The Paper Boat Closure - a trend or one off?
Sad to see that the Paper Boat in Berhampore has closed. The latest in a number of businesses that have occupied this location. There are probably a number of factors why they’ve closed but I wonder if there simply isn’t the foot traffic in the area any longer to make it an economic proposition. After the Post Office the longest tenure I can recall there was Mel’s Diner which was something of an institution.
Mel’s catering business for the burgeoning film industry at the time would also have helped.
Maybe the area can only handle businesses that rely on very low overheads, relatively light turnover, or specialist high quality products and services with few more accessible competitors in neighbouring suburbs.
So what for Berhampore? Will it continue to show the signs and symptoms of a depressed socio-economic area (lots of empty shops, a growing number of second hand shops, etc) or is there hope? I understand that there are going to be quite a lot of road works happening in the area, which as Kilbirnie can attest certainly didn’t help business.
As an ex-resident (I lived in Berhampore in the 70’s and again in the late 80’s) I’d be very sad to see this happen.
Do WCC have any plans to boost economic development in the area? Do WCC even have integrated economic development strategies at a suburban level or are they completely macro-focused and are taking a “let the devil take the hindmost” approach.
Maybe someone from the Berhampore Residents Association can comment. I know that in Island Bay attempts by resident and business organisations to engage with local authorities and officers have not been that successful or sometimes not even that well-received. Unless of course the approaches are completely aligned with what they already have decided is needed 🙄
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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85.5% Yes
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13.4% No
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Newlands Resilience Group
Dear All,
Community Survey 2024
Introduction
Community resilience is having the resources, social capital, communication, and competence so the community can thrive. Disaster resilience is being ready, able to respond to, and able to recover from a disaster. A community is more likely to be disaster-resilient if it is community-resilient. A community can be resilient if a holistic and sustainable approach is taken to the well-being of its people. This survey will help inform community conversations to generate ideas to improve community resilience and wellbeing. The survey includes some basic disaster readiness questions. For more information, please visit the Newlands website newlandsnz.weebly.com...
How, When and Who
This survey can be completed online either in private or in a group and for example at home, a community gathering or a neighbor’s house etc. The survey is anonymous, and confidential and does not record any personal data of the respondents. The Aotearoa Community Resilience Network charitable trust is the caretaker of the survey data. No other public or private organization or persons have ownership or access rights to the data.
Next steps
The data will be added to the responses from previous surveys here and the results will be shared with the community. This includes a series of community conversations from February to April 2025 to discuss the findings and agree on the steps to enhance Newland’s resilience and well-being. Please tick the last box in the survey, and include your email, if you are interested in knowing more about what we are trying to do.
Please click the below link and like us. We are trying to assist people from all walks of life in Paparangi, Bellevue, Woodridge and Newlands. Your response is vital for our project. We greatly appreciate your help.
Here is the link. You can copy and paste the link in your browser to like this.
www.facebook.com...
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