Northland news in brief: Police looking for armed man; and unique sign language art exhibition

Armed police on Dyer St in Raumanga looking for a man seen with a firearm yesterday. Photo / Jayden Jameson

Armed police, including a dog handler, cordoned off a Whangārei street and recovered a firearm from a property after reports of a man with a gun. The drama began on Dyer St in Raumanga about 3pm yesterday when police were called after concerns about the way in which a .22 calibre rifle was in a man's possession. Police managed to recover the firearm but not the man by 5pm yesterday. Cordons were lifted but inquiries about the whereabouts of the man continued.

Focus on sign language

Paper, Scissors, Rock one of the works in a unique Whangārei art exhibition that focuses on sign language.

A unique Whangārei exhibition that focuses on sign language that shares the sign language of the deaf community through art will open next month. Hands in the Community showcases how sign language is used in different ways - the casts and paintings capture the hands through plaster and paint mediums. The exhibition, which features work from Whangārei deaf advocate Kim Robinson, MNZM, and Abbie Twiss from Auckland, opens at the Hihiaua Cultural Centre on December 7. The public exhibition runs from December 8-11. Proceeds of the sales will go to a Deaf Action NZ - a charity that works with deaf people to improve accessibility in society.

Memoir of Gaza

An international aid worker who experienced two wars in Gaza will tell some of her personal stories at a book launch in Whangārei on Thursday. Still Lives: A Memoir of Gaza is by Canadian-born Marilyn Garson, who has lived on and off in the Hokianga since the 1990s. The book details Garson's time as a UN volunteer in Gaza, including such harrowing experiences as enduring 50 days of Israeli bombing in 2014. She will be speaking at 7pm at the Catholic Parish Centre Hall in Park Ave, Kensington.

No major winners

No Northlander won any major prizes in Saturday's live Lotto draw. Three punters from Auckland and Ashburton each won $333,333 with Lotto First Division while Powerball was not struck and has rolled over to Wednesday night, where the jackpot will be $8 million. Strike also rolled over and will be $600,000 on Wednesday. The winning Lotto numbers were 5, 6, 7, 15, 19, 36 with Bonus number 37 and Powerball 8.

Book launch date

A book titled The Light Is Inconsolable - a collaboration between Whangārei lawyer and poet Arthur Fairley and photographer Diane Stoppard - is being launched in the city next week. The book will be launched at the Hanger Gallery, in Cross St, Regent at 5.30pm on November 26, not November 17 as earlier reported. Images from the book will also be exhibited at Hanger Gallery from then until December 17. The book will be available from the gallery or Intec Interiors in Rathbone St.