Articles by Kerry Meadows-Bonner

With a mercurial mind, at times untameable but unashamedly honest, one of New Zealand’s most acclaimed literary icons lived a brief but tumultuous life. Born as Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp, October 14th, 1888 in a small wooden house in Thorndon, Wellington, she was the third daughter of five siblings in a commercially and socially expansive family. Her father, Harold Beauchamp, had been born in the gold-prospecting fields of Australia, before…

The history of gold stretches as far back as the beginning of civilization. Humans have long since realized the value of gold for both decoration and currency due to its rarity, lustre and ease of exchange, and while it remains a global business with no shortage of big and small scale mining operations and reality TV shows, especially in America. In New Zealand the discovering and reliance of gold in the nineteenth century was an important part…

The development of Music Education has been a part of New Zealand’s Primary and Intermediate school curriculum since the nineteenth century and has always been viewed as a valued subject inextricably linked with New Zealand’s evolving education system. In 1877, The Education Act established the Department of Education, although it didn’t officially begin to function until 1878. Since most settlers who came to our shores during the nineteenth…

Find us at 74 King St, Pukekohe. From animal prints, to vibrant colours and strong statement dressing this season has it all! As the temperature drops layering pieces and pops of colour are your best friends. · Bring your wardrobe up to date with our extensive range of ‘ontrend’ accessories! · Visit our gorgeous Pukekohe store soon to see all the beautiful new seasons’ styles – everything to make a girl’s heart sing. Lorraine, Carol and Helen…

Would you be happy to pay $6 or $7 for a head of lettuce or broccoli in your weekly shop? It may sound extreme, but unless you grow your own, it could be the only choice in future as a result of Auckland’s rising population and housing demands. Pukekohe is one of Auckland’s biggest growing hubs and ‘food bowl’ so called because it’s one of the only areas that grow produce all year round. Its estimated that around 4,359 Hectares around Pukekohe…

Agathis australis, or Kauri in Maori is one of New Zealand’s oldest and mightiest coniferous trees that can grow upwards of fifty metres and can live around two thousand years. Found in the northern districts of New Zealand, the Kauri was once prolific covering 1.2 million hectares from the far North of Northland to Te Kauri near Kawhia, when the first people arrived in New Zealand, 1,000 years ago. · Due to deforestation from heavy logging…

Papakura High School Principal, John Rohs never imagined his school would one day be the proud owners of a unique Pacifica structure that now proudly sits in the forefront of the school’s grounds. Known as a Fale, John says the semi open air structure is a venue that can be used for Pasifika events, meetings, celebrations and concerts, but will also be open to anyone in the community to use. · The Fale is believed to be one of the biggest…

To understand any religion against a modern landscape, you first need to understand the landscape itself. New Zealand is a country with large scale immigration throughout its comparatively brief history, the Maori people arrived by sea followed by the Europeans. In the modern era we have drawn in people from the south east pacific islands, so much so that twenty per cent of Aucklanders originated from the Pacific Islands. Also, a fast growing…

Since 2016, the Papakura Local Board has been giving young people a helping hand with its financial scheme that provides a scholarship grant for those embarking on tertiary study, trade or leadership courses. The Papakura Youth Pathways and Excellence Grants recognise the importance of ensuring young people get a great start in life and provide awarded applicants a maximum of $2000.00 towards their chosen tertiary or vocational studies as per…

At the completion of 53 years of delivering food to those in need, the hard-working team of drivers at Papakura’s Meals on Wheels, celebrated the end of an era with one last get together at the St Johns Hall in Papakura on February 13th this year. The group, which was initially founded by Reverend FL and Mrs Gardner, has been delivering nutritious meals to those in need for over five decades, with many of the drivers who attended the…