Police graduates head North
Two new officers from a wing of 59 who graduated from the Royal New Zealand Police College yesterday are destined for Northland. Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement, other members of the Police Executive, Police Minister Hon Stuart Nash and wing patron Chief Coroner Judge Deborah Marshall were also at the graduation ceremony. Chief Coroner Marshall has been New Zealand's chief coroner since 2015. She is a former police officer who worked as a detective in the Auckland Criminal Investigation Branch where she specialised in fraud investigations. The new constables will have a one-week break before starting duties in their districts.
Dotterels start nesting
It's breeding season for the threatened banded dotterel (tūturiwhatu). Pairs are establishing nesting sites and beginning to lay their eggs. They often nest on the foreshore of beaches and sandspits, some can be found on shell banks in harbours and on gravel beaches. The dotterels are well camouflaged and it can be easy to overlook them which makes the endangered bird vulnerable to disturbance. Keeping vehicles such as quads or 4WDs away from nesting sites and below the high-water mark could reduce the likelihood of driving over nests and squashing eggs or chicks, as well as monitoring dogs closely when letting them off the leash.
Māori Language Awards
Nominations are open for Ngā Tohu Reo Māori, the annual Māori Language Awards. The awards recognise and celebrate people and groups contributing to the revitalisation of te reo Māori. Last year there were three Northland groups named as finalists and two winners. Te Hiku Media won the Aotearoatanga New Zealand Community category for Kōrero Māori, a project it started to allow computers and mobile devices to "speak" te reo Māori, while Whangārei Girls' High School was awarded a Ngā Tohu Kairangi Special Commendation Award for organising Whangārei's first Māori Language Week parade. Anyone can nominate, or be nominated until midnight on Sunday, November 3, 2019. Visit www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/events/nga-tohu-reo-maori if you want to nominate someone.
Garden safari weekend
Fifteen gardens, from petite to grand, urban to rural, will be open for the 32nd New World Rotary Garden Safari in and around Kerikeri on November 2-3. Refreshments will be available to buy at two locations, and Kerikeri Rotarians and Friends of the Rotary Club of Kerikeri will be on duty to ensure everyone enjoys themselves. Tickets ($30 for both days) are available at Kerikeri New World, the Needful Things Garden Centre, Redwoods Garden Centre, Unichem, Shoestyles, Paper Plus, Books on Hobson, Plant Zone, The Community Gym and Mitre 10, Waipapa.
Suicide prevention skills
LivingWorks' ASIST programme, billed as the world's leading suicide intervention programme, will present a two-day applied suicide intervention training workshop in Whangārei over November 5-6, designed to teach participants how to become more willing, ready, and able to intervene with someone at risk of suicide. The workshop is described as a resource for the whole community, enabling people to apply "suicide first aid" in settings from family and friends to the workplace and formal caregiving roles. Go to a-oknz.com/asist to register.
