Mike Dinsdale

1 week ago | nzherald.co.nz | Mike Dinsdale

When she celebrates her 103rd birthday in style today Bay of Islands’ centenarian Dorethy (Dot) Sowry reckons if she was feeling any better, she’d be dangerous. That shows the sense of humour that has seen Sowry, a retired member of the NZ Air Force, become a bit of a legend in the area. She was born on April 17, 1922, and will celebrate her 103rd with family and friends at Radius Baycare, in Haruru, Bay of Islands, today.

1 week ago | nzherald.co.nz | Mike Dinsdale

Far North District Council and its water contractor Ventia face potentially big fines if they are found guilty of allegedly illegally discharging more than 90 million litres of groundwater into the Sweetwater Wetland. The council and Ventia are being prosecuted by the country’s top environmental watchdog - the Government’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) under the Resource Management Act (RMA) - and the case was called in Whangārei District Court last week.

1 week ago | nzherald.co.nz | Mike Dinsdale

Five Northland artists are among the 41 finalists in the prestigious 2025 Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award competing for a first prize of $20,000. The award, a collaboration between the Office of the Kiingitanga and the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, was launched in 2020 to inspire a new generation of emerging Māori artists to create portraits of their tūpuna (ancestors).

1 week ago | nzherald.co.nz | Mike Dinsdale

The Te Hiku Pātaka, a supermarket that provides food for low-income people in the town, opened in 2022, but increased demand means it needs more help. A Northland Food Hub is helping feed more than half a million people a month along with counterparts across the country, but with the increasing demand, many are struggling to get enough stock for their clients.

2 weeks ago | nzherald.co.nz | Mike Dinsdale

He said the meeting resulted in a clear path forward, and police would work with iwi and other local leaders to address the problem. “We have made a commitment to work together on a short, medium, and long-term plan to address the issue of methamphetamine in the community.”Mitchell said working alongside communities was the start of creating meaningful change.