Northland news in brief: Women winched of Mt Manaia; and newborn's death not suspicious

An injured woman is winched off Whangārei's Mt Manaia by the Northland Rescue Helicopter on Monday. Photo / Tony Morgan

An injured woman was winched off a popular Whangārei Heads walking track by rescuers on Monday afternoon. Emergency services responded to a call around 4.50pm about the woman, in her 20s, who sustained a mild injury while on Department of Conservation Mt Manaia walking track. St John paramedics aboard the Northland Rescue Helicopter were required to winch her from a high part of the walking track, facing Taurikura, before they airlifted her to Whangārei Hospital.

Newborn's death not suspicious

The sudden death of a newborn baby at a Whangārei address on Sunday morning is not being treated as suspicious. Emergency services were called to a sudden death at a Raumanga address around 11am on January 31. Detective Senior Sergeant Geoff McCarthy said he was not in a position to comment further at this stage, but the newborn's death was not been treated as suspicious and would be referred to the Coroner. McCarthy said the baby's name would be released once all next of kin had been told. Northland police extended their thoughts and to the newborn's family at this difficult time.

Dead woman named

A Northland woman initially reported as missing and later found passed away in her crashed car has been named by police. Kerianne Nathan, 64, failed to return to her Mangamuka home on January 27 after leaving to drive to Kaitaia. Two days later search and rescue workers located her Toyota Corolla down a bank on Kaitaia-Awaroa Rd near Ahipara with a fatally injured Nathan still inside the vehicle. A police spokesperson said the cause of the crash remained under investigation and will be referred to the Coroner. They said their thoughts and sympathies were with Nathan's family at this difficult time.

Surf patrols kept busy

A collective effort by lifeguards from Northland's six surf clubs saw them clock more than 1000 hours patrolling the region's beaches over the long weekend. Anniversary Monday saw volunteer lifeguards at Mangawhai Heads rescue two people on boards swept away by a current. They also assisted seven more swimmers out of a rip on the same day. Far North volunteer lifeguards assisted a duo back to shore and Waipū Cove treated a beachgoer with a head wound from a surfboard. Visitor numbers at patrolled beaches for the long weekend were: Mangawhai Heads – 1360, Waipū Cove – 1129, Ruakākā – 715, Whangārei Heads – 530, Baylys Beach – 280, and Far North – 143.

Vodafone CEO to speak

Vodafone CEO Jason Paris will be one of the guest speakers at the first North Chamber event on 2021.
Paris will speak at the Chamber's Insights into Information, Communication & Technology event at Barge Park Showgrounds Event Centre on February 10, from 5.30pm until 7.30pm.
Other speakers are Darren Mason - Northpower Fibre, CEO and Dr Maggie Buxton - AwhiWorld, cross-disciplinary creative practitioner, producer, facilitator, educator and consultant.
The aim is that by bringing together collective industry expertise, business intelligence and Northland stakeholders the chamber can be part of a collective solution to start to map out a future that makes the most of the opportunities afforded the region.