Covid climbing
Wairarapa’s covid-19 cases continue to climb, with 343 new cases reported in the region last week. This was 23 more cases than the previous week. Two people were in Wairarapa Hospital with the virus as of Sunday night. However, no further deaths were reported in the region, with the total remaining at 46. Since the start of the pandemic, the region has recorded a total of 19,187 cases. Nationally, there were 40,098 new cases last week, with 22 deaths attributed to the virus, and 514 people in hospital as of Sunday.
Bridge crash
One person suffered moderate injuries after their vehicle collided with a bridge on Westmere Rd near Masterton at 10.48am yesterday. Police, ambulance, and two fire trucks attended the scene. Wellington Free Ambulance said the patient was treated at the scene and did not require transportation to hospital.
Mountain rescue
A hiker who found themself in dire straits was rescued from Mt Holdsworth on Saturday. It is understood the hiker sustained injuries after slipping on the Gentle Annie Track shortly after 4pm. Police and ambulance were called to the scene, and a helicopter transported the patient to hospital.
Hot and humid Masterton recorded the
second-highest temperature in New Zealand on Sunday, with a high of 24.7 degrees Celcius recorded at Masterton’s Hood Aerodrome. MetService is predicting hot and sticky weather for the week ahead as a warm air mass arrives from the north. For Wairarapa, every day this week is expected to exceed 25 degrees Celcius, peaking at 28 degrees Celcius on Friday.
Liquidation meeting
Members of Masterton District Council [MDC] will take part in a creditor meeting in Auckland today to discuss the liquidation of Podular Housing Systems. The company was contracted by MDC to build the Youth Hub at the Masterton skatepark. MDC previously submitted an unsecured creditor claim. MDC chief executive David Hopman said the council will start exploring new options to deliver the Youth Hub facility but would need to follow the liquidation process to understand what [if any] of the $267,661 paid to Podular could be recouped.
