News in brief: Public memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II

Nicola Willis is coming to Kerikeri next week Photo / NZME

National deputy to visit
National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis will spend a day in Kerikeri on Tuesday, October 4 when she will discuss the party's policies on finance, health, education, and law and order. Her agenda includes booked-out events such as a morning cafe meeting with local residents, a walkabout in central Kerikeri around 11am, and lunch at Marsden Estate with the Northland Electorate Business Club.

Service for the Queen

There will be a public memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday, October 2, at 5pm at the Whangārei Anglican Church. Bishop Ross Bay from Auckland will be presiding.

Car, tanker crash

Emergency services responded to a crash involving a car and a milk tanker on SH12, Ruawai, on Sunday afternoon. Two people were taken to hospital following the crash, which happened around 3.30pm. Both were in a moderate condition. The road was partially blocked with traffic management in place while the vehicle was towed.

New offices

The Northland office of Heritage New Zealand has moved to 21 Hobson Ave in Kerikeri. The shift comes after four years at Te Pou o Manako Kerikeri, the former NorthTec campus, in Hone Heke Rd. Northland manager Bill Edwards said the new location in town would be more accessible to the public and the large amount of extra space would be used to house collections currently kept in offsite storage, making them more accessible to staff for conservation work and research. Office hours are 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

Warning system trialled

A new drought warning system successfully piloted in Northland is now being trialled in the Pacific Islands. Aotearoa New Zealand's International Development Cooperation, administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, funded Engineers Without Borders to develop and pilot the $247,500 Pacific Drought Warning System (DEWS) in 2020. Covid-19 meant it could not be piloted in the Pacific Islands, so Te Kao and Ngunguru were selected as pilot locations with on-the-ground support provided by Northland Regional Council and Engineers Without Borders NZ (EWBNZ). The sensors and the user application were developed by IOT Ventures.

More properties for sale

The number of properties for sale across Aotearoa continued to soar last month, jumping a record 76 per cent when compared with August last year, according to the latest Trade Me Property Price Index. Northland sits just above average with 79 per cent. Meanwhile, demand has dropped by 12 per cent in Tai Tokerau. The national average asking price continued on a downward trend, falling to $899,200 in August, down 1 per cent when compared with July. In Northland, the asking price fell by 0.8 per cent to $839,450.