Former deputy mayor dies
Former Whangarei deputy mayor Graeme Broughton has passed away peacefully. Mr Broughton, 91, died on Tuesday at Jane Mander Retirement Village, surrounded by family. The Purua sheep, beef and deer farmer served the Whangarei county and district for 33 years, including 15 years as the Hikurangi ward councillor, and a stint as deputy mayor.
Pool alarm 'minor'
Police blocked Bank St in Kaitaia while two Kaitaia Fire Brigade crews responded to a chlorine alarm at the nearby public swimming baths Tuesday afternoon. It's believed an alarm had been activated and firefighters using breathing apparatus went to check. The system was reset and technicians were being called to service the equipment. The incident was described as "very minor", with no danger to any people. The pool was not open to the public at the time.
Three-vehicle smash
A crash involving three vehicles just north of Wellsford closed State Highway 1 yesterday with traffic diverted through Mangawhai Rd. Emergency services were called to the crash near the intersection of Waimanu Rd and SH1 about 2.27pm. One person was airlifted by the Northland rescue helicopter to Auckland hospital with critical injuries and a second person was reported to be in a serious condition. A truck and trailer and two cars were involved.
Facial eczema warning
The facial eczema risk rose in the very Far North last week according to TopVets' monitoring, although the highest spore count, 25,000 at Pukepoto, was still rated as low. Counts of 10,000 were recorded at Waipapakauri and on the east coast, with 5000 at Houhora, Kaitaia and Takahue. Levels of 100,000 or more are considered dangerous, TopVets warning that its monitoring results should only be taken as a guide, as counts can vary from farm to farm.
Northland news briefs
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