
Poll: How do you rate your artistic skills?
Sue Wickison is one of the world’s foremost botanical illustrators - she held a role at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, London, for 10 years.
Her work will soon be on show in Hamilton East.
How do you rate your artistic skills? Tell us your reasons in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).

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7.1% Advanced
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14.3% Pretty good
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21.4% I'm OK
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14.3% Not that great
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42.9% It's not my thing

Poll: Is your nearest emergency department up to scratch?
Concerns have been raised about Nelson Hospital with complaints of lack of staffing and excessive wait times. Do you have confidence in your local emergency department?

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35.3% Yes, it serves us well
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63.8% No, I have concerns
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0.9% Other - I'll share below

Watts points to a brighter future for solar energy
Soon to be New Zealand’s largest solar farm, the first sod has been turned at the Tauhei Solar site near Te Aroha, a project that promises jobs for locals and sustainable energy for the nation.
Beneath Mt Te Aroha, and on ancestral land belonging to Ngāti Haua and Ngāti Tumutumu, around 80 people witnessed the start of construction on Wednesday, including Minister for Energy Simon Watts, the projects directors and Matamata-Piako mayor Adrienne Wilcock.


Central Hamilton riverside development deal goes unconditional
A 25-storey development by Templeton Group - combining a 218 bed hotel, apartments and dining precinct - is set to become Hamilton’s tallest building.
Auckland-headquartered Templeton and the city council announced on Thursday they’ve struck an unconditional deal with the city for the land next to Victoria on the River and promised to create an Auckland Viaduct-style hospitality precinct linking to the river.
