Black Power member still sought in Northland

Senior Whangarei Black Power member Walter Ngaau is wanted by police.

Police are still looking for patched gang member Walter Reid Ngaau who has a warrant out for his arrest. Ngaau, a patched Black Power member, is 54, 175cm tall, of medium build and has distinctive facial tattoos. He is wanted in connection to the murder of John Henry Harris in Whangarei last October. Information can be passed on to Detective Sergeant Shane Pilmer on 021 191 5948 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Council to be rated

The Far North District Council is one of 18 local authorities that have agreed to be assessed under the CouncilMARK™ local government excellence programme.
The programme is designed to give communities and councils an unbiased view of how well their council is performing and where it can improve.

Under the Local Government New Zealand initiative, independent assessors measure indicators every three years across four priority areas: governance, leadership and strategy, financial decision-making and transparency, service delivery and asset management, communicating and engaging with the public and business. Each council will be given a rating from triple AAA to C.

Twins' whereabouts sought

Police are still appealing to the public for information about 10-year-old twin brothers who have been missing from a Whangarei foster care home for four months.

Twin brothers Hamiora and Waiariki Chapman, also known as Sam and Storm, went missing in December last year. Detective Inspector Kevin Burke said the brothers were removed from Child, Youth and Family care - now the Ministry for Vulnerable Children - by family members.

Anyone with information can contact Senior Sergeant Stephanie Hudson on 09 430 4500 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Smokefree group disappointed

Patu Puauahi, Northland's smokefree collective, says the Government's recent decision not to introduce smokefree cars is a missed opportunity to protect children from a major health hazard.

Spokeswoman Bridget Rowse said travelling in cars in which people are smoking expose children to high levels of hazardous pollutants and a higher risk of serious diseases, including acute respiratory problems and glue ear, she said.

In 2015, Patu Puauahi submitted a 2000-plus signature petition requesting the Government ban smoking in cars carrying children under 18. The Government recently rejected a Health Select Committee's similar recommendations, saying present initiatives are sufficient to deter smoking in cars.