Residents of Pahiatua have lost belongings, including a child’s crib, to flooding, while others were “shocked” when they woke to find their homes completely surrounded by water.
Heavy rain overnight left several streets in the Tararua District town under water, and the council said about two dozen properties were affected.
By Sunday afternoon the flooding had largely receded, although some yards were still submerged.
Follow RNZ’s live coverage of the wild weather here.
Huxley Street resident Sarah Popata said the water surrounding her house had gone down, but she was drying out her kitchen, which leaked during the downpour.
About two dozen homes were affected by the flooding. Photo: Supplied/ Luke Chandler
“The flood got into my house through the roof. My kitchen carpet was all wet and we had to put out pots last night to try and grab the rain
“The neighbours have brought me over a dehumidifier to help… It was a little bit of a mess,” she said.
She hoped her landlords had insurance.
Around the corner on Wilson Street, residents said floodwaters were deep on Sunday morning before they receded when the rain stopped. But by the afternoon the water was on the rise again, and Downer workers were pumping it into drains.
Some people’s belongings were destroyed by the floodwater. Photo: Supplied/ Luke Chandler
Natasha Figgess said when she woke at 6.50am the water was about halfway up to her house on her lawn.
Over the road it was higher. She said she was not too worried about the prospect of more rain.
Downer NZ traffic management worker Mike Fiti was going door-to-door on the street.
“We’re just letting people know that there’s an evacuation site down at the hall and just giving them some numbers so they can call, so if they need help they know what to do.
“They’re pretty shocked from this morning at how high the water got, but the residents here are holding up in pretty good spirit.”
Mike Fiti of Downer was going door-to-door. Photo: RNZ/ Jimmy Ellingham
A woman who lives on Huxley Street said she woke in the morning to see her house surrounded by water, which was scary, especially with her grandchild staying.
She and her husband’s storage shed was flooded, so they had lost a lawn mower, golf clubs and their grandchild’s crib.
Heavy rain warnings remained in place for the Tararua Range until 10pm.
The town’s stormwater system reached capacity about 5am in the downpour, and earlier, Tararua mayor Tracey Collis asked people to avoid travel in or near the town, with a number of roads closed.
The Mangatainoka River was very high on Sunday. Photo: Supplied / Sam Te Tau
Resident Sam Te Tau said he had not seen Mangatainoka River run this high in more than seven years of living in the area.
The town’s ageing infrastructure would struggle to clear the floodwaters if heavy rain continued to fall, he said.
“Our drainage systems here are quite old in the town, so they are often slow to clear the water.
“Where the flood waters are quite high, I can’t see them draining off quickly.”
Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis pulled off a stunning victory and successful title defence on Saturday night, getting No. 2 contender Israel Adesanya to tap out in the fourth round of their championship fight at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.
South Africa’s Dricuc Du Plessis (L) and New Zealand’s Israel Adesanya fight in their men’s middleweight division event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 305 at the Perth Arena in Perth on 18 August 2024. Photo: COLIN MURTY / AFP
In a highly anticipated main event that lived up to the billing, Adesanya — the former champion who was fighting for the first time since September of last year — took two of the first three rounds on one scorecard, while two other judges had Du Plessis leading 2-1 in rounds.
But with little more than a minute and a half left in the fourth, the South African Du Plessis landed three straight rights to send Adesanya stumbling around the octagon. Du Plessis then took Adesanya to the mat, jumped on his back and put a chokehold on his opponent.
Adesanya tapped out with 1:22 left in the round.
It was Du Plessis’ first successful title defence as the 30-year-old improved to 22-2-0 in his career. Adesanya is now 24-4-0 overall.
In the co-main event, Kai Kara-France emphatically announced his return to the flyweight division, ending a 14 1/2-month layoff with a stunning first-round stoppage win over Steve Erceg. With 1:10 left in the round, Kara-France sent Erceg to the mat with an overhand left. Erceg was able to get to his feet within a few seconds but Kara-France never relented, sending Erceg to the floor again with 59 seconds to go. The referee immediately stepped and ended the fight with 56 seconds on the clock.
Kara-France (25-11-0) last won a fight on March 26, 2022, beating Askar Askarov by unanimous decision. He was 0-2 between that fight and Saturday night.
While Adesanya-De Plessis was the headliner, perhaps no fighter had a bigger night than welterweight Carlos Prates. The UFC rookie, fighting in his third bout for the promotion, scored a historic victory in improving to 3-0 with the UFC.
The “Dana White’s Contender Series” alum became the first person to knock out veteran Li Jingliang, flooring the Chinese fighter a minute into the second round. The Brazilian Prates landed a series of blows to leave Jingliang stunned and slow to defend himself on the fence, then finished the job with a left hook.
Jingliang has fought exclusively with UFC for 10 years and fell to 19-9-0 in his overall career.
There is no tsunami threat after the magnitude 4.7 earthquake hit off the east coast of Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu and northwest of ‘Eua island this evening, according to Tonga Met Services at the Fua’amotu International Airport.
“Based on preliminary earthquake information from seis comp, tide gauge readings and advice from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PRWC), a small tsunami wave is not likely to pose a threat to Tonga”, it said.
The Ministry of Infrastructure has confirmed the earthquake on its Facebook account.
Tongatapu residents have reported their experience and reaction toward the earthquake on social media.
One resident in Houma, Tongatapu has just described the incident to Kaniva News as “significant” and “long”.
Meanwhile, a 5.3 magnitude earthquake was reported yesterday August 17 and it was 133 km from Nuku’alofa at 3:29 pm.
This evening’s earthquake reported in Tonga comes after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit off the coast of Russia this morning, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu.
The quake struck at about 9.10am in Hawaii over 50 miles off the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka region at a depth of about 32 miles, officials said.
“Based on all available data a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected and there is no tsunami threat to Hawaii,” PTWC officials said in an alert.
PERTH, Australia (AP) — South Africa scored three second-half tries Saturday to hand Australia a second loss in two weeks, beating the Wallabies 30-12 in a rain-soaked Rugby Championship match.
South Africa, which led 11-9 at halftime, outclassed the Wallabies 33-7 last Saturday in Brisbane to hand Australia its first defeat of the season after three wins.
The Springboks went ahead 18-9 in the 43rd minute Saturday and after a Wallabies penalty goal increased its lead to 23-12 when hooker Malcolm Marx rolled over from a driving maul in the 64th minute. They scored their final try with six minutes remaining when Marx again scored from a maul with the Wallabies playing a man short before more than 58,000 fans in Perth.
“It’s been an amazing two weeks coming down, getting two victories,” South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth said. “It doesn’t happen a lot. The Wallabies are a quality outfit … we knew they would come out hard tonight and that’s exactly what they did. Good result in the end.”
On coach Rassie Erasmus making 10 changes to the starting side from last week’s match at Brisbane, Etzebeth said: “I think he’s a genius. They were great. Obviously the guys off the bench, they came on to finish. It was a good squad this whole tour.”
Japan-based South Africa utility back Jesse Kriel also credited Erasmus with the team’s strong play.
“I think with Rassie, it is more about his mindset and encouraging us as players to go out there, express ourselves, not to be scared to make mistakes,” Kriel said. “It is exciting to be part of this team at the moment and play the brand of rugby we’re trying to play.”
Australia No. 8 Harry Wilson said the Springboks “won the big moments.”
“They turned up, they played some good footy,” Wilson said. “I felt we weren’t far off, but we’ve got to win the big moments.”
Australia coach Joe Schmidt said that, despite the loss, he was pleased with his team’s performance.
“I can’t fault the effort,” Schmidt said. “Trying to combat a Springbok maul with a fully-fit pack is tough enough. With kind of a little bit of half a pack, it became very difficult, then we ended up when Seru Uru got sin-binned, you know, that’s a really big ask.
The Wallabies lost both captain Allan Ala’alatoa (shoulder injury) and replacement skipper James Slipper (head injury assessment) to dent their chances of staying with the Springboks.
“This is the best team in the world,” Schmidt said. “This is no easy side to play against at the moment and we want to be mixing it with those teams.”
South Africa split a two-match series at home with Ireland and beat Portugal before heading to Australia. The Wallabies had two wins over Wales and a victory over Georgia to start Schmidt’s reign as coach.
The Rugby Championship continues in two weeks when the Wallabies travel to Argentina for a two-test trip and the Springboks host the All Blacks for two matches in South Africa.
The diabetic holy grail of an oral pill to supply insulin, instead of an injection, has so far stumped scientists – but a promising new attempt has been described as a ‘smart pill’.
Prescription medication. (Source: Getty)
The team, led by Dr Nick Hunt of the University of Sydney, have developed a nanotechnology-based insulin pill.
They have completed animal trials and are headed to human clinical trials next year.
Hunt told RNZ’s Saturday Morning they are hopeful their pill could be the answer, or at least a big step towards the end goal.
Approximately 75 million people with diabetes need to inject themselves daily with insulin. To work effectively, a pill needs to provide precise dose control, be fast acting, safe and cost effective, he says.
Their design uses a nano-scale material that is 1/10,000th the width of a human hair. The material protects it from being destroyed by stomach acid and instead surrounds the individual insulin molecules and becomes a ‘nano carrier’ – acting like a courier to ferry insulin molecules in the body to the places it needs to act.
Insulin balances sugars – but it’s a difficult balance
We need sugar as an energy to fuel our body, but either too much or too little sugar can cause serious harm and become fatal.
Insulin is an enzyme that helps our body break down the sugar, releasing energy our body can use.
“Insulin is a naturally occurring material,” Hunt said.
“In our body we… have blood sugar that we accumulate as we have meals throughout the day, and what happens for type 1 diabetics is they have an immune- mediated destruction of the cells that make insulin. So those people aren’t able to produce their own insulin – so we need to dose it ourselves.
“All we’re really able to do is do an injection of insulin and try and control that as much as possible – and you of course can give too much or too little, much like most drugs, and it’s a very fine margin about how best you can control that.”
Your brain is reliant on sugar to power it – but if someone takes too much insulin and the brain doesn’t get enough: “That’s when you can start get some really scary symptoms and signs for patients and people around them, where they could potentially lose consciousness or need to go to hospital.”
So synthetically made insulin is lifesaving, but difficult to dose perfectly as our bodies are such changeable systems – leaving diabetics vulnerable.
And the scale of the problem is considerable; diabetic emergencies that require either emergency treatment or hospital treatment happen 64,000 times year in Australia, Hunt said.
Not too little, not too much
The new smart insulin is designed to be taken as a pill that provides a varying dose, according to exactly what that person’s body’s needs are at that moment.
“The advantage of having a smart insulin is it can be… coded in a way to have a controlled release component, based on what your blood sugar levels were in the first place,” Hunt said.
For healthy people, our pancreas does that work – it releases just the right amount of insulin naturally: “Our pancreas… is a smart sensor that allows you to control the amount of release of insulin that you precisely need.
“What we’ve done is now just now is do that synthetically ourselves. So for our particular technology that we developed, it’s smart because it’s able to sense glucose, or more precisely a particular enzyme in the body that’s released when glucose is also present in the same system.”
If the person taking the pill has too much sugar in their blood, the insulin in the pill kick starts the process to break it down.
But, “if you don’t have a high enough blood sugar, you don’t get the release of the insulin from product. So it means you can’t have an adverse or an underdose from it.”
The challenges
Globally, more than 50 years research and $60 billion of investment have already been spent on trying to find a way to provide insulin as a pill, Hunt said.
“The trouble we’ve really faced is insulin is a really sensitive material.”
The digestion which occurs in the stomach naturally breaks down insulin, and previous attempts to mix insulin with materials to protect it as it travels through the stomach have produced other side effects, such as gastrointestinal upsets.
Earlier attempts to make a pill also ran into problems with how much insulin was needed in the formulation for it to work. One version made it to clinical trials, but required so much insulin that it was not cost-effective.
Hunt said while insulin is not costly to produce, pharmaceutical companies could charge a lot for it, particularly in the US. So to be useful, a pill needed to be effective without vast quantities of insulin.
Earlier research, and partnerships with other teams helped Hunt’s team, and he described the goal as a “marathon”.
“But there’s a lot of really good people out there in the world working really hard to try and get this technology developed, and hopefully at least one of us will have success in doing it in the next coming decade,” he said.
“We’re not just trying to solve oral formulation challenges for insulin, there’s a lot of other injectable technologies out there that would really benefit from having an oral tablet instead of an injection – particularly for daily management for people who need to have it for several days, years and potentially for the rest of their life.”
Hairless ‘Bullycats’ with ‘exaggerated’ features are being bred in Britain and are gaining a ‘disturbing following’ on social media.
The ‘unnatural’ sphynx-like breed have short bowed legs and heavily wrinkled skin as experts warn about the ‘horrifying’ growing designer fad
The ‘unnatural’ sphynx-like breed has short bowed legs and heavily wrinkled skin – much like a bully dog – as experts warn about the ‘horrifying’ growing designer fad despite the felines likely to go on to suffer serious health issues.
Cat lovers are being warned not to buy them and to boycott the breed as they will ‘endure lives blighted by suffering’.
It is thought the so-called Bullycat originated in the US but it has now made its way across the Atlantic with the trend building a ‘disturbing following’ on social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.
Animal welfare charity Naturewatch Foundation sent a clear message to those looking to buy a cat: ‘If you’re thinking about getting a cat, don’t buy into these harmful designer fads.’
The foundation said: ‘It’s shocking to see that these poor cats are starting to appear in the UK.
‘We’ve seen increasingly extreme breeding practices in the dog world in recent years, and it appears unscrupulous people are now turning their attention to exploiting cats in the same way, all in the pursuit of greed and social media likes.
‘Bullycats are an animal welfare disaster unfolding before our eyes and this kind of breeding is just cruel.’
Dr Dan O’Neill, associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), said it was ‘heartbreaking’ to see cats now going under the same suffering as dogs by humans fascinated by ‘extreme body shapes’.
‘Bullycats are likely to suffer similarly shortened lives to those reported from a recent RVC VetCompass paper in Sphynx cats that lived just 6.7 years compared to an average of 11.7 years in cats overall,’ he said.
‘Deliberately selecting for disease mutations, such as hairlessness that leads to sunburn, dwarfism that leads to mobility issues and joint pain, and folded skin that leads to lifetimes of skin infections means that many Bullycats will endure lives blighted by suffering.
‘The advice to anyone thinking of acquiring a cat or a dog is to always put the welfare of the animal first and to stop and think before acquiring an animal with an extreme and unnatural body shape that does not exist commonly in nature.’
A RSPCA spokesperson told MailOnline they were ‘very concerned’ about the recent trend of Bullycats saying it ‘could cause them serious welfare issues’.
‘These exaggerated Sphynx cats are bred with very short legs which could put a strain on their joints, and they also appear to have excess skin folds making them vulnerable to skin conditions which can cause a great deal of discomfort, the charity warned.
‘Such ailments could also result in trips to the vet leaving owners with costly vet bills too.
‘These Sphynx-like cats are also bred to have only a fine covering of downy hair and some may not have eyelashes or whiskers.
‘This lack of fur can leave cats vulnerable to harmful ultraviolet light, cause difficulties keeping warm and means they won’t be able to use their hair and possibly their whiskers to explore their environment.
‘The lack of a fur coat also means they need to be regularly washed as oil can accumulate on their skin.
‘There could also be further health issues associated with these cats being bred from a limited gene pool.
We understand that their emerging presence on social media may fuel a demand for these kinds of cats but we would urge fellow cat lovers to consider adopting the many rescue cats in our care instead of buying from a breeder.
‘We would also urge breeders to prioritise the health and welfare of any animal over the way they look.’
TOKYO (AP) — Flights and trains in the Tokyo area were canceled Friday, and people were warned of strong winds, heavy rains and potential flooding and mudslides as a typhoon swerved near Japan on its way further north in the Pacific Ocean.
Typhoon Ampil was forecast to reach the waters near Tokyo in the evening then continue north, bringing stormy conditions to the northern Kanto and Tohoku regions early Saturday. It had sustained winds of 162 kph (101 mph) with higher gusts Friday morning and was moving north at 15 kph (9.3 mph), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Ampil was not expected to make landfall and would weaken to a tropical storm by Sunday.
Tokyo’s Disneyland, usually open until 9 p.m., was closing early at 3 p.m. because of the typhoon. Yamato Transport, which makes Amazon and other deliveries in Japan, said no deliveries will be made in the Tokyo and nearby affected areas Friday and Saturday.
The Shinkansen bullet trains running between Tokyo and Nagoya were halted for the entire day, according to Central Japan Railway, a common response to typhoons here. Bullet trains serving northeastern Japan and some local Tokyo trains were suspended temporarily or switched to a slower schedule.
Dozens of departing and arriving flights were canceled at Tokyo’s two airports, Haneda and Narita, as well as at Kansai, Osaka and Chubu airports. The flight cancellations affect some 90,000 people, according to Japanese media reports. Several highways may also partly close to traffic.
Airports and train stations had been packed Thursday with people moving up their plans to avoid disruptions from the typhoon. Friday was drizzly and windy in Tokyo, although the intensity varied. Traffic and crowds out on the streets were sparse, mostly because of the Bon summer holiday period, not just the weather. Stores remained open.
Officials warned people to stay away from rivers and beaches and to be wary of winds strong enough to send objects flying.
“We foresee extremely fierce winds and extremely fierce seas,” said Shuichi Tachihara, JMA chief forecaster.
Japanese TV broadcasts showed Hachijo residents boarding up windows. Ampil moved past Hachijo by midday, as it headed northward. Store shelves for bread and instant noodles were empty.
Motorcade drills had been conducted in Nuku’alofa this morning in preparation for the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
Convoy of motorcade in Nuku’alofa said to be part of a drill session for the upcoming PIF meeting. Photo/Filo ‘Akau’ola (Facebook)
The Hu’akavameiliku government will host the 53rd PIF after next week from August 26 – 30.
Photos and videos uploaded and shared on Facebook this morning showed a motorcade convoy, including police motorcycles and luxury government vehicles with ministerial registration plate numbers, travelling in Nuku’alofa.
One caption said “longolongo kātoanga” meaning, feeling that a big event is about to happen.
About 1000 guests are expected to attend.
A security buffer is expected to be established in Nuku’alofa around areas like the newly constructed prefabricated container housing spots, hotels where delegates will stay and Tonga High School auditorium, where most of the summit events will be held.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku announced that the Australian government has donated 25 double-cab police vehicles to be used during the meeting. It is understood two minibuses were also donated, bringing the total value of the donation to TOP$3.6 million.
He previously posted photos of refab houses at Pātangata where some of the guests will stay saying they would be completed before the meeting.
Commissioner of Police Shane Mclennan previously said a delegation of six officers arrived in the kingdom from China’s Shandong Province to see what assistance they could provide to help Tonga police deliver the PIF leaders’ meeting.
At the time, it was confirmed that China was willing to donate police vehicles and motorbikes to Tonga—much like it has in the Solomon Islands—to help ensure the event ran smoothly.
Australian authorities had criticised China’s offer at the time saying it was part of its policing push into the Pacific.
At this stage, it is unclear what assistance China has offered Tonga for the meeting.
Earlier this week, a meeting to discuss arrangements for the PIF, including organising liaison officers and drivers to assist the leaders, was held at the Tanoa International Dateline Hotel.
A panel and discussion were hosted by the Australian High Commission office during that meeting.
Preparation drill at the Fua’amotu International Airport ahead of the Leaders summit
Unrest in New Caledonia, membership applications by US territories, dwindling banking services, and a homegrown climate finance fund were among the topics dominating ministers’ meetings with senior policymakers from the region, according to a report by RNZ.
Founded in 1971, the Pacific Islands Forum includes Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia Tahiti, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Sāmoa, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
The 53rd Forum’s theme is Transformative, Resilient, Pasifiki: Build Better Now.
On Saturday night it looked as though the win was first equal with the $44.06m claimed in 2016.
However, it emerged the family had taken out the top spot by playing 10 lines of the same numbers, each with a different Powerball number.
It meant in addition to winning $44 million with Powerball, they also won 10 shares of Lotto first division – a total of $666,670.
The family, who wish to remain anonymous, have been playing since Lotto began in 1987, and have been using a combination of special numbers on their ticket for the last few years.
After watching Saturday night’s draw, the woman texted her daughter telling her one person had won the jackpot.
“Then when I was looking at the numbers I thought ‘do you know, I think I might have a few of these.’
“I texted my daughter again to say I thought we had won something, and the more I looked at the numbers, the more familiar they looked.
“I’d forgotten my password for my MyLotto account so I had to reset it before I could check,” she said.
Once she logged in, the virtual draw played, and her numbers circled one by one until her entire ticket turned blue, and the winning music playing.
“I was in complete shock. I said to myself ‘I don’t believe it!’ You never think it’s going to happen to you, so it’s hard to get your head around.
“I told my daughter, and then I called my son to tell him.
“He didn’t believe me, so I had to send them both a screenshot to prove it,” she said.
“We all jumped on a group video call, and we just kept saying ‘no way, it can’t be real, we don’t believe it.'”
The next day, the family met up and went out for dinner to celebrate.
“It was surreal, we could hear people in the restaurant talking about the $44 million prize, and I can remember saying in a hushed voice ‘if only they knew,'” the son said.
The family will take some time to let the magnitude of their win sink in before making any major decisions, but have a few ideas.
“We’re a hard-working family but my children owning their own homes has always been just out of reach, so first of all, I’d like to get them into homes of their own, which will be really special,” the woman said.
A family holiday would also be planned.
“I’ve only ever been overseas on a work trip, so we’re looking forward to a family holiday,” she said.
The family have been involved in fundraising events within their community in the past and would continue to give back, the winner said.
They are the 14th Powerball winners so far this year.
