Northland news in brief: Meet the candidates, Fibre broadband is coming
3 Feb, 2021 03:21 AM
3 minutes to read
Northern Advocate
Meet the candidates
People wanting to vote in the Northland Regional Council s Whangārei Urban seat byelection can meet the candidates at a public event tonight. The byelection, was called after the resignation of former councillor John Bain late last year over the council s plan to introduce a Māori seat. The meet the candidates event will be held at Whangārei Central Baptist Church, from 7pm tonight. The byelection candidates are Terry Archer, Stuart Bell, Chrichton Christie, Paul Dimery, Fiona Douglas, Kieran Powdrell, Darleen Tana Hoff-Nielsen and Charlotte Toner.
The latest community Covid-19 patient is highly likely to have caught the disease directly from a person on the same floor as her in managed isolation.
In a news briefing this afternoon, minister in charge of the Covid-19 response Chris Hipkins said genomic testing has shown the 56-year-old woman has the South African variant of the disease (B.1.3.5.1.) and that it is identical to another person staying on the same floor as her at the Pullman Hotel.
That person tested positive shortly before the woman left the hotel at the end of her stay. Early information suggests the transmission occurred between 9 January and 13 January.