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945 days ago

Oxford Bird Rescue to close after 10 years open, and thousands of birds saved

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

From reporter Amber Allott:
After nearly a decade rescuing hawks hit by cars and nursing injured owls back to health, one of Canterbury’s best-loved wildlife rescues will be closing its doors.

North Canterbury’s Oxford Bird Rescue Trust, run by husband-and-wife team Scott and Tracey Bowman, specialises in rescuing and rehabilitating raptors – or birds of prey.

The rescue announced on social media last week that Scott's health had taken a turn for the worse, and he had been diagnosed with motor neuron disease.

“Unfortunately there is no cure, it is aggressively debilitating and terminal and his prognosis isn't great, not giving him a lot of time left.

“We have spent the last few weeks looking at the road ahead and given his condition and rate of decline we simply can't offer the care required to continue rehabbing raptors.”

The rescue would finish rehabilitating the last few birds in its care, Bowman said, before closing for good.

For locals who found injured owls and hawks going forward, Bowman said they might face a bit more of a drive.

The South Island Wildlife Hospital, based at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch, would be taking on most of the raptor care, he said.

“They’re best set up, especially for the harriers.”

The pair planned to donate a lot of their equipment to other bird rescues, hopefully including the new Kaikōura Wildlife Hospital, Bowman said.

Their unique, custom-built hawk enclosure – which allowed full in-house rehabilitation – would go to the South Island Wildlife Hospital.

“There’s still going to be people doing it, it just won’t be us.”

More messages from your neighbours
3 days ago

Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.

John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!

As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!

John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.

Share your question below now ⬇️

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1 day ago

Riddle Alert! Who’s Up for Some Brain-Busting Fun?

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

4-letter word, always done tomorrow,
We’re out of tea, the ultimate sorrow!
Without the eye, you owe me some money,
No sugar no nectar no sweetness no honey,
4-letter word, if by chance you choose,
You can never win, you can only lose!
What is the 4-letter word?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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5 days ago

Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.

When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?

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Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
  • 82.5% Yes
    82.5% Complete
  • 14.9% No
    14.9% Complete
  • 2.6% Other - I'll share below
    2.6% Complete
1776 votes