Northland news in brief: Further support to councils to speed up recovery; chainsaws for emergency work

Three Far North fire brigades, at Kaitāia, Houhora, and Ahipara, have received donations of chainsaws from the Kaitāia Stihl shop.

Practical help

Three Far North fire brigades will be aided in their emergency work after getting chainsaws from the Kaitāia Stihl shop. The shop said firefighters have a huge input into local communities and in order to give a little back it has donated Stihl chainsaws to the Kaitāia, Houhora and Ahipara brigades. The chainsaws were worth about $1200 and will prove vital to the firefighters responding to emergency situations.

Community funding

Te Hiku Community Board made almost $9000 in funding allocations at its August 13 meeting. It allocated $1800 to the Artisans Affair event to be held in Te Ahu on September 6 and 7. The Kaitāia Business Association was given $7095.49 for Kaitāia street cleaning and gardening. This is about getting Kaitāia ready for the summer and the opening of the Mangamuka Gorge in December.

Weed list grows

The list of weeds threatening New Zealand’s native plants and ecosystems has grown, with the addition of 112 species to the latest edition. Amongst the new entrants on the Department of Conservation’s list this year are weeds increasing in distribution and invasiveness, such as Chilean myrtle, Bangalow palm, holly fern, purple-flowered iceplant, and the vine bomarea. As with most weeds, DoC says they start off as garden plants. www.doc.govt.nz

Book launch

Storylines Trust and Scholastic New Zealand are launching The Squeakling by Kristin Kelly at the Whangārei Library on Saturday, August 24 at 10am. Kelly is the 2023 recipient of the Storylines Joy Cowley Award which is for an unpublished picture book.

America’s Cup coming to Northland

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Toyota NZ have announced a tour of the America’s Cup is coming to Northland. Ahead of the 37th America’s Cup the Toyota kiwi cup tour will visit various Toyota stores in cities and towns across the country where locals can see the cup up close. The America’s Cup will be at Whangārei Toyota, 67 Porowini Avenue, Tuesday, September 17, 11.30am to 1.30pm.

Further recovery support

Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has allocated $16.8 million of Budget 24 funding to support councils in accelerating recovery efforts following the severe weather events of 2023. The funding comes from the Cyclone Recovery Capability Fund and will be distributed to 12 councils for 50 various initiatives which include additional geotechnical expertise as well as resources to accelerate road recovery, bridge repairs, and flood protection projects in affected regions.

Northport development progressing

Progress is continuing on the development of a detailed business case for a dry dock and marine maintenance facilities at Marsden Point. Targeted market engagement to gather information to help understand and evaluate commercial, technical and financial options for the project will shortly be carried out by Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit through a Request for Information (RFI), a key step in developing a robust business case.