Northland news in brief: Mangawhai surf bus starts; and BB gun found on youth

A free bus taking people to Mangawhai Heads surf beach (above) from Mangawhai Village, starts on December 27.

The Mangawhai Village to Beach Loop free bus service is running again this summer.

Starting Sunday, December 27, the daily loop will run from the village

on the hour and back on the half hour, 10am to 5.30pm daily until Sunday, January 17. The service will then run every weekend and public holiday right through to Monday, February 8. The bus is funded by the Northland Regional and Kaipara District councils, and operated by Leabourn Passenger Service.

BB gun found after dispute

Police found a BB gun while attending a dispute involving young people in Paparoa, 13km west of Maungaturoto. One of the young people had the gun when officers arrived about 10.30am yesterday. A police spokesman said no one was hurt and inquiries are continuing.

Growers seek workers

A horticulture expo and "speed meet" attracted more than 200 people from across Northland and the North Island last Wednesday. Held at the Cornerstone Church in Kerikeri, the speed meet matched jobseekers with Northland growers needing workers for the season, training providers and career advisors. Bruce Campbell, a director on the Horticulture New Zealand board, says such industry-led events are critical for growers, and for those looking for work or to build a new career for themselves.

Second win for lawyers

Whangārei's WRMK Lawyers have been named the Regional/Suburban Law Firm of the Year at the New Zealand Law Awards, held online last week. It was north's largest law firm's second win in a row. The firm was also a finalist in the Employer of Choice (<50 Lawyers) and Mid-Size Firm of the Year categories. WRMK Lawyers managing director Rebecca Merry said, "This award is a lovely way to finish what has been a challenging year. Flexibility and team work have been key to allowing us to continue to deliver high quality, practical legal advice to our clients. Our team have worked hard and we're delighted to share this success with them."

Jobs for rugby community

NorthTec and the Northland Rugby Union have established a formal partnership to create educational opportunities for the local rugby community. The two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) yesterday at NorthTec. It was signed by Jon Smith, NorthTec Acting CEO, and NRU CEO Cameron Bell. The MoU is designed to ensure that both parties work together to empower young men and women in Northland to access support and education in the community. It will ensure that NorthTec has opportunities to promote the benefits of tertiary education across the rugby community, and help members of that community gain access to further education. NRU will also work with NorthTec to identify demand for educational programmes within the community, and promote access to education through the partnership.

Barriers in the Dome

An 800 metre stretch of State Highway 1 through the Dome Valley will have a new flexible wire rope median barrier before Christmas. From tomorrow night, 300 galvanised steel posts were being installed along the road centre line. Work will continue on Monday night, with the flexible wire rope installed and tensioned on Tuesday night. The road has been widened to separate traffic more. "The flexible wire rope barrier is a critical safety improvement on this busy section of state highway to prevent head-on collisions before such a busy time on our roads," Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said. More roadside barriers will "catch" vehicles running off the road.