Northland news in brief: Alleged scallop poachers remanded, and tie-free Waitangi

Two alleged poachers have denied taking undersized and excess scallops from Northland.

Two Auckland men have appeared in the Whangārei District Court on fisheries charges relating to taking undersize and excess scallops. Wati Maunsell, 45, and Aaron Smith, 30, both from Henderson in Auckland, have pleaded not guilty to the charges of taking the illegal scallops on August 29, 2018. Smith also faces a charge of obstructing a fisheries officer. Judge Keith de Ridder said the court was unable to set a date yet for a judge alone trial and the duo would have to appear again on March 10 when a definite date for the hearing would be made.

Tie-free Waitangi Day

A formal dress code traditionally applies at Waitangi on Waitangi Day, but National Trust chairman Pita Tipene has declared the entire Treaty Grounds a "tie-free zone" this week, given the expectation that the day would be an oppressively hot one.

Affco work safety trial delayed

A sentencing involving Affco New Zealand in the Whangārei District Court yesterday had been put off until April. A WorkSafe spokesperson confirmed Affco is facing a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act, arising out of WorkSafe's investigation into an incident in which a worker sustained serious burns in July 2018. The spokesperson said as the matter was before the courts no further details could be released including the location of the site where the worker was injured.

Water resilience goal supported

IrrigationNZ has supported the Government's decision to inject $12.7 million into improving Northland's water resilience, but says more needs to be done. "It's promising to see the Government recognise the need for water infrastructure, as the demand for it is only going to increase in the future," says Elizabeth Soal, chief executive of Irrigation New Zealand. "Only (Thursday) weather experts declared a 'severe meteorological' drought in northern Auckland, Great Barrier Island and the Far North as New Zealand experiences its fourth-warmest year on record. The dry summers New Zealand now repeatedly experiences are why supporting more resilient water infrastructure is crucial. This means we need further investment guided by a proper nationwide water resilience strategy."

Charges laid over bottle attack

An elderly man needed hospital treatment after he was struck on the head with a bottle at a bar in Kaitaia last week. His injuries were described as an arterial bleed, a puncture wound, significant lacerations and a black eye. Police, who described the attack as entirely unprovoked, have charged a man with wounding with intent to injure.

Alleged gunshot incident probed

Northland police yesterday had no update on a serious incident in which a man allegedly suffered a gunshot wound on Saturday afternoon. Police were called about 3pm following a report that a man had been injured at a Kaeo address. Police said a man was transported to hospital in a serious condition and police were still working to establish the full circumstances of the incident.