Northland news in brief: Mokau Marae reopens after fire; and work starts on Kaitaia roundabout
22 Feb, 2021 04:00 PM
3 minutes to read
Mokau Marae was destroyed by fire in November, 2013. The rebuilt marae will be opened on Saturday.
Mokau Marae was destroyed by fire in November, 2013. The rebuilt marae will be opened on Saturday.
Northern Advocate
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The long-awaited opening of Mokau Marae, which was destroyed in a fire in 2013, is on Saturday, at 4.30am. The opening was previously postponed due to the positive Covid case in Northland. The fire that destroyed the historic Te Uri o Hikihiki wharenui at Mokau Marae, 46km north of Whangarei, on November 8, 2013 was believed to have been started by children, aged 3 and 6, playing with a lighter.
The queue of vehicles waiting for Covid testing in Kamo, Whangārei. “Clearly yesterday there was a significant need and fortunately some of those who just happened to be there stepped forward to assist in terms of assisting flow of traffic but in terms of basic relief, that s our focus and priority.” Hapū co-ordinator Huhana Lyndon said there needed to be basic amenities available to those waiting for a test. “Times have changed, we re in the middle of summer and no more than three hours [and in those] three hours people need manaakitanga: water, access to toilets and potentially food, and that s the manaaki that we need for our people as they wait for those important tests.
The queue of vehicles waiting for Covid testing in Kamo, Whangārei.
Photo: RNZ / Liu Chen
The Ngātiwai Trust Board said it was inundated with complaints from kaumātua and whānau who were forced to spend hours in hot conditions awaiting tests.
Ngātiwai Trust Board chair Aperahama Kerepeti-Edwards told
Morning Report that authorities needed to ensure adequate staffing at testing centres in the region as Auckland Anniversary weekend approaches, describing the scenes from Monday as bedlam . Clearly yesterday there was a significant need and fortunately some of those who just happened to be there stepped forward to assist in terms of assisting flow of traffic but in terms of basic relief, that s our focus and priority.
Northland news in brief: State highway work resumes; and marae reopening postponed
25 Jan, 2021 04:00 PM
3 minutes to read
Work has restarted on all State Highway roadworks in Northland after the holiday break, including the new roundabout at Kawakawa, above, at the intersection of SH1 and SH11.
Northern Advocate
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is taking advantage of continued fine weather in Northland to push ahead with its summer road maintenance programme.
All the agency s crews are back at work after the Christmas holiday break but will stay off the roads on the Fridays before Auckland Anniversary Weekend- Friday, January 29 - and the Waitangi Day Weekend - Friday, February 5 - to minimise disruption for holiday traffic.