Lotto lament
Northlanders missed out on Wednesday night's major Lotto wins. Two lucky Lotto players from Snells Beach and Tauranga will instead enjoy a $500,000 Lotto First Division boost to their bank accounts. Powerball was not struck and has rolled over to Saturday night, where the jackpot will be $10 million. Strike Four has also rolled over and will be $300,000 on Saturday night.
Super collective
Thousands of FIRST Union members at Countdown supermarkets have voted to accept a significant new 2-year Collective Agreement that includes wage increases of about 12 per cent, a starting Living Wage, improvements to pandemic leave and sick leave, and commitments to work collaboratively on urgent security and staffing issues. The new agreement, negotiated by FIRST Union delegates and nationally voted on by members over the last month, puts Countdown workers on some of the highest wages in the supermarket industry and could lay the groundwork for a Fair Pay Agreement (FPA) in the sector to cover all workers across the country, said Ben Peterson, FIRST Union Acting Retail and Finance Secretary.
Road closing
Part of Ngapipito Rd, an important route linking Moerewa with Mangakahia Rd south of Kaikohe, will be closed this weekend while council contractors replace a culvert. The affected section of road will close from 5pm today until 6am on Monday while a 4.5m-deep trench is dug for the large stormwater culvert. The work is part of a wider project to seal Ngapipito Rd. One of the signposted detours will follow State Highway 12 from Kaikohe to Ōhaeawai and continue on SH1 via Pākaraka to Moerewa, while the other, from SH15 south of Kaikohe, will direct traffic though Punakitere Valley and Matawaia via Orakau Rd onto SH1 at Moerewa. Ngapipito Rd is one of three Far North roads being upgraded thanks to a $20.7 million Provincial Growth Fund grant. The others are Peria Rd, to improve an alternative link to Kaitāia, and Ruapekapeka Rd, a bypass for SH1 south of Kawakawa.
Skatepark opening
A fun day has been organised at Ngunguru Sports Complex on Saturday to celebrate the settlement's new skatepark and to fundraise for the next stage of the park.
The event, from 11am to 3pm, promises to be a fun day for all the family, with face painting, an auction, pony rides and a bouncy castle among the attractions.
People are asked to dress up in colourful clothing to match the colourful new skatepark.
