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82 days ago

Supermarket plagued with rats set to close for 48 hours

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Dunedin News

By reporter Hamish McNeilly:

A Dunedin supermarket that has been plagued with rats is set to close for 48 hours.

Staff and the union of Countdown Dunedin South store were told on Friday afternoon.

Woolworths New Zealand, which operates the store, confirmed the recent capture of four more rodents has forced the store to close.

Woolworths New Zealand director of stores Jason Stockill said: "Our local community will be aware that we’ve been working to address a rodent issue at Countdown Dunedin South for the last couple of months."

Food safety was the company’s “absolute priority”, with the supermarket giant working closely with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), and pest control contractor Rentokil.

“We believed we had addressed the issue, as there had been no evidence of rodent activity since January 28.
Unfortunately we have caught four rodents over the last few days so it is clear we have more work to do.”


NZ Food Safety and Rentokil confirmed the rodents were not nesting in the store, but appeared to be coming in from outside.

The Dunedin City Council was also involved in surveying neighbouring areas, in what the supermarket chain called “a coordinated response”.

“Having a safe and hygienic store is incredibly important to us and we would like to apologise to our customers for any distress and inconvenience this update causes,” Stockill said.

“We will reopen when we are confident these additional measures have been implemented. We anticipate this will be on Monday morning.”

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3 days ago

Poll: Would you want an unconventional funeral?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Funerals can cost as much as $22,000 and the planning can be stressful especially at a time when loved ones are grieving. Some New Zealanders are re-imagining funerals by making their own coffin or having a relaxed ceremony at home. Would you want a less traditional funeral? Share your thoughts below.

Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the Conversations column of your local paper.

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Would you want an unconventional funeral?
  • 84.2% Yes
    84.2% Complete
  • 13.8% No
    13.8% Complete
  • 2% Other - I'll share below!
    2% Complete
1569 votes
2 hours ago

Gorgeous Gifts for Mothers Day at the Red Cross Shop

The Team from Red Cross Shop Dunedin

Visit the Red Cross Shop at 53 Bond Street for gorgeous gift ideas.

1 day ago

Celebrating Our Resident Authors On World Book Day

Yvette Williams Retirement Village

It was World Book Day on the 23rd of April, so what better time to celebrate some of our talented residents who have published books.

They range from children’s books, to poems, from non-fiction to a first novel - and all are proof that there is no age limit when it comes to creativity!

Click read more for the full story.

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