One person died after a crash involving two vehicles on the outskirts of Ngunguru yesterday. A second person was airlifted to hospital in a moderate condition following the crash on Ngunguru Rd shortly after 10am. The road was closed and diversions put in place via Kaiatea Rd. Northland’s road toll for the year is now 35, two more than the whole of 2021. Eight people died on the roads in November alone, the deadliest month in the last two years.

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A car park at a popular Bay of Islands boat ramp has been sealed and upgraded in time for summer. Sealing of the car park at Waipapa Landing boat ramp, off Landing Rd, was completed last Friday, with painting to mark parking spaces due to be completed this week. As well as sealing with tar what had been rough gravel, the project included improved drainage and stormwater management to reduce sediment discharge into the Waipapa Stream. Further work is now planned for the Waipapa Landing toilets after the on-site disposal field was found to be faulty during the car park upgrade. The $247,000 project was funded by the Government’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund and carried out by Far North Holdings and Ventia.

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The one-way section of Paihia’s Williams Rd will be closed from 3-7pm today (December 2) to make way for Santa’s scheduled arrival from the North Pole. Parked cars will also need to be moved off the road by 3pm. The town’s famously creative Christmas parade is due to start at 5.30pm, with stop/go traffic control in place on Marsden Rd, between Williams Rd and to Bayview Rd, until about 6.30pm. Motorists can expect delays. A magician and face painter will be at Williams Rd from 4.30pm, and Santa has promised a lolly scramble and plenty of photo opportunities after the parade.

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‘So, the Story Goes’ is this year’s exhibition by the 11 artists/designers studying the Bachelor of Applied Arts at NorthTec/ Te Pūkenga. Emerging artists use print, sculpture, graphic design, photography, installation, digital technologies, and moving images to explore exterior and interior worlds. The exhibition can be viewed for one week at the Geoff Wilson Gallery at NorthTec/Te Pūkenga’s campus (Gate 3, Raumanga Valley Rd, Whangārei), between Tuesday, December 13 and Sunday, December 18. The gallery’s opening hours are weekdays, 12pm to 6pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 2pm.

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Powerball and Strike both rolled over after Wednesday night’s Lotto draw, meaning there is a combined prize pool of $6.5 million up for grabs on Saturday. Lotto First Division will be $1 million and Strike Four will be $500,000 on Saturday.