News Briefs

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Mangawhai Park busy
The area around the museum and re-sited old church has been cleared in preparation for the establishment of the pioneer village. The land just before the rise to the old church will be prepared and concreted later this year.

Car parking will be marked out facing the pioneer village. Other areas around the museum will be prepared gradually for additional parking which will service the museum, pioneer village, walking tracks and possible overflow from the Mangawhai Activity Zone.

Three other buildings will be moved to the pioneer village in September – the old library and post office situated behind the new Mangawhai Artists Gallery, and the old Tara Road school. A fourth building, Ivan Urlich’s house, will be moved onto the site later.

Landscaping and planting will begin when most of the buildings are on site. Planting between MAZ and the St John Ambulance Station and the land behind will be completed as soon as possible

Work also continues at MAZ with a concrete apron at the entrance to the park and a barrier gate installed at the service entrance.

Free business advice
A healthy interest in it’s Start-up Café by Northland’s business community has seen Northland Inc extend the business help concept until the end of September.

How does it work? A member of the Northland Inc business innovation and growth team meets at a local cafe with interested business owners for a free session of listening and advice for new business ideas. But it’s not just for start-ups.

“The sessions give those who come along the opportunity to grab a coffee, test their thinking and explore avenues to progress their ideas in a relaxed and informal environment,” says Joseph Stuart, Northland Inc general manager – Business, Innovation & Growth.

He says experience has shown that getting good advice early can lead to a more sustainable business model and help to identify opportunities or customers who may have been previously overlooked. It also helped identify risks and potential pitfalls of business ideas presented.

“We have been able to help businesses think about how to structure their business and get the right advice early to improve their chances of success,” says Joseph.

Sessions are scheduled throughout Northland in Kaitaia, Kerikeri, Kaikohe, Whangarei, Dargaville and Mangawhai Heads. Mangawhai’s next visits are August 17 and September 14. Start-up Café sessions last for 45 minutes each between 9am – 12pm and can be booked by visiting northlandnz.com or email the team at growth@northlandinc.co.nz to book your session.