Publication
Health NZ admits failings in toddler’s care
Nearly two months after her toddler was rushed to Starship hospital for emergency bowel surgery, a concerned mother says she is still waiting for Whangā rei clinicians to explain in person why his condition was not recognised as serious sooner. Health...
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ED staff exhausted by crisis load
Whangārei Hospital’s emergency department is so busy that staff fear someone will die waiting for help. But Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora says patient safety is the highest priority, with a system to reassess patients waiting for care. Both Health...
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Police investigate shipwreck removal
Aman who says he saw part of a shipwreck being destroyed and removed believes the action denied New Zealanders a chance to learn their history. But one of the men involved said it was only timbers sitting on the sand and the law wasn’t clear what...
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‘Kaitā ia itself is slowly going to shut down’
Along-serving Juken New Zealand employee fears the closure of the Northland Mill is just the beginning for Kaitā ia, warning that the Far North town could face a “domino effect” of job losses and business closures. The employee, who has worked at the...
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Council signals end to art centre funding
Whangārei’s controversial Hundertwasser Art Centre is making a profit but remains unable to run without council support, with Mayor Ken Couper saying future funding will depend on community feedback. The $33 million centre – the last designed by...
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Paradise shattered
It was their “piece of paradise” — a corner of Northland steeped in history and natural beauty, where time passed at a gentle pace and people rarely locked their doors. But not any more. Two violent deaths in as many weeks have left Hokianga...
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Supermarket owners ring up change in Ō taika
Nearly two years ago, Alice Bayley and her partner Sione Teu moved from Auckland with big plans to transform a Northland Four Square in a suburb with a shady reputation. Bayley was apprehensive; she’d read how the previous owner of Four Square Ō taika...
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Northland’s meth crisis
“All you need to do is feed someone for a little while until they’ve got the hunger for it, and then you’ve got the control,” Ō tangarei Trust chief executive Martin Kaipo said. He knew of grandmothers dealing meth and some mothers so consumed by...
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Parents want answers as daughter ‘robbed’ of life
Ashley Wickman went into the surf around midnight at Uretiti Beach in Northland. “I’m just going to catch a wave,” a police statement later recorded her saying to the three other teenagers she left in the shallows. Ashley was found dead 12 hours...
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Fuel projects complete
The importance of Northland’s Marsden Point for the future of New Zealand’s energy needs has been marked by the completion of two major fuel storage projects. The milestones at Channel Infrastructure included the arrival of the first diesel cargo for...
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Back on the market
Aproperty in central Kerikeri where 20ha of trees were felled last year has been put on the market by the developer before a single home has been built. The property – bordered by the town centre, Kerikeri River and the Heritage Bypass – was touted as...
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Frustration builds as slip repair drags on
Frustration is growing for residents and business owners impacted by the Helena Bay slip, more than five months after the landslide closed the key access road. Whangārei District Council said reopening the road remained a key priority but rain and wet...
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Complaint after guard seen watching mum breastfeed
ANorthland couple want accountability from Corrections after a prison guard was seen staring at the mother breastfeeding in her hospital bed. Corrections says the staff member was undertaking standard security checks and was unaware the bathroom was...
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DoC admits failure to oversee campgrounds
The Department of Conservation (DoC) has acknowledged it failed to properly oversee the management of three Far North campgrounds for years. The issues are now the subject of an external investigation, with DoC estimating the Ngāti Kuri Trust Board...
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‘I feel very angry’ Families count cost of pool firm failure
Several Northland families claim they’ve lost tens of thousands of dollars – in at least one case, more than $100,000 – after paying for pool and landscaping work that never eventuated. The Northern Advocate has spoken to multiple customers who claim...
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Store owner on trial for exploitation
Behind the bright aisles of a bargain store, migrant workers say they were pushed into 100-hour weeks, forced to sleep in storerooms and told they would be deported if they spoke up. Now, Snehal Suresh Patel, the former owner of Whangā rei chain...
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Brewing up a taste for NZ
Apioneering Northland coffee farm is hoping to introduce visitors to a slower ritual of coffee drinking and tasting this summer. Ikarus Coffee growers Rob Schluter and Marie-Elodie Proust are preparing a tasting experience where visitors can learn and...
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Erosion fears after reserve clean-up
Acoastal Whangā rei resident claims the district council’s removal of longestablished trees and gardens from a waterfront reserve could increase erosion risk and waste ratepayer money. Christine Macartney says the work threatens what she describes as...
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Meth pipes in plain sight
ANorthland woman is calling for glass pipes associated with meth to be hidden from view in Whangārei shops after seeing a child ask about the drug paraphernalia on display. Community advocate Jodie Rameka, who ran for Whangārei District Council’s...
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Robot takes on pest
An innovative Kiwi No8-wire approach has produced a world-first large-scale submersible dredge planer designed to remove invasive caulerpa seaweed. The unusual-looking $5 million remote underwater vehicle (ROV) was launched for final sea trials at...
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Quiet retirement
After two decades under public watch from thousands of people and numerous television cameras, the last four lions at the former Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary will have a quiet retirement, with the park permanently closed to the public. Last November, the...
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‘Funding formula is so broken’
Anew funding package for GPs will not go far enough to address the needs of long-underfunded Northland clinics, a doctor says. Health Minister Simeon Brown is hailing the package as a major boost to general practices, with $120.6 million extra funding...
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Kiwi carers fined over brief hold of chick
For 34 years, Robert and Robyn Webb have been the steady, familiar faces of the Whangārei Native Bird Recovery Centre. Now, in their retirement years, the couple is at odds with the Department of Conservation. The centre has been fined $400 for a...
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Attacks on medics rise
Assaults on frontline emergency staff are rising – and for ambulance worker Paul Todd, that reality hit home when a routine callout escalated into a gun threat. The Hato Hone St John emergency medical technician was responding to a 1am medical callout...
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One-armed grandfather drags family from flames
Flames were already tearing through 68-year-old Hirini Tau’s home when he woke. With only one arm, he pulled his unconscious son down a smoke-filled hallway to safety. “I just wanted to turn it into something that could save lives,” he said of sharing...
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UN climate complaint hits Beehive plan
Climate activist and iwi leader Mike Smith has requested the United Nations “intervene urgently” before legislation is introduced preventing companies from being sued over damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Smith, with the National Iwi Chairs...
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‘We’ve lost our hospital’
Kaipara residents and healthcare professionals are alarmed over Dargaville Hospital changes, which they describe as replacing the 24/7 hospital with user-pays healthcare. Health New Zealand said Dargaville Hospital will be known as Dargaville Health...
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Plan a ‘terrible idea’
Strong criticism of a $29 million inner-city upgrade from local businesses has sent Whangārei District Council back to the drawing board. The Waterfront to City project proposes to upgrade John St and surrounds, including installing traffic lights at...
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Where does plastic go?
Ajudge has questioned what meaningful difference there is between burning plastic in a pyrolysis unit and sending it to landfill, as he heard allegations against a man running a plastic-burning plant without the required consent. Environment Court...
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Woman sentenced for 2006 case after fleeing NZ
For about 20 years, a single court file gathered dust in a Whangārei cabinet — a relic of the pseudoephedrine-tomethamphetamine era. It should have been finalised in 2007, but the defendant fled, leaving behind what may be one of New Zealand’s...
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Housing costs driving elderly to homelessness
Increasing numbers of people aged 65-plus are living on the streets as a result of falling home-ownership rates and soaring costs, a Northland housing advocate says. According to the latest official count, 237 people are living rough in Whangārei,...
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‘They basically entrap and enslave people’
Police say they discovered more than a decade ago that Northland gangs were handing out methamphetamine for free in vulnerable communities to hook users and recruit them to sell drugs. Yesterday, Detective Superintendent Greg Williams, director of the...
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Supreme Court quashes $4.2m payout to quarry
Aquarry owner’s twodecade legal battle with Whangārei District Council over alleged negligence has largely ended in defeat after the Supreme Court set aside the $4.2 million in damages he had earlier been granted. Malcolm James (Jimmy) Daisley has...
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Mum fights for more time
Ever since having a melanoma removed a decade ago, Northland mum Krystel Scott-Davidson has been doing everything right. She’s had two surgeries including one to remove lymph nodes under her armpits to ensure it didn’t spread. She’s stayed out of the...
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‘It’s a whole new world’
For Northland mum Katie Wilkinson, discovering her second daughter was born deaf has exposed her family to a “whole new world”, one she feels privileged to be part of. The Whangārei resident’s baby, Mary, now 2, initially failed her newborn hearing...
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New cancer centre cuts travel for patients
About 350 Northland cancer patients each year will no longer have to travel for treatment thanks to the new radiation oncology service at Whangārei’s Jim Carney Cancer Treatment Centre. The $60.9 million facility was officially opened yesterday by...
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‘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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