February 2021

Change has come to Pukekohe. Less frequently are tractors seen on our streets, instead rows of houses march their way across the fertile growing soils which for many hundreds of years have sustained mankind in this district. Planned highways and high-rise buildings will further alter the character of this rural township, maybe beyond recognition. Historic buildings may fall victim to regeneration and the ideology of progress. Still, there is a…

Building with Frame Homes means a Home Finished to Perfection and Ready to Move In. As we head into 2021, ensuring access to quality housing remains one of the sought after goals for every New Zealander. New community townships like Paerata Rise are growing at a rapid rate and more and more builders are offering house and land packages to offer those looking for a home a simpler, less stressful means of building their home. How though do you…

Another community case has surfaced in our country and the panic has started. Many are rushing out to get tested, queues at testing stations are inevitable. Healthline is inundated with calls and rogue checkpoints in Northland have the potential to rise again. · Media outlets are full of COVID stories, relating to everything from the number of negative tests, the likelihood of a lockdown and dissatisfaction from returning Kiwis about (usually)…

We have seen some drastic changes in the property market over the last 12 months and have experienced unbelievable price increases all around New Zealand. Median house price: up 17.4% Volume sold: up 66% Median days to sell: 29 · If you would like to get an updated appraisal on your property we would be more than happy to give you our professional opinion. This service is complementary and will be at a time that is suitable for you. · We…

You may have heard about ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and relate it to children that are hyperactive, disruptive and climbing the walls – but do you actually know what ADHD is and what it is like to have it? ADHD or ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) as it is also known provides advantages and challenges to on average one in 20 New Zealanders. It is often most noticeable in young children effecting up to 5% and although up to a…

Played with a simple pack of cards, Bridge is a mind sport, comparable to chess or 500 on steroids and millions of people are involved in playing it around the world. · Famous players include Bill Gates, Omar Sharif, and Martina Navratilova, who is quoted as saying, “No matter where I go, I can always make new friends at the bridge table.” · Franklin Bridge Club was founded in 1957, meeting on King Street and over the years, many other…

For naturally beautiful hair. Regeneration from the outside: Complexe 3 Mask Vital. The regenerative intensive mask deeply repairs even very dry, damaged, stressed hair – from roots to tips. The hair structure is immediately strengthened, and is thus more resistant to all stress factors. Hairstyles are once again effortless to create. The hair looks impressively soft, and glows with shimmering shine. A revolutionary lipid cocktail makes…

Property Investors are the dominant buyer group in the market with data just being released for December 2020 which shows they have been making the biggest share of purchases. · Buyers using cash accounted for 12% of the multiple property buyers and a further 27% are using multiple properties to leverage equity through – in total 39% of the market are investors. This is not the first time this has happened – it occurred in 2016 just before The…

New Businesses in Papakura · We welcome, The Trend Nails and Beauty in Broadway We have new owners at the Roselands Café and Bakery in Roselands – pop in and say hi Ishtar Middle Eastern Restaurant in O’Shannessey Street Amare Safety in Elliot Street H & Son’s Barbershop on the Great South Road Beautiful Me Hair and Beauty Studio on the Great South Road · If you need any contact details for these businesses or any other ones in…

With the global pandemic still raging around the world, the idea of working from home is becoming an ever-increasing reality for many Kiwis. They see the benefit in combining their home ownership dream with the benefits of a practical working from home scenario. But who has the best design and craftmanship to produce such a solution? Locals Lance and Jana Hutton, owners of Hutton Builders have the answer and are proud to showcase their recently…

The world may be crippled by Covid 19 but in New Zealand, the Jalopy Dust Up was a dusty but fun way to see in 2021. Hosted by Noddy Watts of Beach Hop fame (Australasia’s biggest hot rod, classic car and rock & roll festival) and his partner Andrea, the Dust Up was just what the doctor ordered. · Let’s face it, 2020 in New Zealand consisted of two lock downs, numerous cancelled or delayed events and an event like the Jalopy Dust Up was a sure…

The place where a number of systems come together to ensure you the best self defence training available. Train with people who have the right backgrounds and experience to share their expertise. Whether you want to empower yourself, feel safer, grow your skill-base or simply want to try out something new and exciting, you are most welcome to join our community. · Classes cater to people from every walk of life and are designed with your needs…

In the popular sea side town of Russell in the Bay of Islands is one of the country’s most popular and historic landmarks. Nestled amongst its prominent graveyard is home to New Zealand’s oldest surviving building, Christ Church. In the 19th century, Russell, then known as Kororareka was known as a rough sea port, popular with whalers. The land on which Christ Church sits was originally purchased in 1834 from the local chief, Rewa Wharerahi…

It didn’t work in the United Kingdom! How many times have you heard this when a positive idea is promoted. What has anything to do with whether it worked in the UK or not? For a start the UK has a strange health system to say the least, some pretty awful health facilities, dealing with an enormous population compared to New Zealand which makes comparison of medical services chalk and cheese. · So what am I talking about? The column in a local…

“A hundred immigrants just landed have been sent here. The Government found them lodgings and give them rations . . . till they can be sent forth to their own grants of land.”[^1] These were just some of the immigrants who had recently arrived as part of the Waikato Immigration Scheme.[^2] Between October 1864 and June 1865, thirteen ships arrived in Auckland with settlers from Scotland, Ireland, England and South Africa on board. With promises…

Days after Donald Trump was elected as US President in November 2016, I wrote one of my very first columns for Elocal. This was my opening paragraph: ·It’s a very long time since I’ve felt so depressed about the future of the United States and of the world. In President-elect Trump we have a man who, at least to judge from his pre-election rhetoric, seems to have not a single redeeming quality. · In mid-2018, eighteen months into his four-year…

A poem written for the US presidential inauguration of Joseph R. Biden Jr., 20 January 2021. When day comes, we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade. We’ve braved the belly of the beast. We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what 'just' is isn’t always justice. And yet, the dawn is ours before we knew it. Somehow we do…

Unlike how one may envision Africa, a dry desolate landscape, many areas of Botswana are the complete opposite! Botswana is home to the Okavango Delta, a river which works its way through Angola and Namibia, expanding into a giant swampland. Due to the abundance of water, the delta is home to a huge number of wildlife species. · Botswana is also home to the Makadikadi Basin, where the water here is so high in salt that bacteria can turn the…