Northland news in brief: Two big Lotto wins; wet Labour Weekend expected

Two Lotto tickets sold in Northland each won $142,857 with Strike Four on Wednesday.

Lotto winners

While the massive $42 million Lotto Powerball win on Wednesday went to Pokeno, rather than Northland, two Northland players still won more than $100,000 on Strike.
Seven Strike players nationally each won $142,857 with Strike Four on Wednesday. One of the winning tickets was sold at Kamo Lotto and the other online at MyLotto to a player from Northland. The wining Strike numbers were 4, 19, 3 and 31.

Wet Labour Weekend

MetService is forecasting some wet and humid weather this Labour Weekend, in Northland. A heavy rain watch was in force for Northland north and east of Kaikohe until 10pm last night. That rain over northern New Zealand is expected to extend into the Tasman Sea as a low-pressure system develops there, then spread to western regions on Saturday night. This means it's shaping up to be a humid, grey, wet, and blustery Labour Weekend for Northland, although a brighter but possibly showery Monday is in store with lighter winds. High pressure still has a firm grip further south, making for settled weather until the rain arrives in the west on Saturday night before crossing the country on Sunday.

Women to be released from MIQ

Plans are in place for the release of two Covid-positive women who allegedly breached Auckland's northern border to travel to Northland from quarantine. The women will be allowed to leave their respective MIQ facilities next week. It is understood police will then speak to them formally about their alleged breach. On October 9 Northland was moved back into alert level 3 restrictions after it was revealed two women had travelled from Auckland without proper permission.

Car rolls

A pair of motorists were left shaken but unhurt when their Mazda car rolled in wet conditions on a notorious stretch of road in Whangārei Heads. The car came to rest on its roof at the intersection of Whangārei Heads Rd and Wharf Rd in Parua Bay on Thursday around 1pm. Paramedics treated the two people at the scene while Whangārei Heads volunteer firefighters and police cleared the road. Fire chief Paul MacDonald said the location of the crash at the base of Darkies Hill - as dubbed by locals - was the number one black spot when it came to road accidents at the Heads. He reminded motorists to drive to the conditions, especially in wet weather.

Off-roader crash

Two men were injured when their side-by-side off roader lost control and rolled on Ninety Mile Beach on Wednesday afternoon. The accident occurred about 4.20pm 3km north of the Kaka St ramp at Ahipara. The men were thrown from the offroader as it flipped. Ahipara fire chief Dave Ross said the men had been "knocked about" but were still walking. Fire and police four-wheel-drive utes shuttled the men to an ambulance waiting at Kaka St. They were taken to Kaitaia Hospital in a moderate condition.

Employment figures

An estimated average of 96,600 people were working in Northland (both fulltime and part-time; employed and self-employed) in the year ended June 2021. This is 5 per cent higher (4500 people) than the number working in the year ended June 2020. Nationally, the number of people working increased by 0.8 per cent during the year ended June 2021. Over the past year, the number of people working has increased faster in Northland than in any other region, with five regions experiencing a decrease, including Taranaki, Otago and Southland. This is also a longer-term trend. Since 2016, the number of people working in Northland has increased by 19,900 or 26 per cent, above the national growth of 14 per cent and all other 11 regions (ranging from 2 per cent to 18 per cent).

Man in serious condition

A Far North man has been flown to hospital in a serious condition after his car rolled on Broadwood Rd, North Hokianga, about 2.20pm on Tuesday. The man, who was recovering from a recent surgery, was airlifted from the crash site by the Northland Rescue Helicopter. Volunteer firefighters responded from Ahipara, Kohukohu and Kaitaia along with police, and a St John Ambulance.