Five Big Things That Happened Today: Thursday, August 28

Thu, Aug 28
Rainy weather (file image).

Scott Guy's family on life 15 years after his murder; Weather conditions set to 'rapidly deteriorate'; And is it fair to stop KiwiSaver contributions at 65?

1 Active front bringing 'heavy, persistent, thundery' weather

MetService said settled conditions are set to "rapidly deteriorate" from today, warning of impending "heavy, persistent and thundery" weather across the country.

The forecaster said strong winds, thunderstorms and rain had already hit the South Island, with gusts of 116km/h recorded at Mount Cook Airport, 112km/h at Roxburgh Airport and 98km/h in Wallacetown this morning.

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2 Bars, bottle stores with fewer hurdles as Government signs off on alcohol changes

The Government has signed a plan to ease alcohol restrictions, pledging fewer obstacles for bars and bottle stores.

The proposed changes to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act would make it harder for people to block liquor licenses and simpler for ministers to declare one-off special trading hours for pubs or clubs screening major sport or cultural events.

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3 Pub mates watch teacher win on The Chase – screened after his death

Friends and family of a man who died before his successful appearance on The Chase went to air have gathered at a Manchester pub to watch the episode, just weeks after he died.

Teacher Tim McCarthy, 64, who won a nail-biting episode, had completed his ambition to compete on the quiz show before he died.

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4 Number of NZ couples tying the knot continues to fall

The number of couples getting married or entering into civil unions dropped in 2024, according to Stats NZ, continuing a downward trend in those getting hitched.

In 2024, a total of 18,033 couples living in New Zealand got married or entered into a civil union — a 4% drop from 2023, when there were 18,744.

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5 Disruption expected amid 'substantial works' on Transmission Gully

Disruptions are expected amid “substantial works” to resurface and rebuild parts of Transmission Gully this summer.

Mark Owen, NZTA regional manager, said the agency was working with Ventia – the maintenance contractor for the section of State Highway 1 – on resurfacing, drainage, and rebuild works over the summer maintenance period between October and March.

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Watch: Scott Guy's family on life 15 years after his murder

How resilience, gratitude and spending quality time together have helped the Guy family heal.

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ONE KIWISAVER QUESTION

Is it fair to stop KiwiSaver contributions at 65?

Employers opting to end contributions to their staff's KiwiSaver accounts when they turn 65 may be costing them thousands of dollars.

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