Whangārei MP Emily Henderson has taken the concerns of Whangārei-based yachties facing expiring visas to Minister of Immigration Kris Faafoi. Henderson, who met with a group of international yachties on Saturday, said she passed on their concerns to Faafoi's office but noted how busy Immigration NZ was dealing with similar
situations. On Friday, the Northern Advocate reported how many international yachties based in Whangārei are pleading with the Government to allow them to stay in the country until 2022 to avoid sailing in unsafe conditions elsewhere in the Pacific. Yachtie Cindy Smith was glad to hear Henderson had passed on her concerns and was hopeful a resolution could be found.
Roundabout closure
Waka Kotahi NZTA began work on the roundabout on the Matthews Ave-North Rd intersection in Kaitaia on Sunday night, closing Matthews Ave between Davis St and Allen Bell Dr from 6pm to 6am from Sunday through to today. Fulton Hogan made provision for Matthews Ave residents to have vehicle access to their properties.
Mulch fire lingers
A fire caused by spontaneous combustion in a large pile of mulch at a Waipapa landscaping business on Thursday took firefighters almost two hours to put out. The fire was reported around 12.20am, on Pataka Lane. Kerikeri's Chief Fire Officer Les Wasson said there had been no immediate threat to property but the deep-seated fire produced a lot of smoke and odour, with firefighters soaking the pile with a "huge" quantity of water.
Fire investigation continues
The cause of Northland's biggest blaze this summer, which razed almost 180ha of young pine forest at Pipiwai, is yet to be determined. The fire, which began on January 29, was fought by volunteer crews from Kawakawa, Kamo, Hikurangi, Towai, Whangārei, Kerikeri and Kaikohe for three days, alongside seven helicopters and 70 forestry contractors from around the North. Deputy Principal Rural Fire Officer Wayne Martin said the fire's point of origin had been found but he declined to elaborate, given that the investigation was ongoing.
Solo art show at Kohukohu
A solo exhibition of new paintings by Herb Foley will open at Kohukohu's Village Arts Gallery, The Space Between, at 2pm on Saturday. Foley has been exhibiting his landscape paintings throughout New Zealand since 1976, and has shown alongside some of New Zealand's most celebrated artists. In recent years he has exhibited in Kerikeri, where he now lives. Village Arts curator Marg Morrow was delighted to be staging the exhibition. "Herb's work is colourful, big, bold, and joyous," she said. "He celebrates the fragile beauty of the natural world. His concern for the abundance of nature comes out in his great sense of colour and delight in all living things." The exhibition will remain on display until March 21.