are expected for the southeast of the South Island and the upper North Island. MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Christchurch, Canterbury Plains, Canterbury High Country, North Otago, Central Otago, Dunedin, Clutha and Southland from 1pm until 8pm today. "A cold unstable air-mass affects parts of the South Island today. Meanwhile up north, a complex trough embedded in a moist unstable air-mass was expected to move east across the upper North Island, the forecaster said. It issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty and Rotorua from 2pm until 8pm today.

He arrived in Dunedin from Australia in 1974 “with a wife and a little boy and not much else”. If you’ve got a reasonable understanding of what you’re doing and a bit of experience, go ahead and do it. “This one here’s got six duplexes, that’s 12 homes, and another three standalones on top, so 15 in total,” he says. They simply need to show they’re working, saving, and serious. “Dunedin’s been pretty good to me,” he says.

Photo: Supplied / NZ Police / Senior Constable Alex StammersA police dog seriously injured after falling into scalding geothermal water is finally getting to enjoy retirement after months of recovery - just in time for Christmas. Photo: Supplied / NZ PoliceThe pair graduated as an operational team in 2018. Teo won the award for best new operational dog in her first year and in 2024 they were awarded Auckland City District’s Murray Morrisey Award for operational excellence. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police / Senior Constable Alex StammersTracking and finding people in search and rescue work had likely saved lives, he said. "Every day she's trying to jump in the back of the van to come to work with me," Johannsen said.

Piha Beach. File photo: NZ HeraldA body has been found at Piha Beach after a police helicopter joined a search for a person swept away. A person was reported to have been washed away by waves at the Auckland beach, about 12.30pm on Boxing Day, police said in a statement. "The Police Eagle [helicopter] was deployed to help locate the person," the statement said. The death would be referred to the coroner.

Rockfall has been causing disruption on the roads around Arthur's Pass between Canterbury and the West Coast. Fire and Emergency said it responded to a crash around 10.15pm on Christmas Day on State Highway 73, near the turnoff to Mount White. A car had run into a fallen rock and was damaged, but there were no injuries. And further west on the Ōtira Gorge stretch of the same highway, a section of the road had a priority give-way system in place because of rockfall. It was still in place early on Boxing Day morning.

A post on social media this morning warned people heading to Auckland Airport for flights to “be aware the Manawa Bay Boxing Day shoppers are adding an obscene amount of traffic to the journey”. The weather service says during this period, driving conditions will also be hazardous, “with surface flooding and poor visibility in heavy rain”. The Boxing Day shopping rush follows Christmas Eve retaining its title as the busiest shopping day of the year, though the peak hour was well down on previous years. That was lower than the 607,299 transactions recorded in the same hour on Christmas Eve last year. In 2020, some 678,812 transactions were made between noon and 1pm on Christmas Eve.

Man appears in court on charges after handing himself in for questioning over suspected double homicideThe man appeared in court on December 26. Photo / NZMEA man who handed himself in to police for questioning over the suspected double homicide of a farming couple has appeared in court. A man was named a person of interest over the suspected double homicide, which was followed by a nearly two-week search for him. Central District Commander Superintendent Dion Bennett said the man had presented himself to the Whanganui Police Station about 1.30pm on Christmas Day, and was arrested on an active warrant. “Police on ground in the area will now be making further inquiries in the investigation,” Bennett said.

You can do this by wetting your dog with cool water and turning the air con on in the car, for example, says Javala. “If your dog has long hair, make sure you’re brushing through it and check them again after you [return from] a walk. Make sure you’re checking between the foot pads and around their ears and their face.”There are a few things dog owners need to avoid on NZ beaches over summer. Another one to watch around water is blue-green algae, which produces harmful toxins that can be fatal to dogs. If your dog eats it, Javala says they may experience severe and continuous seizure activity, vomiting, high heart rate, drooling and diarrhoea.

More than 4500 unwanted Christmas presents were already on TradeMe by 8.30am on Boxing Day. Photo: Getty ImagesMore than 4500 unwanted Christmas gifts had already been listed for sale online by 8.30am on Boxing Day, according to Trade Me. "It's become a bit of a tradition for Kiwi to list their unwanted Christmas pressies on Trade Me. Silvester said including the words "unwanted gift" in the tile will help attract bargain hunters and clear, well-lit photos would also make a difference. The company's survey found that popular choices of dealing with unwanted presents also include donating them to charity, regifting, or stashing them in a cupboard to be forgotten.

MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm warning over Dunedin and Clutha. MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm warning over Dunedin and Clutha. Photo / 123rfBy RNZMetService has issued a severe thunderstorm warning over Dunedin and Clutha. It said thunderstorms are moving east/northeast and are expected over Dunedin about 6pm. MetService said thunder will be accompanied by very heavy rain and large hail and warns it may make driving conditions dangerous.

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