Northland news in brief: Fatal Moerewa crash, arrest over gun incident

Kaipara District Council chief executive Louise Miller is stepping down in October this year. Photo / Supplied

KDC chief to step down

Louise Miller, chief executive of Kaipara District Council, will step down from her role after the new council is sworn in this October. Miller said she did not take the decision lightly but opted to do what was right for Kaipara and her family. She said the new role, to stabilise the council through the reforms and to create a new direction for Northland, belonged to someone else. Mayor Dr Jason Smith commended her for the past four years, saying she oversaw with flair the transformation of KDC to become a trusted council capable of taking on big projects. Miller plans to travel Europe and visit family.

Fatal Moerewa crash

The man who died after a crash near Moerewa early yesterday was pulling out of the Affco freezing works carpark when his vehicle was hit by a truck. A spokesperson for the police Serious Crash Unit said the Mid North man was the sole occupant of a car that collided with a fuel tanker and trailer heading south on State Highway 1 about 12.10am. It was thought the 21-year-old had just finished a shift at Affco but that had not yet been confirmed. He was taken by St John Ambulance to Bay of Islands Hospital in nearby Kawakawa but died before a rescue helicopter arrived to transfer him to Whangārei. The truck driver was uninjured. The cause of the crash was still under investigation. Kawakawa fire chief Wayne Martin said firefighters used cutting equipment to free the car driver.

Crips-related arrests

Northland police arrested 10 people, mostly associated with the Crips gang after a crackdown on ram raids and youth offending. Detective Senior Sergeant Rob Huys, Whangārei area investigations manager, said 10 people had been arrested on 32 charges including burglary, unlawful possession of ammunition and demanding with intent to rob. Police also executed five search warrants, recovering stolen clothing, jewellery and a jetski. Huys asked people to report any suspicious activity online at 105.police.govt.nz, call police on 105, or report anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

Gun incident charge

One person was arrested after a firearms incident in Ruatangata West on Wednesday. A person presenting a firearm was reported to police around 12.30pm, a police spokesperson said. A 22-year-old man has been charged with a firearms offence and will appear in the Whangārei District Court.

Youths arrested over robbery

Two youth offenders were arrested after a robbery in Kamo around 8.30am yesterday. A group of males allegedly entered a shop armed with a metal bar, took many items and left, a police spokesperson said. There were no reports of injuries, and inquiries are ongoing. Police encouraged anyone with information to call police on 105 or Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting file number 220713/8627.

Cannabis-growing role admitted

A Vietnamese national has admitted his involvement in a cannabis-growing operation in which police seized more than 4000 plants and 45.1 kilograms of cannabis head material. But he denies police claims he masterminded the venture. Long Van Tran, 19, was one of four men – all Vietnamese nationals – arrested when police swooped on a rural property in Robinson Rd, at Whangārei Heads, earlier this year. Tran pleaded guilty in Whangārei District Court yesterday to cultivating cannabis and possession of it for sale. Tran could not be sentenced until a dispute about his level of involvement in the venture was resolved which is to be decided at an upcoming hearing. Tran's lawyer said his client arrived a few days ahead of the arrests to help with harvesting and was not involved any further than that in the operation. But prosecutor Nicole Jamieson said the Crown had evidence Tran was the principal offender. He was further remanded on bail.