Last week Northland had a power pylon simply fall down on a still day. The main state highway SH1 through the Mangamuka’s to the Far North has been out of operation for two years. Northland has had no shortage of outstanding civic leaders, with Moko Tepania, its first-ever Maori Mayor, advocating powerfully through the media since the 2023 floods. There’s no doubt there are valiant and honourable people working and leading really hard in difficult circumstances to improve Northland. It is not just the shame of successive governments, but of investors, banks, politicians, the media, and frankly of us all.
