The FNDC summer road dust programme will kick off this month, with 50 of the district's most dust-plagued roads due to be treated with suppressants before Christmas. A total of 140 sections of about 33km of unsealed road will be treated. FNDC is also working with forestry companies to treat sections of some logging routes. Forestry companies will pay for the suppressant and the council will cover application costs. The dust programme is unsubsidised and costs around $500,000 annually. The application will be completed by December 22.
A&P scholarship
Whangārei A&P Society has awarded a $6,000 scholarship to Nathan Chestnut, a family farm manager from Kokopu, to attend the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme in January 2022. Whangārei A&P described Chestnut as "an enthusiastic young farmer with an interest in the green energy sector and what implications and changes in policy that may have for farming and for Northland". He has worked on farms in the US and UK.
"We were impressed with his knowledge and his view of how New Zealand produce is viewed globally and how that world view could better influence New Zealand farm outcomes,'' Evan Smeath, Whangārei A&P president said. The scholarship covers all fees of the 18-day course held at Lincoln University over six months.
P arrests face trial
Eight out of nine people arrested in relation to a joint police and customs operation in Northland will be back in court next month. All nine were granted interim name suppression when they first appeared in the Whangārei District Court on Saturday last week. Twelve people who police said were linked to the Head Hunters and Mongrel Mob were arrested as more than $8m worth of drugs, including 17kg of P, were seized in a large-scale bust in Northland on Friday. Operation Freya saw 11 search warrants executed on Friday in Morningside, Whangarei; Rawhiti; Ruakākā; Whananaki and Rotorua.
Eight of them re-appeared yesterday and were remanded back in custody until December 13 while another will re-appear for a bail application on Monday next week.
Dumped rubbish disposal
Contractors for the Far North District Council will visit Whangae Road, near Kawakawa, in the coming week to remove as much illegally dumped rubbish as possible. A council spokesman said workers would use safety ropes to access steep, rubbish-filled gullies and load the waste into large sacks which would then be lifted out by crane. It is hoped inspections of the recovered rubbish will identify those responsible. In September a Kawakawa resident found a kilometre-long stretch of bush had been turned into an illegal dump, polluting waterways feeding into Kawakawa River and the Bay of Islands.
Text scam warning
Customs is warning Northlanders of a text message scam that is currently circulating. There are variations of text messages asking receivers to pay Customs charges for parcels coming into New Zealand, with a link included. Customs says it will never send customers text messages asking them to pay duty. In one example, a text reads "We have attempted to deliver your package but there is an unpaid Customs charge", then provides a link. Another variation reads: "Customs duty is still pending. Please solve the problem or we will send your order back to the sender address", then provides a link.
