January 2019

Making those big financial decisions can be easier than you thought with Counties Home Loans and Insurance. Making those big financial decisions can be easier than you thought. Okay, hands up who loves supermarket shopping! Hmmm....thought not. So much choice, so many products, what's on special and what's not, what's the best deal, can I afford it and do I really need it…

Planning on renovating your home, bach or office? Smith and Sons is the place to go for advice. We ask their renovation experts how to get the best result, first time. We chat with Smith and Sons Pukekohe franchise-holders Lane and Melissa and their experienced and friendly team of local contractors, to find out how to renovate your home or office in preparation for generations…

From the paint or wallpaper on the walls, through to the curtains, blinds and flooring, Guthrie Bowron Pukekohe is your one-stop shop for renovation, with top-of-the line, modern products that will make your living space attractive and inviting. Thanks to the popularity of the locally owned business, which has been run by Pukekohe local, Robin Beveridge for 13 years, Guthrie…

elocal caught up with Minister of Parliament (MP), and Local Papakura MP Judith Collins to discuss the changes in policies from the perspective of the opposition party and how it is shaping New Zealand. For Judith Collins, it wasn’t a surprise to see NZ First working alongside Labour, in fact she says that while a percentage of National supporters discussed the idea of voting for…

Breaking up is hard to do, but not when it leads to a new use for old bricks. “I got into this game by accident, wanting a few bricks for a path” is how Winston Jacob describes his introduction to the demolition business. Forty-seven years on Jacob Demolition and Building Supplies is Auckland’s biggest repository for pre-loved building materials, with premises in New Lynn and…

We love to have fun in the sun, but it’s often human nature to visit the same tried and true holiday destinations every year. At elocal, we decided to come up with some great island hopping adventures that will give the family and friends a break, at the fraction of the cost of an island getaway overseas. GREAT BARRIER ISLAND Whether you choose to take a flight from Auckland, a…

It might be a small country but New Zealand has had its fair share of murder mysteries, some of which have remained unsolved for decades. In this edition of elocal, we look back at three of those head-scratching cases that have confused the nation and remain unexplained - in some cases over four decades later. Each of the disappearances include teenage women and while there is a…

Friday, April 13th didn't seem a particularly inauspicious date to Irene and Marinus van Wijk, but it turned out to carry all the traditional bad luck for their Jack Russell terrier, Roxy. “We were up north, leaving neighbours to keep an eye on our property and feed the animals,” says Irene. “But on the Saturday morning the neighbours rang us, very concerned that they hadn't…

Every now and then, there’s a surge of concern, sometimes even anger, at the banks. They make too much money. Their profits go overseas. They no longer provide services in country towns. Their culture needs watching carefully by the regulators, lest they exploit their customers. They should be subject to more controls. I’m a bit hesitant to discuss these issues because I can…

If last year’s Rebel Round Up event was anything to go by, this year’s one will be equally successful. The hot rod and custom car themed event tips its hat to the whole culture around it celebrating days gone by with live bands, retro fashion and of course the old style hot rods and customs themselves. New Zealand’s ultimate hot rod, vintage, rockabilly festival will be held on…

Philip Simpson is an acclaimed botanist, who lives with his wine scientist wife Wendy Parr on a rugged limestone hillside overlooking Golden Bay. The couple’s home is at the end of a gravel road, close to where Philip was born at the north end of Abel Tasman National Park – the subject of his latest book Down the Bay. Philip’s parents had a nursery and farm, and he grew up…

Navigation Homes are excited about leading the way in new and fresh designs, meticulous project management and construction to outstanding service. Our homes speak for themselves and are professionally built with you in mind. Founded in 2007 right here in Franklin by Aaron and Michelle Hall, the Navigation Homes franchise has grown to cover the whole country. Now the wheel has…

SATURDAY'S HAKA A POOR SYMBOL OF MULTI-RACIAL SOCIETY This December, world leaders, possibly including Jacinda Ardern, will gather in Morocco to sign the United Nations Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. While a growing list of countries are pulling out - such as Australia, the United States, Croatia, Israel, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary,…

On May 8, 1945, with Germany’s unconditional surrender, Admiral Dönitz, the commander of Germany’s submarine force, ordered a number of specialised cargo U-boats, still at sea, to proceed to foreign ports across the world. In the early 1980s local divers discovered the hulk of the U-196 in Dargaville, sparking a renewed search for those who came ashore in 1945 AUTHOR'S NOTE…

This is the final article in the 1080 series and will look at how 1080 is delivered, any potential revenue losses for NZ, the results after 60 years of using 1080 and the alternatives? Doc employs an aerial dispersal method, usually by helicopter. This method has major issues with accuracy. Pilots use a GPs layout in an attempt to hit targeted areas. This is affected by wind…

As a first-world country, we are expected to have healthy children, living in happy homes and being offered great health services and as a whole, our children do tend to be offered a great range of services, in comparison to other western countries, however based on statistics, it is evident there are some things that we could improve upon. According to UNICEF data, from a 2016…

A few months ago elocal brought you the little-known story of Port Waikato's 1891 earthquake. Now a local woman has done a bit of moving and shaking of her own with her history of the sleepy seaside town. Actually it's the author herself, Glennis Paton, who's been shaken up the most. The success of her newly published book, The Way We Were - Port Waikato, has taken her completely…

Becoming the Franklin Local Board chair in 2016 was the first step in two years of learning for Angela Fulljames. Now she and her team continue to be the leading voice for the district and its communities on issues that matter. All that groundwork of building relationships with elected members and Auckland Council staff has paid off for the mother of two, who takes a hand-on…

Du Plessis Heard Column Anti-Money Laundering If it were possible to troll sales data and then mathematically predict the sale price of your home / intended future home or that of any other home in town the profession of Registered Valuer would cease to exist. Masses of sales data will allow a trend line to be established but right now where the trend line for Pukekohe is that…

Neighbourhood support group rallies together to create a safer community with help from the Papakura Local Board and Neighbourhood Support. Papakura Local Board chair Brent Catchpole says its residents are a great example of people coming together to solve their own problems, courtesy of the Orion Street Neighbourhood Support Group. Known as one of the town’s troubled areas,…

WELCOME TO 2019 The Business Association hopes you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and an enjoyable and safe break. Papakura is looking great with new planters in the Main Street, Bikes, Baskets and Flowers along the main street and our murals located around the town. Our murals have been done by young and talented local artists from Papakura and associated with our…

It might be a new year but you can still expect to get the same quality service from the team at Conveyancing Shop Lawyers for all your legal needs. The award-winning Conveyancing Shop specialises in property transactions and focuses on helping everyone from first home buyers to seasoned property developers. Situated in the heart of Pukekohe, the old ASB bank building on the…