Far North news in brief: Hospice donation, Lotto luck and house destroyed in blaze

Far North Hospice CEO Belinda Watkins receives the beautiful knitted blanket donated to the organisation from Joanne Bentley of the Far North Spinners and Weavers group.

Heart-warming Hospice donation

The warmth of the community towards Far North Hospice has been displayed yet again, this time by the donation of a beautiful knitted blanket from the Far North Spinners and Weavers group.

The blanket was made by Joanne Bentley, Linda Grieve, Julie Captain and Sandra Dunn and was presented to Far North Hospice CEO Belinda Watkins recently.

Watkins said the blanket was a very kind donation to Hospice and would be well-used in the facility.

More Lotto luck

A ticket sold in the Far North was one of 10 that each won more than $27,000 with Lotto’s Second Division on Saturday night.

The ticket, sold at Countdown Kerikeri, won its holder $27,078 with Lotto Second Division. The winning Lotto numbers were 5, 18, 26, 28, 31 and 39, with the bonus number 16 and Powerball number 9.

House destroyed in fire

A house was virtually destroyed in a fire in the Far North on Saturday.

The home, on Oruru Rd in Peria, caught alight just before 7am on Saturday and was well ablaze by the time firefighters from the Mangōnui, Kaitāia and Karikari brigades arrived.

A fire investigator was called as the fire was initially treated as suspicious.

Help wanted for cat control

A charity tackling an uncontrolled cat population in the Far North is appealing for additional helpers following a funding boost from local community boards.

Coast to Coast Cat Rescue, formed in December 2022 as an offshoot of Bay of Islands Animal Rescue, received $10,000 from the Te Hiku Community Board in July to help minimise a wild cat problem that is harming native wildlife in the area. The group also received $5000 from the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board and $10,000 from the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board.

Co-ordinator Sam Stewart says the problem is so serious in Te Hiku that they are desperate for extra help in the community to support their work, and particularly need to find volunteers to help set humane traps to catch the feral feline population, and to educate the community about their work.

Area school teachers pay rise

Far North area school teachers have joined their counterparts around the country in voting to accept the Government’s new collective agreement offer, which was based largely upon the recent settlement of the secondary school teachers’ agreement.

The agreement includes a 14.5 per cent increase at the top of the basic salary scale over three years, as well as lump sum payments of up to $7210. Other benefits include a cultural leadership allowance for every school and increases to the Māori immersion teacher allowance, as well as better pay rates for day relievers.