Far North news in brief: Artist up for top award; bridge opens; and fire suspicious

Kerikeri glass artist Sue Hawker is a finalist in the prestigious 2024 RT Nelson Awards For Sculpture

Kerikeri glass artist Sue Hawker is a finalist in the prestigious RT Nelson Awards For Sculpture.

This year’s finalists include works from contemporary interpretations of traditional Māori motifs to gravity-defying ceramics and groundbreaking glass innovations.

With a generous prize pool of $25,000 up for grabs, including an impressive $15,000 Premier Award, the competition is fierce. The finalists, using stone, wood, glass, bronze, ceramic, yarn, bone, metal, beeswax, and mixed media, showcase extraordinary talent and ingenuity.

The artworks will be on show at the 21st NZ Art Show in Wellington, from May 31 to June 2, after which the winners will be announced.

Fire suspicious

A scrub fire at Ahipara on Tuesday is being treated as suspicious, Fire an Emergency NZ says.

Fenz said two fire appliances, from Ahipara and Kaitāia, went to the blaze about 10.55am on Tuesday, with flames covering an area 10m by 8m. The fire was quickly extinguished, but a fire safety investigator is looking into how it started.

Massive meeting

Men Against Sexual Violence (Massive) is holding its first community wellness event in Kaikohe this weekend. Massive spokesperson Mike Shaw said the goal was to address and begin healing the underlying trauma in the community caused by sexual violence. The event will be family friendly and easily accessible. Speakers include regular mums and dads, former gang members, kaumātua, and police officers. The event is at 65-67 Broadway on Saturday, 10am to 4pm, and finishes on Sunday morning with an interdenominational church service organised by the community chaplain. Contact Mike Shaw for more information on massivespeakout@gmail.com or 021 842 302.

Crash victim named

Police said the person who died following a crash in Matauri Bay Rd, Matauri Bay, on February 7 was 35-year-old Emmanuel Nicholson, of Tōtara Vale, Auckland. The crash is still under investigation and police won’t comment further while the investigation continues.

Bridge lanes open

Kāeo’s long-awaited new $40 million bridge will finally be open to traffic on both lanes this weekend, a move NZ Transport Agency says is two months ahead of schedule.

Though traffic will be able to use both lanes, NZTA said overnight resurfacing works would still need to take place near the new Kāeo bridge from Sunday between 7pm and 5am. This work will be completed over a period of six weeks (Sunday to Thursday).