Teams travelled from all over the motu to participate in last year’s waka challenge on Lake Te Anau. (Caleb Lay)Teams from as far as Rotorua will be battling it out on Lake Te Anau this weekend for the fourth Ki Uta Ki Tai Waka Challenge. “We are particularly proud that this is the second year that we will be running rangatahi races to support the hauora of our young people,” she said. “Ki Uta Ki Tai offers more than a waka ama competition – it is centered on whakawhanaungatanga, connecting whānau to te taiao, and hauora,” Young explained. The W6 outrigger canoes are each manned by teams of six, and teams will be travelling from as far as Ōtautahi, Ōtepoti, Tāhuna and Rotorua to compete.

Whare Manaaki o te Tai Poutini provides community lunches and dinners for struggling whānau on the West Coast as demand for food banks rises 20%. (Eli Maiava/Supplied)Greymouth woman Eli Maiava (Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe, Poutini Kai Tahu) says the cost of food on the West Coast is astronomical. It offers community lunches and dinners, a community pātaka (pantry) and māra kai (garden) and is one of the New Zealand Food Networks (NZFN) food hubs. NZFN, a food supply and distribution organisation, released a survey this week revealing a 20% increase in demand for food support in the six months to June 2023 compared to the six months to December 2022. Greymouth woman Eli Maiava says food costs are astronomical and her kaupapa Māori community hub is striving to make a difference.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has revealed that he feared that his participation in the 2023 ODI World Cup was over before it had even begun. Speaking to Stuff.co.nz, Stokes revealed that his fear stemmed from an incident in the gym at the Radisson Blu hotel in Guwahati, where he heard a disconcerting "pop" sound from his left hip during a fitness session. World Cup 2023: Full Coverage | Points TableThe unsettling noise turned out to be the sound of Stokes ripping the fascia off his muscle, a severe injury that could have potentially ended his World Cup journey prematurely. "Thankfully it wasn't anywhere near as bad as we initially thought," Stokes said, expressing his relief. “When you lose a game at the World Cup, it can be pretty emotional about it,” Stokes said.

The violence meted out by Hamas was calculated to inspire a rage retaliation from Israel that will trip the West Bank and Hezbollah. As each obscene act of violence is met by another obscene act of violence, the invasion of Gaza will be a self mutilating wound that can only escalate. Image what happens when Hamas start live streaming the torture and murder of hostages? America has moved two carrier strike forces into the area and the escalation from Gaza to the regional proxy war is far closer than we are currently calculating. If that path towards de-escalation is not sought now, the war crimes about to be committed could combine to cause an explosion of violence we can’t recover from.

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On Thursday we ran a guest post from Darren Davis about possible new train stations in the Northern WaikatoWayne Brown to champion light rail? The National party is dead against it, but Auckland’s mayor has thrown out a lifeline for a light rail project in the city. There have been a few other articles looking at National’s promise to cancel light rail, such as by Radio NZ and Business Desk. Average Speed CamerasAuckland is to get average speed cameras. These safety cameras can calculate the average speed that a vehicle travels across a length of road between two cameras.

Glenys HanleyOwaka residents say The Catlins Area School should be more transparent with parents over revelations the principal’s husband is a convicted sex offender. During the assault, he attempted to rape a tourist in a toilet cubicle while armed with a knife. "What else could they be sweeping under the rug from parents of the school?" A parent of a former pupil at the school called on the board to address the issue and answer questions. Board of trustees presiding member Simon Walker could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Small businesses are increasingly falling victim to hackers who target their Facebook business accounts, causing financial losses and account lockouts. One such company affected is Yum Granola, a Nelson-based granola company. Yum Granola director, Sarah Hedger, discovered that her Facebook account had been hijacked when her mother alerted her to suspicious activity. However, almost three weeks later, they are still unable to regain access to their business account. Benjamin Black Goldsmiths, another affected business, faced a similar situation when their Facebook account was hacked.

The announcement of the return of the competition coincides with Advertising Week New York, where the inaugural Imprint competition winners – OMD, are currently being hosted as part of their prize-winning experience. Greg McCrea, NZME Head of Agency Sales, says NZME is proud to bring the competition back following its successful launch last year. “Research has shown us that exceptional creative advertising plays a pivotal role in enhancing brand awareness and recall. The winner of the NZME Imprint Competition will win flights for two to New York, five nights’ accommodation, two tickets to Advertising Week New York and two tickets to a Broadway show of their choice. To participate in NZME’s Imprint competition, visit imprint.nz.

Greetings fellow rugby lovers & welcome to another Friday’s Rugby News. Look at round one of the WXV1 in ‘Golden Girls Go Time!’ before ‘Friday’s Goss with Hoss‘, your guaranteed weekly rugby news ‘Pinada’. The stark reality in France is that rugby has no time for sentiment and likewise, deserving has nothing to do with it. Rugby cares not that you are a retiring national treasure and in a team that for years has been playing sublime rugby. Golden Girls Go TimeOne for all rugby lovers today as our Wallaroos take on an actual exciting English rugby side, the Red Roses.

Entertainment Tonight published this video item, entitled “Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold on ‘CRAZY’ Night at Taylor Swift Premiere (Exclusive)” – below is their description. Harry Jowsey and Rylee Arnold chat with ET’s Denny Directo after ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Disney100 night, which aired on Tuesday on ABC and Disney+. The pair opens up about going together to the premiere of Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour concert film. They tell ET, though they didn’t get to meet Taylor, the whole night was ‘crazy!’ Entertainment Tonight YouTube ChannelGot a comment? Please note comments are moderated before publication.

Netsafe and 2degrees launch 'Your First Phone' at Kohia Terrace School, Epsom2degrees, backed by Netsafe, has launched a new programme designed to give parents the tools they need to teach their kids the good things, and the bad things, about being online when they give them their first phone. Video / NZ Herald

Liz Gunn outside court today. The New Zealand Loyal leader said her prediction the party would get two million votes made at a public meeting during the recent campaign was said in jest. Speaking outside court today, Gunn clarified her comments that recently made headlines, in which she predicted her party would win two million votes in the October 14 general election. Gunn said she thought there were at least 700,000 special votes to be counted at a “conservative estimate.”The Electoral Commission reports there are 567,000 special votes still to be counted. She said she had received several phone calls and messages from her voters who said they had placed special votes.

Stuff and MediaWorks have been named as the brand new media partners for fashion, music and sports event Lexus Urban Polo. From fashion to DJs, Champagne, engaging activations and divot stomping, Lexus Urban Polo is being taken to the next level. Lexus Urban Polo managing director Simon Wilson is delighted to welcome Stuff and MediaWorks as new event partners. “Partnering together with Aotearoa’s top media brands shows the power of Urban Polo to reach a younger, glamorous crowd in a sport that’s growing internationally.”He urges everyone who hasn’t experienced urban polo yet to snap up their tickets. Stuff and MediaWorks will ensure the event engages as many Kiwis as possible, with Stuff’s leading digital, print, magazine and audio products reaching 3.4m Kiwis**, and MediaWorks radio brands reaching 2.4* million listeners weekly.

Term deposit rates also increased by between 15 basis points at the shorter end and 30 basis points for five-year terms. Consumer price index data has shown weak results at 5.5%, and thus, official cash rate increases were less likely. Some analysts are expecting this rate to persist through 2025. Gareth Kiernan, chief forecaster at Infometrics, said there are some factors that influenced these movements, including the cost of funding on international markets. “At the shorter end, Kiwibank looks like it’s moving its mortgages to be more in line with the other banks – previously they’ve been a little bit lower,” said Kiernan.