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Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
Police can now name the man who died in a crash on SH25, Te Puru, on 27 December 2024.
He was Jason David Taana, 33, of Waiomu.
Police extend their sympathies to his loved ones.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
Source: New Zealand Government
The latest data shows Kāinga Ora is taking action against disruptive tenants leading to improved behaviour, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says.
In March 2024, Ministers instructed Kāinga Ora to end its Sustaining Tenancies Framework which had allowed tenants to stay living in a KO home no matter how threatening or disruptive their behaviour, or how much damage they caused to the property,” Mr Bishop says.
“Neighbours of Kāinga Ora residents, frequently KO tenants themselves, were tired of having to put up with people who abused the privilege of a taxpayer-funded home – so Ministers declared enough was enough, and instructed the agency to take a stronger approach to managing disruptive tenants.
“In November 2024, Kāinga Ora received 538 complaints about disruptive behavior. Their frontline teams are responding to these quickly, taking action where needed, with a decision being made on each case within 15 business days in 98 per cent of cases.
“This is in stark contrast to January 2024, when the Sustaining Tenancies Framework was still in place. At that time, Kāinga Ora had over 500 open complaint cases that had been sitting unresolved for an average of almost 60 days.
“Pleasingly, by December 2024 there were just over 200 open cases in progress, with an average of 13 days for a decision to be made and action taken.
“And action most certainly is being taken where needed.
“Since July 2024, Kāinga Ora has issued 553 Section 55A notices – which give formal warning to a tenant that their behaviour is putting their tenancy at risk – which is a whopping 13 times more than the 41 issued during the same period last year.
“I’m particularly pleased to see that this early intervention is helping spark behaviour change among those tenants who have previously been disruptive. The data shows that first Section 55A notices made up around 83 per cent of all notices issued since July. Second notices made up approximately 16 per cent of all Section 55A notices issued during this period, while third notices – which can trigger the end of a tenancy – made up less than 2 per cent.
“This data shows that the vast majority of disruptive tenants are taking the Section 55A notices seriously and changing their behaviour to prevent receiving a second or third notice. And where they don’t change their behaviour, we’ll no longer put up with it.”
In the five months from July to November in 2024, 23 tenancies were ended due to abusive, threatening or disruptive behaviour, compared to only four tenancies having been ended for this reason in all of 2023.
“Kāinga Ora is also continuing to use relocations to a different KO property to prompt behaviour change where there is conflict between neighbouring tenants. Relocations have taken place 101 times in the period between July and November, and in two-thirds of these cases, Kāinga Ora has not received further complaints about behaviour from these tenants in their new homes,” Mr Bishop says.
“I want to emphasise that the strengthened approach does not have any impact on the significant majority of Kāinga Ora tenants who already do the right thing. In fact, I hope that it has made their lives easier knowing that they don’t need to put up with disruptive behaviour from their neighbours.
“I also want to thank Kāinga Ora staff for their hard work to ensure disruptive behaviour is managed quickly and effectively.”
Removing the Sustaining Tenancies Framework gave effect to a commitment made in the National-ACT coalition agreement.
Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
Police can confirm one person has died following a water incident at Pilot Bay Beach yesterday morning.
Emergency services were notified just before 8:20am after a person was pulled from the water unresponsive.
The death will be referred to the Coroner.
ENDS
Source: RealEstate.co.nz
The New Zealand property market typically slows down in December, but the latest data from realestate.co.nz reveals that December 2024 was more than just a seasonal cooldown—it was ‘exceptionally lukewarm.’
New listings hit a record low for any December since realestate.co.nz tracking began, with nine of 19 regions also reaching their lowest-ever December levels. The national average asking price was also its lowest since April 2021 at $842,476.
Vanessa Williams, spokesperson for realestate.co.nz, said: “The property market always cools in December, but the end of 2024 was record-breakingly quiet.”
Despite this, healthy stock levels and some regional ‘hotspots’ meant opportunities remained for buyers and sellers.
New listings plunge to lowest-ever December levels
As 2024 came to a close, new listings hit a record low for any December since realestate.co.nz records began 17 years ago. Nine of 19 regions also reached their lowest-ever December levels: Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, Wellington, Central Otago/Lakes District, and Manawatu/Whanganui.
Williams noted that the seasonal slowdown continues a trend of fewer properties being listed in December.
“Over the past 17 years, we’ve observed a steady decline in the number of properties listed in December. Historically, December listings were about 30% lower than November. That drop has grown to 50% or more in recent years.”
In December 2024, new listings fell by almost 60% month-on-month (11,129 vs. 4,767)—an even steeper drop than the 50% decline between November and December 2023 (10,712 vs. 4,828).
“The market usually comes off the boil in December, but this year has been exceptionally lukewarm,” said Williams.
Even Auckland wasn’t immune to the December sluggishness. Auckland recorded an all-time low for new listings in any month over the last 17 years, including during COVID-19.
Stock takes a dip – but the market’s still swimming with options
Stock was also down 13.3% month-on-month during December to 29,478 properties for sale. This seasonal dip saw stock levels below 30,000 for the first time since August 2024.
Year-on-year, however, stock was up 18.5%, offering buyers significantly more choice than in December 2023.
National asking price at 2021 levels, with regional highs and lows.
The national average asking price in December 2024 was $842,476, a level last seen before the market started to boom in April 2021, when it was $839,717. While the national figure reflects a return to 2021 levels, it has remained relatively stable year-on-year, with a slight decline of just 0.3% compared to December 2023.
Regionally, there were significant variations between markets. 11 of 19 regions saw average asking prices decline year-on-year. The biggest drops were in Central Otago/Lakes District (17.3% to $1,324,754), Nelson and Bays (13.4% to $829,412), Central North Island (11.0% to $708,350), and Bay of Plenty (10.9% to $823,926).
In contrast, Southland bucked the trend with a 15.3% year-on-year increase to $549,211 – a record-high for December. Additionally, Gisborne, Taranaki, West Coast, and Coromandel hit their highest average asking prices ever recorded for the month of December.
“We often see stark regional differences like this across the country, highlighting how critical local market knowledge is when buying or selling,” said Williams.
About realestate.co.nz
We’ve been helping people buy, sell, or rent property since 1996. Established before Google, realestate.co.nz is New Zealand’s longest-standing property website and the official website of the real estate industry.
Dedicated only to property, our mission is to empower people with a property search tool they can use to find the life they want to live. With residential, lifestyle, rural and commercial property listings, realestate.co.nz is the place to start for those looking to buy or sell property.
Whatever life you’re searching for, it all starts here.
Glossary of terms:
Average asking price (AAP) is neither a valuation nor the sale price. It is an indication of current market sentiment. Statistically, asking prices tend to correlate closely with the sales prices recorded in future months when those properties are sold. As it looks at different data, average asking prices may differ from recorded sales data released simultaneously.
New listings are a record of all the new residential dwellings listed for sale on realestate.co.nz for the relevant calendar month. The site reflects 97% of all properties listed through licensed real estate agents and major developers in New Zealand. This description gives a representative view of the New Zealand property market.
Stock is the total number of residential dwellings that are for sale on realestate.co.nz on the penultimate day of the month.
Rate of sale is a measure of how long it would take, theoretically, to sell the current stock at current average rates of sale if no new properties were to be listed for sale. It provides a measure of the rate of turnover in the market.
Seasonal adjustment is a method realestate.co.nz uses to represent better the core underlying trend of the property market in New Zealand. This is done using methodology from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research.
Truncated mean is the method realestate.co.nz uses to supply statistically relevant asking prices. The top and bottom 10% of listings in each area are removed before the average is calculated to prevent exceptional listings from providing false impressions.
Source: Department of Conservation
Date: 09 January 2025
A concerned member of the public reported the incident, which happened around 12 pm on Friday, January 3.
DOC Hauraki Operations Manager Avi Holzapfel is dismayed by the report of harm to wildlife.
“It’s extremely frustrating and distressing to hear about this kind of wilful mistreatment of wildlife,” says Avi. “We’re very grateful to the person who reported this to us for their continued assistance.
“So far, we have images of the vessel alleged to be involved, and have made enquiries with local marinas and databases to identify its owner.
One of the boats sought to aid the investigation.
Image: Supplied
“We are keen to speak with people on board two vessels pictured seen in the area at the time, one of which bears the name ‘Dad & Me’, and any other members of the public who may have witnessed the incident.”
If anyone has more information they can provide about this incident, please contact the DOC HOT line on 0800 362 468 or wildlifecrime@doc.govt.nz, quoting CLE Incident CLE-8275.
Many seabirds are classified as absolutely protected under the Wildlife Act 1953. Hunting or killing absolutely protected wildlife can result in penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $100,000, or both.
Update: Police have now spoken to people on the other vessel, and are confident they are not involved and do not know those on the suspected offending vessel.
For media enquiries contact:
Email: media@doc.govt.nz
Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
Later this week crews will resume work on a significant programme of summer maintenance on State Highway 29.
Work to rebuild and resurface the road across 9 sites began in October 2024, with 2 sites near Hanga Lane and Gargan Road now complete.
Starting this Sunday 12 January*, work will resume near Old Kaimai Road, with 2 night shifts required to complete asphalt resurfacing work at this site. Work will be completed between 7pm and 6am on Sunday 12 and Monday 13 January.
While this work is underway, temporary traffic management, including lane closures and stop/go will be in place, as well as a reduced speed limit of 50km/h during the day to ensure the safety of the community and our team.
Drainage and asphalt resurfacing work will get underway near McLaren Falls Road on Monday 20 January until Thursday 27 February.
The drainage work will be carried out first, with work occurring during the day, Monday to Friday.
Temporary traffic management will be in place including the closure of the entire passing lane starting at Poripori Road and finishing just after McLaren Falls Road (Monday to Friday only, opening at the weekends), plus a reduced speed limit of 50km/h through the site, and 30km/h at the intersection with McLaren Falls Road.
Once drainage works are complete, asphalt works are expected to get underway in late January/early February and will involve lane closures, a reduced speed limit of 50km/h and periods of stop/go at night.
Road users should be prepared for delays and allow extra time for their journeys.
Resurfacing work will get underway near Kaukumoutiti Stream bridge, north of Soldiers Road, on Sunday 19 January, from 7pm to 6am, until Friday 24 January. Temporary traffic management, including stop/go will be in place, as well as a reduced speed limit of 50km/h during the day.
These works form part of the government’s $2.07 billion investment into road and drainage renewal and maintenance across 2024-27 via the State Highway Pothole Prevention fund.
Once complete, drivers will have smoother and safer journeys along this section of the SH29 corridor.
In addition, the SH29 Tauriko Enabling Works project continues, with lots of activity along the state highway between Belk and Cambridge roads, including the temporary lane closure of a short section of Cambridge Road.
Meanwhile on the Waikato side, works are also ongoing at the SH1/29 intersection in Piarere.
People are encouraged to plan ahead and see where disruptive works are by using the NZTA Journey Planner.
NZTA Journey Planner(external link)
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi thanks road users and the community for their patience.
*All dates are subject to weather.
Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
Police can now release the name of the person who died in a crash on South Road, Mokoia on Sunday 5 January.
He was 20-year-old Rohaan Thomas, from Palmerston North.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre