Rare Birds Given Special Lockdown Treatment

Five rare tuturuatu shore plovers were granted a lock down exemption this week. The birds were transported by Department of Conservation experts from Christchurch to Mana island Wellington.

The birds are part of a critical conversation program to establish a new population. Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage said that there were just 250 of these birds left in the world. These birds are critical part of the attempts to establish a population on the pest-free Mana island.

Department can complete essential work if it will help meet significant animal welfare. The work must be able to be done in a way that is safe for staff and meets requirements for minimal contact under Alert Level 4.

New Names And Boundaries For Electorates

The final names and boundaries for electorates in the next election have been announced.

The biggest change is the addiction of a whole new electorate to the South of Auckland's CBD. It will be called Takanini. It will bring the total number of Auckland region electorates up to 25.

The number of Maori electorates will remain at seven, but boundary changes will be made to five of them.

Changes are also being made in Nelson, Whangarei, the Waikato region, and the bay of Plenty region. Overall, 31 general electorates have been left unchanged.

Feijoa Season Is Coming!

New Zealand is set for a bumper Feijoa crop in 2020. The drought conditions which have hit many regions have actually helped in producing more of the delicious fruits, mostly green fruit.

Growers have said that this year's crop is approximately 20% higher than last year. It is expected that around 1,500 tonnes will be harvested this season.

Feijoas are really high in vitamin C. During autumn and winter it is more important than ever consume plenty of fresh fruit to boost our immune systems and fight off any coughs, colds or bugs.

New Zealand First Online Supermarket

New Zealand's purpose to build the online supermarket was due to the covid 19, they opened the online supermarket yesterday.

The new Countdown e-store is located in Penrose in Auckland. It is predicted that the new store will fill up to 7,500 online orders a week from the Auckland region.

It will employ 200 people, including 106 new jobs. The e-store, witch will operate 24-hours a day, and opened seven days a week. 

Countdown said the new e-store will significantly ease the pressure of staff at 10 busy central Auckland supermarkets. 

I think this is a good thing for New Zealand as the supermarkets are always packed. So what do you think? 

                                     !Stay Safe And Be Kind!

Mining Ban Off Taranaki Coast Continues

Mining off the Taranaki Coast is still banned, but a mining company called Trans Tasman Resources went to court to try and change the new rule set in place by the government. The company wanted to mine millions of tonnes of iron sands off the coast of Taranaki.

However, the Court of Appeal has dismissed the attempt by Trans-Tasman Resources to overturn a 2018 High Court decision. 

The Court also found Treaty of Waitangi principles were not adhered to. The judge said that the “kaitiakitanga relationship between tangata whenua, the marine environment and its resources is a relevant existing interest. 

Forest and bird chief executive Kevin Hauge said the decision was important as New Zealand considered how to rebuild its economy after the shock of the (Covid-19) Corona virus. 

Air NZ Completes Last Ever London To LA Flight

Air New Zealand has completed its last every London to Los Angles flight. 130 employ flight attendants, were meant to finish in October. The airline had planned to replace the London service with one to New York.

However, due to the impact of corona virus on air travel, the route is suspended until the end of June. This means the iconic London to LA flight will no longer happen.

Air New Zealand has been flying between Auckland and London for 36 years. The route carried the flagship flight number, NZ1 – or NZ2 if you were flying north.

The final flight was, of course, an emotional time for the crew on board and staff on the ground. 

Due to the corona virus I just want to say wash your hands, stay clean and stay safe.