Northland news in brief: Surfing for Farmers is back; Kāeo Bridge opens

Surfing for Farmers is back for the month of March. Photo / Supplied

The well-being initiative, Surfing for Farmers, is taking place in Ahipara, Sandy Bay and Waipu Cove in March. Rural communities are encouraged to take a break from the farm and instead catch a break in the water with weekly surfing lessons. The gear is provided. To register for the Fonterra-sponsored event visit the Surfing for Farmers website.

Bridge opens both ways

Kāeo’s long-awaited new $40 million bridge will open to traffic on both lanes today. Overnight resurfacing works will take place near the new Kāeo bridge on Sunday between 7pm and 5am and will be completed over six weeks. Stop/go traffic management will be in place during the works.

Motorhome invasion

A person entered a motorhome parked on Williams Rd in Paihia and assaulted and robbed the occupant in the early hours of Friday. The occupant was not injured. Police are continuing to investigate and said the offender was yet to be located.

Show comes to Kaitāia

The Kaitāia A&P Show is back on Saturday, marking its 136th edition. The show will take place at the A&P Showgrounds on South Rd from 9am. Organiser Bronwyn Travers said they were hoping to top last year’s crowd of 3500 and the predicted fine weather should help.

New cops for Northland

Four new police recruits are headed to Northland after graduating. They are among 51 officers set to start their careers on March 4. Of them, 25.5 per cent are female and 68.6 per cent are male.

Hundertwasser turns 2

The Hundertwasser Art Centre is celebrating being open for two years by launching a fundraising campaign at ArtBeat on Saturday which aims to raise $50,000 for school and public programmes. The centre has partnered with ArtBeat to offer a 50 per cent discount on entry tickets on the day, including for guided tours, the Wairau Māori Art Gallery, Afforested Roof and the audio guide. The money raised will help the centre host 800 children each term with no cost to their school.

Niwa staff set to picket

PSA members at Niwa have voted to picket outside their workplaces on February 29 and March 6 in support of their pay claim and closing the growing gender pay gap at the Crown Research Institute. The picket is a continuation of strike action started in November demanding Niwa engage with the members’ claims in good faith.

Residents asked to save water

Residents in Dargaville and Baylys Beach are urged to save water after use has risen slightly since Level 3 water restrictions came into force on February 12. Since the restriction was put in place, residents and businesses have used an extra 103m3 a day compared with the 10 days prior. General manager infrastructure Anin Nama said while there had been a slight lift in water flow in the river, it was not enough.

Sprinkler, irrigation ban to stay

Level 2 water restrictions applied to four Far North District Council water supplies on Monday are remaining in place for the time being. The ban on outdoor sprinklers and irrigation systems affects Kerikeri-Waipapa, Kaikohe-Ngāwhā, Paihia-Ōpua-Waitangi and Ōpononi-Ōmāpere. The same restrictions were applied to Ōmanaia-Rāwene last month and also remain unchanged.