June 15, 2016
localmatters.co.nz
Your Local Community Newspaper FREE
Proudly NZ Owned
Matariki rising
What’s inside Our Patch Kaiwaka
pages 20-23
Motoring feature
pages 27-32
Trades & services lift-out pages 42-45 More than 100 events will be held around the region to celebrate Matariki over the next month. The festival celebrates the rise of the Matariki constellation, which signifies the Maori New Year. Read about the events happening around the region, including in Te Hana, on p35.
localmatters.co.nz
Mahurangi retailers hit by tobacco crime Ben Donaldson
A number of Mahurangi cigarette retailers have been targeted in tobacco burglaries and store owners are concerned the problem will be exacerbated as the cost of tobacco rises. Already this year the Matakana Gull Station, Mahurangi East Four Square
and Orewa Hilltop Dairy have been broken into for cigarettes. The Gull Station was ram-raided by two people on June 2, who took nothing but tobacco. Station owner Gay Smith says she will consider stopping cigarette sales if it will reduce the risk of a future burglary.
Mahurangi East Four Square has been targeted for tobacco twice and store owner Evgemi Bachara is considering upgrading security. Cigarettes are a major target for thieves, he says. “They are the new gold at the moment,” Mr Bachara says. “If you think about it, how much wine can
How long since you last cleaned your watertank?
We can remove leaves, opposums, sludge, birds etc with our tank cleaner.
CALL NOW TO BOOK YOUR CLEAN! 09 423 8061
you carry at once compared to how many packets of cigarettes?” But he says, financially, he would be crazy to stop selling them, even though the mark up is just eight per cent on each packet. The Orewa Hilltop Dairy was ramraided with a stolen vehicle on May continued page 3
ECHEECK R F R K FILTE TAN WITH A ! CLE N