Northland news in brief: Alleged tomahawk robbery; and Lucky Lotto player

A police vehicle at the scene of a robbery at an Ōtaika shop. Photo / Michael Cunningham

An Ōtaika shop was robbed on Friday afternoon, reportedly by a person with a tomahawk. Police confirmed they were called to a robbery at “a commercial premises” on Ōtaika Rd, Raumanga around 12.30pm.

“A man has entered the store and taken cash from the till before fleeing on foot,” a police spokesperson said. “Enquiries are continuing.”

Social media users have said the robbery was at Ōtaika Lotto and Post, which was closed yesterday afternoon. Two police cars were seen at the Ōtaika shops, including a dog handler’s vehicle, but there was no sign of the dog or its handler. Police asked anyone with information about the robbery to contact them on 105, quoting number P053916385.

Lucky Lotto win

Seven lucky Lotto players won $41,972 with Lotto Second Division in Saturday’s draw.

One of the tickets was bought at Pak’nSave in Whangārei.

A player also won Powerball Second Division, taking their total winnings to $61,222. The winning Powerball Second Division ticket was sold at New World Newlands in Wellington.

Person airlifted to hospital after crash

Two people have been injured — one of them critically — in a crash near Dargaville just after 2am on Sunday. The accident occurred at Arapohue, about 10 kilometres south of Dargaville, with one person needing to be cut out of the wreckage by volunteers from the Dargaville Fire Brigade. Police, two fire trucks, two ambulances and a helicopter responded. One patient was airlifted to Auckland Hospital in a critical condition, while the second was taken by road to Whangārei Hospital in a serious condition. Further details of the cause of the crash, or the patients’ condition, were not known at edition time yesterday.

Driver flees on foot after head-on crash

A driver fled on foot after allegedly causing a head-on crash outside the i-Site on Ōtaika Rd in Whangārei on Sunday. It is understood the driver mounted a roundabout about 2.20pm, crossed onto the wrong side of the road and collided head-on with another vehicle before abandoning his car and fleeing on foot. The two occupants in the other car suffered minor injuries and were checked by Hato Hone St John Ambulance. One lane of Ōtaika Rd was blocked by the crash, with the i-Site carpark being used as a detour. The alleged offending driver was caught a short time later in the Raumanga area. The police investigation is continuing.

Overnight closures on route to Auckland

The Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth project will be undertaking pavement works at the Northern Connection on State Highway 1 (SH1) between Kaipara Flats Rd/Goatley Rd and Hudson Rd intersection to complete the final road surface. The works mean overnight closures from 9pm to 5am from March 12 - 16 and again between March 19 and 23. A detour around Warkworth via Woodcocks or Hudson Rds, Carran Rd and Kaipara Flats Rd will be in place. The detour will add approximately five minutes of travel time for motorists. People travelling south will be diverted via Kaipara Flats Rd, Carran and Woodcocks Rds.

Entries for apprentice challenge open

NZ Certified Builders (NZCB) wants Northland apprentices to get their entries in for its annual Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM.

The regional heats of the competition will be held in multiple locations across the country on April 1, with great prizes up for grabs and the winner of each going on to compete for the coveted title of National Champion in May.

All apprentices that compete in the regional heats will receive an ITM prize pack, and additional prizes will be awarded to first, second and third place-getters. Regional winners will also win an all-expenses-paid trip to the national final, held at the NZCB Annual Conference and Expo in Christchurch, where they’ll compete for the Ken Read Memorial Trophy and $50,000 worth of prizes.

Apprentices can enter by visiting apprenticechallenge.nz and filling out the entry form. Entries must be received by Friday, March 17.