A 14-year-old from Auckland will be singing with popular New Zealand singer Aaradhna in Whangarei after winning a new singing competition.
Monique Henare-Urwin is the winner of Iwi Idol - an inaugural youth singing competition being run by the Ngapuhi Festival.
As part of the competition singers aged 25 and under were
encouraged to record and submit a one-minute video of themselves singing to win a chance to perform with Aaradhna at the festival held on January 27.
The profiles of all 20 contestants, which included a YouTube link to a video of them singing, were uploaded to Facebook for voting.
The top 10 entrants with the most votes went through to the finals and a judging panel — comprising Whangarei's own "bird man" Luke Bird, international opera singer Kawiti Waetford, nationally acclaimed Tui recipient Reo Dunn and accomplished actor and singer Lee Morunga — selected Monique as the winner. Entries came from as far as Christchurch and the youngest entrant was only 8.
Driver's lucky escape
Kawakawa chief fire officer Wayne Martin described the driver of a log truck that rolled on a forestry road at Pokapu, south-west of Moerewa, early on Monday morning as lucky to have escaped with no more than suspected spinal injuries. The cab was crushed, and the truck went close to rolling off a 20-30m bank. Fog prevented the rescue helicopter from flying, and the driver was taken by road to Bay of Islands Hospital.
In running for photography prize
Kerikeri astrophotographer Chris Pegman is in the running for the World Photographic Cup 2018, with an image showing a diver leaping from a rock at Matauri Bay with the Milky Way arcing across the sky in the background accepted in the competition's Nature (Wildlife and Landscape) category. The top 10 images will be announced on January 15 at Imaging USA. The best images from each country will be announced in Ireland on March 25, and medal winners will be announced in Australia on May 5. Go to www.worldphotographiccup.org for all entries, listed by country.
Train volunteers come forward
The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway was heartened by the response to its recent call for more volunteers. A number of people put their hands up to work at the railway station shop in Kawakawa, chairman Johnson Davis said, and a new guard and trainee diesel driver had also signed on. There was always room for more though, especially with the holiday period about to begin. Trains will run seven days a week until February 6.