Ruapehu District, Taumarunui

1713 days ago

New Zealand is now at Alert Level 3

New Zealand Government

Alert Level 3 is a milestone in our struggle against COVID-19. We are all responsible for what happens next. Every contact we make is a chance for the virus to spread.

We could easily lose what we have gained. Our success, or failure, depends on the decisions that we’ll each make alone – … View more
Alert Level 3 is a milestone in our struggle against COVID-19. We are all responsible for what happens next. Every contact we make is a chance for the virus to spread.

We could easily lose what we have gained. Our success, or failure, depends on the decisions that we’ll each make alone – but which in turn – will affect all of us.

Two weeks then a review
• On 11 May, we will review our progress and decide if we can safely continue to step down restrictions, or if more measures are required to protect us all.
• So the decisions we each make now, matter. Because every interaction we have is an opportunity for the virus to spread.

Keeping safe at Alert Level 3
• At Alert Level 3, the best way to keep those around you safe, is by keeping your bubble small. Interact with as few people as possible. Less people equals less risk. And continue to stay at home whenever you can.
• We should each be making the minimal number of trips. Be sure to stay local, and only make necessary trips.
• And importantly, work and learn from home if you can.

Let’s do this
We’re a team of 5 million. Formidable. And we can do this.
So thank you New Zealand for making the right decisions, when it really counts.
Find out more

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1717 days ago

Hunting rules relaxed under Alert Level 3

Chris Marshall Reporter from Taupō Times

The government has moved to placate mounting pressure from gun groups, hunting associations and rural communities to allow some hunting when the country moves to Covid-19 Alert Level 3.
Hunters will be able to hunt on private land with special restrictions but not on public conservation land, Sport… View more
The government has moved to placate mounting pressure from gun groups, hunting associations and rural communities to allow some hunting when the country moves to Covid-19 Alert Level 3.
Hunters will be able to hunt on private land with special restrictions but not on public conservation land, Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson and Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced on Thursday (April 23).

Hunting has not been allowed under Alert Level 4, but a shift to Level 3 next Tuesday morning will mean hunters can once again hunt locally - as long as they have the landholder’s permission and stick to the rules.
At a press conference last week Robertson said restrictions on hunting were under review.

In a press release today he said the easing of rules would strike a balance by allowing hunting in a limited way.

“We know that hunting is an important part of life for many New Zealanders, and in some cases a critical source of food. At Level 3 we also need to minimise the risk of losing the great progress we’ve made together in Alert Level 4 in stamping out the virus.”

Hunting on foot on private land would be allowed under Alert Level 3, so long as hunters stayed within their region and their bubble. Overnight trips were not.

“The use of quad bikes, off-road bikes, helicopters and other motorised vehicles is prohibited.”

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage said hunting on public conservation land was not allowed until a decision had been made for a return to Alert Level 2.

“While many hunters may want to head to popular spots on public land to target the last stag of the roar, under Alert Level 3 hunting on public conservation land will remain off limits.

“This helps with consistency across walking and mountain biking where people must stay local, rather than travelling to backcountry conservation land.

“The start of the duck hunting season is being postponed from May 2 to start on the second weekend after the date that is decided for when New Zealand moves to Alert Level 2. The season will also end later,” she said.

The two-week delay to the start of the season following any move to Level 2 was determined in consultation with the New Zealand Fish and Game Council

“All New Zealanders will still have an opportunity to hunt ducks, at the same time, once we return to Alert Level 2,” said Sage.

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1719 days ago

Please share an ANZAC Story with us Manawatu and Wanganui...

RSA

Dear Manawatu and Wanganui - ANZAC Day will look a little different for us this year - however there are many ways for you to acknowledge the incredible men and women who have served our communities and given their lives for our country.

We invite you to share a memory or photo to commemorate … View more
Dear Manawatu and Wanganui - ANZAC Day will look a little different for us this year - however there are many ways for you to acknowledge the incredible men and women who have served our communities and given their lives for our country.

We invite you to share a memory or photo to commemorate this special day on Neighbourly below. It could be a story of a member in your family who served - or perhaps the way you and your family celebrate ANZAC Day each year. (It might even be a photo of your freshly baked can't be-beaten ANZAC cookies).

We also invite you to take part in Stand at Dawn and join us at 6:00 am on Saturday 25 April. Stand at your letterbox, at the front door, in your lounge rooms, balconies, in your driveway. Wherever you are in the world, stand with us and take a moment to remember our fallen – but please stay within your ‘bubble’.

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1715 days ago

Small business owners - we have a gift for you!

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

To show our appreciation for those running small business in our communities, we are giving away our 3 month Premium Business Listings for FREE*.

Usually $150, your Premium Listing enables you to stay visible and connected to those around your business. Let your neighbours know how you're… View more
To show our appreciation for those running small business in our communities, we are giving away our 3 month Premium Business Listings for FREE*.

Usually $150, your Premium Listing enables you to stay visible and connected to those around your business. Let your neighbours know how you're operating in Alert Level 3, share tips and tricks unique to your industry, send a few shoutouts - or share how your community can support you at this time.

There's no catches and no hidden fees. It's just our small way of saying thank you for playing such an essential part in our communities.

Grab a FREE 3 Month Premium Business Listing now. (Feel free to share the news with your fellow small business owners too!)

*limited time only
Get 3 Months Free

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1716 days ago

Stories from the ANZACs

ANZAC Day will be marked a little differently this year. We’ll be warm and cosy at home and The Last Post won’t start until you press play. But one thing will be the same – remembrance.

To help us remember those who served and understand what ‘to serve’ meant, … View more
ANZAC Day will be marked a little differently this year. We’ll be warm and cosy at home and The Last Post won’t start until you press play. But one thing will be the same – remembrance.

To help us remember those who served and understand what ‘to serve’ meant, Ryman recorded their ANZAC resident’s stories. Some are humorous, others are tragic and eye-opening, but they all offer insight into the courage, bravery, and determination required to serve.

What better way to remember than to read the memories of those who were there?
Learn more

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1716 days ago

Support Stuff’s local and national news teams

The Team Reporter from Stuff

For over 150 years, the news and information we uncover and provide have relied on your support, either through subscription to our newspapers, consuming news via our online sites, or indirectly through the patronage you provide to those who advertise with us.  

Now there’s a … View more
For over 150 years, the news and information we uncover and provide have relied on your support, either through subscription to our newspapers, consuming news via our online sites, or indirectly through the patronage you provide to those who advertise with us.  

Now there’s a new way you can support us: by making direct financial contributions to help power our news teams up and down the country. 

Make a contribution and you’ll help our journalists continue to do what they do best: provide our readers with trustworthy, accurate and reliable news.
Contribute here

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1717 days ago

Attract birds into your garden

The Team from Resene ColorShop Taupo

Create a simple hanging bird feeder from a few pieces of plywood and a terracotta pot and saucer.

Make the most of this weekend with this easy step by step project idea from Resene. Find out how to create this quick and easy project yourself

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1717 days ago

Anzac Day 2020: Cut-out poppy for your Bubble

Neighbourly.co.nz

Anzac Day is being celebrated differently this year, with virtual services and online events, all from our own living rooms, balconies and driveways. Download this pdf of a poppy, by award-winning illustrator Sharon Murdoch, to print off and stick in a front window - To show that even in lockdown, … View moreAnzac Day is being celebrated differently this year, with virtual services and online events, all from our own living rooms, balconies and driveways. Download this pdf of a poppy, by award-winning illustrator Sharon Murdoch, to print off and stick in a front window - To show that even in lockdown, in our small bubbles, we shall not forget. That we can still say thank you for the sacrifices, we can still pay tribute to the bravery of so many.

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1719 days ago

First-home buyers - new or pre-loved?

Colleen Hawkes Reporter from Homed

As a first-home buyer it pays to weigh up your options to see whether buying new or buying 'character' is best for you.

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1717 days ago

Aiden to mark Anzac Day in Motuoapa

Chris Marshall Reporter from Taupō Times

Teenage trumpeter Aiden West is keen to sound the Last Post on Anzac day morning (Saturday, April 25) in the Lake Taupō settlement of Motuoapa.
But there’s some discussion around the time and chain of command.
“Mum wants me to do it at 6am,” he said over the phone on Thursday, hinting at … View more
Teenage trumpeter Aiden West is keen to sound the Last Post on Anzac day morning (Saturday, April 25) in the Lake Taupō settlement of Motuoapa.
But there’s some discussion around the time and chain of command.
“Mum wants me to do it at 6am,” he said over the phone on Thursday, hinting at room for negotiation.
But a muffled sentence or two in the background is followed with: “And Dad’s telling me I’m doing it at 6am.”
Settled then, outside the house on Kahotea Place, 6am.
I suggest before he follows with the Rouse he makes sure his younger sister is up in order to read the Ode of Remembrance.
It’s the sort of sharing that meets with his approval.
“That’s a good idea.”
West has built on the preparation he put in for playing the Last Post at Taupō’s mid morning civic service in 2019, for which in the end he served a backup role.
The thirteen year old, who is in his first year at Tauhara College, has been playing the trumpet since he was six and is a keen participant in the school’s stage band and the long running interschool Taupō Youth Windband.
He was “pretty sure” he was doing grade five Trinity College music exams in October this year - like everything else these are a little up in the air - and is sure the neighbours will have heard his practices.
“It’s the least soundproof house in all of existence.”
West’s will be one of a number of low-key initiatives to commemorate the day as New Zealanders are being encouraged by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage to gather as virtual communities.
The ministry said this would be the first time since Anzac services began in 1916 the day would not be marked with public services and gatherings at war memorials nationwide, as all
– including those at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park and the Atatürk Memorial in Wellington – had been cancelled as part of the campaign against the spread of Covid-19.
“Despite the restrictions in place, we know New Zealanders will still want to take the time to remember and acknowledge all those who have served or continue to serve our country in times of conflict, peacekeeping and disaster relief,” said Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage chief executive Bernadette Cavanagh.
She urged people to get involved with some of the initiatives that organisations had come up with to allow New Zealanders to connect with the past, and each other.
Opportunities include:
Join the New Zealand Defence Force and RSA's #StandAtDawn campaign, RNZ National will broadcast a dawn service at 6am in support of this campaign.
Make a poppy or a wreath to add to your window or letterbox.
Lay a virtual poppy at Auckland Museum’s Online Cenotaph for a loved one or for one of more than 235,000 New Zealand service men and women represented there.
Watch Anzac Day 2020 – Stories of Remembrance at 11am on TVNZ 1 or TVNZ On Demand.
Watch two new NZ On Air-funded documentaries exploring the military history shared between New Zealand and the Pacific: Paradise Soldiers (TVNZ 1 8.55am) and Coastwatchers – Operation Pacific (TVNZ 1 10.10am) also at TVNZ On Demand.
Watch a live broadcast of the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Anzac Salute on Facebook. It features two works commissioned to mark the centenary of the Gallipoli landings in 2015 - Andrew Simmon’s Dear Horizon and Neil Ieremia’s Passchendaele.
Bake some Anzac cookies with the kids or listen to David Hill’s The Red Poppy or Feana Tu’akoi’s Lest we Forget on RNZ Storytime.
Learn more about New Zealand’s experiences of war and its far-reaching impacts on those who served, families, communities and the nation at NZHistory.govt.nz.

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1718 days ago

A note from Noel Leeming

Noel Leeming

We’ve been privileged to help Kiwis get the essentials needed to work, study, and stay connected. It’s led to huge demand and some orders are taking longer to deliver. We’d really like to apologise to the customers who’ve experienced these delays.

To help get it sorted faster we’ve … View more
We’ve been privileged to help Kiwis get the essentials needed to work, study, and stay connected. It’s led to huge demand and some orders are taking longer to deliver. We’d really like to apologise to the customers who’ve experienced these delays.

To help get it sorted faster we’ve quadrupled our Customer Care team, and expanded our order fulfilment network so we can get thousands more orders delivered each day. Plus our remote Tech Solutions service will be free until May 11 to lend customers a hand with technology advice or setting up.

Thanks for your patience, everyone. We’re getting there.
Find out more

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1718 days ago

Kerbside recycling to be gradually reintroduced at Alert Level 3

Steph Rangi Reporter from Taupō Times

Kerbside recycling services will be gradually reintroduced across the Taupō District from Tuesday 28 April, when we move to COVID-19 Alert Level 3.

Council is asking people to adhere to the following recycling schedule to ensure our trucks and sorting facilities can cope with the expected … View more
Kerbside recycling services will be gradually reintroduced across the Taupō District from Tuesday 28 April, when we move to COVID-19 Alert Level 3.

Council is asking people to adhere to the following recycling schedule to ensure our trucks and sorting facilities can cope with the expected increase in demand and uphold the government’s strict health and safety and social distancing measures:

Week One (Tuesday 28 April – Friday 1 May): Glass Only. There will be no kerbside recycling on Monday 27 April under Alert Level 4 lockdown rules.

Week Two (Monday 4 May – Friday 8 May): Glass, Paper and Cardboard Only.

Week Three (Monday 11 May onwards): Normal recycling collection resumes.

Along with the gradual reintroduction of kerbside recycling, council’s landfill and transfer stations will also reopen to the general public from Tuesday 28 April, with the following exceptions:

No recycling accepted at Taupō, Kinloch, Turangi and Mangakino due to high health and safety risks.

Eftpos only – no cash accepted.

Sites will have customer limits using the facility, so please expect delays.

Omori to remain at current service levels – only prepaid bags please.

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