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1267 days ago

Cemetery caretaker finds peace in 43 years on the job at Akatārawa

Reporter Community News

I posted something on this week last but it is such a nice story I am posting it again.

When people find out Neil Whiteman tends to graves for a living they often remark that he must have seen a fair few ghosts after nearly 43 years on the job. But the 72-year-old insists he’s never encountered one.​
For him, Akatārawa Cemetery is a peaceful place.
As a boy, he’d help his father Dave Whiteman​ dig graves during the weekend. In 1978, when Dave Whiteman retired from his role as the sexton at the Upper Hutt graveyard, Neil Whiteman took up the role.
For him, Akatārawa Cemetery is a peaceful place.
Whiteman's dedication to caring for the cemetery earned him the Individual Excellence Award at the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Awards last month.


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8 days ago

Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

This Wednesday, we are 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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19 days ago

What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.

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9 hours ago

It’s Riddle Time! Beat the Neighbourhood with Your Smarts!

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

Which of the following words don't belong in the group and why?
CORSET, COSTER, SECTOR, ESCORT, COURTS

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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