News briefs: No parties allowed Whanganui police warn

"Under no circumstances should anyone be having a party under the alert level 3 restrictions."

Warning on gatherings

Police are urging people to resist the temptation to socialise in gatherings that breach alert level 3 restrictions. Since the introduction of the alert level 3 police have received 1200 reports nationwide from the public in regard to mass gatherings. A police spokesperson said there hadn't been "any incidents of note in regard to alert level 3 breaches" in Whanganui. Of the 1200 reports, 685 were received in the 24 hours between 6pm on May 1 to 6pm on May 2. "Under no circumstances should anyone be having a party under the alert level 3 restrictions," Acting Assistant Commissioner Scott Fraser said. "Such behaviour could waste all the sacrifices made by our team of five million over the last five weeks."

Boy flown to hospital

A 10-year-old boy was flown to Starship Children's Hospital in Auckland in a critical condition after an accident on a Kaitoke farm. St Johns were called to the scene at 10.50am on Saturday and the boy was taken to Whanganui Hospital, a St John Ambulance spokeswoman said. He was flown to Auckland on Saturday night.

No new Covid-19 cases

It is now almost two weeks since the last new case of Covid-19 was reported in the Whanganui region. The most recent probable case was announced on April 21 and subsequently tested negative. It remained classed as probable. The last confirmed case in the region was reported in April 17. All nine confirmed and probable cases in the Whanganui region have now recovered.

Hearings delayed

Hearings into a proposal by Horizons Regional Council to change its One Plan rules over nitrogen leaching on intensive farms will not take place until September or October, the council's strategy and regulation manager Nic Peet says. The council agreed to notify the proposed plan change in June last year after losing a battle in the Environment Court with environment groups Fish & Game and the Environmental Defence Society. The hearings are postponed so that they can be held in person rather than online.

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