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Hello everyone, I'm hoping to find a person who can read Dutch and help me interpret some old family documents please. I am exploring my father's Dutch colonial family history and have records of their immigration from Indonesia to New Zealand pre-1950. However, I am unable to read Dutch … View moreHello everyone, I'm hoping to find a person who can read Dutch and help me interpret some old family documents please. I am exploring my father's Dutch colonial family history and have records of their immigration from Indonesia to New Zealand pre-1950. However, I am unable to read Dutch and would love to gain a bit of understanding of what each document is about. I don't need everything interpreted but just an overview of what each is about would be a wonderful start.
If you can help me, please contact Eve on 021 0275 2766. Many thanks in advance.
The Ministry of Social Development has recently updated the Guide for Carers, a valuable resource for those who care for family, whānau, āiga or friends with a health condition, a disability, an injury, or a physical or mental illness.
It covers a range of topics such as financial help, … View moreThe Ministry of Social Development has recently updated the Guide for Carers, a valuable resource for those who care for family, whānau, āiga or friends with a health condition, a disability, an injury, or a physical or mental illness.
It covers a range of topics such as financial help, assessing needs, getting help at home and being able to take a break from caring.
The Guide for Carers is available online now: bit.ly...
For more information about resources like this and other advice, read our SuperSeniors newsletter: bit.ly...
Ardern told the couple had set a date for their wedding, but wouldn't let slip on when it would be until they told their guests. "We haven't actually told anyone that we have invited yet, so I feel like we need to tell everyone first and then I'll tell you." However she … View moreArdern told the couple had set a date for their wedding, but wouldn't let slip on when it would be until they told their guests. "We haven't actually told anyone that we have invited yet, so I feel like we need to tell everyone first and then I'll tell you." However she said they would tell everyone soon because: "accommodation is slightly limited in Gisborne". Ardern confirmed to Coast Radio on Wednesday the nuptials would take place this summer - and hinted that they might be somewhat untraditional. She said she felt "a bit too old to have a bridal party", and may "forgo it" because she was "getting on a bit". Gayford proposed to Ardern over Easter weekend in 2019 on a hilltop in Mahia, which lies between Napier and Gisborne.
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Ms Ardern, 40, revealed on Coast Radio she and Mr Gayford, 44, would wed after two and a half years of engagement. "We have finally got a date. Finally," she said, declining to reveal the precise date, but adding it would be "this coming summer". "When I say we've got … View moreMs Ardern, 40, revealed on Coast Radio she and Mr Gayford, 44, would wed after two and a half years of engagement. "We have finally got a date. Finally," she said, declining to reveal the precise date, but adding it would be "this coming summer". "When I say we've got a date, that doesn't mean we've told anyone yet. I feel like we should probably put some invites out!" Weddings by heads of government are relatively rare.
When UK Prime Minister Boris Johnston marries his fiancee Carrie Symonds, as he intends to do this year, he will become the first British leader to do so in office in almost two centuries. While Ms Ardern's wedding timetable has been set, the scale and size is not yet clear. Ms Ardern is well known to count international celebrities - including members of Britain's Royal family - as personal friends. Her popularity both at home and abroad prompts persistent questions about her relationship, her wedding and whether or not her two-year-old daughter Neve may get a brother or sister. She and her office keep a tight rein on her private life, usually shunning questions that stray from her role as prime minister. In the past year, she has also firmed up a practice of declining all internationally-based media requests, save for a few Australian television appearances last month when the trans-Tasman bubble was confirmed. Since her election win, Ms Ardern has decided to conduct more light-touch interviews with FM radio stations and magazines, which tend to stray into the personal. In a long-form interview with Kiwi magazine Thrive, Ms Ardern revealed she got through last year - managing New Zealand through the COVID-19 pandemic and winning October's election - on a simple diet. "I live on cups of tea to be honest and blimmin bliss balls," she said. "My mother made so many bliss balls for me during the election that I was being powered by dates." Mr Gayford is a radio and television personality, who hosts fishing program Fish Of The Day, while acting as Neve's primary caregiver. "Thank God Clarke is a morning person," Ms Ardern said to Thrive. "I don't think I've talked about this before but he has consistently been the night and morning person for our daughter. "He will bring me a cup of tea every morning without fail. Which sounds like its a little thing but it's not. "He'll make me breakfast if I'm in a rush. He checks I've eaten before I've gone out the door and he checks in on my day. "He knows the bits I find hard and he'll send a nice little text before I go into it. He's always thinking of me."
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Passenger numbers on a bus between Auckland city and the airport are still down 80 per cent compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sky Bus was forced to suspend its Auckland City Express and North Harbour Express services in March 2020 following the Government-imposed border restrictions and … View morePassenger numbers on a bus between Auckland city and the airport are still down 80 per cent compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sky Bus was forced to suspend its Auckland City Express and North Harbour Express services in March 2020 following the Government-imposed border restrictions and first Covid-19 lockdown.
The Sky Bus Auckland City Express, which departs downtown Auckland and travels to the airport via the northwestern motorway, resumed in July with a limited timetable.
However, current patronage for the 40-minute service is down 80 per cent compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic, Kinetic head of New Zealand operations Calum Haslop, who manages Sky Bus, said.
Meanwhile, the Sky Bus North Harbour Express service, which was north Aucklanders’ only direct link to the airport, is yet to resume.
Click 'read more' for our full story.
How bizarre....To calm Mexico City's elderly, who were arriving "really scared" at vaccination sites, officials cued up the bands and masked wrestlers. Lucha Libre, yoga, dancing - welcome to Mexico City's vaccination sites
There’s perhaps no feeling worse than putting the time, effort and money to creating content and building traffic to your website only to find that it’s not converting visitors into leads. Your website has a first page ranking and you find that you’re not generating any more leads than you … View moreThere’s perhaps no feeling worse than putting the time, effort and money to creating content and building traffic to your website only to find that it’s not converting visitors into leads. Your website has a first page ranking and you find that you’re not generating any more leads than you were before the rise in the ranking!
It’s difficult to keep calm, collect yourself and put all the more effort in continuing you’re your SEO efforts when you don’t see any real results.
Trust us, we know that feeling. It’s a frustrating situation but it’s not unsolvable. And more often than not, the solution is far simpler than you thought.
We look at some of the most common reasons why you are not generating leads despite the traffic.
While marking the end of Ramadhan, here are warm congratulations and best wishes to all our Muslim Brothers and Sisters on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr. We pray this blessed time brings peace, prosperity and happiness to each one of you, your families and everyone else in NZ.
… View moreWhile marking the end of Ramadhan, here are warm congratulations and best wishes to all our Muslim Brothers and Sisters on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr. We pray this blessed time brings peace, prosperity and happiness to each one of you, your families and everyone else in NZ.
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It’s a time for fine-tuning your skills and pushing the boundaries, catching up with your mates and heading off on new adventures at the drop of a hat! No, we’re not talking about your 20s, we’re talking about your retirement.
Ross’ retirement saw the beginning of his musical journey … View moreIt’s a time for fine-tuning your skills and pushing the boundaries, catching up with your mates and heading off on new adventures at the drop of a hat! No, we’re not talking about your 20s, we’re talking about your retirement.
Ross’ retirement saw the beginning of his musical journey where his passion quickly evolved from making music, to crafting guitars. It all started when Ross and some mates joined a music group where the camaraderie and togetherness were just as important as the music.
Living in a Ryman village, Ross can continue living life to the full in his retirement because they are places where you don’t retire from life, you find a new way to live .
Hi neighbours, Are you the partner of a border or MIQ worker but don't live with them? If so, have you been offered the Covid-19 vaccine? If you haven't, does this cause you concern? If this sounds like you, please email me at caroline.williams@stuff.co.nz
UPDATE
May 12
3.15pm
Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has reported that all lanes on the Upper Harbour highway are open. Expect delays as traffic eases.
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Auckland motorists are told to expect delays to their afternoon commute after … View moreUPDATE
May 12
3.15pm
Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has reported that all lanes on the Upper Harbour highway are open. Expect delays as traffic eases.
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Auckland motorists are told to expect delays to their afternoon commute after electrical cabling fell on the motorway.
The southbound Upper Harbour highway off-ramp is currently closed as contractors work to clear the blockage. Police have reported that this is currently impacting city-bound traffic and diversions are currently in place.
Car transporters have been thrown a lifeline by Auckland Transport, which plans to provide four new loading zones on a busy arterial road in attempt to put an end to illegal parking.
The organisation has been unable to clamp down on car transporters, which currently load and offload vehicles into … View moreCar transporters have been thrown a lifeline by Auckland Transport, which plans to provide four new loading zones on a busy arterial road in attempt to put an end to illegal parking.
The organisation has been unable to clamp down on car transporters, which currently load and offload vehicles into oncoming traffic while parked on the roadside and flush medians of Great North Rd in Grey Lynn.
Tickets and fines have not been effective in deterring the illegal parking.
Auckland Transport is proposing to fix the issue as part of its recently announced Great North Rd improvements, which aim to make a section of the road between Crummer and Ponsonby roads “safer for all road users, especially people walking and on bikes”.
The project, estimated to cost between $15 and $19 million, will see four new loading bays suitable for car transporters.
Click 'read more' for the full story.
Downtown Auckland is going through huge transformation with its various streetscape and transport projects. But in stark contrast, several plots of land worth hundreds of millions of dollars have sat as car parks since buildings were knocked down in the 1980s.
The Elliott St car park sits on a … View moreDowntown Auckland is going through huge transformation with its various streetscape and transport projects. But in stark contrast, several plots of land worth hundreds of millions of dollars have sat as car parks since buildings were knocked down in the 1980s.
The Elliott St car park sits on a 4417 square metre plot of land, valued at $82.5 million.
The land has sat undeveloped as a car park - where an hour will cost you $19 - since the Royal International Hotel was demolished in 1987.
It was purchased by Singapore company NDG Asia Pacific (NZ) Limited for $53m in 2012, and in 2017 the company was given approval by the Overseas Investment Office to build and operate a 52-storey, five- star Ritz-Carlton Hotel, with 300 guest rooms, four floors for hotel facilities, six for retail and five for car parking.
The development is expected to cost $350m, with the start of construction dependent on the completion of City Rail Link. However, the resource consent for the tower is due to expire in October.
Click 'read more' for our full story.
A group of downtown Auckland businesses have lost their bid to temporarily halt work on a planned upgrade of Queen Street, due to begin on Monday.
In a statement, Save the Queen Street said it was disappointed an interim injunction to delay work was unsuccessful, but said members would continue to… View moreA group of downtown Auckland businesses have lost their bid to temporarily halt work on a planned upgrade of Queen Street, due to begin on Monday.
In a statement, Save the Queen Street said it was disappointed an interim injunction to delay work was unsuccessful, but said members would continue to prepare for a more substantive court hearing, aimed at pushing back against the redevelopment plans.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff welcomed the court’s decision, saying the redesign would make Queen St more people-friendly and accessible.
The council intends to improve pedestrian spaces between Shortland and Customs streets, limit traffic to a single lane each way with bus priority in the evening peak, with work scheduled for the next six weeks.
Save Queen Street, which includes commercial landlords and retailers, argued that ongoing trials of new arrangement could run for years, damaging commerce in an already struggling strip.
“The current arrangement of the street has caused economic harm – business are up against it,” their lawyer Sam Lowery told Wednesday’s injunction hearing.
The council’s lawyer Padraig McNamara said given Save Queen Street wanted to stop the improvements to the 2020 temporary arrangement of plastic sticks and concrete blocks, its injunction bid was “counter-intuitive”.
Businesses have been hit by the absence of foreign tourists and overseas students, and from more office staff working from home, the court heard.
Lowery told the High Court foot traffic was down 40 per cent or more, 90 of 345 retail shopfronts are empty, and part of the problem is the council’s treatment of the street over the past year.
In a statement released after the court decision on Thursday, Goff said the council would continue to work with all stakeholders to progress improvements to Queen St.
While the court decision means work can begin as planned on May 10, Save Queen Street has put forward 10 further challenges that will be heard at a substantive court hearing. A date for that hearing has not yet been set.
The redevelopment will see pavements widened with high-quality decking, new street furniture and vibrant green spaces with native planting and a new pocket park.
Todd Niall.
Hi neighbours,
What do you think of the redevelopment plans for Queen St?
*Please put NFP if you do not want your comments used by Stuff.
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