What's a recent challenge you've faced? How did you overcome it?
Jim | Ōtara
"I had quite a traumatic childhood. My sister drowned in the Whanganui River at five or six, and I wasn’t there to help her. A little while after, my father was killed in a motorbike accident. My mother followed within a year. I was barely a teenager. My mother died of stomach cancer, a horrible and painful death.
Then, we were in the hands of the Public Trust. Fortunately, as it turned out for me and my brother, I loved school. I stayed until the seventh form in the college house in Purnell Street. I became the head boy of the place, and ran it, when I’m looking back, as a dictator.
I started the network in Ōtara. It morphed into an action group, and it’s morphed again into a group of seven trustees of which I have been elected recently, quite recently to Chairman. To get the job, I guess you have to put in an apprenticeship, in my case of 25 years.
I think Ōtara community is the best community in Auckland. Certainly one of the best in New Zealand. I think nobody really appreciates Ōtara. The reason for that is they’re scared of the place. They don’t know it as I do. If they did, they would celebrate its diversity, its richness and its benefit to the wider community in New Zealand."
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Poll: Do you think banning gang patches is reasonable?
With the government cracking down on gangs, it is now illegal for gang members to display their insignia in public places whether through clothing or their property.
This means arrests can be made if these patches are worn in places like restaurants, shops, on public transport or ferries, and on airplanes. Arrests were made recently at a funeral.
Do you think this ban is reasonable?
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76.3% Yes
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22.4% No
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1.3% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
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.
Poppa Jim's ACU-XMAS TREE-FORCAST
Peak Tree Time today is between 10am and 1pm. Poppa Jim is predicting a big drop of trees around 11am so get out this morning before the rain sets in.
*Disclaimer. Poppa Jim takes no responsibility whatsoever for the accuracy of this forecast but he guarantees he will have trees whenever you stop by.🤣