All articles

While New Zealanders were on holiday sunning themselves the housing market was hard at work. The housing market has delivered a scorching January amid what economists say is the biggest housing boom in 17 years. In 12 months the country’s median house price has jumped 19 percent to $730,000, with four regions cracking new records - The Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki and Nelson. · But year on year, it was Wellington with the biggest boom –…

New businesses in town · We welcome: · Roma’s Basket – Asian and Filipino Food Store in Broadway Ultimate Barbers in Broadway Punjab Express on the Great South Road – a new Restaurant to our town · Papakura Streetfest: diary the date · Keep this day free … Saturday 8 May 10 am to 2 pm – Great South Road and into Broadway– a fabulous free community day for you all to come and enjoy with entertainment, stalls, community groups, information…

Are you considering building a new home in the Franklin area and have a few questions? We have the answers and can help you build the perfect home for you and your family or for your next investment. The build journey can be challenging, so below is a guide to building a new home in the Franklin area, and making the journey a little bit easier. Navigation Homes know how exciting building a new home can be, we have built hundreds of houses and…

Looking for land? Keep missing out on house sales? Subdivisions all sold out? Your answer may be in your own back yard! Are you in an established home, with a good sized section? Ever wondered if you could subdivide something off your farm that would give your son/ daughter/family member a chance at home ownership? Come in and talk to the professionals at Jennian Homes because we may have the solution! · We make the process of subdividing easy!…

When you make the decision to build a new home, your choice of building partner is paramount. Do they have a track record of quality builds, exceptional communication throughout the build process and glowing testimonials from happy and satisfied homeowners? With Frame Homes the answer is yes! Frame Homes was established in 1997 by award winning Master Builder and Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) Mark Frame. With over 20 years’ experience,…

Unlike how one may envision Africa, a dry desolate landscape, many areas of Botswana are the complete opposite! Botswana is home to the Okavango Delta, a river which works its way through Angola and Namibia, expanding into a giant swampland. Due to the abundance of water, the delta is home to a huge number of wildlife species. · Botswana is also home to the Makadikadi Basin, where the water here is so high in salt that bacteria can turn the…

A poem written for the US presidential inauguration of Joseph R. Biden Jr., 20 January 2021. When day comes, we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade. We’ve braved the belly of the beast. We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what 'just' is isn’t always justice. And yet, the dawn is ours before we knew it. Somehow we do…

Days after Donald Trump was elected as US President in November 2016, I wrote one of my very first columns for Elocal. This was my opening paragraph: ·It’s a very long time since I’ve felt so depressed about the future of the United States and of the world. In President-elect Trump we have a man who, at least to judge from his pre-election rhetoric, seems to have not a single redeeming quality. · In mid-2018, eighteen months into his four-year…

It didn’t work in the United Kingdom! How many times have you heard this when a positive idea is promoted. What has anything to do with whether it worked in the UK or not? For a start the UK has a strange health system to say the least, some pretty awful health facilities, dealing with an enormous population compared to New Zealand which makes comparison of medical services chalk and cheese. · So what am I talking about? The column in a local…

The world may be crippled by Covid 19 but in New Zealand, the Jalopy Dust Up was a dusty but fun way to see in 2021. Hosted by Noddy Watts of Beach Hop fame (Australasia’s biggest hot rod, classic car and rock & roll festival) and his partner Andrea, the Dust Up was just what the doctor ordered. · Let’s face it, 2020 in New Zealand consisted of two lock downs, numerous cancelled or delayed events and an event like the Jalopy Dust Up was a sure…