Northland news in brief: Children’s ward transformed into a Christmas wonderland

A Whangārei Hospital patient helps with putting up decorations in the children's ward with Northland Event Centre Trust staff. Photo \ Philippa Mentor

Christmas wonderland created

Whangārei Hospital’s children’s ward has been transformed into a Christmas wonderland thanks to input from the Northland community. Te Whatu Ora Te Tai Tokerau put out a call for Christmas decorations, after its own decorations ran short halfway down the children’s ward. The call was answered by Carina de Graaf and the team at The Northland Events Centre Trust, who not only bought decorations but insisted on installing them as a gift to the hard-working staff and deserving patients. Clinical nurse manager Judith Hapi said it created cheer and helped create an inviting place if kids have to be in hospital over the holidays.

Regional council wins

Northland Regional Council staff are celebrating two national wins for delivering high-quality service in local government. The council’s digital and design manager, Jalissa Karena-Lange, was named Web Digital and Communications Professional of the Year, at the Association of Local Government Information Management conference in Wellington last month. Her digital and design team also took the title of Web Digital and Communications Team of the Year. Northland Regional Council’s data team was also a finalist in the ICT Project of the Year, for a tool which allows the council to automate environmental data.

Market day

The Mangawhai Tavern Market is on this Saturday, December 9 with an array of local vendors setting up tables for the day. There will be a selection of artisan food, clothing, candles, coffee, art and craft stalls, fresh flowers and more available to purchase from 8.30am until 1pm. Located at 2 Moir St, Mangawhai.

Cat rescue group turns 1

Coast to Coast Cat Rescue has celebrated turning 1 on December 1. In their first year of operation, 531 cats and kittens have been taken into care, 20 have been transferred to other rescues and 472 have been adopted. They recently secured funding from Te Hiku Community Board for de-sexing in the Kaitāia region and to date have desexed 54 cats, many of which were pregnant. Along with trapping and taming, they’ve also raised vital funds through their popular ‘kitten yoga’.