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600 days ago

Debate over meeting room names in Ashburton’s new library and civic centre

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:

Naming meeting rooms in the new library and civic centre after primary schools better represents the district than “overused” rivers and lakes, councillor Richard Wilson says.

The Ashburton District Council was considering options for naming the 27 meeting spaces in the new library Te Pātaka o kā Tuhituhi and civic centre Te Waharoa a Hine Paaka.

The rooms will have an alpha-numeric naming system – signifying the floor level and room number – as well as a name, with both English and te reo Māori names wherever possible.

The recommendation was that the ground floor meeting rooms be named after the district’s rivers and lakes, the only meeting room on level one be named after the largest mountain, Mt Hutt/Ōpuke, and the level two meeting room theme be local flora and or fauna.

Wilson proposed an alternative option of naming rooms after local primary schools rather than the “common” usage of rivers and lakes.
“That would be a way of acknowledging all of the district.”

Assigning the names could be arranged by roll size and room size, he said, and would be “a great way to engage every school in the district” into the new library.

Mayor Neil Brown also wanted something reflecting the smaller areas of the district “which don’t get a mention anywhere” and as the schools are scattered across the district, he supported the suggestion.

There are 19 primary schools which would leave eight rooms requiring other names – with Mt Hutt/Opuke still an option for the level one room.
Councillor Lynette Lovett disagreed, believing the waterways run through district, providing the connection to all the communities.

The council moved to consider names of rivers, lakes, flora and fauna, mountains, and primary schools and will now engage with Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua for a final list of names for approval- a conversation that will occur alongside approval for other internal signage in te reo.

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Best way to use leftovers?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.

What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.

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16 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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8 days ago

Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.

If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?

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Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
  • 61.9% Summer
    61.9% Complete
  • 36.6% Winter
    36.6% Complete
  • 1.5% Other - I'll share below
    1.5% Complete
1518 votes