A second slip has been unearthed on the Brynderwyn Hills amid repairs to damage caused by this month's severe weather.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency had warned motorists about potential hour-long delays to journeys over the Brynderwyns as they fixed a slip on the south side of the hills, at the
gateway to Northland.
However, they announced on Thursday that crews had discovered a second slip next to the damaged area.
Traffic management will remain in place from October 3 to October 7 between 6am and 5pm so workers have full visibility to ensure their safety, Waka Kotahi said.
Mangawhai shared path building
The second phase of the Mangawhai shared path cranks up construction next month, and includes a collaboratively designed boardwalk running alongside the causeway.
Kaumātua Hone Martin and environs group Te Uri o Hau worked with Kaipara District Council staff and Resilio Design Studio on the boardwalk, which reflects Maōri design principles. Several species of fish and shellfish are integrated into the boardwalk design.
To kickstart the second phase of the shared path works, Fulton Hogan will build a retaining wall, beginning at 90 Molesworth Drive and running down to the causeway.
The work on the boardwalk section will start in mid-January 2023. Phase two is planned to be complete by August 2023. All construction is being timed to fit in and around the busy Christmas break.
Touch rugby tournament in November
A six-week Ngunguru Touch Rugby tournament has been organised in early November.
The tournament will be held from November 3 to December 8 at the Ngunguru Sports Complex and the cost is $100 per team.
There will be mixed competitive and social grades with six players on the field.
A minimum of six and a maximum of 18 teams need to register for the tournament to go ahead.
Email ngungurutouch@gmail.com to be sent a registration form link.
Deadline for registration is October 21.
More scammers than ever
Scammers have been busier than ever in their efforts to fleece bank customers, according to the Banking Ombudsman Scheme's latest annual report.
Banking Ombudsman Nicola Sladden said the scheme received 535 scam complaints out of a total of 4732 in 2021-22 - an increase of 63 per cent on the previous year.
Sladden said scammers were becoming increasingly devious in their efforts to steal customers' money, but customers can foil the overwhelming majority of these attempts by following some basic precautions.
Precautions include: password-protecting devices, never logging into internet banking when someone has remote access to your device, and looking up reviews of investment companies before investing.
New arts strategy
A first-ever Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy will provide a much-needed boost to the arts sector in Kaipara. Community feedback to the Kaipara District Council's Long Term Plan highlighted a gap around arts and culture.
The new strategy, adopted by council at a meeting last month, addresses the gap by supporting and fostering the creative sector. The Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy sets out what council, Creative Northland and the local creative sector want to achieve, starting with a three-year action plan. The strategy identifies seven themes to enable collaboration within local communities, leading to job generation, innovation and productivity as well as stimulating new ideas and thinking within communities.
