Northland news in brief: Feelers finish tour in North; and mobile GP clinic at Pataua

Kiwi band The Feelers - with lead singer James Reid, above - end their summer tour in the Bay of Islands on Saturday.

Kiwi pop/rock band The Feelers finish off their summer tour in Northland this weekend with a gig at Zane Grey's On the Dock, in Paihia. The band, which had a string of hits, including Venus, Supersystem, Pressure man and Astronaut, plays Saturday from 7pm–11.30pm. The gig is the culmination of the band's summer tour, which has also visited Whitianga, New Plymouth, Taupō and Waihi.

Mobile GP clinic at Pataua
The Ki A Ora Ngātiwai mobile GP clinic is at Pataua Bridge south side today from 10am-noon. The local Māori health provider offers its free GP services out of a self-contained van every second Friday for around two hours and sees between 10 and 15 patients per day.

Support for new teachers
Newly qualified teachers in Northland whose classroom experience was cut short because of last year's Covid lockdowns can apply for extra mentoring support. All first-year registered teachers employed in a teaching role in 2021 who weren't able to complete up to 25 per cent of their practical requirements in 2020 are eligible for a place on the free Enhanced Induction and Mentoring programme. The $4.7 million government programme could potentially support as many as 1700 new teachers this year and will be delivered nationwide by the University of Auckland, in partnership with six universities and the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. Find out more at: Enhanced Induction and Mentoring Programme – University of Auckland.

Blessing at NorthTec marae
NorthTec will hold a dawn ceremony at 5am on Tuesday, February 9, to bless, name and unveil the new tomokanga (entranceway) at Te Puna o te Mātauranga marae, on the Raumanga campus. Visitors will assemble in the carpark by Gate 1 in Raumanga Valley Rd.

Gals go fishing
The NZ Luxury Marine Services Nautigals Tournament is on this weekend at the Whangārei Deep Sea Anglers Club, at Tutukaka. The female fishers will be casting their lines on Saturday and Sunday from 6.30am. The tournament is a chance for the gals to show the guys just how it's done and features some serious fun, including a live band, and some serious competition for a prize pool of $25,000.

River water supply under pressure
Bulk water carriers at Te Hiku, in the Far North, will soon fill-up from their own temporary water supply as the Far North District Council moves to reduce pressure on Kaitaia's primary water source, the Awanui River. Rainfall has largely missed the Awanui catchment and levels in the river have declined steadily since the beginning of December. Without significant rain, it is predicted river flows could fall below the Northland Regional Council water take consent level within weeks or even sooner. Kaitaia is already on Level 3 restrictions banning many outdoor water uses. To further reduce demand on the town supply, Far North District Council will reopen a Sweetwater bore it already has resource consent to draw water from. The water will be treated onsite by a mobile water treatment plant and piped to a metered tanker collection point at the south end of Bird Rd. It is intended to have the Kaitaia Sweetwater Temporary Emergency Tanker Supply operational by the middle of February.