Northland news in brief: Mea Motu made a surprise appearance with fight in Thailand

Mea Motu's TKO win in Thailand on Saturday was the first time she has fought since January's world-title loss against Ellie Scotney in England.

Northland-born Mea Motu made a surprise appearance as she fought in Thailand over the weekend, winning by second-round TKO (technical knockout) against Nantachat Wanpeng. Mea Motu and her stablemate Oliver Firth made surprise appearances on Saturday in Thailand to have fights against two locals, with both New Zealanders securing stoppage wins.

This was the first time Motu has fought since her world-title loss in England against Ellie Scotney in January. Firth won his fight by first-round TKO against Komgrit Nanakorn.

This fight was important for Motu as she moves up two weight divisions from Super Bantamweight (55.3kg) to Super Featherweight (59kg). Motu has recently announced at a Peach Boxing show that she will next be fighting in August at the ABA Stadium against an international opponent who is yet to be announced. This will be for a major regional title, with the winner to secure a top-three position in one of the four major sanctioning bodies (WBA, WBO, IBF, WBC).

DoC regional attrition

The Government’s squeeze on funding public services will result in a hollowing-out of Department of Conservation (DoC) Regional Operations teams around the country.

In a change proposal released on Friday, DoC is proposing to use natural attrition to cut 68 team leader-level roles over the next few years, about 5% of the 1350-strong regional operations workforce.

Of the 68 roles, 29 are already vacant and 39 staff in other roles will not be replaced when they leave.

DoC worked with the Public Service Association to manage the proposed change to ensure every current staff member could continue to have a job.

The proposal said the approach would save $5 million from DoC’s regional operations budget of $170m.

Māori rise as proportion of population

The Māori population is estimated to have reached 922,800 for the year ending December 31, 2024 – about 17.5% of New Zealand’s total population – according to the latest figures released by Stats NZ. This marks a 1.3% increase from the previous year, driven primarily by natural population growth.

The updated statistics, based on the 2023 Census and post-enumeration survey, show 463,600 females and 459,200 males identified as Māori. The median age for Māori remains significantly younger than the national average – 28.1 years for females and 26.2 years for males, compared to 38.8 and 37.1 years respectively for the total population.

As of June 30 2024, Māori made up 17.4% of New Zealand’s total population, with a slightly revised estimate of 922,600. The population growth over the June 2024 year was largely due to a natural increase of 12,600 (births minus deaths), partially offset by a net migration loss of 5,100. Additionally, inter-ethnic mobility (a change to how people identify their ethnicity) contributed a net gain of 3900 people identifying as Māori.

Spoonbills protection reminder

Duck shooters are reminded that Royal spoonbills/kōtuku ngutupapa are protected under the Wildlife Act and hunting or killing any protected species can result in a fine of up to $100,000 or two years in prison.

The warning from DoC comes after staff from the Hauraki-Coromandel branch were shocked to respond to a callout last week involving a spoonbill with a shotgun pellet injury in its wing. The bird had to be euthanised because its wing joint had been shattered by pellets, DoC said.

“With duck shooting season under way, it is important for hunters to clearly identify their target and be able to distinguish game birds from protected birds,” a DoC spokesperson said. Fish & Game New Zealand has detailed guides in its regulation handbooks about species that can and can’t be targeted.

DoC hut booking

The Department of Conservation has opened bookings for its huts for the 2025/26 season, starting with backcountry huts, cabins, lodges and cottages.

Bookings are open for popular shared huts like the Coromandel’s Pinnacles Hut, Bushline in Nelson Lakes and Aspiring Hut. Fully bookable options include Te Whare Mata Uraura on Matiu/Somes Island, The Camphouse in Taranaki and Mimiwhangata Beach House in Northland. There are seven DoC huts in Northland. To make a booking go to doc.govt.nz.