West Coast civic tributes
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
West Coast Civic leaders moved to pay tribute yesterday as flags were lowered to half mast and the country moved to an official mourning period of 14 days for New Zealand's longest serving Sovereign.
Condolence books were placed at all four West Coast council offices, including the Westland District Council chambers in Hokitika, the West Coast Regional Council at Paroa, and at the Grey District Council chambers, for the public to pay tribute.
For Buller, a condolence book was placed at the council's Westport Brougham House and at its Inangahua Service Centre in Reefton. Flowers could also be left at the Gates of Remembrance in Westport.
The mayors of Westland, Grey, and Buller all paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth's strong example of unstinting public service over 70 years in the Commonwealth, ahead of anticipated public memorial services in the region and nationally.
All mayors and chairs are expected to attend the state memorial when it is announced.
West Coast Regional Council chairman Allan Birchfield said he would definitely be attending and said the Queen's example of "a moral compass" was admirable to him.
"I was always a bit of a royalist... She's held the royal family's moral compass all the way through."
He suspected her passing would bring unprecedented change to the institution in terms of her successor and wondered if it might be "the beginning of the end".
In a statement, the Department of Internal Affairs advised that on the death of the Queen, Prince Charles immediately became His Majesty King Charles III.
"The death of the Queen has the effect of transferring all the functions, duties, powers to the new King, but otherwise has no effect in law for any purpose (Constitution Act 1986, section 5(1))."
Various branches of Government had been making "discrete preparations" towards the day on which the Queen died.
"Planning is underway to ensure the delivery of events that will mark the Queen's passing, acknowledge the change of Head of State and allow New Zealanders to mourn."
At a national level, condolence books were being made available for the public to sign and people could leave messages at condolences@dia.govt.nz
DIA said a State Memorial Service would be held after the official service in London.
"We expect all mayors and regional council chairs will be invited. A brief ceremony, the Proclamation of Ascension, will be held in the next few days to officially declare the new sovereign as New Zealand's Head of State."
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
-
4.6% Second half of November
-
43.6% 1st December
-
17.5% A week before Christmas
-
33.2% Whenever you wish
-
1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.