Part of SH1 closed as firefighters battle Canterbury grass fire, review into "frustrating" rules for hairdressers announced, and the priciest property sales of 2024.
1 Firefighters tackling 'multiple grass fires' near Burnham, Canterbury
Firefighters are battling "multiple grass fires" along State Highway 1 south of Burnham in Canterbury.
Eight fire trucks, tankers, and support vehicles are at the scene with "more on the way", Fire and Emergency New Zealand says.
People have been advised to avoid the area and follow the instructions of fire crews.
2 Review into 'frustrating' rules for hairdressers, barbers announced
The Government has announced a sector review into rules for hairdressers and barbers. It will be "short and sharp", the Minister for Regulation says.
Last month, a new bill was introduced in Parliament to make serving drinks at hair salons and barbershops legal.
3 Three years since Tom Phillips went missing — police on search challenges
Today marks three years since Tom Phillips went missing from Marokopa for a second time with his three children Jayda, Maverick and Ember.
Acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders said this morning that police have "real concerns" about how Phillips might react when he's found.
4 Military personnel leave cancelled over Christmas to cover strikes
Military personnel have had their Christmas and New Year leave cancelled to fill gaps left by strikes, says a lobby group.
Defence Minister Judith Collins last month invoked a rarely-used power to allow uniformed service men and women to fill in for striking civilian staff.
5 ACC: Independent review announced, levies increasing
The Government has ordered a review of ACC and has confirmed the earners and business levy and those paid by motor vehicle owners are increasing.
"Today I am announcing that the earners and business levy is having to be increased by up to 5% a year for three years to meet the rising costs of the scheme," ACC Minister Matt Doocey said.
SEARCH ON TO FIND ONE 'KIWI HERO'
A "nameless legend" spread "delicious joy" during major delays at Auckland Airport – and now, the search is on to find out who that person was.
Yesterday morning, an external tech issue led to huge queues for check-in at Auckland Airport's international terminal. Congestion lasted for hours.
Amid the disruption, a "Kiwi hero" shared a "big feed" of KFC with other stranded travellers, Air New Zealand said in a statement.
THE CHEAPEST AND PRICIEST PROPERTY SALES OF 2024
An Auckland apartment that changed hands in October for $50,000 was the cheapest sale of the year, CoreLogic says.
It has released a report reviewing property sales in 2024.
The priciest sales were a Paritai Dr house for $21.84 million in Orakei and a property on Victoria Ave in Remuera once owned by Grant Dalton that sold for $20 million.
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