Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga has added Springhead house to the New Zealand heritage list as a category 2 historic place. Originally constructed in 1856, Springhead is a Whangārei residence located in the western hills overlooking the city. The listing formally identifies the building as a place of heritage significance.
"Springhead is a very important connection to one of the earliest Pākehā settler families who built this house as a family home – one of the first in Whangārei," Heritage NZ Northland manager Bill Edwards said. "As such it is a tangible link to the earliest years of the establishment of Whangārei as a modern settlement."
Lotto wins
Three tickets sold in Northland each won $5000 in Lotto's Father's Day draw on Saturday.
The tickets were among 75 nationally that each won $5000 in the draw.
The winning Northland tickets were sold in Kaeo (ticket number 104874); Dargaville (423107) and Kawakawa (1115424).
Car wasn't in the river
Emergency services responded in force on Sunday evening to reports of a car in Kaeo River with people trapped inside — only to find some hapless motorists had got their vehicle their stuck in shingle. Kaeo fire chief Lindsay Murray said he wasn't sure what message the stuck driver had given emergency call-takers but the time it reached him a car was apparently underwater with people unable to get out. Kaeo, Kerikeri and Mangonui fire brigades were mobilised, along with police and possibly even the Northland Rescue Helicopter, but were stood down when Kaeo firefighters found a car stuck in the shingle river access next to the Omaunu Rd bridge. The occupants claimed they had planned to go fishing. The brigade left them to sort it out themselves.
Who will pay for coastal damage?
Working through who pays for coastal damage through the consequences of climate change is a must according to Whangārei District Council.
It wants central government to work with councils to develop principles around this and other aspects as coastal damage from rising sea levels already impacts.
Whangārei District Council said a comprehensive review of the law relating to natural hazards and climate change adaptation along New Zealand's coastlines was needed.
It said the Government needed to co-ordinate development of a strategy covering all the coastline. This would cover areas including the roles and responsibilities of territorial authorities, regional councils and central government in dealing with the growing climate change impacts. More direction on an integrated approach would also be part of this, along with sorting out who pays for what.
