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For anyone who has dabbled in the vintage or pinup community and culture there is one event that is set into their calendars each year and that is the Very Vintage Day Out. This year, the home of the Jack Daniel’s Miss Pinup New Zealand pageant. · The aim of the Miss Pinup New Zealand pageant is to encourage women of all shapes and sizes to feel confident, step out of their comfort zones and to show their inner and outer beauty through the art…

It’s hard to imagine that behind the wide smile, bright eyes and amazing mop of dark brown curls sitting across from me, is a young man who in recent years has struggled with his own mental health. For Caleb Ihaia though it is a reality. Despite chatting confidently and articulately today about his recent experiences walking the Inca Trail, to raise awareness and funds for the Mental Health Foundation. It is a far cry from the way he felt, five…

Seven hundred-odd kilometres south of Papakura, as the crow flies, the Department of Conservation is waging war on introduced pests. Great stuff, many people might think, giving the matter a quick nod of approval before carrying on with their busy lives. This is what DOC does, after all. It conserves. That’s what conservation means, doesn’t it? They work tirelessly to preserve and protect, to resurrect and regenerate, to keep everything that’s…

Pukekohe motor racing star Liam Lawson has returned home from another successful season in Europe, where he finished runnerup in the Euroformula Open (EFO) championship and won the Rookie of the year title. Lawson was signed by the Red Bull Junior programme at the start of this year and has endured an intensive year of racing in two championships across Europe. Red Bull management wanted him to concentrate on the EFO series but they also…

A few weeks ago, the Government announced that as from 2022 teaching New Zealand history would be a mandatory part of the school curriculum, at both primary and secondary level. As somebody who was an historian before he was an economist, I was delighted. It is important that all New Zealanders, whether born here or born overseas, have an understanding of where we have come from as a nation – including the things we can be proud of and the…

Ensom Funeral Services recognises that each family’s needs are different and, with that in mind, they take the time to prepare a unique and fitting tribute and farewell. It is the emphasis on providing personal advice and assistance to grieving families that sets Ensom Funeral Services apart. · The friendly and professional team at Ensom Funeral Services has been part of the Auckland community for many years. John Ensom started in the…

Politicians around the world have been calling for faster and faster action to reduce emissions. Our own Prime Minister has joined the political hype-train by announcing climate change is "my"/her generation’s nuclear free moment (who made everyone under 40 "her" generation? and why are we now pitting different generations against each other?) Politicians around the world have clamoured over each other to announce they will do more than the…

After his death, James Cook’s memory was revered and his mana grew, while ‘his reputation spread across the Pacific’.[^2] However, it was in only those places, such as Hawaii and Tahiti, where ‘Cook had forged a ceremonial friendship with a paramount chief that he later became a focus of ancestral veneration’.[^3] For Maori, it was his Tahitian companions who were remembered in oral traditions, while Tongan memories focussed on the plot to kill…

The heated exchanges that occurred at a recent Ministry for the Environment meeting in Pukekohe are symptomatic of the pressures building on our growers and farmers. They are becoming increasingly worried about the future and Government policies are the key reason. They turned out in force to meet Ministry for the Environment officials and Freshwater Leaders Advisory Committee chair John Penno when they hosted a “roadshow” to get feedback on…

There is plenty of choice locally in Pukekohe when it comes to finding a building company who are willing and able to build a house for you, complete with all the bells and whistles. But it takes a special builder with whom you can create a relationship worthy of a friendship that results in a stress free, exact build that you and family can call home and create a mountain of memories. Lance Hutton is one such builder, and along with his…