Northland news in brief: Shearer Toa Henderson smashes record; person injured in downtown assault

Northland shearer Toa Henderson had a major weekend of success.

Northland shearer Toa Henderson was in ever-increasingly dominant form as he entered the last weekend before the Golden Shears with major wins at Taumarunui on Friday and Āpiti on Saturday. In the 20-sheep, six-man open finals at both the Taumarunui Shears and the Āpiti Sports Shears, Henderson, from Kaiwaka, posted the fastest times with best-quality points both on the shearing board and with the finished product in the pens. At Taumarunui, his time of 16m 48.04s was the quickest by 10 seconds, but at Āpiti 24 hours later, his 15m 26s time was a record for a 20-sheep final there.

Downtown assault

A person was taken to hospital following an assault in downtown Whangārei early on Sunday. Police were called to the intersection of Robert and James Streets at 3.35am.

Firearms concerns

Police found nothing of note after receiving two separate reports of firearms use over the weekend. The first was from a person who heard alleged gunshots on Fantail Lane, Whareora at 2.30pm on Saturday, and the second was of a car allegedly driving with firearms in the vehicle on State Highway 1 in Kaikohe shortly after 1am on Sunday.

Rare Disease Day

Whangarei’s Victoria Canopy Bridge will light up on February 29 - the rarest day of them all - to support International Rare Disease Day. The day kick-starts Rare Disorders Month in New Zealand, which calls for urgency to equip the health system to meet the needs of people living with a rare disorder.

Blood ban to lift

People who lived in the UK, France or the Republic of Ireland during the mad cow disease outbreak will finally be able to donate blood or plasma in New Zealand. The NZ Blood Service is lifting the ban on February 29, implemented since 2000 because of concerns about recipients acquiring Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. The ban had applied to people who lived in these countries for six months or more between 1980 and 1996. Those wanting to donate are encouraged to book an appointment.

Boxing bow-out

Northland boxer Mea Motu has ended her ended her business relationship with Dean Lonergan, considered one of the country’s biggest and best boxing promoters. Motu, alongside Peach boxers Jerome Pampellone and Andrei Mikhailovich, has signed with No Limit Boxing. Lani Daniels has yet to announce her next move. It was noted in a statement released that there was no nasty end to the relationship, but it was instead the time to move on.