Ōtara street sparkles for Christmas: 'Everyone is welcome here'
Auckland's famous Franklin Road Christmas lights have some stiff competition this year, in the form of Cooper Crescent in Ōtara. Throughout the past month, the light display has attracted more than 10,000 people to the small South Auckland street and that is only set to grow. Project manager Terry Nelson said that when the lights first went up in 2017 no one expected it to become this big. "One of our reasons for running it was for the children around here because they can't get to the Karaka lights and the Franklin lights..." What set Cooper Crescent apart from the rest, said Terry, was the community vibe that radiated from every house. Neighbors and residents were selling hearty Pacific and Māori meals, performing music, face paint and even fire dance. Most of the lights were DIY and low budget, but that only made them more awesome, he said. "The neighbours are just making do with whatever lights they have, and they come up with the best designs that anyone can come up with." One local resident even went so far as to make a Bethlehem set, with their children playing the roles of Mary and Joseph.
"It's a really beautiful community and that's what we wanted to show was that like, man, our streets are safe, Ōtara is safe and that everyone is welcome here. "People have a negative stigma about Ōtara, but when you come here and you walk onto the street, you'll feel it. "The street was already well past capacity this year, said Terry, which was exciting, if not a little daunting and hectic. Terry's wife, Swanie, was also a key player in bringing the lights to life. She said the lights went up in the second week of December and would stay on until the first week of January. Terry said one of the best parts of the lights was the theme nights, where people could experience pacific and Māori culture. Swanie said there were also photobooths along the street, many of which were upcycled from household items as part of a waste minimisation scheme.
==========================================================
Poll: Should the government levy industries that contribute to financial hardship?
As reported in the Post, there’s a $30 million funding gap in financial mentoring. This has led to services closing and mentors stepping in unpaid just to keep helping people in need 🪙💰🪙
One proposed solution? Small levies on industries that profit from financial hardship — like banks, casinos, and similar companies.
So we want to hear what you think:
Should the government ask these industries to contribute?
-
59.8% Yes, supporting people is important!
-
25.8% No, individuals should take responsibility
-
14.4% ... It is complicated
Even Australians get it - so why not Kiwis???
“Ten years ago, if a heatwave as intense as last week’s record-breaker had hit the east coast, Australia’s power supply may well have buckled. But this time, the system largely operated as we needed, despite some outages.
On Australia’s main grid last quarter, renewables and energy storage contributed more than 50% of supplied electricity for the first time, while wholesale power prices were more than 40% lower than a year earlier.
[…] shifting demand from gas and coal for power and petrol for cars is likely to deliver significantly lower energy bills for households.
Last quarter, wind generation was up almost 30%, grid solar 15% and grid-scale batteries almost tripled their output. Gas generation fell 27% to its lowest level for a quarter century, while coal fell 4.6% to its lowest quarterly level ever.
Gas has long been the most expensive way to produce power. Gas peaking plants tend to fire up only when supply struggles to meet demand and power prices soar. Less demand for gas has flowed through to lower wholesale prices.”
Full article: www.theguardian.com...
If even Australians see the benefit of solar - then why is NZ actively boycotting solar uptake? The increased line rental for electricity was done to make solar less competitive and prevent cost per kWh to rise even more than it did - and electricity costs are expected to rise even more. Especially as National favours gas - which is the most expensive form of generating electricity. Which in turn will accelerate Climate Change, as if New Zealand didn’t have enough problems with droughts, floods, slips, etc. already.
Poll: Should complete designs be shared with the public, or should the community help shape the designs from the start?
The Post recently shared an opinion piece on the Harbour Crossing and why a more democratic approach might be needed 🚗🚲👟
While most decisions sit within the political arena, many organisations—like NZTA—manage long-term projects that go beyond party lines. Politics can sometimes disrupt progress, and the next Harbour Crossing is a big decision that will affect all Aucklanders.
We’d love your thoughts: Should near-complete, shovel-ready designs be shared with the public, or should the community have a hand in shaping the designs from the start?
-
85% Community feedback and transparency is needed.
-
15% No. This would be impossible in practice.
Loading…
