Northland news briefs

The Ministry of Health has appointed Margareth Broodkoorn, from Northland District Health Board, to the role of Chief Nursing Officer.

Chief nursing appointment

Northland District Health Board's Director of Nursing and Midwifery Margareth Broodkoorn has been appointed Chief Nursing Officer by the Ministry of Health.
Broodkoorn has been the Director of Nursing and Midwifery at NDHB since 2010 and has over 30 years of experience in the health sector working in a range of clinical practice, leadership, management and education roles. She is of Ngāpuhi and Dutch descent.

She is an executive member of the National Council of Māori Nurses and has had extensive involvement in the work of the Nursing Council and is a member of the Health Workforce New Zealand Nursing Advisory Group and sponsor of Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō. Broodkoorn will join the ministry in early February.

Dam carpark accessible again

Whangārei District Council contractors will be on site grading and levelling the gravel carpark at the Whau Valley Dam over the next week or so. Public access to the Whangarei dam was closed for a period in March so a 6.1-hectare area of pine trees on council-owned land adjacent to the dam could be harvested.

Logging operations and the wet weather conspired to make the job messier than it would have been in a dry winter. In July, the council said it would wait for the ground to dry out in spring before it returned the carpark to how it was before. The council said cars will be allowed in the area on most days but it will be closed to all traffic on the final day - which is likely to be Friday next week.

Names of fatalities released

Police have released the names of three people who died in fatal crashes in Northland recently. British citizen Roseanna Ridley, 29, died after her car collided with a ute just north of Te Hana on November 27. Francis Peters, 65, from Whangārei, died following a crash on SH1 near Kawakawa on Friday while Kodi Francis Russell John Foster, 19, from Ararua died in a crash on SH12 near Paparoa on Sunday. Investigations into both crashes are continuing and the deaths have been referred to the Coroner.

Kapa haka festival

Kapa haka will be on display at the inaugural Hineraumati Ki Raurimu Summer Festival. Eight Whangārei schools including Raurimu Avenue Primary, which is hosting the event, Hora Hora Primary School, St Francis Xavier, Te Kura o Ōtangarei, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o te Rawhiti Roa, Totara Grove School, Whangārei Primary School and Hurupaki School, will perform at the festival tomorrow. A powhiri at 9am will start the day and the first performance is at 10am.

Arthrem live warning

Northlanders could be among those the Director General of Health has warned about serious liver harm from taking the natural medication Arthrem. That and other products the warning applies to contain Artemisia annua extract which is linked with liver harm. Artemisia annua extract (also known as sweet wormwood, sweet Annie or qing hao) is marketed as a natural dietary supplement for maintaining and supporting joint health and mobility.

The majority of cases of liver damage are linked to Arthrem soft gel capsules (Promisia). Two cases also report use of GO Arthri-Remedy 1-A-Day soft gel capsules (GO Healthy). People should be alert for nausea, stomach pain, pale stools, dark urine, itching all over, yellow eyes or skin.