Missing teen girl
Northland police are hoping anybody who knows Mya Heteraka can help find the missing 14-year-old Far North girl. Mya has not made contact with her whanau since she left an address in Kaeo on April 14. She usually lives in Kaitaia. Police said there have been reported sightings of Mya in Whangarei and Kaitaia but they have not been confirmed. ''We are asking for any information in relation to her whereabouts including sightings or any recent contact with her. Obviously family and police have concerns for her safety,'' Kaikohe police said in a statement. Her family has agreed for her photo to be published in the hope it will bring forward information. Contact Kaikohe police on 09 405 2960.
Robbery features on TV
A serious police case involving the robbery of a Whangarei bank by masked and armed robbers featured on TV crimefighting series Police Ten 7 last night. A heavily disguised duo robbed the ANZ bank on the corner of Bank St and Rust Ave in central Whangarei, on March 24 about 11.30am. They demanded cash before fleeing and getting into a red Holden Commodore in Second Ave. Anyone with information on the robbery can ring Whangarei police on 09 430 4500 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Honey hurtles down bank
A driver found himself in a sticky situation when a trailer sheered away from his ute and its load of eight 300kg drums of honey hurtled down a bank. The spill happened on State Highway 1 late yesterday morning when the northbound vehicle went over the bridge near Waiomio Marae, south of Kawakawa. The trailer veered across the opposite lane and plummeted down the bank, taking about 10m of wire fencing out on its way. The trailer was damaged and the heavy drums battered and bent. Police are investigating.
Three scrub fires
Twenty firefighters and a helicopter with monsoon buckets were called out to quell three separate vegetation fires threatening to meet up in an area between Puketona and Haruru. The alarm was raised mid-afternoon yesterday when the fires, thought to be lit to burn rubbish and vegetation, spread on the ground. No properties were endangered. Fire crews attended from Paihia, Kaikohe and Kerikeri.
Good in the Hood
Community voting in Z Energy's Good in the Hood is due to start on May 1 at every Z service station around New Zealand. It's a chance for Northlanders to have a say in how $1 million of community funding should be split between groups doing good in their own neighbourhoods. Z Retailers and staff on the ground at each Z site have selected groups they think best represent the needs of their areas, in an effort to make sure local needs are getting addressed. From May 1 you can search any Z service station at https://z.co.nz/about-z/find-us, to see which groups are participating in voting at each Z site.
