Publication
Cyclone Vaianu bears down on storm-scarred Northland
Storm-weary Northlanders are preparing to batten down the hatches as Cyclone Vaianu makes its presence known from tonight. Far North District Deputy Mayor Chicky Rudkin has spent the last three weeks visiting communities across the district impacted...
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Fuel shock
Northlanders are likely to be hit harder than most by rising fuel prices, which could add more than $1000 a year to their bills, an economist says. In the Northland Regional Council’s latest quarterly economic report, NRC economist Darryl Jones has...
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Charities brace as child poverty climbs
Northland social support providers fear child poverty will worsen as fuel prices push the cost of living even higher. According to Stats NZ, 14.3% of children lived in households experiencing material hardship in the year ended June 2025. In...
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‘Hanging by a thread’
The weather-battered northeast district of Whangārei is hanging by a thread, Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper says. His comments come as an already soaked Northland braces itself for category 3 Cyclone Vaianu, expected to make landfall this weekend. As of...
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Northland dad rescued daughters in deluge
Northland dad Anaru Cook waded through surging floodwaters to find his two daughters standing in a waist-deep torrent inside their nan’s home. His whānau are dealing with the devastation caused by the March 26 floods, that neighbours described as the...
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Anger over new tolls
More Northlanders, including businesses and AA members, are challenging a Government proposal to “heavily” toll State Highway 1 between Northland and Auckland. Since the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) announced plans to toll the first stage of...
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Health NZ cites infection risk as union claims bullying and staffing cuts
Whangārei Hospital nurses have been told stickers are a health and safety risk, in the latest move of a bitter industrial dispute between the NZ Nurses Organisation and Health New Zealand. Union delegates claimed managers were using bullying tactics...
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Northlanders urged to build financial buffers
Northlanders are being encouraged to create an emergency fund as prices soar and uncertainty reigns around the Iran war. Finance Minister Nicola Willis recently warned that prolonged conflict in the Middle East could push fuel prices even higher, slow...
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Health fears hit clean-up
Residents in storm-hit Northland communities were getting sick as they clean up silt and mud from last week’s flooding, according to one resident. Whirinaki in South Hokianga was among the Far North communities badly hit, with at least half a metre of...
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Climate change fuels Northland flood risk
More than 24,000 Northlanders live in locations exposed to a onein-100-year flood event, according to new research from Earth Sciences New Zealand. This would increase to 29,000 if there was 3C of additional warming, according to a multi-partner...
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Residents caught by surprise
Some Far North residents evacuated from their homes didn’t realise how severe the flooding was until emergency services knocked on their doors. Police estimated between 400 to 500 people were evacuated from Kaitāia Thursday night amid fears the Awanui...
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CONTACT US
09 470 2899 Regional Editor Head of News Karina Cooper Photography [email protected] Editorial inquiries 09 470 2875 News tips 09 470 2875 [email protected] [email protected] Rachel Ward 09 470...
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Red warning
Today’s forecasted weather bomb is the “last thing” Whangārei needs, says district mayor Ken Couper. MetService yesterday issued a red heavy rain watch — the most serious — for the east coast of Northland, from Doubtless Bay south to...
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SNAIL MAIL
Thousands of posted items have taken four years to reach their destination in the Far North, with NZ Post blaming the delay on the actions of a former worker. About 8000 items of unopened mail were discovered at a former NZ Post site in Kaitāia in...
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Dog control overhaul ‘long overdue’
PART OF NEW ZEALAND’S HERALD Areview of the 30-year-old Dog Control Act is being hailed in Northland as “long overdue”. The Government announced a comprehensive review of the 1996 Act on Saturday in a bid to crack down on roaming and uncontrolled...
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Battle lines emerge
Northland MP Grant McCallum, from the National Party, says his renomination was confirmed last year, so he will be on the campaign trail. The Maungaturoto farmer was a political novice when he took the Northland seat off Labour’s WillowJean Prime in...
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What new Northland charges could mean for motorists
Northland businesses are questioning “concerning” tolls proposed for part of the Northland Expressway, even if it saves travel time and improves road conditions. The National Road Carriers Association (NRC) is seeking “greater transparency around how...
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‘We stand in unity with our angel’
ANorthland mother who lost her 11-year-old “guardian angel” in a car crash said she forgave the young driver responsible and accepted him as part of her family. The unique outpouring of love was expressed at the sentencing of the 18-year-old on...
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Library backlash as doors close on Sundays
Many Whangā rei residents are fuming the central city library is no longer open on Sundays – a move some say cuts off one of the few accessible community spaces available on that day. The decision has landed badly with many older adults, who say...
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Cars now leading killer of kiwi in Northland
Cars were the leading cause of reported kiwi deaths across Northland last year, according to new figures obtained by RNZ. In 2025, the Department of Conservation received 39 reports of the birds being killed by vehicles in the region – up from 26 birds...
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Ditching the debt
Northland is among the top three region with the most mortgage free homes. Senior reporter Jenny Ling spoke to Te Tai Tokerau’s top mortgage and financial experts to find out how home owners have done it and, for the rest of us, how to pay off a...
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Whā nau waiting years for stable home
Casey Tangira, her husband, four kids and niece spent four months living in a car in 2024. They had been in the same rental in the Northland town of Ō pua for eight years — but their landlord needed the house back, and they had nowhere else to...
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Residents lose sleep
Northern Rescue Helicopters moved most of its flight operations from Kensington to Onerahi in July. The complaints were detailed in the first airport helicopter noise report to the council’s airport noise committee since the move. More than...
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‘There's a sense of distress and worry’
Residents in storm-hit areas of Northland are clearing their gutters and battening down the hatches in case a tropical low strikes the top of the country. MetService issued a strong wind watch for the Far North from Wednesday afternoon but had low...
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Towering seas rescue
ACoastguard skipper who helped rescue a stricken yacht battling 4m seas off Northland feared they would be “collecting bodies” had the boat’s engine not restarted. The yacht had been heading back to Kawau Island from the Bay of Islands when it struck...
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Foreigners buy up large
The most expensive property in Northland in 2025 sold for a whopping $14.5 million to an international buyer. But real estate agents say there are still affordable properties in the North and changes to foreign buyer rules are unlikely to make much...
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Row over paper road
A paper road in Whangārei Heads is causing a bitter dispute, with police called multiple times, trespass notices issued and complaints laid to council. A hunter wants access to the paper road, as the law allows, to control wild cattle and pigs, but...
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‘One day my man went, and he didn’t come home’
Northlander Kerry McDonald had stood on the deck of his home, beer in hand, admiring the Bay of Islands scenery and appreciating life. He had no idea that less than two weeks later he would be dead. McDonald’s partner of 15 years, Lauren Powell,...
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Giant wind turbine load tips into ditch
Investigations are underway after a transporter carrying a massive wind turbine tower section to the Kaiwaikawe Wind Farm site near Dargaville tipped sideways into a ditch. The turbine section was on a 72-wheel transport unit being towed by a truck...
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Voters back move to poll voting system
Whangā rei voters are welcoming their council’s first-time move to poll its people on what election system they want. Whangārei District Council (WDC) voted at a February 24 meeting to hold a binding poll at the 2028 elections on whether its...
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New owners save remaining Kamo lions
The five remaining lions at Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary have been saved after a group of investors bought the former Northland tourist attraction. Wellington-based animal rescue organisation HUHA brought the buyers together after news broke late last year...
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‘Nowhere for them to go’
Whangārei’s frontline homeless support agencies say a new Government “move on” policy is pointless if there is nowhere for rough sleepers to go. The proposal, announced on Sunday by Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell,...
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‘I just couldn’t stop weeping’
Avisit to pick lemons at a family member’s home is believed to have set in motion a dog attack that killed a much-loved Northland grandmother. Mihiata Te Rore, 62, died on February 17 after being fatally injured by three dogs living at the Kaihu...
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‘You look after the people that you love’
AWhangārei man is on a mission to help his dying father facing the “fight of his life”. Devon Hartley, 43, choked up when he re-lived a phone call with his dad Keith Hartley in which his “hero” broke the news he had a stage four blood cancer. “He’s...
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Northland infrastructure investment essential
Te Tai Tokerau must not be taken off the table after the Government’s new national infrastructure plan, a Northland business leader is warning. Group secretary for the Northland Corporate Group, Julian Smith, said the Government must continue to invest...
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Giant step for North
The first of the massive turbine-component convoys for Mercury NZ’s $287 million Kaiwaikawe Wind Farm rolled out of Northport on Sunday night — and some Northlanders stayed up to watch the unusual sight. Whangā rei local Robyn Anderson and her husband...
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Dog attack victim urges PM to act on danger
The traumatised owner of a dog attacked on Northland’s Ruakākā Beach says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon needs to do more than make empathetic comments after a woman was killed by dogs. Ruakākā‘s Lidia Sandoval said Luxon needed to take real action...
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Sailing duo plot new course
Curly-coated retriever Rimu, missing for four days after a catamaran capsize off Whananaki, is back at sea and sailing confidently again – lifejacket on, as ever. Rimu and her owner, Wānaka retiree Mark Ayre, had been living aboard their new $350,000,...
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Fears over ‘nangs’ as problem escalates
Larger nitrous oxide canisters are turning up across Northland, reflecting growing national concern over recreational “nang” use. The canisters, which can be purchased to make whipped cream, have been used recreationally for years by inhaling the gas...
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Heartbreak after mum dies
I don’t want your gifts. I want to spend time with you. Your time is the most valuable thing you can give to anyone.” That is what solo mum Tam would tell her three children — Grady, 22, Hugo, 20, and Lucy, 18 — when they would ask her what she wanted...
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Students’ marks shine worldwide
Two Northland students have been named top in the world for their respective subjects in the rigorous Cambridge examinations. Huanui College head girl Olivia Tremain and student Arlo Jang were named as top in the world for Marine Science Cambridge...
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Whā nau feel pharmacy mistake cost dad’s life
Agrieving Whangārei family say they cannot accept the Health and Disability Commissioner’s recently released findings that their beloved dad died from a heart attack. They say the report overlooks what they believe is the true cause of their father’s...
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‘Not all heroes wear capes’
Parents of children on a school bus that burst into flames are banding together to buy a gift for the “hero” driver, while an investigation into the cause was launched. The driver helped the 19 students escape through a side exit as the bus filled...
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Super City split
Kaipara District Council wants a combined Kaipara– North Rodney Council to be considered in the Government’s local government shake-up. The council is backing North Rodney Action Group’s proposal to form a unitary authority by merging the area it...
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Rebate delays leave residents out of pocket
AFar North pensioner is “frustrated” and out of pocket after council delays processing his rates rebate. Far North District Council (FNDC) said it has “recognised the need to improve turnaround times for processing rates rebate applications”. Kerikeri...
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‘I had to stay alive for 10 days’
Northland midwife Denise McCormack is grateful to be alive after first surviving a heart attack, then being faced with an impossible decision because of the country’s health system. McCormack, who has a family history of cardiac disease, is speaking...
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Lake rescue hero recalls close call
Seconds made all the difference for a family of four who were saved from drowning at Kai Iwi Lakes, their rescuer says. Earlier this month, Haruru local Aaron Stott, his wife Katy and their friend were taking an evening walk along Lake Taharoa on Pine...
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Fine weather and calmer mood expected at Waitangi
Fine weather is expected to match a calmer atmosphere than in the past few years for 2026‘s Waitangi Day commemorations in Northland. Waitangi and the wider Bay of Islands have already been busy in the lead-up to Friday, as the nation turns its focus...
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Private funding sought as Peters pushes back at contractor doubts
Private finance appears crucial to get the Marsden Point rail spur built, as Rail Minister Winston Peters’ ambitions come up against a tight Budget and the 2026 election. KiwiRail has, since December, been seeking expressions of interest from...
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North e-boats boost island life
Afleet of five electric boats made by a Northland company is making a world of difference for isolated Samoan communities. Whangārei-based McKay was chosen to deliver Samoa’s first lowcarbon boats under a United Nations programme, called Climate Action...
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‘This beast will be back’
An invasive seaweed described as the world’s worst marine pest has mysteriously died off on a huge scale in Northland and the Hauraki Gulf. Fast-growing caulerpa blanketed huge areas of seabed around the Bay of Islands and Aotea Great Barrier after it...
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One couple’s decision to become self-employed and why they won’t go back to a 9-to-5 job
Going from the security of being employed to becoming their own boss was “double the risk” for Northland couple France-Inge Muller and Joel Young. But, despite the highs and lows, and sheer hard work, the Whangārei residents are adamant — they...
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Big step forward for Ari
Lucy and Dane Higgison first thought something was wrong when newborn Ari had trouble breastfeeding and was “uncoordinated” when using a bottle. By age 6 months, Ari had not reached the age-appropriate development milestones such as sitting...
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‘Upward bullying’ costs police $15k
Aculture long whispered about as the Northland CIB “boys’ club” has now cost the police $15,000 after an inquiry found a senior female Detective Inspector was bullied and frozen out by her peers. The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) ruled the...
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Coroner: Stretcher fall led to woman’s death
Awoman died after being dropped from a hospital stretcher at Whangārei Hospital, a coroner has found. Margaret Batten, 83, suffered a head injury after falling onto a concrete floor in the ambulance loading bay when a St John officer lost control of...
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State of emergency set to be reviewed today
whangā rei’s mayor would like to see the district’s state of emergency lifted this afternoon. Emergency response leaders are reviewing the state of emergency today as its week-long tenure expires. Ken Couper said his inclination would be to lift it so...
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Eco village aims to generate own power
Acommunity microgrid and onsite wastewater treatment plant are some of the key features of an ecodevelopment under way in Northland. Stage one of the Mangawhai Hills subdivision is progressing, with developer Patrick Fontein hoping the 57 titles will...
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Communities unite
Aand fter days torrential downpours, flooding, evacuations and widespread disruption across the region, forecasters expected the worst of the rain to have eased before most Northlanders were even awake this morning. MetService meteorologist Lewis...
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‘Keep safe and look after your mates’
Northlanders already battered by days of heavy rain are being told to brace for another onslaught of torrential downpours today. The region is under an orange heavy rain warning until 1am tomorrow with MetService saying there is a high chance it will...
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