Christmas bonus! A $100 reward is now offered for information leading to the conviction of the thieves who smashed the back window of van and stole my stuff?

A real team effort has culminated in the completion of Coastguard Houhora's first community project, the permanent storage of lifesaving equipment at The Bluff on 90 Mile Beach.

Fifteen Northlanders have been honoured with Local Heroes medals as part of the lead-up to next year's New Zealander of the Year awards.

Police in the Far North are keen to hear from anyone who can point them in the direction of a cannabis crop, and are encouraging people, particularly in rural areas, to keep their eyes peeled.

Fire restrictions will come into force across the Far North at noon on Monday, as the district dries out and the risk of wildfires continues to climb.

The Bowls Far North Centre national club pairs titles were sorted over a weekend in late November and a run-down of the four section winners is as follows.

The success of the Te Hiku Sports Hub Fundraising Boxing Event at the Te Ahu Centre in Kaitaia on Saturday night has made it the talk of the town.

The Far North District Council's new philosophy for dealing with rates on land in multiple Maori ownership is ironing out the district's $28 million accumulated unpaid rates debt.

Who's confused?

The time for giving has arrived once again, and the Northland Age invites readers to think of others as the Christmas season begins.

Of all the challenges facing Far North oyster farmers, it is thieves who are driving them to distraction.

The Far North RSA completed its domestic championships titles earlier this month.

The latest report from the Doubtless Bay Croquet Club noted the weather for last Thursday's business house tournament was a marked improvement on that experienced the previous week.

Acclaimed writer and Duffy Books in Homes founder Alan Duff had some hard-hitting advice for schoolchildren last week.

Brave new world?

Abuse of disabled parking spaces remains rampant in the Far North, despite a move to paint them bright blue so able-bodied drivers can't claim they didn't notice the signs.

Kaitaia residents by the hundred have taken a symbolic stand against domestic violence by planting white ribbons in a Commerce Street lawn.

Far North voters will have a chance early next year to decide whether the district should have Maori wards in future council elections.

Three Kaitaia squash club players were among a 10-strong contingent representing Northland at the NZ Champions of Champions event in Tawa, Wellington from October 31 to November 2.

A man sent to prison for attacking Dutch campers at Matauri Bay with a baseball bat but managing to steal only a frying pan.

A pod of dolphins rescued by locals at Tokerau Beach last week is believed to have re-stranded at the Cavalli Islands with deadly results.

Whichever airline ends up replacing Air New Zealand on the Kaitaia-Auckland route, the town's air passengers are likely to end up with a better timetable.

A highly regarded conservationist and community worker who was taken to court for being late with fisheries paperwork has been discharged without conviction.

Smoking tyres, cars on fire, engines pushed beyond their utmost limits, and scenes resembling something out of a post apocalyptic sci-fi flick.

The Cooper's Beach Bowling Club completed its domestic championship fours titles earlier this month.

The 200th anniversary of the first recorded Christian service in New Zealand - and the beginning of a nation where Maori and Pakeha lived side by side - will be marked with two major events.

The Prime Minister says he wants to bring the new Minister for Roading to Northland for a first-hand look at the state of the region's roads.

A bond formed almost 30 years ago between two Pacific peoples has been renewed by the arrival of two voyaging canoes from Hawaii.

Another aviation firm has put its hand up to fly the Kaitaia-Auckland route in the wake of Air New Zealand's shock announcement it plans to pull out of the Far North town.

Residents on three unsealed Far North roads whose health is at risk from clouds of dust thrown up by passing logging trucks can look forward to some relief this summer.