New Zealand's Pure South Sharp Blacks have won the Tri-Nations Butchers' Challenge against teams representing Australia and Great Britain, in Yorkshire, for the second year in a row.

Northlanders, especially those in flood-struck areas like Moerewa, continued to show remarkable resilience as the region worked to return to normality in the wake of last week's storm.

Organisers of the recently held Northland secondary school teams chess championships are planning to capitalise on the success of the event.

Football news

Cooper's Beach 'cake artist' Jessica Atkins already has a well-earned local reputation, but now her fame is spreading.

An insult

A quarter of a century is a long time in anybody's book - and that's how long Ron Hallett has been restocking the shelves at Kaitaia's public library.

Houhora lost one of its links with the past on Tuesday afternoon when the hall built by Bill Evans early last century was flattened.

Woman spared major injury as tree hits house

There has been "widespread damage" across Northland overnight, with flooding, power outages, and wind damage caused by a storm which is still raging.

Football

Momentum is starting to build for the fundraising campaign to help Brooke Ah Sam get to California at the end of this month and compete at an international crossfit event.

Marine mammal expert has raised concerns that whales and dolphins may be endangered by sonar and seismic exploration for deep sea oil in Statoil's permit zone off Northland.

All together now

The royal treatment

The Houhora Riding Settlers' and Ratepayers' Association has launched another bid to spare Houhora Harbour from continued over-exploitation.

Everything about the Far North is a new experience for the new officer in charge at the Mangonui police station.

Once again, the Northland's sub unions are preparing to do battle in the annual Northland Primary Schools Rugby event, the Taniwha Shield.

The feedback from outside cyclists who took part in the Cape 2 Kaitaia (C2K) road cycle ride on June 21 has overwhelmed organisers of the event.

Punishment enough

A packed house at St Joseph's Church in Kaitaia on Sunday ensured that Father Sean O'Connor celebrated his 50th jubilee as a priest in good company.

The Kaitaia CIB is challenging Kaitaia to help catch the person who robbed Coast 2 Coast bakery on Sunday morning.

"I get threatened with violence, and I get death threats, but when somebody starts taking shots at my office then that's another matter altogether."

100 people, including associate Housing Minister Tariana Turia, gathered at the He Korowai Trust housing project in Kaitaia for the launch of He Whare huru He Oranga Tngata - The Mori housing strategy.

Furniture Court Kerikeri has a new show room, now situated in the main shopping area, Klinac Lane beside Lighting Plus in Waipapa.

There must be some sort of strategy discussion before potential Birdmen and Birdwomen jump off the wharf and sail through the air at the annual Birdman Festival in Russell.

Living this far north means having to travel to Auckland occasionally and if you don't have rellies or friends to stay with there's a scramble to find somewhere to sleep and eat.

A young woman who admits she is scared of chooks is now running a free range chicken farm that's home to hundreds and hundreds of the little twittering critters.

A couple of years ago the Kaeo Post Office building on the little town's main street was spruced up. Out of those celebrations has come a book written by local author Fiona Craig.