Western Lake, Featherston

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1691 days ago

All eyes on the tiny house

Colleen Hawkes Reporter from Homed

Tiny house builders have had a surge in interest during the lockdown, some from families that are 'herding'

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1684 days ago

Luxury Care Suites at Elderslea

Oceania Healthcare

We understand that things are uncertain right now. If you would like to move into a safe and supportive environment that you can make your own, we are still taking admissions for our Care Suites at Elderslea.

Nestled down a quiet street in Upper Hutt, our Care Suites offer the ultimate … View more
We understand that things are uncertain right now. If you would like to move into a safe and supportive environment that you can make your own, we are still taking admissions for our Care Suites at Elderslea.

Nestled down a quiet street in Upper Hutt, our Care Suites offer the ultimate combination of Rest Home and Hospital care with the creature comforts of home, including a cosy living area, stylish kitchenette and modern ensuite.

Give us a call to see how we can help.

Elderslea is located at 29 Redwood Street, Upper Hutt.
Find out more

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1685 days ago

Trust easing the rent pain with rent freeze

Piers Fuller Reporter from News of Wairarapa

In response to the economic and social impact of the Covid-19 lockdown Trust House has put a freeze on planned rent increases and introduced other additional support for tenants.
With 483 rental properties in Wairarapa and Tararua, Trust House is one of the largest community housing providers in … View more
In response to the economic and social impact of the Covid-19 lockdown Trust House has put a freeze on planned rent increases and introduced other additional support for tenants.
With 483 rental properties in Wairarapa and Tararua, Trust House is one of the largest community housing providers in New Zealand.
Trust House chief executive Allan Pollard says rent increases of on average between $20 – $25 had been planned to take effect from the end of March.
“It became clear that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the measures to combat it were going to hurt people financially, so we acted pretty much straight away and put them on hold,” Mr Pollard says.
The March rent increases, that were signalled in December last year, only related to tenants who are not on an Income Related Rent Subsidy. The rents that Trust House charge remain among the lowest in New Zealand, according to Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment data.
Mr Pollard says the organisation is very conscious that a number of their tenants will be doing it “really tough” during this time of tremendous uncertainty.
“We have been phoning all of our tenants weekly to make sure that they are okay and have everything they need.”
As an essential service Trust House has kept its Rental Housing office on Queen Street in Masterton open Monday to Friday, 10am – 1pm, to be available to tenants who require further support.

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1685 days ago

Grab yourself a cuppa...

Toastmasters

Director-General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield’s strong presence fronting updates about the COVID-19 pandemic, is an example of the importance of being able to command an audience, be an effective communicator, and speak with confidence.

Using self-paced learning, Toastmasters undertake an … View more
Director-General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield’s strong presence fronting updates about the COVID-19 pandemic, is an example of the importance of being able to command an audience, be an effective communicator, and speak with confidence.

Using self-paced learning, Toastmasters undertake an educational programme that promotes these competencies, and also teaches effective listening, thinking on your feet, leadership skills, and giving and receiving constructive feedback.

Amid lockdown, many of New Zealand’s Toastmasters clubs have transitioned to holding their regular meetings online to allow the continuation of personal and professional development while providing social interaction.

To find a meeting near you, visit http://www.toastmasters.org.nz/find_your_voice
Learn more

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1696 days ago

Are you OK?

The Team from Wellington District Police

Your emotional and mental wellbeing is important. It is normal to feel stressed or lonely when self-isolating, but there are some things you can do to feel better.

Even if you are not sick you may be feeling anxious about COVID-19. This is normal.

Reach out to your family and whānau, friends and… View more
Your emotional and mental wellbeing is important. It is normal to feel stressed or lonely when self-isolating, but there are some things you can do to feel better.

Even if you are not sick you may be feeling anxious about COVID-19. This is normal.

Reach out to your family and whānau, friends and workmates. Sharing how we feel and offering support to others is important.

We want to remind you that if you or someone you know is struggling right now, there is free help available.

See below a list of helplines throughout New Zealand ?

Kia Kaha Aotearoa.

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1688 days ago

How are your pets handling lockdown? Share your photos below!

Neighbourly.co.nz

This is Lulu from Mount Eden in Auckland, who has gone from having almost no-one home at the same time to having seven flatmates home almost all the time and this is how she feels about it...

Who are your bubble pets? Share your photos of your pets in the comments below - whether it’s helping … View more
This is Lulu from Mount Eden in Auckland, who has gone from having almost no-one home at the same time to having seven flatmates home almost all the time and this is how she feels about it...

Who are your bubble pets? Share your photos of your pets in the comments below - whether it’s helping you work from home, on a local neighbourhood walk getting some exercise, or any cute, fun, and funny photos!

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1687 days ago

Help older people in your community through Covid-19

enliven - Presbyterian Support Central

Until the nation moves to at least alert level 2, elderly people will not have the freedom to do many of the daily tasks we take for granted. And the risk to their health and wellbeing will increase.

Enliven’s Wellbeing Assistance team are making sure the older people in your community have … View more
Until the nation moves to at least alert level 2, elderly people will not have the freedom to do many of the daily tasks we take for granted. And the risk to their health and wellbeing will increase.

Enliven’s Wellbeing Assistance team are making sure the older people in your community have everything they need to be well.

We are finding that they need the most practical items:
- Food
- Personal hygiene products, including continence products
- Heaters and warm clothing as winter sets in
- Personal safety alarms (in case of a fall, they can instantly request help)
- Regular phone calls for companionship and safety

You can ensure that food and essential supplies are delivered to older people in your community.
Learn more

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1688 days ago

Our response to COVID-19.

Community Engagement Advisor from Greater Wellington Regional Council

Kia ora
,

At the Greater Wellington Regional Council, we have been working to ensure we support our communities throughout the COVID-19 Alert Level 4 Lockdown.

This is an update to let you know what we have been doing during Level 4, including keeping public transport going, securing water … View more
Kia ora
,

At the Greater Wellington Regional Council, we have been working to ensure we support our communities throughout the COVID-19 Alert Level 4 Lockdown.

This is an update to let you know what we have been doing during Level 4, including keeping public transport going, securing water supplies, closing our parks to vehicles and campers, supplying information through the Wellington Regional Emergency Management Office and looking to the future.

Fogging of buses and trains

Public transport

Our trains and buses have changed to weekend timetables with additional services and travel fares remaining free until the end of June to ensure all essential workers can get where they need, and to enable members of the public under 70 to access essential services such as supermarkets, veterinarians, pharmacies and other health facilities. Those over 70 are requested to stay home but may use public transport to visit a doctor or pharmacy. We’ve also implemented free Total Mobility journeys for customers, up to $80 per trip.

To make public transport even safer, we introduced a raft of additional cleaning measures across the network including germ shield fogging on all Metlink trains and buses, and at stations. This antibacterial spray coating is effective in destroying germs that come into contact with surfaces and has been used for MRSA, Norovirus and H1N1 type viruses.

For the extra protection of our drivers and passengers we introduced back door boarding on our buses to limit the interaction between people. To help passengers keep a two metre distance on our trains, we put markers on floors and seats, as well as stickers on the back of seats and on windows to show where passengers should sit.

Environmental management

Though many of our environmental management operations have reduced during Alert Level 4, we still have essential services operating. Our harbour communication station is still working to ensure safe and efficient maritime management for commercial users of our region’s waters. Our Flood Protection staff have been responding to the various flood events across the region and we’ve also had teams out applying fertiliser to the grazed areas at Battle Hill Farm Forest Park and the western side of Belmont Regional Park. As an environmental protection agency it is important to us that these essential tasks continue.

Water

Wellington Water Ltd is operating as an essential service during the Lockdown and is continuing to provide clean drinking water and safe wastewater treatment to our communities. Some staff members have been redeployed to bolster the frontline numbers for additional resilience and they are securing supply chains for all critical equipment, chemicals and other materials that keep water services running.

Regional parks

We know it is important for people to get out and exercise once a day, while staying local, so our regional parks are still open to walkers and cyclists who live nearby. However, we have closed our gates to vehicles and all park facilities such as toilets have been locked. We encourage people to get out for some fresh air and exercise while keeping a 2 metre distance between themselves and others, and continuing to adhere to Ministry of Health guidelines.

Predator free

As trapping is not an essential service, our professional predator hunters are also locked down, so we’ve been urging backyard trappers to use this time to keep the heat on rats, stoats and other predators. Although a few of our allies in the battle against pests, such as Predator Free Wellington and Wellington City Council, have put pest control operations on hold as well, good work is still underway – and we have been calling on residents to take up the challenge to do their part in their backyards.

Greater Wellington staff can offer support in some circumstances to conduct small operations that are deemed a matter of health and safety. These include responding to residents’ concerns about triggered traps in Wellington City, and wasp nest removal. To protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff and the community, a small team who are operating independently has been approved to respond.

WREMO

You might not know this but the Wellington Regional Emergency Management Office (WREMO) comes under the umbrella of the regional council, and many of our people are trained up and willingly working seven days a week to assist the emergency effort during this pandemic.

WREMO continues to operate seven days a week in order to combat the effects of COVID-19 and share information with the public on how to stay safe, ways communities can look after each other and how to get help for those who need it.

The WREMO helpline is also operating daily from 7am to 7pm and people can reach out for help by calling 0800-141-967.

Moving forward

As a regional council we want to contribute to a smooth transition from Level 4 to Level 3 – whatever that may look like. This means cleaning measures and free fares on public transport will remain in place until the end of June no matter what.

We have a COVID-19 response team in place that meets regularly to ensure we are up to date with the latest information and will be able to move to the next level as seamlessly as possible for our staff and for our communities.

I want to congratulate and thank all those living in the Wellington region for their diligence over the last couple of weeks and for continuing to stay home in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Daran Ponter, Greater Wellington Regional Council Chair

1691 days ago

SuperSeniors COVID-19 special edition Newsletter

Office for Seniors

Hi Neighbours!

The Office for Seniors is working hard to keep you informed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our most recent COVID-19 special edition Newsletter includes phone numbers for all regional civil defence teams, they can help you if you are struggling to access your supermarket … View more
Hi Neighbours!

The Office for Seniors is working hard to keep you informed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our most recent COVID-19 special edition Newsletter includes phone numbers for all regional civil defence teams, they can help you if you are struggling to access your supermarket essentials.

It also includes details on COVID-19 related scams and what to look out for to stay safe.

Read the newsletter here: bit.ly...

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1688 days ago

Don’t flush wipes, keep workers safe.

Ministry For The Environment

You might be using more wet wipes to keep your home clean, but it’s very important not to flush them afterwards.

They block up the pipes, which then need fixing immediately. When workers have to leave home to fix blocked pipes, they’re at risk of COVID-19. That puts everyone else in their … View more
You might be using more wet wipes to keep your home clean, but it’s very important not to flush them afterwards.

They block up the pipes, which then need fixing immediately. When workers have to leave home to fix blocked pipes, they’re at risk of COVID-19. That puts everyone else in their bubble at risk as well.

Do your bit for workers and their whānau, and put your wet wipes in the bin.
Find out more

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