Northland news in brief: 70,000 trees planted for armed forces and two stand for byelection

Whangārei students Awhina Oakes, 12, and Rangipai Turner, 13, take part in a planting day at Ruapekapeka, part of the Matariki Tu Rākau initiative to commemorate New Zealand service men and women.

A total of 70,400 trees have been planted in Northland so far as part of the Matariki Tu Rākau initiative to commemorate men and women who have served in the New Zealand Defence Force. The national total is 386,000 trees with only Auckland (101,480) and Wellington (86,162) ahead of Northland. Matariki Tu Rākau is part of the coalition government's One Billion Trees programme. The initiative is so far under budget, with $2.6m of $5.5m spent, and ahead of the targeted 350,000 trees in two years, Forestry Minister Shane Jones said. The grant criteria had now been widened to include the commemoration of other great New Zealanders, he said.

Kerkeri byelection

So far two people have put their hands up to contest a community board byelection in Kerikeri with nominations due to close at noon on Monday. The vacancy came about after Rachel Smith was voted on to both the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board and the Far North District Council in October's local elections. Normally the next highest polling candidate would have taken her community board seat but there were only three candidates for three positions. Candidates must be New Zealand citizens and must be on the electoral roll. They must also be nominated by two people registered on the electoral roll within the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board (Kerikeri Subdivision) area. Nomination papers are available from the council's Kerikeri service centre in the John Butler Centre, from www.fndc.govt.nz or by phoning 0800 922 822. Postal voting packs will be delivered to Kerikeri voters from January 27. Voting will close on February 18.

Stabbed man dropped off

A man who had been stabbed was dropped off at Whangārei's St John Ambulance station yesterday. At 1.53pm yesterday St John said it informed police that a man who had been stabbed was dropped off at the St John Ambulance station on Western Hills Rd. Police were called there and the man was taken to hospital. No further details were available at edition time.

Alleged rioters to go on trial

Six men arrested for rioting in Ōtangarei plan to have their cases heard by a jury next year. Joshua Brown, James Herbert, Ted Kemp, Maia Lemon, Samuel Mark and Savanah Simeon will appear in Whangārei District Court, initially in March, then in April for a pre-trial hearing. They all face a charge of rioting. A number of men involved in the riot have already pleaded guilty including Dominque Ormsby who punched a senior policeman in the back of the head during the melee. Ormsby ran off and tried to hide in the crowd outside a house on the corner of William Jones Dr and Matai St, in the Whangārei suburb of Ōtangarei, on March 9 this year after an alleged family violence incident about 9.45am. Ormsby was sentenced to four months' home detention.

Fire believed to be burnoff

The cause of a roadside fire at Waima, South Hokianga, on Thursday evening is unknown but firefighters suspect it was started by an unpermitted burnoff. The blaze, about 50m and 15m wide, was put out by crews from Kaikohe and Ōkaihau backed up by a water tanker from Kerikeri. The volunteers were heading home about 8.40pm when strong winds brought down a large wattle tree across State Highway 12 near Taheke Marae so they were able to deal to it straight away, Kaikohe fire chief Bill Hutchinson said.

MC for hall centennial sought

The Fairburn Kaiaka Hall's centennial will be celebrated over February 29 - March 1, committee chairman Peter Niepel promising a memorable weekend. He would be grateful, however, to hear from anyone who would like to volunteer for the job of MC, on the assumption that the gathering would prefer not to listen to "that guy with the German accent all evening".