Northland news in brief: First council meeting, new road surfaces

Whangārei District Council reminds owners to keep their dogs on leash while walking around Whau Valley Dam.

Reminder to dog owners

Whangārei District Council reminds owners to keep their dogs on leash while walking around Whau Valley Dam as young kiwi have recently been released in the area. Council will be policing the leash control area to ensure owners comply with the rules, including picking up dog droppings. The water from the dam supplies the district with drinking water and while it goes through a stringent cleaning process before being piped out into Whangārei, council said it was important to keep dog faeces out of the system and not have dogs swimming in the water.

Orange Ferns call-up

Do you have Dutch heritage? Are you passionate about playing international rugby? If you answered yes to both questions, the New Zealand-Dutch Oranje Varens (Orange Ferns) women's rugby team could be for you. In January 2021 the team will play two tests against the Dutch women's national XV, and possibly France, and will be coached by former Dutch women's rugby captain Petra Zwart who has played and coached in Europe, South Africa and now New Zealand. She plays for Ardmore Rugby Club and Taranaki in the Farah Palmer Cup competition. Email nz.dutch.rugby@gmail.com for more information.

Tech issues on FNDC agenda

The new Far North District Council will hold its first regular council meeting from 10am today in the council chambers in Kaikohe. Apart from confirmation of previous minutes only two items are listed in the agenda, both public excluded and both relating to IT projects. One is for the renewal of server and network infrastructure, the other is an update on property file digitisation. The new and re-elected councillors were sworn in at last month's meeting.

Festival stallholders sought

Te Ohowhakarere Māori Language Festival, at Johnson Park in Kawakawa on December 7, immediately after the town's Christmas parade, is looking for fundraising stallholders to sell their wares, treats or kai, and are willing to speak te reo to encourage others to "give it a go". There's no charge to have a stall. Email choorchie@gmail.com or text 020 415 17940 for more information.

Road resurfacing all on

More than 104km of Whangārei's sealed roads will get fresh surfaces this summer, and one kilometre of new sealed road will be added. Major roading projects have kicked off for the summer season with Whangārei District Council widening Porowini Ave, Maunu Rd intersections and the NZ Transport Agency working to improve the intersection of Tarewa Rd and State Highway 1 near Tarewa Park. Almost $40m will be invested in transport maintenance between now and July 1, next year. This includes $1.1m in road drainage improvements; $1.7m to repair and replace structures; $3.8m to rehabilitate sealed roads; $1.5m on shared paths, $2m on LED upgrades, $2m intersection improvements and just over $4.3m of re-seals. Unsealed roads will also benefit from an $800,000 investment, while $4.8m of minor improvements will be completed across the network. The rest of the work to be completed during the year, and over the next three years and decade is outlined in council's Long Term Plan. Planned major roading projects include improvements to the southern entrance way to the city; the four-laning of Riverside Dr; intersection improvements for One Tree Point Rd; and the upgrading of the intersection of Kioreroa Rd and Port Rd.

Clarification

There is still time to vote for the Northpower trustees as the ballot box doesn't close until midday November 23, not November 16 as previously reported. The preliminary result will be known early afternoon.