Northland news in brief: Fleeing driver hits pole; lookout cordoned off

The driver of this car, who was fleeing from police, crashed into a power pole in Tikipunga, cutting power to about 250 properties.

Four people including a 25-year-old female driver fled from a car after allegedly trying to flee from police and then crashing into a power pole. Senior Sergeant Brian Swann said officers spotted the car on Corks Rd in Tikipunga, Whangārei, shortly after midnight on Tuesday but it continued on Vinegar Hill Rd. The car crashed, rolled and struck a power pole before coming to rest on its side. All four people in the vehicle ran off but the driver was found in the area later on in the morning and taken to Whangārei Hospital with some injuries. Police were to interview the woman, who remained in hospital late yesterday, and driving-related charges were expected to be laid. The power was cut to about 253 customers in the area. A team from Northpower had replaced the pole by 10.30am yesterday.

Lookout cordoned off

Onerahi Lookout was off-limits to the public for part of yesterday as police investigated reports of a woman being assaulted there. The lookout that has views across Whangārei Harbour was cordoned off as police searched the area in the morning. No further information was available from police.

Cat in the Hat is coming

Showcase Entertainment Group is bringing its international production of Dr Seuss' The Cat in the Hat to Northland over next month's school holidays. It's believed to be the first post-Covid theatrical tour in the world. Venues will include Whangārei's Forum North on July 19, at 10.30am, 1pm and 3.30pm, tickets selling via Ticketek.

Accolade for Harker Herbals

Waipū company Harker Herbals has been awarded Highly Commended in the Marketing - $2 million-plus category in the Natural Health Products NZ annual awards.
Recognising a gap in the market for a children's range, Harker Herbals brought in herbalist Paul Mitchell to develop a modern range of herbal syrups for children. On the back of its success, Mitchell went on to create the Be Well range for adults in 2018. Judges said they were impressed by Harker Herbals' creation of a range of modern herbal formulations for adults that would attract younger, health-conscious consumers who were not already engaged with the brand through its Malcolm Harker tonics.

Siren volume sounded out

The Kerikeri fire station siren went off several times on Monday afternoon, not for an emergency but for acoustic testing. The tests, in which the siren sounded up to five times around 2pm, allowed an expert to measure the volume at various points in the town centre. It was prompted by a complaint earlier this year about the siren's volume. Other callouts for the brigade on Monday included a non-injury ute rollover at the bottom of Bulls Gorge about 8.50am and a report of a scrub fire at Rangitane about 9.45am, which turned out to be a controlled rubbish fire.

CLARIFICATION: In a story in Tuesday's Northern Advocate it was stated that clean-up work on a toxic dump site in Ruakākā could start in three weeks. Three tenders for the work have been received and these are being evaluated. Whangārei District Council hopes to be in a position to announce the way forward in about three weeks once all procurement processes have been completed. Work cannot start until this work has been done.