February 24 2026
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A sailor’s day out Anzac inclusiveness and expansion Dargaville will once again commemorate Anzac Day with a dawn parade and ceremony for 2026 …
P3 p Captains and crew, including at least one actual sea dog, lined up for fun and friendly rivalry as the 2026 Northern Wairoa Boating Club Regatta hit the water last Saturday. Sailors plied the muddy river in a fleet of flag-adorned craft, while spectators watched from the shore.
Fire and rain focus tip fight u by Paul Campbell
As the Fight the Tip movement opposed to plans for a mega-dump for Auckland’s rubbish in the Dome Valley await a decision from the Environment Court, as the eight-year legal battle continues, new concerns highlight their opposition to the Waste Management landfill plan.
Bridging 50 years of history Game historians say the card game bridge can trace its origins back to the tea houses of 1880s Turkey …
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A welcome revamp Whānau Āwhina Plunket celebrated the Dargaville centre’s refresh following a full renovation, with people from the community and employees …
FTT supporter and local resident Matt Lomas says this is made more urgent by the recent weather. “We have had two floods already since the beginning of 2026. Both of these flood events were above the amount that the leachate evaporation would deal with. “As well as that there has been frequent rains, which means the groundwater is already high and adding to the overflows and erosion of the subterranean drainage system, leading to the sediment ponds. Add to that major slips occurred in the Dome Valley during Cyclone Gabrielle. “All around the world the floods are getting more severe, landslides are happening where they are not expected. Yet Waste Management thinks they
are above the rest of us. Warning signs saying ‘Danger Leachate’ have been removed from the state highway before Waitangi weekend traffic could see it.” It is worth noting that it is two years further on from this Lifestyler report filed in 2024: “The Dome Valley is probably one of the most unsuitable sites for a large landfill,” Michelle Carmichael told the Environment Court closing. “We need to protect this important Wayby and Dome Valley environment because of its high rainfall, waterways, high ecological values, wetlands, extensive aquifer and connection to the Hōteo River and to the mighty Kaipara Harbour. Failure is not an option.” ¢
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This follows news that Waste Management wants to stop people dumping fire-causing lithium batteries after 20 confirmed battery fires across its New Zealand sites over the last 12 months, 10 at landfills, six on trucks “which is quite scary, and four in transfer stations. I wonder how many have been on elevated sites, with high winds, surrounded by forest?” (as in the Dome Valley), asked FTT executive member Michelle Carmichael, as fellow member Sue Crockett questions the “long legal wrangle that continues without a decision.” FTT’s campaign centres on the threat the landfill would pose for a fragile land environment and the adjacent Kaipara Harbour.
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