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558 days ago

Eye research needs vision

The Team from Momentum Waikato

Research into eyes and eyesight in Aotearoa-New Zealand needs to be visionary.

Which is why the new Vision Research Foundation New Zealand (VRF) has been established – to move beyond the safe and incremental, to attract the funding and knowledge needed to make life-changing discoveries, and to unlock the potential medical talent shut out by inequity.

Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer founded the Foundation as a charitable trust in 2022 and is now its Scientific Director.

It was established with the support of a generous philanthropist and has since started to attract direct donations and bequests. Now the VRF has set up a philanthropic investment fund at Momentum Waikato, which is open for public donations from anywhere.

“We are at a time when technology is developing faster than most research ideas,” says Helen.

“The Vision Research Foundation is therefore aimed at using those rapidly developing technological advances to disrupt traditional modes of eye care and research.

“Our philosophy is that by challenging established paradigms we can make transformative discoveries in vision science."

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More messages from your neighbours
11 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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3 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?
  • 60.7% Summer
    60.7% Complete
  • 37.4% Winter
    37.4% Complete
  • 1.9% Other - I'll share below
    1.9% Complete
829 votes
11 days ago

Poll: Do you think these are the best areas for denser housing?

Libby Totton Reporter from Waikato Times

A controversial plan change that could see three-by-three housing density rules in Hamilton is set to be considered by the council in a meeting this week.

And city hall has released its preference for where it would go.

Do you think these are the best areas for denser housing? Tell us your thoughts in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).

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Do you think these are the best areas for denser housing?
  • 15.8% Yes
    15.8% Complete
  • 73.7% No
    73.7% Complete
  • 10.5% Not sure
    10.5% Complete
38 votes