December 2019

Walking inside the newly renovated showroom of Wrights Jewellers on King Street in Pukekohe and you are immediately transported into a Christmas wonderland. Brimming with radiant sparkling gemstones, polished silver and gold chains adorned with seasonal and special charms. Stunning rings creating majestic kaleidoscopes of colour and watches that offer a timely reminder that…

Even though the pace of time is exactly the same every year, it certainly feels at times like it is speeding by far quicker than in previous years. I do wonder if this is because of the sheer amount we try to pack in to our daily lives and the way we rank our priorities or something to do with our perceptions as we age. As this year hurtles to a close, it seems to have been one…

When you have been in the business of building homes as long as Frank Verheyen has you know what will work, and more importantly what won’t when it comes to implementing a building solution that meets your needs. Whether it’s an alteration, renovation, extension or a new home you are needing, Frank Verheyen Builders has over 40 years in the industry and has seen many different…

Not strangers to building a new house Maggie and Steve Bygate are truly enthusiastic when they describe how much they like Navigation Homes ProNav App Smartphone tool that they were able to utilise during their recent build in the Paerata Rise community. “It made it just so easy, we were able to ask questions, see information, follow progress and approve costs all in real time.…

It’s that time of year again when, for all things, Jolly, Joyful and generally Christmassy, Papakura is your one stop Christmas stop! Having always had always had a strong community spirit, a varied retail base with 36 new shops opened this year alone, and with numerous eatery options, your local town centre has pulled out all the stops to make this festive season the best ever! I…

In the past few years at my acupuncture clinic, there has been an increase in patients coming in for treatment of shoulder pain. Mostly has gone for some western medical therapy such as taking anti-inflammatory, physiotherapy and local steroid injection. However they seem to be the unlucky ones where those treatments did not able to relieve the shoulder pain and improve the range…

For design and build team Jana and Kieran Tod who make up the dynamic dyo from JK Design creativity is everything. A locally based interior design and build company, JK Design offers a new approach to building projects whether they be new builds, renovations or a refresh of interior furnishings. “We use our skills and creative design style along with your personality and…

Cosplay. To some people it’s a foreign word and they have no clue what it is. To others, they might have heard of it, but know little else, and Cosplayers themselves? Well, to them it can be a pretty big deal. Cosplay is short for costume play, an anglicised version of the Japanese word, “Kospure” and it is exactly that. Adults dressing up as, but not limited to, characters from…

Edgar swiftly moved to Boston with a manuscript verse, an unrealistic quest to become a great poet and to find adventure. Although he needed work, he spent his first few weeks making last minute revisions to his poetry in preparation for publication and within the following month he was able to achieve the former when he met a young printer, Calvin F. S. Thomas who was eager to…

The Christmas season is a time to celebrate being with family and friends. It can however sometimes isolate members of our community, especially our senior members, who are without a strong network around them or who’s usual network of friends return to their own families outside of the area. For a number of years now, locals, Amanda Mitchell and Carole Inight in conjunction with…

Right now, in New Zealand, a quiet revolution is taking place. It isn’t technological, or a change to the education system, or a new and widespread understanding of an holistic approach to health and wellbeing. Rather, it involves the steady, systematic, and stealthy overturning of more than eight centuries of established rights and freedoms that New Zealanders have inherited…

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…

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…

The Cypress shelter belt has been used for decades for wind protection and boundary privacy. Thousands of properties throughout the country would have planted these trees as juveniles and seen them grow up to a height where they start to become trimmed and maintained. Some are kept as low hedges bordering lifestyle blocks and garden areas, and others were left to grow to their…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Ministry of Health Statistics on the obesity epidemic in NZ make for sobering reading. One third of adult New Zealanders are obese with a further third being overweight, three times what it was in the 1970’s, and the 3rd highest in the OECD. With studies showing a direct correlation between obesity and debilitating diseases, mental health issues and increasingly, shortened life…

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…

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…

Go in the draw to win one of three $100 Papakura shopping Vouchers which can be spent in Papakura Town Centre! 12 shops or places in Papakura town centre have a Christmas bauble with a special number on it located in their shop window. Follow the clues to find them. Fill in your answers & put your entry form in the box instore at the last shop on the hunt or at Santa’s grotto…