Northland news in brief: Crashed while breaching lockdown; and man and baby assaulted

The three occupants of a car that crashed off SH10 at Kaingaroa, east of Awanui, on Thursday morning were warned by police for breaching the level 4 Covid-19 lockdown while the driver was also warned for careless driving. The driver lost control at the bottom of the hill west of the Duncan Rd intersection, demolishing a farm fence and a gate before coming to rest on the driver's side hard against a tree. The driver and front seat passenger escaped with scratches but the back seat passenger was treated at the scene, initially by a Kaitaia Fire Brigade crew then St John officers before being taken to Kaitaia Hospital by ambulance. Deputy fire chief Ross Beddows said his crew did not have to extricate the men from the car but had disconnected the battery and prevented two horses escaping from the paddock. Kaitaia police Sergeant Nigel Turnbull said the trio had been travelling from Kaitaia to Whatuwhiwhi to collect friends whose car had broken down.

Man and baby assaulted

A man and a baby have been airlifted to hospital after being injured in an assault at remote west coast settlement. The incident occurred about 7pm on Wednesday at Whangape, between Ahipara and Hokianga. Detective Senior Sergeant Geoff McCarthy said police were called to an address after an altercation between two men. One of the men suffered serious injuries and was flown to Whangārei Hospital. A baby at the address was also taken to hospital as a precaution. Police inquiries into the incident were ongoing, McCarthy said. The Advocate understands the man suffered a serious head injury but the infant's injuries were minor.

Electricity outage

Northpower will carry out planned electricity outage on Te Kamo St in Ruakaka from 9am to 3pm tomorrow to carry out essential work on its electricity network. Around 30 people will be without power during the work. Northpower asks that people stay well clear of crews and follow Covid-19 self-distancing rules. People can keep an eye on planned shutdowns at northpower.com.

Flu vaccinations

Ngāti Hine Health Trust is offering community-wide flu vaccinations for high-risk people including those aged 65 and over or with long-term health conditions, the immune-compromised, children with asthma and hapū mama. The vaccinations are also available for high risk people such as healthcare and other frontline workers, which includes emergency services, social services, police, defence and border control. It's a drive-through service — nurses come to patients' cars — and is open Monday to Friday from 9am-4pm at Vogel St in Kawakawa.

Fees-free online learning

NorthTec is launching a fees-free online learning initiative.

NorthTec and TANZ eCampus are launching a fees-free online learning initiative, to help Northlanders upskill or reskill if they have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Unemployment is predicted to rise sharply as the country deals with the uncertainty created by the pandemic. The initiative is aimed at helping people upskill or learn new skills in order to help the region's economy recover from the effects of the pandemic. Learners can also access Chromebook devices from NorthTec to help them study from home. People need to enrol by May 18 with more info at www.northtec.ac.nz/programmes/ecampus, along with details on how to inquire and apply.