Local Matters

Time to move your butt

June is bowel cancer awareness month – and it's also when Bowel Cancer NZ holds its annual Move your Butt fundraiser. This...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 12:32

Ratepayers fund free flu jabs

As New Zealanders line up in record numbers for flu vaccinations, ratepayers will be funding free flu injections for Councillors...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 12:29

Ambitious goals set for ailing Gulf

On May 25, the Hauraki Gulf Forum adopted an updated set of ambitious goals for the Gulf. They include at least 30 percent...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 12:09

New option for doggie dos

An enterprising 20-year-old recently added home compostable dog poo bags to her company's range of eco-friendly products. Brie...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 12:06

Clean air temporary

The seven-week lockdown provided evidence of how pollution can vanish almost overnight benefitting the environment, according...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 12:02

Daffodils recycled in sculpture

Last September, Orewa College student Alice Watkins asked for Hibiscus Matters' help in her mission to save a big...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 11:46

Whangateau logging threatens harbour

Whangateau residents and environmentalists, incensed by the logging of pine trees near Ashton Road this summer, can only...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 11:42

No relief in sight for Rodney’s drought-stricken farmers

An empty dam on a Wellsford farm. The earth has opened up in Wellsford. Cracks so big, you could lose a dog down them....

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 11:32

Edmonds’ recipe for radio making waves in Matakana

News that UK entertainment legend Noel Edmonds has not only migrated to NZ, but is living near Matakana and launching 100...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 11:27

Joint appeal for Wellsford foodbank

Four community groups and businesses are joining forces to appeal for food items for Wellsford foodbank Loaves & Fishes. Wellsford...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 11:25

Local Folk - Dave Parker

For more than 50 years, Dave Parker has been at the forefront of nearly every major community initiative that has gone...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 11:23

One Warkworth cries foul over proposed toll road “tax”

A NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) proposal to make the new Puhoi to Warkworth motorway a toll road has so far got a firm thumbs...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 11:19

Landfill feedback puts Local Board process under scrutiny

Rodney Local Board chair Phelan Pirrie has defended the Board's feedback on the Waste Management landfill resource...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 11:14

Auckland Transport bid for Matakana traffic calming trial

Repeated calls by Matakana residents for measures to slow traffic speeding into town along Matakana Valley Road could finally...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 11:07

Boost for unsealed road network

Rodney's extensive network of unsealed roads looks set to receive a long overdue funding and maintenance boost, with...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 11:04

Brace for cuts - Sayers

North Rodney should brace itself for bad news as a result of Auckland Council's increasing post-Covid funding shortfall. That...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 11:02

Sweet Appreciation - Paul Wilson

Congratulations to Paul Wilson, of Warkworth, who is a recipient of a gift basket from Chocolate Brown. Paul was nominated...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 11:00

Developer seeks plan change to ramp up housing

A private plan change (PPC) lodged by Mangawhai Central with the Kaipara District Council would allow developers Viranda...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:55

Rogans continue to fight rates’ penalties despite costs

Tireless campaigners against perceived unjust rates charges have vowed to fight on, despite losing their case in the Supreme...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:53

Beth stands in Kaipara ki Mahurangi

The deputy chair of the Rodney Local Board, Beth Houlbrooke, has been selected as the ACT party candidate for Kaipara ki...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:51

Kayne’s lane name rejected

Hopes by developer and Tara Iti golf course owner Ric Kayne to name a new Te Arai subdivision after his three daughters...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:49

Adjusting to Covid-19 creates sweet memories for agent

Before and after: Cindy delivering with her Dad today (above) and back in the '60s (below). Mahurangi travel agent...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:38

Leigh Sawmill Cafe suffering after Covid cancellations

A leading local music venue is hoping a national fundraising campaign can help it survive the cancellation of all concerts...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:35

Vivian closes in Matakana

Tough times brought about by Covid-19 has forced The Vivian – one of Mahurangi's most prestigious art galleries...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:21

HarbourCare mounts blue belt bid for local marine life

A local conservation group is hoping to establish a new ‘blue belt' marine protection zone between Leigh and...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:18

Students key to stopping Kauri dieback in Warkworth

From left, board of trustees chair Dean Iversen, environment group leader Natalie Caldwell, Kauri dieback advisor Zacc Forbes-Smith...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:15

Splash wins Pride award

Years of faithfully meeting customers' water treatment and transfer needs has won Splash Water Specialists the Whakahī...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:14

AT struggles to find rare lizards during link road search

Efforts to minimise environmental damage due to the construction of the Matakana link road got underway last month. Auckland...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:12

Forest Bridge seeks volunteer trappers for Dunn’s Bush

An upsurge in possum numbers at Dunn's Bush Reserve has prompted The Forest Bridge Trust to appeal for more volunteers...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:10

Wellsford residents clean up the streets

A group of seven environmental volunteers cleaned up 40kgs of rubbish from the streets of Wellsford in just one hour. Organiser...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:09

Dry weather expected to continue until Spring

Despite recent rains, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) meteorologists are forecasting that it...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:07

Through the lockdown lens

The Hibiscus Coast Photographic Club's lockdown competition showed many creative interpretations of the lockdown...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:07

Leigh winter swim

Brave swimmers looking for a chilly winter challenge are invited to head out to Matheson Bay for the annual Leigh Community...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:05

Women’s Centre seeks donated blankets for winter

Women's Centre Rodney has launched a Winter Warmer Appeal to ensure struggling families stay safe and warm this winter. The...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:03

Dry winter ramps up fire risk

With the onset of winter, the Auckland region has moved to an open fire season, but unusually dry conditions mean there...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 10:01

Festival of Lights cancelled

The Mahurangi Winter Festival of Lights has been cancelled in the wake of Covid-19. Organising committee chair Murray...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 09:59

Court rules quarry exceeded extraction consent

Te Arai has been the focus of numerous controversies and legal challenges in recent times involving quarries, sand mines,...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 09:54

River rubbish down on previous years

Volunteers who turned up for an annual clean-up along the banks of the Mahurangi River got a pleasant surprise. The amount...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 09:51

Bid to protect native eels

Michelle Viljoen and Keelan Viljoen spot eels on the Matakana River jetty. Photo, Stephen Farrell. Richard Didsbury wants...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 09:48

Fighting fires and fundraising for leukaemia

Warkworth Volunteer Fire Brigade members Simon Manawaiti and Dan Auber refused to let lockdown hold them back from raising...

Posted on 2 Jun 2020 09:47