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806 days ago

NZ public holiday announced for September 26

Brian from New Lynn

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said a State Memorial Service for Queen Elizabeth II would also be held in the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul on the same day.
The event will be televised and livestreamed.
"As New Zealand's Queen and much loved Sovereign for over 70 years, it is appropriate that we mark her life of dedicated public service with a State Memorial Service and a one-off public holiday," Ardern said.
"Queen Elizabeth II was an extraordinary person, and I know many New Zealanders will appreciate the opportunity to both mark her death and celebrate her life."
Ardern said the public holiday allowed people to pay their respects and for communities around the country to come together and pay tribute with local events.
"The decision to hold a one-off Public Holiday in the Queen's honour is also in line with similar holidays in the UK and Australia, and is in keeping with what is an historic event."
The death of the Queen was announced on Friday (NZT) and her funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19.
A period of national mourning started immediately after the Queen's death was announced and will continue until the date of the National Memorial Service.
Ardern previously said New Zealand's memorial service would be held at some point after the funeral in the UK - and turned its mind this afternoon to setting the date when it meets today as well as whether to have a public holiday.
A one-off national public holiday has been confirmed in Australia on September 22. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese the move was "in honour of the life and service" of the late Queen and would coincide with a memorial service.
BusinessNZ chief executive Kirk Hope told RNZ's Morning Report businesses had already suffered losses from the pandemic and the government had to be careful when making a call that would impose more costs on local businesses.
"Certainly, I don't think there's any problem with a memorial, I think there'll be a lot of people who will be wanting to attend that but to add another public holiday, as I said, at a time when many businesses have struggled is a bridge too far."
Even a half-day public holiday would still be costly for businesses, he said.
"We prefer not to have that."
King Charles has announced the day of the Queen's funeral - September 19 - would be a bank holiday in the UK.
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More messages from your neighbours
5 minutes ago

RE: Hosting a FREE inspirational talk by Harita Davies in your school/class

Durba from Avondale

Kia Ora
I would like to introduce you to Harita Davies, our national record holder in 3100-Mile race.

Harita is the only New Zealand woman to ever attempt and complete the world's longest certified running race, the 3100-Mile race (94km for 52 days and 28 pairs of running shoes!) The Self-Transcendence 3,100-Mile Race, described as “The Mount Everest of Ultramarathons” by the New York Times, requires competitors to maintain an average of 60 miles a day, amounting to over two marathons every day for 52 days!

Each year, contestants are drawn to the 3100-mile ultra for often inner reasons. Testing their physical and mental limits, with a curiosity about human potential itself. The race promises personal growth and self-discovery. Participants come from around the world to shatter their perceived limitations and discover a deeper sense of self. Only six women have ever completed the 3100-mile distance since its inception in 1997.

Please listen to Harita's many interviews with RNZ - www.rnz.co.nz......
Watch a trailer about the award-winning documentary covering the 3100 Mile Race -
www.youtube.com......

Accompanying her will be Preetidutta Thorpe, ultra marathon runner and a former Olympic-level contender in sailing who has just completed the Everest Marathon last year.

For Harita, meditation is the ultimate game changer in her running. This holistic approach cultivates peak performance and nurtures a deeper sense of well-being, She believes that caring for our own sense of peace is one of the most powerful contributions we can make to creating a better and more peaceful world.

Kindly get in touch if you would like to have Harita talk to your school/class about her experience and share a few simple practical meditation techniques to cope with stress, improve focus and cultivate resilience. The duration and depth of the subject matter can be tailored to suit.

Harita, now living in the US, and will be back in Auckland on Wednesday 12 February.

I look forward to the opportunity to discuss any possibilities for inspiring your school community to take the first step.

Warmest regards,
Durba Lee Preetidutta Thorpe
Mobile: 0220 653 719 Mobile: 0220 814 727

Sri Chinmoy Centre

4 days ago

Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.

When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?

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Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
  • 82.6% Yes
    82.6% Complete
  • 14.7% No
    14.7% Complete
  • 2.7% Other - I'll share below
    2.7% Complete
1725 votes
1 hour ago

Move for Good! Peer fundraising to save rescued baby wild birds

Kim Frakes from BirdCare Aotearoa

BirdCare Aotearoa, NZ's largest wild bird hospital and rehabilitation centre, is a special charity based in Waitākere, Auckland providing life-saving care to around 6,000 wild birds rescued by community members each year. Many of these patients are endangered native and endemic species. It’s currently baby bird season, and we urgently need to raise enough funds to cover the significant cost of the specialised care required for raising the thousands of orphaned and injured baby birds we receive in our dedicated nurseries during summertime.

As part of our current fundraising campaign, we have launched 'Move for Good', a peer fundraiser encouraging people of all ages to get out into nature and participate in an event (e.g. a walk, run, cycle or swim) or a hike, bushwalk, orienteering, or other fun outdoor activity (e.g. Birdie Bingo shown on our website) and invite friends and family to join or sponsor their challenge, to raise funds to help our hospital continue saving rescued baby birds.

Move for Good is proudly supported by Allbirds and Tree Adventures, and everyone who registers will go in the draw to win a pair of eco-friendly Allbirds sneakers or a Tree Adventures double pass.
We’ll give away a Give a Hoot tote bag from our Digitees store to the first five participants to complete a challenge before 22nd December.

Further details available in these links:
Givealittle page, for creating a Move for Good fundraising page or donating directly to our baby bird campaign - givealittle.co.nz...

Move for Good page on our website - birdcareaotearoa.org.nz... (contains a registration form for your challenge)

It will be absolutely wonderful if our neighbourhood communities would like to participate in our Move for Good campaign to save rescued baby birds!