Northland news in brief: Ticket giveaway; and a big night for business champions

The six-strong cast of The Shows Must Go On features Northland-born and raised Hayden Tee. Photo /supplied

National flags on display

The 185th anniversary of the northern tribes' declaration of independence will be marked in Kaeo today with a display about New Zealand's national flags. He Whakaputanga o Te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni (the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand) was signed on October 2, 1835, by 34 northern rangatira at Waitangi. Another 18 chiefs added their signatures later. The handwritten document asserted, among other things, that mana and sovereign power in New Zealand resided fully with Māori, and pre-dated the Treaty by almost five years. The display, which includes New Zealand's first flag, Te Kara, has been organised by Heritage New Zealand and is at Whangaroa Memorial Hall.

Win tickets to The Shows Must Go On

Has Covid-19 stopped you going to Broadway?
Well, there's no need to despair, because Broadway is coming to Northland.
The Shows Must Go On, in the Turner Centre on November 4, stars six top Kiwi performers who'd usually be treading international stages but who are all home due to coronavirus travel restrictions.
Together they'll sing a slew of musical theatre showstoppers from the world's most popular shows including The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Hairspray, Dreamgirls, The Greatest Showman, We Will Rock You and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
The Kerikeri show will be extra-special for Hayden Tee, originally from Maungaturoto, because it'll be a rare chance to perform for a home audience.
"As a proud Northland boy born and bred it'll be a treat to sing on home soil, especially at a time when other countries don't have the same luxury," he said.
To be in to win a double ticket all you have to do is email baynews@northernadvocate.co.nz with your full name, address and contact phone number by 5pm on Friday. We'll draw one entry at random and notify the winner by phone. The winner's name will also be published in next week's Bay News. See turnercentre.co.nz or theshows.co.nz for tickets or more information.

Business Champions awards evening

The 2020 Westpac Northland Business Champions will be announced in Whangārei on Friday, November 6, at a function at Forum North's Kotahitanga Expo Hall. The evening will celebrate the best of Northland's businesses during a challenging year, marked by the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns, as well as showcasing local food and wine, with plenty of opportunity for networking and celebrating before, during and after the formalities.

Bird of the Year voting

Don't forget the cast your vote for Bird of the Year. Forest & Bird is inviting the public to vote for their five favourite native birds in this year's campaign aimed at raising awareness of the threats facing New Zealand's iconic species. Go to birdoftheyear.org.nz and follow #birdoftheyear.

The yellow eyed penguin or hoiho was crowned Bird of the Year for 2019. Photo / File

Basketball teams make top 10

Northland's under-15 girls' and under-17 boys' basketball teams finished seventh and 10th respectively at their national competitions over the weekend. The under-15 girls' side, who finished eighth last year, did one better in Waikato this year when they beat Taranaki 76-47 on Monday afternoon. One team member, Mahina Kukutai-Wairau, impressed across the three-day tournament and was selected in the tournament team. At the under-17 boys' national competition in Christchurch, Northland battled hard to finish 10th - a significant improvement on last year's 16th-place finish. The boys confirmed their spot in the top 10 with a 81-58 win over Hutt Valley on Monday evening.

Virus testing continues

Fifty-four Covid-19 tests were done across Northland over the long weekend. From Saturday to Monday, 16 people were tested at Whangārei's community-based testing centre at 20 Winger Cres in Kamo, 20 people were tested across Northland District Health Board hospitals and 18 people were tested at primary care facilities. Of the 18, 13 were tested at White Cross, with the remaining five tested at the Dargaville Medical Centre and the Raumanga Medical Centre.