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Man arrested after suspicious car fires in Alexandra
A man has been arrested and charged with arson after allegedly stealing a car in Alexandra, Central Otago.
Emergency services were called to reports of a fire in the town’s Boundary Rd industrial area about 4am on Monday, a police spokesperson said.
Can you help us with a survey about early childhood education?
The Press and The Post (Stuff) are collecting data on the cost of early childhood education in New Zealand. The data will be anonymised (unless you have opted-in to being contacted for a potential interview, via the last question).
If you have children in early childhood education, please help … View moreThe Press and The Post (Stuff) are collecting data on the cost of early childhood education in New Zealand. The data will be anonymised (unless you have opted-in to being contacted for a potential interview, via the last question).
If you have children in early childhood education, please help us out by completing a brief survey. Click here to find the survey. The results will be reported on thepress.co.nz and thepost.co.nz at a later date.
18 traffic light sets in $250m road package for Queenstown
By reporter Debbie Jamieson:
Queenstown’s newest road project has received a huge Government funding boost, but the transport minister is warning he will not tolerate another budget blow out.
Minister Simeon Brown was in Queenstown to turn the first sod on a four-year project that includes … View moreBy reporter Debbie Jamieson:
Queenstown’s newest road project has received a huge Government funding boost, but the transport minister is warning he will not tolerate another budget blow out.
Minister Simeon Brown was in Queenstown to turn the first sod on a four-year project that includes installation of 18 new sets of traffic lights, including at one of the South Island’s busiest intersections.
He announced a new Government budget of $250 million for the project, more than double the $113m originally set aside.
It follows news of a $40m budget blow out on an $128m arterial road to bypass central Queenstown, which started in 2021 and due to be completed later this year.
Both projects were being run by the the Kā Huanui a Tāhuna (Whakatipu Transport Programme Alliance), which included representatives from the Queenstown Lakes District Council, Waka Kotahi NZTA, Beca, Downer, Fulton Hogan and engineers WSP.
Brown said the Frankton Rd project would deliver “significant benefits” in resolving a “pinch point”, unlocking opportunities for more housing and supporting tourism.
“We expect that this will be delivered on time and within budget. We are not tolerating budget blow outs,” he said.
Much of the work was focused on pedestrian and public transport improvements, he said
“But ultimately this intersection carries 44,000 vehicles a day, so the prize here is making sure we can move that vehicle traffic more efficiently.”
The “BP roundabout” intersection sat at the heart of the project and was one of the busiest intersections in the South Island.
The roundabout would be replaced by traffic lights, the nearby bus hub would be extended, new bus lanes would be built, and there would be more footpaths, underground infrastructure work and another roundabout at the intersection of SH6 and Howards Dr.
The new sets of traffic lights would be installed at several intersections along Frankton Rd.
Brown said the work would boost economic growth, reduce congestion, and create a safer and more reliable transport network.
“With tourism returning to pre-Covid restriction levels, and continued growth in and around Queenstown, upgrades to this critical intersection will ensure local commuters and visitors can get to where they are going, quickly and safely.
“These upgrades will provide families and children who go to school in Queenstown with more travel choices by delivering an expanded bus hub, as well as allowing more room for ski bus operators in the winter,” he said.
Queenstown Lakes mayor Glyn Lewers warned there would be significant disruption as the work progressed.
“I acknowledge there’s been ongoing local frustration about road works. We’ve all seen the memes and heard the commentary about road cones.
“I ask that we all just keep cool, plan ahead and keep an eye on the prize.
“These improvements will take time but they will make this little alpine village and this this district a hell of a lot better,” he said.
Ultimately, workers would be able to move about more freely and buses would get a “fairer crack at sticking to their schedules”, he said.
Construction manager Mark Townsley said there would be little disruption for the first 18 months of the project, which included removing trees, installing a new stormwater pipe and relocating utility services on golf course land.
Police seek information and sightings of a vehicle in Queenstown Hanley’s Farm Estate
Queenstown police are asking anyone who saw a Mitsubishi Triton Ute, similar to the onein the attached photo, driving in Hanley’s Farm Estate during the early hours of Sunday (March 31) to come forward.
The vehicle is red, and has the registration number FYZ871.
Police also urge the … View moreQueenstown police are asking anyone who saw a Mitsubishi Triton Ute, similar to the onein the attached photo, driving in Hanley’s Farm Estate during the early hours of Sunday (March 31) to come forward.
The vehicle is red, and has the registration number FYZ871.
Police also urge the residents living in the estate - particularly on Lincoln Rd, Howden Drive, Barn Rd, Woolshed Rd, Drysdale Rd and Plough St - to check their CCTV cameras for any footage of this vehicle about 3.30am to 5.50am on Sunday.
Police are currently speaking with the vehicle’s owner in relation to a motor vehicle collision incident.
However, police believe additional information from the public will assist further with their inquiries.
Anyone with information relating to this appeal is asked to call police on 105 quoting file number 240331/6283.
Information can also be provided anonymously by calling CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.
New alpine trap line lies in wait for expected predators
By reporter Debbie Jamieson:
A new high alpine predator trap line is the final link in a 100km front protecting native wildlife between Wānaka and Glenorchy.
The installation of the 64 traps was also a symbolic joining of the Wānaka and Whakatipu basins in a bid to create the largest … View moreBy reporter Debbie Jamieson:
A new high alpine predator trap line is the final link in a 100km front protecting native wildlife between Wānaka and Glenorchy.
The installation of the 64 traps was also a symbolic joining of the Wānaka and Whakatipu basins in a bid to create the largest predator-free sanctuary on the New Zealand mainland.
Southern Lakes Sanctuary Trust hub co-ordinator Tom Reeves led a team of five workers installing the traps across about 13km from the Cascade Saddle to the Rees Saddle last week.
The traps were dropped into 10 locations by Aspiring Helicopters before the team spent two nights in the mountains installing each trap.
Reeves said the construction of the trap line was a goal when the trust was formed in 2021.
Since then the umbrella organisation had brought together six local groups representing 84 community groups, landowners and businesses to work on its predator-free plans.
The highest installed trap on the line sat at 1835 metres, making it one of the higher trap lines in the country.
The traps targeted stoats, rats and other mustelids, and would actively help protect kea and rock wren in their natural habitat, he said.
Giant weta, alpine invertebrates and lizards would also benefit.
In summer, stoats would come over the mountain passes and re-invade valleys such as the West Matukituki, where long tailed bats and robins and kaka lived, he said.
The trap line also provided protection for the Rees Valley, where the Department of Conservation is hoping to establish a population of vulnerable takahe.
“We’ve put several hundred traps into the Rees already and this is all part of gearing up for that huge trans-relocation as well,” Reeves said.
The traps would be checked monthly, but not in winter due to snow and avalanche risk.
Maintaining the trap line would be a joint venture between the Matukituki Charitable Trust servicing the traps on the Wānaka side, and the Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust responsible for the Glenorchy side.
The Southern Lakes Sanctuary Trust was continuing to seek support from funders and volunteers to continue the work, he said.
“Otherwise a lot of those gains we’ve made over these last few years will disappear so we do need a lot of help.“
The trust’s 30-year goal is to create a 660,000-hectare area free of introduced pests where the indigenous fauna – including 35 endangered species – is able to thrive.
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