Northland news in brief

A Northlander won $700,000 on Strike in Wednesday night's Lotto draw.

AStrike goes North
A Strike player from Northland will be jumping for joy after scooping the entire $700,000 jackpot in Wednesday's Strike Must Be Won draw. The winning ticket was sold on MyLotto to a player from Whangārei and was the only one to take out the must be won prize of $700,000. The winning Strike numbers were 21, 13, 38 and 06.

Abbreviated Les Mis
Have you always wanted to see the stage version of Les Miserables, but you don't want to sit though two hours of misery? Well, today new theatre group The Stage Door is putting on Les Mis in Four Minutes, which, as the name suggests, condenses the tale into just four minutes. A cast of seven will perform the parody at 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm and 5pm today in the main auditorium at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri as part of an open day at the performing arts facility. Free entry.

Fonterra board elections
Nominations are open now for the election of three farmer-elected directors on the Fonterra board. Nicola Shadbolt, Ashley Waugh and John Wilson are required to retire under the rotational retirement cycle. Nominations need to be with the Returning Officer, Warwick Lampp of electionz.com, by 12pm, Monday, July 23. Fonterra's Shareholders' Council and Directors' Remuneration Committee Elections will be called in September, with councillors' nominations needed from all nine wards, including Northland.

Big Latch On
The Big Latch On - an annual event to promote breastfeeding - will be held in four venues across Northland next month. The year The Big Latch On is being held on August 3, when thousands of mums across the country will be breastfeeding to promote the theme - Breastfeeding - The Foundation of Life. In Northland mums and bubs will be taking part in The Big Latch On at Toll Stadium, in Whangarei, the Kaitaia Plunket Rooms, Kerikeri Plunket Rooms and Hauhora Hokianga in Rawene from 10am.

Resilience workshops
Family/whanau recovery and building resilience workshops are being held in Whangarei this month. The free workshops, organised by Supporting Families in Mental Health Northland, will be held in the Municipal Building, 71 Bank St, from 2.30pm to 4.30pm on July 12 and 19 and at the Bream Bay Trust, Takutai Place, Bream Bay, from 1.30pm to 3.30pm on July 26. The workshops will help establish an understanding of recovery and resilience, identify some challenges and define strategies to build resilience. To book contact Francil on 0800 732825, or email francil@sfauckland.org.nz

Pest programme applauded
The Northland Conservation Board has congratulated the Northland Regional Council for increasing spending on pest management, from the current $3.6 million a year to almost $6 million by 2020-21. Newly appointed Northland Conservation Board chairwoman Adrienne Tari said the board agreed with NRC chairman Bill Shepherd that the 2018-2028 Long Term Plan (LTP) was "bold and visionary". Tari said Northland was blessed with an abundance of vegetation cover, wetlands, dune lakes and an extensive coastline hosting animal and plant life, but those habitats are at risk by pest plants, animals, marine organisms and diseases such as kauri dieback. She said the NRC showed mana, resolve and leadership in providing financial resources to protect native life and restore biodiversity.