Northland news in brief: Prince Charles and Camilla coming; and road changes in Whangārei

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will be in Northland next month.

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will be in Northland next month as part of their New Zealand visit. Their Royal Highnesses will visit New Zealand from November 17 to 23 – their third joint visit to New Zealand and first in four years. They arrive in Auckland on November 17 and will travel to the Bay of Islands including the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Christchurch and Kaikōura. The exact details of their visit to the bay will be released at a later date.

Tarewa Rd works progressing

Road users will notice a significant milestone on a Whangārei road improvement project on Monday with a traffic switch at Tarewa Rd on State Highway 1. Traffic will move from one side of the road to the other through the Tarewa Rd intersection so the pavement across four lanes and the new bridge can be completed, the NZ Transport Agency said. Motorists will be able to drive on the new alignment from 7am on Monday morning. NZTA said the $17m upgrade of the Tarewa Rd intersection with SH1 is due for completion in mid-2020 and will improve the state highway through Whangārei by easing bottlenecks and improving traffic flow, safety and cycling connections.

Alleged thief charged

A man who allegedly stole a gold chain worth $9300 from a Whangārei jewellery shop has also been charged with steeling petrol and power tools. Jackson Tokomanahi Anderson, 31, of Wiri in Auckland, appeared in the Whangārei District Court on Thursday charged with stealing a 9ct 55cm heavy oval curb chain from Pascoes the Jewellers in Whangārei on Wednesday. He is also charged with stealing $130 worth of petrol from Mobil on Constellation Dr and stealing Dewaalt power tools worth $3337 from Mitre 10 Mega Wairau Valley. He was remanded in custody and is due to make an application for bail via an audio visual link in the Whangārei District Court on October 21.

Invaders deliberately targeted home

Police investigating a case in which three men allegedly entered a Kaikohe home, demanded cash from a man in the house before assaulting him, say it was not a random incident. Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Dalzell said following the alleged incident the trio fled with a number of items. The man suffered moderate injuries and has received medical treatment. Police are making a number of inquiries to establish what happened and who may be responsible. Dalzell reassured the community it did not appear to be a random incident and officers were speaking to the occupants to establish why the property may have been targeted.

Museum to celebrate milestone

The Dargaville Museum is holding its Birthday Bash on Sunday, October 30 from 10am to 3pm. There will be free entry to the museum on the day and fun for all the family. There will be "have a go" activities for children and The Cafe. For more info email info@dargavillemuseum.co.nz or check out www.dargavillemuseum.co.nz.

Northerners make awards finals

There are two Northland finalists in the New Zealand exercise industry awards, which will be announced next month. Nicci Webb, from Whangarei, is a finalist in the Up and coming personal trainer of the year category, while Core Restore – Northland is a finalist in the Programme excellence award. The winners of the ExerciseNZ event will be announced in Auckland on November 23.

Call for farm awards entries

Northland land-based businesses only have until the end of the month to enter the 2020 Ballance Farm Environment Awards. Chairwoman for the Northland competition and 2014 Supreme Winner, Jane Hutchings, is urging Northland farmers and other businesses to get behind this year's competition. A dairy farmer herself, Jane knows the negative attention farmers are receiving recently and says the Awards are an excellent way to show the rest of Northland just how much farmers are doing for the environment and the region. Applications can be made online at www.bfea.org.nz and entries close on October 31.