Two detours will be put in place on State Highway 12 when construction on the Matakohe Bridges replacement project resumes. The first detour becomes active next week, just north of the Anderson Bridge on SH12. Traffic will be diverted on to a 100m-long unsealed section of temporary road suitable for all vehicles. Traffic management crews will direct traffic and there will be a reduced speed limit. The detour will allow crews to cut into the existing highway to form the new alignment. The second detour, of 5km, will start about a week later from just south of Anderson Bridge. All traffic will be diverted off SH12 onto Matakohe East Rd. Traffic will follow the detour through Matakohe, past Matakohe School and back onto SH12. It will allow crews to form the new intersection into Matakohe and tie in the western end of the new alignment into the existing highway. Both are expected to remain in place until the end of February.
Speeches made available
Treaty education group Network Waitangi Whangārei has commissioned annual reflections on the State of the Pakeha Nation since 2006. Founding member the Rev. Joan Cook died in 2010 and the essays since that time commemorate her pioneering Waitangi Treaty and anti-racism work. The 2018 Joan Cook Memorial Essay – The State of the Pakeha Nation was written by Dunedin-based Suzanne Menzies-Culling. The speeches and essays are free to download from the NWW website nwwhangarei.wordpress.com, along with Treaty of Waitangi Questions & Answers.
Heritage Trails app
Visitors or locals this summer can download Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga's free Heritage Trails app to add a whole new dimension to their Northland experience. "Path to Nationhood" is a suite of six road tours to places in Northland that are central to New Zealand's history. Packed with historical snippets, the tours tell the big stories – and some of the quirky details – of pre-Treaty New Zealand. The tours work with either Android or Apple phones or tablets. To download the Heritage Places app go to http://www.heritage.org.nz/apps
Women still critical
A woman remains in critical condition after she collided with a truck while walking on Western hills Dr in Whangārei. Senior Sergeant Ryan Gray said the woman was on the road near the Caltex Station when she was hit about 11pm on Thursday. An ambulance passing the scene at that time stopped, collected the woman and took her to Whangārei Hospital. Police are investigating.