Shaking up the far south

A 4.5 magnitude earthquake was felt as far afield as Dunedin today. The quake occurred about 4.15pm, was 5km deep, and epicentre was 50km northwest of Wanaka. Reports of the quake being felt as far afield as Kingston (on the southern tip of Lake Wakatipu) and Dunedin were reported on geographical hazard information website GeoNet. St John South Island region communications adviser Ian Henderson said there were no reports of injuries, and no calls to its clinical control centre, resulting from the earthquake. People should always make sure they had emergency kits and other items ready in case of any emergency, and to remain in contact with friends and family, and especially any neighbours who may be elderly or alone, Mr Henderson said. But that wasn't the only jolt the people in blue and gold country were in for today: this morning a 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck, centred on the edge of Lake Te Anau. More than 50 people in towns in and around Queenstown reported feeling the quake, which Geonet described as light. As of this afternoon there had been a total of 60 reports of light shaking and 21 reports of weak shaking on Geonet's website. The quake struck at 9.22am and was centred 30km north of Te Anau, at a depth of 60km. There were two reports of light shaking in Dunedin. I'm sure glad I got out of there in time, and no, I do not plan on returning there anytime soon (maybe except for Christmas). And even if I did, Bunnings would definitely be off the list as a woman whose husband died of a heart attack in a Bunnings store has now become the latest critic of the company's stance to not have defibrillators in its stores. Wellington woman Sharron Gilmore, whose husband Peter died of a heart attack aged 62 in Bunnings Naenae in 2005, made the comments after the company's management "put its foot down'' and forced its Dunedin staff to give the store's defibrillator to a community group. Social club members from Bunnings Dunedin raised $1300 to buy the defibrillator about three years ago, after one of their colleagues died from a heart condition, but the company's management has since called for it to be removed. I got news for you greedy pigs sitting up there in corporate: defibrillators could save lives. They could save yours should you ever have a heart attack in a Bunnings store. But if you don't want them and someone dies, the blood will be on nobody's hands but your own.