Articles in ‘Community’

In winter of 1864 the three masted clipper ship the ‘Ganges’ set sail from Cobh, Ireland for a 12,000 mile journey to Auckland. Amongst almost five hundred passengers and crew onboard the 192 foot (59m) ship were newly married couple, John and Sarah Fausett from Fermanagh County. Over the next three months they would brave the perils of putrid food, overcrowded and poorly ventilated accommodation, sea sickness and in Sarah’s case, morning…

ANZAC day 2020 will be a vastly different day to years previous, but still bears little resemblance to the horrors that young Sergeant James Stanton experienced during the First World War. Thanks to a canny series of events, we know a little about what he endured by the contents of his diary, written in the trenches and in the safekeeping of local man Mr Phil Gibbs for many years. · “My mother was given the diary by a lady next door neighbour …

While public ANZAC Day services will not be able to go ahead this year, we can still take time to reflect on the sacrifice made by our ANZACs and show our appreciation to all of our veterans and service personnel. · Defence Minister Ron Mark joined Defence Force personnel in urging all New Zealanders to stand at the end of their driveway, living room, balcony, or their essential places of work, at 0600 hours on the 25th of April to commemorate…

To all Dutch New Zealanders, · While we work from home, walk in empty streets, wait in lines to do our shopping in supermarkets in compliance with the 2 m social distancing, life in New Zealand and the rest of the world seems to be on hold. No plans are made, many worry about their health, the health of vulnerable relatives here and in The Netherlands, and what the future will bring for their jobs and business. · Health should be priority nr 1…

Project Face Shield NZ is an online community of over 200 NZ based 3D Printer owners who through the Covid19 Lockdown, started to see unprecedented demand from front line agencies for Personal Protection Equipment, (PPE equipment) including Face Shields. Would be we have enough proper medical PPE shields for everyone? & are there any supply issues for the main health organisations? They felt there would be value in having a Plan B ready for NZ,…

New Zealand has grown to be a multi-cultural nation and encompasses a wide range of groups and beliefs. But as of the 2018 census, statistics show almost half of our population doesn’t identify with any religion. As churches all over the country celebrate somewhat differently this Good Friday and Easter Sunday, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, elocal looks at the history of Christianity in New Zealand and whether it is…

Pukekohe Christian School, located at 82 Yates Road, Pukekohe, is a small and welcoming private school. The school offers a supportive environment for Year 1 through to Year 13 students and provides the Cambridge curriculum from a Christian worldview. This year’s gala will help fund the school’s hall development and provide additional sporting equipment for PCS students. Pukekohe Christian School is hosting its popular annual gala on Saturday…

For the third successive year the annual North Island Donkey & Mule Society Show was held at the Counties Dog Training club grounds at Kidd Elliot Park in Te Hi Hi. This year the show also incorporated the National Miniature Donkey Show. Fortunately the weather on Sunday the 2nd February was not as hot as some we have endured this summer, and although a stiff breeze made retaining hats and notes when Judging a challenge, it did keep the…

I jumped on those scales and cried. And now this is the start of the rest of my life. Stephanie Hooper had always been big. As a child and throughout her teenage years she sought comfort in food as a way of dealing with life, until a series of events lead her to turn her health and life around forever. · As a child, Stephanie lost a grandfather to heart issues related to his weight and another grandfather to diabetes in 2010. She didn’t want…

Adam Mainey has always enjoyed keeping fit. From his younger years playing sport, to his previous jobs as a Bricklayer and running his own Masonry business, he was always challenged, or so he thought, until the day he changed careers and tried Crossfit for the first time. He says he had done the gym thing before and never got into it, but Crossfit beat him up and he fell in love with the challenge of it and its community of people. · From…