Northland news in brief: Ride on conservation boat; mass dolphin stranding and teachers to vote on new offer

Conservation group Project Island Song is offering rides on its new vessel, Mārara, this Sunday.

Free rides on conservation boat

Bay of Islands conservation group Project Island Song is offering free rides on its new boat on Sunday, April 23. The boat will leave Russell wharf at 10am, 10.30am, 11am, 11.30am, 12pm and 12.30pm - sign up on the day at the nearby Project Island Song tent. The minimum age is 5 and under-16s must be accompanied by an adult. The new boat is named Mārara after a Rāwhiti kuia known for her support of the island restoration project.

Mass dolphin stranding

A major rescue effort was sparked after a Far North woman stumbled across a large pod of dolphins stranded on a stretch of Ahipara coastline. Kaitāia operations manager Meirene Hardy-Birch said 25 rough-toothed dolphins were stranded on a reef at Tauroa Point, at the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach. The Advocate understands the woman raised the alarm with Te Papa Atawhai around 9.30am on Monday. About 30 Department of Conservation/Te Papa Atawhai staff, Ahipara takiwā hapū and volunteers assisted the pod, 10 of which were dead when DoC staff arrived.

Youths on roofs

Police were called to a school in Kamo on Sunday following reports of a disturbance. The Advocate understands three youths were on the roofs of Hurupaki School on Dip Rd. Police arrived around 4pm and transported the trio home.

Everything ‘right’ in fire

A Kerikeri resident “did everything right” when a fire started in her laundry on Saturday, preventing the fire’s spread to the rest of the house. Fire chief Les Wasson said the Peacock Gardens woman raised the alarm about 3.30pm then closed all the doors, depriving the fire of oxygen. Volunteers put out the blaze with an extinguisher. The fire was confined to the laundry but there was smoke damage throughout the house. The cause of the fire could not be determined.

Teachers to vote on offer

Northland primary school teachers will be voting on an improved offer for their collective employment agreement after taking part in the country’s largest education strike in March. The NZEI Te Riu Roa primary teacher members negotiating team received a third collective agreement offer from the Ministry of Education last week, which sees welcome movement on several key issues, NZEI Te Riu Roa said. Key elements of the proposed offer include increases in classroom release time; an increase in the Māori immersion teaching allowance; a new Pacific bilingual teaching allowance; 200 cultural leadership allowances of $5000 per year; a remuneration increase of between 11-14 per cent over three years and significantly more sick leave.

Blaze from flue

Firefighters were called to Bulls Gorge near Kerikeri on Saturday when heat from a fireplace flue ignited a cabin accommodating volunteer workers. The blaze was mostly out when the fire brigade arrived but they had to remove part of the cabin’s lining to ensure it was fully extinguished. No one was injured. The fire was caused by the hot flue being too close to timber and other building materials, fire chief Les Wasson said.