News in brief: Man still missing, new forecasting tool coming

No one throughout the country won big in Powerball and Strike draws. Photo / NZME

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No one throughout the country won big in Powerball and Strike draws.
Photo / NZME

Powerball and Strike have both rolled over and there is a combined prize pool of $9.3 million for Wednesday night's draw. Powerball was not struck on Saturday and the jackpot this Wednesday will be $8m while Lotto First Division will be $1m. Strike Four has also rolled over and will be $300,000 in the next draw.The winning Lotto numbers last weekend were 14, 15, 16, 23, 24 with Bonus number 28.

Man still missing

A Northlander missing for nearly a week is yet to be located despite extensive searches.
Northland Police and Search Rescue volunteers were back yesterday morning searching a bush near Pipiwai for Kukama Waa who was last seen on Wednesday morning last week.
Waa, 58, is hearing impaired and also has physical and mental impairments. He is described as Maori, about 5ft 8 (1.72m) tall, of large build, is bald and recently lost one of his arms. He was last seen wearing blue-coloured tracksuit pants and a red shirt. Anyone who might have seen Waa is asked to contact police immediately on 111 and quote event number P049210284.

Kāinga Ora spend

Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities spent around $43.3 million dollars in the last financial year on painting ($14.7m), fencing ($8.8m), new roofing ($17.7m) and driveway safety improvements ($2.10m) to its homes. The improvements are part of a series of planned programmes that greatly benefit customers and support regional businesses, too. Around $3 million was spent on almost 400 properties in Northland region on exterior house painting ($665,000), fencing ($857,000), new roofing ($1.07m) and driveway safety improvements ($100,000). Kāinga Ora has homes from Northland to Southland and around 8,500 customers have had these improvements made to their homes.

Drought forecasting tool

The Government is investing in the development of a new forecasting tool that makes full use of innovative climate modelling to help farmers and growers prepare for dry conditions. The new approach, which will cost $200,000 and is being jointly funded through the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), will provide daily drought forecasts out to 35 days. Later, the project will also explore drought predictions up to six months ahead. NIWA currently provides seasonal climate outlook each month that look three months ahead, but are not drought specific. The new forecast tool will be a companion to the New Zealand Drought Index. The index was developed by NIWA in conjunction with MPI and launched in 2017. It is used to determine the current status of drought across the country and measures the duration and intensity of recent dryness.

Real Estate boost

Century 21 is now in Northland thanks to a passionate Kaipara mother and daughter with over 50 years' real estate experience between them. Century 21 Jean Johnson Realty has opened on 6 Poto St in Dargaville. The office will service the wider Kaipara District including Maungaturoto in the south and Opononi in north. Johnson knows the brand well. Back in 1990, she was Century 21's first licenced salesperson in Howick, East Auckland. A few years later she relocated to Northland - her husband's home province - for a lifestyle change but she stayed in the real estate industry. Her daughter, Lee Cocurullo, has been working alongside her mother for 20 years, attaining various real estate qualifications along the way. Cocurullo is administration manager at Century 21 Jean Johnson Realty.