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Students call on local board to fix open drain: South Auckland
Pupils from Papakura Normal School have appealed to the local board to fix an open drain along Walters Rd, which neighbours their school.
Kaige Chase, Gabriel Moaate-Minhinnick, Olivia Kim, Genesis Blakelock and Angelina Tuiono asked the board to take their concerns to Auckland Transport after incidents involving children walking to school.
"We realise this is probably about money but saving money in the old days has just stored up problems for today," they said.
The students told the board a six-year-old boy fell into the drain.
Another boy failed in his attempts to rescue him.
But a motorist intervened and pulled him to safety.
In another incident, a driver leaving the carpark opposite drove into the drain.
“The incident with the boys led to temporary fixes that involved some orange plastic fencing, but it just seems to have become a permanent solution," the students said.
"Now it is breaking down and probably ending up polluting our sea.”
The drain had become overgrown, with the school spending money battling gorse and weeds and building a large fence to keep students safe, they said.
The pupils urged the board to infill the drain to create more parking and drop-off zones.
Board chair Brent Catchpole said he was impressed with the amount of research that went into their deputation.
"These young people did not just come along to complain," he said.
"They gathered evidence, thought about the problem and even outlined possible solutions."
The board will refer the matter to Auckland Transport and Healthy Waters, asking for a quick response, he said.
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How much are you paying for your bin tags?
With bin tags on the way out, we want to hear how much you are still spending on them.
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Q&A: Animal Welfare with SPCA's Dr Corey Regnerus-Kell
We're back with a Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with Dr Corey Regnerus-Kell who is a qualified veterinarian and SPCA’s General Manager Animal Services.
A little bit about Corey:
Corey has an interest in veterinary medicine, animal welfare, and biosecurity. He shares his home with ostriches, guinea pigs, bees, a rescue tortoiseshell named Lynk, a ragdoll named Oscar, two mini foxies called Chester and Maya and a black Labrador named Bonnie.
Dr Corey Regnerus-Kell is excited to answer your questions on all things animal welfare, whether it's how to best look after your new pet, how to combat separation anxiety or how to report neglect.
↓ Share your questions now ↓
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