When you engage a highly skilled team like Team Jason and Luke to manage the process of selling or buying a home, you can rest assured that you will get the best results from your investment in them. Successful and experienced Rural and Lifestyle agents Jason Tabrum and Luke Jupp offer an exemplary service that ensures the whole process is managed effectively and without hassles.…
For Topher and I, 2020 has been a year covered in clouds with silver linings. If there wasn't a global pandemic, we would be somewhere in Malaysia right now, having spent the previous few months driving through the bustling streets of India. Instead, we were here in New Zealand waiting in anticipation for the borders to re-open so we can continue our global expedition. Although…
In part three of this fascinating story we reveal how legal documents sought by Titford in a bid to retain ownership of his land were refused, but were obtained under the Official Information Act by Ross Baker of the One New Zealand Foundation Inc. “I Still Own My Land,” Says Titford, “Give It Back!” The Manuwhetai area under claim amounted to only 110 acres, about 90 of which…
Franklin Arts Centre presents a significant solo exhibition by Pukekohe based artist Logan Moffat. The exhibition offers a selection of portrait paintings created over three years. The Portraits are intended to capture the essence of the time we live in. Moffat understands his practice as consciousness painting. “The paintings are a reaction to the environment I inhabit, in the…
Getting ready for Christmas in Papakura We are getting ready for Christmas here as it looms up next month! Rotary Santa Parade – Sunday 6th of December in Central Park at 3 pm in town Chilling in the Park – Sunday 6th of December in Central Park straight after the Santa Parade Come down to Central Park and listen to a few good bands, grab a coffee, Mr…
Low stock numbers of houses around the country are still driving high asking prices – despite it being a year on year increase in new listings over the last 4 months. Whilst Auckland is tipping over the $1m mark for the first time the regions are also showing dramatic growth with both Taranaki and the central North Island experiencing a 13-year high. Auckland asking price: …
2020 will certainly be remembered. It has been a year of great change and challenge for everyone, everywhere. For Roger Gill Mitsubishi, it is also the year that saw the culmination of years of dreams, plans and hard work resulting with the move into a brand new, state of the art building at the southern end of Manukau Road, Pukekohe. Phillip and Shelley Gill and the team…
I’ve always raised a questioning eyebrow grumble to votes each election that are allocated to fringe parties. Wondering what motivates an individual to commit its party vote to a party that doesn’t have a chance of getting past the 5% party threshold needed to achieve representation under our Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system. One could argue that there is always a chance…
This month we are observing the words of a man whose footprints across the pages of history are indelibly tattooed into the global psyche in such a manner as never before seen in modern history. That the world is still fascinated by this man’s life and compellingly by his death lies not so much within the allegory of the mythic hero being cut down in his prime on his quest for…
It was suggested that I do an additional short article 10 days out from the election with an appraisal of the economic policies being proposed by Labour and National. I’ve found this extraordinarily hard to do! That’s partly because of the difficulty of defining “economic policies”. Does the term include policy on reforming the Resource Management Act, or policy on oil and gas…
Under MMP we have two votes: 1. The Electorate vote – to represent the Port Waikato region. 2. The Party vote – for the Political Party of our choice. MMP (mixed-member proportional representation) was introduced in 1993 to replace FPP (first past the post) mainly because National and Labour shut out wider voter representation in Parliament. Votes for third parties were wasted.…
The entire process of selling and buying a house can be very demanding and if there is one thing better than having a highly skilled agent to assist you in your corner, it is having two! Successful and experienced Rural and Lifestyle agents Jason Tabrum and Luke Jupp offer just that. They have combined their complimentary skill sets and together offer an even better service. …
About six months ago, Fiona Baker from Baker’s Shoes and More was wondering how her plans to bring to Waiuku the latest styles from Europe would be tempered by the looming pandemic that was COVID-19. Committed to making sure that her shop stocks only the very best in both style and comfort, Fiona knew that there would be new challenges to face as lockdowns and closures both…
You don’t need to know a tea rose from a rhizome, to enjoy the Franklin Hospice Garden Ramble. Created and managed by two local women as a fund raiser for Franklin Hospice (more than $200,000 raised since 2012), people flocked to the picture-perfect gardens on show. Last year, Kaye and Steph decided to take a well-earned break and step back, generously gifting their shared…
Over the following 8 months we weaved our way down the longest road in the world, the Pan-American Highway. It stretches from Deadhorse to Ushuaia, Argentina. We crossed the world's most dangerous road in Bolivia, witnessed civil uprisings in Nicaragua, and minefields crossing the Atacama Desert. Landscapes changed as much as the climate. We experienced temperatures fluctuating…
I have been inspired by the lives of Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Kate Sheppard, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela. At the heart of their lives was a passion to make attractive communities. They are the champions of a compassionate and a free society that we enjoy today. A greater freedom from discrimination, oppression, and poverty. The picture they paint…
It’s been a highly unusual year with many of us spending an increased amount of time at home and in our gardens. For some this has been a godsend as it has allowed us to catch up on house and garden jobs and commence on long overdue projects. Fast forward to October and it feels like spring has well and truly arrived! Blossoms are out and the lush green buds are starting to…
This year has been quite frankly one out of a box of nightmares. Most New Zealanders have been dealt financial disasters large and small, with no apparent end yet in sight. Trips planned then discarded, special celebrations and family bereavements. A decided lack of enthusiasm to fly, if you could, anywhere in the world. A new word with a chilling name Covid 19 became something…
At the turn of the twentieth century, life was very different from what it is today, and children’s toys were no exception. Morris Mitchum produced the original Teddy Bear, and cousins Binney and Smith began manufacturing an eight pack of crayons under the brand ‘Crayola’. The box sold for a nickel and contained black, brown, blue, red, violet, orange, yellow, and green. The…
As I write, there’s one month to go. Everybody will have their own views about what problems the next Government should try to solve, but for me six issues should be priorities. First, and most obviously, is the need to guide New Zealand back to a path of low unemployment and low government debt after the disastrous consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic – the inevitable effects…