Northland news in brief

Whangārei's Riki Lum hopes his dexterity with a digger will serve him well when he represents Northland at the National Excavator Operator Competition in Feilding next week.

Digger skills tested

Whangārei man Riki Lum will don his hard hat and climb into the cab of a 12-tonne digger next week when he represents Northland at the National Excavator Operator Competition in Feilding. Lum is one of 10 regional champions from around New Zealand who will test their excavator skills at a series of entertaining and highly challenging tasks that won't be revealed until competition day.

In the past these have ranged from tests of real-world skills such as traversing a trench or lifting and relocating a manhole cover, to crowd-pleasing tests of precision such as uncorking a champagne bottle using an excavator bucket's teeth or slam dunking a basketball into a two-storey concrete pipe.

"It will be good to meet up with others from the industry," Lum said. "Last year was my first nationals but a lot of the guys have been a few times before. I'm not worried about the driving side of things but the other scenarios like first aid and preparing job quotes on the spot can be challenging." The finals event will take place on March 15-16 during the Central Districts Field Days at Manfeild Park.

Green awards popular

The first-ever Far North Go Green Awards to be held at The Duke of Marlborough Hotel in Russell have elicited an enthusiastic response from throughout the region. Tickets to the charity dinner on March 28 sold out by mid-February. The promoters of the event, Russell Recyclers, also closed off entries to the Recycled Fashion Award a month earlier than anticipated when maximum capacity was reached. There are four award categories: Good Green Idea Award, Outstanding Citizen Award, Outstanding Company or Organisation Award and Outstanding School Award. A total of 21 nominees made the finals.

Kerikeri artist residency

Applications have opened for the 2019 Wharepuke Dalton Trust Artist in Residence programme, which offers an artist's fee and four weeks' accommodation in exchange for creating a work for permanent outdoor display at Wharepuke Sculpture Park in Kerikeri. The residency, worth $5500, is open to New Zealand-based and international artists. Go to www.artist-residencies.co.nz/funded-artist-residency before April 19.

Top businesses sought

Time is running out to nominate Northland businesses for the Air New Zealand Cargo ExportNZ Awards 2019, with entries closing on March 15. There's plenty more potential for entries from your area and it's a chance for businesses to highlight their success, gain the attention they deserve and show others how it's done. Check out www.exportexcelerator.co.nz/award-categories/ for more details.