Northland's District Health Board has quelled a Facebook rumour that a young, unidentified boy has passed away in Whangarei Hospital. Multiple Facebook posts yesterday stated a young boy had died after being injured weeks ago, and no one knew who he was.
However, a DHB spokeswoman said the messages were untrue. "We urge all members of the public to be responsible. Please make sure that any information you share is correct - in this case the information was untrue and has cause significant distress to many whanau."
Home loans up
The number of loans issued by Westpac to first home buyers in Northland increased by 44 percent in just one year. Northland ranked second in the percentage increase behind Marlborough which recorded a rise of 74 percent between September 2016 and September 2017.
However, the number of loans to first home buyers in Marlborough were smaller - from 31 to 54 - compared to Northland figures that went up from 108 to 155 during that period. In comparison, the number of mortgages offered to first home buyers nationally rose 12 percent to 5553. Shane Howell, of Westpac, said affordability issues in Auckland and the Reserve Bank's more-restrictive loan to value rules for property investors had prompted first home buyers to move to Northland.
Pursuit successful
A 20 minute police pursuit ended with a vehicle being spiked and a 27-year-old man being arrested. Whangarei police Inspector Al Symonds said officers had stopped a male driver near Onerahi about 11pm on Tuesday and were carrying out an alcohol breath test when they discovered the man had warrants out for his arrest.
The man, with a female passenger, allegedly drove off towards Parua Bay and then on to Wrack Rd where he drove over police road spikes and stopped a short distance later on Mt Tiger Rd. The man was to appear in Whangarei District Court on charges of dangerous driving, failing to stop and possession of an offensive weapon.
CAB safety session
Citizens Advice Bureau Whangarei is offering a free information session on keeping yourself safe in New Zealand. The information is targeted at new migrants learning survival strategies in a new country, but all are welcome to benefit from the talk.
Whangarei Police officer James Calvert will present ideas on personal, family, home, car and business safety plans, with tips and tricks learned from policing over many years. The session is next Thursday at the CAB rooms at the Municipal Building on Bank St, starting at 5.30pm with refreshments, and finishing by 7pm.