The Kaitaia branch of the SPCA is in the process of merging with the Kerikeri-based Bay of Islands branch. And that's not all that's new.

Looking to tomorrowI respond briefly to your article about my actions to address the lack of public concern about the oil companies coming to pillage and pollute our seas and coastlines.

AMERICA is the land of the free, according to The Star Spangled Banner. Whether it remains so 201 years after Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that became the national anthem is a moot point.

Tom Baker was past the first flush of youth when he arrived in Kerikeri 24 years ago, but it took him just four days to get stuck in to helping the community.

Inquiries into a two-car crash on State Highway 1 just south of the Aupouri Forest headquarters on Sunday evening were continuing yesterday.

Take some killer weather, throw in some serious interest from both locally and further afield, add a cash incentive to make things competitive, and a dash of fundraising for good karma, and voila.

With hams, chickens, Christmas cakes and chocolates up for grabs the competition for the annual Christmas Tournament trophy at Cooper's Beach was fierce but played in good Christmas spirit.

All Helyn Tavita wanted for Christmas was a house with a toilet, running water and insulation so it wouldn't be bitterly cold next winter.

What happened to the initial agreement between the government and Sky City whereby in return for allowing?

Taipa man Mark Osborne wasn't as quick as some to point the finger at commercial fishermen after he found hundreds of dead snapper floating over a wide area at the entrance to Doubtless Bay.

The search for a 16-year-old North Shore boy who was swept away while swimming in rough conditions at 90 Mile Beach on Saturday was scaled down on Sunday.

The high clay bank at Taipa Speedway proved to be an attraction for a couple of saloon racers on where, after a few rainy days, the track surface was reportedly in superb condition.

Far North Surf Rescue began its first official surf patrol of the new summer season at Ahipara on Saturday.

A new heritage park commemorating the first chapter in New Zealand's history as a nation of Maori and Pakeha was officially opened in the Bay of Islands on Sunday.

An 840ha coastal farm dogged by decades of controversy has been bought by a Far North iwi to ensure the land is never lost again.

Some people scoff at our national anthem.

All has not been well in the paradise that is the beach at Ahipara over recent summers, and the Ahipara Komiti Takutaimoana has responded to those issues by producing and displaying posters.

A health programme aimed at encouraging young children to be more active in Kaitaia completed its inaugural year last week and organisers couldn't be happier with how it all went.

Bill Imms was one of those people who, on first meeting, you would judge as a grumpy old bugger. His toothless grin, weather-beaten face and thin, scrawny body all backed up that impression.

Oruaiti School didn't stage an end-of-year production this year. It went several steps better, with an extraordinary display entitled Around the World in 80 Minutes.

Who cares?

Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis has washed his hands of the family he wrote about in his Northland Age column last week, who he described as having been failed at every turn.

The discovery of a large quantity of snapper, some reportedly as large as 15 or 20 pounds and the majority of the others of a legal size, on Tokerau Beach on Sunday has sparked outrage.

The summertime sport of tennis is enjoying good numbers in Kaitaia with nearly two dozen turning out every week for a social game of doubles on the town club's tennis courts.

Whatevaz had too much firepower for Touch.O to take out their third consecutive open final title at the Far North Touch Module on Saturday.

I want to pay tribute to the volunteer spirit that is alive and well in the Far North. But first I'd like to outline our story.

TE TAI TOKERAU MP Kelvin Davis should have opened a few eyes with his Northland Age column last week.

This is the time of year when high-achieving children are in the spotlight, but it was two enduring teachers who were feted at Kaitaia's Pompallier Catholic School last week.

Police are beginning to hold concerns for the well-being of a 48-year-old Cable Bay woman who was reported missing late last week.