As the chief executive of Northland DHB, I wish to respond to recent letters alleging board member conflicts of interest.

IT'S BEEN a while since we heard of the 'Look Up Te Hiku' movement. Flags were erected, briefly, on the tallest of poles, exhorting us to look up physically as well as metaphorically...

A long-time commercial fisherman lost half a large shed and much of his equipment to fire on Thursday, but the outcome could have been much worse.

One Kaitaia woman was so sickened by Fisheries officers' most recent seizure of illegally-harvested paua that she has voiced her outrage on Facebook.

Kaitaia Intermediate School joined the list of those around the country that have received hoax bomb threats last week, but if someone was hoping that the pupils would be released from their classes they would have been disappointed.

The Kaitaia Rugby Club Family Day attracted an estimated 40 people who spent a good part of Saturday picking up rubbish around the reef at Ahipara.

In the early 60s Lake Ngatu, also known as Russell Lake, was pristine, and all Paparore School swam daily in summer.

Seaweek 2016 gets underway on Saturday, and once again there will be plenty of opportunities for involvement.

A friendly little wire-haired terrier by the name of Rocky has disappeared from his Houhora Heads Road home at Pukenui, and his elderly owner is desperately hoping for his return.

Seaside property in Russell is on the market - complete with its own 18-hole golf course.

With Far North breaks turning on epic conditions, the competitors stepped up and ripped into some high-performance walls during the 12th New Zealand Police Association National Surfing Competition last week.

Realising the dream of a healthy ngahere teeming with native birds is getting closer for the North Hokianga's Warawara communities.

A 24-year-old Kaitaia man who had earlier denied but been convicted by a jury of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm has been jailed for eight years.

The Laughing Samoans will be back at Kerikeri's Turner Centre on Friday with their latest offering, 'Island Time!'

In 2003 Helen Clark and Margaret Wilson forced through the abolition of appeals to the Privy Council. This was despite opposition from a majority of New Zealanders. Calls for a referendum fell on deaf ears. The government got its way by steadfastly ignori

THE United States' convoluted electoral process doesn't have much in common with ours, which is a good thing. But Democrat presidential contender Bernie Sanders struck a familiar note when he announced that he was offering free health care and education..

Dr Margaret Dudley was formally welcomed on to the Auckland University marae last week, in recognition of her status as the first Maori full-time (and permanent appointee) as a doctorate of clinical psychology lecturer.

Police have yet to make an arrest over the shooting of a man in Archibald Street, Kaitaia, on February 12 (Old soldier a victim too? February 16), but the investigation bore fruit last week when a search warrant was executed at an address at Taipa.

The Northland economy is doing much better. It has just posted its lowest level of unemployment in nearly eight years - down to 6.2 per cent. That's really good to see, but it's not enough.

Kerikeri's volunteer firefighters are planning an all-out assault on Auckland's Sky Tower. And while they're at it they hope to raise at least $10,000 for leukaemia patients.

It hasn't all been plain sailing for the Ahipara Health and Resource Centre (AHRC) since it was established by three local women in 1996, with the exclusive aim of meeting the health needs of the local community and surrounding districts.

A 51-year-old Swiss tourist died at Ahipara on Tuesday afternoon, despite the efforts of two passersby, then St John and fire crews from Ahipara and Kaitaia to revive him.

After missing the Capital Classic at the end of January, Sue Rogers resumed her New Zealand Ocean Swim Series campaign by taking part in the Christchurch Crown on Saturday.

The Mangonui champions got their pre-season build-up off to another good start by giving a good account of themselves at the national club rugby sevens championships in Wainuiomata earlier this month.

Former Customs officer Allen Jones does not have an opinion on whether Scott Watson is guilty or innocent of murdering Ben Smart and Olivia Hope on or about January 1, 1998.

Year 4 pupils at Ohaeawai School have received brand new Chromebooks, part of the roll-out at the Kaikohekohe Education Network of seven schools which are part of the Manaiakalani Outreach programme.

The ultra-right wing National Party sold off profit-making assets the taxpayers of New Zealand had built up over a long time. Moneyed people were the beneficiaries of this, not the workers.

WINSTON PETERS was fuming last week after the Ministry of Education, or even the ministers who lead it according to his publicly-expressed suspicions, prevented him from boarding a Mangakahia Area School bus.

A Kaitaia woman is the first person in the country to receive publicly-funded medical cannabis to control severe epilepsy.

He lived alone and he was not in good health, but Selwyn Fraider has no doubt that fellow Vietnam veteran Ian McLeod was a victim of Friday morning's drive-by shooting in Kaitaia.