Northland news in brief: Boxer to fight for national title; and pair arrested over burglary

Kaitaia lightweight boxer Mea Motu will fight for a national title later this month.

Motu in the ring

Kaitaia boxer Mea Motu, who is based in Auckland, will face Taranaki's Tania Reid for the NZ Professional Boxing Association's Lightweight title on March 26. For Motu, who trains out of Peach Boxing and is 5-0 as a professional, this will be the toughest and most important fight of her career to date especially since the pair have a history after having fought against one another as amateurs. Motu has several further fights scheduled for 2021, and the aim is to ensure that by the end of the year, she is ready to take on the world's best.

Pair face burglary charges
A man and woman were arrested by police in relation to a burglary at a Horahora address on Wednesday. The burglary at an Silverstream Rd address was reported to police shortly after 2.30pm and later that day police apprehended the pair, both aged 28. They were charged with burglary and were due to appear in the Whangārei District Court yesterday.

Wharf upgrade to start
Construction work for the Pahi wharf upgrade is set to start next month. The project is part of Kaipara KickStart, led by Kaipara District Council (KDC) and funded by the Provincial Development Unit, to grow the district's economy and increase community wellbeing. The wharf has been owned by Pahi Regatta Club, but a KDC meeting last month approved the purchase of Pahi Wharf and a non-exclusive licence for Pahi Regatta Club to occupy. The purchase price was for a nominal amount of $1000 (plus GST). Pahi Regatta Club Commodore Darren Shephard is delighted the council has taken ownership of the wharf, ensuring a collaborative relationship between council and the Pahi community to look after and maintain the wharf.

Fraud charges
A Northland woman has appeared in the Kaikohe District Court on multiple fraud charges. The woman, whose name is suppressed, faces 86 charges of using a document for pecuniary advantage. She was further remanded on bail during her March 9 appearance and is due back in court next month. The charges relate to alleged fraud at a Northland trust.

Arson suspect remanded
A man accused of burning down a house near Moerewa was again remanded in custody when he appeared in the Kaikohe District Court on Tuesday. William Bradley Pashley, 50, was charged with arson after a Ngawhitu Rd home was destroyed on the night of January 17. He is due back in court by audio-visual link on March 30. The arson is believed to be connected with a domestic dispute.

Skateboarder injured
A 13-year-old boy was delivered to Kaitaia Hospital by ambulance after he parted company with his skateboard on Redan Rd hill, immediately outside the police station, last Friday afternoon. A police spokesman said the boy had a hole about the size of a dollar coin in his forehead, along with several grazes. The descent had apparently been successfully achieved by a number of skateboarders the day before, but the officer said it really wasn't a good idea.

Beware scam email
Te Tai Tokerau Principals' Association president Pat Newman has warned anyone who receives an email, purportedly from him, suggesting that they buy "items" from him, that it will be malicious and should be deleted. "Besides the fact that I am not looking at a retirement fund - there is no need; Hora Hora school [where he is the principal] is aiming to be the first zimmer frame-friendly school in the world - another small clue is in the address."