Northland news in brief: Marina's Christmas parade and student scholarships

Opua Marina will host a Christmas parade with a difference tomorrow.

The boating-mad town of Ōpua is holding a Christmas parade with a difference this Thursday. From 4pm residents are requested to gather at the Marina's Pier F with decorated dinghies, paddleboards and kayaks. The "decorated dinghy Christmas cruise" will then make its way through the marina to Ōpua Cruising Club, where prizes will be awarded to businesses, schools, yacht clubs, individuals and families. The event is hosted by Ōpua Business Association.

Scholarships on offer

Four new $3000 scholarships are being offered to support students studying or training in areas aligned to work the Northland Regional Council does in the environmental, economic or community resilience fields.
Council chairwoman Penny Smart says nominations for the council's inaugural Tū i te ora Scholarship opened at the weekend and will run until Friday, February 14 next.
Worth $3000 each, the previous council had made the decision to provide scholarships during a review of its Long Term Plan.

The scholarships will recognise and support students whose efforts reflect the regional council's key drivers and its mission of "working together to create a healthy environment, strong economy and resilient communities".
They also aim to build Māori capacity within Te Taitokerau and provide opportunities for further education, with two earmarked for Māori who whakapapa to Te Taitokerau.
Full eligibility criteria and application forms are available from www.nrc.govt.nz/scholarship

Ballance centre
Farm nutrient supplier Ballance Agri-Nutrients has acquired a site in Whangārei to establish its new bagging and distribution centre. The premises at 223 Kioreroa Rd is used currently as a round-the-clock transport hub for a logistics company but will be converted over the next two years into a fully-enclosed, fully-ventilated facility to service Northland's burgeoning agricultural sector, particularly the fast-evolving horticulture industry.
The new site will not be used to make any product ingredients. It will be a place where ingredients are mixed and bagged, and then collected by customers and members of its distribution network.

Man sought
Police are looking for a balaclava-wearing man who entered a rural address outside Kaitaia on Saturday and demanded drugs and the residents' car. He left when in a white ute with a canopy when police were called. The same vehicle was seen at another nearby address, where he allegedly threw a rock through a window and threatened to kill the occupant.

Celebrating Christmas
Christmas will be celebrated at the Fairburn Kaiaka Hall on Sunday, starting at 2pm. Tea and coffee will be served, and the committee hopes many will arrive bearing plates. Santa will be there too, handing out gifts to children. Gifts should be wrapped, named, and worth no more than $5. And everyone who enjoys Christmas carols will be welcome at the Fairburn Church on Sunday, starting at 7pm