Bay of Islands College performed a beautiful waiata to the tune of 'An Innocent Warrior', from Disney's 'Moana', at the Te Tai Tokerau Cultural Festival.

This little kiwi chick was only eight days old when he was found rolled into a ball in the middle of a dry farm paddock, barely alive and baking under the hot sun. The farmer who found him took him to the Whangarei Bird Recovery Centre, where he has thrived.

Just two days of rain after a long, dry summer was enough to turn Haruru Falls, on the Waitangi River near Paihia, from a trickle to a thundering cascade today

Flash flooding at Bulls Gorge caused delays on SH10 south of Kerikeri today.

A former Kiwi Olympian landed a 163.4kg black marlin, the first to be speared in New Zealand waters.

Two people and a dog were been rescued after a tugboat hit rocks off Tutukaka. Northern Advocate reporter Kristin Edge paddled out in a waka to capture this video.

Whangarei man Henry Beattie was one of 22 teachers who graduated from the University of Auckland's Te Tai Tokerau campus on Friday. His students from Onerahi School and ex-students from Whangarei Intermediate School performed a haka for him as he walked through Whangarei with fellow graduates.

Megan Burns has been playing the trumpet for years but her number one fan is her great dane dog Ash.

Getting closer than 50m to a killer whale could set you back a couple hundred thousand or land you behind bars.

A widespread power outage has hit central Whangarei, closing some shops and affecting traffic amidst the last-minute Christmas rush.

Frogs with a taste for the urban lifestyle have moved into a Whangarei city park, complicating the clean-up of an out-of-commission water fountain. A rescue mission was mounted and as of yesterday afternoon, WDC's Recreational Services Contractor and coincidental frog enthusiast Nick Connop had removed four from the fountain. He relocated them to the suburbs, Third Ave's Botanica Fernery, describing it as the "perfect" new home for them. Meanwhile, one of the frogs made a bid for freedom as a worker showed it to children on the nearby playground. It hopped across the bark, passing between the ankles of a panicked toddler, but was quickly apprehended and delivered to its new home. University of Otago's frog research leader Professor Phil Bishop said the frogs could have come from backyard water features on Norfolk St, or Cafler or Rugby parks. They could easily hop across a few city blocks on a rainy night, Mr Bishop said. They could also be unwanted pets that had been released. He said it had been a bumper year for frogs and while the Green and Golden Bells were not native, they were "very endangered" in their Australian homeland, so a lot of New Zealand herpetologists felt the need to protect them. "It is nice that they've bothered to [save the frogs], being an introduced species they're not obliged to," he said. Mr Bishop said the flaw in the council's plan could be that frogs often migrated back to where they were captured from, though researchers did not understand how they did this. "You might have to put some signs on the roads and tell people to slow down - frog crossing - that sort of thing," he said.

More than 150 people turned out last night for a haka in solidarity with a group of indigenous Americans protesting a multibillion-dollar oil pipeline. Haka with Standing Rock is a kaupapa which has swept New Zealand, as Standing Rock's Sioux tribe continue to oppose the construction of an oil pipeline in North Dakota which they fear will threaten their water source and sacred sites. Yesterday, about 150 people gathered by Hihiaua Peninsula's Waka and Wave sculpture, where the floor was opened to speakers who drew parallels between the situation in North Dakota and issues affecting Northland Maori. These included the presence of an Australian drilling company at Puhipuhi, a controversial consent for a water bottling plant at Poroti and a finding that Maori did not cede sovereignty over Aotearoa. The all-ages crowd then launched into a series of three rousing haka. Kate Hei organised the haka with Huhana Lyndon who said the event was about "acting locally, thinking globally".

For the majority of students from Te Kura o Otangarei a trip to the Cook Islands led to many firsts including their first time overseas and their first time on a plane. While in Rarotonga and Aitutaki they visited a local school, went on cultural tours and became reef keepers. Here they are planting coral.

As Tyree lay in Whangarei Hospital over the weekend after a dog attack last Friday left him with serious facial injuries, theives went through his Hikurangi home and stole bags, clothes food and a precious PlayStation. PlayStation New Zealand have generously donated a brand new PlayStation 4 , as well as a pack of games and goodies.

Doctor, MP, and now rock star. When Whangarei's National MP Dr Shane Reti ducked down behind the stage after his speech at the opening of Te Kakano yesterday afternoon, people were expecting him to pop up with an acoustic guitar to lead a waiata. But no. "Myles, the sound please," said the MP, before launching into what can only be described as a te reo rock anthem, complete with distorted electric guitar. Mr Reti said the song was a well known Maori folk song composed by Hohepa Tamehana. "I first heard it a few years ago while doing the award winning Waipoua forest "Footprints" trek with local Maori. At that time the kaumatua sung this song to Tane Mahuta, the greatest living Kauri tree," Mr Reti said. The lyrics are: He kakano ahau (I am a seed) I ruia mai I rangiaatea (scattered from Rangiatea) And I, can never be lost I am a seed, born of greatness Descended from, a line of chiefs He kakano ahau (I am a seed) It earned him slightly baffled, but impressed applause from onlookers. "Clearly, a man of many talents," the MC observed.

Rotary's humanitarian projects and fundraising are improving and saving the lives of people across the oceans. Rotary clubs in District 9910 have been involved in getting a major hospital project in Vanuatu over the line. Reporter Kristin Edge visited the children's' ward at the hospital on Santo as the news was delivered to nursing staff.

Rotary's humanitarian projects and fundraising are improving and saving the lives of people across the oceans. Rotary clubs in District 9910 have been involved in getting a major hospital project in Vanuatu over the line. Reporter Kristin Edge visited the children's' ward at the hospital on Santo as the news was delivered to nursing staff.

More than 4000 people lined the main drag in Kerikeri today, in a show of support for local Olympic gold medalist Blair Tuke and sailing partner Peter Burling. The pair went above and beyond, with it taking well over an hour to complete the 500m journey along Kerikeri Rd. The champion sailors regularly leapt off the back of their parade vehicle to greet fans, take selfies and sign autographs. The boys then addressed a crowd gathered in Kerikeri domain, with Tuke describing the day as "very very special and humbling". "I've said it all along, I couldn't be prouder to be from the north, and to come back now with a couple of gold medals round our necks is a special moment for us. It's part of the reason we go so well, we know we've got the whole of the north behind us."

More than 1000 people walked Whangarei's Hatea Loop last night in a show of solidarity for a young woman who was subject to a vicious sexual attack on Friday while on her morning jog.

Watch the moment a box brimming with donations for Opua School is stolen from Opua General Store.

Watch kaihoe (paddlers) from a Waitangi Day waka fleet perform the "ka mate" haka on Tii Beach.

A midday hikoi from Te Tii Marae to the Treaty Grounds is a longstanding Waitangi day tradition. This year's marchers, who numbered in the thousands, called on the government to scrap the TPP trade deal. This clip shows the first half of the hikoi as it crosses Waitangi Bridge.

Maori from across the North Island marked the 170th anniversary of Ruapekapeka Pa on January 10, starting well before dawn with a spectacular day of ceremony, speeches and haka. This haka was in support of a speech by Te Awanuiarangi Black of Tauranga Moana.

British reggae band UB40 was welcomed to New Zealand on Tuesday night with a powhiri at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds by members of the cultural group Te Pito Whenua. After the speeches of welcome inside Te Whare Runanga, the carved meeting house, the band responded by singing You Could Meet Somebody as their waiata tautoko (a song performed to support a speaker). Here is a short excerpt.

A short taste of UB40's concert at Kainui Rd Winery, Kerikeri, as the band performs Red Red Wine for their final encore.

A helicopter (one of four - two from Paihia, two from Whangarei) empties a monsoon bucket just behind houses on SH12 east of Kaikohe during a December 13 blaze.

Smoke billows from a fire front in a paddock beside SH12, just east of Kaikohe, on December 13. The flames were just 10 metres from the home of Ed Wihongi at one stage.

Hana Koko (Santa in Maori) is welcomed by Waitangi kids after arriving by waka.

Hana Koko (Santa Claus in Maori) doesn't muck around with a sleigh and reindeer when he's in Northland - he arrives in style on a waka ama.

The last few volunteers bravely lose their locks as the hooter sounds marking one hour and a new world record. Bald Angels big shave at the Turner Centre, Kerikeri, November 20, 2015.