3308 days ago

Get on your bike

Annette Lambly-Robinson Reporter from Whangārei Leader

Hey everybody why not give this a go?

The first Aotearoa Bike Challenge kicked off across the country early this month, but is not too late to sign up.

More than 760 organisations and 6,400 New Zealanders have already geared up for the month-long challenge which started on February 1.

Registrations remain open until February 28 and a 10 minute journey by bike is all it takes to participate.

The Challenge is based on the global Love to Ride platform which has been brought to New Zealand by the NZ Transport Agency.

"Whether you have some experience in the saddle or are completely new to cycling, the Challenge provides riders with support and motivation and the knowledge that thousands of New Zealanders will be doing it with them," says NZ Transport Agency National Cycling Manager Dougal List.

As well as encouraging individuals to cycle it is a great way to make the most of friendly workplace competition.

The number of rides clocked up by a team contributes towards the efforts of the organisation as a whole. So the more people you get involved, the more chance you have of winning great prizes.

To give riders an extra incentive there is a brand new eBike, a Panasonic Smart TV, cycling gear, movie vouchers and many more prizes to be won.

Go to www.lovetoride.net... for more details.

More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?

What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?

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If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
  • 32.6% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
    32.6% Complete
  • 67.4% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
    67.4% Complete
233 votes
7 days ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.

Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.

For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.

Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?

We hope this brings a smile!

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S
17 hours ago

Something we all seem to have forgotten

Stewart from Kamo

An Obituary to Common Sense printed in the London Times

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated valuable lessons like:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- And maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge)

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher
fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death;
-by his parents, Truth and Trust,
-by his wife, Discretion,
-by his daughter, Responsibility,
-and by his son, Reason

He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers;
- I Know My Rights,
- I Want It Now,
- Someone Else Is To Blame,
- I'm A Victim,
- Pay me for Doing Nothing

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing…

This is a modified version of a text that is originally attributed to Lori Borgman. However, it is more true today than it was when first written. It is not the version I remember, but it still gets the point across. Enjoy and remember.