Conifer Grove, Takanini

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1694 days ago

Appreciation post

The Team from Counties Manukau Police

Thank you to all our essential service workers working tirelessly to ensure our communities are kept safe.

Issac is 81years old and was observed by a member of the public struggling to walk to the supermarket. A quick interaction with Isaac revealed he was in need of some intervention.

Community … View more
Thank you to all our essential service workers working tirelessly to ensure our communities are kept safe.

Issac is 81years old and was observed by a member of the public struggling to walk to the supermarket. A quick interaction with Isaac revealed he was in need of some intervention.

Community Constable Reuben Boniface ?‍♂️ was able to connect Issac with Age Concern Southland and with their assistance provide a care package of cooked meals and loaves of bread to help him through this time ? #kindnessgoesalongway

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1694 days ago

Are you OK?

The Team from Counties Manukau Police

Your emotional and mental wellbeing is important. It is normal to feel stressed or lonely when self-isolating, but there are some things you can do to feel better.

Even if you are not sick you may be feeling anxious about COVID-19. This is normal.

Reach out to your family and whānau, friends and… View more
Your emotional and mental wellbeing is important. It is normal to feel stressed or lonely when self-isolating, but there are some things you can do to feel better.

Even if you are not sick you may be feeling anxious about COVID-19. This is normal.

Reach out to your family and whānau, friends and workmates. Sharing how we feel and offering support to others is important.

We want to remind you that if you or someone you know is struggling right now, there is free help available.

See below a list of helplines throughout New Zealand ?

Kia Kaha Aotearoa.

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1694 days ago

Auckland architecture wows

Colleen Hawkes Reporter from Homed

Here are some highlights from the shortlist for the Auckland Architecture Awards 2020. We have a particular soft spot for the tiny Point Wells Cricket Club by Pac Studio! And this new build in Remuera, Auckland.

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1697 days ago

Meet Fonzie, the Cockatoo who spent 20 hours upside-down

Todd Niall Reporter from Auckland Stuff

Hi Neighbours, He's famous on Instagram, but Fonzie the Cockatoo has a new claim to fame, after getting such a fright he landed on a powerline, giving his owner a 20-hour ordeal while he hung upside down. Read the happy ending :

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1695 days ago

Looking for inspiration?

Signature Homes

The team at Signature Homes Botany & Manukau wants to keep you entertained while at home with a free digital copy of our latest home design magazine, full of real stories from Kiwi homeowners.

If you’re thinking of building new, or just looking for some inspiration, Signature Style is a … View more
The team at Signature Homes Botany & Manukau wants to keep you entertained while at home with a free digital copy of our latest home design magazine, full of real stories from Kiwi homeowners.

If you’re thinking of building new, or just looking for some inspiration, Signature Style is a must-read! We have a wide range of House & Land Packages and home designs to suit your taste, budget, section and lifestyle.

We look forward to reconnecting with the community very soon, in the meantime please click here to get your free digital copy of our magazine.

Allan & Jennie Moore
Signature Homes Manukau & Botany.
Find out more

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1695 days ago

The new way to say 'Look at Me!'

Botany Toyota

The new-look Toyota C-HR is anything but boring. Packed with safety & convenience features giving you all you need and more in a compact SUV. From $32,990 Toyota Driveaway Price .

PLUS for a limited time get $1000 of free accessories
Find out more

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1696 days ago

Join us for lunch and some new ideas

Jo Haywood Reporter from Homed

Hey neighbours, it was great to see so many of you at our live lunch with NZ Home and Garden and NZ Gardener editors Naomi Larkin and Jo McCarroll. Thanks for stopping by :)

If you missed it, you can still drop in for a recap and see if Jo and Naomi answered your questions, here.

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1695 days ago

25 years evolves into Remote Covid learning

New Zealand School of Food & Wine

We were lucky!

Over the weekend of 14/15 March, we celebrated our 25th Anniversary at NZSFW and 10 days later, New Zealand ground to a halt in the Covid19 Lockdown.

And while our day to day life has dramatically changed, looking at all these photos gives me a lot of pleasure and especially to be… View more
We were lucky!

Over the weekend of 14/15 March, we celebrated our 25th Anniversary at NZSFW and 10 days later, New Zealand ground to a halt in the Covid19 Lockdown.

And while our day to day life has dramatically changed, looking at all these photos gives me a lot of pleasure and especially to be able to share in the achievements of our current students and graduates. The highlight has to be the magnificent dinner; an inspired menu created by our gifted chef, Finn Gybel and prepared under his watchful eye by the cookery students.

Fortuitously, the lamb arrived fresh from Pigeon Bay via Harris Meats in North Canterbury and after a number of dramas leaving us worried that it would in time. Finn's dish, where he wrapped the lamb in crepinette, to hold it together while cooking, was certainly a new technique that we had not used in the past.

It was a thrill to have veteran broadcaster, Carol Hirschfeld as MC for the dinner and lend her distinctive and thoughtful commentary to our story. Carol asked me who she could "interview" during the dinner. Victoria Biddick, our first enrolled student from 1995, Oliver Hay and Joelle Thomson all shared their unique perspective on their association with the school.

There is certainly some irony in the fact that as we were celebrating these 25 years, another significant challenge was about to explode. Drawing on my earthquake experience, where we relocated our students to my second business at the Duvauchelle Store and Café, I knew that we had to find a way to keep going.

As the Covid19 crisis escalated, I discussed with our tutors how we could teach the programmes online and with the cookery students cooking in their own kitchens at home. Again, I was fortunate that my son Oliver, computer systems engineer, and recently returned from his super yacht chef sojourn, decided that he wanted to work full-time at NZSFW. Oli then set about finding the best platform for the tutors to stream their classes live and to administer the programmes. We have used Google Classroom and the Hangouts conferencing software to do this and it's working well.

By Friday 20 March, we had amended our cookery timetables to focus on baking, pasta and dishes that were easier to prepare at home. The students then went home with a 5kg bag of flour, 2 kg sugar, 1kg butter, 12 eggs and other ingredients. We trialled the video streaming from NZSFW while we could and then following the lockdown, the tutors now continue from their homes. The logistics are much easier for Franck with his hospitality students!

For the cookery students, the model is they watch the demonstrations at home and later upload photographs of their cooking. It's not ideal, as the tutor cannot taste their food and sometimes the livestream is pixellated or cuts out but it's better that doing nothing. Plus, everyone gets to chat and socialise from the safety of their bubble. And with supermarkets open, we can continue to buy supplies. View Foundation cooking shots here. And Advanced Cooking here.

Stay safe and have fun,
Celia Hay

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1695 days ago

25 years evolves into Remote Covid learning

New Zealand School of Food & Wine

We were lucky!

Over the weekend of 14/15 March, we celebrated our 25th Anniversary at NZSFW and 10 days later, New Zealand ground to a halt in the Covid19 Lockdown.

And while our day to day life has dramatically changed, looking at all these photos gives me a lot of pleasure and especially to be… View more
We were lucky!

Over the weekend of 14/15 March, we celebrated our 25th Anniversary at NZSFW and 10 days later, New Zealand ground to a halt in the Covid19 Lockdown.

And while our day to day life has dramatically changed, looking at all these photos gives me a lot of pleasure and especially to be able to share in the achievements of our current students and graduates. The highlight has to be the magnificent dinner; an inspired menu created by our gifted chef, Finn Gybel and prepared under his watchful eye by the cookery students.

Fortuitously, the lamb arrived fresh from Pigeon Bay via Harris Meats in North Canterbury and after a number of dramas leaving us worried that it would in time. Finn's dish, where he wrapped the lamb in crepinette, to hold it together while cooking, was certainly a new technique that we had not used in the past.

It was a thrill to have veteran broadcaster, Carol Hirschfeld as MC for the dinner and lend her distinctive and thoughtful commentary to our story. Carol asked me who she could "interview" during the dinner. Victoria Biddick, our first enrolled student from 1995, Oliver Hay and Joelle Thomson all shared their unique perspective on their association with the school.

There is certainly some irony in the fact that as we were celebrating these 25 years, another significant challenge was about to explode. Drawing on my earthquake experience, where we relocated our students to my second business at the Duvauchelle Store and Café, I knew that we had to find a way to keep going.

As the Covid19 crisis escalated, I discussed with our tutors how we could teach the programmes online and with the cookery students cooking in their own kitchens at home. Again, I was fortunate that my son Oliver, computer systems engineer, and recently returned from his super yacht chef sojourn, decided that he wanted to work full-time at NZSFW. Oli then set about finding the best platform for the tutors to stream their classes live and to administer the programmes. We have used Google Classroom and the Hangouts conferencing software to do this and it's working well.

By Friday 20 March, we had amended our cookery timetables to focus on baking, pasta and dishes that were easier to prepare at home. The students then went home with a 5kg bag of flour, 2 kg sugar, 1kg butter, 12 eggs and other ingredients. We trialled the video streaming from NZSFW while we could and then following the lockdown, the tutors now continue from their homes. The logistics are much easier for Franck with his hospitality students!

For the cookery students, the model is they watch the demonstrations at home and later upload photographs of their cooking. It's not ideal, as the tutor cannot taste their food and sometimes the livestream is pixellated or cuts out but it's better that doing nothing. Plus, everyone gets to chat and socialise from the safety of their bubble. And with supermarkets open, we can continue to buy supplies. View Foundation cooking shots here. And Advanced Cooking here.

Stay safe and have fun,
Celia Hay

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1696 days ago

Certified Accountant Available

Carly from Takanini

Dear neighbours,
My husband is a certified Chartered Accountant and Financial Controller who is currently out of work due to the lockdown. If anyone is in need of any accounting services, particularly with tax season upon us, feel free to get in touch and he would be happy to offer a good rate! DM … View more
Dear neighbours,
My husband is a certified Chartered Accountant and Financial Controller who is currently out of work due to the lockdown. If anyone is in need of any accounting services, particularly with tax season upon us, feel free to get in touch and he would be happy to offer a good rate! DM me with your email address if interested and I will have him get in touch.

1695 days ago

Let's chat about your garden today

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Hello neighbours, our editor Jo McCarroll is hosting another Live Lunch today (with colleague Naomi who edits NZ House & Garden), so jump online between 12.30 and 1pm to join them. You can ask questions in advance, so start firing through your gardening questions and pictures of your garden or … View moreHello neighbours, our editor Jo McCarroll is hosting another Live Lunch today (with colleague Naomi who edits NZ House & Garden), so jump online between 12.30 and 1pm to join them. You can ask questions in advance, so start firing through your gardening questions and pictures of your garden or the projects you've been tackling over lockdown anytime you like!

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1697 days ago

Accountant

Renata from Opaheke

Dear neighbours!
I am looking for an reasonable accountant to help me with my accounts for a simple sole trade business.
Thank you in advance.
Renata
www.lowcarbzone.co.nz...

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1695 days ago

Itemised money receipts from shops

Sunil from Manurewa

Please ask for & collect your itemised money receipt from the store you buy your daily needs to ascertain & report price gouging. Have noticed many stores simply saying 'thank you' & expecting you to move on.... This indicates a dishonest motive & I have had a few such … View morePlease ask for & collect your itemised money receipt from the store you buy your daily needs to ascertain & report price gouging. Have noticed many stores simply saying 'thank you' & expecting you to move on.... This indicates a dishonest motive & I have had a few such experiences. These stores press down on the goods on the scales which increases the weight so you get charged for a higher weight. Not having the receipt would leave you with no proof of what you have been charged for. Sometimes, you are charged for goods not received/bought. Refusing an itemised receipt should be the prerogative of the customer & giving the customer a receipt must be mandatory on the part of the seller. Let's not be ripped off by unscrupulous business owners today, during the COVID-19 pandemic, nor after. Make it a point to get a receipt for any transaction that you make.

1696 days ago

Two weeks into lockdown - how's everyone feeling?

Neighbourly.co.nz

How's everyone feeling at this stage of lockdown? Head over to the Reach Out page and let everyone know how you're coping and share any words of kindness that will help support each other during this time. Do you need help or can you help a neighbour in need? Perhaps you can offer a … View moreHow's everyone feeling at this stage of lockdown? Head over to the Reach Out page and let everyone know how you're coping and share any words of kindness that will help support each other during this time. Do you need help or can you help a neighbour in need? Perhaps you can offer a friendly phone call, have some great baking tips, ways to work from home or ideas to keep the kids entertained. Post on Reach Out and together we can all support each other and our communities during this time.

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1696 days ago

Keep calm and kind

Neighbourly.co.nz

Lockdown is a stressful and difficult time for many and showing kindness can go a long way in brightening someone’s day. Be Neighbourly and spread positivity, we all know there’s plenty of that on Neighbourly!

Need help or can you support someone in need? … View more
Lockdown is a stressful and difficult time for many and showing kindness can go a long way in brightening someone’s day. Be Neighbourly and spread positivity, we all know there’s plenty of that on Neighbourly!

Need help or can you support someone in need? Reach out to your Neighbours here now.
Reach out

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