Local News

Cat lovers claw a bargain

Whangarei felines are going cheap as the SPCA attempts to free up spaces and find them  homes. A decrease in adoptions has triggered the agency ... More

Mayor: Kaipara would be better off joining Auckland

Kaipara mayor Neil Tiller says his district would be better off joining Auckland than Whangarei. His comments follows the Kaipara council's unanimous rejection last week of the McKinley Douglas Report. ... More

Director of savage jail attack appeals

An inmate found guilty of orchestrating a savage  attack at Ngawha prison  is appealing his conviction and sentence. Jonothan Poutai, 44, was jailed for 12 years by the High Court ... More

Dwindling dam holds back city crisis

There's no rain in sight for Whangarei over the rest of this month and officials are keeping an anxious watch on the city's dwindling water supplies. The Whau Valley dam, ... More

Dying just got more expensive

A 32 per cent hike in the cost of a cremation in Whangarei will hit those who can least afford it, a vicar says. Auckland-based Maunu Crematorium, which is owned ... More

Poet bashed reciting 'Whangarei'

A Whangarei poet assaulted while reading a poem about the city's social problems is now urging the city to confront its violent streak. Poet Peter Larsen said Whangarei had a ... More

Tidal power scheme still under discussion

The company aiming to set up a tidal power station in the Kaipara Harbour maintains the scheme will have little or no impact on the harbour's fishery and says it ... More

Northtec to cut 13 management posts

A review of the management structure at NorthTec will see 13 senior management positions slashed. The polytech says the job cuts are in response to a Government announcement that it ... More

Law firm receives protest payment

Far North retiree Art Hansen reckons there are only three certainties in life - death, taxes and having to deal with lawyers. Mr Hansen's latest dealing with the legal profession ... More

No leniency shown to drink-drive policeman

A Whangarei police officer has lost his bid to  avoid a  drink- drive conviction. Senior Constable Ross Kneebone, 53,  was convicted, fined $600 and  given a six-month driving ban when ... More