161 days ago

Poll: Should more companies stop using silica?

Libby Totton Reporter from Waikato Times

A benchtop manufacturer is voluntarily banning silica from its workplaces so staff don’t have to worry about lung disease.

AGB has six factories across the country, including one in Te Rapa, Hamilton, and had already stopped working with high-silica engineered stone as the spotlight came on links with irreversible lung disease silicosis.

Do you think more companies should do what AGB's doing? Tell us why in the comments (please include NFP if you don't want your comments used in print).

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Should more companies stop using silica?
  • 83.3% Yes
    83.3% Complete
  • 0% No
    0% Complete
  • 0% There should be a maximum limit for silica content
    0% Complete
  • 16.7% Not sure
    16.7% Complete
18 votes
More messages from your neighbours
11 minutes

How are you celebrating Christmas this year?

Libby Totton Reporter from Waikato Times

From hot air balloon rides to cotton ball scooping games, folks around Hamilton have their festive plans sorted.

On a sunny Monday when most people are already on holiday, there were a few homecomers on Hamilton streets.

How are you celebrating Christmas this year? Tell us in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).

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14 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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2 hours ago

Rescued teen tells of fall down ‘two-storey’ waterfall

Libby Totton Reporter from Waikato Times

A Hamilton teenager who spent nearly 40 hours in the bush with broken bones after falling off an “almost two-storey waterfall” has expressed gratitude for all the efforts to find her.

Maia Johnston, 19, who left her mother’s home in Tōtara Park, Upper Hutt on Saturday evening, said she got lost in Akatarawa Forest – described as “a rugged blend of native and exotic forest”, including steep valleys and river gorges, by the Wellington Regional Council.

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