Mount Cook, Wellington

Got a question about your lawn or backyard?

Got a question about your lawn or backyard?

Ask a Crewcut Lawn & Garden expert (and an ex-Black Caps coach!) now. Head here.

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Does your organisation need new flooring?

Apply for up to $2,000 and also be in to win a $20,000 makeover.

1538 days ago

Natural Animal-Based Textile Fibres

Robert Anderson from

Animal-based fibres are wool, fur, and excretions, such as silk.

Alpaca: Alpaca is a very exclusive fibre, hollow in part of its structure, and it comes naturally in twenty-three different colours. It is extremely lightweight, has great insulation properties and is stronger than sheep’s wool. … View more
Animal-based fibres are wool, fur, and excretions, such as silk.

Alpaca: Alpaca is a very exclusive fibre, hollow in part of its structure, and it comes naturally in twenty-three different colours. It is extremely lightweight, has great insulation properties and is stronger than sheep’s wool. Alpaca is mixed with other natural fibres such as mohair, silk, or wool to make luxurious garments of the highest quality, both in knitted and flat fabrics.
Alpaca fibres of higher quality coming from the shearing of pups and younger specimens are considered smoother, softer, and warmer than cashmere. It is currently being used to manufacture sportswear. The leading brands in sports have been seduced by this fibre due to its insulation qualities in cold weather.

Angora: Angora is a natural animal-based fibre that comes from the Angora rabbit. It is silky, thin, and soft. This “ultra-silky” white hair from the Angora rabbit is a hollow fibre classified as wool. The hair is light, with great water absorption and quick dry.
Extremely light but very warm, angora is used mainly to make woven clothes such as pullovers, vests, sweaters, and fashion accessories for winter season. Flat fabrics with angora are used to manufacture thermal garments. Angora is mixed with wool to create greater density and elasticity in the fabric, especially for the production of suits and blazers. It also used to make high-quality and luxurious garments.

Cashmere: Cashmere comes from the Kashmir goat, a native of the Himalayas.
Cashmere is a very expensive and exclusive fibre. It is extremely soft and has great thermal properties; cashmere is used to manufacture high-quality sweaters and children’s warm clothes. The well-known “pashmina” is a type of cashmere used in shawls and scarves, produced in the Kashmir Valley. More robust cashmere is employed to manufacture high-quality rugs and carpets.

Sheep wool: A limited supply and its exceptional qualities have made wool the most widely used animal-based textile fibre in the fashion and textile industry.
Wool is a fibre with curly appearance, elastic, soft to the touch, which easily absorbs moisture and has an extremely low rate of heat release. These last few characteristics make woollen garments comfortable and warm.
Wool is a fibre of multiple functions and a wide range of diameters that make it perfect for manufacturing clothing items and fashionable accessories. It is mixed with other natural and synthetic fibres to increase strength. Wool is also used in household textile products as well as in industrial developments such as thermal and acoustic insulation.

Mohair: Mohair is the hair of the Angora goat from the Tibet. It is a very shiny, insulating type of wool, softer and stronger than sheep wool. Mohair is white and dyes with exceptional ease. It has excellent absorption capacity and is mainly used to make knitted garments and crochet accessories. Mohair is also utilized in household textiles to make luxurious beddings and upholstery.

Camel hair: Obtained from Bactrian camels with two humps, it is a fine, soft fibre that is used exclusively in luxurious textiles due to its quality and small supply. To manufacture ultra-exclusive items, camel hair is mixed with cashmere and, in other cases, due to its high cost, it is combined with wool to reduce the final price tag of the garment.
This fibre is employed to manufacture a wide variety of clothing items –suits, coats, sweaters, and jackets—and other accessories for winter season such as gloves, hats, and scarves.

Silk: In many people’s eyes, silk is still “the queen of fabrics”.
Silk is a protein filament produced by the silkworm. Feeding on mulberry leaves, the worm produces liquid silk that once solidified forms the filaments to build its cocoon. Then, once the larva is dead, heat is used to soften the hardened filaments and to unroll them. These individual filaments are later intertwined into one single filament to form the silk yarn.
Silk is a lightweight, lustrous, and soft fibre. It is highly resistant to tensile strength with little or no elasticity. Silk is very glossy because of the triangular prism structure of the fibre and this causes garments made of this fabric to refract incoming light into different angles.
Naturally, silk is used in high-quality textile industry to produce exquisite accessories as well as luxurious, haute couture garments. Additionally, it is utilized in a wide range of home décor items.

1538 days ago

Fire on Taranaki Street

Simone Borgstede from Wellington City Council

Fire and Emergency are attending an incident at the Soho Apartments on Taranaki Street.
Traffic will be quite congested so we suggest avoiding the area if possible.
Stay safe Pōneke.

1541 days ago

Have you seen any for rooks?

Reporter Community News

If you hear the sound “Kaah, kaah" the regional council wants to hear from you. It could be the harsh call of rooks, a pest bird that nests in rural areas during spring.

Rooks are an invasive species that target agricultural crops. Every Year, our biosecurity team carry out surveys and … View more
If you hear the sound “Kaah, kaah" the regional council wants to hear from you. It could be the harsh call of rooks, a pest bird that nests in rural areas during spring.

Rooks are an invasive species that target agricultural crops. Every Year, our biosecurity team carry out surveys and control to prevent these birds from harming our environment and economic wellbeing.

If you think you’ve seen this large, glossy, purplish-black bird on your property, please cal the regional council on 0800 496 734 or email pest.animals@gw.govt.nz.

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1539 days ago

Our Father's Day Giveaway WINNER!

Neighbourly.co.nz

Thanks for all of your entries in our Father's Day giveaway! It was great to see all the love that Dads were getting across the nation.

It was a very difficult decision, but we want to say a massive congratulations to Elvi from Eden Terrace who took out the competition!

Don't worry … View more
Thanks for all of your entries in our Father's Day giveaway! It was great to see all the love that Dads were getting across the nation.

It was a very difficult decision, but we want to say a massive congratulations to Elvi from Eden Terrace who took out the competition!

Don't worry if you missed out, there's plenty more where that came from. Keep your eyes peeled for our next giveaway.

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1542 days ago

Poll: Do you support Matariki becoming a public holiday?

Reporter Community News

Labour is promising to make Matariki New Zealand’s twelfth public holiday. It would be the first new public holiday since the Third Labour Government made Waitangi Day a public holiday in 1973, although then Prime Minister Norman Kirk called it “New Zealand Day”.

Please mark any comments Not… View more
Labour is promising to make Matariki New Zealand’s twelfth public holiday. It would be the first new public holiday since the Third Labour Government made Waitangi Day a public holiday in 1973, although then Prime Minister Norman Kirk called it “New Zealand Day”.

Please mark any comments Not For Publication if you do not want to be quoted in a story.

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Do you support Matariki becoming a public holiday?
  • 65.2% Yes
    65.2% Complete
  • 34.8% No
    34.8% Complete
437 votes
1539 days ago

Brighten up your garden with a bird bath.

The Team from Resene ColorShop Basin Reserve

Brighten up a corner of your garden with this easy-to-build bird bath and paint it in a Resene colour to suit your exterior colour palette.

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

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1548 days ago

Paul to stand for mayoralty

Matt Tso Reporter from Community News

Do you think Tamantha Paul would make a good mayor? Does she have enough experience?

The 23-year-old said she is considering challenging incumbent Andy Foster, who has endured a torrid first term so far and is reportedly already planning for the 2022 election.

Her motivation for standing comes … View more
Do you think Tamantha Paul would make a good mayor? Does she have enough experience?

The 23-year-old said she is considering challenging incumbent Andy Foster, who has endured a torrid first term so far and is reportedly already planning for the 2022 election.

Her motivation for standing comes from a desire to be more involved in council decision making.

“I’m a little bit frustrated about how much power and resources we have in doing substantial stuff,” Paul said.

“There are more ambitious and aspirational things I wanted to be able to do on the council.”

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1539 days ago

Have you ever been really hungry?

Sisters of Compassion

The Compassion Soup Kitchen has been feeding hungry Wellingtonians since 1901.

At the moment, the demand is greater than it has been for a very long time. People are suddenly finding themselves unable to make ends meet, facing job losses and reduced hours. On average, we’re serving 150 meals,… View more
The Compassion Soup Kitchen has been feeding hungry Wellingtonians since 1901.

At the moment, the demand is greater than it has been for a very long time. People are suddenly finding themselves unable to make ends meet, facing job losses and reduced hours. On average, we’re serving 150 meals, six days a week, to both new and familiar faces.

Help out those who are doing it tough during the pandemic, donate to our Annual Appeal today!
Donate now

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1539 days ago

Vegepod $50,000 Giveaway

Jo McCarroll Reporter from NZ Gardener

We're giving away 100 Vegepods. To enter purchase the September issue of NZ Gardener, find the code and enter it online at Stuff.co.nz/vegepod Find out more

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1540 days ago

Was Bill Sutch a spy?

Reporter Community News

It has taken nearly 50 years but a new book on Bill Sutch is sure to spark debate in to an old controversy.

In September 1974, Bill Sutch was arrested and charged under the Official Secrets Act 1951, after a series of clandestine meetings with KGB agent Dimitri Rasgovorov, an official at the … View more
It has taken nearly 50 years but a new book on Bill Sutch is sure to spark debate in to an old controversy.

In September 1974, Bill Sutch was arrested and charged under the Official Secrets Act 1951, after a series of clandestine meetings with KGB agent Dimitri Rasgovorov, an official at the Soviet Union's embassy, in Wellington.

He was subsequently acquitted but documents later found in the KGB archive suggested he was a Soviet agent.

His son-in-law, Keith Ovenden, has now written a book, Bill & Shirley: A Memoir, looking at the life of Sutch and his wife Shirley Smith. Smith was a prominent lawyer and the first woman in New Zealand to be a full member of a university law faculty.

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1541 days ago

Poll: Should we ditch Labour Day for Matariki?

Reporter Community News

We can thank Wellington carpenter Samuel Parnell for the the eight hour day and our annual Labour Day holiday.
It has been held on the fourth Monday of every October since 1910. National Leader Judith Collins, however, has suggested that if we want Matarki as a public holiday, we should get rid of … View more
We can thank Wellington carpenter Samuel Parnell for the the eight hour day and our annual Labour Day holiday.
It has been held on the fourth Monday of every October since 1910. National Leader Judith Collins, however, has suggested that if we want Matarki as a public holiday, we should get rid of an existing holiday like Labour Day.
That is something the Labour Party is unlikely to agree with but what do you think?

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Should we ditch Labour Day for Matariki?
  • 18% Yes
    18% Complete
  • 82% No
    82% Complete
735 votes
1539 days ago

Son comes to rescue of pensioner about to lose his home

Reporter Community News

A pensioner about to lose his home for unpaid rates is resting easy after his son made an arrangement with the council that wanted him out.

Stuff reported on Thursday that 75-year-old retired engineer Justin Gregory was facing the loss of his house due to unpaid rates.

His home was one of two … View more
A pensioner about to lose his home for unpaid rates is resting easy after his son made an arrangement with the council that wanted him out.

Stuff reported on Thursday that 75-year-old retired engineer Justin Gregory was facing the loss of his house due to unpaid rates.

His home was one of two advertised as up for sale after Napier City Council gained High Court orders under the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.

Another homeowner, Sharon McCleary, was also facing the loss of her home.

By mid afternoon, relatives of McCleary and Gregory, had contacted the council.

A council spokeswoman said “we are pleased that family members of both Mr Gregory and Ms McCleary have been in contact with council, and we are hopeful that a good outcome can be reached for everyone involved.”

1539 days ago

University meeting abandoned after online hack

Reporter Community News

Victoria University students’ association (VUWSA) has had their online annual general meeting hacked, with an unknown intruder sharing “racist, homophobic, and graphic content”.

The AGM was abandoned after the screens were hacked and distressing images and messages were streamed.

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1540 days ago

How do we minimise construction and demolition waste?

Simone Borgstede from Wellington City Council

We are proposing that all large construction projects submit a waste management plan as part of their project planning. The plan must outline how they will manage, minimise and capture waste and litter associated with the project and building work.

Do you agree or disagree? 👍👎

Visit … View more
We are proposing that all large construction projects submit a waste management plan as part of their project planning. The plan must outline how they will manage, minimise and capture waste and litter associated with the project and building work.

Do you agree or disagree? 👍👎

Visit www.letstalk.wellington.govt.nz... to have your say on our proposed Solid Waste Management and Minimisation Bylaw 2020.

#OurWellington #TōTātouPōneke

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1539 days ago

Love daffodils? Find your favourite variety here

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

There are literally thousands of daffodils here, where Ian Riddell has spent over 25 years in the business, from preparing the soil and planting bulbs to harvesting flowers and selling them.

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