Waiwhetu, Lower Hutt

1082 days ago

Curtains in rentals

Robert Anderson from Curtain Clean (The Curtain Store)

Curtains are essential for a warm, healthy home. Here's what to know as a renter to get the most out of your curtains.

Whether a green paisley swirl or a modern muted linen, curtains are essential for a healthy home. More important than the material is the way they’re installed.

When … View more
Curtains are essential for a warm, healthy home. Here's what to know as a renter to get the most out of your curtains.

Whether a green paisley swirl or a modern muted linen, curtains are essential for a healthy home. More important than the material is the way they’re installed.

When warm air hits cold glass, two things happen: the warm air escapes and the newly cooled air forms condensation on the window pane.


The best way of dealing with this is by keeping warm air away from the window with curtains and blinds, which creates a pocket of air between the window and the window covering.

Getting the most out of curtains:
• Ideally, they should touch the floor and the track and curtain should be wider than the window frame. The most important part is to cover the whole window and create a seal against the cold air.
• They should fit tightly against the wall or window frame. Sometimes changing the type of track they’re hung on can close a gap between the window and the curtain. For example, rods and rails are often installed a few centimetres out from the window, which means there can be big gaps and no seal created.
• Pelmets can help to decrease heat loss, but won’t stop it completely.
• Curtains with two layers can increase heat retention, but how they’re fitted is most important.
• Net curtains, installed very close to the window and in contact with the window frame, can be effective.
• Blinds need to be installed snugly inside the window frame to be effective. If they sit out from the window, or if there are gaps between the blind and the frame, they’re not going to keep the heat in.
• Remember to open curtains every morning to make the most of the sun’s heat, and close them at sundown to keep that heat in.

Keep reading: www.curtainclean.co.nz...

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1107 days ago

Wilson Barbecue's Hot Digital Tools

Digital Boost

Hi Wellington,

Being in Level 2 means we can now get out and support our local hospitality services. It’s been a challenging time for many in this sector so it’s vital for these businesses to remain nimble and flexible. Wilson Barbecue is a restaurant and food truck business in Johnsonville … View more
Hi Wellington,

Being in Level 2 means we can now get out and support our local hospitality services. It’s been a challenging time for many in this sector so it’s vital for these businesses to remain nimble and flexible. Wilson Barbecue is a restaurant and food truck business in Johnsonville that has employed a number of different digital strategies to keep growing. Gaining traction through social media with giveaways, influencers, and content - they’ve mastered the art of attracting customers online. As a small business, they’ve utilised a number of digital tools that are hospitality specific ensuring their business can operate smoothly in all areas. Check out their story here for their digital insight learnings.

Let’s keep grabbing a bite to eat or a cup of coffee to support our local hospitality businesses in Wellington!

The Team at Digital Boost

1085 days ago

Upskilll at any stage of your career

Competenz

Print specialist Tracy Reynolds had been working at NZ Post as a print operator for 13 years before she decided to embark on studying towards an NZ Diploma of Print Industry Management Level 5, a qualification she has now completed.

“I’m not the normal age student!” she laughs. “I knew … View more
Print specialist Tracy Reynolds had been working at NZ Post as a print operator for 13 years before she decided to embark on studying towards an NZ Diploma of Print Industry Management Level 5, a qualification she has now completed.

“I’m not the normal age student!” she laughs. “I knew it would be a lot of work, but I was assured that I would have plenty of support from the NZ Post team and I did feel I needed a challenge at the time. Given the current climate right now with COVID-19, I knew the qualification would be an advantage if I was to take another path within NZ Post.”

Tracy has just been named as the Diploma of Print Management Student of the Year at the recent national Pride in Print awards, an honour she says was “absolutely blown away” to receive.

Upskilling is for everyone - you don't need to be new to your industry to gain a qualification and advance in your career!
Tracy is a perfect example of this.

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1084 days ago

Emily Benefield creates fresh art from old pages

Nicholas Boyack Reporter from Community News

Part-time library assistant Emily Benefield is always on the lookout for the right images and headlines to cut out and include in her collage artworks, but she says she’s only ‘’occasionally’’ tempted to take to the library stocks with her scissors.
“Luckily there’s not much I come … View more
Part-time library assistant Emily Benefield is always on the lookout for the right images and headlines to cut out and include in her collage artworks, but she says she’s only ‘’occasionally’’ tempted to take to the library stocks with her scissors.
“Luckily there’s not much I come across at work that I’d want to chop up, so I don’t get tempted to delete books out of the system for my own purposes,” Benefield laughs.
The Lower Hutt based artist sources much of her imagery from vintage magazines and children’s books of the 1930s to 1960s and delights in juxtaposing the prim and proper characters and scenes with an irreverent twist.

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1083 days ago

Win $4k worth of office gadgets!

The Team from Digital Boost

All set up tech-wise but not sure how to make the most of it? Head to Digital Boost to learn how digital technology can help get your business on the map Find out more

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1084 days ago

Pet of the Day: Meet Murphy (BA)

Nicholas Boyack Reporter from Community News

Marina and Jon Graham are very proud of Murphy.

"Just spotted a cat on Neighbourly and we decided to send you a couple of photos of our dog Murphy. He is a lab cross pointer and he is doing particularly well in countin...the numbers of his snacks   He’s been studying well combining with … View more
Marina and Jon Graham are very proud of Murphy.

"Just spotted a cat on Neighbourly and we decided to send you a couple of photos of our dog Murphy. He is a lab cross pointer and he is doing particularly well in countin...the numbers of his snacks   He’s been studying well combining with some leisure time, so managed to graduate our home university...Hope his academic highness will brighten someone’s day, like he  makes our life happier for more than seven years."

Remember if you want your pet featured on Neighbourly, email us on yourpet@dompost.co.nz with a recent photo. Please remember to say what suburb you live in.

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1084 days ago

20% off custom blinds!

Nicola from Harvey Furnishings Wellington - Petone

This month we have 20% off custom blinds from our supplier Windoware. This offer includes roller blinds, honeycomb blinds, vertical blinds, and metal and wood look venetians. Take advantage of this great deal to refresh your home this spring/summer for an affordable price!

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1088 days ago

Friday Feathered Friend

Nicholas Boyack Reporter from Community News

A nice yarn and photo by Louise Thomas.
"I don’t mind admitting I cried a little when I saw my first kākā in the wild in Wellington. It was some years ago now, but at the time it seemed incredible to me that this bird I’d only ever seen in photos or in captivity was marauding about my … View more
A nice yarn and photo by Louise Thomas.
"I don’t mind admitting I cried a little when I saw my first kākā in the wild in Wellington. It was some years ago now, but at the time it seemed incredible to me that this bird I’d only ever seen in photos or in captivity was marauding about my home turf.
The experience was a little overwhelming – not for them mind you, they just carried on ripping the bark from a tree and looking at me from time to time with vague interest. Now of course we grumble about how destructive they are - but hey, it’s a parrot – it’s what they do.
Also, I’m pretty sure our native trees and shrubs have evolved with this guy, so can no doubt cope with having a few blossoms ripped off or bark stripped.
If I had a built-in can-opener I’d be tempted to try it out on a few things too. Kākā/brown parrot (Nestor meridionalis), Wellington Botanic Garden today. As an aside, the tulips are blooming and looking magnificent there at the moment if you get the chance."

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1084 days ago

Want to get the most out of your Heat Pump while also ensuring energy efficiency?

EnergySmart - Wellington

Make sure you are using your timer settings to their full potential! A lot of Heat Pumps allow you to set daily and weekly timers to turn on and off your Heat Pump.
Some great timer settings are:

1. 30 minutes before you wake up in the morning so you can eat brekky in a nice warm living room.

View more
Make sure you are using your timer settings to their full potential! A lot of Heat Pumps allow you to set daily and weekly timers to turn on and off your Heat Pump.
Some great timer settings are:

1. 30 minutes before you wake up in the morning so you can eat brekky in a nice warm living room.

2. 30 minutes before the kids arrive home from school or you arrive home from work

3. Set your timers to come on in the mornings as a base temperature of around 20c in the weekends to ensure your home is comfortable while you are at home throughout the day.

4.If you're on a power plan which offers free hours of power, make sure you set it to turn on and off during your free hours!

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1085 days ago

Seniors Newsletter

Office for Seniors

We have released the first edition of our newly revamped Seniors newsletter, which you can read here: officeforseniors.govt.nz...

In this issue we catch up with a veteran fencer, delve into all things insurance and discuss a bit about our Digital Literacy programme, plus more.

1084 days ago

Facts About Fabric

Robert Anderson from Curtain Clean (The Curtain Store)

• The average lifetime of a piece of clothing is approximately 3 years.
• Flax is the earliest known natural textile fabric seen used in about 5000 BC. Flax is the material used to make linen which is seeing a huge come back today in drapery and upholstery.
• Nike (with subsidiary Converse)… View more
• The average lifetime of a piece of clothing is approximately 3 years.
• Flax is the earliest known natural textile fabric seen used in about 5000 BC. Flax is the material used to make linen which is seeing a huge come back today in drapery and upholstery.
• Nike (with subsidiary Converse) is the largest fashion company in the world, with a market value of $105 billion.
• There is evidence that cotton and wool were used to create natural fabrics in about 3000 BC and evidence of silk use in 2500 BC in China.
• China is the largest maker and exporter of silk in the world and has been for 100’s of years.
• The average person buys 60 percent more items of clothing every year and keeps them for about half as long as 15 years ago, generating a huge amount of waste.
• The earliest evidence of fabric textiles has been found in Turkey, Egypt, and Israel.
• The creation of man-made fibres has only been within the last 100 years. Rayon was the first man-made fibre created in 1910 and it was called ‘artificial silk’. Viscose is the most common form of Rayon.
• More than 70 percent of the world's population uses second-hand clothing. About 50 percent of collected shoes and clothing is used as second-hand products. Meanwhile, 20 percent is used to produce polishing and cleaning cloths for various industrial purposes, and 26 percent is recycled for applications such as fibre for insulation products, upholstery, fibreboard, and mattresses.
• Microfibre or Ultrasuede was invented over 20 years ago in Japan. Microfibre is the thinnest of all man-made fibres, even finer than silk. it is 100 times finer than a human hair.
• Acrylic is a man-made fibre that has a soft, wool-like hand, is machine washable and has excellent colour retention. It is often an additive to textiles to take advantage of these properties.
• Nearly 100 percent of textiles and clothing are recyclable.
• Nylon is also man-made and was first produced in 1938. It has high strength, excellent resilience, and superior abrasion resistance. Nylon replaced silk stockings for women in the early part of the 20th century.
• The highest quality cotton comes from Egypt.
• Textiles and shoes make up 12% of landfill sites.
• Bamboo is a grass that has been used to create a fabric that hangs much like a heavy linen. It has natural wicking ability that pulls moisture away from the skin so it can be useful in reducing moisture related odour. It also has natural anti-bacterial qualities. Bamboo grows quickly and does not need pesticides to thrive, making it one of the more sustainable textile sources.

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1084 days ago

It's time to connect: Have your say

Wellington City Council

More changes are proposed on Evans Bay Parade, between Greta Point and Cobham Drive, to complete the route from Miramar to the city.

New walking and biking paths will tie in with the other paths in this area that are already proving popular and make it easier for more people to get around with … View more
More changes are proposed on Evans Bay Parade, between Greta Point and Cobham Drive, to complete the route from Miramar to the city.

New walking and biking paths will tie in with the other paths in this area that are already proving popular and make it easier for more people to get around with fewer trips by car. Other proposed changes will improve the look and feel of this area and create more space for people.

Feedback closes on 12 October.
Find out more

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1085 days ago

Garage Sale

Robyn from Avalon

Saturday 9th October, 8am-12noon
Hutt Link Church, corner of Laings Rd and Myrtle St
Sports Club Fundraiser
Variety of goods, cash only
Please observe Level 2 restrictions wearing a mask and keeping social distance.

1085 days ago

Book Fair Postponed

Amanda Wills from Anglican Parish of Lower Hutt

Unfortunately we will not be holding the Book Fair while we are in Level 2. Once a move to Level 1 has been announced we will decide on new dates. Meanwhile we are collecting lots of great books! See you at the book fair!

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1085 days ago

Kererū - possibly a bit full.

Louise from Woburn

A Kererū/wood pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) having a wee rest on the lawn - probably a bit over full from strip-mining the kowhai.

I have just three 2022 Wild Birds of New Zealand calendars left, featuring several birds from the Hutt Valley. A fabulous gift for the nature lover in your … View more
A Kererū/wood pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) having a wee rest on the lawn - probably a bit over full from strip-mining the kowhai.

I have just three 2022 Wild Birds of New Zealand calendars left, featuring several birds from the Hutt Valley. A fabulous gift for the nature lover in your life. $28 each. DM me or email louise@louisethomas.co.nz.

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