Police praise crash helpers
Members of the public are being thanked by police for their help at a crash scene on Whangarei Heads Rd yesterday. Two vehicles travelling in opposite directions, collided near a corner know by locals as Solomon's Point. One driver was taken to Whangarei Hospital as a precaution with minor injuries. Sergeant Craig Burrows said motorists stopped and did traffic control, as one lane was blocked, until police arrived. He said it was much appreciated.
Museum returns old bones
Koiwi (bones) of seven Ngati Manu ancestors will be returned to Northland this weekend after many years in the Whanganui Regional Museum. Ngati Manu spokesman Arapeta Hamilton said the bones had been stolen from a wahi tapu at Opua early last century. Discussions about their return started last year with the museum's Maori liaison staff; a group of 30 kuia and kaumatua from Whanganui would bring the koiwi home today, after which they would be reinterred at Otarare, a wahi tapu on the Ruapekapeka Block. Mr Hamilton said it would be a big cultural event for Ngati Manu, all the more so because of the close ties created by intermarriage with Whanganui people. The powhiri will start at 10.30 at Karetu Marae, east of Kawakawa.
Kids tackle triathlon
A record-breaking number of children will be participating in this weekend's Bay of Islands Weet-Bix kids TRYathlon at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. The popular kids' event, which is now sold out, will take place tomorrow with the TRYathlon starting at 9am. A total of 1384 kids aged between 7 and 15 will swim, cycle and run their way around the grounds. The adventure will begin at Te Tii Bay with a 200m swim followed by a 4km cycle and finishing with a 1.5km run. Participants will receive a medal at the finish line. This is the last of the current Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon series which started on December 3 last year. The first series, in 1992, saw just 800 entrants nationwide while numbers for the 2016-17 TRYathlon series were close to 30,000.
Gibson joins board
Ports of Auckland chief executive Tony Gibson has joined the board of Marsden Maritime Holdings, which owns half of Northport in Whangarei. The appointment is effective immediately, with Gibson replacing Peter Griffiths who left at the end of March, the company said. Gibson's appointment keeps the company's board at six, the statutory requirement for designated port companies. Shareholders will vote on the appointment at the next annual meeting in October. Ports of Auckland owns about 19.9 per cent of Marsden Maritime, with Northland Regional Council holding 54 per cent. Marsden Maritime jointly owns Northport with Port of Tauranga.
Bank raid probe continues
Police say they are continuing their investigation of the robbery of ANZ Bank in Whangarei two weeks ago. In a written release a police communications spokesman said: "Our investigation remains ongoing and nothing further to add at this stage." Police have not revealed how much money was taken in the robbery or how much had been recovered. Two masked armed men went into the bank just after 11.30am on March 22 and demanded money. Gavin Benney, former police officer and now Whangarei District Councillor, said he was threatened with what he believed was a firearm after he tried to intervene and stop two masked men who were running past Forum North. Mr Benney backed off and the men ran towards Central Ave. Mr Benney got into a car and went searching for the men but could not find them.
