Northland news in brief: Whangārei repair job fixes Auckland Harbour Bridge; and armed police at Towai

The steel strut fabricated by Whangārei's Culham Engineering is installed on Auckland Harbour Bridge.

The journey to work will be smoother for many Aucklanders today thanks to Whangārei ingenuity, as a steel strut fabricated in the city to repair Auckland Harbour Bridge was installed at the weekend. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said the new permanent strut to replace the one damaged two weeks ago was successfully installed on the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The strut was fabricated by Whangārei firm Culham Engineering. "The new strut is now in place, which is great progress and a significant step forward in getting the bridge fully repaired and operational again," Waka Kotahi transport services general manager Brett Gliddon said yesterday.

Armed police operation

Armed police carried out an operation in Whangārei yesterday, but they were staying tight-lipped about exactly what was going on. Armed officers were making inquiries in relation to an ongoing investigation in the Towai area yesterday afternoon, but for operational reasons could not give further details.

Hours fighting flat fire

Whangārei firefighters spent several hours at a flat fire in the city early yesterday.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokeswoman said firefighters were called to a property on Fifth Ave, about 2.45am yesterday. The spokeswoman said there was a fire in the bottom storey of a block of flats and firefighters were there until about 5am. Nobody was believed to be injured in the blaze, which is understood to have caused damage to the flat.

Kerikeri Domain improvements

Community groups will get an opportunity this month to provide feedback on improvements planned for Kerikeri Domain. The Coalition Government has awarded the Far North District Council $3 million of Covid-19 Response and Recovery Funds to deliver works in a reserve management plan for the domain. These works include upgrades to lighting, the skate park, playground, basketball court and landscaping. FNDC has formed a working group to oversee the project and ensure it deploys funding within tight timeframes specified by the Government. The working group includes two councillors (Rachel Smith and David Clendon), three community board members (Dave Hookway, Frank Owen and Lane Ayr) and four senior council staff. Working group chairman Lane Ayr says the group will hold a workshop with about 30 key stakeholders this month to discuss improvements.

Creative crowdfunding campaign

Creative Northland, the regional arts development agency for Northland, is launching its first crowdfunding campaign to raise $50,000 for artists, performers and creative communities after six months of Covid. Creative Northland wants to boost opportunities for artists and amplify their impact, and hope generous art lovers who understand the value of arts on our collective wellbeing will help. Creative Northland has chosen The Arts Foundation's crowdfunding platform "Boosted" to mobilise their aspiration and provide an extra leg-up for artists. For more information email: marketing@creativenorthland.com

Five new Covid cases

There were five new confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported from managed isolation in New Zealand yesterday and no new confirmed cases in the community. Of the five individuals who tested positive, two arrived from Switzerland via the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia on September 29, one from Russia via the United Arab Emirates on September 21, one from Ukraine on September 29, and one from Australia on September 30. New Zealand's total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 is 1498.