605 days ago

Art Your Bra competition helps highlight importance of breast screening

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

ScreenSouth in Christchurch went all out to mark Breast Cancer Awareness month this October and highlight the BreastScreen Aotearoa national breast screening programme.

A pink-themed morning tea and fancy dress event was topped off with the Art Your Bra competition, shining a light on some of the team's creative talents.

The cleverly designed bras - which were given names like Treasure Your Chest, Candleabra, and Spooky Boobs - transformed the Papanui Rd office into a gallery of stunning bra art.

Jennie Corrin’s Succulent Breasts - a creation using straw cups, real succulent plants and a hint of Halloween - took out the top 3-D prize, while Jayne Swainson's Iridescent Intimates - an intricately hand drawn and coloured design - won the 2-D category.

Corrin, who works in the call centre team, talks with women to let them know about the free national breast screening programme, help them to enrol in the programme and arrange a mammogram appointment time.

Swainson works with general practice teams across Christchurch to help them invite eligible women to book their three-yearly cervical screen.

More than 650 women die of breast cancer in Aotearoa each year.

“Our team want to raise awareness about the most common cancer for women in Aotearoa” ScreenSouth general manager Louise McCarthy said.

“We especially want to highlight that every year over 400 wāhine Māori are diagnosed with breast cancer and early detection through screening
mammograms offers the best protection”.

Women aged 45 to 69 years can call 0800 270 200 or visit timetoscreen.nz/breast-screening to book a mammogram.

ScreenSouth, based in Waitaha/Canterbury, is contracted by Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand for the provision of breast screening services in the Te Waipounamu/South Island region, cervical screening regional coordination in the Waitaha/Canterbury and South Canterbury regions and bowel screening outreach in Waitaha.

Photo: Peter Meecham/Stuff

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11 hours ago

30 Years of Homes & Gardens

NZ House & Garden

It’s NZ House & Garden’s 30th birthday, and to celebrate they’ve put together a great offer that’ll light up your home. Purchase or gift a 1 or 2-year subscription to NZ House & Garden and receive a Living Light luxury soy candle worth $56.90 for FREE*.

Enjoy inspirational home & garden content, convenient monthly home delivery, exclusive subscriber-only discounts, up to 27% off retail, and a Living Light luxury soy candle worth $56.90 when you become part of the NZ House & Garden community. *T&Cs apply.
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2 days ago

We’ve adopted our Long-Term Plan!

The Team from Environment Canterbury

🙌 Your feedback helped land some of our key decisions in our 10-year work plan and budget, known as the Long-Term Plan.

📊 1,300 individuals and organisations, some of whom represented large sections of the community made written submissions, and 153 spoke to us during hearings.

Councillors had to weigh up the need for action to protect the environment, with the cost pressures we’re all facing.

Read the full news story here 👉 bit.ly... and hear Acting Chair Craig Pauling’s thoughts on how it played out youtu.be...

#Kaitiakitanga #Māiatanga  #Whanaungatanga

9 days ago

New Canterbury bypass set to be a toll road

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

Motorists could be paying a toll to drive a new bypass on State Highway 1, in North Canterbury, once it's complete.

Meanwhile, planned safety improvements to the area have been canned for now, as officials review the planned work as part of the Woodend Bypass design.

The Government is considering a proposal for its promised roads of national significance to be partially funded by a toll.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) said the Woodend Bypass has been confirmed as one of the first five roads of national significance and that a safety review will be undertaken.

Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey said the Government has backed recommendations by NZTA to introduce tolls in its Government Policy Statement on Land Transport.

‘‘As a Government, we are open to a wide range of funding tools to ensure we are able to deliver the roads that will allow kiwis and freight to get to where they want to go quickly and safely.’’

Safety improvements for Woodend’s Main North Rd were announced in December 2022, as part of a $35 million funding package for State Highway 1 between Saltwater Creek and Cam River, with work due to begin this year.

NZTA had previously advised the safety improvements were on hold, pending the revised policy statement on Land Transport.

Doocey said it made sense to have another look at the work programme.

‘‘When you look at the Woodend safety improvement programme, it was in response to Labour cancelling the bypass, so it is right to relook at that programme in the context of the new motorway.’’

The former Government included the Woodend Bypass in its policy statement on Land Transport announced in August 2023.

Funding was also announced in December 2022 for a $6 million project, including cycleways linking Kaiapoi, Woodend and Pegasus, as part of NZTA’s Transport Choices Programme.

But the programme was axed last December by the new Government.

Doocey said the proposed cycleways and an under-pass at the Pegasus roundabout would be considered as part of the final bypass design.

‘‘When you look at the Christchurch Northern Corridor, the (Christchurch to Kaiapoi) cycleway was an important part of it, so I think it would make sense to consider the cycleways and an underpass as part of the bypass design.’’

Woodend-Sefton Community Board chairperson Shona Powell said she welcomed news about the bypass, but the safety improvements were needed now.

‘‘It will take several years to build the bypass. It is just getting frustrating.’’

Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon said he had been seeking clarity about the promised safety improvements without success.

But he welcomed Doocey’s comments that the cycleway and under-pass would be considered as part of the final design.

‘‘It makes total sense to construct this as part of the works and I know the community would be thrilled to have these included.

‘‘This is an incredibly important project for our district and I am delighted by the depth of consideration the Government is giving to it.’’

He would also like to see a cycleway clip-on added to the State Highway 1 bridge over the Ashley-Rakahuri River.

The council has been planning the Kaiapoi to Woodend and Woodend to Pegasus cycleways for several years, along with a Rangiora (Southbrook) cycleway.

Proposed safety improvements had included road widening, wider centrelines and safety barriers, and reducing the speed to 60kph at the Pegasus roundabout, which would have become one lane with raised safety platforms.

Traffic lights were also proposed at the Rangiora-Woodend Rd intersection, roundabouts at the Woodend Beach Rd and Williams St intersections and a crossing refuge for people using bus stops near Pineacres.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.