Northland news in brief: Property asking prices up; police warn contactless card holders

Average property asking prices in Northland have reached $913,695 in July. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Farmer confidence down

Almost half of all farmers (47.8 per cent) who took part in a Federated Farmers survey say their current economic situation is bad. In January, farmer confidence was at the lowest level recorded in the biannual surveys that have been running since 2009. Last month's survey of more than 1200 farmers found it had dropped even further.

Property market

Average property asking prices in Northland have reached $913,695 in July, which is up 3.4 per cent from June. According to data by Realestate.co.nz, the national asking price sits at $942,961, down 1.9 per cent from June. Central North Island and Taranaki saw the biggest decrease whereas Coromandel and West Coast saw the largest increase in asking prices. The housing stock has grown year on year with 1020 dwellings up for sale in Northland last month.

Ambulance volunteers

St John is looking for ambulance and events volunteers for Kerikeri and Umawera. Volunteers need a full New Zealand driver's licence for at least 12 months or have completed an approved NZTA advanced driving course; they have to be at least 18, be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents and have a clean police record. Volunteers need to pass the St John assessment requirements and a pre-appointment drug screening and health questionnaire.

Infant sleep

A free new online course from Whānau Āwhina Plunket aims to answer the most common questions to PlunketLine nurses focusing on infant sleep. The organisation has worked with sleep experts, parents and whānau to create the sleep and settling pēpi course, which aims to enable parents to feel more confident managing their baby's sleep patterns and to have more realistic expectations of infant sleep. The information is available as needed, without the requirement to complete the whole course. To get started, search "sleep course" on plunket.org.nz.

Bore completed

A second bore at Tokareireia (Monument Hill) in Kaikohe should be operational in the next few months, and will provide about 350 cubic litres a day of drinking water. The new bore will only be used if the town's main water source, the Wairoro Stream, is running low. The Northland Regional Council granted consent for the project in March and construction began in May. This project has an approved budget of $1.18 million.

Contactless cards

Northland police are warning contactless card holders of people stealing and using the cards to make purchases. Police have been receiving regular complaints about stolen contactless cards and warned people not to leave the cards unattended and to check bank statements regularly. Reporting stolen cards to providers early is essential, police said, as the cards can be used without any password or identification until cancelled.