Northland news in brief: Bay's bottlenose dolphins examined and $249k for managing freedom camping

People wanting to learn about the state of bottlenose dolphins in the Bay of Islands can find out more at a public meeting on October 14.

Learn about dolphins

Marine conservation group Bay of Islands Maritime Park will hold its annual general meeting at the Paihia War Memorial Hall, Williams Rd, at 5.30pm on October 14. Marine mammal researchers Cat Peters and Thibaud Guerin will speak about the state of the Bay's bottlenose dolphins.

Camping cash

The Far North District Council is to get $249,000 from the government to help meet the cost of managing freedom camping. The council applied to the Responsible Camping Fund after completing a study of freedom camping needs in the district. It will spend the money on a kaitiaki rangers programme, responsible camping signs and extra toilet cleaning and rubbish services.

Summer sounds

New Zealand music legends The Feelers and Elemeno P will play in Northland in January on their four-date summer tour. The pairing will bring their much-loved hits for a guaranteed good time of nostalgic feel-good summer fun.
The Feelers and Elemeno P play at Zane Greys, in Paihia, on January 16.

Volunteers thanked

A free social evening in Paihia is a way of saying thanks to the Bay of Islands town's many volunteers. The event will be held at the Swordfish Club, on Marsden Rd, from 5.30pm on October 15. Volunteers from a host of organisations— from Focus Paihia and Waitangi Mountain Bike Park to Paihia Fire Brigade and Te Tii Marae — have been invited. Live music will be provided by Charlotte ''Rockstar'' Jones. The event has been organised by St John volunteer Denis Orme.

Three new cases

Three new cases of Covid-19 were reported from managed isolation in New Zealand yesterday. There are no new cases in the community.
The first two new cases arrived from Ethiopia via Dubai on September 23. They have been in managed isolation at the Ibis in Hamilton and tested positive at routine testing around day 12 of their stay.
The third case arrived from Dubai on September 29. They have been staying in managed isolation at the Four Points Hotel and have been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility upon returning a positive test result.
New Zealand's total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 is 1505.

Award for motorway project

The Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway project team has been awarded for its efforts to protect the environment, particularly waterways, during construction.
The Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency project has won the project category of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) Environmental Excellence Awards, which celebrate innovation and outstanding achievement in the industry.
The motorway project is being built by Fletcher Construction and Acciona on behalf of the Northern Express Group (NX2).