Northland news in brief: Waitangi Kindergarten’s winning sunflowers; Monopoly boardgame to feature Tai Tokerau

Waitangi Kindergarten with their winning sunflowers which were the tallest and widest in Northland.

Waitangi Kindergarten officially grew the region’s tallest and widest sunflower as part of Daltons Sunflowers in Kindergartens Project. Their sunflower plant was 213cm tall and was 23cm wide. The kindergarten clearly knows what its doing given this is the second year it has been named a regional winner. The tallest sunflower nationally was grown by 3-year-old Hamish Hancock from Central Kids Apanui in Whakatāne. It measured 270cm high. The project aims to teach youngsters useful lifelong skills for growing and nurturing plants.

Northland Monopoly version

Northland - Te Tai Tokerau is getting its own version of the iconic board game Monopoly. NorthChamber has partnered with Monopoly licensor Winning Moves to create a local edition of the game, showcasing Northland’s stunning locations, attractions and businesses. The game is a chance for businesses to give themselves unique exposure, with advertising opportunities on landmarks, Chance or Community Chest cards, banknotes and playing pieces. The game will be available in October 2024.

Mangawhai free bus

The Mangawhai free bus is back for summer. The bus starts on December 27 and will loop from the Domain in the village to the surf beach between 10am and 5.30pm daily until January 14. It will return for Waitangi Day on February 6 and again at Easter, from March 29 to April 1. Stops include the Mangawhai Artist Gallery, Mangawhai Central, the Museum, MAZ, the Wood St shops, and North Ave. Find the timetable and route on kaipara.govt.nz/summerbus.

Boat towed in

A boat headed out to gather crayfish had to be towed to safety after it hit rocks and became stranded in North Cape on Thursday afternoon. The boat’s propeller was shattered and its gearbox seized up. A nearby crayfishing vessel, Florence Nightingale, towed them away from the rocks until Coastguard Houhora took over and towed them to the safety of a boat ramp.

Pot on stove starts fire

A kitchen fire in a Moerewa home was caused by a pot left on a stove. The Kawakawa Volunteer Fire Brigade was called to the property shortly after 2am on Friday but found the occupants had managed to extinguish the fire. Fire chief Wayne Martin praised the homeowners for having working smoke alarms, which drew their attention to the fire and prevented what he said could have been a “catastrophic fire”. He said their brigade has attended around four similar incidents and asked people to not leave their cooking unattended.

Safety when charging

Northpower is encouraging users to consider safety when charging their electronic devices this summer. Only charge devices on flat firm surfaces, and never on beds or underneath pillows which carries the risk of causing a fire. Always turn off and unplug chargers when not in use.

Winter wonderland

Families can enjoy a Christmas experience and kids can meet Santa at the Community Santa Grotto at the Turner Centre this weekend. There will be a walk-through ‘Narnia’ themed winter wonderland experience on Saturday from 5pm to 7pm and Sunday from 11.30am to 1.30pm, including a small gift for everyone while stocks last. There is also an opportunity to have a professional family photo taken and sausages and other treats to enjoy.

Disability Advisory Group seeks members

The Whangārei District Council is looking for seven new members to join the Disability Advisory Group. Members of this group will advise the council on local issues that impact the disabled community. You can apply to become a member via the council’s website.