All articles

The following address was delivered by David Seymour, leader of the ACT Party, at a function on Waitangi Day, 6 Feburary 2021. Introduction Thank you very much to everyone who's here this morning and watching online. Happy Waitangi Day. It's a good day for New Zealand. We alone celebrate a country founded by a voluntary agreement. A Treaty that guarantees each person - no…

Topher and I were lucky enough to be granted access by the local iwi to one of their hidden landscapes. It's an area only a few hours north from where Bridget grew up, but somewhere that very few in the area have had the opportunity to explore. Accessing the area involves driving 10 km up a beautiful white sandy subtropical beach. The beach access limits your time exploring, as…

The end of the year is nigh – that is the financial year for most New Zealand businesses. For some people this can feel like the end of the world if you haven’t been keeping your business paper work up to scratch. However if you have Xero or another software package, then the sun will still shine. We are here to help with whatever your accounting issues are; book keeping, GST…

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…

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…

Group fitness for everyone Regardless of fitness level, there is a class for you! Stay motivated with always changing, tried and proven content. Daily Box-Fit, Circuit, HIIT, Low Impact and VO2Max Classes Women only Join our fast-growing supportive community for women. Work it Ladies is for women who want get moving, have fun and get fit. Keep improving and make gains,…

Building with Frame Homes means a Home Finished to Perfection and Ready to Move In. As we head into 2021, ensuring access to quality housing remains one of the sought after goals for every New Zealander. New community townships like Paerata Rise are growing at a rapid rate and more and more builders are offering house and land packages to offer those looking for a home a simpler,…

Another community case has surfaced in our country and the panic has started. Many are rushing out to get tested, queues at testing stations are inevitable. Healthline is inundated with calls and rogue checkpoints in Northland have the potential to rise again. Media outlets are full of COVID stories, relating to everything from the number of negative tests, the likelihood of a…

Change has come to Pukekohe. Less frequently are tractors seen on our streets, instead rows of houses march their way across the fertile growing soils which for many hundreds of years have sustained mankind in this district. Planned highways and high-rise buildings will further alter the character of this rural township, maybe beyond recognition. Historic buildings may fall…

We have seen some drastic changes in the property market over the last 12 months and have experienced unbelievable price increases all around New Zealand. Median house price: up 17.4% Volume sold: up 66% Median days to sell: 29 If you would like to get an updated appraisal on your property we would be more than happy to give you our professional opinion. This service is…

You may have heard about ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and relate it to children that are hyperactive, disruptive and climbing the walls – but do you actually know what ADHD is and what it is like to have it? ADHD or ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) as it is also known provides advantages and challenges to on average one in 20 New Zealanders. It is often most…

Played with a simple pack of cards, Bridge is a mind sport, comparable to chess or 500 on steroids and millions of people are involved in playing it around the world. Famous players include Bill Gates, Omar Sharif, and Martina Navratilova, who is quoted as saying, “No matter where I go, I can always make new friends at the bridge table.” Franklin Bridge Club was founded in…

For naturally beautiful hair. Regeneration from the outside: Complexe 3 Mask Vital. The regenerative intensive mask deeply repairs even very dry, damaged, stressed hair – from roots to tips. The hair structure is immediately strengthened, and is thus more resistant to all stress factors. Hairstyles are once again effortless to create. The hair looks impressively soft, and glows…

With the global pandemic still raging around the world, the idea of working from home is becoming an ever-increasing reality for many Kiwis. They see the benefit in combining their home ownership dream with the benefits of a practical working from home scenario. But who has the best design and craftmanship to produce such a solution? Locals Lance and Jana Hutton, owners of Hutton…

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…

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.”[^1] These were just some of the immigrants who had recently arrived as part of the Waikato Immigration Scheme.[^2] Between October 1864 and June 1865, thirteen ships arrived in Auckland with settlers from…

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. …