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Last issue, we read of a family being slain in cold blood in the Bay of Islands, and the first test of British justice. Now it’s Part 3 of New Zealand’s Bloody History, the Battle of Pukekohe: our town turned to battleground. In September 1863, the British army charged down the Great South Road, and Ngāti Pou marched north, and in the middle was the scene of the pluckiest and staunchest defence of settler interests in the New Zealand Wars – a…

There are very few of the older generation who have not heard of a de Havilland Mosquito. But few have had the good fortune to see one in the air, although many enthusiasts have seen them as static displays, essentially museum models. No matter when or how you see the Mosquito, you cannot help but be impressed by the beauty and grace of the aircraft. Geoffrey de Havilland and his chief designer C C Walker revealed their true genius in designing…

A South Auckland author who mixes sci-fi with satire has released his fifth book, tackling the topics of the day including corporate culture, immigration, environmental concerns and the election of Donald Trump. · Keith Fenwick of Totara Park, Manurewa, said his books – following the exploits of a Northland farmer named Bruce who is abducted by aliens - are “a bit like The Hitchhiker’s Guide meets Guardians of The Galaxy.” In the latest book in…

The appointment of Mark Holt as Head Coach for the Senior Teams is an exciting one for Franklin United. Here is the statement I made in the club release last week; “Over the last year we have recognised the need to keep aligning our senior team activities, philosophies, culture with our academy operations and when he has been in NZ, Mark has contributed heavily to the academy. We see the appointment of Mark to our senior team as a great fit and…

Cast your mind back to the late eighties/early nineties at Champion Dragway (now Meremere Dragway), a new class of quarter mile drag racing was sweeping the nation – WILD BUNCH! This class essentially took the street appearing two door saloon car and stuffed it full of supercharged methanol fuelled drag racing goodness. Crowd appeal was huge as these cars were something people could relate to in the crowd due to their bodies looking very much…

There is a well circulated expression of opinions including demands, rejections and mostly avoidance from the political parties who are inclined to view this subject as related to votes and this appears to nullify their ability to provide sound and meaningful policy and meaningful policy with hesitancy of involvement. The New Zealand population have been active in the last decade of claiming their rights to hereditary considerations, but there…

Massive change lies ahead for voters in the Hunua electorate. Boundary alterations ahead of the 2020 and 2023 general elections will see the electorate’s name changed to Port Waikato, and its area shifted south and transformed from urban to rural. · Hunua MP Andrew Bayly’s seat will be severely impacted by the proposed changes – of all the electorates, his is probably the one changed to the greatest degree. · The population in every electorate…

This debut novel by local author Kirsty Powell is highly recommended. · The Strength of Eggshells is the story of Kate, a six-foot-tall rural girl with an uncertain heritage. It is firmly set in New Zealand, and the locations in the story (including Kingseat, Waikaretu and Clarks Beach) are instantly recognisable and vividly described. · Seeking answers to her past, Kate sets off on her motorbike to find out what happened to her grandmother…

If you are looking for something to do as the weather gets warmer that gets you and the family out and about then you can’t go past the new Five Summits Walk and Bike Trail and accompanying map that has recently been developed in Pukekohe. A gift to the community from the Pukekohe Tramping Club for its 50th anniversary year, the Five Summit’s trail is an amazing near half marathon loop (21km) covering a plethora of landscapes, that can be…

Regular readers of “elocal” will think I have a fixation about house prices. I’ve written on the subject twice already this year, most recently just two months ago. But several things have prompted me to write on the subject again. First, despite all the hand-wringing about the unaffordability of housing, and the political commitments to make housing more affordable, house prices continue to go up at a much faster rate than incomes. Just…