Northland news in brief: Whananaki Snorkel Day; movie screening to celebrate Pohe Island playground

Sheena Penwarden, assistant manager at Whananaki Farms and operations manager for Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa, is a finalist in the Fonterra 2023 Dairy Woman of the Year competition.

Finalist in Dairy Woman of the Year

A Northland dairy farm assistant manager is one of four women nationally named as finalists for the Fonterra 2023 Dairy Woman of the Year award.

Sheena Penwarden is the assistant manager at Whananaki Farms and is the operations manager for Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa, as the freshwater environmentalist representative for the 23 marae of Te Rarawa.

She supports the hapū by taking their aspirations and helping to educate them with modern and Western science to develop and understand the importance of improvement within their area.

She actively educates and advises others to challenge themselves, and volunteers for Breast Cancer NZ. She was also Northland Dairy Manager of the Year in 2020.

The judges will be assessing the finalist on a range of factors, from commitment, drive and passion for the dairy sector to being a positive role model for women in dairying.

They will need to be a strong performer, who is recognised by their peers as a potential leader, demonstrating leadership within their community, and with a wider circle of influence than their local community, holding or having previously held leadership positions with regional or national dairy organisations.

The Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award will be announced on May 3 at the gala dinner of DWN 2023 conference Brighter. Braver. Bolder.

Whananaki Snorkel Day

Whananaki Snorkel Day is happening today from 10am, most likely down at the footbridge due to the wind at Otamure. This is a great event for whānau learning to snorkel and there will be free barbecue, thanks to Te Whana O Te Nanakia Trust (Whananaki Community Led Development).

Movie screening to celebrate new playground

An outdoor screening of The Jungle Book (2016) will take place to celebrate the new Pohe Island playground this Saturday.

There will be a festive atmosphere with food trucks, a big LED screen and the new playground.

The free family event at William Fraser Memorial Reserve is suitable for the whole family.

Bring along a picnic blanket or seating and find a spot to settle in. There will be some food trucks on site, but feel free to bring your own picnic.

Parking is available nearby on Pohe Island Rd. The official opening of the playground is at 2pm and the screening is at 3pm.

The event is smoke, vape, and alcohol-free.

Ruawai stopbank trail closed for repairs

A section of the Ruawai stopbank trail is closed to the public for repairs following the recent extreme weather event. The stopbanks prevented the town becoming inundated with floodwater during high tides, but did sustain some damage, and Kaipara District Council needs to maintain them so they can continue to do their job.

Heavy machinery will need access along the length of the trail while they are under repair and, for public safety, a section of the trail will be closed during this time.

The trail will close from Floodgate 39 (End Westlake Road) to Floodgate 47 (End Simpson Road). This includes Wilson Landing Road access to Floodgate 45.

The stopbanks are a key part of the Raupo drainage system that protects Ruawai. Although there was some flooding in Ruawai during the recent extreme weather event, this was caused by run-off from the surrounding hills. The stopbanks were not breached.

The section of trail will remain closed until May 10, and repairs will take place over low tide during the closure.