Thieves hit foodmart
A large quantity of cigarettes and tobacco were taken in a raid after a stolen car was used to break into a Tikipunga business. Detective Sergeant Dave Wilkinson said the Nissan Sunny vehicle, stolen from Kamo, was used to gain entry into the Tikipunga Foodmarket about 2am
on Sunday. The thieves had also tried to break into the rear of a second business. Wilkinson said anyone being offered cheap tobacco products should contact police immediately. It comes only a week after six thieves smashed through the wall of the Coin Save store in the Paramount Plaza complex in Tikipunga. Anyone with information on either burglary should contact Dave Wilkinson at Whangarei police station on 09 430 4500.
New judge presiding
Judge Deidre Orchard was officially welcomed to the Kaitaia District Court last week, shortly before presiding over her first sitting. Judge Orchard, who has been appointed to Whangarei from Nelson, said she appreciated the warmth of the welcomes she had received — Dargaville and Kaikohe preceding Kaitaia. She was settling in well, she added, and had taken the opportunity to have a look around the Kerikeri area on her way to Kaitaia. She is expected to sit in the Kaitaia District Court on a regular basis.
Swamp kauri case
A Northland conservation group is to have its longstanding case against what it alleges is the illegal export of swamp kauri heard in the Supreme Court. Chairwoman Fiona Furrell said the Northland Environmental Protection Society was relieved to hear the Supreme Court had accepted the hearing as NEPS' case had already been overturned in both the High Court and the Appeal Court. Those courts upheld the Ministry for Primary Industries' interpretation of the Forests Act. The Supreme Court hearing, for which a date has not yet been set, will include alleged breaches under the Protected Objects Act.
Truck cuts power
A truck brought down power lines on Abbey Caves Rd in Whangarei, cutting electricity to 14 Northpower lines connections in the area. Northpower was notified about 2.30pm yesterday that 400-volt, low voltage lines came down and a repair crew was sent to the site. Tourist crashes
A French tourist survived unscathed when he lost control of the vehicle he was driving on Rarawa Beach Rd on Sunday after braking to avoid an unidentified animal. His passenger was taken to Kaitaia Hospital suffering shock and a sore neck. The vehicle crashed into a drain, coming to rest on its side