I add my name to those who are astounded at the intent of the Far North District Council to put a fence along the Mangonui boardwalk.

A scholarship established in memory of a young Far North man who was killed while cycling to fire brigade training has been awarded to two teenagers who are keen to make a mark in the world of boxing.

Kaikohe couple Garry and Cynthia Moran say they have seen first-hand the human carnage created by vicious dog attacks in their street, Harold Ave, and are once again calling for tougher action on wandering dogs and their owners.

Cassidy Foster has a soft spot for the SPCA, so when she set out to earn some points towards a 'duties and services' honour at Kaitaia Intermediate School the beneficiary of her efforts was never in question.

Northland Coroner Brandt Shortland has described the death, "probably" by drowning, of Roydon Rangituatea Tapu at Cable Bay on January 8, as a real tragedy for his partner, his son and whanau.

Bay of Islands College senior boys took out the North Island AFL Secondary Schools championship in Auckland earlier this month.

Margaret Ilton dismissed her class at Oturu School for the weekend, and two weeks' holiday, for the final time on Friday, after a career that began 48 years ago, just over the hill.

The Far North lost a remarkable man when Thomas Richard (Tom) Young passed away suddenly at his home at Cooper's Beach early on Easter Sunday.

ANYONE who ever heard or read the late lamented Celia Lashlie probably has a reasonable idea of what she would think about the new workplace safety rules, at least as they apply to children.

An old soldier has joined the chorus of voices calling for tighter dog control laws after he and his best mate, eight-year-old terrier/chihuahua cross Sandy, were mauled by a dog in Kaikohe on Saturday.

The Doubtless Bay Croquet Club reported The Little Kitchen Tournament last Friday was well supported where, in ideal conditions, some of the most talented players in the province were in action showing off their skills with some long range croquet strokes

A 35-year-old man been charged with attempted murder in relation to an alleged shooting in Kaitaia in February.

Since the boardwalk was put in place there have been five Mangonui festivals, with thousands of people using the boardwalk, many of them partly inebriated, yet nobody has needed a fence to save them.

Far Northerners frequently head for the tropics as winter sets in, and Kaitaia man Joe Carter has a plea for those who might be thinking of Fiji.

The students at Kaitaia's Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Pukemiro will head for Te Oneroa-a-Tohe (90 Mile Beach) tomorrow, but not for a day off.

Two Starship paediatric specialists are warning parents to ensure their children are vaccinated against whooping cough after cases doubled cases over the same period last year.

It's no longer a question of whether or not a safety rail will be added to Mangonui's Neva Clarke McKenna boardwalk but when, and what it will look like.

A Tribesman gang member wanted in connection with the disappearance of Far North man Kimble Taipo Moore has been arrested.

HOW comforting it is to know that crime rates have fallen in this country to levels not seen for decades. And they will no doubt continue to fall.

Up to 300 Far North beehives are believed to have been poisoned as soaring numbers of beekeepers chasing "liquid gold" - manuka honey - ratchet up tensions in the industry.

Ahipara School principal Jackie Osborne has paid tribute to her former colleague and predecessor, Shaun Stevenson following his sudden death in Auckland.

A Kaitaia teenager who has breached bail 16 times was granted bail again, with a final final warning, in the Kaitaia District Court last week, albeit with a plea from Judge Greg Davis for the police to arrest him should he breach again.

Twenty-five students were recognised for academic and sporting excellence at Okaihau College's first Celebration of Excellence assembly for the year last week.

The Kaitaia-based Nga Papahu Swim Club gave the major plaudits for having four of its swimmers qualify for a major swimming meet to inspirational coach Jim Larkin.

Thirty years ago rugby league coaching legend Graham Lowe vowed to come back to Northland one day to help a region where he saw so much talent yet so much disadvantage and despair.

The expansion of Top Energy's geothermal power generation at Ngawha has been given the go-ahead following the withdrawal of challenges to the Environment Court.

A 68-year-old woman whose tiny one-bedroom unit was burgled on Monday night, while she slept, was imagining what might have happened while she waited for the police to arrive on Tuesday afternoon.