Latest from Whangarei

Not-guilty plea: Murder accused remanded over Catalya's death
The accused, Drummond Leaf, pleaded not-guilty to murder and assault.

'A lot of rain' - Severe thunderstorm watch in place for Northland
MetService said peak rates of between 25-40mm per hour were possible.

News in brief: Stop kauri dieback, NIWA reports record rainfall
News snippets from the Far North.

Northland Māori health trust taking urgent action on 'diabetes crisis'
About 64% of patients enrolled with Ngāti Hine Health Trust in Kawakawa have diabetes.

Kerikeri's push to be Far North's first bilingual town gains momentum
The move to revitalise te reo Māori includes kapa haka, signage and in future, public art.

Thousands of school meals uneaten in Northland every week
Nationally, 34,878 surplus meals went uneaten for the week of March 28.

Luxury resort trial ends as ex-manager defends actions in court
Belle Mumby is accused of theft, deception and forgery.

Opinion: Building community connections in sport and recreation
Strong teamwork, collaboration and sustained focus help achieve the greatest impact.

Far North residents fear logging slash threatens roads amid bad weather
A Far North couple have fears logging slash will threaten roads as winter nears.

Tensions boil in former luxury resort manager's trial as director cross-examined for four days
Director Jing Ma testified for four days, denying the former manager's claims.

'It's rocked us all': Community mourns loss of beloved toddler
At least 400 people gathered in Kaikohe to mourn 3-year-old Catalya.

Twelve champions for Northland celebrated in King's Birthday Honours
From family violence prevention to services to Māori, locals' dedication recognised.

'She told me lies': Luxury resort CEO says ex-manager's actions were 'terrifying'
Operations manager Belle Mumby allegedly forged CEO Jing Ma's signature to claim overtime.

Heart patients worse off in Northland than Auckland – specialist
Health NZ data show huge variations in wait times between regions.

‘Beautiful darling’: Northland toddler allegedly murdered is identified
Catalya Remana Tangimetua Pepene, 3, died last Wednesday.

Investigation under way after 'unexplained' death of 3-year-old girl
Police say a post-mortem will be carried out over the next couple of days.

'Nothing short of inspiring': Air NZ boosts Northland nature projects
Eight Northland nature projects by schools, hapū and landcare groups share $50,000.

'Very tight': Builders struggle in Northland's falling market
New building consents in the region dropped 31% in the year to March 2025.

'Radical change': Possible crayfish ban for Northland's east coast
Shane Jones says crayfish can't keep declining in the popular fishing area.

Far North news briefs - book DoC huts, booze views sought and mental health talks
News snippets from the Far North.