Port Hills blaze still not contained and spreading
23 firefighter crews and 13 helicopters have returned to battle the blaze with hot windy weather expected in Christchurch today
Mōrena, and welcome to The Bulletin for Thursday, February 15, written by Anna Rawhiti-Connell.
In today’s edition: Government moves to align benefit increases with inflation; leaked cabinet paper shows government looking to allow more overseas investment for build-to-rent; Fletcher Building CEO and chair to step down; but first; but first the latest on the Port Hills fire
Fresh firefighting crews working to contain blaze this morning
A State of Local Emergency was declared for Christchurch City (including Banks Peninsula) and Selwyn District last night after a large vegetation fire broke out in Christchurch’s Port Hills yesterday afternoon. As of sending, it remains in place. RNZ has a summary of key information and a live blog. Crews of firefighters continued to work overnight battling the blaze, with fresh crews arriving at 6am this morning. 13 helicopters and two fixed-wing aircraft have also been deployed, and the New Zealand Defence Force has also been engaged. Residents have been evacuated from Early Valley, Worsley Spur, Hoon Hay Valley and Kennedys Bush. A public health warning for smoke from the fire was issued yesterday by Te Whatu Ora.
No major flare ups overnight, hot windy conditions forecast
FENZ provided an update around 7am this morning. There were no major flare-ups overnight, and protecting structures and working on containment lines will be the main priorities for crews today. Speaking to Newstalk ZB this morning, Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger confirmed 80 homes have been evacuated. A live briefing from FENZ police and local mayors got underway at 7.30am. There will be a briefing for evacuated residents at the Halswell Community Centre at 11am, and a community hub will also be opened at the bottom of Worsley Rd from 8am. Early reports this morning from media indicate the fire remains uncontained, and the Herald is reporting it has spread to the Christchurch Adventure Park. MetService meteorologist David Miller says a gusty north-westerly wind will be returning to the region later this morning, along with forecasted temperatures of up to 28 degrees.
2017 Port Hills fires still fresh in people’s memories
For many, it is bringing back memories of the Port Hills fires seven years ago, which started on 13 February 2017. A couple who live on Worsley Road, which has been evacuated, had only moved into their house five weeks ago after rebuilding it following the 2017 fires. That fire claimed the life of one firefighter and destroyed nine homes. It took 66 days to extinguish the fires fully. A review into the response from emergency services was conducted and found poor cooperation between fire agencies led to confusion. Residents in the area yesterday said the fire service's response to the blaze seems far more coordinated than its response in 2017. At the time, FENZ rural regional manager Richard McNamara said with the climate changing and the weather becoming more extreme, fires that have the complexity of the Port Hills fire will be seen more often.
‘More and more extreme fire days each year’
The cause of the fire is yet to be established, and FENZ are asking the public for help, requesting that any photos or videos from around the area taken between 1.45 and 2.45pm yesterday be sent to them. In comments supplied by the Science Media Centre, Nicola Day from the School of Biological Sciences at Victoria University said FENZ has been warning us all summer about tinder dry conditions that will fuel fires. Shana Gross, a wildfire scientist at Scion, said, “We know that fire conditions are worsening, and there are more and more extreme fire days each year. The changing climate is increasing the frequency and severity of wildfires, and escalating the risks, not just in rural areas like we saw last week in Lee Valley, but also where people feel more secure like the edges of cities.” Writing for the New York Times yesterday, David Wallace-Wells references fire historian Stephen Pyne, who says “we are now living in the ‘pyrocene’”. Globally, “forest fires are now burning twice as much tree cover as they did just 20 years ago.”
The War for Wellington is being funded with support from The Spinoff Members.
If you think it’s important that Wellington becomes a modern, fit-for-purpose city that can live up to its potential, we would love you to become a member, or donate, and help us out.
Sign up to receive our weekly War for Wellington newsletter, written by the Spinoff's Wellington editor, Joel MacManus
Government moves to align benefit increases with inflation
As the Herald’s Thomas Coughlan reports, the government is pressing on with its campaign pledge to change the way increases to benefit rates are calculated. The changes are being passed under urgency this week. The last government made changes that meant benefits would rise in sync with wage growth each year, and the new government is reverting to an old system, which, as Coughlan notes, will see benefit rates grow at a slower rate overall. Officials have warned that the number of children living in poverty will likely increase by 7000 in four years as a result of the change. Speaker Gerry Brownlee had to be called in to make a ruling during urgency yesterday after the opposition objected to the debate over the changes being shut down. Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni has described the changes as “deplorable”.
Leaked cabinet paper shows government looking into allowing more overseas investment for build-to-rent
As Newshub reported last night, a leaked cabinet paper shows the government is looking into allowing more overseas investment for build-to-rent housing. As RNZ reports, the government has already said it will take policy decisions to amend the Overseas Investment Act as part of the 100-day plan, but the leaked document shows associate finance minister Chris Bishop wants to go further to allow foreign buyers to invest in any residential land to build new houses or accommodation facilities. By Newshub’s count, it’s the fifth “major” leak since the new government took office. Prime minister Christopher Luxon said he's not worried about leaking. Labour’s Kieran McAnulty said, “I walk my greyhound twice a day and she has less leaks than this government.”
Click and Collect
Fletcher Building makes after-tax loss of $120 million. The CEO resigned, and the chair of the board has also fallen on his sword.
Food prices increased by 0.9% in January and are up 4% for the year ending January, but the annual change is the lowest it has been since November 2021.
Survey shows inflation expectations have dropped, indicating confidence in Reserve Bank’s efforts to get inflation under control.
Newsroom’s David Williams has a good piece on how law and tikanga intersect in light of the Supreme Court’s decision to allow Mike Smith to pursue his case against seven of the country’s biggest emitters.
The red admiral butterfly fittingly crowned our new “bug of the year” on Valentine’s Day.
She is beauty and she is grace, she is bug of the year (could easily be a male butterfly. Image: Tony Wills, CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED) Feeling clever? Click here to play 1Q, Aotearoa’s newest, shortest daily quiz.
Shanti Mathias investigates what it really means when it says your chip packet is compostable. Stu Donovan argues that Wellington's IHP housing panel is wildly out of step with economic evidence. Loveni S Enari pens a striking meditation on returning to New Zealand after 32 years away. Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says she 'reads anywhere and everywhere' in The Spinoff Books Confessional. Using the latest technology, we’ve created an interactive map of all known instances of rodents in supermarkets. Stewart Sowman-Lund has an important announcement: the grapefruit and lemon FruJu is back.
Sporting snippets
Dame Lisa Carrington wins her third Halberg Supreme Award
Erika Fairweather (also a Halberg Supreme Award nominee) picks up a silver at the World Swimming Championships
Wellington Rugby is considering selling its share in the Hurricanes
Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.
If you liked what you read today, share The Bulletin with friends, family and colleagues.
Why is national so desperate to have foreigners owning NZ land?