Snow causes road closures, power outages across South Island, defence wraps up in the Polkinghorne murder trial and 270 parking fines are waived by Auckland Transport.
1 Roads reopen as snow causes power outages across South Island
MetService issued an orange heavy snow warning for Canterbury High Country south of the Rakaia River until 5pm and for inland Otago until midday today.
Previously closed SH80 to Aoraki/Mt Cook, SH94 to Milford Sound, SH6 from Haast to Makarora, SH85 from Kyeburn to Omakau and SH87 Mosgiel to Kyeburn have reopened. NZTA advised road users to "take extra care" due to snow and ice conditions.
Aurora Energy's website reported power has been restored to the majority of homes with just 358 now affected this afternoon, down from around 3500 this morning.
2 Police seek last person to see Dargaville homicide victim alive
Police have released CCTV images of a man investigators believe to be the last person to have seen Northland woman Joanna Mai Sione-Lauaki alive.
Sione-Lauaki's body was found by a member of the public between Omamari and Aranga beaches on August 2.
1News understands that police were called after she texted the word "help" to her husband the night before her body was found.
3 Defence evidence wraps up in Polkinghorne trial
The trial, which started in late July, is at the end of the seventh week of evidence and approaching the final stages.
Polkinghorne, 71, denies strangling and killing his wife Pauline Hanna at their Auckland home in 2021, and making it look like a suicide.
The last witness told jurors there is no way to know who will harm themselves.
"It's impossible to predict who's going to go on and take their own lives," associate professor Sarah Hetrick, a psychologist, told the trial.
Warning: This article contains content that could be disturbing to some people.
4 Donald Trump says he won't debate Kamala Harris again
Trump, the Republican nominee, posted on Truth Social that "THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!" following this week's match-up against Harris and his June debate against President Joe Biden.
In rejecting another debate, the former president suggested that a "prizefighter" who loses a bout is always the one to call for a rematch.
Harris, the Democratic nominee, said during a rally in North Carolina she believes that she and the former president "owe it to voters" to debate again.
5 Construction progresses in Auckland on New Zealand's first IKEA store
IKEA, famous for its flat-pack furniture, plans to open its first New Zealand store in late 2025.
The Auckland store will be around 34,000m2 and have three floors — a ground-level car park and the store on two levels. It will have standalone entry and exit points and be connected to the rest of the Sylvia Park precinct.
Seven Sharp reporter Nina Burton went along to check out the progress.
ONE PARKING NIGHTMARE
Around 270 parking tickets "issued in error" to drivers for failing to pay despite the parking machine not allowing them to do so have been cancelled by Auckland Transport.
An Auckland Transport spokesperson said a few machines missed being programmed when it moved to charging for Sunday and public holiday parking on July 1. Those machines were updated on Friday.
ONE SUPER RUGBY MAKEOVER
Super Rugby Pacific will undergo several changes next season including a new-look finals format which rewards the top six teams and, most controversially, a “lucky loser”.
Chief executive Jack Mesley said he was "particularly excited about the new finals series, which is designed to produce highly competitive match-ups while still rewarding the teams that finish at the top of the table."
1News' digital sports reporter Patrick McKendry explains the change in the story linked below.
SHARE ME