Latest news with #Kaitaia
RNZ News
5 days ago
- RNZ News
Gang tangi leads police to one arrest for guns, cannabis in Kaitaia
Police in Northland set up road checks targeting drivers heading to a gang tangi. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER Reports of bad driving behaviour including a gun being shot from a car in Northland prompted police to set up road checkpoints after a tangi earlier this week. Northland District Commander Superintendent Matt Srhoj said police received reports of poor driver behaviour and a firearm being discharged from a vehicle on Saturday night, though he stressed it was not aimed at anyone. In response police set up an operation around Kaitaia as gang members travelled to the tangi on Tuesday at a marae near Awanui. "Numerous road policing checkpoints were carried out following the tangi on Tuesday, in which several vehicles of interest attempted to pass through," Srhoj said. "These were vehicles we were seeking in connection with the offending detected on Saturday night." Three vehicles were impounded, and search warrants were then executed including at a local address where police claim three rifles, a shotgun and a semi-automatic rifle were found. A 34-year-old Kaitaia man faced five charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, two counts of unlawful possession of ammunition, and possession for supply of cannabis. He had already appeared in the Kaitaia District Court and was remanded in custody. Srhoj said there were no significant concerns surrounding the tangi but police enquiries would continue into the events of Saturday night. "There is a way to respectfully grieve the loss of someone, and that does not include putting the wider public's safety at risk," Srhoj said. "I would like to acknowledge our Far North team who have been visible and well-planned throughout. "We have had a range of staff involved from our public safety team, road policing, investigations as well as the Gang Disruption Unit." The tangi was for patched Crips member Ngaiwa Miru, who police earlier said was a passenger in a car that crashed on Allen Bell Drive in Kaitaia on Friday.
RNZ News
10-07-2025
- RNZ News
Person killed in crash in Far North
Police are investigating the cause of the crash. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER A person has died after a crash in the Far North District overnight. Emergency services were called to the scene on Allen Bell Drive in Kaitaia at about 2:10am on Friday. Police said the passenger of the vehicle died at the scene. Two others were taken to hospital with moderate to serious injuries. Police said they were investigating the cause of the crash.
RNZ News
07-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Award winning smoked mussels from the Far North
Photo: supplied by The Kutai Guy The tiny settlement of Houhora - 41 kilometres north of Kaitaia - is the home of award winning smoked mussel producer The Kutai Guy . Zarn Reichardt and his wife Michelle, run the business alongside his dad Sean. Zarn and Sean operate Reichardt Marine - supplying mussel spat to mussel farmers across the Coromandel, Marlborough Sounds, and Tasman Bay regions. Zarn always loved smoked mussels, so in 2022, bought a food truck and began selling his goods to locals. That was so successful, he went into the wholesale trade, and The Kutai Guy has now won two golds at the Outstanding Food Producer Awards.
RNZ News
18-06-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
'It's very therapeutic for the people' - first full knee replacement surgery in Far North town
Erica Whyte and her surgeon Dr Rob Coup. Photo: Supplied / Health NZ A woman who has had the first full knee replacement surgery in the Far North town of Kaitaia says being able to have the operation in her own community - supported by whanau - was a "therapeutic" and "holistic" experience. Kaitaia Hospital has recently become the first rural hospital in Northland to have capacity for knee replacement surgery - years after hip joint replacement surgery first became available in Kaitaia in 2018. Health New Zealand (HNZ) said the achievement is a major step forward in expanding advanced surgical care closer to home for Far North residents. Surgeons travel to Kaitaia from Whangārei once every one to two weeks to do the operations. Seventy-year-old Coopers Beach local Erica Whyte, who had her left knee operated on in Whangārei in 2019, said the surgery on her right knee last month was a much more comfortable experience. "Being close to the hospital, being part of the big whanau community up in the far north, and going to a local hospital and having surgery there, it was totally different to driving down to Whangārei, anybody wanted to visit me was a four hour round-trip, Kaitaia was half an hour to come visit me," she said. "Just the ability to be able to be in your own community, to have medical treatment, it's just holistic and it's very therapeutic for the people," she added. Four weeks on from the operation, Whyte said she can now walk without aid and has a 100 percent bend in her knee. Whyte said she was stoked for locals, particularly those living on the Aupōuri Peninsula - who would have needed to travel three hours on a bumpy road to get to Whangārei for treatment. "When you're only a few days post surgery, it's a painful operation, it's not something you want to spend two or three hours sitting in a car on the way home, so for me to spend half an hour [being driven] home, was fantastic," she said. The Kaitaia theatre team with Dr Coup. Photo: Supplied / Health NZ Whyte, who has arthritis, said she first got onto the waiting list for knee replacement in 2018, and it was over a year's wait until she got her more severely affected left knee replaced in late 2019. She said the pain in her right knee was manageable for some years, until it deteriorated in the middle of last year when she became reliant on a walking pole, painkillers and anti-inflammatories. Whyte saw a doctor in July last year, but it was not until February this year that she got her first specialist appointment to discuss knee surgery options. She said she was initially told that it would take 10-15 months for her to get surgery done. But the opportunity to be selected as an ideal candidate for the first knee replacement surgery in Kaitaia brought her surgery forward by about a year. Whyte said she was told by the doctor that she was suitable for the operation in Kaitaia, as she had no co-morbidities like diabetes, which meant her operation was lower risk for an operation at Kaitaia Hospital where there was no back up ICU. HNZ general manager surgical services in Te Tai Tokerau Katy Wilkinson said the recruitment of three new orthopaedic surgeons to Northland in January has been key to making this complex procedure possible. "Having these three new orthopaedic surgeons is just a wonderful asset for our team, it's growing the future of our care across Northland, particularly in Kaitaia," she said. HNZ said the additional surgeons means an average of 160 more orthopaedic patients can be seen in a month, across a range of specialities, including diabetic foot clinics. Wilkinson said the surgeons usually stay for a couple of days when they visit Kaitaia - doing operations as well as attending to outpatient appointments. When asked how many knee surgeries can be done in Kaitaia in a year, Wilkinson said they're aiming to complete 12 to 24 operations yearly. She said the number will depend on the availability of the surgeons, how urgent the patients' case is, and how long they've been waiting for. Wilkinson said hundreds of people are on the wait list for knee surgery across Northland. Kaitaia Hospital has two operating theatres, eight day-surgery beds and three recovery beds. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Cutting-Edge Art From Kaitaia To Invercargill: Finalists Revealed For National Contemporary Art Award
Press Release – Hamilton City Council A record-breaking number of entries has resulted in 53 artworks being selected for the 2025 National Contemporary Art Award (NCAA), with finalists from Kaitaia to Invercargill. With a prize pool of more than $30,000, this prestigious competition is organised and hosted by Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery and reveals the cutting edge of Aotearoa New Zealand art through its fair, blind-judging process. Liz Cotton, Director Museum and Arts, said the ever-increasing number of entries reflects the level of interest. NCAA entries reached record-breaking levels in 2022 with more than 300 entries, then topped in 2023 with 420, and now more than 480 in 2025. (The previously annual competition was moved to a biennial cycle in 2023). 'It's astounding this has happened for a third time in a row. Hundreds of entries have poured in from Aotearoa New Zealand artists at all stages of their careers, exceeding all our expectations. This reflects the vibrancy of the nation's art scene and the essential role art plays in our society, as well as the importance of our philanthropic partners who enable us to offer such generous prizes.' Leading New Zealand law firm Tompkins Wake is the principal sponsor, having supported the awards since 2014, providing the life-changing prize of $20,000 for the winner of the National Contemporary Art Award. The Runner-Up Award of $7500 is provided by the Hugo Charitable Trust Award. The Friends of the Museum and Gallery and the Random Art Group provide Merit Awards of $1000 each. Judge for the 2025 NCAA competition, Nigel Borell MNZM, assessed the submissions through an anonymised online portal. The selection of award winners, will be done in-situ before the gallery is opened to the public. Borell is currently Curator Taonga Māori at Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, and is of Pirirakau, Ngaati Ranginui, Ngaai Te Rangi, Te Whakatoohea tribal descent. He has had an active role in the arts and culture sector spanning the past 25 years and was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2022. This year's exhibition of finalists will be held at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery from Friday 1 August — Sunday 16 November 2025 and entry is free. For more information visit National Contemporary Art Award finalists for 2025 Lizzi Yates, Waikanae Lyndy Wilson, Ngaaruawaahia Tim Wigmore and Reeve Hokopaura, Ngaamotu New Plymouth Cora-Allan Twiss, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Jon Tootill, Papakura Debbie Tipuna, Tauranga Jodie Tipa, Ngaamotu New Plymouth Amber Timpany, Waihopai Invercargill Katherine Throne, Waanaka Dean Strickland, Waihii Beach Andy Spain, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington Aida Smith, Upper Hutt Merthyr Ruxton, Warkworth Kelly Rowe, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Jessie Randles, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Stephen Penny, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Rowan Panther, Kaitaia Shelley Norton, Gore Ella Grace Nicol, Kirikiriroa Hamilton Francisco Naude, Kirikiriroa Hamilton Leanne Mulder, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Brian Morris, Dunedin Ootepoti Logan Moffat, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Jess Metuariki, Porirua Mark Meecham, Ootepoti Dunedin Alice Jeesu McDonald, Whanganui Hannah Maurice, Waiheke Jimmy James Kouratoras, Port Waikato Tae Jun Kim, Drury Helen Kerridge, Ahuriri Napier Kim Ireland, Whakatuu Nelson Dylan Huata-Lucas, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Natalie Holland, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington Tui Hobson, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Robyn Gibson, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland James Ford, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington Zena Elliott, Kirikiriroa Hamilton Lang Ea, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Sudhir Duppati, Kirikiriroa Hamilton Donna Dinsdale, Te Puke Antony Densham, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Garry Currin, Warkworth Deborah Crowe, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Pio Coombes, Waihii Beach Hana Carpenter, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Israel Birch, Ashhurst Sean Beldon, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Helen Beech, Kawakawa David Austin, Kirikiriroa Hamilton Dita Angeles, Taamaki Makaurau Auckland Amy Al Chakif, Rotorua George Agius, Feilding Brett a'Court, Te Tai Tokerau Northland Content Sourced from Original url
