Kaipara news: Northland Rescue Helicopter fundraising under way, Te Kopuru book launch and Buzzy bee day in Dargaville

Help keep our rescue helicopter service

The Northland Rescue Helicopter saves many lives by being able to get to people in remote locations and ferry them quickly to hospital while St John intensive care paramedics often treat them onboard.

NEST is the charitable trust behind this and has been running this essential service for 30 years rescuing more than 20,000 people during this time. Because of unsealed roads, changeable weather and remote areas, the trust feels Northlanders are at higher risk of harm because of the time necessary to seek medical intervention particularly after an accident, which is where they come in.

To keep the organisation running, an annual fundraising appeal is under way and as part of that, More FM's John, Flash and Toast returned to Dargaville Ford yesterday for a free breakfast on the barbecue.

During the live radio broadcast, volunteers collected donations from the public with buckets in the main streets until early afternoon, with every donation going into a draw to win a $400 voucher from Gas and Tyre Dargaville.

Tangiteroria School is also fundraising with an evening show on December 7 at the Tangiteroria Sports Complex with food and raffles. All funds raised will go to the helicopter appeal.

Last year Dargaville raised $46,000, the largest amount in Northland and only time will see whether, this year the Kaipara community will top that.

All public donations up to $150k will be matched by official sponsors, dollar for dollar, and contributions can still be made via the website nest.org.nz.

True Tales of Te Kopuru launched

Christine Rope launched her True Tales of Te Kopuru book last week in the town of its origin at the local Coronation Hall with considerable community support.

Considering she was born and raised in the district, and her ancestors have lived here from the 1860s, many would say she was qualified to research and learn about the area.

Each True Tales book focuses on one local township and documents information, facts and narrative about the district and its people. There is a growing collection written by a variety of authors about New Zealand towns.

Over the six months it took to compile the book, Rope felt blessed by the trust people put in her as they recounted their stories.

She says people went to a lot of effort, "digging about in boxes, under beds, looking for newspaper cuttings, photos and other memorabilia", and the stories reinforced to her the need to document the past for future generations to appreciate.

She feels the concept and structure of the True Tales series is "a wonderful way to retain history and bring a community together".

True Tales of Te Kopuru can now be found in Moran's bookshop in Dargaville, Book Inn in Kamo, Whangārei or Village Books in Waipapa.

New event on at Taha Awa gardens
Buzzy bee day is a new event organised by the trustees of Taha Awa Riverside Gardens to encourage people to utilise the land in central Dargaville.

The gardens were gifted to the public after Tom and Jean McKay donated money to establish it back in 2004. Since then it has become a prominent site for Christmas celebrations and families in the district, with a substantial playground to enjoy.

Sunday's highlights will include a rock treasure hunt and an interactive bee and hive display, if weather allows. There will be colouring competitions, raffles, food stalls and bee inspired activities. Prizes up for grabs include buzzy bee memorabilia, honey and lemon products and books based on the theme.

According to organisers, this will be a family fun day where kids can dress up according to the theme and have a picnic in the gardens. It starts at 10am on Sunday, November 25 and runs until 2pm. Everyone is welcome.

Expo focuses on education and employment
Local students will be supported to make relevant and conscientious choices about their future in today and tomorrow's education and employment expo.

The event organised by the Dargaville Community Development Board will focus on local businesses, industry representatives and training providers.

According to Jvana Paraku, who is involved in organising the event, the hope is that even though it's the first of its kind in the Kaipara, the expo will become an annual event with schools supporting it.

Located at the Dargaville Memorial Hall, it is open for all adults and students aged over Year 11 who are looking at employment possibilities and education including retraining and apprenticeships.

QRC Taitokerau, MITO, NorthTec and Hetet School of Māori Art are a few of the expected attendees. It is on from 10am to 4pm on both days and there is no charge to attend.

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