Northland news in brief: Kerikeri breaks weather record; alleged town custodian denied bail again

The Kaikohe District Court has again refused bail to a man accused of robbing Paihia's 70-year-old guardian. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Bail refused

A man accused of robbing Paihia's 70-year-old town custodian has again been refused bail. Dillon Jos Taituha, 31, appeared in the Kaikohe District Court on Tuesday charged with aggravated robbery of the Focus Paihia employee on April 8. He also faces charges of kidnapping and robbery arising from a separate incident on the same day, and unlawfully taking a ute from Waiwera on March 26. Taituha was remanded in custody until July 26 for a case review hearing.

Weather record

A balmy June day in Kerikeri matched a record high for the winter month that dates back to 1945. The town recorded the extreme winter temperature of 21.3C on June 1 equal to the previous warmest day on record for last month. Kerikeri was the only location in the region to feature on the June extreme temperature table. Dargaville experienced its second-highest wind gusts clocked at 106km/h on June 13. As expected, the winterless north failed to feature on any extreme low temperature, snow and ice data tables.

Remanded in custody

Two men at the centre of an Armed Offenders Squad callout in Kaikohe last week have been refused bail. Mana Penney, 22, and Franc Penney, 49, are accused of recklessly discharging a shotgun on Wihongi St on June 29. Both men are also jointly charged with unlawful possession of a single-barrel shotgun and unlawful possession of 17 shotgun cartridges. During an appearance in the Kaikohe District Court on Tuesday they were remanded in custody until July 26, when they are expected to again apply for bail. Police said the shooting incident was not directly gang-related.

Free books giveaway

Kaiwaka Library is giving away free books to community groups interested to sell them at their next fundraiser. The library is cleaning out its shelves to make space for new books.
Those interested can contact Wendy Howard on 09 431 2539, 027 480 6275 or kaiwaka.library@gmail.com