Time to nominate your local hero
Nominations for the 2022 Porirua Civic Awards are now open.
The awards, which recognise outstanding volunteer work in the community, will take place at a special ceremony on 17 May.
“The Porirua Civic Awards acknowledge and honour the massive impact our volunteers are making in our city – their work is especially valued in these challenging pandemic times,” says Porirua City Mayor Anita Baker.
“I want to urge everyone to take the time to nominate our local legends who are the embodiment of the Porirua spirit – those who jump in to help and support the different needs in our community without asking anything back.
“The nominees we’ve had in previous years are inspiring due to the leadership, sacrifice, devotion they display. It makes me proud to see those nominations come in.
”Mayor Baker says that Porirua Civic Awards are the city’s highest honour and recognise the varied and important work volunteers carry out. More than 100 residents have received them, since the awards were introduced in 1993.
People can be nominated for volunteering in the areas of the environment, children and young people, social services, cultural activities, recreation, the arts, older adults, education, and other suitable services.
“From helping to fundraise for neighbourhood support and residents’ associations, our Rotary and Lions clubs, to running community events, there is so much that happens in our city that just wouldn’t be possible without the time they give.”
“Times are tough, and the ongoing pandemic has added another layer of challenges for our community. Please take the time to nominate a local hero that has done a great job this past year to lighten the load and embody the community spirit that we know exists in Porirua,” says Mayor Baker.
Entries close on 21 February. Award details, a guide to nominations, and the nomination form, are available on the Porirua City website: poriruacity.govt.nz/civic-awards
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
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 ❤️