Police have named the youth who died in a crash south of Kaitaia on September 5 as Dillon Barrington, 17, of Mangamuka. The teenager was thrown from a car as it rolled on the north side of Mangamuka Gorge while heading towards Kaitaia. Five people were in the vehicle at the time, two of whom were seriously injured and flown to Whangārei Hospital. Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the crash.
Offender evades dog team
A police dog handler and canine were called in to track an offender well-known to law enforcement after the man drew attention to himself in Kamo. Sergeant Tai Patrick, of Northland police, said the man caught the attention of a passing patrol car when he jumped out of a vehicle he was a passenger in along Three Mile Bush Rd around 12.45pm yesterday. By the time officers were able to complete a U-turn and stop the vehicle, the man had scarpered. Police believed the man had followed the Waitaua Stream to throw the canine off. A heavy police presence was visible in the area as officers tried to force the man to ground. But he continued moving and went around Hurupaki School on Dip Rd. Staff and students were asked by police to briefly stay indoors while they tracked the man. A Hurupaki staff member confirmed the school had not gone into lockdown. Both the man's identity and whereabouts were unable to be confirmed at edition time.
Motorbike passenger injured
A pillion passenger injured after a motorcycle crash on Moerewa's Turntable Hill on Saturday is recovering in hospital. The crash occurred as the Harley-Davidson was going uphill about 20m from the Hautapu Rd intersection, Kawakawa fire chief Wayne Martin said. The passenger was knocked unconscious but a doctor who happened to be driving past was able to apply immediate first aid. St John Ambulance took the man to Simson Park in Moerewa, from where he was flown to Whangārei Hospital by Northland Rescue Helicopter for an assessment of possible head and internal injuries. Senior Constable Jeff Cramp, of the police Serious Crash Unit, said it appeared the rider had gone wide on a sweeping right-hand bend and hit a roadside barrier. No mechanical cause had been identified. The rear tyre was worn down to the wire but that was not thought to have been a factor in the crash.
Have a say on bylaws
Far North residents are being asked for feedback on three new bylaws that will update and simplify existing rules for parking, roadside activities, and the maintenance of private wastewater systems. The rules are currently covered by the Parking and Traffic Control Bylaw, and the Control of On-site Wastewater Disposal Systems Bylaw – both of which will be revoked next year. The consultations run for five weeks online from this week to October 15. Submitters who do not have online access can post submissions directly to the council or drop them into a service centre (alert levels permitting). If requested, public hearings on the three proposed bylaws will be held on October 26. Go to www.fndc.govt.nz/haveyoursay to find out more and make a submission.
Police checkpoints
Eighteen vehicles were turned away for non-essential travel at police checkpoints on the Northland-Auckland border on Tuesday. Since Northland dropped down to alert level 3 on September 2, at midnight, 21,312 vehicles have been stopped across the five police checkpoints. Of those, 313 were turned around for non-essential travel. Police have stopped 95,935 vehicles at five checkpoints along Auckland's southern border for the same time period - 1072 of which were turned around, including 100 on Tuesday. Overall, 117,247 vehicles have been stopped at all 10 checkpoints since 11.59pm on August 31.