As Lotto Powerball jackpots to an unprecedented $50 million tomorrow, a ticket sold in Northland won its holder $166,667 with Lotto First Division on Wednesday night. The ticket, sold at Four Square Coopers Beach, was among six that split the $1m First Division prize in Wednesday's draw. It's the third Lotto First Division winning ticket sold in Northland this year, along with 12 Lotto Second Division prizes. Powerball is a must-be-won $50m jackpot tomorrow, meaning if the First Division prize is not struck, the amount is divided among those who win Second Division, or if that is not struck, Third Division.
Mum backs cancer appeal
The mother of a Kaitaia teenager who died of leukaemia in 2016 will be among those volunteering in the Child Cancer Appeal today and Saturday. Georgia Buckingham, 16, had been in remission and was doing well after a successful bone marrow transplant so her death came as a shock to her family and friends. The family received huge support from the tight-knit Kaitaia community and the Child Cancer Foundation so since 2018 her mother, Jo Buckingham, has been giving back by helping with the organisation's annual street appeal. This year she will again wear her daughter's ''beads of courage'' — one bead is added after every treatment — during the appeal. One of Georgia's four siblings, Trent, plans to start studying pharmacology at Otago University this year because he is determined to find a cure for cancer.
Gums felled
Three gum trees are due to be felled at Kerikeri Basin on Monday. Part of the recreation reserve, next to the carpark on the north side of Kerikeri River, will be closed from 8am to 4pm while arborists carry out work. The trees are being removed because one has died and the others are at risk of dropping limbs that could endanger the public. The wood may be available to charitable organisations; contact Orang Otang arborists on (09) 431 5625 for more information.
