Foodbank hours
Masterton Foodbank will be closed from today until January 8, although it will reopen on Thursday, December 28 and Thursday, January 4, for anyone facing a food emergency. If visiting on these days, please remember to bring ID and proof of address. Carterton Foodbank is open today for its usual hours and then will be closed until January 2, then open again for the remainder of that week [January 3-5], before resuming its normal hours. Martinborough and Greytown Foodbank are available when needed and can be contacted via 0212226181 or email at martinboroughfoodbank@gmail.com or greytownfoodbank@gmail.com. Featherston Foodbank has been open during its usual hours this week and will be open for an additional day tomorrow from 3.30pm to 4.30pm. It will be closed on Boxing Day and resume normal hours on December 28.
SH2 crashes
A single vehicle crashed into the barrier on State Highway 2 at about 10.40am on Thursday. There were no reports of injuries, but the northbound lane was blocked briefly before the vehicle was towed. Police also responded to reports of a two-vehicle crash at the Chester Rd and SH2 intersection on Wednesday afternoon at about 2.25pm. No injuries were reported, and the road was not blocked.
Urgent recall
Batches of Lisa’s Chargrilled Capsicum Hummus dip are being urgently recalled after being mislabelled. Some batches contained an undeclared allergen tree nut [cashews] after the Beetroot with Roasted Cashews Hummus was incorrectly labelled. Batches in the 200g size with the USE BY date marked 07.01.2024, 13.01.2024, and 21.01.2024 are being recalled by the Ministry for Primary Industries. MPI has stated that consumers with a tree nut [cashew] allergy should not consume the product and no other Lisa’s brand products are affected by the recall.
The heat is on
This year is tracking to be one of New Zealand’s top three hottest years on record, according to NIWA. The last record was set in 2021. NIWA meteorologist Tristan Meyers said the Christmas outlook is a “mixed bag” with a combination of showers predicted for parts of the country while the West Coast looks set to be drier, and temperatures in some parts of the North Island are expected to reach high 20s or low 30s.