Bucklands Beach Association Football Club’s 16th Grade girls team played Hibiscus Coast at Lloyd Elmore Park, Pakuranga. Saturday June 10, 2017. Photos Wayne Martin.
Premier Netball: Pakuranga United S1 V Shelly Park S2
Pakuranga United S1 played Shelly Park S2 in a Premier Netball match at Howick Pakuranga Netball Centre, Saturday June 10, 2017.
Photos Wayne Martin.
Netball: More Images from Pakuranga United S2 v Mellons Bay S1
More images continuing on from Pakuranga United S2 v Mellons Bay S1 at Howick Pakuranga Netball Centre, Saturday June 10, 2017. Photos Wayne Martin.
Pakuranga United S2 v Mellons Bay S1 Netball
Pakuranga United S2 netball team played Mellons Bay S1 at Howick Pakuranga Netball Centre, Pakuranga. Photos Wayne Martin.
Dream Bank to reveal what Kiwi kids are dreaming about
Kiwi kids will have the opportunity to share their dreams with New Zealand, as a nationwide collection of young New Zealanders hopes and aspirations for the future launched today.
And to encourage Kiwis, aged five to 18, to contribute their dreams, via an online portal called the Dream Bank, Westpac and the Sir Peter Blake Trust have enlisted the help of some of the country’s most inspiring leaders to share their dreams too, including Paralympic gold medalist Sophie Pascoe, New Zealand’s Governor General, The Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy, Willie Apiata VC, Sir Stephen Tindall and Blake Leader Rachel Taulelei.
The Dream Bank will be open from 7 June to 6 July and every week there will be a range of prizes to be won, including five prizes of $1000 from Westpac, as well as prizes for participating schools. On Red Socks Day, Friday 7 July, the Dream Bank vault will be opened and New Zealanders will have an opportunity to hear what the next generation is dreaming about.
Encouraging young Kiwis to believe they can achieve their dreams was something that Sir Peter Blake, the original wearer of the iconic Red Socks, was passionate about, says Trust CEO Shelley Campbell.
“Sir Peter Blake was a Kiwi hero who dared to dream. He accomplished so much in terms of the goals that he set for himself, but he was also focused on achieving bigger dreams that would make a real difference to New Zealand and the planet.
“We’re thrilled that Kiwi kids can now, via the Dream Bank, take the first step towards achieving their own dreams, by writing them down, and be able to access an action plan and videos that will help get them started. Giving kids the permission and courage to dream big is critically important to their sense of self-belief, and what they feel they are capable of achieving. We hope lots of parents will take this opportunity to sit down with their children and help them think of a dream they’d like to achieve, both for themselves and for New Zealand.”
Westpac CEO, David McLean, says the Dream Bank concept was a natural fit for Westpac, as the foundation partner of the Sir Peter Blake Trust, and key sponsor of the schools-based Westpac Young Leader Awards.
“We hope the Dream Bank will provide New Zealand teachers with an opportunity to talk to their students about wanting to be the best you can be and the video resources, featuring leaders like Sophie Pascoe, will illustrate to kids what having great aspirations looks like. We believe whole-heartedly in the potential of young Kiwis to achieve their dreams. And we can’t wait to hear what Kiwi kids, from Kaitaia to Bluff, are dreaming about, both for themselves and for New Zealand,” he says.
To find out more about the Dream Bank, please visit www.dreambank.co.nz.
Former F&P Healthcare employee sentenced for fraud
Simon William Hall, a former employee of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (F&P Healthcare), which is based in East Tamaki, has been sentenced in the Auckland District Court today for receiving secret commissions from Middle Eastern clients of F&P Healthcare and for deceiving his employer.
Mr Hall has been sentenced to eight months of home detention.
Mr Hall pleaded guilty in March to one Crimes Act charge of ‘Obtaining by deception’ and two charges under Section 8 of the Secret Commissions Act laid by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
Mr Hall committed the offences while in his role as an Area Manager based in Auckland and dealing with companies in the Middle Eastern market. The charges related to payments received by Mr Hall for approving a Saudi Arabian company as a distributor of F&P Healthcare products and a single payment from a Jordanian company which also became a distributor. F&P Healthcare had no knowledge that Mr Hall received those payments. In addition to those offences, Mr Hall made false representations to F&P Healthcare regarding commission payments for installations of products that never took place.
Mr Hall received approximately USD $213,000 in payments.
SFO Director, Julie Read said, “Mr Hall let down his employer and potentially tarnished the reputation of how New Zealand entities do business with overseas operators. New Zealand is known for corruption free business practices and the SFO will continue to act in cases like this to maintain that reputation.”
College art expo back
Almost 100 New Zealand artists will be exhibiting a selection of their work at the annual art exhibition and sale hosted by the Macleans College First XI girls hockey team next week.
The exhibition in Batten House, Macleans Road on Saturday June 10 and Sunday June11 will treat art lovers to more than 600 pieces of work in a variety mediums and styles.
“We have most of our regular supporters coming back to exhibit with us again this year,” says Willem Groenewald, a member of the organising committee.
“We are honoured to have artists of the calibre we have coming back to us year after year. We are also very excited about a number of new artists who’ll be exhibiting with us for the first time.”
The First XI hockey girls of Macleans College present the art exhibition to help them raise funds for the ongoing costs of participating competitively. In addition to funding safety masks, sports bags and gear, the funds raised through this year’s event will enable the girls to participate in the Jenny Hair Tournament in Palmerston North in the first week of September.
“While the art exhibition is a great fundraiser, it also gives us the opportunity to be ambassadors of our school at a different level,” says Kate Haszard, captain of the team.
“We all just love the interaction with the artists through follow-up calls and helping them when they arrive at the venue to drop off their work. They are all really great people, doing an amazing job.
“It is also our responsibility to be available for support to buyers during the exhibition. We get to talk about the event, the artists and, most importantly, about our school.
“We’ve found that the visitors to our exhibition are coming there to support our team and our school as much as they’re coming to find that special piece of art to brighten up their living spaces.”
Every piece of work exhibited will be for sale. The artists represent an interesting variety of styles and backgrounds and their work caters for all tastes, preferences and budgets, says Groenewald.
A special glow this winter
A change of seasons calls for a new makeover. It’s time to cut, colour, pamper and indulge with warmer, natural and softer colours.
Working their way to make the world a more beautiful place, one hairdo and beauty makeover at a time Nobel Hair & Beauty overlooking the stunning Pine Harbour Marina remains a coveted destination amongst Pohutukawa Coast residents in need of a new hair style or a makeover.
Owned by Beachlands local Shona Beckham, and managed by Vanessa Nel, the salon prides itself on making your visit a special one.
From a relaxing head massage to an outstanding service coupled with an innate passion for hair dressing, they ensure that every person who walks into Nobel Hair & Beauty looks
and feels beautiful. Nobel Hair & Beauty specialises in Balayage/Ombre for that low maintenance hairstyle that still looks stunning on all hair types all year round.
Stocking all the best products including the popular Redken’s newest Diamond Oil Glow Dry, gloss shampoo and detangling conditioner— the new secret to light weight shine and enhanced blow dry- Nobel Hair & Beauty also stocks some top-of-the-line skincare
products to better equip their clients.
Highly recommended is Environ Youth EssentiA – The Future of youthfulness that gives your skin what is deserves by pushing the boundaries of time with its powerful combination.
The qualified skincare professionals at Nobel Hair and Beauty, Maria Corboy and Angela Gray are excited to stock Curtis Collection by Victoria, mineral makeup that brings your skin tone, eye colour and hair to life. Be sure to take advantage of all the beauty treatments they have to offer including eyebrows styling, waxing, manicures and pedicures and customised facial treatments.
Open late nights Tuesday and Thursday, it’s easy for time-poor professionals to pop in after work for their beauty fix.
Liana De Waal, the newest addition to the team offers a special 20 per cent discount
for any hairdressing service.
Also, if you spend $150 or more, for a treatment you can get a super $30 off voucher for your next treatment— it covers both hair and beauty.
This winter warmer offer is valid only till July 8, 2017. Book in quick and have that special
glow this winter.
Sponsored by Nobel Hair & Beauty,
Pine Harbour Marina
190 Jack Lachlan Drive
Beachlands.
Ph 536 5805
Pipe testing concludes in Mellons Bay
Watercare’s extensive pipe testing programme in Mellons Bay has finished, with problems found at 54 properties of the 1500 properties that were inspected.
Inspectors found 19 properties had stormwater pipes illegally connected to wastewater pipes, 12 houses had gully traps that were too low, 18 properties had suspected cracked pipes and in five instances, there were defects in Watercare’s manhole covers.
Watercare’s Network Efficiency Manager, Anin Nama, was satisfied with the outcome: “Every little bit helps. Remembering that stormwater from a single house can displace the equivalent wastewater from more than 40 households, removing even a few non-compliant connections can make a real difference.
“The homeowners we have spoken to in Mellon’s Bay seem happy to take responsibility for the changes they need to make. More time will be allowed in cases where the cost of repair is an issue.”
Letters will now be sent advising Mellon’s Bay owners that faults have been found on their properties. Auckland Council will also be notified.
Watercare has been testing public and private wastewater pipes in Mellons Bay as part of an Auckland-wide programme to decrease the volume of stormwater entering the wastewater network, which is a major contributor to wet-weather overflows onto private properties and the wider environs, such as beaches.
Watercare teams used white, non-toxic smoke to test the pipes. The smoke billowed through the pipes and pinpointed where stormwater was entering the wastewater network.
The inspection operation attracted a lot of interest −Watercare staff received many supportive comments from passers-by who stopped to chat and see what was going on.
Rations for a week
Most people would run a mile if asked to give up coffee for a week but one local woman is up for the challenge.
She won’t just be giving up coffee either. No cereal for breakfast, no sandwich for lunch, no sugary afternoon treats and certainly no wine after work at the end of the week.
Instead, she’ll be living on 1kg of rice, 300g each of chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, flour and 425g of fish. Add to that 40g of salt and 200ml of vegetable oil for five days and you’ve got rations equivalent to what someone living in a refugee camp has to survive on for a week.
It’s bland, it doesn’t sound appetising and it’s certainly not much, but for the nearly 5 million Syrians currently registered as refugees, it’s reality.
Howick resident Emma Page will be taking part in Operation Refugee – a five day fundraising event that challenges participants to forgo their healthy first world diet to raise awareness and funds for those who are displaced in refugee camps in war zones around the globe.
The challenge is run by Christian World Service, an organisation that provides disaster response and fundraises for countries in need.
Ms Page said she’s feeling confident about the experience, albeit slightly hesitant.
“I feel confident now but in terms of the amount of food, I haven’t restricted my diet that significantly before so I’m sure by the second or third day I’ll be feeling it.”
She said there were a number of reasons why she decided to participate in this year’s challenge.
“It breaks my heart that there’s children in Syria that have only ever known war, [and] families living in awful conditions.
“Even though I’m half way across the world, if I can do something to restore hope into someone’s life…it’s an awesome cause.”
Ms Page said while it will be hard, it will be worth it.
“It’s such a short period of time and I know after those five days are up, it’s over but for them there is no end in sight. They don’t know when it will end.”
- For more information on Operation Refugee, or to donate to Emma, visit https://cwsoperationrefugee2017.everydayhero.com/nz/emma
Local writers named finalists in book awards
Two local authors are among 35 finalists in this year’s New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Leonie Agnew of Pakuranga and Jennifer Beck of Howick, both award-winning authors, have been named as finalists for their works (The Impossible Boy ) in the junior fiction and (Torty and the Soldier) non-fiction categories respectively.
“This year’s shortlist reminds us that books are powerful vehicles for helping children make sense of their world and gain a better understanding of themselves and others,” says convenor of judges, Pam Jones.
“At times, the vividly descriptive writing was brutal and heart-breaking, providing moving portrayals of life through the eyes of children and teenagers.
“All finalist titles are convincing in their realism, skilfully laced with honour and honesty throughout.”
Many of the books submitted dealt with serious issues. War featured highly, alongside other topical themes like teenage pregnancy, surveillance, abuse, homelessness, racial tensions and bullying.
“Coming-of-age stories and characters that are living with extended family members highlighted the meaning of family and love,” Ms Jones says.
There were 152 entries submitted for the 2017 awards.
The Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction finalists will capture the imagination of every young reader, either immersing them in another world or reality, giving them a problem or mystery to solve or causing a laugh-out-loud response to witty conversations, say the judges.
“We’re pleased to see these books feature an equal mix of strong male and female characters from different races, ethnicities and backgrounds.”
The Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction category attracted a variety of entries with topics ranging from bugs to biographies, and history to habitats. The judges note that a clear integration of text, graphics and illustrations meant that all books in this category attained a high quality of overall design.
The winners of the 2017 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults will be announced on the evening of Monday, August 14 in Wellington.
The finalists for the 2017 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are:
Picture Book Award
- Fuzzy Doodle, Melinda Szymanik, illustrated by Donovan Bixley, Scholastic NZ
- Gwendolyn! Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Terri Rose Baynton, HarperCollins Publishers (ABC)
- My Grandpa is a Dinosaur, Richard Fairgray and Terry Jones, illustrated by Richard Fairgray, Penguin Random House (Puffin)
- That’s Not a Hippopotamus! Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Sarah Davis, Gecko Press
- The Singing Dolphin/Te Aihe i Waiata, Mere Whaanga, Scholastic NZ
Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction
- Helper and Helper, Joy Cowley, illustrated by Gavin Bishop, Gecko Press
- My New Zealand Story: Bastion Point, Tania Roxborogh, Scholastic NZ
- Sunken Forest, Des Hunt, Scholastic NZ
- The Discombobulated Life of Summer Rain, Julie Lamb, Makaro Press (Submarine)
- The Impossible Boy, Leonie Agnew, Penguin Random House (Puffin)
Copyright Licensing NZ Award for Young Adult Fiction
- Coming Home to Roost, Mary-anne Scott, Penguin Random House (Longacre)
- Kiwis at War 1916: Dig for victory, David Hair, Scholastic NZ
- Like Nobody’s Watching, LJ Ritchie, Escalator Press
- Shooting Stars, Brian Falkner, Scholastic NZ
- The Severed Land, Maurice Gee, Penguin Random House (Penguin)
Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction
- From Moa to Dinosaurs: Explore & discover ancient New Zealand, Gillian Candler, illustrated by Ned Barraud, Potton & Burton
- Jack and Charlie: Boys of the bush, Josh James Marcotte and Jack Marcotte, Penguin Random House (Puffin)
- The Cuckoo and the Warbler, Kennedy Warne, illustrated by Heather Hunt, Potton & Burton
- The Genius of Bugs, Simon Pollard, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa Press)
- Torty and the Soldier, Jennifer Beck, illustrated by Fifi Colston, Scholastic NZ
Russell Clark Award for Illustration
- Fuzzy Doodle, illustrated by Donovan Bixley, written by Melinda Szymanik, Scholastic NZ
- Gladys Goes to War, illustrated by Jenny Cooper, written by Glyn Harper, Penguin Random House (Puffin)
- If I Was a Banana, illustrated by Kieran Rynhart, written by Alexandra Tylee, Gecko Press
- Snark: Being a true history of the expedition that discovered the Snark and the Jabberwock . . . and its tragic aftermath, illustrated and written by David Elliot (after Lewis Carroll), Otago University Press
- The Day the Costumes Stuck, illustrated and written by Toby Morris, Beatnik Publishing
Te Kura Pounamu Award for books written completely in te reo Maori
- Nga Manu Tukutuku e Whitu o Matariki, Calico McClintock, illustrated by Dominique Ford, translated by Ngaere Roberts, Scholastic NZ
- Ngarara Huarau, Maxine Hemi, Illustrated by Andrew Burdan, Huia Publishers
- Te Haerenga Maia a Riripata i Te Araroa, Maris O’Rourke, illustrated by Claudia Pond Eyley, translated by Ani Wainui, David Ling Publishing (Duck Creek Press)
- Te Kaihanga Mapere, Sacha Cotter, illustrated by Josh Morgan, translated by Kawata Teepa, Huia Publishers
- Tuna raua ko Hiriwa, Ripeka Takotowai Goddard, illustrated by Kimberly Andrews, Huia Publishers
Best First Book Award
- Awatea’s Treasure, Fraser Smith, Huia Publishers
- Like Nobody’s Watching, LJ Ritchie, Escalator Press
- The Discombobulation of Summer Rain, Julie Lamb, Makaro Press (Submarine)
- The Mouse and the Octopus, written and illustrated by Lisala Halapua, Talanoa Books
- Wars in the Whitecloud: Wairau, 1843, written and illustrated by Matthew H McKinley, Kin Publishing
Smokefree Rockquest regional finals this weekend
It’s the biggest weekend of the year for young musicians as the top high school bands and solo/duo artists play off in the regional finals of Smokefreerockquest 2017, competing for a place in the national finals in September.
Saint Kentigern College has students represented in both the band sector (Skwid) and the solo/duo finals (Ben and Molly, Sophie Maehl).
Pakuranga College is also represented as part of the band Silvera, comprising of students from five different high schools.
All events are held at the Dorothy Winstone Centre at Auckland Girls Grammar School.
Kids voting reaches 100,000
More school students than ever before are running their own mock elections this September through the Electoral Commission’s Kids Voting programme.
Around 100,000 students from 541 schools are already registered for Kids Voting and more schools are expected to sign up before the General Election in September.
That compares with 78,000 students from 556 schools at the last General Election in 2014.
Local primary and intermediate schools taking the lead are Owairoa Primary School, Willowbank School, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, Cockle Bay School, Ormiston Primary, Somerville Intermediate and Howick Intermediate.
Howick College and Edgewater College have also registered their interest.
Alan McIntyre principal Owairoa Primary School says that they have registered for the Kids Voting programme and will be undertaking the mock voting for 554 from Years 3-6 students.
Yolande Franke, principal Howick Intermediate says: “We have registered for Kids Voting. This will become more of a focus early in Term 3.
“I’m hoping to get a young politician along to school to give the students an authentic experience,” she adds saying.
David Ellery, principal Somerville Intermediate confirms they have around 500 students participating this year.
Chief electoral officer, Alicia Wright says: “The high number of early registrations shows schools are keen to give their students an opportunity to learn about the electoral process.”
Kids Voting provides schools with the resources needed for students to run a mock election. Students learn about and vote for real candidates and parties and then compare the results with the outcome of the General Election.
“It’s a practical way to show students how our electoral system works,” says Ms Wright. “It helps them understand the process and get ready to vote when they turn 18.
“Voting is a lifelong habit. The earlier young people start to vote, the more likely they are to keep voting,” says Ms Wright.
“That’s why civic education is so important and the reason why we have developed Kids Voting and curriculum aligned teaching units for schools.”
Kids Voting can be run on a small or large scale, from one to two classes to the whole school.
“It’s great fun for students and teachers, and some schools go all out. Over the years we’ve seen some schools hosting candidate debates for their electorate, and others forming student branches of political parties and developing their own campaign material,” says Ms Wright.
- Schools can sign up for Kids Voting at www.kidsvoting.co.nz.
Mission Heights Junior College-world champions
For the second year running, Mission Heights Junior College beat almost 850 schools to
win the Social Studies challenge in the Education Perfect World Series.
The Education Perfect Social Studies Competition involves completing modules on a range of geography, history and social studies topics.
Through the module completion, students compete by answering questions in an online competition to earn points.
All events contribute towards school and student totals for the overall World Series.
“Overall, the school earned 119,949 points, nearly 17,000 points more than the second place school,” says Catherine Hunter, organiser of Academic Competitions at Mission Heights Junior College.
“One of our Year 9s was 14th overall in the competition, earning a staggering 4706 points in
only three days.
“This is the third year running we have won this event, which is part of a larger annual World
Series involving science, maths, English and languages,” she says.
“The school has a proud record in this international competition having been placed first
overall in 2015.”
Miss Universe goal in sight
The hope of bringing light to important issues is the drive behind one Miss Universe finalist.
Former Botany Downs Secondary College student Chloe Manga, 23, has been selected as part of the top 20 contestants who will vie to be crowned Miss Universe New Zealand.
Miss Manga studied a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Media, Film and Television and Maori Studies alongside a Bachelor of Laws now works as a solicitor for an Auckland law firm while she also studies part time towards a Masters of Laws.
She hopes to use her raised profile from competing in the competition to increase awareness about important issues in New Zealand, especially those affecting young Maori people.
It was after some encouragement from her best friend that she decided to enter Miss Universe and she aims to use her platform for good.
“One of the main reasons I entered this competition was to encourage women to embrace their full potential and be confident within their own skin.
“As a young Maori lawyer, I also want to be a positive role model for women and to speak about important issues in our society.”
Miss Manga said after researching the competition, she was convinced it would be a valuable experience.
“It’s not just [about] stereotypical beauty, it’s much more than that. We work closely with Variety to raise funds through a number of different initiatives [and] also learn business skills and public speaking skills.”
As a lawyer, Miss Manga has had the opportunity to work on matters for her iwi, Ngati Kahu, and hopes to continue in that area should she win the crown.
“It’s an opportunity to provide an important platform for important issues [such as] humanitarian issues, social cultural issues, indigenous peoples rights and treaty and crown obligations here in New Zealand.
“People’s rights are a big part for me, access to health care, access to justice and a range of different issues.”
Miss Manga praised the ‘give it a go’ attitude of the competition.
“It’s about getting out there and doing it, not worrying about ‘I don’t know if I’ll be good enough,” she said.
“[With] a lot of it we’re constrained by our own insecurities but with this competition we’re required to get out there and come up with ideas and raise funds.
“That expectation really does build that confidence of what you’re capable of.”
