Aotearoa / New Zealand

A rare penguin that turned up on a Dunedin beach last month is preparing to go back home to Antarctica.

The Dunedin Wildlife Hospital and the Department of Conservation are currently working on a release plan for the Adélie penguin.

She was "not overly fond" of humans but rather than running away, "she chooses to fight and will often charge our team while yelling what we can only imagine are expletives in penguin".

New Zealand's rarest bird looks set for a bumper breeding season this summer with five fledglings already striking out on their own and as many as eight more chicks to follow.

That might not sound like many but given that the total world population of tara iti, or fairy terns, is less than 40, that is a huge boost to the species' chances of survival.

It is also a much-needed morale boost for volunteers and Department of Conservation staff looking after the birds, after the disastrous 2022-23 season in which Cyclone Gabrielle killed five adults and all but one chick.

DOC supervisor Shelley Ogle said the current season was tracking to be the best since 2013-14.

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Sorry for all the spam, having a travelling day and reading more than normal.

James Shaw was great! I really like Chloe Swarbrick too, but I feel like Todd Mueller makes some good points about Shaw striving for consensus and working across the aisle. Hope the Greens can keep it after he's gone.

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Nelson man Norman Flounders, 79, has vowed to continue a four-year-long court scrap over a fine he got from Auckland Transport for driving in a bus lane.

The dispute has been through a hearing before two Justices of the Peace, the District Court and the High Court, and now looks set to go higher, with Flounders vowing never to pay the $300 fine and appeal to the Appeal Court.

The dispute arose from two instances, on 16 July and 20 July in 2020, when Flounders knowingly drove through a bus lane on Khyber Pass Road in Newmarket.

At the heart of the case is clause 2.3(4) of the Road User Rule, which sets out what is commonly referred to as the 50-metre rule. It provides an exception to the general rule (that you cannot drive in a special vehicle lane) if the driver drives in the lane to cross it to make a turn or leave the roadway, provided the driver uses the lane for the minimum length necessary to make the manoeuvre, for no more than a maximum of 50 metres, and gives way to vehicles entitled to use the lane.

Auckland Transport staff responded to Flounders dispute with a sketch map that showed the distance between the sign showing the start of the bus lane and the end of the bus lane was 77 metres.

Flounders argued that the bus lane was not continuous because it was bisected by a pedestrian crossing that was 17.5m wide. He said this meant there was actually two distinct bus lanes, and he calculated one to measure 9m and the other to measure 40m.

Both judges ruled that there was only one bus lane, not two, and that regardless of the actual length of the bus lane, Flounders used the bus lane for more than "the minimum length necessary to complete the manoeuvre".

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https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/tools-and-resources/identification/what-is-this-bug/monarch-caterpillar/

It's that time of year again, when the kids (and myself) get overly invested in the lifecycle of these grubs. Last year we managed maybe a 10% success rate (from egg to butterfly) hopefully we'll do better this time round.

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Being the country kid I am, I've only just thought about parking for [edit] tonight's Foo Fighters concert in Christchurch. Of course, nothing available at the venue itself now. Yeah, only myself to blame there...

So, next best option for parking? I assume the nearby Tower Junction shopping centre are wise to people parking there and police the crap out of it?

Help me People of Christchurch, you're my only hope!

About 7 years ago I installed a bunch of Mitre10 / Bunnings smoke detectors which seem to work well, hardly false alarms, 9v batteries last ~2-3 years I've now found out they are ionization alarms and they are no longer recommended. Also, Fire NZ recommends fire alarms with 10 years batteries built in. I checked both Bunnings & Mitre10 and most of them get crappy reviews.

On Reddit I saw that Cavius is recommended a lot, but they also get bad reviews on Noel Leeming that they stop working after <5 years. However, they have a 10 year warranty, so I guess in such cases I would get a new one? They cost ~$50 at NL, and I know not to always trust their pricing, is there a better/cheaper shop to buy them?

Or should I buy a different brand? I also see good reviews about Nest Protect. A lot more expensive, but I like that I can connect them to Home Assistant. However, I can't seem to find them available in NZ. Some other post suggested these from Aliexpress A bit reluctant to get smoke detectors from Ali though.

I know 220v connected ones are better, but as we'll be selling the place most likely within <10 years, not worth the extra $$.

Aotearoa Daily Kōrero 23/1/2024

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