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"Police warn of fake banknotes" Please attribute the following to Sergeant Nigel Hurley: Police are receiving reports of counterfeit $50 and $100 banknotes, are urging the public to be vigilant when handling cash. (Lert note- Police have not indicated where) Members of the public, especially those working in retail or hospitality, should increase their knowledge of how to spot a fake banknote to avoid getting duped at the till. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand recommends the look-feel-tilt test to distinguish the official security features of a legitimate banknote: When looking through the holographic window, the edges of the window should look smooth, and you should see the bird's silhouette, a map of New Zealand and a 3-D feature showing the value of the banknote. When you run a finger across the words “Reserve Bank of New Zealand Te Pūtea Matua”, you should be able to feel raised ink on the denomination and the letters at the top. When tilting the note, a bright shining bar should roll across the bird's silhouette on the front and the holographic window's colours should shift and change revealing fine details. Anyone who finds a counterfeit note should report it to Police as soon as possible. Manufacturing counterfeit notes or knowingly passing them on is a serious offence. Possession of forged bank notes can be punishable by up to seven years in prison, or up to 10 for using one. More information on how to spot fake banknotes from The Reserve Bank of New Zealand NZ's comprehensive alert service www.lert.info
0 Number of live alerts is dropping.
After the intense last few days, we can look at what just happened with the recent storm and assess what we can improve to keep subscribers better informed. It will be weeks before roads open, but the biggest impact will be for those families that lost loved ones, their homes, pets, damage on farms and summer fruit orchards and so much more. Our thoughts are with you. The map shows 27 live alerts as of 10:30 am Saturday, Jan 23rd. At the height of the storm, we had 58 live alerts at one point. Overall, we issued 70 alerts, if you include the run-up to the storm. There will be a upto 10 follow-on alerts with updates. Speed and efficiency of messaging is vital at these times. AI has proved extremely helpful. We also tried a new system for this event, which further improved our efficiency. Sometimes we miss occasional events that need an alert because there is so much going on. A key thing is power, and you can set up your own quick go-to button on your phone for your power company. - Open the power company's outage page and save that link to your phone screen. In furture with one tap, you will go straight to that page.
0 January 21st Storm causes prolonged power outage for BOP and Coromandel
Update from Powerco Thursday 4pm update Customers without power following heavy rain and wind overnight in Coromandel Peninsula, western Bay of Plenty and eastern and southern Waikato should prepare for several days without power. During the peak of the outages (1am Thursday), 14,900 customers were affected by power cuts in the storm regions. By 4pm today, that number was down to 5,700. Our crews have been out fixing as much as they can today and restoring supply to as many people as possible. However, flooding and slips in some areas are causing difficulties for our crews to get to fault sites to make repairs. Some of those areas will require a helicopter to look at the scale of the damage, because some of the damage is significant. Damage is widespread, with trees through lines, poles down, and electricity boxes flooded, Powerco Head of Network Operations, Mark Dunn, says. “We know it’s really hard to be without power, however we need to be realistic. The conditions mean customers should prepare to be without power for several days – particularly if they are in the flooded areas or there are road closures. “Crews can only make repairs once it is safe to do so – when roads are accessible and flooding has subsided. If you are in storm affected areas and you’re without power, thank you for your patience and understanding." How to stay safe If you see downed power lines, it’s important to: * Stay at least 10m away from the lines and poles - that's about the length of a bus. * Call 111 immediately or Powerco's emergency number, 0800 27 27 27.
Severe Thunderstorms are on the cards for Friday 23rd Jan. Of Special interest is the Canterbury region, where the chance is high. Highly active storms behave unpredictably; they may be all noise, but then again, there could be damaging winds or flash flooding. If they are closer than 5secs' between flash and bang (6km away), head indoors. Not a Lert Subscriber and want to be faster and better informed than just Facebok? Go to www.lert.info
Here's the latest list of welfare centres around the district. We currently have about 30 whānau who have evacuated to centres and Marae. Many more are staying safe with friends and whānau. We will update locations when we know more. URGENT NOTICE HINEMAUREA MARAE IS NO LONGER AN EVACUATION POINT DUE TO FLOODING ON MARAE RD. ALTERNATIVE EVACUATION: ONEPOTO RESIDENTS: TE PUNA MANAAKI WHARF ROAD RESIDENTS: KKMT GYM Contact person: Shyla Taiapa Hinepare Marae, Rangitukia Tuatini Marae, Tokomaru Bay Rahui Marae, Tikitiki Te Puna Manaaki (Onepoto residents - contact Shyla Taiapa) KKMT Gym (Wharf Road residents - contact Shyla Taiapa) Takitimu Marae - Patutahi Hicks Bay Lodge, Hicks Bay Awatere Marae, Te Araroa Kiekie Marae, Waipiro Bay Tolaga Bay Area School Hinerupe Marae, Te Araroa Matahi o te Tau Marae Rongohaere Marae, Ruatoria Potaka Marae House of Breakthrough - On standby Ōhako Marae – Manutuke - On standby Pahou Marae – Manutuke - On standby Sources - Tairāwhiti Civil Defence and Gisborne District Council
0 Opotiki District Council update
New day new post whānau. 10:20am 22 January 2026 Just a few updates on the post-storm clean-up. It looks like the west of the Bay of Plenty has been hit hard . We still have some issues in our district this morning so please take care - check before you travel as there are a number of road closures to be aware of particularly closures to the west of Whakatāne. The Whangaparāoa River has overflowed, causing significant surface flooding on Cape Road and Ngarue Road. These roads are closed and there are other issues, slips and closures in the area – you can see the extent of the damage in a video linked in the comments. SH35 has reopened on the Bay of Plenty side but remains closed on the Tairawhiti side. There are a few issues and inspections are ongoing so take extra care. PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NO THROUGH ACCESS TO GISBOURNE VIA SH35. With SH2 also closed (and Motu Road too), the remaining detour is SH5. Please allow time if you need to use that route. Side note - Work to clear SH2 has been postponed due to weather. While we ask that you keep travel to a minimum, the Ōpōtiki bridges have no issues, there is roading access to and from Whakatāne (both the Waimana Gorge and Wainui road) so please attend important medical appointments and so on. Your health is essential travel! Please check before travelling further west than Whakatāne. The latest info from the Flood Team at Bay of Plenty Regional Council is that their flood room remains activated and rain has eased across the region but some waterways continue to rise. First warning levels were reached for rivers in the district with peaks expected around 10am this morning. Ōpōtiki RRC (rubbish and recycling centre) is open but please delay waste disposal drop offs until tomorrow if possible. Vehicles can navigate most of the site but wood, furniture and concrete areas are not accessible due to surface water. Source Opotiki District Council
"Several people unaccounted for following slip, Mount Maunganui" Several people are unaccounted for following a slip near a campsite in Mount Maunganui. Emergency services were called to Adams Ave just after 9:30am. The campsite has been evacuated, and Adams Ave is closed while emergency services work to locate anybody who remains in the area. Members of the public are advised to avoid the area. Sourcce, Police
Has just been a landslide at Mt Maunganui hitting the camping ground and hot pools. Ppl are trapped. Roads are being closed. Stay away and DO NOT GO NEAR Mt Maunganui Any family/parents etc go to the SURF CLUB
0 Highly impactful rain for BOP and Parts of Gisborne tonight
Very heavy continues overnight (21 to 22 Jan 2026) BOP and Gisborne - overnight, Flash and surface flooding could occur. Models aren't fully aligned on amounts, so please prepare. Midnight looks to be when the heaviest rain will occur. The pink areas on the above map show likely areas of flash flooding upto 7am Thursday The above map shows intense Total Precipitable Water over 50kg/m^, which is likely to be intense rain. Please prepare. Information and alertsfaster than Facebook - www.lert.info
0 Many, Many product and food recalls finish the year 2025
There a many, many product recalls plus a few food recalls from the last three weeks. We strongly advise you check product recalls, as many may have been given as Xmas gifts - Click here There are a couple of Food Recalls as well Click here Be much better informed with NZ's most comprehensive alert and information service Lert Info
0 Devils Elbow planned closures January 2026
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 New Fire Restrictions for Hawkes Bay and Tararua
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 Yellow Legged Hornet Update Dec 12th 2025
Source - Gemini AI An update on the yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina) situation in Auckland, based on recent reports: Biosecurity New Zealand is continuing its enhanced response to the yellow-legged hornet detections in the Glenfield and Birkdale areas of Auckland's North Shore. Key Developments Expanded Surveillance Zone: The surveillance zone around the detection sites has been extended from 5km to 11km based on advice from an independent technical advisory group. This expansion aims to provide greater assurance that the incursion is a single, contained population. The extended zone now covers significant parts of Auckland, including the CBD. Destruction of Queens and Nests: As of the latest updates (around December 11, 2025), a total of 34 queen hornets and 22 nests have been successfully located and destroyed. Intensified Search and Trapping: Nearly 650 traps have been deployed within a 5km radius of the detection sites. Over 3,500 properties have been searched within 200 metres of confirmed finds. Engagement with Beekeepers: The extended 11km zone involves working closely with over 575 registered apiaries, with traps being placed near hives and information provided on monitoring. New Technology: Electronic tracking gear is being purchased, and UK experts are guiding the process of attaching transmitters to foraging worker hornets to trace them back to their nests. Public Reports: Public support remains strong, with over 5,610 public notifications received so far, which Biosecurity New Zealand stresses is their best surveillance tool. What Biosecurity New Zealand is Saying Biosecurity New Zealand expects to find more hornets over the summer due to the increased surveillance efforts and urges the public and beekeepers to remain vigilant, particularly ahead of an expected lift in foraging by worker hornets. ⚠️ How to Report a Suspected Sighting If you see a suspected yellow-legged hornet or nest, do not attempt to remove or control it yourself. Take a clear photo if possible and report it immediately: Online: report.mpi.govt.nz Hotline: 0800 809 966 (Exotic Pest and Disease Hotline) Check out his video on hornets and making a trap . https://youtu.be/_I5UOyBF9v0 New Zealands most comprehensive alert service - Lert.Info
0 Humidex - What it is and why it matters.
Humidex is an index that takes into account the temperature and the humidity. It's a measure of how hot air and humidity combine to make an index. Its value is however not a felt temperature, but an index indicator of how the combination could affect you. When is the humidex used? Lert Info's humidex alerts are sent when when the index increases to about 35Deg where your health can be compromised … Key Physical Concerns (Health): Heat-Related Illnesses: These are direct threats to physical health caused by the body struggling to cool itself. They exist on a spectrum: Heat Cramps (painful muscle spasms from salt/fluid loss). Heat Exhaustion (heavy sweating, dizziness, nausea, rapid pulse, pale/clammy skin). Heat Stroke (a life-threatening medical emergency with a very high body temperature, confusion, and potential loss of consciousness). Dehydration: Excessive loss of body fluids and electrolytes through sweating, leading to symptoms like thirst, dry mouth, dizziness, and low blood pressure. Worsening Chronic Conditions: The added strain on the heart and lungs from working harder to cool the body can severely worsen existing conditions like cardiovascular or respiratory diseases. A Humindex index of about 35 is when you experience some symptoms. (see chart). Above 30deg humidex, breathing can become difficult and the heaviness of the air unbearable for some. The colour gradient on the table shows the increasing discomfort and risks of the higher index. When heat is combined with too much humidity, drinking plenty of water is no longer enough and the discomfort quickly becomes possibly life-threatening. Symptoms of light headedness, lack of energy, pounding heart, change in breathing could indicate you are feeling the effects. A temperature of 35 degrees with dry air, is not felt in the same way as a temperature of 35 degrees with humid air. The heat is higher, the comfort lower and the discomfort greater. The humidex helps you better understand how your body reacts to the day's temperature, by effectively integrating heat and humidity. To get Hundex alerts - www.lert.info
0 Fire restrictons as at Nov 30th 2025
Current Fire Restrictions in New Zealand (as of November 30, 2025)Fire restrictions in New Zealand are managed by Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and vary by district based on weather, fuel dryness, and recent fire activity. November marks the start of the high-risk summer fire season, so restrictions are common in drier northern and eastern regions. Restrictions fall into three main categories: Prohibited: No outdoor fires allowed (including BBQs and fireworks). This is the strictest level, often due to high fire danger. Restricted: Outdoor fires require a free permit from FENZ (apply at firepermit.nz or call 0800 658 628). Gas/electric BBQs may be allowed without a permit in some cases. Open: No restrictions; fires can be lit responsibly without a permit. Always check the official interactive map at checkitsalright.nz for your exact location, as statuses can change daily. Recent events, like the Tongariro National Park fire (fully contained as of mid-November), have heightened vigilance in central areas.Key Regions with Active RestrictionsBased on the latest available data, here's a summary of major areas with prohibitions or restrictions. (Note: South Island regions like Canterbury and Otago are more likely to be open this early in the season, but dry spells can trigger changes.) Region/District Status Details Northland Restricted (with some prohibited pockets) Permits required for outdoor fires. Total bans were in place earlier in 2025 due to dry conditions but have eased slightly. Check for wind-related updates. Auckland Restricted Permits needed; urban areas have additional bylaws banning fires in public spaces. Fireworks sales are allowed (Nov 2–5), but use is restricted to private property. Waikato (Northern) Restricted to Prohibited Permits required; northern zones (e.g., near Hamilton) may have full bans due to ongoing dry weather. Coromandel sub-zone recently under prohibited status. Bay of Plenty Restricted Permits mandatory; heightened risk near coastal areas. Hawke's Bay Restricted (post-ban) Temporary total bans lifted after October storms, but permits still required. Avoid lighting fires during windy conditions. Manawatu-Wanganui (incl. Tongariro) Restricted Permits needed, especially around Tongariro National Park following the recent 2,935-hectare fire. DOC land has year-round restrictions. Wellington Open to Restricted Urban bans on public fireworks; rural areas may need permits if dry. Canterbury Restricted Permits required in rural zones; urban Christchurch is generally open but monitor for changes. Additional Rules Public Conservation Land (DOC-managed): Year-round restricted season—only authorized fire types (e.g., contained gas stoves) allowed, no open ground fires. Prohibited during any FENZ red alert. Fireworks: Sales limited to November 2–5, but bans apply in prohibited areas. Local councils (e.g., Auckland, Wellington) restrict use to private property only. How to Comply: Use the FENZ app or website for real-time alerts. If lighting a fire, clear a 10m radius, have water/extinguishers ready, and never leave it unattended. For the most precise info, visit checkitsalright.nz or contact FENZ. Stay safe—summer fires can spread quickly!
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