Land owners urged to march
sit down for dinner. But over the years I quickly realised that it was in those times that he put on his superhero costume,” she said.
The firefighters who had become her extended family were “just everyday people” but were prepared to go the extra mile.
“When that siren goes, I know they will be there. I know they will drop whatever it may be to serve in the line of duty. Whether it be a cat up a tree, a serious motor vehicle accident or a family home burnt to the ground, along with my dad, they will be there,” she said.
Earlier in the night awards were presented to senior firefighter Glen Riley, qualified firefighter Edwin van Dijk, and Brett Curtis, who was awarded a long service and good conduct medal for 14 years with the brigade.
Curtis offered an entertaining speech recounting a blaze at Calypso Takeaways. It was only when the smoke cleared that he realised the firefighters at the end of the hose were named Hamberger and Bacon.
Federated Farmers is urging Far North farmers and other land owners to join tomorrow’s hikoi from the Kaikohe RSA to the Far North District Council’s head office to protest against the council’s Significant Natural Area (SNA) proposal.
Federated Farmers Northland was reinforcing its calls to scrap the Government’s “dictatorial” proposal, Northland president Colin Hannah said, and it was vital that rural land owners march alongside others who would be negatively impacted to send a clear message to officials that “the SNA was not okay”.
The Far North District Council and other councils throughout New Zealand have been identifying significant areas for protection on private land, which Hannah said would have extremely damaging implications for all rural land owners, and New Zealand’s economic and social landscape because they would restrict the ability of rural land-based businesses to remain viable.
Rural owners nurtured their land because they knew what was good for the environment, and it was a lifelong investment, Hannah said.
“This is about doing what is right for all rural New Zealand land owners and rural business owners — that’s why we are calling for a stop to the SNA regime,” he said.
“We are aware of a rural sale that has fallen through because it was not bankable with the SNA implications. We suspect this will be the first of many such situations.
“The SNA process is costing Kiwis hundreds of millions of dollars, not to mention the stress this is putting rural families under. Have a heart and stop it now.
“Landowners know how best to manage their own land and environment — they live and breathe it daily.”
The march gets under way at 1pm.