Jodie Rameka for Whangārei

07/09/2026

Rest easy Mr T 🩵🕊️

07/09/2026

The death of a man at the Hatea River, Whangārei on Saturday will be referred to the Coroner.

Emergency services were called to Port Road around 3.40pm on 5 September after the man's body was discovered in the water.

A postmortem has been completed, and work is ongoing to formally identify the man and support his next of kin.

Hapū Te Parawhau declared a three-day rahui from Hihiaua to Pah Rd, Onerahi.

Police thank the public for their patience while staff worked at the scene.

30/08/2026

📍RANFURLY SHIELD DEFENCE
Northland Taniwha vs Tasman

What a day that was at Semenoff Stadium! After 48 years, the Ranfurly Shield is back in Northland and yesterday was the Taniwhas’ first defence on home soil. The Taniwhas got the job done with a 20–10 win over Tasman to hold onto the Shield. It was awesome being there, volunteering around the stadium and getting to watch the team defend it in front of a home crowd.

Also had the chance to meet Hilary Barry which was a pretty cool bonus! 🤭💗

A great result for the Taniwhas and another special day for Northland rugby.

28/08/2026

On Wednesday afternoon, I had the honour of being invited to Dr Shane Reti’s valedictory function, marking the end of his 12 years representing Whangārei in Parliament.

Dr Reti was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Whangārei in 2014, making history as the first Māori MP to represent the electorate. Over the past 12 years, he has taken on a number of roles in Parliament, including Minister of Health and Minister for Pacific Peoples. During his valedictory he reflected on some of the health achievements he was most proud of, including the increase in cancer treatment funding, extending breast cancer screening to women aged 70 to 74 and the new radiotherapy centre at Whangārei Hospital.

Of course, representing an electorate is about more than the achievements we hear about in Parliament. A lot of the work happens behind the scenes through meetings, conversations with constituents, local businesses and community groups and advocating for the issues that matter to the people that live here. That side of the job can be easily overlooked and hearing Hon Judith Collins and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speak about their time working alongside Dr Reti gave a good insight into some of the work and relationships that come with the role.

What I enjoyed most about the valedictory speech was hearing some of the stories from those 12 years. Hearing about the people he has met, the experiences he has had and some of the moments that have stayed with him gave me a much more personal perspective on his time in Parliament. Politics will always come with different opinions and people will not agree on everything but there is something to be said for representing the same community for the last 12 years.

For Whangārei, Dr Reti has been a familiar face in our community for more than a decade. He has been part of our community through a lot of change and Wednesday was a chance to reflect on that, acknowledging the time he has given to representing our region and to celebrate the end of his time in Parliament.

Dr Shane Reti, I wish you and your family all the very best.

27/08/2026

Chief Executive Simon Weston has announced he will be leaving Whangārei District Council after 30 years.

Whangarei District Council Chief Executive Simon Weston has announced he has decided to leave the organisation following an outstanding 30 years of service to Council and the community.

24/08/2026

PARADE ROUTE ANNOUNCED!
Come out and show your support as a “sea of blue” rolls through town and the Taniwha rise again! ⬆️⬆️⬆️

Wear blue and line the streets of the parade route to cheer on the almighty Northland Taniwha! The players will be travelling with the Ranfurly Shield and giving everyone a chance to be part of the celebration. No other floats!

🛡️RANFURLY SHIELD PARADE
Saturday 29 August 2026
STARTS: 11:00am at Te Matau a Pohe Bridge
ARRIVES: 12:00 noon, Whangārei C*D 🏉

The team will be leaving the C*D at 1:00pm to prepare for their Ranfurly Shield Defence match against Tasman, (nearly sold-out) at Semenoff Stadium this Sunday.

📌 Route:
The team's parade float will start by going over Te Matau a Pohe Bridge, then out on Riverside Drive going past the Northland Rugby Union practice fields and headquarters. They'll continue towards town next to the Hātea Loop and enter Central Whangarei via Rathbone Street.

The parade will finish in the C*D where there will be speeches followed by an opportunity to see the shield up close, meet the players and share in the occasion.

22/08/2026

After 48 years, the Ranfurly Shield is back home following the Northland Taniwha’s 36–12 win over Canterbury.

I was lucky enough to be at the Whangārei Airport when the team arrived back, joining hundreds of supporters who had come out to welcome them home. It was pretty special to see so many people there celebrating the win and showing their support for the team.

A massive result for Northland and something the whole region can be proud of!💙

21/08/2026

Welcome home Ranfurly Shield 🐲🛡️