Kate Rodger reviews Alien: Covenant

Nearly 40 years after Ridley Scott released the first Alien movie he's at it again. Alien Covenant is out this week but will it thrill audiences like its predecessors? Entertainment Editor Kate Rodger spoke to Duncan Garner. 

Man killed, crushed by truck in Helensville

A man has died in west Auckland, after being crushed by a truck. Emergency services raced to the scene, just before 8am. Police say it appears a truck collapsed on the man while he was working on it.

Hammer used to threaten store worker

Two men, one wielding a hammer, have robbed a store in Tauranga. Police are investigating the robbery at the Carlisle St Convenience store in Greerton at 2pm on Sunday, says Senior Sergeant Steven Shaw. The men threatened a staff member and fled on foot with cash and cigarettes. The staff member was not injured.

NZ wine exports to the US have hit a record high

New Zealand wine exports to the USA have hit a record high, breaking the $500 million mark for the first time. The wine industry is fast advancing towards its goal of $2 billion worth of exports in 2020. NZ Winegrowers Global marking Director Chris Yorke spoke to Duncan Garner.

One dead in early morning Tirau house blaze

A house has gone up in flames in south Waikato, killing one person. Emergency crews raced to the Little St, Tirau property around 3:30am on Monday. The single-storey home was engulfed in flames. Crews from Tirau, Putaruru, Matamata and Rotorua were called to help extinguish it. The investigators are at the scene.

NASA postpones Wanaka balloon launch

NASA's super pressure balloon launch in Wanaka has been postponed again. The launch was due to happen at 4:30am on Monday, but conditions in the air and the ground were considered too poor. The wind speeds were above the levels required for launch and weather forecasts showed some chance for rain. The report will be made at 2pm this afternoon as to when the next launch attempt will take place. This is the third time NASA has attempted to launch the balloon from Wanaka.

Robbie Rakete

On Thursday Robert Rakete came to our school. He told us a little story about his son, how he doesn't clean his room. After that he told us how reading is important to us. He showed us his favorite book it was  Astesix and the golden sickle. He said that it was his very first book he ever had.

Cyclone Debbie leaves trail of destruction in Queensland

Cyclone Debbie has been downgraded to a Category One storm, but it's still left a trail of damage acrosss north-eastern Queensland. It is moving slowly toward north Collinsville, leaving behind it wrecked buildings, Infrastructure and 50,000 homes and businesses without power. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk predicted shock and awe in the state when daylight arrived and reveal the full extent of the devastation wrought by the cyclone. The premier, who on Monday warned it would be a "monster" said the state would be dealing with the impact of the "scary" cyclone for up to five days.

Oil drilling in Maui dolphin habitat threatens species - Green Party

There are fears a decision to allow oil drilling off the Taranaki coast could spill disaster for New Zealand's rare Maui dolphins. 35% of the dolphins habitat is to be opened up to exploration and Green Party MP Gareth Hughes says it's a reckless move. Mr Hughes says a move away from the finite resource of fossil fuels needs to be made. Only 63 Maui dolphins remain in the wild. Net fishing is likely to be the largest source of Maui dolphin deaths caused by humans. The effects of marine mining, drilling and construction, including seismic surveys also threaten the world's rarest dolphin. according to the Department of Conservation.

Auckland traffic more congested than Hong Kong

Traffic congestion in Auckland is worse than Hong Kong, according to new data. GPS company Tom-Tom's latest global traffic index has ranked Auckland the 40th-worst big city in the world when it comes to congestion and four places above Hong Kong, which has a population of more that 7 million.

Auckland water restrictions will last until April

The storm have passed in Auckland, but residents won't be celebrating yet following  a continued plea to cut back on water consumption. The water clarity in Ardmore, the city's largest treatment plant, is still "100 times worse than it should be," forcing Water care to ask residents cut back by 20 litres a day, until the end of March. The total consumption across the city on Sunday was 382 million litres well below the target of 400 million liters.

Mini Quiche

At tech we have been making some mini quiche. It's really easy to make. We put some ham, eggs, bacon, onion, cheese, parsley and cream. Then we mix all the ingredient altogether and bake it. When it was done we left it on the table to cool down. Then it was time to eat.

YUM!!!

Everyday Theater

Today two people from Everyday Theater came and played a game with us. There were character T, Jack, Dave, Maria, Brian and Becca. Then were split in groups, in my group there was Mika, Azahar, Henry, Jack and Timote. at the end they give us a badge and card.

No one inside Mangakino house fire

It's believed no one was inside a Mangakino house as it went up in flames early Monday morning as first feared. Concerns had been mounting for two people thought to be trapped inside the house in the central North island town. The house on the intersection of Rimu St and Rewa St went up in flames around 4:30am. Mangakino is north of Taupo about 85km southeast of Hamilton.

Digital Art

For art we have to draw a tekoteko using Sumo paint or Pixlr. I used sumo paint because it is easier for me to draw. First i started of with the head and eyes then the body and the stick. After that I finished of with the legs and Patterns. After I finished I have to colour it. 

Tabloids

Last Wednesday we had the first tabloids of the year and we had our house flags ready. All the prefect was the leader for each flag. There were four different flags Kikorangi, Kowhai, Whero and I was the leader for Kakariki. Everytime the siren went we had to move a different teacher. Each sport you play you get point for your team. My favorite sport was soccer we played it with Mr Reid.

Hack attack: How to get fresher, cheaper food at McDonald's

Former McDonald's staff have revealed the best way to save money - and get fresher food - at the burger chain. The restaurant giant has made a fortune by pre-making its burgers and fries to speed up service - but this often results in stale, limp food that's been sitting under a heat lamp too long. For those in the know, there are some tricks to ensure you get the best bang for your buck.

Richie McCaw: Flying above Port Hills fire

Former All Black captain Richie McCaw says seeing the devastation caused by the Christchurch Port Hills Fire has been a reality check. McCaw has been flying missions since the fires broke out on Monday, mapping their position and relaying it to those on the ground. He hasn't been entrusted with a monsoon bucket just yet. There's plenty of training needed for that - you've got to be getting up to quite a few hours of experience.

KFC releasing fried chicken bouquets for Valentines

KFC is providing a delicious, deep fried answer to the age old question: What do you get for your love one on Valentine's Day? The fast food chain claims its new fried chicken bouquet smells and tastes better than any bottle of perfume or bunch of flowers. Bouquets are being made to celebrate Valentine's Day, each bouquet containing a mix of popcorn chicken, crispy strips and original recipe drumsticks. KFC have 20 of the bouquets to give away to lucky KFC lovers on February 14.

Warnings over unwanted calls from Canada

Spark and Vodafone are warning all their customers to be wary after reports of unwanted phone calls from Canada. Customers across all three major New Zealand telephone companies - Spark, Vodafone and 2Degrees have reported unexpected calls being made to them from various Toronto-based numbers. Sparks and Vodafone both told Newshub they had received a spike in reports about calls from Canada from concerned customers. Both companies advised worried customers to follow the advice for dealing with unwanted calls which is provided.