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Road safety advocates say plummeting police breath test numbers could be contributing to Northland’s “appalling” road toll this year and alcohol-related crashes more than 50% higher than any other region.
There have been 21 deaths on Northland’s roads so far, the highest road toll … View moreRoad safety advocates say plummeting police breath test numbers could be contributing to Northland’s “appalling” road toll this year and alcohol-related crashes more than 50% higher than any other region.
There have been 21 deaths on Northland’s roads so far, the highest road toll figures for January to June in the last five years.
The cause of these crashes is still under investigation, but the latest report by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency showed Northland had the highest rate of alcohol-related crashes in December 2020.
Meanwhile, the number of police breath screening tests for drink-driving has dropped to just a third of the number in 2014-15.
Do you think police do enough breath testing where you are? Are you worried about drink driving?
We are incredibly proud to welcome our new Neighbourly partner – the New Zealand Heart Foundation!
Not only will they be helping us to stay ‘heart healthy in our neighbourhoods,’ the Heart Foundation will also be sharing:
- News & updates from the incredible Heart Foundation Lottery… View moreWe are incredibly proud to welcome our new Neighbourly partner – the New Zealand Heart Foundation!
Not only will they be helping us to stay ‘heart healthy in our neighbourhoods,’ the Heart Foundation will also be sharing:
- News & updates from the incredible Heart Foundation Lottery – including how to win a brand-new home (check out our latest Lottery here)
- Heart-warming stories including how the Heart Foundation supports those in the community living with heart disease
- Handy heart health and wellbeing resources and tips
- How you can show your big heart through local volunteering opportunities
- How to eat healthy to your heart’s content with some great recipes
Please join us in giving the Heart Foundation a warm, hearty welcome!
We don’t need to go too far to hear about the cost of living crisis and the fact is, right now, 1 in 6 children go without essentials like food and clothing. While we can’t control this cost, we can make a difference. The Giving Store works to help kiwis give to kiwis.
When you donate one of… View moreWe don’t need to go too far to hear about the cost of living crisis and the fact is, right now, 1 in 6 children go without essentials like food and clothing. While we can’t control this cost, we can make a difference. The Giving Store works to help kiwis give to kiwis.
When you donate one of our Winter Essential Packs, 100% of your donation will go to families in need this winter. Let's not let the cost of living get in the way of giving. Together, we can make hope the headline
I installed a small solar rooftop array (3.6kW) and a small residential storage battery (8kWh) in my home in 2017. The battery charges whenever there's excess photovoltaic production during the day, and discharges whenever I consume more electricity than I produce (particularly overnight). … View moreI installed a small solar rooftop array (3.6kW) and a small residential storage battery (8kWh) in my home in 2017. The battery charges whenever there's excess photovoltaic production during the day, and discharges whenever I consume more electricity than I produce (particularly overnight). Most of the year that works well enough to keep my home's power consumption almost constant between 1 and 1.5kWh per day, rain or shine, peak or off-peak, summer or winter. However, when I get a few days in a row with overcast, cloudy or stormy weather and little solar production, the battery eventually runs flat, and I have to use power from the grid. Initially I didn't care when that happened, as I was paying the same price per kWh all day and year round.
That changed in 2020, with the introduction of time-of-use pricing by both my lines company Northpower and my electricity retailer Ecotricity. The differences were minimal at first, but since then they've been increasing every April 1st, depending on the time of day and day of the week. That opened up an opportunity to make my battery work better for me and the grid during those times of low solar production. Over the last few weeks, with more rainy and cloudy weather hitting Northland, I've been charging up the battery from the grid at night (more or less, depending on the solar production forecast for the following day), so that it discharges during the day and - together with whatever little solar power is produced - keeps the heat pump running at a cozy 21 degrees. That has three distinct advantages. First, it shifts my electricity demand to the night period when ample generation is available and also "cleanest" (i.e. with the highest percentage of renewable generation, usually well above 90%, according to Transpower's live data). It also keeps my grid demand low during peak periods (like 5:30pm to 8pm, when everybody comes home, cooks dinner, runs the heaters, plugs in the EV and so on, which causes a huge spike in electricity demand), because I'm running on stored battery power. And finally, it even saves me money, because due to the time-of-use pricing I only pay 22c/kWh for the off-peak overnight energy to charge my battery and avoid the more expensive peak (38c/kWh) and shoulder (32c/kWh) time periods.
What I'm doing here is basically what Lake Onslow would do on a grand scale - smoothening out the demand on the grid, by storing energy during periods of ample generation and releasing it during peak usage periods. I have no idea if lots of us doing it at the household level, like me, would be better than doing it at grid scale, like pumped hydro - that is a question for the engineers and scientists to answer. Certainly our increasing number of obese luxury EVs could help with doing it at home, while they're parked and plugged in. That way their oversized batteries (often chosen due to our range anxiety and a profound misunderstanding of how an EV works and drives) would at least do some good.
You can argue that I'm only able to do this because I'm retired and have the time to educate myself and look into all of this, and that nobody who's leading a "busy life" would bother with that or inconvenience themselves - and you'd be right. However, there's no reason that what I'm doing manually at the moment couldn't be done by a bit of smart tech, maybe even powered by some good AI, and help us all smoothen out our electricity demand, keep our grid healthy (and us warm and dry), avoid having to overbuild generation capacity and invest more just to satisfy high demand in short peak periods, and make electrification a bit easier and more affordable for all of us. I think this is the kind of "good green tech" that would have a place in a degrowth world.
Switch up your place with fresh new looks that are high on impact and low on cost with Resene paints.
We know the spots in summer for beaching, camping and warm nights. But which NZ town really comes into its own during winter? Whether it's based on the activities, the beauty of the town or places to wine and dine, share your thoughts and reasons below!
Type 'Not For Print' if you… View moreWe know the spots in summer for beaching, camping and warm nights. But which NZ town really comes into its own during winter? Whether it's based on the activities, the beauty of the town or places to wine and dine, share your thoughts and reasons below!
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the We Say You Say column of your local paper.
Long weekend coming up... do you have enough beds and bedding for the family & friends visiting?
Choosing a mattress can be a difficult and scary task, but enduring a sleepless night can be far worse. Buying a new mattress doesn't always have to be a skeptical journey, all it takes is a few tips and turns to switch your restless nights into a blissful experience. Our "A to Z Tips for… View moreChoosing a mattress can be a difficult and scary task, but enduring a sleepless night can be far worse. Buying a new mattress doesn't always have to be a skeptical journey, all it takes is a few tips and turns to switch your restless nights into a blissful experience. Our "A to Z Tips for Buying a New Mattress" provides you with the information and confidence to select a mattress that encourages rejuvenation and revitalization. Say goodbye to restless nights and wake up to a world of comfort and relaxation with the perfect mattress selected using the tips provided in this useful guide.
Some of the best hockey players in the Southern Hemisphere will face off in Whangārei this August for a place in the 2024 Paris Olympics. 🏑
Our Venues and Events team have been working with Hockey Northland and secured hosting rights for Oceania Cup matches: both the mens' and … View moreSome of the best hockey players in the Southern Hemisphere will face off in Whangārei this August for a place in the 2024 Paris Olympics. 🏑
Our Venues and Events team have been working with Hockey Northland and secured hosting rights for Oceania Cup matches: both the mens' and womens' Vantage Black Sticks vs Australia's Kookaburras Men and Hockeyroos Women.
And there's a special prize for the winning teams: they will qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics! Can the Vantage Black Sticks Women defend their 2019 championship?
Our Venues and Events Manager Bea Mossop says:
"The Vantage Black Sticks Men and Women teams will be out and
about in the community during the week, visiting schools and offering things like Skills Sessions to young players."
These matches will be held on Thursday 10, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 August at the ITM Hockey Centre in Kensington.
Match fixtures and tickets:
www.blacksticksnz.co.nz...
Dear neighbours, every month, NZ Gardener runs a series of reader recipes using a seasonal crop. This month, we're on the hunt for spring salad recipes! Send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz by July 23, 2023. Every published recipe wins a copy of the September issue of NZ Gardener.
There are some things that just never get old. Grab your retro outfit at the Red Cross shop in Whangārei and share a photo in our FB community Group to be in the draw to win a $25 Red Cross Voucher.
Super cheap mattress, ideal for spare room, holiday home, kids rooms etc. Easy to take home (Queen fits easily in a Suzuki Swift or Mazda Demio). Plus with prices this low, they fit easily into the budget.
If you are interested in volunteering at the Red Cross shop in Dargaville please call us on 09 439 5583 or email us at shop.dargaville@redcross.org.nz or come in and see us at 48 Victoria Street in Dargaville.
There are some things that never get old. Grab your retro outfit at Red Cross in Dargaville - share a photo in our FB community Group to be in the draw to win a $25 Red Cross shop Voucher.
This July we have your chance to win a share of over $5,000 in New World gift vouchers! Simply grab your local newspaper, throw on your thinking cap, and complete the daily puzzle to be in to win.
Beginning on July 3, we will be placing a puzzle in your newspaper each day for a month. Complete … View moreThis July we have your chance to win a share of over $5,000 in New World gift vouchers! Simply grab your local newspaper, throw on your thinking cap, and complete the daily puzzle to be in to win.
Beginning on July 3, we will be placing a puzzle in your newspaper each day for a month. Complete all 28 puzzles for a higher chance to WIN. Once you’ve figured it out, head over to stuff.co.nz/puzzletime to enter the solution and be in to win.
To find out more about participating newspapers, click here
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