Contractors have hand-cleared more than 1.5 million wilding pines from 750 hectares of regenerating native bush in inland Hawke’s Bay. The work took place between August 2014 and July this year as part of New Zealand’s largest single indigenous re-forestation initiative. Hawke’s Bay-based Forest Lifeforce Restoration Trust (FLRT) is taking control of parts of the […]

The contract to build the second stage of the Bay of Islands Marina has been awarded to Total Marine Services, a New Zealand company with a branch in Opua. The $10 million project includes the land-based civil works associated with the expanded marina. Work will start in early September and is expected to take 18 […]

Bay of Islands custom boat-builder Bluefix Boatworks is to merge with Ashby’s Boatyard in Opua and move its operation from Kerikeri to new, state-of-the art boat-building and paint shop facilities to be erected on Ashby’s premises. The company will shift its 10 employees to Opua, take on the five boat-builders who currently work there and […]

Top Energy and the Top Energy Consumer Trust have called for the Electricity Authority (EA) to go back to the drawing board over proposals that could see Far North communities facing electricity transmission increases of $266 a year, or 172 percent of current charges. These would result in power bills increasing by 10 percent overall.  […]

The issue of young children with rotten teeth raised in New Zealand media today by Dr Rob Beaglehole is one of poor parenting. No more and no less. Parents are, or should be, in complete control of what children of that age eat and drink. It’s a complete evasion of parental responsibility to shift the […]

Kiwi icon Rachel Hunter has welcomed the government’s decision to allocate more than $11 million for kiwi conservation efforts in this year’s budget. Ms Hunter, who is Patron of Hawke’s Bay-based Forest Lifeforce Restoration Trust (FLRT), said the funding was likely to bolster the successes already being delivered by a wide variety of kiwi conservation […]

Navilluso Medical Ltd (NML) of Kaitaia is the recipient of the first $30,000 grant of 2015 from the Top Energy Business Development Fund. The money will help the company to develop a remote diagnosis and treatment facility for rural communities across Northland and beyond.  NML employs 21 doctors, nurses, health promoters and community health workers, […]

Far North lines network operator and electricity generator Top Energy has acquired the Ngawha Ginn Spa baths and farm as part of a land acquisition deal. The company intends to keep operating the facility and has closed it temporarily while it undertakes extensive renovations.  The sale was completed two weeks ago. Details remain confidential.  Top […]

A successful Hawke’s Bay whio, or blue duck, conservation project has received a $10,000 maintenance grant from Whio Forever, a species recovery programme launched jointly by Genesis Energy and the Department of Conservation (DOC).   The grant will enable the Forest Lifeforce Restoration (FLR) Trust to maintain the extensive network of predator traps funded by […]

A high resolution, continuous sounding of Whangarei Harbour’s deep-water navigation channel has been conducted for the first time. It gives harbour pilots, ships’ masters and others using the harbour entrance a picture of the channel bed that is far more detailed than the sounding sheets that have been used to date.  A multibeam channel profile […]