11th July 2016 Issue

Mangawhai’s Dan Klink, has won his section of the 2016 Alto Young Butcher & Competenz Butcher Apprentice of the Year competition.
 

It was something of a coup to get the Northland MP Winston Peters to address an interested crowd in Mangawhai last month but what attendees expected is not exactly certain.

 

What do you call a team of dedicated, community-inspired individuals, armed with excavating machinery and a ‘can-do’ attitude touched with a brazen defiance of authority?

Club secretary Isabel Hollis reports up to 90 current and former members came to meet and greet, wander in and out, renew old aquaintences or stay for the evening at the Mangawhai Boating and Fishing Club’s 50th Anniversary on July 2.

Maungaturoto and Districts Rotary Club has presented Haydn Hutching with a Paul Harris Fellow at their change of officers meeting on June 24.
 

The South has been blessed with perfect weather over winter and I've no complaints about the above-average temperatures and settled conditions. I hope Mangawhai gardeners have enjoyed similar good weather.

Photographers zoom around sports fields on them, police patrol the street aboard them, golf courses hire them out and American presidents apparently trip over them.


 

 

A rejuvenation of the gardens surrounding the Smashed Pipi restaurant is just the beginning as partners Lloyd Rooney and Mike Fraser have recently bought the business and shortly embark on a facelift and refurbishment programme.

 

New figures from the Electricity Authority show 21 per cent of Northlanders switched electricity retailer in 2015 saving an estimated average of $160.

Northland consumers had 13 electricity retail brands to choose from in 2015, with Ecotricity a new entrant to the region.

Upon chance meetings of friends and acquaintances round these parts, after the initial 'Gidday' and 'How are ya?' one of the standard enquiries is 'Are ya busy?'

What I suspect these people are asking is ‘Is anyone currently paying you for doing stuff?’

A new road dug into the hillside along Moir Street is set to be the pathway to a future site of reverence and community spirit.
 

The Mangawhai Tracks Charitable Trust is the main recipient of funds raised by the Walking Weekend and Wine & Food Festival, and this money is invested in the development of new tracks and facilities associated with walking and cycling.
 

Wellsford School has been announced as a Bayer Primary School Science Fund recipient.

The school was awarded $1703 to purchase worm farms, fruit trees, and garden supplies .

Well done to Scouts - In my eyes, and most probably others, the sight of idle rubbish
On a pedestal - Roy Vaughan still fails to educate the people
Thieves steal posts - The Mangawhai Coast Care Group is an informal group of local folk
Part-Maori capable - There has been a disturbing trend around the country 
 

The Northland Regional Council’s Dargaville office is on the move from its long-held Victoria St base to shared space in the existing Kaipara District Council (KDC) building.

 

If you didn’t get an enrolment update pack in the mail recently, you need to update your enrolment details now.

Update packs have been sent to all enrolled voters to help make sure the electoral rolls are accurate.

Waipu’s Art n Tartan Wearable Art Awards 2016 are just days away, and once again the annual sell-out show will take place in Waipu's new Celtic Barn.
 

Moving to a new country for love is a tale of romance and adventure, however imagine being surrounded by an alien culture whose language and idioms are completely foreign to you.

Kaipara District Council has adopted the Annual Plan 2016/2017, which includes a general rates increase of 2.94 percent as projected.

The final Plan included some minor changes, including providing budget for the Mangawhai Town Plan and to manage the impacts of the Regional Policy Statement.

The anniversary relay event to celebrate 75 years of women in police service is continuing its pace around the country with the specially designed torch making a recent appearance in Wellsford.

Competition was fierce at the Northland secondary schools table tennis champs in Whangarei last week with local schools coming out on top in the boys section.