Wairarapa Times-Age (NZ)
Surf Life Saving Kids SPF 50+ Sunscreen
Get kids on board with sun-safe behaviour with this fun Minions-themed sunscreen. The Despicable Me collab is dermatologist tested and formulated specifically for children’s delicate skin. The SPF 50+ broad-spectrum sunscreen is four-hours water...
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New powers for paramedics
Wairarapa’s free ambulance service says a new framework allowing trained paramedics to prescribe more than 200 medications will benefit the region’s rural patients and overcome barriers to healthcare. However, some in the sector are concerned that the...
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Signs smashed, $23k bill
A house-moving company has acknowledged damaging some road signs between Masterton and the coast, but says it is not responsible for all the damage and its crew returned three times to reinstate the signs. Reports on social media emerged last weekend...
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‘I’m very happy being me’
When Michael Mercer steps out of his front door, he is never without a hat. He has several, many of which announce boldly and brightly that he lives with dementia. Chatting with him in his Masterton home filled with books and art, the purpose of the...
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Families battle to find care
Ashortage of aged-care beds and weak financial incentives are leaving people eligible for funded residential respite care struggling to find somewhere to go. In Wairarapa, Health New Zealand figures show the gap between eligibility and capacity. As of...
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Court backlog at 7-year low
New Zealand’s criminal-case backlog has fallen to its lowest level in seven years – but almost 60% of district courts still had more backlogged cases in March 2026 than in June 2020. Ministry of Justice data released to the Wairarapa Times-Age shows...
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Barriers halt fatal crashes
Not a single person has died in a crash on barrier-protected sections of State Highway 2 between Masterton and Carterton since their introduction in 2023. That marks a significant change. Between January 2010 and December 2019, 488 crashes claimed...
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District’s ACC costs surge
For Wairarapa residents, a slip in the kitchen, a fall from a ladder or a trip on uneven ground can mean more than pain and recovery. It also brings a growing cost to the public purse. The costs of ACC injury claims for Wairarapa residents have more...
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Two dogs die, two fall ill
Two Wairarapa families, heartbroken by the loss of their dogs from suspected poisoning, want answers. Paul Gadsby’s dog Lucy and Adam and Zoe Thurston’s dog Nova died after four dogs who were close friends became unwell at a Charles St property in...
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Quiz of the day
[email protected] 1. What is the highest mountain in Africa? 2. On a wine bottle, what is the punt? 3. Blue September is a month-long campaign to raise awareness of which cancer? 4. Which loosely defined region in the North Atlantic Ocean has...
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Row over train deal credit
A Greater Wellington Regional councillor has cleared up the facts after local MP Mike Butterick’s social media claim that the National-led coalition Government had “negotiated and signed the contracts” for the billion-dollar Tūhono train deal. Last...
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Added pain at the pump
Wairarapa drivers are digging deeper into their pockets as fuel prices climb sharply. Gaspy data showed prices for 91 octane at 17 Wairarapa service stations yesterday ranged from $3.279 to $3.639 a litre. The difference between the cheapest and most...
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‘We just need an answer’
An iwi leader has accused the Government of “kicking the can down the road” on a major commercial deal, leaving millions of dollars of capital sitting idle and stalling agricultural trade training opportunities in the region. Taratahi Agricultural...
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Pool plan makes a splash
New concept designs for a proposed upgrade of the Carterton Indoor Community Pool have been unveiled as project leaders continue building support for the development. The nearly 40-year-old building surrounding the existing three-lane pool is nearing...
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Surgery robot goes on show
Wairarapa healthcare is poised for a major technological leap as Selina Sutherland Hospital previews state-of-the-art surgical technology for its planned facility. The private hospital, which is preparing to build on Te Ore Ore Rd directly opposite...
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Two die in weekend crashes
Two people died in separate motorcycle crashes about 3 kilometres apart on Carterton roads over the weekend – the first reported road fatalities in Wairarapa this year. About 1pm on Saturday, emergency services were called to a crash involving a...
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Stressed trees off to rehab
Native trees planted at Masterton’s Town Hall activation space have been removed for rehabilitation following a rapid decline, causing renewed scrutiny of the council’s record on tree management. The temporary public space opened in July after...
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Eight drink-driving offences
A Masterton man who pleaded guilty to his eighth drink-driving offence was sentenced to four months’ community detention in Porirua District Court on Wednesday. Taiawhio Tame Gemmell, 59, appeared before Judge Bill Hastings on one charge of driving...
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Wade-Brown’s parting shot
In front of a public gallery packed with friends, family and supporters, Green Party list MP Celia Wade-Brown gave her valedictory speech in Parliament on Tuesday. Wade-Brown, who came to Parliament for the first time in 2024, wasted little time in...
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Controversial candidate here
Barry Young, the accused health data breacher at the centre of a chaotic meet-the-candidates event, has abandoned his run for Wellington North in favour of Wairarapa. The Outdoors and Freedom Party candidate updated his Facebook page to “Barry Young...
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Gunman demands money
Police are calling for witnesses to come forward after a frightening early-morning robbery in Featherston on Sunday. A staff member at the Empire Hotel and Bar on the corner of Johnston St and Harrison St West woke to the sounds of his bedroom door...
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Wild storm inspired app
A violent storm, a Wairarapa washout and the gift of eggs from a neighbour have helped a South Island woman build a national produce-sharing platform from scratch. GateShare’s founder Em Nesbit was in Lake Ferry visiting family in June when a...
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Lobbyists rallying as one
A group called One Wairarapa has organised a petition and public rally to lobby the Government for one unitary authority for Masterton, Carterton and South Wairarapa. The move follows South Wairarapa District Council’s recent decision to throw its...
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Flu refuses to clock off
Spring has sprung and the mercury is rising, but the pressure on the local health system from winter illnesses is “far from over”, Wairarapa Hospital’s leader says. Kieran McCann, Health New Zealand’s Wairarapa group director of operations, said the...
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Vandals, thieves hit town
Wellington’s favourite weekend playground has been the scene of multiple acts of vandalism and other anti-social behaviour, according to reports. A flurry of posts on social media about smashed car windows, petty theft and vandalism in Martinborough...
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Booktown chapter over
A local legend and one of the founding members of Featherston’s iconic Booktown festival is closing her own chapter on the popular annual event. Mary Biggs, Booktown’s longstanding operations manager, confirmed that while she has turned the final page...
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Prices leaving a sour taste
Take a wander down the aisles of your local supermarket and you could be forgiven for thinking some of the products have taken a long slurp of Alice in Wonderland’s shrinking potion. Dinky 220-gram cans of baked beans, the smaller 125g cans of black...
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Town hall’s fate in balance
A new Masterton town hall is not set in stone, comments at a recent workshop suggest. The workshop was held for councillors to discuss a strategic, operational and financial assessment of Masterton Town Hall. A video of this session was published...
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School’s numbers multiply
The impact of local housing growth and a lockdown baby boom is being felt at a Masterton primary school, its principal says, and he is urging the Government to start planning now or risk a classroom crunch by 2028. Solway Primary principal Mark...
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Proposal stumps forestry
Changes to council rating policies could leave Carterton with unmanaged pine forests, a Wellington agricultural investment bank says. Carterton District Council is consulting on a proposal to introduce a targeted roading rate that could result in...
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Get that Spider-Man smile
Superhero-loving youngsters will be thrilled to clean their teeth with the Spider-Maninspired Oral-B iO Kids electric toothbrush. The Marvel superhero graces the sleek black toothbrush, designed with dentists to deliver powerful cavity protection for...
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There’s smoke but no fire
A Wairarapa woman narrowly avoided having her fingers burnt in a suspected Facebook firewood scam and is warning others to be alert to the swindle. With an extended family to keep warm, and a dwindling supply of firewood, the woman, who the Wairarapa...
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Festival has it in the bag
The South Wairarapa town with a knack for creating iconic events is at it again. The programme for the second Featherston Heritage Festival – set for the weekend of November 13-15 – was revealed on Wednesday night and a highlight promises to be a...
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Rates cap ‘comes with risk’
Higher train and bus fares and fewer services are likely outcomes for Wairarapa residents if the Government’s rates cap legislation is passed next term. So says Greater Wellington Regional Council chairperson Daran Ponter after Local Government...
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Will rodeo rope in support?
A rodeo planned for Masterton has divided the online community, with many strongly opposed, citing animal welfare concerns. But the event’s organiser, South Wairarapa-based Logan Nation, said people should “be curious before being judgmental”. “It’s...
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Rural rates in the spotlight
Council rates could soar 800% for forestry properties in Carterton next year under a proposal that would introduce targeted roading rates. The proposal sought to collect roading revenue from ratepayers in a more proportionate way and followed an...
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Rural recovery picking up
After a few rough years, Wairarapa farmers are finally reaping the rewards of their hard work, giving a much-needed injection to the local economy. High sheep, beef and dairy prices in the past two years meant farmers have been able to play catch-up...
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Services abruptly stopped
By the end of this week, a popular Kuripuni store will have lost its banking service and remaining postal facilities. The sudden service closures at Kuripuni Lotto and Gift shop on Masterton’s Queen St follow Kiwibank and NZ Post finding store owner...
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Butterick bites back in ute tax spat
Wairarapa MP Mike Butterick warned voters that Labour was poised to resurrect its so-called ute tax in two social media posts published after party leader Chris Hipkins categorically ruled out bringing it back. Hipkins ruled out reinstating the Clean...
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Turning poop into profits
Sewage sludge has been transformed into premium compost in a trial that could save ratepayers on dumping costs. But whether the initiative will progress beyond a trial is yet to be determined. Carterton District Council teamed up with Compost NZ last...
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Illnesses lay Wairarapa low
Wairarapa is not immune to the wave of winter illnesses sweeping the country, with many of the region’s students, teachers and workers suffering from coughs, colds and the flu. The reports of widespread illness come amid increasing respiratory...
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Funding reprieve for refuge
A one-off government grant of $70,000 for Masterton’s Kim’s Way night refuge for the homeless “feels like a turning point”, one of its founders says. Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka announced the funding for Kim’s Way yesterday afternoon. It...
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Carterton aims to turn sun into savings
Carterton’s council is expanding its solar power stock with the installation of panels at three high energy-use sites. The work comes after the council invested $440,000 of government funding into building a small-scale solar farm on Gallon Rd to...
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Public areas likely to close during outbreak of bird flu
Closing popular public areas is likely if the deadly bird flu virus spreads here as it is doing rapidly across Australia. A spokesperson for South Wairarapa, Carterton and Masterton district councils said closure of public spaces such as Henley Lake...
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The sky’s the limit at Hood
The removal of a “major sticking point” to larger commercial aircraft landing at Wairarapa’s main airport could open up more opportunities to establish a regular air link to the region. A reduced runway safety zone requirement would mean councils and...
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Quiz of the day
[email protected] 1. What is the oldest trophy competed for by professional sports teams in North America? 2. What is the southernmost American state capital? 3. Who was married to Michael Jackson from 1994 to 1996? 4. The Inkatha Freedom...
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Small meteorites found strewn across Wairarapa
Fragments of a meteor that lit up the lower North Island’s night sky in late July have been located in northern Wairarapa. A network of modern tracking technology allowed a search team from Fireballs Aotearoa to find the small space rocks (meteorites)...
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Councils split over future
Wairarapa’s councils are at odds over what amalgamation model will work best for future generations. Yesterday morning, Masterton District Council voted by a majority to submit a Wairarapa unitary authority proposal to the Government’s Head Start...
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Merger: ‘So undemocratic’
The fate of Wairarapa ratepayers is in the hands of Wellington councillors and rule-makers – and amalgamation hasn’t even happened yet. Wellington, Porirua and Hutt Valley city councils will meet this week to vote on an amalgamation proposal that...
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Transform WINTER SKIN
Why skin is so dry in winter That feeling of tightness after a shower? Blame it on the season. This is what experts mean when they talk about a ‘compromised skin barrier’, and it’s something many of us are experiencing right now. Dryness is caused by...
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Schools could hold cardiac survival key
Teenagers could be a key line of defence in helping people survive cardiac arrest if resuscitation techniques are included in the school curriculum, says Hato Hone St John chief executive Jon Moores. Moores, whose research paper Moving the Dial on...
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El Niño impact a ‘hot topic’
Wairarapa farmers are being warned to prepare for the possibility of drier soils and lower rivers as El Niño, formally declared earlier this month, settles over the tropical Pacific. Forecasters say a dry season is far from certain, however. El Niño,...
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‘World-first’ programme now expanding at Pūkaha
In a race against time, 11 of New Zealand’s most critically endangered birds have been vaccinated against bird flu as part of the Department of Conservation’s internationally groundbreaking programme. “What we are doing here is really a world-first at...
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Region’s mayors at odds
The region’s mayors disagree over the projected costs to ratepayers of amalgamation options calculated by consultants. Councillors across Wairarapa have been discussing high-level analyses behind the amalgamation options for several months and the...
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Major builds to transform town’s medical offering
With works ramping up on the new Selina Sutherland Hospital site and Masterton Medical’s facility aiming for completion in December, a modern health hub is emerging that health leaders believe will lift capacity and draw more clinicians to the...
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Merger vote draws near
Three councils, 51,000 people, one massive decision – join Wellington, or band together as one Wairarapa council. As central government reforms push local councils across New Zealand to rethink how they operate, Masterton, Carterton and South...
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‘Where can people go?’
Wairarapa voices are speaking up against the Government’s plan to give police the authority to move on homeless people. Masterton District councillors Stella Lennox and Andrea Jackson appeared in person before Parliament’s justice committee on...
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Mum ‘terrified’ by ACC cuts
A tetraplegic solo mother with ongoing health issues faces being left alone overnight with her 6-year-old son after ACC cut her funding. Hazel Harding, 37, uses a wheelchair after she broke three bones in her neck in a swimming pool accident more than...
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‘Laser-focus’ on poultry
Egg and poultry farmers from across the lower North Island are moving their hens inside as they stay “laser-focused” on keeping their birds safe from the risks posed by the H5 bird flu virus. More than 30 farmers attended a meeting in Levin yesterday...
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Bird flu cases may soar
A wildlife health expert expects the number of bird flu cases to ramp up over the next week, with the lower North Island the most likely area for initial bird-to-bird transmission. Brett Gartrell, a professor of wildlife health at Massey University’s...
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Pub’s licensing limbo
The battle to get beer flowing again at a historic coastal Wairarapa pub has been stalled by a wall of bureaucratic red tape. Amanda Aitken and Celeste Blakesley, who took over the lease of the Castlepoint Hotel – The Whakataki in March, say they are...
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Bird flu challenge looms
Wildlife hospitals and rehabilitation centres across New Zealand have begun to brace for the impact of the H5N1 bird flu virus, after the first case was identified in Wellington this week. Already, they have identified the differing approaches of...
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Overflows? Over it
In his final weeks, a Masterton man living with bowel cancer was walked out to a portaloo because the town’s sewer network was failing. His wife, Hazel Smith, is still fighting for reprieve several years after his death, as are many other Kuripuni...
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No plans to replace bridge
The Waihenga Bridge on State Highway 53 has closed multiple times this year, stranding locals and choking the local economy, but the Government has no current plans to replace the structure, which is described as “dangerous”. The bridge has closed...
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Sky’s the limit for tourism
Wairarapa’s tourism prospects are looking up with dark sky expansion plans, Michelin Guide restaurants nearby, free-trade agreements and ambitious government growth targets. But general optimism at yesterday’s Destination Wairarapa Tourism Summit in...
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Answers sought over hall
Rangitūmau residents have resorted to appealing to the Ombudsman after feeling left out of discussions about the future of their community hall. When local resident John Hart approached Masterton District Council (MDC) – the facility’s owner – in...
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Sheep savaged in dog attacks
Some Masterton residents are afraid to go out on their rural sections at night after a cluster of dog attacks killed several sheep last weekend. Property owners woke last Sunday morning to find several of their sheep dead or wounded on farmland just...
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$1.8m stoush continues
A contractor removed from a Carterton wastewater project five years ago is being chased for $1.8 million by the district’s council. The dispute has been years in the making, with its origins in 2018 when Carterton District Council contracted Central...
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Wairarapa takes out rental market crown
Renters hunting for a home in Wairarapa have suddenly found themselves spoiled for choice, while just over the hill, Wellington’s rental market is quietly heading in the opposite direction. New realestate.co.nz data for June showed Wairarapa recorded...
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Quiz of the day
When I was very young, and my parents finally got around to buying a television, I had an unusual favourite programme. It wasn’t or Wacky Races, the favourites of my primary school class. I avidly watched “the numbers”. This was simply the country’s...
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Quick response to emergency callouts
It is taking police officers less than 10 minutes to arrive at the scene of the most urgent family violence, assault and burglary cases. Wairarapa’s median response time for assaults in a high-priority event was seven minutes, while the median for...
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Charlotte Hamill-Harris - Netball
Charlotte had an outstanding season umpiring netball in 2025. She was selected for the highly competitive Central Zone Umpiring Squad, a performance-based pathway preparing officials for national tournaments and elite competitions such as the National...
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An environmental tragedy
Thousands of dead sea animals have washed up along the Wairarapa coast near Cape Palliser, with a marine biology expert attributing the deaths to the weekend’s severe storm. Locals are reporting “tens of thousands” of deceased octopuses, starfish,...
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Fee needed to keep Aratoi’s doors open
Wairarapa’s flagship art gallery’s finances are so tight it’s started charging for entry and reduced its opening hours. From yesterday, Aratoi – Wairarapa Museum of Art and History started charging Masterton locals $2 a visit, while others were asked...
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Hundreds stranded by storm
About 200 people remain isolated along Wairarapa’s south coast as vital infrastructure is repaired following a storm that brought heavy rainfall and flooding. Matt Vins, Wairarapa Emergency Operation Centre controller, said yesterday afternoon that...
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Heavy rain fills rivers
Locals had never seen rivers and streams rise as fast as they did yesterday afternoon in parts of South Wairarapa. Heavy rain and strong winds caused road closures and power outages across the district, with authorities urging caution as river levels...
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