"In the past week, we have been made aware of similar situations occurring in Nelson," said Tracey Martin, Chief Executive of the Aged Care Association. "This is not a behavioural issue, it is a predictable clinical progression of dementia," Martin said. This must include the establishment of a dedicated Aged Residential Care Infrastructure Grant Fund, modelled on Australia’s Aged Care Capital Assistance Program (ACCAP), which provides targeted grants to build, extend, or upgrade aged care services - including staff accommodation - in regions where access is limited or non-existent. Ministerial Advisory Group must deliver outcomes for peopleThe Aged Care Association acknowledges the establishment of the Ministerial Advisory Group by the current Government as an important step in examining how aged residential care, home-based care, and disability services interact. "It’s about preventing delayed discharges, unnecessary relocation, and people receiving the wrong care because the right care doesn’t exist."

A truck carrying portaloos crashed on a South Canterbury highway this afternoon, spilling hundreds of litres of human waste on to the road. The crash happened on State Highway 1 near Geraldine shortly before 2pm. It was initially reported that 3000 litres of human waste had dispersed, but Fire and Emergency New Zealand later said further evaluations confirmed it was closer to 500 litres. The road was down to one lane for a time as emergency services and local authorities responded. - Allied Media

Police are warning the public about a rise in counterfeit $50 and $100 banknotes being circulated across New Zealand, urging people to remain alert when handling cash. According to a report by Stuff, authorities say the increase in reports is of particular concern for those working in the retail and hospitality sectors, where staff may unknowingly accept fake notes during transactions. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has advised the public to use the “look-feel-tilt” test to identify genuine banknotes. Police are urging anyone who believes they may have received a counterfeit banknote to report it immediately. Producing or knowingly using counterfeit currency is a serious criminal offence.

By Anna Sargent of RNZA woman died after being dropped from a hospital stretcher at Whangārei Hospital, a coroner has found. If the ramp was the new configuration, the stretcher would not have tipped into the ambulance bay. Health New Zealand and St John had made a number of changes since Batten's death and accepted the coroner's findings. "Of note, Hato Hone St John have increased training by two days to focus on the safe operation of stretchers as a single-use operator. Hato Hone St John ambulance operations general manager Debra Larsen said Batten's death had a profound impact on everyone involved.

Santana believes there is gold in those hills (Image: NZME)Santana Minerals was down nearly 15% in mid-day trading on the NZX after doubts were cast over how quickly the fast-track application for consents for its central Otago gold mine would be decided.Santana’s performance was in contrast to fellow would-be miners Manuka Resources (up 8%) and Minerals Exploration (up 2%). Mining companies have generally benefiting from record high gold prices and firm demand for other minerals.Santana was trading at $1.15, down 14.5%, Manuka at 26c, up 8.3% and Minerals Exploration at 29c, up 6c.Last November,...

One person died on Saturday following a crash that left three others injured. One dead, three injured after State Highway 1 crash in NorthlandOne person died on Saturday following a crash that left three others injured. Photo / NZMEOne person has died and three others were injured in a crash on State Highway 1 in Northland over the weekend. Police and other emergency services responded to the crash at Oakleigh, south of Whangārei, at 2.20pm on Saturday. “Sadly, one person died at the scene,” police said.

One of the mourners on Auckland's domain as many gathered to remember missing teen Sharon Maccanico. Photo: RNZTearful mourners have gathered on Auckland's domain this evening to remember one of the teens missing after a landslide at Mt Maunganui. Sharon Maccanico, 15, is one of six people missing after the slip at a holiday park last week. Sharon Maccanico. In attendance was the Honorary Consul to Italy in Auckland, Lindsey Jones, who said she could not imagine how Maccanico's parents must be feeling.

The fire service received a 111 call at 5.48am on Thursday from a person reporting a slip near the Mt Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park. Photo: RNZThe fire service received a 111 call about a slip near the Mt Maunganui holiday park nearly four hours before a fatal landslide, it can be revealed. Recovery work resumed today at the site of the Mount Maunganui landslide, where six people remain missing following Thursday's landslide. Max Furse-Kee, 15, Sharon Maccanico, 15 and Susan Knowles, 71, are three of the six Mt Maunganui landslide victims. When approached for comment, Tauranga City Council Controller Tom McEntyre said they would wait for the outcome of the investigation.

Photo: suppliedClimate protesters dropped a large inflatable Earth in front of cruise ship The World as it departed from the Otago Harbour yesterday. The action was a combined effort from the Climate Liberation Aotearoa Ōtepoti branch and the Global Cruise Activist Network. The groups wanted the industry’s emissions counted in local and national carbon budgets and mitigated or preferably reduced. They also wanted the local community to stop having to subsidise cruise ships. Finally, the groups wanted big ships to stop going to Milford Sound, Fiordland, Ulva Island, Antarctica and other sensitive ecological areas.

When I walk around the city centre, it feels somewhat hollowed out. Queen St has become an asphalt wasteland with no street cafes or attractions to entice the visitor and convince them to stay. Most of our investment in the city centre has been to put in cycleways and pave things over. France has added a major new contemporary art destination in Paris by relocating the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain on top of all the sites it already has. People would come and stay, spend multiple hotel nights, eat and drink and shop, spend the kind of money that helps a city invest in itself.

The Tahuna Wastewater Treatment Plant. Photo: Gerard O'BrienA Dunedin man told police the only reason he broke into a wastewater treatment plant was to "hide" from people searching from him. At 11.30am on Sunday, officers were called to the Tahuna Wastewater Treatment Plant in Lawyers Head after a 43-year-old man broke into the complex, Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen said. The man smashed an exterior window in his bid to get in, and damaged the inside of the room while there. He was arrested, for burglary, and when asked why he was there, he told police people were looking for him, so he had to "hide".

A Dunedin driver who "fell asleep" before crashing is suspected of huffing nitrous oxide while behind the wheel. Police arrived and he told officers that he "fell asleep" while driving. He underwent breath testing procedures and a compulsory impairment test, and passed both. Police found a "large" collection of nitrous oxide canisters — also referred to as "nangs" — sitting in the boot. Nang usage would not show up in a compulsory impairment test.

Video / Herald NowAll Blacks: New Zealand Rugby confirms process to find next coach after Scott Robertson’s exitNew Zealand Rugby has confirmed the process and criteria to finalise the next All Blacks coach, following Scott Robertson’s exit earlier this month. Robertson, 51, departed his role earlier this month, just two years into the 2027 Rugby World Cup cycle. Now, with pressure on to appoint Robertson’s successor, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has confirmed the requirements for the next coach to meet, with a five-person appointment panel tasked with shortlisting and interviewing candidates. NZR chair David Kirk and former All Blacks hooker Keven Mealamu, who conducted the player reviews which ultimately contributed to Robertson’s exit, will both be part of the appointment panel. Tricker was NZR’s high performance leader from 2010 to 2017 and was involved in the review of 2025 as an external consultant.

A stray cow had been wandering on the Northern Motorway for hours before it was hit by a car and killed late last night. A person driving a silver Mitsubishi Outlander along State Highway 1, just past Pigeon Flat, hit the wandering cow at 10pm yesterday, Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen said. The impact damaged the car and caused the cow to die, Snr Sgt Dinnissen added. Throughout Sunday, the wandering cow had led to multiple calls to emergency services, however, every time they went to search for the cow it could not be found. There were no injuries to any humans, Snr Sgt Dinnissen said.

The man was kayaking on Otago Harbour during the weekend's rough weather. File Photo: Stephen JaquieryA Dunedin man who made it his day’s mission to "travel to Ōtākou by water" succeeded — albeit stark naked after his clothes washed away when his kayak capsized. Before his kayak trip, the man said on social media he decided to make it his goal for Sunday to "travel to Ōtākou by water". The man spent three hours battling away in the water, swallowing saltwater while the rain, wind and large swells kept coming in. He said volunteers and a large rescue team were all "freezing cold" on the water searching for the man for hours.