Far North news in brief: Kaitāia lit up for Christmas; history grant and occupation over

Kaitāia Business Association is hosting a competition for the town’s businesses to showcase their creativity. Photo / Thalia Ruiz - Unsplash

Light up Kaitāia for Christmas

The Kaitāia Business Association is hosting a competition for the town’s businesses to showcase their creativity and see who can light up and decorate their shopfronts and stores the best.

The lucky winner will receive a week of free digital signage advertising along with treats and goodies. Businesses are urged to get creative, dress up staff members, and have some fun as we count down to the festive season. The competition ends on December 1, giving people plenty of time to light up before the Christmas parade on December 2. If you would like to take part, please contact admin@kba.nz.

Moko mataora project grant

History grants have been awarded to 10 projects that will tell a wide range of histories — from the revival of moko mataora (facial tattoo) in the Far North, to a 1795 shipwreck in Tamatea/Dusky Sound in the south.

“The annual Whiria Te Mahara New Zealand History Grants supports historians, researchers and writers working on non-fiction projects that will significantly enhance our understanding of New Zealand’s past,” says Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage chief executive Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae.

“One project — Whina Te Whiu-Te Toi Ora o Waimirirangi: Reviving Moko Mataora kanohi — tells the story of the determination of a hapū to revive moko mataora (facial tattoo) at Waimirirangi Marae in North Hokianga, and another a biography of the extended Hayward family (including Rudall and Ramai Hayward) and its contribution to the film industry throughout the 20th century.”

Occupation over

An occupation on the Far North’s Karikari Peninsula has ended after a landowner agreed to hapu demands for permanent protection of sand dunes regarded as a wahi tapu (sacred place).

The occupation was sparked four weeks ago when the landowner planned to use a digger to widen an accessway through the dunes at Patia o Matariki near Whatuwhiwhi. Far North District Council had given permission for the work, but local hapu Te Whānau Moana and Te Rorohuri said the dunes were a burial site used by their ancestors.

An agreement signed by the landowner on Tuesday afternoon and accepted at a hui that evening would place a covenant on the dunes, preventing future building or earthworks.

Vehicle hits bridge

A vehicle crashed into a bridge barrier on Thursday night in Rakauwahia Rd, Kaikohe, in the Far North district and was reported to police at 6.40 that night. A male was attended to by ambulance staff and was cleared of injury.