Northland news in brief: Far North Lotto winner; alleged boy racer meet ends in two arrests

A Far North Lotto player won $24,058 in Saturday night's draw. Photo / Michael Bradley

A Far North Lotto player is one of 14 nationwide on cloud nine after each winning $24,058 with Lotto Second Division in Saturday night’s draw. The winning Northland ticket was sold on MyLotto. Two lucky players from outside of the region also won Powerball Second Division, taking their total winnings to $35,326.

Rumbustious racers

Two people were taken into custody and a vehicle was impounded following what police called anti-social road user behaviour in Ruakākā and Ōtaika overnight on Saturday. Around 30 boy racers were alleged to have gathered at the coastal town, and police received reports of burnouts on the intersection of Point Marsden Highway and Rama Rd around 12am. When officers arrived, rocks were reportedly thrown at them by some of the people there. Police confirmed there no were injuries. The vehicles then left the area and one that had been seen doing a burnout was seen travelling south on State Highway 1. Police activated their lights, but the driver failed to stop and the vehicle was then successfully spiked at the intersection of SH1 and Loop Rd. Police said they are considering charges and their inquiries are ongoing.

Kiwi covers kilometres

Kiwi Link, which is a collaboration of 12 Northland projects trying to build New Zealand’s first kiwi corridor, has had a taste of success. A monitored wild Northland brown kiwi, called Feta Mama, has been tracked moving from Parua Bay in Whangārei Heads to nearby Mount Tiger - an eight-kilometre journey by road, but much longer by bush. Kiwi Link thanked pest controllers and responsible dog owners in the area.

Doctors in Dargaville

Te Whatu Ora - Te Tai Tokerau is reminding people in the Kaipara that Dargaville Medical Centre no longer offers GP, urgent or emergency care services on Sundays, starting yesterday.The decision, made in response to workforce shortages, will be reviewed in one to two months. People who need a GP on a Sunday can call 09 439 8079.

Standards scrutinised

A new working party, made up of elected members and Kaipara District Council (KDC) staff with input from external expert advice has been appointed to work on the new Engineering Standards for the district. The council’s Engineering Standards are part of a reference document in the Kaipara District Plan and were last updated in 2011. Any person undertaking infrastructure design or construction within the district uses the standards as the minimum technical requirements for designing, constructing, testing, and signing off the works as a means of compliance.