Northland news in brief

Hikurangi Friendship House Charitable Trust chairman Neil Crowther and secretary Linda Vanstone are looking for former volunteers from the library for its upcoming 25th birthday.

Former library helpers sought

Hikurangi Friendship House is looking to track down past volunteers of the Hikurangi Library to celebrate the library's 25th birthday. Friendship House chairman Neil Crowther said they were planning an afternoon tea on November 13 to say thank you to the volunteers. The library was the Old Post Office building, which was bought by the Friendship House Trust in 1992. The trust moved the library into the building in 1993 and it has been run by volunteers ever since. More than 30 people are estimated to have volunteered at the library over the past 25 years. If you were one of these volunteers, call the Hikurangi Friendship House on 0(9) 433 8452.

Laundry fire spurs warning

A fire at a Kawakawa house is a stark warning about the dangers of folding and stacking laundry while it's still hot from the dryer, a firefighter says. Kawakawa deputy fire chief Alistair Leitch said children coming home after school about 3.30pm on Thursday noticed the windows of their Whiteman Rd house were black with soot, so they ''did absolutely the right thing'' by calling 111 instead of going inside. Volunteer firefighters found a pile of washing folded and stacked in the hall had self-combusted after smouldering for several hours while no one was home. The fire had caused only minor damage to one wall but the entire house was filled with black smoke and badly smoke-damaged. Leitch urged people to spread out hot laundry and allow it to cool before folding and stacking, otherwise the heat could build up to the point of self-ignition. A number of Northland laundromats and motels have suffered fires from the same cause.

Man charged with tot's murder

A man has been charged with the murder of a 2-year-old child in Mangawhai. The man, aged 30, was granted continued name suppression after being charged with the murder the toddler when he appeared in the North Shore District Court yesterday. The name of the child and any details that may identify the child have also been suppressed.
The accused has been remanded to appear in the High Court at Auckland on September 19. Police said they were called to a house in Mangawhai Heads about 8.15pm on August 22 after the child died.

Powhiri for Kohukohu cop

Kohukohu will have a new police officer, Constable Cory Lowe, from September 24. Lowe and his family will be welcomed with a powhiri, which will be open to the public, at Tauteihiihi Marae at 10am on September 22. Kohukohu's sole charge station, in North Hokianga, has not had a police officer for any significant length of time since Constable Jonathan Maoate transferred to Kawhia in June 2015.

Diverse movie line-up

The Whangārei Film Society has a range of diverse movies screening this month.
The movies are showing at Forum North, with $10 for WFS members, door sales only.
Trailers for each film and more information, including screening times, can be found at www.whangareifilmsociety.org.

Pompallier garage sale

Whangārei's Pompallier Catholic College will hold its second annual Spring Garage Sale and Carwash later this month. The event is a fundraiser to help upgrade of the school's student canteen and outside seating and eating area. The upgrade project is already under way using a combination of tradesmen and school students/parents for demolition work. The annual Spring Garage Sale will be held on September 22, 8am-11am, in the school gym, SH14, Maunu. All good-quality donations are invited and accepted by the school.

Stafford Choat decider

The pinnacle of Northland knockout football is being fought for in Whangārei today, with the final of the Stafford Choat Cup being held at Okara Park. The final, between Onerahi Premiers and the Tikipunga Division One team, will kick off at the park at 3pm.

Science success on show

The work of Northland's best young scientists is being displayed in Whangārei.
Exhibiting place-getters and other entries from the Central Northland Science Fair, which was held last week, will be displayed at the Whangārei Museum at KiwiNorth until Friday. Kiwi North is open 10am to 4pm and the exhibition is included in general admission.

Top health author to speak

Nutritional biochemist and best-selling author Dr Libby Weaver will visit Whangārei later this month to talk about women's hormones. Hormones influence everything from how women grow, sleep and age, store fat or burn it too the quality of skin, blood pressure, immune system and appetite regulation — even brain chemicals, the author said. Her aim is to help women identify the signs of hormonal imbalance and offer insight on how hormones impact on individuals. The 16-centre Hormone Factor tour follows the release of her latest book, The Beauty Guide. Her two-hour live event in Whangārei will be on September 24.