Blanton Smith

Oct 4, 2023 | stuff.co.nz | Blanton Smith

Police have cordoned off one of Hāwera’s main streets after a suspicious death in the South Taranaki town. Detective Inspector Brent Matuku said police were called to an address and a man's body had been found. “CIB are in attendance, we’re conducting initial action at the moment, trying to identify the deceased.” The incident is being treated as suspicious and ESR are on their way to assist with scene examination, Matuku said. Cordons are in place on High St, near King Edward Park.

Sep 22, 2023 | stuff.co.nz | Blanton Smith

Between 20,000 and 18,000 years ago, in the course of the most recent Ice Age, the western South Island, including Fiordland, was immersed in an ice-cap from which long tongues of ice intruded into valleys as the great glaciers which carved the Fiordland landscape. Stewart Island and the North and South Islands were one land mass. A treeless Southland was blasted by icy winds that tore at the sparse shrubs and thin grassland.

Sep 20, 2023 | stuff.co.nz | Blanton Smith |Kiah Radcliffe

Queenstown’s district council is “owning” the outbreak of cryptosporidium in the community and working to get it fixed “quickly”, Mayor Glen Lewers says. There are 17 confirmed cases of crypto in the Queenstown area – an increase of two from Tuesday – and the Queenstown Lakes District Council was served a compliance order for its Two Mile treatment plant on Wednesday. Fronting up to media on Thursday, Lewers said they were working hard and fast to get everything back running as normal.

Sep 20, 2023 | stuff.co.nz | Blanton Smith

Queenstown’s district council has been handed a compliance order for one of its water treatment plants as the number of confirmed cryptosporidium cases in the town grows. As of Wednesday, there were 17 confirmed cases of crypto in the Queenstown area – an increase of two from Tuesday.

Aug 26, 2023 | stuff.co.nz | Blanton Smith

Winston Peters’ visit to New Plymouth on Sunday was memorable for all manner of reasons. There was the length of his speech (1 hour 20 minutes), the large crowd, which packed out the Devon Hotel, the potshots at the media, classic one-liners, and Vote the Mullet t-shirt he was gifted by former mayoral aspirant Murray “Muzz” McDowell afterwards. Peters seemed moved, at least to laughter, when gifted the shirt after stand-up with media.