Foodbank reveals the new face of need

Indy Radcar reports on a trend that mirrors wider economic pressures across the capital - a sharp rise in demand for Foodbank services. Many of the new cases are people seeking help for the first time. READ MORE.

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News briefs – July

Copper theft in the community

Police are asking property owners to take extra precautions, particularly at vacant homes, renovation or construction sites, rural properties, and unoccupied rental properties to safeguard against copper theft.
We encourage owners and neighbours to secure vacant buildings where possible, install lighting, alarms, or cameras, regularly check unattended properties, and report suspicious activity promptly.
Police are also reminding scrap metal dealers, recyclers, tradespeople, and members of the public to be alert for anyone attempting to sell suspicious quantities of copper cabling, earthing straps, plumbing lines, or burnt copper wiring.
Report any suspicious vehicles or people seen near power poles, roadside infrastructure, or vacant properties — particularly during late night or early morning hours.
If suspicious activity is happening now, call 111 immediately.
If it is a non-emergency, it can be reported via 105 online or by phone.
Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

Kākā cameras

Trail cameras have been put in place to observe the behaviour of kākā, and how they interact with brodifacoum pelifeed stations in reserves around Wellington.
The research is being conducted by Ryan Jaggers, a Master's of ecology student at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, and has the permission of the Wellington City Council to conduct this research.
“With the images of kākā we gather I intend to use machine learning to identify the individual kākā. This will let us know how many unique kākā are visiting these stations so we can look into the extent of this behaviour,” Ryan says.
The map shows where the cameras will be.
“We will also delete images of people that we capture so do not be concerned if you accidentally stand in front of one.”

New street name for Karori

A new private right-of-way in Karori has been officially named.
The Wellington City Council’s Regulatory Processes committee agreed in June to a recommendation for a new right-of-way off David Crescent to be named Ara Kaha.
The council’s Māori strategic partnerships and capability group, Mataaho Aronui, suggested the name. Kaha refers to a rope used to snare birds (‘rore’ being the action of snaring). According to the council, the proposed name references the te reo name for this area, Kaharore.