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The recent campaign to shop and buy local is nothing new to Navigation Homes co-owners Nathan Hall and Ryan Keegan. One of the things they are most proud of is the employment of local people in every facet of their business, from all the staff they employ in the office, through to the highly skilled and experienced contractors they use on site. Navigation Homes are proud to call…

Through viral pandemics, world moral crises and music business madness, Mykeljon Winckel’s soul-pop-jazz collective GroovExpress keeps right on chuggin’ along, morphing and shape-shifting with the times. In the Summer of 2020, that means a scaled down version featuring more vocals and less members as Winckel takes to his state-of-the-art home studio to record most of the tracks…

Ian Cummings is pleased to announce he will be campaigning as an independent candidate in the upcoming general election to provide voters with a credible alternative and more effective voice on issues that matter to them. “I am standing to ensure genuine advocacy in Parliament for Port Waikato, and I believe that as an independent MP, answerable to the electorate rather than a…

Ebbett Pukekohe is undergoing a rapid expansion with the Kia and MG brands joining the dealership from 1st July. In addition, the Volkswagen Concept Store in King Street will come under their management from that date as well. The Ebbett Group had to secure a prominent brand to headline the Pukekohe dealership after GM announced its plan to discontinue new Holden sales later in…

As World War I came to an end, a silent and deadly killer swept across the world, leaving in its wake mass devastation. This virulent assassin took a life within a matter of days, even hours. Beginning with sudden flu-like symptoms, and rapidly transforming into pneumonia, individuals literally “drowned” in the fluid which accumulated in their lungs, and their body took on a…

COVID-19 brought us unprecedented restrictions to our regular routines - LOCKDOWN used to be only a prison term! But Fiona from Baker’s shoes and More looks back reflectively on what has been a difficult few months. “Closing the doors on the eve of Wednesday 25th March was incredibly sad and stressful, even though we and I am sure many others, enjoyed staying at homes with our…

Jason Tabrum is not afraid of hard work, and is well known for putting in the hard yards to gain exceptional results for his clients. Jason is in his 9th year of selling real estate and has built a reputation for being the agent that delivers in any market and delivers the best. “I've seen seen the market at its high, when things just sold before being listed and it was…

Ebbett Pukekohe is part of a trusted motor vehicle company that’s been going from strength to strength for 90 years and post Covid offers you even more with the arrival of three new Brands into the fold. Kia, Volkswagen, and MG join the already firm favourites of Nissan and the soon to be phased out Holden at the dealership in Pukekohe, which since Alf Ebbett started the company…

Extracted from Pull No Punches: Memoir of a Political Survivor by Judith Collins. Published by Allen & Unwin NZ. RRP $36.99. In stores from 1 July. When David and I came back from Hong Kong, enthused by the energy and hard work we had seen, we did what any sensible people would do. Despite both of us working full-time and studying parttime at university, we bought a restaurant.…

Level Two was announced, travel between regions could be resumed and domestic flight schedules returned around New Zealand. My partner Estelle and I were keen to escape the house after a 6-week lockdown and jumped on the Air New Zealand ‘Grab a Seat’ website after hearing about some amazing flight deals to Queenstown. It was very apparent how hard Covid-19 had hit the tourism…

When Gary Wright started his apprenticeship at the family business Wrights Jewellers in 1971, both the main street and life in Pukekohe looked very different to when his Grandfather first opened the shop in 1912. The population of the town was around 6,940, there were 129 businesses, and Australian Niel Allen beat Frank Matich by four-tenths of a second to capture the New Zealand…

Unless you were living under a stone, you will know that towards the end of May a black American by the name of George Floyd was killed when a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, while three other police officers looked on. And you will also know that this event has triggered huge protests against racism, not only in the US but throughout the world. So…

He was the founder of the Gonzo movement, a written style without objectivity and first person narrative and became a prominent writer within counter culture for his life long use of alcohol, drug use, firearms and his contempt for authoritarianism. He was unique and unpredictable, leaving his mark on the literary and real world with a literal bang. Hunter Stockton Thompson was…

Usually by this time of the year, our local parks are full of young and not so young folk showing off their best moves in a variety of different sports, but this year due to Covid things have been different. That’s not to say that things haven’t been happening behind the scenes and in some respects Director of Football at Franklin United Ben Fletcher, has been working even harder…

BUY VOUCHERS TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES IN PAPAKURA Now we have a fabulous offer for you all! How about buying a $20.00 or more voucher from a local business in Papakura and we will give you an extra $5.00 voucher to spend. Now that’s a good deal for sure. Head to www.livepapakura.co.nz to see which stores are accepting these vouchers and support and love local businesses…

So, the other day a colleague said, “wouldn’t it be great if we were able to look at some key measures to determine quality of life. And, what if we could determine how these were affected by exercise”. And this was a very valid general query, but also a very personal one for those who have their quality of life impacted by the effects of stress. As luck would have it, a group…

Knowing that customers were the main focus for any of Stroud Homes customers was perhaps the deciding factor for local builder Mike Wilson when he was deciding whether to take over the franchise in the area. “I’ve been building for over 16 years, and I have always given every job the very best I can to make sure that the customer is kept happy, so Stroud Homes total focus on the…

It is refreshing to see life returning to somewhat of a new normal after the lockdown for most of us. Children are back at school, some after school activities have resumed, businesses are open and you can get your fix of whatever takes your fancy at your local eatery whilst reading your monthly elocal magazine. The lockdown left many a person wondering where their latest…

In winter of 1864 the three masted clipper ship the ‘Ganges’ set sail from Cobh, Ireland for a 12,000 mile journey to Auckland. Amongst almost five hundred passengers and crew onboard the 192 foot (59m) ship were newly married couple, John and Sarah Fausett from Fermanagh County. Over the next three months they would brave the perils of putrid food, overcrowded and poorly…

James Sydney Heard was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal New Zealand Artillery (RNZA) when he first served with 161 Battery in Vietnam. During a second Tour of Duty, he served with the 1st New Zealand Army Training Team Vietnam (1-NZATTV). He retired from the NZ Army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Jim Heard died in December 2019. His surviving family recently discovered the…