
Countdown won't sell fireworks this Guy Fawkes
A customer survey by the supermarket chain resulted in two in three respondents say they "rarely or never" bought fireworks for private use.
More than seven in 10 said the biggest reason they didn't do so was because of animal welfare, and about half cited fire safety. Environmental reasons were cited by 39 per cent, disturbing neighbours 34 per cent and personal safety 30 per cent. Countdown general manager merchandise, Scott Davidson, said declining interest and conversations with store teams led to the decision. "Our customers have told us that while they still love to celebrate special occasions such as Matariki, Diwali, Chinese New Year and Guy Fawkes, backyard fireworks at home are becoming less of an occasion than they used to be. "We've decided to leave it to the professionals and we think the vast majority of our customers and our team will agree with this." The move is supported by the SPCA, which earlier this year led a multi-agency study that found a majority of New Zealanders supported a ban on the public sale of fireworks. SPCA CEO Andrea Midgen said fireworks can be terrifying to animals. "Whether that's on Guy Fawkes night or at any other time of the year," she said. "Every year animals are injured, frightened, go missing or occasionally suffer abuse related to fireworks."
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Poll: Is your nearest emergency department up to scratch?
Concerns have been raised about Nelson Hospital with complaints of lack of staffing and excessive wait times. Do you have confidence in your local emergency department?

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36.1% Yes, it serves us well
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63.1% No, I have concerns
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0.8% Other - I'll share below
Railway Crossing at Glen Eden
The station is next to a road crossing which means if a train is within a kilometre of the station the gates close.
AT are removing crossings in south Auckland but should consider whether to raise the whole station up 10 metres which is environmental the best option as it minimizes the amount of energy used to stop and start the trains.

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