Two teenagers arrested in relation to the second ram-raid of a Whangārei dairy have been referred to Youth Aid. The females, 16 and 17, allegedly ram-raided the Bank Street Foodmart last Saturday morning and made off with tobacco products. The dairy was first ram-raided on December 29 last year and police are still investigating that incident.
Crash near Waiharara
One person was taken to Kaitaia Hospital after a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 1 just north of Waiharara on Wednesday evening. The car came to rest on its roof about 6.50pm but injuries were not thought to be serious. Police, St John Ambulance and Kaitaia Fire Brigade attended.
Call for more truckies
Northlanders able to drive trucks are being asked to get behind the wheel to help overcome impending supply issues caused by Omicron. New Zealand faces an indefinite length of time in the red "traffic light" which will strain the supply chain, says Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett. "We know there are New Zealanders out there with a Class 2, 4 or 5 licence, suitable for a heavy vehicle, who are not currently working as truck drivers and we are asking them to consider making themselves available in the weeks and months ahead." Drivers can register their interest via email at admin@transporting.nz.
Orchestra cancels tour
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra has cancelled a seven-date North Island tour in February, which included a date in Kerikeri, due to the country moving to red. The Art of Fugue tour was to begin in Wellington on February 11, followed by concerts in Paraparaumu, Gisborne, Whakatāne, Tauranga, Auckland and Kerikeri until February 19. Advance ticket sales for The Art of Fugue, part of the NZSO's year-long 75th-anniversary celebrations this year, had already exceeded 100 people in several centres. The NZSO will review its schedule for other concerts in the coming months.
Waitangi jazz picnic
The Northern Jazz Society is holding a Sunday Jazz Picnic in Whangārei on February 6, Waitangi Day. The Sunday Jazz Picnic at Onerahi's Flames Hotel Lava Bar (or inside if wet) features the Joe Carbery Swingtet with Joe on vocals/sax, Stuart Lawrence on double bass and Doug Robertson on guitar. The picnic is from 2pm to 4.30pm.
