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In the popular sea side town of Russell in the Bay of Islands is one of the country’s most popular and historic landmarks. Nestled amongst its prominent graveyard is home to New Zealand’s oldest surviving building, Christ Church. In the 19th century, Russell, then known as Kororareka was known as a rough sea port, popular with whalers. The land on which Christ Church sits was…

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…

“A hundred immigrants just landed have been sent here. The Government found them lodgings and give them rations . . . till they can be sent forth to their own grants of land.” These were just some of the immigrants who had recently arrived as part of the Waikato Immigration Scheme. Between October 1864 and June 1865, thirteen ships arrived in Auckland with settlers from Scotland,…

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…

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. …

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…

Property Investors are the dominant buyer group in the market with data just being released for December 2020 which shows they have been making the biggest share of purchases. Buyers using cash accounted for 12% of the multiple property buyers and a further 27% are using multiple properties to leverage equity through – in total 39% of the market are investors. This is not the…

New Businesses in Papakura We welcome, The Trend Nails and Beauty in Broadway We have new owners at the Roselands Café and Bakery in Roselands – pop in and say hi Ishtar Middle Eastern Restaurant in O’Shannessey Street Amare Safety in Elliot Street H & Son’s Barbershop on the Great South Road Beautiful Me Hair and Beauty Studio on the Great South Road If you need any contact…

The place where a number of systems come together to ensure you the best self defence training available. Train with people who have the right backgrounds and experience to share their expertise. Whether you want to empower yourself, feel safer, grow your skill-base or simply want to try out something new and exciting, you are most welcome to join our community. Classes cater…

ClearSky Accounting is brand new to Pukekohe but have operated in the South Auckland area since 1993. They have a new, modern up to date business model, a brand-new building ClearSky House in central Pukekohe and they are looking to help local businesses and start-ups in the often-confusing areas of Tax, Accounting and Bookkeeping. Established by local Glenda Rogers and backed…

Its always great to have feedback from our readers good or bad, have a read of a few of the latest ones to cross the desk. As always, if there is a story you want to see, email us at editorial@elocal.co.nz. Thank you for the nicely assembled article for South Auckland Woodturners. It is great to see this. You will be pleased to know that our sale this year is going very well,…

Earlier this year, I wrote a column headed “The country is going mad”. I was wrong: we have already gone mad. I produce three pieces of evidence. The first relates to the very widespread push in recent months to create Maori wards in local government: New Plymouth, Tauranga, Kaipara, Whangarei, Northland, Taupo, Gisborne, Ruapehu, Nelson and South Taranaki. In several of those…

My column this month argues that we’ve gone mad, with the widespread push to create local government wards based on race; with the increasing use of the Maori language in situations where almost nobody understands it; and with the rather ridiculous assertion that in 1840 Maori chiefs didn’t really surrender sovereignty to the British Crown – despite the clear wording of the…

We’re ready to go for another year! It’s been great to have some time with family over the holiday period and reflect on 2020, we know what we need to do for 2021 and look forward to meeting more wonderful people around Franklin. Give us a call to find out how the power of two can work for you!

If you live on a lifestyle property or small rural holding there is a strong likelihood that you have trees or a shelter belt. Therefore, it is inevitable at some stage you will need to fell them due to age or disease or harvest the trees for repurposing or replanting. PTT is based in Bombay and has operated in the wider Auckland area since 2013 and is recognized as a top…

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…

Covid 19 sure put the handbrake on 2020 and as a result is a year that many of us would rather forget. The worldwide pandemic created havoc through all aspects of everyday life including the fun we have with cars. Fortunately for us all here in New Zealand there has been a sense of normality or an appreciation for a "new normal". A Covid delayed Beach Hop in Whangamata was no…

Pukekohe High School senior students have again earned a significant number of valuable tertiary scholarships for study in the years ahead. The range of financial grants from many tertiary providers totals well over six figures allowing these students a sound financial start to their academic pathway. In each case they recognise the hard work and application displayed at…

Bees are the world's most numerous and arguably most essential livestock. Going quietly about their buziness in farms and gardens all over the country, honey bees are directly responsible for earning us billions of dollars in gross domestic product. They make honey, of course, but more importantly they pollinate horticultural and specialty agricultural crops, and by pollinating…

Most New Zealand's will know Andrew Bayly as a community man and a local MP, only a few will know the other side of his life, the Andrew Bayly who is an adventurer. He has climbed mountains, both here and internationally. Trekked to both the North and South Poles, a feat that gains him a place in an exceedingly small club, as he is one of only 140 explorers who can make this…