Queues snaked around several blocks at liquor stores in west Auckland as thirsty Kiwis gear up for the second weekend in lockdown.
One West Auckland man, who tried to buy alcohol from West Liquor in both Glen Eden and Kelston, said a lot of people in the queues were not keeping a safe 2-metre distance. He told he didn't feel comfortable lining up. "There's no way that it's safe for everyone," he said. In both stores he tried to visit, he said the queue stretched around the block. Footage posted on Instagram shows hundreds of people queueing for West Liquor in Massey. "Line for alcohol all the way around the store! West Liquor Westgate, Auckland. Alert 4 Lockdown this weekend, or party time?," the caption reads. Another video shot this afternoon shows a queue spanning multiple blocks, with hundreds of people lining up to purchase alcohol from West Liquor on Railside Ave, in Henderson.
"I think the trust should be online sellers like the rest of the country," Amie, who lives in west Auckland. "This is making a mockery of the lockdown and what we are ultimately trying to achieve. People from all over are travelling to get top shelf from the Trusts." The Trusts were granted essential service status, meaning they can stay open through alert level 4. Trusts stores are operating on a one-in-one-out policy. On its website, it says only locals should travel to Trusts stores to purchase alcohol. "We are here to serve our West Auckland community โ do not travel outside your local area to shop. We will report people who are travelling from outside West Auckland to shop with us to the Police," the Trusts website says. However, multiple west Aucklanders believe people from outside the area are travelling west for liquor. The decision to allow Trusts liquor stores to continue to operate during the lockdown in west Auckland has been highly contested by other local businesses which sell alcohol but have been forced to shut through this period. New Zealanders across the country can purchase alcohol online and have it delivered to their door.
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Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? ๐ป๐จ๐
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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36.3% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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63.7% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Scam Alert: Bank cold calls
ASB is warning customers about reports of cold calls from scammers claiming to be from ASB. These scammers are trying to obtain personal information, including usernames, dates of birth, and verification codes sent to your mobile phone.
๐ก๏ธ The "Caller Check" Test
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from ASB and youโre unsure, just ask them for a Caller Check. You will then be able to verify the call through the app.
Remember, banks will:โโ
โ Never ask for your banking passwords, PINs, or verification codesโโ
โ Never need to know your full credit card number โ especially the CVC
โ Never ask you to download software or remotely access your deviceโโ
โ Never ask you to purchase gift cards or transfer funds.
If you have received a phone call and think your account has been compromised, call ASB on 0800 ASB FRAUD (0800 272 372), or visit your local branch.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, weโre a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature โ and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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