Big night for Otium
Whangarei band Otium will support NZ's reggae icons Sons Of Zion at their gig in the city this week.
"This means a great deal to us, Sons Of Zion have a big influence on us, both musically and how we run as a band off the stage," Otium singer Jess Samu said.
The show is at Tikipunga Tavern from 9pm on Thursday. Sons of Zion then play at Kerikeri's Homestead Tavern on Friday as part of their The Jukebox Suite EP launch tour.
Teen crashes mum's car
Alcohol is thought to have been a factor when a 15-year-old Northland girl crashed her mother's car in the early hours of Sunday morning. The girl and a 14-year-old friend, both from the Bay of Islands, were travelling on Wiroa Rd near Kerikeri about 3.15am when the driver lost control on a corner and crashed into a ditch at the entrance to Bay of Islands Airport. The driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to Bay of Islands Hospital. Police suspected she had been drinking so a blood sample was taken for alcohol analysis. They are now awaiting the results. Volunteers from the Kerikeri Fire Brigade were called out to secure the scene and clean up the road. The previous morning, at 5.50am, the brigade was called out for another single-vehicle crash, this time outside Living Nature on State Highway 10 near Kerikeri. The pregnant driver was taken to Bay of Islands Hospital as a precaution.
Correction
The wrong photograph was placed in a story in yesterday's Northern Advocate.
The photograph, on page 15 in a story about the race for the Whangarei seat, was supposed to be of Whangarei National candidate Shane Reti, but instead a picture of Te Tai Tokerau's Labour candidate Kelvin Davis was placed there instead. The error occurred during the sub editing process.
Walk to reduce suicide stigma
A walk to break the stigma associated with suicide and encourage people to talk will be held in Whangarei this weekend.
Sarah Ritchie-Warren, organiser of HopeWalk Whangarei, said the walk was about raising awareness about suicide so people know they are not alone in their time of need. She hoped it would also be a chance for families who have lost loved ones to suicide to share memories.
HopeWalk events, started by Auckland pastor Joseph Fa'afiu in 2015 as a way of breaking the stigma around suicide, are held around New Zealand and Australia.
The Whangarei event will begin at the Canopy Bridge at 7pm on Sunday. People are encouraged to wear yellow and black and bring torches or LED candles.