0 New Fire Restrictions for Hawkes Bay and Tararua

• Alerts
• by Stuart Gunn
• 15-12-2025

  Prohibited and restricted fire seasons for Hawke's Bay    Fire and Emergency New Zealand is enforcing a total fire ban on open-air fires and fireworks, including paper lanterns, in the Ahuriri-Heretaunga and Tukituki East zones of the Hawke’s Bay. This takes effect from 8am on Monday 15 December, until further notice.   During a prohibited fire season, no fires are allowed in the open and all fire permits are suspended. Crews have responded to 15 vegetation fire callouts in the last 30 days in this zone. This area has experienced prolonged dry conditions, and with no significant rain forecast in the next two weeks, the risk too great.   Fireworks are well known to start fires in these dry conditions, and we’ve seen them start in this zone in previous years. All it takes is one spark for a devastating wildfire to spread. The Wairoa Inland, Tararua West and Tararua Central zones of the Hawke’s Bay will also be moving into a restricted fire season as of 8am on Monday 15 December, until further notice. A restricted fire season means anyone who wants to light an open-air fire will need to obtain a permit, which you can apply for at www.checkitsalright.nz.   These areas have seen consistently warm days and not much rain, which is set to continue. Go to checkitsalright.nz and enter your address to find out what fire season you are in, and if you are allowed to light an open-air fire, what conditions you must meet to light one.   We urge everyone to think very carefully before they plan any kind of fire or apply for a fire permit. Our job is to protect people, property and the environment and placing these restrictions will give us greater control over burning in our District.    

0 Devils Elbow planned closures January 2026

• Alerts
• by Stuart Gunn
• 15-12-2025

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi - Hawke’s Bay & Gisborne   We’ll be closing a section of the road overnight in January/February to rebuild 4.5km of the road surface with asphalt, in order to create a smoother drive over the numerous underslip repairs at Devil’s Elbow on SH2.The new stretch of asphalt will be the final Devil’s Elbow project after two years of Cyclone Gabrielle recovery work in the area.From Sunday 18 January to Thursday 5 February SH2 between Waikoau Hill and Aropaoanui Road at Tangoio will be closed overnight in both directions (5 nights each week). Closure times are 9pm to 5am Sunday to Thursday nights. We’ll reopen the road each morning at 5am, and it’ll be open Friday and Saturday nights.Roadworkers will be working at night when there are fewer people travelling to minimise disruption as much as possible. Crews and machinery will be working across both lanes, with two asphalt pavers operating side-by-side from the north to the south, laying approximately 3,000 tonnes of asphalt during this closure. A full road closure also means the work will be completed much faster.There will be no viable detours so please plan your travel around the closure times.If bad weather or other construction delays the work, the backup nights are Sunday 8 February midnight (12am) to 5am, and then Monday 9 to Friday 13 February (four nights), 9pm to 5am each night.Find out more about the closures: https://Lert.nz/s?=sFYou can keep up to date with our work by following this page and subscribing to our newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/t/43D7D651F36208CD   

0 Lions Mane Jellyfish now on the Tasman beaches

• Alerts
• by Stuart Gunn
• 28-10-2025

  Lion's mane jellyfish get their name from their spectacular, flowing tentacles that look like a lion's mane. Here in New Zealand waters, they're typically around 50 centimetres across, though they can grow much larger, over two metres, in colder northern regions. The bigger ones tend to stay further out to sea. What they look like: • Young jellyfish are light orange, tan, or sometimes nearly see-through • Adults are reddish and get darker as they age  Where and when to spot them: These jellyfish drift near the water's surface (within 20 metres of the top) and rely on ocean currents to get around, as they're not strong swimmers. You're most likely to see them washed up on our beaches during spring and summer, as that's when they've reached their full size and currents push them toward shore. Heads up: While admiring these beautiful creatures is fine, remember that their tentacles can sting, so it's best to look but not touch – even if they're stranded on the beach! Important Safety Tips • Lion’s mane tentacles can deliver a painful sting, though they are not usually dangerous. • Swimmers can wear rash vests or wetsuits for protection. • Keep dogs away from jellyfish. If ingested, seek veterinary advice immediately. Treating a jellyfish sting (for people and dogs): 1. Flush the stung area with sea water (or fresh water if unavailable) to remove tentacles. 2. Use a dry towel to remove any remaining tentacles. Wear gloves if possible. 3. Soak the stung area in heated tap water (up to 45°C) for 15-20 minutes. Repeat as needed for up to two hours, with breaks to cool the skin. 4. Take pain relief after hot-water soaking. 5. Seek medical aid if symptoms of an allergic reaction occur.

0 Test blog

• Alerts
• by Stuart Gunn
• 01-10-2025

  Ida Valley and Māniatoto  – ESSENTIAL TRAVEL ONLY. Please stay off the roads. Thick snow is affecting roads. If your travel isn’t essential in Māniatoto and Ida Valley areas, the advice is to stay at home. Road Closures: Danseys Pass Road CLOSED from the gates passed the Danseys Pass hotel.

0 Product Recalls for Wednesday October 1st

• Alerts
• by Stuart Gunn
• 01-10-2025

There are multiple car seat recalls for Panda Mart Brand Car Seats. The seats may not comply with the Car seat standards and may pose a potential risk for Children You should immediately stop using the car seat and return it to Panda Mart Auckland or Christchurch for a refund.   Moving on to another product, there are two Zenith taps recalled – Chilltap Extra 60 and Chilltap Extra 140. A number of units have a defect, and water drawn through them may contain more cadmium than acceptable in NZ. Prolonged Cadmium exposure is linked to serious adverse health effects. Stop using these and contact Zenith immediately for a free replacement and installation.   The product recalls link for more information is  - Product recalls

0 Roadside fires close SH1 Sth of Christchurch

• Alerts
• by Stuart Gunn
• 12-12-2024

Grass fires near Burnham  Source FENZ 2.45pm update   SH1 is closed between Leeston Dunsandel Rd and Burnham Rd, Burnham. It will be closed for some time.   We have five helicopters in the air and 16 trucks, tankers and support vehicles working on the ground.   Initial update There are multiple grass fires along State Highway 1 south of Burnham. We have eight trucks, tankers and support vehicles on the ground, with more on the way, and four helicopters responding from the air.   Please avoid the area and follow the instructions of our crews if you are already in the area. A section of SH1 is closed south of Burnham while FENZ fight the fire.   Avoid Facebook delays. Set up your real time news and emergency alerts - https://www.lertinfo.co.nz/index.html          

0 The Best of Both

• Alerts
• by Stuart Gunn
• 26-02-2023

In emergencies like the recent destructive storms, information is key to your safety. Civil Defence has a great service with their Mobile Emergency Alerts, but unfortunately there are some drawbacks : From Their Tweet Feb 26th 2023" - Didn’t get an Emergency Mobile Alert on your phone? - Emergency Mobile Alerts will only be sent when there is a serious threat to life, health or property. These are broadcast to affected areas, not specific phones. Other reasons may be: Your phone isn’t on our list of capable makes and models: getready.govt.nz/.../emergency.… Your phone needs updating Your phone is off, You're in flight mode, or Your out of cellular coverage.  Lert Info alerts reach you reliably: On all phones, 99% of the time. If you lose signal,  alerts will get through when you get signal. When you recharge your phone after a flat battery, You cancel flight mode, You drive into an area with signal, You switch your phone on.  only people who want our alerts will get them, for their chosen suburb, town or region.  Civil Defence creates original alerts. Lert Info creates original alerts too, eg we were the first to alert Auckland subscribers thunderstorms had stalled and to expect issues, however we also scour 100's of sources and have thousand of subscribers as our eyes and ears. We then personally send the information to you if your registered (free). Alerts could be anything, weather, a city fire with toxic smoke, life threatening health alerts like recalled foods, toxic shellfish, plus a whole lot more. - Full list of alerts Click Here  We advise you to have multiple sources but please don't rely on just Facebook. It risks your safety because of it's unreliability. Many of the alerts on this map (Noon Feb 27th 2023) have not appeared anywhere on Facebook. To start getting your own alerts long before others do just FREE register at www.lert.info