Stewart Island/Rakiura, Stewart Island

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Read posts from interesting Kiwis on our Know Thy Neighbour page.

2283 days ago

Take your final journey in style

The Staff from Avenal Park Funeral Home

Your funeral should be as meaningful as you are, Avenal Park Funeral Home is honoured to offer families choices.

For those who motorbikes are a way of life and the only way to travel, we can offer you a 1936 Ridge Special side car to make the final journey as meaningful and as memorable as … View more
Your funeral should be as meaningful as you are, Avenal Park Funeral Home is honoured to offer families choices.

For those who motorbikes are a way of life and the only way to travel, we can offer you a 1936 Ridge Special side car to make the final journey as meaningful and as memorable as you are. This is a new option, available in Invercargill and the surrounding area. Rhys Wilson operates Rudge Hearse and is an Invercargill local who has made this happen. We are proud to be able to support him.

As well as memorable funerals, we also offer a monumental and headstone service, covering everything from memorial plaques to headstones.

If you would like to talk to someone about funeral/monumental options or would even like a tour of our premises, please contact Nigel, Donna, Chris or Mel at Avenal Park Funeral Home - 03 218 9021.
Learn more

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2295 days ago

Shadbolt to run for mayor again

Che' Baker Reporter from Southland Times

Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt has confirmed he wants to extend his reign as the longest serving mayor in New Zealand and will run again in the next local body elections.

www.stuff.co.nz...

2284 days ago

Do you know what sick leave you’re entitled to?

Sacha Green from Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand

With winter bugs doing the rounds, it’s worth knowing what the rules are about sick leave. So what are you entitled to?

• In general you’re entitled to 5 days’ of sick leave each year after you’ve worked for your employer for 6 months.
• You can accumulate any unused sick leave up … View more
With winter bugs doing the rounds, it’s worth knowing what the rules are about sick leave. So what are you entitled to?

• In general you’re entitled to 5 days’ of sick leave each year after you’ve worked for your employer for 6 months.
• You can accumulate any unused sick leave up to a total of 20 days.
• Sick leave can be used when you’re sick or when you need to be off work to look after someone else who is sick or injured (your partner, child, or someone who relies on you for care).
• Even if you’re a part-time or casual worker, you’re still entitled to 5 days’ of sick leave a year (once you’ve worked for 6 months continuously or for an average of 10 hours per week, and at least one hour in every week or 40 hours in every month).
• Your employer can require you to provide a medical certificate if you’re sick for 3 or more days in a row, and you’ll need to pay to get it. If they want proof of sickness sooner then they will have to pay the costs of getting the proof.

These are the minimum sick leave entitlements. Your employer can agree to give you more.

Check out our website for more information about sick leave and other employment rights and responsibilities. If you’ve got questions get in touch with a CAB near you, call us on 0800 367 222 (0800 FOR CAB), or contact us online.

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2287 days ago

Calling Kiwi kids who dig gardening!

T&G

The Young Gardener Awards 2018 are open! So it’s time for budding young gardeners across the country to get their green fingers dirty again.

The new T&G Passion for Growing Award is open to ALL primary schools nationwide that have a veggie garden.

So go on, encourage your local primary… View more
The Young Gardener Awards 2018 are open! So it’s time for budding young gardeners across the country to get their green fingers dirty again.

The new T&G Passion for Growing Award is open to ALL primary schools nationwide that have a veggie garden.

So go on, encourage your local primary school to get stuck in. Share your passion for growing fresh, nutritious food and win! There are some amazing prizes up for grabs and it’s really easy to enter.

Supported by T&G and Garden to Table.
Enter now

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2287 days ago

Superheroes raise money for deaf kids

Loud Shirt Day

Are there any superheroes in your neighbourhood?

This September we are raising money to help deaf children listen and speak and we’d love to have you join our squad! Thousands of workplaces, schools and community groups will put on their loud shirts to support deaf Kiwi kids with cochlear … View more
Are there any superheroes in your neighbourhood?

This September we are raising money to help deaf children listen and speak and we’d love to have you join our squad! Thousands of workplaces, schools and community groups will put on their loud shirts to support deaf Kiwi kids with cochlear implants.

Loud Shirt Day is a great way to commit serious fashion crimes and have a whole lot of fun. This year's theme is Superheroes, so grab your brightest, funkiest superhero outfits to wow others and raise money for a great cause. Register at loudshirtday.org.nz and we’ll send you a free fundraising pack. It’s that easy!

If you're keen to help kick-start our fundraising efforts, good news! You can donate via Givealittle here.

Thanks for your support,
Ankita
(Loud Shirt Day Coordinator)
Register now

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2288 days ago

How high are your power bills?

Jo Haywood Reporter from Homed

Hey neighbours, It's been a long hard winter and for many, power bills have been going through the roof. Have you been affected?

We're looking into ways we can all keep these costs down for a story on Homed and would love to hear from you if you have particularly large or small bills.… View more
Hey neighbours, It's been a long hard winter and for many, power bills have been going through the roof. Have you been affected?

We're looking into ways we can all keep these costs down for a story on Homed and would love to hear from you if you have particularly large or small bills.

Do your power bills come in way higher than your friends and family? Do you know why, or does the amount always take you by surprise? Maybe, like the family who created an effective solar panel heater out of drink cans, or the blogger who enjoys free power generated by a converted washing machine, you've found a creative way to minimise your bills. If so, how do you do it?

Whether your bills are high and you're looking for ways to reduce them, or you have some secrets to low power bills that you're willing to share, we'd love to hear from you. Leave a message in the comments, or email homed@stuff.co.nz.

*** Please write NFP (Not for Publication) when you comment if you don't want your comment published in print or online ***

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2291 days ago

How should waste disposal on the Great Walks be dealt with?

Georgia Weaver Reporter from Southland Times

Environment Southland has renewed the Department of Conservation resource consent to discharge primary treated sewerage to land at Dumpling Hut on the Milford Track and to discharge freshwater storage overflow to an unnamed creek near the hut until 2028.

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage has … View more
Environment Southland has renewed the Department of Conservation resource consent to discharge primary treated sewerage to land at Dumpling Hut on the Milford Track and to discharge freshwater storage overflow to an unnamed creek near the hut until 2028.

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage has refused to comment about how the Department of Conservation disposes of sewerage on the Milford and Kepler tracks.

What do you think?

Read more: www.stuff.co.nz...

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2289 days ago

NZ MADE/NĀ NIU TĪRENI: Ngāi Tahu settlement

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The confronting truth of what happened in our recent past is something New Zealanders have to reckon with. When the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, Māori owned more than 66 million acres of land. By 1975, almost 97 per cent had been sold or taken.

Ngāi Tahu is an iwi whose rohe (area) extends … View more
The confronting truth of what happened in our recent past is something New Zealanders have to reckon with. When the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, Māori owned more than 66 million acres of land. By 1975, almost 97 per cent had been sold or taken.

Ngāi Tahu is an iwi whose rohe (area) extends over most of the South Island. In the 1840s, the Crown made a number of large purchases of Ngāi Tahu land. But in the end, the Crown deceived Ngāi Tahu - leaving them landless and impoverished...

Find out more about what happened to Ngāi Tahu, where you live, and how much the land was settled for - it may surprise.

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2290 days ago

Does your roof need to be painted?

Eugene Stephens from Southland Roofing and Roof Painters

Southland Roof Painters Limited is a locally owned and operated business servicing the Southland region for many years.

Our experienced and knowledgeable team of tradesmen are your roofing specialists for restoration, re-roofing, and maintenance on:
- Concrete tile maintenance
- Lightweight … View more
Southland Roof Painters Limited is a locally owned and operated business servicing the Southland region for many years.

Our experienced and knowledgeable team of tradesmen are your roofing specialists for restoration, re-roofing, and maintenance on:
- Concrete tile maintenance
- Lightweight metal tiles
- Long-run roofs
- Stone chipped

Call us on 0800 030 694 for any inquiries we can help you with onsite inspections, advice, and colour consultations.
Find out more!

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2291 days ago

Poll: Do you agree with the new firearm rules in schools?

Georgia Reporter from Stuff

Students are no longer able to hold or shoot army guns at school under new government guidelines. The move comes after much public debate on the appropriateness of firearms being brought into schools, including when soldiers taught children as young as nine how to assemble and shoot assault rifles … View moreStudents are no longer able to hold or shoot army guns at school under new government guidelines. The move comes after much public debate on the appropriateness of firearms being brought into schools, including when soldiers taught children as young as nine how to assemble and shoot assault rifles at a leadership exercise in Palmerston North last year. However students can still use firearms as part of shooting clubs and competitions. Click here to read the full article and guidelines.

So what do you think of the new rules? Are you for or against them?

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Do you agree with the new firearm rules in schools?
  • 40.7% Yes, the guidelines are great
    40.7% Complete
  • 50.2% No, this is PC gone mad
    50.2% Complete
  • 9% I'm on the fence on this one
    9% Complete
2776 votes
2293 days ago

#Watch daily video

Nat Holland Reporter from Southland Times

Missed the action at this year's Hokonui Fashion Design Awards in Gore? Check out the action from last night.

2294 days ago

Hokonui Fashion Design Awards 2018

Nat Holland Reporter from Southland Times

Hi to follow a live blog of the awards in Gore tonight, click on the link. Reporters Georgia Weaver and Rachael Kelly, along with visual journalist Robyn Edie will provide updates, pics and video.

2295 days ago

Longest eclipse of the 21st century on Saturday morning!

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Astronomers are hoping for clear skies on Saturday morning when the longest eclipse of the 21st century works its magic in the night sky - it is expected just after 8am.

According to Nasa, the moon will be in full eclipse - or totality - for 103 minutes. But the moon will enter totality not long… View more
Astronomers are hoping for clear skies on Saturday morning when the longest eclipse of the 21st century works its magic in the night sky - it is expected just after 8am.

According to Nasa, the moon will be in full eclipse - or totality - for 103 minutes. But the moon will enter totality not long before setting in this country. The next such event will not happen again until 2021.The total lunar eclipse will be the result of the sun, moon and earth lining up perfectly.

HOW TO VIEW IT
- You'll need to be as far south as possible, have clear skies, and be in a location where you can see the Moon setting in the south west and the Sun rising in the north east.
- The higher you can get, the better. That's because the Sun will be barely clearing the horizon as the Moon sets in the opposite direction.
- Unfortunately, MetService is predicting Saturday will bring showers or rain in the west and south of the country, heavy for a time over the South Island.

- In Invercargill, there will be five minutes between sunrise at 8:12 and moonset shortly thereafter, with the Moon entirely within Earth's shadow.
- In Dunedin the interval is reduced to four minutes; in Christchurch, three minutes.

Read more and follow updates here.

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2296 days ago

Poll: Should te reo Māori be compulsory in schools?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

There has been an ongoing discussion amongst political leaders (and Neighbourly members) around whether te reo should be compulsory in schools across New Zealand. It comes after news that the number of people in New Zealand able to speak te reo Māori is declining. What do you think? Should it be … View moreThere has been an ongoing discussion amongst political leaders (and Neighbourly members) around whether te reo should be compulsory in schools across New Zealand. It comes after news that the number of people in New Zealand able to speak te reo Māori is declining. What do you think? Should it be made compulsory? Do you think this will help retain the language?

Neighbourly's own Sarah Moore has started studying te reo Māori follow her journey here.

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Should te reo Māori be compulsory in schools?
  • 34.3% Yes, I agree
    34.3% Complete
  • 56.5% No, I disagree
    56.5% Complete
  • 9.2% I don't mind either way
    9.2% Complete
8762 votes
2296 days ago

Million dollar win

Nat Holland Reporter from Southland Times

Are you the new millionaire in Southland?

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