Northland news in brief

Whangārei's annual Fireworks Spectacular returns on November 3.

Punters will soon be able to enjoy bright lights and loud bangs as Whangārei's annual Fireworks Spectacular returns. The event run by the Whangārei Lions Club is being held on Saturday, November 3 with gates at Okara Park opening at 6pm. There will be live entertainment before the fireworks display, which will start when it gets dark. If the weather is bad and the fireworks can't go ahead, the event will be held the following day. Tickets are $5 for schoolchildren otherwise $10 or $25 for a family of two adults and two children or one adult and three children.

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A fully laden logging truck rolled trapping the driver on a private forestry road in Northland yesterday. Police confirmed the truck crashed on Ruapehu Rd in a forestry block about 30km northwest of Dargaville at 12.10pm. Volunteer firefighters from Dargaville Station were called to the scene to help with the extraction of a trapped person, who was then flown to Whangārei Hospital with moderate injuries.

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An elderly man was kicked in the head by a cow and admitted to Whangārei Hospital before his condition deteriorated this week. Emergency services said the man, aged in his 70s, subsequently needed urgent attention. The Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter was called to transfer the man to Auckland City Hospital in a serious condition on Thursday at about 5.30pm. A report prepared by Worksafe in 2014 said many people were hurt by cattle every year, mostly when cattle kicked or crushed them. Some injuries were serious, such as broken bones, and people have been killed. Older farmers, especially those aged over 65 years, and children were most at risk of injury.

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Liquorland has confirmed it is relocating its central Whangārei store from its site on Dent St to a new site on Carruth St. Regional operations manager Mark Satherley said the company doesn't have a concrete date yet for moving or reopening but said it would be the same owners and staff at the brand new premises. Meanwhile Animates, who are moving into the same building on Carruth St, plan to open their store at the end of November.

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Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi O Ngāpuhi is holding its annual general meeting next month.
The meeting is being held on Saturday, November 17 at the Tikipunga Baptist Church, corner of Kiripaka Rd and Heretaunga St, starting at 10am. For more information, including the agenda, visit www.ngapuhi.iwi.nz.

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Northland man Stanley Victor Clements is on the run from police after breaching his parole conditions. Police were advising the 21-year-old to "do the right thing and come see us" at the nearest police station. Alternatively anyone who knew where Clements was should contact Whangārei police station on (09) 430 4500.

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The inaugural Fly My Sky flight from Auckland will land into Whangārei on October 30. Auckland-based Fly My Sky operates from the City of Sails to Great Barrier Island and its owners have decided to extend its services to and from Whangārei from Tuesday week. The family-owned airline is advertising fares of $99 one-way with a 23kg bag. Northland tourism leaders have welcomed the entry of a new airline which they say will push prices down.

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