Northland news in brief: Robbery vehicle hunted

Police are looking for a vehicle used in a knifepoint robbery at Moerewa Food Market yesterday. Photo / Google Streetview

Robbery vehicle hunted

Police are appealing for sightings of a Subaru stationwagon involved in a knifepoint robbery at a Moerewa grocery store. Senior Sergeant John Fagan, of Northland police, said a man entered Moerewa Food Market about 3pm, pointed a large knife at staff and made off with a quantity of cigarettes. He fled in a grey 2003 Subaru Legacy stationwagon, registration JGN614. Fagan urged anyone who saw the vehicle not to approach the driver, given that he was carrying a knife, but to call 111 immediately. Shop staff were shaken but not injured.

Frank exhibition to close

The Anne Frank exhibition at Kiwi North called Let Me Be Myself ends tomorrow. The widely travelled exhibition has visited 80 countries and been seen by more than 10 million people globally. The exhibition is included in general admission at Kiwi North, Whangārei, from 10am to 4pm. Kiwi North is also on it's last stock of Anne Frank's Diary and All About Anne books.

have a go at parkour

The New Zealand Parkour national gathering is being held in Whangārei this weekend. More than 20 traceurs (the term for parkour practitioners) will be in town for the event. From 9am onwards today, an onsite workshop will be held at NorthTec for people to have a go. Whangārei man Frederick Mackie, who organised the event, said people should come along because "it's fun, it's something they've never seen before, it's the first time ever in Northland, it's community-based, it's positive and it's good and inspiring". Some traceurs will be heading to spots in central Whangārei, including the Hatea Loop, to show what parkour is about. On Sunday, the traceurs are planning to head to a beach or waterfall for a change of environment to practise their skills.

Sydney Waitangi Day event

Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis will be among thousands of Māori taking part in traditional Waitangi Day celebrations today - in Sydney. Davis, who is Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti Minister, and Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta will join an estimated 5000 New Zealanders living in Australia at Sydney's Waitangi Festival today. The festival had been held in Sydney annually for the last 12 years. While many of the festival-goers are Pākehā, one in six Māori live in Australia.

Triangle Market tomorrow

Whangārei's Herekino Triangle Market is on again tomorrow. So far 25 stallholders have booked to sell everything from rare seashells, chocolates and fudge, handcrafted Maori cosmetics using traditional plants, fine crockery, eggs, plants, avocados, and general second-hand household items. There'll be a sausage sizzle and music will liven up the scene. The market is held fortnightly in the carpark behind the businesses in the Lower Dent, Herekino, and Finlayson Streets triangle from 12.30pm – 4.30pm .

Tenant wins damages

A woman who lived in part of a showroom selling house tiles in Northland has won $3420 damages in a tenancy dispute with her landlord. Haruru landlords Neil and Julie Hall were ordered to pay damages to Bianca Lever because they illegally rented out part of the commercial showroom as a residential tenancy. The Tenancy Tribunal decision also fined the pair for failing to fit smoke alarms and not lodging Lever's bond in time. Lever's tenancy was in a sectioned-off area with a bedroom and kitchen that was otherwise part of a large shed and tile showroom. The tribunal found Lever's apartment was not poor or "substandard". "The photographs show that the interior of the property is modern, tidy and suitable for residential occupancy," the tribunal decision said. However, the Halls had not gained council consent to rent the space out to a residential tenant.