Papakowhai, Porirua

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1541 days ago

Potential Choking Hazard Found in Faulty Snorkels

Neighbourly.co.nz

A user of a snorkel product has reportedly found a piece of material detached inside, which may have lead to them choking.
The snorkel, manufactured by major water sports company arena, issued the recall which affects snorkels bought at various stores in the Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and … View more
A user of a snorkel product has reportedly found a piece of material detached inside, which may have lead to them choking.
The snorkel, manufactured by major water sports company arena, issued the recall which affects snorkels bought at various stores in the Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Bay of Plenty regions.

What you need to know:

- The recall affects the arena Swim Snorkel II & Swim Snorkel Pro II.

- A piece of material may become loose in the snorkel which can become a choking hazard.

- The products were sold at Swim T3 and Teamline Stores from October 2019 to April 2020.

- Fill out this survey to check whether your snorkel has been affected.

Known owners of the snorkel will be contacted by Swim T3 or Teamline.

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1541 days ago

Peter Miskimmin

Rhondda Sweetman from Plimmerton Rotary

This week, a sporting celebrity, Peter Miskimmin, was our guest speaker.

He is an icon in the world of international hockey, having played 150 tests for NZ over 12 years and appearing at two Olympic Games. He is also an old friend of Bryan Waddle, and the two were able to exchange embarrassing … View more
This week, a sporting celebrity, Peter Miskimmin, was our guest speaker.

He is an icon in the world of international hockey, having played 150 tests for NZ over 12 years and appearing at two Olympic Games. He is also an old friend of Bryan Waddle, and the two were able to exchange embarrassing anecdotes.

Peter is now CEO of Sport New Zealand, which is an organisation funded by the government and has a wide and heavy brief.

Sport is a New Zealand passion, which makes Peter’s job both easier and harder. Easier, because it captures everyone’s attention. Harder, because everyone has a view and an axe to grind.

We are an extraordinarily successful sporting nation for our size, a fact which is not properly appreciated. We have had world champions in many sports, and participation is high. Sporting achievement is part of the kiwi identity.

Historically, the reasons are not hard to find. Children pay a lot of sport here, especially in rural areas, and we have sporting role models, and excellent coaches: world-class in many cases.

We are abreast of new technologies in eg cycling and yachting. We send our best athletes overseas to compete with the best, which can be relatively expensive. Covid-19 is making this more difficult.

There are downsides. Children now have inflated expectations, and success is measured too much in commercial terms. This is a disincentive to teamwork and the ‘fun’ side of sporting activity.

Sports clubs are struggling as the young are turning to individually based sport such as cycling, surfing, fitness, and even E-Sport. Organised, structured sport is a turn-off, it appears.

There is a strong connection between sport and the physical and mental health of the nation. Physical activity peaks at age 12, on average, and declines thereafter. It is markedly lower in deprived communities. This is a worry, and Sport NZ now has a focus on youth, and especially those in deprived areas.

Sport NZ has the difficult task of allocating its funds between these needs and its traditional support for elite and successful athletes.

A fascinating talk by one who is immersed in his role and is able to communicate it in fine style.

1542 days ago

Labour proposes making Matariki a public holiday?

Reporter Community News

Wellingtonians, what do you think of Labour's plan to make Matariki a public holiday?

Labour will make Matariki New Zealand’s twelfth public holiday if re-elected.

The new winter public holiday would fall at some point during the Matariki period, with an expectation that it would always … View more
Wellingtonians, what do you think of Labour's plan to make Matariki a public holiday?

Labour will make Matariki New Zealand’s twelfth public holiday if re-elected.

The new winter public holiday would fall at some point during the Matariki period, with an expectation that it would always happen on either a Monday or a Friday.

The exact timing of Matariki shifts every year as it relates to a star cluster reappearing and has traditionally varied between Iwi.

It would be the first new public holiday since the Third Labour Government made Waitangi Day a public holiday in 1973, although then Prime Minister Norman Kirk called it “New Zealand Day”.

Please mark any comments Not For Publication if you do not want to be quoted in a story.

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1542 days ago

Mary Potter Street Appeal

Reporter Community News

Mary Potter Hospice's Street Appeal is only two weeks away and they need your help.

On Friday 18 and Saturday 19 September Mary Potter needs a thousand people wearing Mary Potter Hospice bibs and holding collection buckets across the streets of Wellington, Porirua and Kāpiti.

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1542 days ago

Muri Station honours Porirua's rail history

Reporter Community News

A closed railway platform in Porirua’s northernmost suburb has become a place to unlock some of the tales of the area’s proud, and colourful, railway past.

Muri Station, one stop north of the main Pukerua Bay Station, was closed in 2011 due to low patronage, structural defects and high … View more
A closed railway platform in Porirua’s northernmost suburb has become a place to unlock some of the tales of the area’s proud, and colourful, railway past.

Muri Station, one stop north of the main Pukerua Bay Station, was closed in 2011 due to low patronage, structural defects and high projected costs to upgrade it. The small building used as the station’s waiting rooms has not seen any use since the station’s closure but on Saturday, an official opening has given it a new lease on life, albeit one that is steeped in the past.

Pukerua Bay Residents Association, working with Porirua City Council, have placed information boards in the shelter, outlining the suburb’s connections with rail that began with the awarding of a contract to connect Paremata and Pukerua in 1883 (the suburb didn’t have the ‘Bay’ added to Pukerua until 1923).

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1545 days ago

Future bleak for Lambton Quay business

Reporter Community News

What is the future of businesses on Lambton Quay?

Two well known business have indicated they are struggling and Eftpos transactions are down 19 percent from the same time last year.

Wellington City councillor Simon Woolf says the outlook for Wellington’s Lambton Quay is so bad he is moving his… View more
What is the future of businesses on Lambton Quay?

Two well known business have indicated they are struggling and Eftpos transactions are down 19 percent from the same time last year.

Wellington City councillor Simon Woolf says the outlook for Wellington’s Lambton Quay is so bad he is moving his family photography business from the street after more than 60 years.

Sam Cranfield, whose wife Val established the Cranfields gift store now situated off Lambton Quay, told councillors at a meeting on Thursday the couple were liable for $750,000 if the business went bust, something he was very concerned would happen.

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1542 days ago

Baby sitting

Rachael from Cannons Creek

Heya guys,

My name is Rachael and I am 17 years old. I have left high school and now study at NZMA studying level 4 Early childhood. I currently work 3 days a week but I am looking either causal night babysitting jobs after 6:30pm or a regular job on Mondays and Wednesday’s. I have a current … View more
Heya guys,

My name is Rachael and I am 17 years old. I have left high school and now study at NZMA studying level 4 Early childhood. I currently work 3 days a week but I am looking either causal night babysitting jobs after 6:30pm or a regular job on Mondays and Wednesday’s. I have a current first aid certificate for children and babies however I don’t have a licence. I only have learners. I would describe myself as very reliable, outgoing, not afraid to get messy and honest. My current employers pay me $22.68 but I’m happy to negotiate within reason. I finish course at 1 so I will be available from around about 2pm - 2.30 depending on location till maybe like 9pm unless it’s Friday or Saturday night which can be midnight latest. I have heaps of experience with kids ranging from the ages of 18 months to about 11 years old. I can also provide references if needed 😊

I am also available for holiday work 😁

Some things about me…

I am great at following routines. I have also done respite care for 2 years and have worked with kids with severe asthma and epilepsy. I love arts and crafts, long/short walks, reading, playing at playgrounds and music. I have completed NCEA level 1, NCEA level 2 and have started Level 4 ECE certificate so I can also help with homework and I am almost fluent in Te Reo Māori.

P.s I can sew and make patchwork quilts for charity so I could even teach someone of appropriate age.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks Rachael

Negotiable

1542 days ago

Has Covid delayed your surgery?

Reporter Community News

We are working on a story about people who have missed out on seeing a specialist due to Covid and the lockdown.
Are you, or is anyone you know, still waiting for a first specialist appointment?
Please contact Bridie Witton if you are happy to chat for a story at bridie.witton@stuff.co.nz or … View more
We are working on a story about people who have missed out on seeing a specialist due to Covid and the lockdown.
Are you, or is anyone you know, still waiting for a first specialist appointment?
Please contact Bridie Witton if you are happy to chat for a story at bridie.witton@stuff.co.nz or 0272852368.

1542 days ago

Pulse sign Gail Parata

Reporter Community News

Gail Parata will take over from Yvette McCausland-Durie as head coach of the Central Pulse netball champions.

Parata, 52, headed offshore in 2013 and spent six years as head coach of the Scottish Thistles national team.

She said she was “absolutely delighted’’ to return home to the Pulse … View more
Gail Parata will take over from Yvette McCausland-Durie as head coach of the Central Pulse netball champions.

Parata, 52, headed offshore in 2013 and spent six years as head coach of the Scottish Thistles national team.

She said she was “absolutely delighted’’ to return home to the Pulse head coaching role. Last year, Parata, who has a Master of Science Performance Coaching degree, took Scotland, a team of athletes who largely work full-time or are students, to their highest ever world ranking of seventh.

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1542 days ago

Future Hollywood star found in Upper Hutt boxing gym

Reporter Community News

James Matamua is a name to remember.

The Upper Hutt 22 year-old has taken an unlikely path to acting stardom after being discovered in an Upper Hutt boxing gym.

When Kiwi director Sam Kelly walked into the Heretaunga Boxing Gym, he wasn’t expecting to find New Zealand’s next big talent. But … View more
James Matamua is a name to remember.

The Upper Hutt 22 year-old has taken an unlikely path to acting stardom after being discovered in an Upper Hutt boxing gym.

When Kiwi director Sam Kelly walked into the Heretaunga Boxing Gym, he wasn’t expecting to find New Zealand’s next big talent. But that is exactly what Kelly found when he handed out audition forms to the young men hanging around after training.

Matamua was so confident he’d get the role after auditioning, James started signing off as ’’Next Big Thing’’ in his emails to the producer, telling them not to bother auditioning anyone else. It was this confidence, humour and natural charm that endeared the casting team to him and won him the role.

Matamua scored a role in Savages, a film about the early history of gangs in New Zealand.

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1542 days ago

Source Quality Yearling Bulls

PGG Wrightson Ltd

In the market for yearling bulls? We know every advantage counts in the farming industry. Advantage is exactly what we give the breeders and farmers we partner with.

PGG Wrightson Livestock Genetics combine decades of hands-on rural experience with the most comprehensive data available.

We … View more
In the market for yearling bulls? We know every advantage counts in the farming industry. Advantage is exactly what we give the breeders and farmers we partner with.

PGG Wrightson Livestock Genetics combine decades of hands-on rural experience with the most comprehensive data available.

We partner with forward-thinking breeders and farmers to enhance animal performance and improve business results.

If you’re looking for better business results, then view upcoming PGG Wrightson Yearling Bull Sales around New Zealand.
Find out more

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1549 days ago

Mask wearing on public transport: Day One

Matt Tso Reporter from Community News

The government mandate to don masks on public transport came into effect today.

What were your experiences this morning - was everyone following the rules?

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1549 days ago

We've come a long way, but LGBTQ students still face an uphill struggle

Matt Tso Reporter from Community News

Brendan Goudswaard was called every name under the sun, cautioned against wearing make-up and skirts by his teachers, pushed, shoved and had abuse yelled at him from passing cars.

He came out about a year after the murder of his classmate Jeff Whittington.

He still remembers the shock waves the … View more
Brendan Goudswaard was called every name under the sun, cautioned against wearing make-up and skirts by his teachers, pushed, shoved and had abuse yelled at him from passing cars.

He came out about a year after the murder of his classmate Jeff Whittington.

He still remembers the shock waves the hate crime sent through his Wellington High School community in 1999.

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1544 days ago
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