A Kerikeri man has started a Givealittle page to raise money for his campaign to ban the horticultural spray Hi-Cane. Earlier this month John Levers convinced the Environmental Protection Agency there were grounds for re-assessment of Hi-Cane spray but the next step in the re-assessment process involves a fee of more than $28,000. His Givealittle page (go to givealittle.co.nz and search for "Hi-Cane") had raised $540 as of yesterday. Possible outcomes of a re-assessment, if it proceeds, are tighter controls on the use of the spray or an outright ban. Hi-Cane is used on kiwifruit orchards in July or August to promote bud break. The spray has been banned in the EU since 2010 but NZ Kiwifruit Growers Inc says without it the kiwifruit industry in Northland would be uneconomic.
Stuck on cliff
A dramatic rescue was under way near Russell at edition time yesterday after an Australian tourist called emergency services to report he was stuck halfway up a cliff. The man's location was unclear at first with rescuers initially directed to Donkey Bay and then Tapeka Pt before the man was eventually spotted about 1.30pm on a rocky point southwest of Tapeka, with the nearest road access at Pukematu Lane, off Flagstaff Rd. Volunteers of the Russell Fire Brigade were joined by a team from Paihia Fire Brigade specifically trained in cliff rescues. By 3.45pm they had set up their gear and descended the cliff; at edition time they were waiting for a Whangārei-based Search and Rescue cliff rescue team to arrive with extra personnel and equipment. The rescuers were in contact with the tourist. It is thought he was walking around the shore when he was trapped by the rising tide and tried to climb the cliff.
DHB technologists to strike
Almost 1100 DHB-employed medical imaging technologists across New Zealand, including Northland, strike for 24 hours from 7am on September 30 and will vote on a second 24-hour strike on Wednesday October 2, after nine months of employment agreement negotiations have failed to secure a settlement. MITs work in radiology services, assisting with diagnosis and treatment of patients using X-rays, CT, MRI, mammography, angiography and nuclear medicine, involving around 80 per cent of all hospital patients.
