Traffic returns to Auckland roads
New Zealand's main centres are buzzing for the first time in almost five weeks. About 400,000 people are returning to work today, as the country transitions to alert level 3. Cars returned to Auckland's Southern Motorway, which has been mostly empty during five weeks of level 4 restrictions to eliminate the deadly coronavirus. Timesaver Traffic's Rebecca Apolosi says it's clearly visible on Auckland roads. "Overlooking Spaghetti Junction, I can see plenty of cars coming and going in all directions. "The Southern Motorway is the most active, heading south. Even then, no hold-ups to report. "There's the usual trucks, buses and courier vehicles that have been operating as normal under alert level 4.
"However, there's plenty of tradie vans and utes whizzing past as well this morning." The main commuter roads into Wellington are a bit busier than last week, but the central city is still pretty quiet. "Traffic is a little heavier than it has been under level 4, but the streets are still relatively quiet in the capital." Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says people should continue to work from home if they can, but businesses can reopen if they have safe-practice measures in place. Industries like construction, forestry and manufacturing can get back to work, but staff have to make sure they keep 1m between each other, record who they interact with, have good hygiene practices and make sure surfaces are disinfected. Construction workers are injecting a little bit of life back into central Auckland. One construction worker, who asked not to be named, said he's very glad the level 4 lockdown is finally over. "I'm quite excited about it to be honest. It's been a long five weeks, so it would be good to get back into it and into finishing our project. "We sort of made a plan last week on what we're going to do to get back to work. We've implemented that and we should hit the ground running today."
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Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.2% Summer
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36.3% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
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