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Christchurch, New Zealand – Three people were injured in a dog attack at a residential property in the Bryndwr suburb of Christchurch on Saturday afternoon. The incident, which occurred on Bevin Place, has prompted a swift response from emergency services and animal control authorities. One person is currently fighting for their life, while two others sustained serious and minor injuries, respectively.

Emergency services were alerted to the attack around 2:45 PM local time. Upon arrival, paramedics attended to a woman at the scene, while another individual was transported to hospital via ambulance. Acting Superintendent Ash Tabb, Christchurch Metro acting area commander, confirmed that two dogs were restrained by animal control officers and have been impounded. “There is no ongoing risk to the public and a scene examination will be carried out,” Tabb stated. This incident underscores the potential dangers of dog attacks and the importance of responsible pet ownership.

Details of the Incident

Hato Hone St John reported that three individuals were injured in the attack. Two were taken to Christchurch Hospital – one in critical condition and another with serious injuries. The third person received treatment for minor injuries at the scene. A total of three ambulances, two rapid response units, and one manager were dispatched to respond to the emergency.

The Christchurch City Council confirmed that its Animal Management Officers responded to the attack and have taken the dogs into their care. A spokesperson for the council stated that police are leading the investigation and any further inquiries should be directed to them. Fire and Emergency New Zealand likewise assisted St John with the medical incident, sending one fire engine from Ilam to the scene.

Recent Dog Attack Incidents in New Zealand

This attack comes during a period of heightened concern regarding dog attacks in New Zealand. Just this week, a 62-year-old woman, Mihiata Te Rore, was fatally attacked by dogs in Kaihu, Northland. RNZ News reports that Te Rore is the fourth person in New Zealand to be killed by dogs in the last four years. Previous fatal attacks occurred in 2023, with Elizabeth Whittaker losing her life, and in 2022, when Neville Thomson was killed. A four-year-old boy also died in a dog attack in the Bay of Plenty last year.

The increasing number of serious and fatal dog attacks has sparked renewed debate about dog control legislation and responsible dog ownership practices across the country. Authorities are urging the public to be vigilant and report any concerns about dangerous dogs to the appropriate authorities.

Authorities are continuing their investigation into the Bryndwr attack, and a scene examination is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. Further updates will be provided as they develop into available. The focus remains on supporting the victims and ensuring the safety of the community.

What comes next is a thorough investigation by police and animal control to determine the breed of the dogs involved, their history, and the factors that contributed to this tragic event. The outcome of this investigation will likely inform future discussions about dog control policies and public safety measures.

We encourage readers to share their thoughts and experiences in the comments below. If you or someone you know has been affected by a dog attack, please reach out for support.

Westpac has become the first of New Zealand’s major banks to lower its fixed-term home loan rates, responding to the Reserve Bank’s decision earlier this week to hold the Official Cash Rate (OCR) at 2.25 percent. The cuts, announced Friday, apply to three-, four- and five-year fixed mortgages.

The bank’s three-year special fixed rate will fall to 4.99 percent, the only advertised rate below 5 percent among the country’s five largest banks as of Friday afternoon, according to Westpac. Four- and five-year fixed special rates will decrease by 0.20 percentage points, to 5.19 percent and 5.29 percent respectively. The new rates take effect Monday, February 23.

The move follows Wednesday’s OCR decision by Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman to maintain the current rate, a move widely anticipated by the market. While the Reserve Bank held steady this week, it signaled a potential shift in its outlook, indicating it now expects to commence raising interest rates sooner than previously forecast – potentially as early as December 2026. Though, the bank also indicated that any increases would be gradual.

The Reserve Bank’s revised projections led to a decline in wholesale markets, suggesting investors had previously priced in a more aggressive tightening cycle. Commentators suggest Westpac’s rate cuts could provide some relief to borrowers and potentially halt the recent trend of increasing home loan rates.

ASB economists are advising borrowers to carefully consider their options in the current environment. “With so much going on, it is an critical time to have a mortgage plan,” they said. They noted that shorter-term rates have experienced the most significant declines from their peak levels, with floating, six-month and one-year terms all down to 2.9 percent.

However, ASB senior economist Chris Tennent-Brown cautioned that rates are likely to rise over the next few years. “The timing of when they’ll go up is the uncertain bit and that just depends on if inflation cools quick enough for the Reserve Bank to be comfortable on the sidelines for this year or they need to act earlier or swifter than their forecasts imply.”

Tennent-Brown suggested that a strategy of fixing mortgages for one-year terms has historically proven to be the most cost-effective approach over time, but acknowledged this could change depending on future economic conditions. He highlighted the value of splitting mortgages across different terms – one, two, and three years – to balance certainty with flexibility.

“There’s still a lot of value in strategies like splitting mortgages over one, two and three years,” Tennent-Brown said. “It still comes back to that story of balancing up people’s needs for certainty because you can get a lot of certainty now for historically low prices.” He anticipates one-year rates could rise to the early 5 percent range, with two-year rates increasing slightly higher.

“Clearly the low point in rates is at best here and likely behind us. So you just need to operate out, what are your needs for flexibility and what are the considerable risks for you?” Tennent-Brown added. “If I had a lot of debt and I couldn’t deal with rates getting too much higher, there’s a lot of value in those longer-term rates.”