Publication
‘He would have shown kindness’
Crash victim Kerry McDonald was not a man who held grudges, and if he had survived, his family believe he would have had strong words for the motorist who hit him – but ultimately, he would have shown kindness. It’s for that reason the 64-year-old’s...
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Auditor General to probe Kaipara council
New Zealand’s AuditorGeneral is investigating Kaipara District Council after weaknesses were found in its procurement processes. The independent public spending watchdog’s latest probe examines the KDC’s procurement, contract management and governance...
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Case of disappearing cows
Thousands of cattle allegedly vanished from the national tracing system after investigators discovered their supposed location was a seaside house. The animals were logged, moved and ultimately lost in a blind spot that has now landed a couple before...
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Northlanders honoured
Northland kuia and te reo Mā ori teacher Rahera Shortland is humbled by her latest honour recognising her life’s work revitalising and teaching the Mā ori language. Shortland, already an MNZM and who turns 90 this month, said she was honoured by her...
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Households seek energy security amid spikes
Recent data shows New Zealanders who are feeling uncertain about the world are seeking certainty and self-sufficiency. Trade Me Property data revealed search behaviour shows an “accelerating demand” for sustainable, energy-efficient homes in response...
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Budget win for North
The 2026 Budget is being touted as a win for Northlanders, with funding for Whangārei Hospital’s 158-bed ward tower a key announcement. The Budget, described by Finance Minister Nicola Willis as “responsible” in an increasingly uncertain world, also...
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‘At the mercy of the swell’
Three crew were rescued off Northland’s west coast after their World War II-era vessel was left “at the mercy of the swell” after losing power. The 22m Harbour Defence Motor Launch (HDML) Kuparu began taking on water early Sunday morning, prompting the...
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Long-standing support hub lost in cost crisis
AWhangārei budgeting, counselling and seniors’ support services is closing just as it is needed most amid the cost-of-living crisis. The Whangārei Care Centre — Te Whare Oranga will close on May 29 because of structural underfunding, despite helping...
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12yr old runs for help as family home burns
A12-year-old girl sprinted down her driveway for help when her family home went up in flames earlier this month in the Far North. According to mother Erana Davis, Te Rehutai-Moana Davis had arrived home from school, completed chores and sat down to do...
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PARKING PAIN
Parking in Whangārei city centre is one of the biggest frustrations for businesses and residents, but Whangārei District Council believes there are enough carparks for now. The spotlight is on the central business district (CBD) as more than 10...
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APARTMENTS AVAILABLE NOW
Enjoy the best of retirement living with one and two bedroom apartments available now. Apartments feature modern kitchens, and open plan living areas provide a wonderful environment for hosting friends and family. Enjoy the indoor-outdoor flow to a...
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‘IT’S CRAZY’
An apparent increase in seagulls in an inland Whangārei suburb has prompted the city council to issue leaflets urging residents not to feed the birds. The council was alerted by Totara Parklands resident Wayne Southall, who believes seagull droppings...
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‘We’re really lucky it wasn’t worse’
AWhangārei mother is raising concerns about bullying after her son was allegedly attacked by a group of students from his school. Principals say they take bullying seriously and work to ensure student safety. A Year 11 Whangārei Boys’ High School...
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Double tragedy a grim warning of rock fishing
What began as a lateafternoon fishing trip ended in a double tragedy when two men disappeared off a notorious rock fishing spot. Their abandoned gear, a wet backpack and a single shoe were the first signs something had gone wrong, sparking a search...
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Meth-fuelled killer had a ‘numbness of the soul'
Anumbness of the soul. Those are the words used to describe Anaru Morunga – a man who had a pattern of making threats, intimidation and declared almost a decade ago that he “owned” the woman he went on to kill. As Morunga was sentenced to life...
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‘They’re not having the whole farm’
Northlanders whose properties are affected by the Northland Expressway are concerned the highway project will churn up prime farmland. NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has confirmed of the 489 landowners contacted along the preferred route, seven farms in...
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Voice of sea rescue service hangs up her mic
For the past 20 years, Annette Hall has been like a mother to the boaties of the Far North. She’s kept tabs on where they are with twice-daily calls, checked to make sure they return to port when expected, provided weather forecasts, and — when things...
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Housing gap leaves families stranded
The gap between the need for social housing in Northland and the number Kāinga Ora delivers is enough to bring a local housing provider to tears. Kāinga Ora recently released a list of state houses sold nationwide since mid-2025 and those on the market...
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74-year-old beaten in broad daylight
A74-year-old Whangārei man was left lying in a pool of blood outside a fish and chip shop after allegedly being king hit by a stranger in broad daylight. The man, who did not want to be named, has no memory of the moment he was struck. But what he can...
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Flood-hit settlement faces painful choice
Asmall Far North settlement could be the first place in New Zealand where an entire community relocates to higher ground to escape repeated floods. The idea of shifting homes, or even whole towns, out of harm’s way is increasingly being touted as a...
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But Northland prices still off peak amid global uncertainty
Northland’s property market is rising after a couple of years in the doldrums, with some record sales reported. However, industry insiders say prices have a long way to go before reaching previous peaks. The latest Northland property data from OneRoof...
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Hearing finds gaps in accountability
Acoronial inquest has zeroed in on a glaring gap in responsibility: When schools enter public reserves with known hazards, who is actually accountable for ensuring WorkSafe-level protections? On the final day of evidence, Whangārei District Council...
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Record number of 3D-printed guns seized
D-printed firearms have been described as unregulated, untraceable and easily concealed. The insight comes from a police intelligence report last year, released to the Northern Advocate under the Official Information Act. The report said police...
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Rates burden bites
Northlanders’ rates payments are expected to climb to $374 million in the coming financial year, as a Kerikeri ratepayer says years of cumulative increases are forcing her off her land. The region’s rates are projected to total $374m in 2026/2027 — a...
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‘I was terrified’: Teacher recalls deadly cave trip
Ateacher has described the moment he thought he was going to die while trying to save students on a deadly trip to Abbey Caves. Speaking publicly for the first time, the teacher said the water inside the cave rose from about 7.5cm to neckhigh within 10...
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Big business backing northern toll road push
Major Northland corporates and district mayors are backing road tolls to help fund the Northland Expressway, urging the Government to provide certainty about the project. The Northland Corporate Group, a collection of self-described “business...
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‘You can’t police stupid’
Senior Constable and Serious Crash Unit analyst Jeff Cramp reckons he could write a book on 101 ways to die in a motor vehicle crash. “The sights I see on a regular basis beggar belief some days,” he said. “The deaths that really ring true are the...
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‘We trusted our son would be safe’
Karnin “Tino” Petera drowned in floodwaters three years ago, after becoming trapped during a school caving trip. Now, his whā nau have returned to court carrying the same painful question that has shaped their grief. Why did the Whangā rei Boys’ High...
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How much is too much?
The AA wants the Government’s transport agency to consider lowering the toll price proposed for the first stage of the Northland Expressway. NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) said last month that it wanted feedback on its proposal to toll the 26km of new...
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Kauri dieback test delay sparks council inquiry
Northland Regional Council is investigating what went wrong after a positive test result for kauri dieback disease was not shared for more than a year. Whangārei District Council swung into action when it was told, on April 15, that a tree in its AH...
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Health workers warn of burnout risk
Healthcare workers in Hokianga are burning out, working unpaid overtime and stressing about their future due to a restructure and lack of funding. The workers’ unions called on Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora to adequately fund Hauora Hokianga, which...
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Call for action in CBD
Safety and car parking in Whangā rei’s CBD are key concerns for local businesses, which are calling for urgent improvements. A Mayoral Inner City Taskforce was set up amid central business district (CBD) shops closing and the businesses not being...
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‘He really wanted this life’ Father dies in crash months into new life in NZ
Lunchboxes being packed and cornflakes placed on the table are among the loving gestures a father of four’s children are clinging to after his sudden death. Killian Musarurwa moved to Whangārei from Zimbabwe less than six months ago, in pursuit of a...
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Urban park shuts to protect kauri from dieback disease
AWhangārei park, known as one of the only urban areas where 500-year-old kauri can be viewed up close, is closing because of kauri dieback. AH Reed Memorial Kauri Park closed at 3pm yesterday for an initial period of three months while further testing...
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Is Northland set for an engineering lift off?
Northland could soon train its own aviation engineers as a study is looking into whether Kerikeri is the right place for a high-value industry school. Air New Zealand is exploring in collaboration with Te Rūnanga o Ngā ti Rē hia, Northland iwi and...
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Aoung builder nails regional title ‘Inspiring’ to the end
PART OF NEW ZEALAND’S HERALD Internationally renowned centenarian parkrunner and legendary Whangārei personality Colin Thorne died on Monday, aged 102, leaving an extraordinary legacy of service, resilience and inspiration. In his nine years with the...
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Champion for homeless remembered
AWhangārei woman who fiercely championed the district’s homeless community for more than five decades is being remembered as generous, determined and kind. Carrie Kake died on Saturday, April 18 after a long illness. She was 74. During her mission to...
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Kauri dieback found in city’s AH Reed park
The detection of kauri dieback disease in Whangārei’s AH Reed Memorial Kauri Park has disappointed mana whenua and authorities. While kauri dieback is known to affect Northland areas like Trounson Kauri Park, Puketi Forest and Waipoua Forest, this is...
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Taskforce targets city revival Mayor convenes 30 agencies to revive CBD after wave of store closures
Ensuring Whangārei’s central business district is safe and welcoming is a key focus areas for a new Mayoral Inner City Taskforce. About 30 people from key agencies, community partners and businesses took part in the first taskforce meeting in March,...
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Victim’s last words: ‘Shannon did it’
‘Shannon did it.” Those were the last words Nicholas Baldwin allegedly said as he lay dying on the side of a road after being hit by a ute. The ute was allegedly driven by Shannon Brady, who is on trial in the High Court at Whangārei for his...
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Council votes to secure Māori voice
After extraordinary online heat, the Far North District Council yesterday voted to pursue its approach to Māori involvement in local body politics. The only vote against was from councillor Davina Smolders, whose claims online about “co-governance on...
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Battery-powered cart eyed in Ric’s blaze
Afire that gutted popular Ric’s Restaurant at luxury golf course Te Arai Links was potentially caused by an electrical fault with a lithiumpowered service cart. Fire and Emergency assistant district commander Rhys Wirihana said an investigator’s...
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Hokianga health trust reviews financial slide
The trust running health services in the Far North’s Hokianga is undergoing an internal financial review to ensure it remains viable after a $5 million fall in financial position over two years. The Hauora Hokianga Trust, formerly the Hokianga Health...
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‘Treat every event with respect’
Northlanders are being urged to continue to take weather warnings seriously, even if Cyclone Vaianu was not as bad as past events. While Northland was impacted by flooding, power cuts and road closures, the effect was not as severe in some areas as...
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Cyclone Vaianu bears down on storm-scarred Northland
Storm-weary Northlanders are preparing to batten down the hatches as Cyclone Vaianu makes its presence known from tonight. Far North District Deputy Mayor Chicky Rudkin has spent the last three weeks visiting communities across the district impacted...
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Fuel shock
Northlanders are likely to be hit harder than most by rising fuel prices, which could add more than $1000 a year to their bills, an economist says. In the Northland Regional Council’s latest quarterly economic report, NRC economist Darryl Jones has...
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Charities brace as child poverty climbs
Northland social support providers fear child poverty will worsen as fuel prices push the cost of living even higher. According to Stats NZ, 14.3% of children lived in households experiencing material hardship in the year ended June 2025. In...
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‘Hanging by a thread’
The weather-battered northeast district of Whangārei is hanging by a thread, Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper says. His comments come as an already soaked Northland braces itself for category 3 Cyclone Vaianu, expected to make landfall this weekend. As of...
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Northland dad rescued daughters in deluge
Northland dad Anaru Cook waded through surging floodwaters to find his two daughters standing in a waist-deep torrent inside their nan’s home. His whānau are dealing with the devastation caused by the March 26 floods, that neighbours described as the...
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Anger over new tolls
More Northlanders, including businesses and AA members, are challenging a Government proposal to “heavily” toll State Highway 1 between Northland and Auckland. Since the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) announced plans to toll the first stage of...
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Health NZ cites infection risk as union claims bullying and staffing cuts
Whangārei Hospital nurses have been told stickers are a health and safety risk, in the latest move of a bitter industrial dispute between the NZ Nurses Organisation and Health New Zealand. Union delegates claimed managers were using bullying tactics...
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Northlanders urged to build financial buffers
Northlanders are being encouraged to create an emergency fund as prices soar and uncertainty reigns around the Iran war. Finance Minister Nicola Willis recently warned that prolonged conflict in the Middle East could push fuel prices even higher, slow...
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Health fears hit clean-up
Residents in storm-hit Northland communities were getting sick as they clean up silt and mud from last week’s flooding, according to one resident. Whirinaki in South Hokianga was among the Far North communities badly hit, with at least half a metre of...
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Climate change fuels Northland flood risk
More than 24,000 Northlanders live in locations exposed to a onein-100-year flood event, according to new research from Earth Sciences New Zealand. This would increase to 29,000 if there was 3C of additional warming, according to a multi-partner...
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Residents caught by surprise
Some Far North residents evacuated from their homes didn’t realise how severe the flooding was until emergency services knocked on their doors. Police estimated between 400 to 500 people were evacuated from Kaitāia Thursday night amid fears the Awanui...
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CONTACT US
09 470 2899 Regional Editor Head of News Karina Cooper Photography [email protected] Editorial inquiries 09 470 2875 News tips 09 470 2875 [email protected] [email protected] Rachel Ward 09 470...
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Red warning
Today’s forecasted weather bomb is the “last thing” Whangārei needs, says district mayor Ken Couper. MetService yesterday issued a red heavy rain watch — the most serious — for the east coast of Northland, from Doubtless Bay south to...
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SNAIL MAIL
Thousands of posted items have taken four years to reach their destination in the Far North, with NZ Post blaming the delay on the actions of a former worker. About 8000 items of unopened mail were discovered at a former NZ Post site in Kaitāia in...
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Dog control overhaul ‘long overdue’
PART OF NEW ZEALAND’S HERALD Areview of the 30-year-old Dog Control Act is being hailed in Northland as “long overdue”. The Government announced a comprehensive review of the 1996 Act on Saturday in a bid to crack down on roaming and uncontrolled...
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Battle lines emerge
Northland MP Grant McCallum, from the National Party, says his renomination was confirmed last year, so he will be on the campaign trail. The Maungaturoto farmer was a political novice when he took the Northland seat off Labour’s WillowJean Prime in...
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What new Northland charges could mean for motorists
Northland businesses are questioning “concerning” tolls proposed for part of the Northland Expressway, even if it saves travel time and improves road conditions. The National Road Carriers Association (NRC) is seeking “greater transparency around how...
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‘We stand in unity with our angel’
ANorthland mother who lost her 11-year-old “guardian angel” in a car crash said she forgave the young driver responsible and accepted him as part of her family. The unique outpouring of love was expressed at the sentencing of the 18-year-old on...
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Library backlash as doors close on Sundays
Many Whangā rei residents are fuming the central city library is no longer open on Sundays – a move some say cuts off one of the few accessible community spaces available on that day. The decision has landed badly with many older adults, who say...
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Cars now leading killer of kiwi in Northland
Cars were the leading cause of reported kiwi deaths across Northland last year, according to new figures obtained by RNZ. In 2025, the Department of Conservation received 39 reports of the birds being killed by vehicles in the region – up from 26 birds...
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Ditching the debt
Northland is among the top three region with the most mortgage free homes. Senior reporter Jenny Ling spoke to Te Tai Tokerau’s top mortgage and financial experts to find out how home owners have done it and, for the rest of us, how to pay off a...
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Whā nau waiting years for stable home
Casey Tangira, her husband, four kids and niece spent four months living in a car in 2024. They had been in the same rental in the Northland town of Ō pua for eight years — but their landlord needed the house back, and they had nowhere else to...
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Residents lose sleep
Northern Rescue Helicopters moved most of its flight operations from Kensington to Onerahi in July. The complaints were detailed in the first airport helicopter noise report to the council’s airport noise committee since the move. More than...
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‘There's a sense of distress and worry’
Residents in storm-hit areas of Northland are clearing their gutters and battening down the hatches in case a tropical low strikes the top of the country. MetService issued a strong wind watch for the Far North from Wednesday afternoon but had low...
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Towering seas rescue
ACoastguard skipper who helped rescue a stricken yacht battling 4m seas off Northland feared they would be “collecting bodies” had the boat’s engine not restarted. The yacht had been heading back to Kawau Island from the Bay of Islands when it struck...
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Foreigners buy up large
The most expensive property in Northland in 2025 sold for a whopping $14.5 million to an international buyer. But real estate agents say there are still affordable properties in the North and changes to foreign buyer rules are unlikely to make much...
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Row over paper road
A paper road in Whangārei Heads is causing a bitter dispute, with police called multiple times, trespass notices issued and complaints laid to council. A hunter wants access to the paper road, as the law allows, to control wild cattle and pigs, but...
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