Police were reviewing CCTV footage from a Dargaville service station after a man allegedly hit a woman with a baseball bat. The woman was standing near a car wash at a Caltex service station on Normanby St when she was reportedly assaulted by the man around 1.45pm on Friday. Officers were making follow-up inquiries into the incident and the woman's safety.
Cash for jabs
One of the country's largest steel building product providers is paying a bonus to workers if they get fully Covid-19 vaccinated. Workers will get $150 in cash, KiwiSaver contributions or company shares if they get both doses of the vaccine by mid-November. Steel and Tube chief executive Mark Malpass said a fully vaccinated workforce would be safer for employees, customers and suppliers. The mid-November deadline was chosen because the company felt it was a reasonable timeframe to give people to get a chance to get fully vaccinated. The company, which has a branch in Whangarei, employs about 850 full-time equivalent staff.
Wast plan gets nod
Waste Management's application for a plan change for a landfill precinct at Dome Valley that could potentially poison the Kaipara Harbour has been rejected by Auckland Council-appointed commissioners. The company has secured resource consent for the landfill despite strong opposition from locals, Kaipara Mayor Jason Smith and iwi leaders who say the smelly operation will threaten marine life and cause traffic congestion. The decision to grant consent was supported by four out of five independent commissioners.
Internet complaints
Telcos are struggling to deliver the quality of service consumers expect, with 56 per cent of internet customers reporting problems in the past two years. Results of a survey by Consumer NZ and the Commerce Commission show many customers also battle to get issues fixed. Among internet customers who contacted their telco about a problem, 54 per cent said it took "a lot of effort" to deal with the company. Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said the results show "the industry needs to up its game and get the basics of customer service right". Duffy said some telcos are managing to do a better job than others. Of the nine companies rated in the survey, Vodafone stood out for having a higher proportion of problems. The two top performing telcos were 2degrees and Skinny, receiving Consumer NZ's People's Choice award. Duffy said Consumer NZ backed the Commerce Commission's work to lift standards across the telco industry and ensure customers had access to effective disputes resolution. Details of the survey are available free at consumer.org.nz.
Crash, Brake, walk away
A motorist allegedly walked off after she crashed her car into a power pole in Whangārei on Friday. Police were called to Brake Ave in Ōtangarei where a car driven by a woman, reportedly speeding at the time, ploughed into a power pole around 1.40pm. A police spokesman said the driver had walked off by the time officers arrived at the scene.