Central Otago District, Alexandra

Time to tidy that garage

Time to tidy that garage

Use Neighbourly Market to make a few bucks while you're at it

722 days ago

How to make your own Christmas terrarium

Resene

How to make your own Christmas terrarium painted in Resene.

Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
Find out more

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722 days ago

Repaint a doll's bed

The Team from Resene ColorShop Dunedin

Breathe new life into an old children’s toy with a fun new look using only Resene testpots! Find out how to create your own.

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724 days ago

Be in to win with Southern Cross Pet

Southern Cross Pet Insurance

Share a festive photo of your furry friend and you could be in to win a $100 Prezzy® card. Because the smell of the Christmas tree and the ripping open of presents isn’t only exciting for us. But for them too.

All pets are welcome - Santa paws, claws, beaks, and squeaks. And if you don’t … View more
Share a festive photo of your furry friend and you could be in to win a $100 Prezzy® card. Because the smell of the Christmas tree and the ripping open of presents isn’t only exciting for us. But for them too.

All pets are welcome - Santa paws, claws, beaks, and squeaks. And if you don’t have a pet, that’s fine; we’d love to see your festive snaps too.

Ends 21 December 2022
Enter Now

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725 days ago

Home and property inspiration delivered to your inbox

Homed

What better way to while away a Friday afternoon and get your weekend DIY inspiration than drooling over the most beautiful house and garden content of the week?

Homed newsletter keeps you on top of the real estate market, takes you inside gorgeous New Zealand homes, give you a taste of how … View more
What better way to while away a Friday afternoon and get your weekend DIY inspiration than drooling over the most beautiful house and garden content of the week?

Homed newsletter keeps you on top of the real estate market, takes you inside gorgeous New Zealand homes, give you a taste of how celebrities live, keep you up to date with interior trends, provide project ideas, and more. Be inspired to dream big about your own space - and get on the path to making those dreams come true. Sign up for free here.
Find out more

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728 days ago

Win your share of $10,000 this Christmas with Mags4Gifts.

Mags4gifts

We are giving 10 lucky winners $1,000 cash each this Christmas, to enter all you have to do is make a purchase on Mags4Gifts. Spoil your loved ones by gifting them a subscription or treat yourself to your favourite magazine or newspaper subscription.

Mags4Gifts is your one-stop shop for all of … View more
We are giving 10 lucky winners $1,000 cash each this Christmas, to enter all you have to do is make a purchase on Mags4Gifts. Spoil your loved ones by gifting them a subscription or treat yourself to your favourite magazine or newspaper subscription.

Mags4Gifts is your one-stop shop for all of your Christmas gifts with a range of over 50 products to choose from, including our popular NZ House & Garden, NZ Gardener, and TV Guide magazines.

Each product purchased on Mags4Gifts will automatically place you in the draw to win a cash prize - and the best part, there’s no limit on how many times you can enter! Promotion ends 8 Jan 2023, for T&Cs click here.

The team at Mags4Gifts
Know more

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731 days ago

Ongoing staffing challenges temporarily reduce transfer station opening hours

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News

The Frankton and Wānaka transfer station facilities will close every Sunday from November 27 until January 8 due to staffing shortages.

Queenstown Lakes District Council infrastructure operations manager Simon Mason said work was ongoing to recruit more staff.

The Materials Recovery … View more
The Frankton and Wānaka transfer station facilities will close every Sunday from November 27 until January 8 due to staffing shortages.

Queenstown Lakes District Council infrastructure operations manager Simon Mason said work was ongoing to recruit more staff.

The Materials Recovery Facility and kerbside rubbish and recycling collection service would continue to operate as normal.

“We’re working hard to maintain normal levels of service for the community while grappling with the same resourcing challenges as many other local businesses. As we’ve said before, this will not be resolved overnight and our key focus is on balancing the need to maintain staff wellbeing and operational safety whilst continuing our kerbside collection service and fulfilling our waste minimisation commitments,” he said.

The Frankton and Wānaka transfer stations will remain open from 8am to 5pm six days a week from Monday to Saturday in the interim.

Roles currently available include: Drivers (Class 5 and Class 2), Recycling Operators and Transfer Station Operators. Anyone interested in applying can visit wastemanagement.careercentre.net.nz... for more details.

733 days ago

Poll: Should our voting age be lowered to 16?

Ashleigh Ogden from Neighbourly.co.nz

On Monday, 21 November, the Supreme Court ruled that preventing 16 and 17-year-olds from voting is 'unjustified age discrimination'.

The current age of voting is 18 in New Zealand and lobby group Make It 16 have been running a youth-led campaign advocating for the vote to be extended … View more
On Monday, 21 November, the Supreme Court ruled that preventing 16 and 17-year-olds from voting is 'unjustified age discrimination'.

The current age of voting is 18 in New Zealand and lobby group Make It 16 have been running a youth-led campaign advocating for the vote to be extended to our 16 and 17-year-olds.

“This is history,” said Make It 16 co-director Caeden Tipler. “Today New Zealand’s highest court has confirmed that stopping young people from voting is a breach of our human rights...The government and Parliament cannot ignore such a clear legal and moral message. They must let us vote.”

Share your thoughts below - these may be published in the We Say You Say column of the local papers.

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Should our voting age be lowered to 16?
  • 13.9% Yes - they should be allowed to vote
    13.9% Complete
  • 3.7% Maybe - I need more information
    3.7% Complete
  • 3.2% It doesn't bother me either way
    3.2% Complete
  • 79.2% No - I don't agree with this
    79.2% Complete
3337 votes
732 days ago

Queenstown's $1 billion Lakeview development faces fast-track rejection

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News

Commissioners will reject a fast-tracked billion-dollar central Queenstown development plan unless building heights are significantly reduced.

The proposed Lakeview/Taumata development proposal includes three hotels, 500 apartments and commercial spaces on a former camping ground site.

Plans … View more
Commissioners will reject a fast-tracked billion-dollar central Queenstown development plan unless building heights are significantly reduced.

The proposed Lakeview/Taumata development proposal includes three hotels, 500 apartments and commercial spaces on a former camping ground site.

Plans for the first five buildings show some buildings will be 13 storeys high and about twice the allowable height limit.

An expert consenting panel is considering granting permission for the project under the Government’s fast-tracking legislation but is concerned the buildings are too high.

Continue reading here.

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744 days ago

Critically ill teen ends up in ICU after waiting in portable building outside hospital for 3 hours

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Otago News

From reporter Debbie Jamieson:

A teenager ended up in the intensive care unit in Dunedin with pneumonia after being made to wait in a portable building outside Queenstown’s locked hospital for three hours.

Her distraught mother Sunitha Karunakaran said watching her 18-year-old daughter … View more
From reporter Debbie Jamieson:

A teenager ended up in the intensive care unit in Dunedin with pneumonia after being made to wait in a portable building outside Queenstown’s locked hospital for three hours.

Her distraught mother Sunitha Karunakaran said watching her 18-year-old daughter struggle to breathe in the cold unit on the night of October 25 was one of the worst moments of her life.

Hospital staff had been advised of the seriousness of the girl’s condition before her arrival following blood tests at the privately-owned Queenstown Medical Centre, Karunakaran said.

However, they put her in the external building, which had a bed and small kitchen, while they dealt with other patients.


As her daughter’s condition deteriorated, several attempts to get attention from hospital staff using a buzzer outside the locked hospital were ignored, Karunakaran said.

With another child at home alone, as her husband was in Malaysia visiting family, and no indication they would see a doctor soon, the pair left the hospital at 11pm.


“I was feeling absolutely helpless all night seeing my girl suffering and unable to breathe,” she said.

The next morning staff at Queenstown Medical Centre sent her daughter, who Stuff has agreed not to name, back to the hospital in an ambulance.

Her oxygen level was down to 20%, she had a fever of 38.7C and was coughing uncontrollably.

She was put on an Otago Rescue Helicopter and sent to Dunedin Hospital where she was diagnosed with bacterial strep pneumonia affecting both lungs and spent three days in ICU.


Once stable she was moved to the general ward for the remainder of the week.

Karunakaran said the episode was “extremely distressing”.

“If [the hospital staff] had seen us that night then my daughter wouldn’t have got to the point of almost losing her life.”

Her daughter now faces a six-week recovery period and was forced to miss her last week of high school and the opportunity to apply for scholarships and complete work for assessments.


“I understand that they don’t have staff, but they don’t need to be rude,” she said.

“When I rang the bell so many times to say she’s struggling to breathe, they just ignored us. That’s the hardest part.”

Despite Karunakaran and her daughter providing a written statement waiving their rights to privacy, an unnamed Te Whatu Ora southern spokesperson declined to discuss the case.

“Te Whatu Ora does not comment on individual patients and their care for privacy reasons,” a written statement said.


It said emergency departments were currently very busy, and patients were triaged with the sickest patients seen first.

The portable building at Lakes District Hospital was used as a dedicated space for patients presenting with cold and flu symptoms who needed to be isolated, the spokesperson said.

“Patients who are allocated to this waiting space are checked and assessed regularly.”

That was not the case on the night of October 25, Karunakaran said.


Prior to their arrival at Lakes District Hospital staff had been aware of her daughter’s condition by doctors at Queenstown Medical Centre.

Her daughter had spent the day at the medical centre on an IV before going home at 6pm.

At 7pm the doctor called the family to advise blood tests revealed the teenager’s white and red blood cell counts were concerning, and she needed to go immediately to hospital.

Staff at the hospital confirmed they had spoken with the medical centre, that the situation was "urgent" and that her daughter would be seen soon, Karunakaran said.

They were told to wait in one of the two rooms in the portable building.


"It was too cold out there, but we were just ignored and told we had to wait as there were other patients who were more ill that arrived in an ambulance," she said.

She saw other patients arrive by car and be given access to the waiting room during that time.

Nurses had provided paracetamol, a Covid-19 test (which was negative), and a blanket, after Karunakaran begged for it.

When her daughter left in a helicopter to Dunedin the next day, Karunakaran had to remain in Queenstown to pick up her son from school, then arrange transport and accommodation for the family and travel to Dunedin.

After arriving she sat crying on the floor in Dunedin Hospital.


“I felt hopeless and helpless – seeing multiple doctors and nurses running in and out of her room was daunting and scary.

“I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through on that day.”

Her family had lived in Queenstown for 17 years and were devastated with their treatment, she said.

“I came to New Zealand for a better life and I have been doing community work for over 10 years.

“It’s extremely distressing to see there is no humanity in the medical area,” she said.

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735 days ago

The Must-Give Christmas Gift!

Christmas Box

Meeting an ever-increasing need in our communities, Christmas Box provides more than just food in a time of need, it also brings a reminder that there is a community of people who care.

We believe by alleviating some of the pressure that families feel at Christmas time through our food parcels, … View more
Meeting an ever-increasing need in our communities, Christmas Box provides more than just food in a time of need, it also brings a reminder that there is a community of people who care.

We believe by alleviating some of the pressure that families feel at Christmas time through our food parcels, it will create a lasting impact that goes beyond a treat at Christmas.

For only $40 you can donate a Christmas Box to a family in need, providing not just practical help, but much deserved hope too.
Donate now

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740 days ago

Poll: Should there be a parade for the Black Ferns?

Ashleigh from Neighbourly.co.nz

Our national women’s rugby team took out the Rugby World Cup on Saturday in a tense finale at Eden Park. The Black Ferns won the match by just three points taking home their sixth world title.

With public celebrations taking place following the All Blacks (men's) Rugby World Cup wins … View more
Our national women’s rugby team took out the Rugby World Cup on Saturday in a tense finale at Eden Park. The Black Ferns won the match by just three points taking home their sixth world title.

With public celebrations taking place following the All Blacks (men's) Rugby World Cup wins (2011 & 2015) as well as parades for the America's cup team, do you think similar celebration plans are needed for our winning Black Ferns women?

Should there be a parade for the Black Ferns?
  • 65.8% Absolutely, it's an event to be celebrated.
    65.8% Complete
  • 5.6% No, times are tough.
    5.6% Complete
  • 24.3% No need for a parade, but I'm still very proud of the Black Ferns.
    24.3% Complete
  • 4.2% I didn't know the Rugby World Cup was on?
    4.2% Complete
4366 votes
736 days ago

Gift yourself and a loved one

Sunday Star-Times

Hey Neighbours!

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Between now and 31 December, purchase a 3-month subscription to Sunday Star-Times for a friend, loved one (or yourself), and you'll receive a gorgeous soy candle selection worth $49 from Linden Leaves absolutely free.

Use promo … View more
Hey Neighbours!

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Between now and 31 December, purchase a 3-month subscription to Sunday Star-Times for a friend, loved one (or yourself), and you'll receive a gorgeous soy candle selection worth $49 from Linden Leaves absolutely free.

Use promo code 'Christmas' at the checkout to redeem this unmissable deal!

The team at Sunday Star-Times
Subscribe now

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736 days ago

Skater clocks

The Team from Resene ColorShop Dunedin

Skate away! Turn an old skateboard into a handy clock with a little imagination and Resene paints.
Find out how to create your own.

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739 days ago

Home and property inspiration delivered to your inbox

Homed

What better way to while away a Friday afternoon and get your weekend DIY inspiration than drooling over the most beautiful house and garden content of the week?

|Homed newsletter| takes you inside gorgeous New Zealand homes, showcases the latest interior trends, provides project ideas, and … View more
What better way to while away a Friday afternoon and get your weekend DIY inspiration than drooling over the most beautiful house and garden content of the week?

|Homed newsletter| takes you inside gorgeous New Zealand homes, showcases the latest interior trends, provides project ideas, and more. Be inspired to dream big about your own space - and get on the path to making those dreams come true. Sign up for free here.
Sign up now

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744 days ago

Childs' treasure chest

The Team from Resene ColorShop Dunedin

Turn an ordinary wooden gift box into a treasure chest with Resene paint! A place to keep Lego, figurines, and all the treasures kids love to collect. Add a unique decorative feature to the lid to make it a special keepsake.

Find out how to create your own.

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