It’s been a horror weekend on North Island roads, with eight people killed in five crashes.
Four of those crashes happened in the Waikato, with another accident in Northland claiming the lives of three people.
The spate of fatal crashes prompted police and the New Zealand Transport Agency to release a joint statement, urging motorists to take care on our roads. NZTA’s senior road safety manager Fabian Marsh also asked drivers to remember the basics when it comes to safe driving – including seatbelts, avoiding distractions like mobile phones and driving within the speed limit.
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Cracking down on vaping
A new bill to regulate vaping products will be introduced in parliament today. The proposed new laws would ban sales to those under 18, with dairies and service stations restricted to stocking just three flavours of the product. Advertising of vaping products and smokeless tobacco would also be banned, as would vaping in any smoke-free areas.
Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa told Q+A with Jack Tame yesterday that the legislation aimed to find a balance between using it as a tool to quit smoking, while ensuring vaping products aren’t marketed to young people.
Jonathan Devery of the Vaping Trade Association also appeared on Q+A, saying the Government’s proposals were a "great first step" in regulating vaping, however he also said the industry shouldn’t be subject to the same advertising restrictions as tobacco companies.
Wallabies: NZ’s forgotten pest
Have you ever seen a wallaby in the wild? Chances are you haven’t, but the Australian pest has been in New Zealand since the 1870s – and with the numbers of wallabies exploding in recent times, our native forests and pastures are suffering .
While authorities have tried to keep wallabies in large containment zones in the Bay of Plenty and South Canterbury, a Landcare report says the animals could cover a third of the country in 50 years, costing the economy almost $100 million a year in lost revenue.
Reporter Mark Crysell has been to see the damage being wreaked by wallabies and has heard the pleas for the government to step in and act before the scourge becomes impossible to manage. You can find his full Sunday report here .
Fury floors Wilder
Boxer Tyson Fury says he expects to face Deontay Wilder for a third time, following his shocking win over the previously undefeated American.
The Brit went on the attack during their bout yesterday, knocking Wilder down twice, before a flurry of punches prompted an end to the fight in the seventh round. Blood poured from Wilder’s ear for several rounds, with Fury appearing to lick drops of it at one point. Fury was typically modest in victory, proclaiming that “the king has returned to his throne”, before attempting to lead the crowd in a singalong of ‘American Pie’.
Wilder and his team now have 30 days to exercise their option for a third fight against Fury.
Other news of note this morning:
A person has died in a Dunedin house fire overnight.
Elizabeth Warren's savage takedown of scandal-ridden billionaire Michael Bloomberg at last week’s Democratic debate has failed to translate to a win in Nevada, with Bernie Sanders claiming victory in the state’s caucuses. Meanwhile President Donald Trump’s approval rating has risen , boosting his chances of a second term.
Dreamworld is bracing itself for the release today of a coroner's findings into the deaths of four people on a ride in 2016.
And Kiwi men are being urged to consider donating plasma to the NZ Blood Service as a shortage looms.
And finally...
There’s been high drama in the latest instalment of The Bachelorette, with one prospective bachelor being felled by an avocado-laden burrito and another not appearing to understand the permanence of a tattoo. TVNZ’s Rebecca Moore sums up the action here .
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