Mobile shower service for homeless doubles efforts in pandemic
A free mobile shower and laundry service for homeless people has expanded its efforts in response to rising demand in the pandemic.
Orange Sky launched its second van in Auckland this week.
Operations manager Eddie Uini said the demand for services doubled during the Covid-19 lockdown.
“Before Covid hit our first van was doing nine shifts a week, once we got to level 2 we were doing 17 shifts a week with our first van,” he said.
“That’s pretty much our maximum capacity, and we were still getting emails from places further south, out west and on the North Shore.”
The new van will operate in Manurewa, Papakura, Glen Eden and Auckland CBD.
It will allow Orange Sky to increase its availability from 17 to 25 shifts a week.
Uini said a lot of families have starting using Orange Sky’s services in Manurewa, Papakura and Onehunga.
“If they can save another 20 or 30 dollars at the laundromat, that’s another 20 or 30 dollars for food on the table,” he said.
Orange Sky wants locals to name the new van in honour of a local hero who’s helped make a difference in the community.
Comment below your idea for what the new van should be called.
By-election for Otara-Papatoetoe area
Just to let everyone know that we have another by-election happening, and here is the reason why. Below are details and dates, so keep an eye on your letter boxes.
The Manukau Court’s Ruling
The Manukau District Court determined that the Papatoetoe subdivision result of the Ōtara–Papatoetoe Local Board election was invalid, ruling that the outcome had been “materially affected” by voting irregularities. Judge Richard McIlraith found that the scale and nature of the irregularities met the legal threshold required to void an election under New Zealand’s local electoral laws.
In his decision, Judge McIlraith stated that the evidence presented — including reports of stolen voting papers, fraudulent use of ballots, and other procedural irregularities — was sufficient to conclude that the integrity of the election had been compromised. The court noted that at least 79 voting papers were identified as having been cast without the rightful voter’s knowledge during a judicially supervised examination of ballot boxes.
While the judge acknowledged that the election had been administered “properly and in accordance with all requirements” by Independent Election Services and the electoral officer, he concluded that the fraudulent activity originated outside the official process and nonetheless impacted the final result to a degree that required the election to be voided.
As a result of the ruling, the court ordered that a new election must be held, with Auckland Council confirming that the fresh poll must be completed by 9 April 2026
Poll: 🗑️ Would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?
Aucklanders, our weekly rubbish collections are staying after councillors voted to scrap a proposed trial of fortnightly pick-ups.
We want to hear from you: would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?
Keen for the details? Read up about the scrapped collection trial here.
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83.6% Same!
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16.4% Would have liked to try something different
Today’s Mind-Bender is the Last of the Year! Can You Guess It Before Everyone Else? 🌟🎁🌲
I dance in the sky with green and gold, a spectacle few are lucky to behold; I’m best seen in the south, a celestial sight—what am I, lighting up the New Zealand night?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!
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