Kerikeri surfer wins enterprise award
A Kerikeri teen has won the supreme award in this year's Top Energy Young Enterprise Scheme. Sky Gundry, 17, founder of Sky's Surf School, won the year-long, Northland-wide education programme in which students have to create a company and sell a real-life product or service. Sky set up a surf school for girls and women with the aim of building a community of confident Northland wāhine through exposure to the ocean and regular surfing lessons. Other big winners on the night were Jacob Fewtrell of Insight and last year's winner, Max Donaldson of Green Kiwi. Insight makes an automatic, solar-powered light which is activated when a mailbox is opened at night, while Green Kiwi produces a health supplement from locally grown olive leaves. All three are students at Kerikeri High School.
Man injured as neighbours clash
At least one person was injured, allegedly by a hammer to the back of the head, in an incident worthy of the Neighbours at War TV series on Kaikohe's Wihongi St on Thursday. Senior Sergeant Phil Le Comte of Mid-North police said one man was taken to Bay of Islands Hospital after a dispute between neighbours just before 2pm. The injured man was later identified as the initial aggressor and had been summonsed to appear in the Kaikohe District Court at a later date. Police had taken steps to ensure the safety of all parties. The Advocate understands a hammer and a crescent were used in the altercation.
Woman airlifted to hospital after crash
A woman was airlifted to hospital after crashing into a power pole in the Far North, cutting power and closing the road for almost two hours. The accident occurred just after 2pm on Mangamuka Rd in North Hokianga, about halfway between Mangamuka and the Kohukohu turnoff. The impact downed a pole and dropped power lines on to the road. Ōkaihau senior firefighter Ross Campbell said brigade volunteers cut the doors off the vehicle so the driver could be extricated and carried to the Northland Rescue Helicopter, which landed in a nearby paddock. It appeared the driver had lost control on a corner. She was flown to Whangārei Hospital in a moderate condition. One lane was opened to traffic about 3.30pm after Top Energy disconnected the power but low-hanging wires meant trucks still couldn't get through. The crash cut power to 69 households in Kohukohu and Mangamuka.
Power cut in Far North
Power will be cut off to the Karikari Peninsula in the Far North for three hours on December 1 while lines company Top Energy carries out essential maintenance. The outage, from 9am to noon, will affect the whole peninsula including Lake Ohia, Rangiputa, Tokerau Beach and Whatuwhiwhi. If the work has to be postponed it will be done on December 10 instead.
Sentencing next year on sex charges
A Northland man who admitted a raft of charges relating to sexual offending against young boys and supplying some of them with alcohol and cannabis will be sentenced next year. Ryan Mark Burrows, 33, appeared in the High Court at Whangārei on Thursday after he earlier pleaded guilty to 23 charges, related to offending against 15 boys aged 10-17 in the South Island and Northland. He admitted three counts of sexual connection with a young person, (which has a 10-year maximum jail term); 12 charges of doing an indecent act on a young person (10 years jail); three of receiving commercial sexual services from a person under 18 (seven years jail); two counts of indecent assault (seven years jail) and one each of doing an indecent act on a young person aged under 12 (10 years); supplying cannabis to a person under 18 (eight years) and wilfully attempting to obstruct the course of justice (seven years). Burrows will be sentenced in the High Court at Whangārei on March 1.
