NorthTec proud to support the Ngāpuhi Festival

NorthTec is supporting the upcoming Ngāpuhi Festival, with a free shuttle minibus service transferring Whangarei residents between the suburbs and Toll Stadium.

With parking around the festival site likely to be at a premium, NorthTec will operate six minibuses on Saturday, 27 January, on routes from Tikipunga, Otangarei, Raumanga, Otaika, Kamo and Onerahi.

Starting at 8am from each pick-up site, they will run throughout the morning to drop off at or near Toll Stadium, until noon. They will resume travelling from the stadium from 5pm until 8pm, dropping passengers back at the original pick-up areas. The service will run at hourly intervals, with timings subject to demand and traffic.

The pick-up sites will be:

• Tikipunga – Outside the Tikipunga Tavern, Wanaka St

• Otangarei – Shopping Centre, William Jones Drive

• Raumanga – NorthTec Marae, Gate 1, Raumanga Valley Road

• Otaika – By Bunnings, Tauroa St

• Kamo – By Kamo High School, Wilkinson Ave

• Onerahi – By the Onerahi Tavern, Waverley St/Onerahi Road.

As student vans are being used, the shuttle service will not be able to accommodate babies or young children requiring special car seats.

NorthTec will also support the Ngāpuhi Festival through its input into the “Youth B.A.E.” interactive space, for young people aged 11 to 17, and through a stand promoting its programmes to visitors.

Staff will be on hand to talk to prospective students about the programmes available and help them enrol. Starting this year, first-time tertiary students can qualify for the Government’s new fees-free scheme which provides a year’s free tertiary education.

Mark Ewen, NorthTec’s Chief Executive, said the organisation was proud to be involved with the Ngāpuhi Festival, which has a strong focus on encouraging young people to share and develop their talents.

He said: “We’re very pleased to be able to support the Ngāpuhi Festival and help make the event a success. We are keen to meet young people and encourage as many as possible to go on to tertiary education after leaving school.

“We are also proud to see so many NorthTec graduates, some from several years ago and some more recent, exhibiting their work at the Toi Ngāpuhi Māori Arts Exhibition, which is open to the public from 25 to 28 January.”