Northland news in brief: Meet the candidates, crash victim, Celebrity Treasure Island and more

Northland Captain Jordan Olsen at a training run last week. The Northern Advocate has a double pass to giveaway for Thursday's match against Auckland.

Meet the candidates

A meet the candidates event is being held at the Cornerstone Church/Te Whare Karakia o Manako, on the corner of the Heritage Bypass, in Kerikeri from 7pm on August 26. All candidates will be invited. The meeting is being organised by Kerikeri Ratepayers Association, which will hold its AGM beforehand from 5.30pm, and Transition Towns Bay of Islands. Nominations for the mayoralty, council and community board close on August 16. So far at least seven people have put their hands up to be the next Far North mayor.

Crash victim named

A man killed in Northland's latest fatal crash after he was thrown at least 8m across a canal after the vehicle he was driving went off the road has been named by police.
He was 49-year-old Malcolm Wallace, from Dargaville. Wallace died at the scene on Te Kowhai Rd, Ruawai, about 4.25pm last Wednesday. It appeared the driver, and sole occupant in the vehicle, had not been wearing a seatbelt and was thrown across a 5m-wide canal after the vehicle struck a tree, rolled over and landed on its tyres. The death brings Northland's road toll to 19. It includes five fatalities where people were not wearing a seatbelt.

Celebrity Treasure Island

Sixteen celebrities - including former Northland woman Rosanna Arkle - star in a Celebrity Treasure Island that starts screening on television on Sunday. Two captains hold all the power but only one person will find the hidden treasure. Hosted by Sunday reporter and Survivor New Zealand's Matt Chisholm and ZM radio's Drive host, Bree Tomasel, in the reboot of this iconic Kiwi classic celebrity castaways will battle it out in Fiji, for the chance to win $100,000 for their charity. This season, the celebrity treasure hunters are: Athena Angelou, Barbara Kendall, Eric Murray, Gary Freeman, Jodie Rimmer, Karl Burnett, Ladi6, Lana Van Hout, Lily McManus, Matty McLean, Moses Mackay, Rosanna Arkle, Sam Wallace, Shane Cameron, Shannon Ryan and Zac Guildford. TV2 7pm.

Working bee and planting day

A working bee and planting day is being held at Rangikapiti on Thursday from 9.30am. Most of the planting will take place near the end of Kotare Rd, down near the eastern end of Coopers Beach, and people are advised to meet there or drive to the end of Rangikapiti Rd (the tar-sealed bit) and walk down the Kohekohe Point track. For 13 years volunteers have worked to cull invasive weeds in the area.

Whitebait season starts

Whitebait fritters will be back on the menu from Thursday when the season starts. The Department of Conservation (DoC) is reminding whitebaiters to follow the rules to protect the whitebait fishery and say there are no changes to the regulations for the 2019 season.
The season runs from August 15 to November 30 everywhere except the West Coast of the South Island, where it runs from September 1 to November 14. Whitebait are juveniles of six species of native fish: giant kōkopu, banded kōkopu, shortjaw kōkopu, inanga, kōaro and common smelt. During the season, whitebaiting is permitted from 5am to 8pm or 6am to 9pm when daylight saving starts. DoC administers whitebaiting regulations that cover methods of fishing, location of whitebaiting sites, legal fishing times and net size. Illegal whitebaiting carries a maximum fine of $5000 and whitebaiting equipment can be seized. DoC will be patrolling whitebaiting sites and talking to whitebaiters throughout the season to ensure people are complying with the regulations.

Rugby pass

The Northern Advocate has a double pass to give away for this Thursday's Mitre 10 Cup rugby match between Northland's mighty Taniwha and Auckland at Northland Events Centre in Whangārei at 7.35pm. All you need to do is email editor@northernadvocate.co.nz your full name, address and a contact phone number by Wednesday 3pm. The winner will be notified by phone.