West Auckland -- 'Very scary' - four schools in lockdown, kids cower under desks large police presence in area
Rutherford College in West Auckland has been placed in lockdown, with students told to stay indoors and armed police in the area.
Photos have been posted photos online of students huddling under desks with the classroom’s curtains closed.
A parent told the Herald she has been waiting for her daughter who studies at Rutherford Primary but “it seems like something is happening at the college”.
Armed police and patrol vehicles are stationed outside Rutherford College. Parents are not being allowed inside and have been told to wait outside.
One parent at the scene said they received a text message at 11.53am about the school going into lockdown.
”You hear about these things happening in the States not here,” she told the Herald.
“I just am very anxious. There was a threat of someone coming down and shooting. A threatening phone call.”
A message on Rutherford College’s website confirmed it is in lockdown “due to an incident”.
“We will continue to provide updates on our website as often as possible. Please do not come to the school or phone the school as you will not be attended to and this may cause disruption to the management of this incident and could potentially place yourselves and/or our staff and student’s safety at risk,” the message says
“We will update this website when the lock down has been completed. Thank you.”
Locals are reporting armed police at the school and say police with rifles were setting up near the Z petrol station.
Parents on social media say their children had texted them to say the school was in lockdown.
Another Te Atatu primary school, Matipo Primary, has also gone into lockdown due to the unfolding situation.
On its Facebook page the school says all its gates and entrances are locked and children are in their classrooms.
Parents are asked to not call the school office to keep the lines of communication free for the police and education officials.
Earlier lockdown at Manurewa high school
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Alfriston College in Manurewa was also placed in lockdown for about 30 minutes earlier this morning.
Police said there was a report of a person with a gun in the wider Randwick Park area but that had not been substantiated.
The school was now out of lockdown and operating as normal.
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Poll: 🗑️ Would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?
Aucklanders, our weekly rubbish collections are staying after councillors voted to scrap a proposed trial of fortnightly pick-ups.
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83.9% Same!
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7 tips for buying your Christmas ham
It’s the centerpiece of the Christmas table, so when you’re peering into the supermarket chiller or ordering from the butcher, choosing the perfect ham can feel like a daunting task.
Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing one to bring home with you.
1. What type of ham to buy
You’ve got some decisions to make when it comes to the type of Christmas ham you’re going to buy.
Cooked on the bone (COB) ham is the traditional Christmas ham. If you’re buying a half ham, you’ll have the choice of the shank or fillet end. The shank is the part with the bone sticking out that gives the ham that traditional look. The fillet end is the round part that gives more meat. If you’re deciding whether to get a whole ham or half, consider how quickly you’ll be able to eat it all. You only have about a week to eat an opened ham before it will go off, so it can be a good idea to get two halves. That way you can eat one half during the week of Christmas and save the other for January.
Champagne ham has had the bone removed and only has the hock left on, so it’s easier to carve.
Pressed ham – also known as continental ham – has had the bones removed and has been pressed, so it’s also easy to carve.
2. Check the pork percentage
The label on a packaged ham will say what percentage is actually meat. Hams are injected with brine, to keep them moist, and additives. The brine injection level for manufactured hams is usually between 10% and 35% of the ham's weight. A manufacturer that wants to produce a cheap ham will add more water to bump up the weight.
3. Know how to tell if it’s New Zealand pork
By far, most of the hams bought in New Zealand this Christmas will be from pigs reared overseas. New Zealand imports pork from about 25 countries. It’s frustrating for New Zealand pig farmers because this ham can come from farms that don’t have to meet the same animal welfare standards as we have in this country. As a result, overseas meat is often cheaper.
If buying New Zealand pork is important to you, look for:
words on the packaging like ‘New Zealand pork’ or ‘born and raised in New Zealand’
4. Have a good look at the ham
If you’re going to be glazing your ham, look for one that is covered in a finger-thick layer of fat. This will give you the thickness you need to make good score lines.
New Zealand Pork’s website also advises looking for a ham that has a meaty texture rather than one that looks wet or rubbery. It says the ham’s skin should be smooth with even colouring. “If the knuckle is sunken, it may be overcooked. If the rind is buckled or uneven, it may be a sign of dryness.”
5. Ask a lot of questions
If you’re ordering your pork from a butcher, you probably won’t be able to compare hams like you would at the supermarket. So, make sure you ask lots of questions, now that you know what you’re looking for.
You could ask:
Is the ham made from New Zealand born and farmed pork?
What will be its injection percentage?
What flavours will it have?
You could even ask if there’s a glaze the butcher thinks would work particularly well with those flavours.
6. Know what size you’ll need
If the ham is the only meat on your Christmas menu, New Zealand Pork advises allowing 1kg of ham for five people. Or if you’ve got other meat options, 1kg will feed about six to eight people.
7. Know the best hams in New Zealand
The best hams of the year were awarded at the 100% New Zealand Bacon & Ham Awards earlier in the year so you can check out which ones got medals. Some of them are only available in the city the butcher is based, but a Farmland boneless ham available nationwide won a gold award and Woolworths bone-in and boneless hams picked up bronze.
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