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Love gooseberries? Share your favourite way to enjoy them. We're looking for our readers' favourite family recipes for this delicious crop. Send yours to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the magazine, you will receive a free copy of our December 2024 issue.
Spruce up your outdoor area for spring soirées in the sun with a simple but stylish rug you can personalise with your own design using your favourite Resene colours.
Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
While it is a fun occasion, fireworks on Guy Fawkes Night has caused much conflict over the years, upsetting our pets and disrupting the sleep of neighbours.
How should we celebrate Guy Fawkes Night? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
By local democracy reporter Lois Williams:
West Coasters with mobility problems will soon be able to use a swipe card for subsidised taxi trips, instead of paper vouchers.
The regional council, which administers the Total Mobility scheme on the Coast, is switching from taxi chits to a card … View moreBy local democracy reporter Lois Williams:
West Coasters with mobility problems will soon be able to use a swipe card for subsidised taxi trips, instead of paper vouchers.
The regional council, which administers the Total Mobility scheme on the Coast, is switching from taxi chits to a card system, bringing the region into line with the rest of the country.
More than 900 people on the West Coast are Total Mobility users.
The scheme is 75% subsidised by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), 20% by the regional council and the user pays the remainder, with a cap of $30 per trip.
A staff report to Tuesday's Resource Management Committee said the paper vouchers were outdated.
“The chit system is unreliable, difficult to administer, susceptible to fraud and poses problems for those who wish to travel between regions.”
Staff were proposing a change to a digital system, and contract with three companies to provide software, print the cards, and supply card readers for taxi companies as needed.
It would cost $35,000 to make the change but with NZTA subsidies of $21,500 the set-up cost to the regional council would be $14,354 plus GST.
The council’s ongoing costs with the new system would be an extra $3 per taxi trip - $1159 a year.
Council chairperson Peter Haddock told LDR the West Coast was one of only two Total Mobility operators in the country still using paper vouchers.
“The swipe card system brings us into line with most other regions and it’ll be more convenient for people with mobility challenges - and it’ll save our staff time and be lot easier to administer.”
CCS Disability Action’s West Coast manager, Kelly Blomfield, is welcoming the change.
“Having a card will make it much easier for our people, not having to trek back and forth to the council asking for vouchers when you can’t get around easily to start with.”
The cards had the approved user’s photo on them, making them much less vulnerable to fraud, Blomfield said.
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By local democracy reporter Lois Williams:
West Coast councils spent close to half a million dollars working on speed limit changes that the coalition Government has now binned.
The West Coast Regional Transport Committee was forced to withdraw its draft regional speed management plan on … View moreBy local democracy reporter Lois Williams:
West Coast councils spent close to half a million dollars working on speed limit changes that the coalition Government has now binned.
The West Coast Regional Transport Committee was forced to withdraw its draft regional speed management plan on Thursday, after Transport Minister Simeon Brown signed a new Speed Limit Rule that overrides it.
It also strips councils of their ability to submit their own safety plans in future, staff have reported.
The four councils on the West Coast had written a single regional plan to improve efficiency and coordination, including some small, fixed-speed zones around schools.
It also proposed to lower speeds limits on several roads causing concern for locals.
But the minister’s new rule allows only variable limits outside schools and requires councils to reverse any speed limits that were changed.
The draft West Coast transport plan was publicly consulted on over four weeks in March and April, and cost the regional council $78,000 to develop – not including staff time.
But Transport Committee chairperson Peter Ewen says there were bigger costs for the three district councils, in completing their sections of the plan.
“Buller spent $172,000 and Westland would have been close to that ; when you add them all up, you’d be pushing $500,000, and it’s gone."
There was no way the government would be reimbursing councils for the wasted time and money, Ewen said.
The speed limit changes made by the previous government had been “a little rushed”, he said.
“But if there’s another change of government in a few years, are we going to be spending more money we can’t afford – all for nothing, because the incoming government throws this out?”
It would be nice if the major parties could agree on policy like speed limits, Ewen said.
“We live in hope, but meanwhile the ratepayers have to grin and bear it.”
Under the latest changes, reduced speed limits of 30kph will apply to urban schools during high-risk pick-up and drop-off times, and there will be a similar limit of 60kph or less on roads that pass rural schools.
The speed limit on roads of national significance will rise to 120kph.
The minister has said it made no sense to slow down a tradesperson passing a school at 5am on the way to work, and the changes would improve traffic flows.
A staff report to this week’s Regional Transport Committee meeting said district councils could still submit individual speed management plans.
But they would have to do a separate cost-benefit analysis for each road being considered for a speed change, followed by a six-week community consultation.
The government had now removed the NZTA subsidies that previously applied to that work, policy manager Max Dickens reported.
And there was still a significant chance that a council’s proposed change would be rejected by the director of land transport if the proposed limit did not abide by the government’s new speed limit classifications, he said.
The new national rule meant that all the work on the draft West Coast speed management plan was now a sunk cost.
Safety outcomes were likely to become worse and the largest risk was that councils would lose the ability to control the roads they had authority over, Dickens said.
The transport minister recently told Local Democracy Reporting that Kiwis had rejected a blanket and
untargeted approach to reducing speed limits.
Consultation highlighted “broad support” for the Government’s new rule with 65% of submitters supporting the reversal of blanket speed limit reductions, Brown said.
The new speed rules apply from July 1, next year.
In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750—a 400% increase!
The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.
With three basic ingredients and a bit of creativity, you can give old containers new life with Resene testpots.
Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
Venetian plaster finishes are on-trend at the moment, so why not recreate this look at home and cover that unsightly rangehood at the same time?
Find out how to create your own with Resene Sandtex and these easy step by step instructions.
This coming Monday is Labour Day in New Zealand. This public holiday marks when the eight-hour workday and 48-hour workweek became law in 1899. The idea started with Samuel Parnell, a carpenter in Wellington, who in 1840 refused to work more than eight hours a day. Since skilled workers were in … View moreThis coming Monday is Labour Day in New Zealand. This public holiday marks when the eight-hour workday and 48-hour workweek became law in 1899. The idea started with Samuel Parnell, a carpenter in Wellington, who in 1840 refused to work more than eight hours a day. Since skilled workers were in short supply, his employer had to agree.
As more skilled workers arrived, employers tried to change working conditions, but Parnell and others kept pushing for better rights. In 1890, Parnell led a Labour Day parade of 1,500 people to promote the eight-hour day. He passed away shortly after, and nine years later, Labour Day became an official public holiday.
Do you feel that we have reached the ideal in working environments yet? What rights are you passionate about relating to employment? Share your thoughts!
Ryman Healthcare has donated $466,640 to Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand while announcing Hato Hone St John as its new charity partner.
Ryman’s Executive Chair, Dean Hamilton, presented the cheque to the charity at a special event held at Murray Halberg Village in Auckland.
Tim … View moreRyman Healthcare has donated $466,640 to Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand while announcing Hato Hone St John as its new charity partner.
Ryman’s Executive Chair, Dean Hamilton, presented the cheque to the charity at a special event held at Murray Halberg Village in Auckland.
Tim Edmonds, CEO of Leukemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand, described the donation as ’vitally important’ to the work the charity does.
Click read more for the full article.
Congratulations to this week's winners:
Sam Fuller from Red Beach
Johanna Mortis from Saint Clair
Matthew Hardy from Kelburn
… View moreCongratulations to this week's winners:
Sam Fuller from Red Beach
Johanna Mortis from Saint Clair
Matthew Hardy from Kelburn
Anne Fahey from Woolston
They've each won a $100 petrol voucher.
If you're a winner, get in touch here.
Not a winner this week? There's always next week!
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1) Improve outdoor lighting
Ensure that streets, driveways, and front yards are well-lit. Motion-sensor lights around homes deter trespassers by reducing hiding spots and illuminating their movements.
2) Trim your trees
Overgrown shrubs and trees provide cover for intruders. Keeping them … View more1) Improve outdoor lighting
Ensure that streets, driveways, and front yards are well-lit. Motion-sensor lights around homes deter trespassers by reducing hiding spots and illuminating their movements.
2) Trim your trees
Overgrown shrubs and trees provide cover for intruders. Keeping them well-trimmed around windows and doors improves visibility and reduces potential hiding spots.
3) Secure Entry Points
Ensure doors, windows, and gates are always closed when you are away from the house. Upgrade to more secure locks, deadbolts, or even smart locks for added protection.
4) Add a security camera
Place security cameras in the main entry points to your home. Doorbell cameras are also relatively cheap and a great way to keep track of who is visiting your home when you aren't there.
5) Start a Neighborhood Watch Program
You could reach out to members on Neighbourly to form a group of neighbors who can regularly keep an eye out for suspicious activity and report it. You could also check with Neighbourhood Support to see what is existing in your area.
6) Introduce yourself to your neighbours
The closer you are to your neighbors, the more likely they’ll notice when something unusual or suspicious is happening around your property
Feel free to share anything that you do around your area to deter crime.
Take on the terracotta trend and sculpt a unique floral feature painted in Resene FX Paint Effects Medium, Resene Sakura and Resene Apple Blossom. Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
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