Far North news in brief: Daffodil Day; trio on tour, and scam warning

Daffodil Day collectors will be on the streets across Northland on Friday and Saturday for the annual Cancer Society fundraiser.

Daffodil Day brekkie

Northland College is hosting Daffodil Day breakfasts on Friday with three seatings for guests. The breakfasts will be in the Northland College Hub 1, next to the whare, at 6.30am, 7.30am, and 8.30am. To book email geraldinet@northlandcollege.school.nz. Cost is $25, with children under-13 charged $1 for every year. For more info on Daffodil Day, and to find events near you, go to https://daffodilday.org.nz/

Cyclone funding

Far North District Council has received $220,000 to support land categorisation in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has allocated $16.8 million of Budget funding to support councils in accelerating recovery efforts following the severe weather events of 2023. “Councils have said they require additional expertise to speed up their priority recovery projects, and this funding enables exactly that,” Mitchell said. “It will be distributed to 12 councils, for 50 separate initiatives which councils identified to help get faster outcomes for their communities. This includes additional geotechnical expertise to speed up decision-making on landslide-affected properties, as well as resources to accelerate roading recovery, bridge repairs, and flood protection projects in affected regions.“

NZTrio on tour

The celebrated NZTrio are set to present the final instalment of their 2024 series with Triptych 3: Untamed Hope, traversing to the far reaches of the country with 13 performances taking place, including two in Northland. NZTrio - Somi Kim (piano), Ashley Brown (cello) and Amalia Hall (violin) will be at the Turner Centre, Kerikeri, on October 18, from 7pm with tickets at https://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2024/oct/triptych-3 and the Old Library, Whangārei, from 4pm on October 19, with tickets from https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/nztrio-triptych-untamed-hope/whangarei/tickets

Watch out for scams

Police are urging Northlanders to be vigilant after reports of scam phone calls from someone claiming to be a police officer. Northland district prevention manager Inspector Dean Robinson said locals should be alert to the scam. The ‘officer’ claiming to be from a particular department, is telling people they have been a victim of fraud or a scam and will try and obtain further financial information. People have been directed to go to their bank and withdraw money for evidence of the supposed scam. Robinson said no legitimate police officer would ever ask people to hand over money, for any reason. To establish if the officer is genuine, ask for the officer’s full details, then hang up, contact police on 105 and request someone to check for you.

Right site

In a story in last Tuesday’s Northland Age - Collection of poetry tells story of Samoan-born Palagi, on a new book by Far North author Mike Bentley - the incorrect website to order the book from was provided. Anybody keen to get a copy of the book - which reflects on the Samoan people’s unique humour and carries underlying messages for his aiga and Samoans at home and abroad - can go to kereubooksnz@gmail.com or direct to michaelfanenebentley@gmail.com