Peter de Graaf

New Zealand's national water authority has for the first time ordered a council to intervene in a private water supply it says is failing to address basic safety concerns.

Iwi leader Snow Tane lost by just 21 votes.

There's a heavy police presence and a cordon on Bank Street street.

Snow Tane placed second in Kaipara's mayoral race by a margin of just 21 votes.

The department would "respond in due course".

The final vote was taken behind closed doors after a tense, testy debate with about 20 members of the public present.

One councillor turned up in a Mickey Mouse T-shirt, before a man in a World War II outfit halted proceedings. Audio

The mayor has requested the meeting be held behind closed doors, claiming there have been "all sorts of improprieties".

It's a result mayoral candidate Jason Smith says makes him "damned proud" of locals' commitment to democracy.

The name, Te Amo Pūtoro, could be loosely translated as "a place where children can safely play and discover".

Sixty-seven votes separate the top two candidates in Whangārei and 74 votes in it in Kaipara.

The co-owner of a hotel says it's a huge blow for the Northland region. Audio

More than 100 marchers carried placards proclaiming Don't Meth Around, Meth is Death and If You're Selling I'm Telling.

The project was not one of the 149 included in the original list accompanying the Fast Track Approvals Bill.

Rāwene's effluent ponds empty into a wetland that then drains into the Ōmanaia River, just upstream from the historic harbourside town. Audio

Some donors for a new breast milk bank had to be put on hold due to a lack of storage space in its first few weeks.

A mobile health clinic has been set up at Waitangi's Te Tii Marae after four cases of measles in Northland.

It is a big change for the district, which has not previously tried to restrict cats despite the almost year-round kitten season.

The water reservoir is the fulfilment of a pact between two politicians to transform the economy of the place where they grew up.

A major irrigation dam in a drought-prone corner of Northland is to be opened this morning by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

The Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, The Pyramids of Giza… and Russell? Audio

The Northland iwi will provide the land, water and labour, while T&G Fresh will provide expertise, new berry varieties and access to markets.

Pekenui Jump and Skills Park covers an entire hillside and features three jump lines, two climbs and a scenic ridge descent. Audio

The former government minister says the Crown still has not said sorry - 10 years after he called for a formal apology.

About 50 people turned out in Tangiteroria, midway between Dargaville and Whangārei, to hear from four would-be mayors.