Kaikohe’s John and Lily Coleman are the only Northland finalists in the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards - Ngā Tohu Pou Kōhure o Aotearoa.
Kaikohe’s John and Lily Coleman are the only Northland finalists in the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards - Ngā Tohu Pou Kōhure o Aotearoa.
Northern finalists
Northland couple John and Lily Coleman have been announced as finalists in the 2025 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year awards. They stood out from thousands of nominations for their work in their Kaikohe community. The couple are among three finalists in the Ryman Healthcare Senior New Zealanderof the Year Te Mātāpuputu o Te Tau category. Award winners will be announced at a ceremony in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland on March 20
Marlin Classic
Doubtless Bay Sportfishing Club is hosting its Marlin Classic fishing comp next month.
The Taipa Tavern and Reel and Rods Marlin Classic will be held in Doubtless Bay on March 14 and 15, with a briefing at Taipa Tavern at 6pm on March 13.
The man died following a crash in Kaingaroa on State Highway 10 in the Far North. Hato Hone St John said it was notified of the crash on Zidich Rd about 10.40pm on Wednesday, February 19, and responded with one ambulance.
No other vehicles were involved and inquiries into the crash were under way.
This house fell off the back of a truck as it was being moved on a rural road south of Kaikohe, in the Far North, on Tuesday
House falls off truck
Far North District Council contractors were quick off the mark after a house being relocated fell off a truck, partially blocking a Far North road.
The two-three bedroom home suffered extensive damage in the accident and blocked part of Orakau Rd in the Punakitere Valley, south of Kaikohe, for several hours on Tuesday. It appears it struck several trees before coming off the trailer about 3.5km from Pokapu Rd heading west.
Traffic management was put in place, limiting the unsealed road to one lane for cars only, while contractor Ventia worked quickly to widen the road, cutting into the bank. By mid-afternoon, the road was wide enough to allow trucks to pass the damaged house.
Caulerpa funding
Northland will get the lion’s share of new funding to fight the marine pest caulerpa.
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard announced a $10 million funding injection last year to help drive improvements to technology and getting new tools in the water. This week he detailed three exciting projects that have been funded.
Northland Regional Council has been awarded the largest contract, with $6.2m to progress its large-scale mechanical suction dredging technique.
“We know from the first phase of the accelerated programme that this method can remove exotic caulerpa from sandy areas of the seafloor, and now we’re looking to increase its effectiveness. The project team is developing a new tool called a ‘submersible dredge planer’ which will operate remotely on the seafloor, rather than from a barge, and will remove caulerpa in a single pass.”
