Westland District, Hokitika

Explore more, worry less at Ryman

Explore more, worry less at Ryman

With Ryman’s lock-and-leave-style living, you’re free to explore without worrying about home maintenance or security.

124 days ago

Deirdre’s Cheese Puffs

Kevin Hickman Retirement Village

Deirdre loves cooking and enjoys teaching kids about food - something she does three times at week at the Busy Bees Kindergarten in Havelock North. We spoke to her while she whipped up a batch of cheese puffs in her townhouse at James Wattie Village.

Watch her journey of teaching, retirement … View more
Deirdre loves cooking and enjoys teaching kids about food - something she does three times at week at the Busy Bees Kindergarten in Havelock North. We spoke to her while she whipped up a batch of cheese puffs in her townhouse at James Wattie Village.

Watch her journey of teaching, retirement and still working. Plus, we’ve included the recipe to her cheese puffs which were gobbled up by our camera crew because they’re delicious!

Click read more for the full recipe.

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125 days ago

What's our best winter activities?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Is it just Fox Glacier? Yes, we love our backyards and think our town is pretty cool but what is there to do?

Imagine you were writing a list for visitors/tourists and want to show them the best that your town can offer in winter. What would you suggest?

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125 days ago

Feel your best self at Ryman

The Team from Ryman Healthcare

Moving into a serviced apartment at Ryman means there’s less time spent cooking and cleaning, and more time for family and friends.

Feel safe and secure at a Ryman village, where beautiful gardens provide the backdrop for a host of on-site amenities.
Find out more

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127 days ago

What's your favourite rhubarb recipe?

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

We're looking for delicious rhubarb recipes to feature in NZ Gardener. Send your family's favourite ways to enjoy this crop to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz by August 31, 2024. Every published recipe wins a copy of the November issue of NZ Gardener.

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127 days ago

Refresh your home with Resene!

Resene

Get 20% off Resene’s huge range of 10L paints, wood stains, primers and sealers.

Plus buy 1 60-80 mL testpot get 1 free on testpots. Visit your local Resene ColorShop or reseller and get started on your decorating project.

Choose from the widest range of Eco Choice approved paints all made … View more
Get 20% off Resene’s huge range of 10L paints, wood stains, primers and sealers.

Plus buy 1 60-80 mL testpot get 1 free on testpots. Visit your local Resene ColorShop or reseller and get started on your decorating project.

Choose from the widest range of Eco Choice approved paints all made right here in New Zealand.
Find out more

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145 days ago

What's the best way to keep grocery shopping bills down?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

We are still feeling the pinch and the weekly shop is no different. So we are after your cost-saving tips please, neighbours!

What’s the best way you've found to cut down on your grocery bill? Share below (and hear tips from others!)

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131 days ago

Poll: Are the proposed youth military camps a good idea?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

To prevent further youth crime, the government has proposed stays at military-style camps for up to 12 months for young offenders. Do you think the camps will be successful in rehabilitating youth who commit crimes?

Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.

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Are the proposed youth military camps a good idea?
  • 71.1% Yes
    71.1% Complete
  • 28.1% No
    28.1% Complete
  • 0.8% Other - I'll share below
    0.8% Complete
1976 votes
131 days ago

Create your own water garden

The Team from Resene ColorShop Timaru

Enjoy water-loving plants in any part of your garden with this easy-to-build water planter finished in Resene Waterborne Woodsman Pickled Bluewood. Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.

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156 days ago

Show us your winter craft or DIY projects

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

When we are stuck inside, it can be a time to get creative. And we think Neighbourly members are quite a creative bunch. So, let's fill the Neighbourly newsfeed with crafty creations from across the country.

Share a photo below of your craft projects, recent DIY, or your hobby. You may … View more
When we are stuck inside, it can be a time to get creative. And we think Neighbourly members are quite a creative bunch. So, let's fill the Neighbourly newsfeed with crafty creations from across the country.

Share a photo below of your craft projects, recent DIY, or your hobby. You may just inspire someone else!

131 days ago

LOVE TO DANCE | Applications open now!

Kevin Hickman Retirement Village

Win one of three $5,000 grants to support your community’s love of dance!

Whether it’s pre-schoolers or seniors, Scottish dancing or salsa, kapa haka or Kathak, breakdance or ballet – if you’re encouraging people of all ages and abilities to keep moving through dance, we want to hear … View more
Win one of three $5,000 grants to support your community’s love of dance!

Whether it’s pre-schoolers or seniors, Scottish dancing or salsa, kapa haka or Kathak, breakdance or ballet – if you’re encouraging people of all ages and abilities to keep moving through dance, we want to hear from you!

Know someone who could use our support? Click read more to apply!

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132 days ago

Forget the reports, time for bulldozers say politicians

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By local democracy reporter Lois Williams:

Westland mayor Helen Lash says her council is thrilled that funding has at last been released to protect valuable farms and homes on the south bank of the wild Waiho River at Franz Josef.

But she warns there won’t be a cent to spare for red tape or… View more
By local democracy reporter Lois Williams:

Westland mayor Helen Lash says her council is thrilled that funding has at last been released to protect valuable farms and homes on the south bank of the wild Waiho River at Franz Josef.

But she warns there won’t be a cent to spare for red tape or paperwork.
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones announced a grant of $6 million this week for the West Coast Regional Council to strengthen and extend the Waiho stop banks, leaving local ratepayers to find the remaining $4m for the job.

Lash said the grant would be welcomed by landowners waiting to see if the Government would come to their aid, while large chunks of the land disappeared with every flood.

“But it’s $2m shy of what the council thought it would get so they’re going to have to make every cent work to get the right result, and not waste any on more reports and consultants’ fees.”

The last Labour government spent $12.5m shoring up stop banks on the north bank of the Waiho to protect the tourist township but withheld another $8m originally promised for the south bank with its farms and lifestyle blocks.

It wanted to see a long- term plan, including retreat, for the community labelled “Disaster Central” by geologists, before spending more money,
The stony bed of the short river has risen 8m since the 1950s and now sits well above the level of the town.

That process is speeding up as the glacier retreats, releasing rocks and gravel to the flats below.

And to cap it off, Franz Josef is perched right on the Alpine Fault, which is due for its 300-yearly major rupture.

When the Waiho River Management Strategy came out last October, saying the south bank would eventually have to be abandoned to the river, property values there plummeted, destroying equity overnight.

Lash said the landowners had been "horribly mucked around" by the decision makers, and the uncertainty.

“You can’t do that to people’s lives. Every flood they go into stress mode. When you have no skin in the game you don’t get the gravity of it.”

River management is the Regional Council’s job, the mayor says, but the Westland District Council wants to be heavily involved in the stop bank project this time, to make sure ratepayers got the fullest possible benefit from the $6m.

“We want to be sure the community gets the best protection and maximum gain out of it and I’m sure that’s what the government wants to see as well.”

Regional Development Minister Shane Jones - in Greymouth this week for a meeting with civic leaders - said Lash was right about that.

“I have insisted that MBIE maximise the amount of dough that’s spent on practical delivery. We don’t need reams of reports from consultants - we need picks and shovels swinging to and fro, and delivery.”

The Franz Josef project, and others in Nelson approved for funding this week under the Government’s 'Before the Deluge' banner, were all bulldozer-ready, the minister said.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the pipeline from (contracting) firms saying they can’t keep their workforce on unless the money keeps flowing.

“The added virtue of these West Coast projects is that the damn things are consented so the mahi can take place as soon as possible.”

Long term, the fate of Franz Josef, the Waiho Flats and those who live and farm there would require decisions well above his paygrade, Shane Jones said.

“You are wrestling with Mother Nature there, and all hell could break loose with that river."

But it’s not a fight that should be conceded – at least, not yet, he said.

“The name of our party is New Zealand First, not Climate First. For as long as I’m around, we are going to spend money and work with communities to adapt - so we can generate the necessary solutions over a longer period of time."

A cynic would say that was only putting off the inevitable, he said.

“But I feel grossly uncomfortable chasing anyone out of where they are. I’ve got a lot of sympathy for the people on farms, being told they should leave.

“Who’s going to pay them to leave? Not Mother Nature."

133 days ago

Canterbury Open Days

Kevin Hickman Retirement Village

16 & 17 August, 10am - 2pm

Our villages are open and you’re invited to explore them. Discover our living and care options, tour our show homes, and see the amenities on offer.

Come along and experience why New Zealanders have voted us most trusted brand, for the tenth time.

We look … View more
16 & 17 August, 10am - 2pm

Our villages are open and you’re invited to explore them. Discover our living and care options, tour our show homes, and see the amenities on offer.

Come along and experience why New Zealanders have voted us most trusted brand, for the tenth time.

We look forward to seeing you.

Click read more to find a list of all our villages and dates for our open days.

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135 days ago

Dancing

Lynne from Greymouth region

Come along and enjoy a night of dancing or learn to dance a waltz, fox trot, rumba, tango, jive and lots more with the Greymouth Old Time & Sequence Dance, Holy Trinity Hall, 7.30 pm to 10 pm, 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month.

135 days ago

Keep yourself protected against Covid.

Health New Zealand

It might not be making quite so many headlines these days, but unfortunately, Covid is still here. If you’re 65 or over, taking care of yourself is just as important as ever.

The good news is, the Covid vaccine can help protect you from serious illness. It’s free, and recommended for you and… View more
It might not be making quite so many headlines these days, but unfortunately, Covid is still here. If you’re 65 or over, taking care of yourself is just as important as ever.

The good news is, the Covid vaccine can help protect you from serious illness. It’s free, and recommended for you and many others as long as you haven’t had the vaccine, or Covid, in the last 6 months.

To book your vaccination, go to BookMyVaccine.nz or talk to your healthcare provider.
Find out more

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136 days ago

New lottery, new home

Heart Foundation Lottery

For only $15 a ticket, you could win this brand-new, fully furnished Jennian home located in the picturesque Cooks Beach, Coromandel.

Valued at over $1.2 million, this home features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an open-plan kitchen, living, and dining area. It is waiting to be loved by its… View more
For only $15 a ticket, you could win this brand-new, fully furnished Jennian home located in the picturesque Cooks Beach, Coromandel.

Valued at over $1.2 million, this home features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an open-plan kitchen, living, and dining area. It is waiting to be loved by its new owner.

Make this property your permanent residence, a holiday home, a rental, or simply sell it!

Get your tickets today at heartlottery.org.nz
Find out more

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