Eight local girls are each sporting a new outfit thanks to Bluelight Canterbury and The Palms Shopping Centre. Bluelight Canterbury works with young people, and each year runs Wahine Toa, a camp for girls aged between 11 and 16 who are survivors of abuse.

The free three-day camp was held at Hanmer Springs in early May and run by the Bluelight Canterbury committee and police.

En route to the camp, the eight girls attending were treated to a surprise trip to The Palms, where they were invited to select a new outfit. The Palms matched the Bluelight Canterbury committee by contributing $40 towards each girl’s shopping experience at the centre.

The Palms Shopping Centre manager Simon Carter says he is happy the centre could get behind the programme and support the girls.

“The Palms has been contributing to the Wahine Toa camp for several years now. We recognize the value of a camp and larger service such as this and are glad we can support Bluelight Canterbury as it works with local girls in a safe and supportive environment.”

Leanne Buchan, Bluelight Canterbury support person of Wahine Toa, says the outfits were worn to a special event on the final night of the camp.

“It was a great night for the girls, who had spent the afternoon having a makeover, followed by an evening of canapés and mocktails served to them by police officers. The main aim of the camp is to raise the self-esteem and confidence of the girls and to help encourage the growth of trust and motivation in a supportive environment where they feel safe and secure.”

Further information on Bluelight Canterbury can be found on the website: www.bluelightcanterbury.co.nz

Accolades are flowing in for London’s Natural History Museum this week after Scott’s Last Expedition won Best Temporary or Touring Exhibition at the prestigious 2013 Museums and Heritage Awards.

A collaborative exhibition between Canterbury Museum, the Antarctic Heritage Trust and the Natural History Museum, Scott’s Last Expedition has been a world-wide success. Until 30 June 2013, Canterbury residents and visitors to Christchurch have a chance to see the exhibition at Canterbury Museum, the exhibition’s exclusive New Zealand venue.

Canterbury Museum director Anthony Wright says the award is a testament to the quality of the exhibition which tells the story of Captain Scott and his men’s extraordinary achievements.

“We are thrilled with the award. Scott’s Last Expedition is spectacular in terms of the artefacts, stories and tales of scientific endeavour on display,” he says.

Antarctic Heritage Trust Executive Director Nigel Watson says the exhibition is a must-see for anyone who has an interest in Antarctic heritage and the explorers who dedicated their lives to exploration and research. 

“A full scale representation of the interior floor plan of Scott’s hut at Cape Evans is one of the draw cards of the exhibition. Visitors get a sense of those who lived in the hut and how they occupied their time. That Scott’s hut still remains in Antarctica a century on is remarkable,” he says.

Now in its final weeks, Scott’s Last Expedition at Canterbury Museum closes 30 June.

Background
Scott’s Last Expedition first opened in June 2011 at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, before opening at the Natural History Museum in January 2012. In November 2012, the exhibition arrived at its final destination in Christchurch for its exclusive New Zealand opening at Canterbury Museum. Seven months later and more than 10,000 visitors, eager to learn about the epic tale of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, the team he took with him to Antarctica and the details of the fascinating Terra Nova expedition, have experienced the exhibition at Canterbury Museum.

For more information see www.canterburymuseum.com

Located in the historical iconic building of Cambridge, The Old Post Office, built in 1901, the GPO Bar and Brasserie is the only Brasserie in the Waikato.

The GPO Bar and Brasserie in Cambridge specialises in providing high levels of service quality in a relaxed, informal lounge type atmosphere along with high quality food.

“The idea is to combine the past with the present, local culture with overseas culture and produce a social gateway to the town of Cambridge where age and culture can mix,” says GPO owner David Rodger, an Olympic bronze medal-winning rower

With its strong ties to Cambridge’s sister city Bihoro, Japan, the GPO Bar and Brasserie is soon introducing stonegrill to bring the taste of Japan to Cambridge.

The quality of service is what separates GPO Bar and Brasserie from the rest. “We are simple, unpretentious, quality based, knowledgeable, helpful and people oriented. No one can match our commitment to service. The GPO Bar and Brasserie will focus on a true spirit of hospitality, where every guest is treated like family,” says David.

“We want to be a learning organisation,  always listening to customers and employees enabling us to offer our customers assurance, responsiveness, reliability and empathy,” says David.

The Bar at GPO Bar and Brasserie is a Montieths brewery bar. It has a full range of beer and it also features the finest wines from the best regions in New Zealand.

A brasserie is a type of restaurant with relaxed, upscale settings, serves single dishes and other meals,  a professional service, printed menus, and, traditionally, white linen and where beer was brewed on the premises.

From casual diners, families and tourists to business travellers and special occasion diners, the GPO Bar and Brasserie has an extensive menu offering and broad range of price points appeals to a diverse customer base.

The GPO Bar and Brasserie is bringing the tastes of the world to experience the flavours of Cambridge.

Contact GPO Bar and Brasserie
Address: 43 Victoria St  Cambridge 3434
Phone: 07-827 5595

Contact the Media PA to see how they can help you:
Phone: 0274 587 724
Email: phillip@mediapa.co.nz
Website: www.mediapa.co.nz

Tabak is a nationwide company committee to successful business sales that benefits buyers and sellers throughout New Zealand and it is well represented in the Waikato.

Its professionalism, knowledge and experience deliver outstanding results for their clients. It sells over 80 per cent of the businesses it represents, vastly above the industry average which is around 20 per cent.

Its rigorous methodology for valuing businesses means its sales prices are within 34 per cent of its initial valuations.

Tabak’s ability to accurately value businesses means both buyers and sellers can always be satisfied that the price agreed on was fair.

The representatives for Tabak Waikato are:

MURRAY YEATES

Murray is one of the Tabak Business Sales group which has six offices within New Zealand.

He has more than 20 years experience in management and business ownership, having owned or part owned more than eight companies.

Based in Hamilton, for the last 10 years Murray has worked with hundreds of New Zealand privately owned companies offering business valuation and sales and acquisition services. In this time he has positioned Tabak Hamilton as the most successful business sales company in the Waikato.

Murray has very strong financial management and marketing knowledge plus extensive practical experience across a range of industries. This knowledge and experience has seen him sought out by many professional business owners for advice on business valuation and business sales.

Murray holds a post graduate diploma in management studies from the University Of Waikato, an Advanced Professional Certificate in Business  Valuation from the University Of Western Sydney, Foodstuffs Management Diploma plus a number of other industry related qualifications.

Living in Cambridge with his family, Murray is a keen golfer and sports enthusiast.

JOHN PARKER

John was approached by Tabak some nine years ago to help setup the Tabak Hamilton office.

With John's input Tabak Business Sales Hamilton has become the dominant seller of quality business within the Waikato region.

Born, bred and schooled in Hamilton, John has a varies working history from being a police detective to owning a very successful business in Hamilton, wholesaling to being offer a partnership in Tabak, Hamilton.

In the last nine years, John has been involved with selling and valuing hundreds of Waikato businesses and is believed to be the most successful business broker within the Waikato region.

He has been involved in more than $45 million worth of sales in all sectors of business including manufacturing, retail, import distribution, services, hospitality, engineering and franchising.

As well as having years of business experience, John also holds a certificate in Advanced Business Valuation at the Western Sydney University in 2006.

John loves his rugby and golf but is seen more at the netball courts and dance studios these days with his wife supporting their daughter in her sporting and cultural pursuits.

It’s little wonder that the feet play such a vital part in our general health and wellbeing when they contain a quarter of the bones in the human body – and when it comes to shoes, getting the right fit is the first step in maintaining healthy feet.

Bayfair Shopping Centre recently introduced a new concept store aimed at taking care of your feet. Podium Podiatry and Footwear, which opened in April, combines a team of skilled podiatrists, technology and tailored shoe solutions to remedy any foot-related concern and assist shoppers to find the best fit. The Podium in-store clinic is the only local podiatry clinic open seven-days a week and is open until 9.00pm each Thursday and Friday.

Podiatry relates to all issues of the lower limbs, including skin and nail care. Podium estimates that issues such as ingrown toe nails, corns, verrucas and fungal nails will account for 60% of visits to the clinic. Biomechanical problems of heel pain, work or sports injuries and sore arches would account for approximately 35% of visits to Podium, further highlighting the need for appropriate footwear. The Podium clinic also conducts surgical procedures and wound treatment on site at Bayfair.

Matt Fraser, Podium owner, operator and shoe technician has drawn on his experiences as a footwear fitting specialist to create the Podium store and clinic combo. He has worked with well-known brands and professional sports teams including Manly Sea Eagles and South Sydney Rabbitohs. Matt says, “At Podium we view the feet as the foundation of the body and the stability and health of the foot is intertwined with the shoes we wear.”

“Our clinical team are highly experienced podiatrists and our store stocks a carefully selected range of shoes that provide strong support for the feet whether you’re a recreational walker, professional athlete or mum that is running after children.”

Taking foot care a step further, Podium uses technology in the shoe store to analyse the customer’s walking style. The Podium team carefully studies an individual’s footage to help select the correct footwear for the pace and activity – which in turn, minimises injury risk and pain.

Louise Chapman, marketing manager at Bayfair is thrilled to have the concept store at Bayfair. “Foot care is not just a concern for an older generation, it’s important that we all take good care of our feet, after all, they have to carry us for our entire lives.

“We hope that the Bayfair shoppers will take a walk to Podium and check out the services so that they can keep putting their best foot forward.”

Podium Podiatry and Footwear is located opposite the escalators to the multi-level carpark, entry level one.

Hon. Gerry Brownlee
Minister of Canterbury Earthquake Recovery
22 May 2013

Dear Minister Brownlee
Firstly we would like to thank you for conducting the Campbell Live interview on Monday 20 May regarding the resident’s plight with the Earthquake Commission. Acknowledging their voice is the first step towards resolving issues.

You mentioned in your interview that you had heard the issues but not the solutions. We found this statement disappointing because CanCERN has on numerous occasions tried to engage you in solution focused discussions regarding EQC. We would once again invite that opportunity and have reiterated the areas which have consistently been of most concern and the solutions that have come directly from the residents most impacted by EQC’s delivery of service.

Prioritising the vulnerable - the issue
Many elderly, sick and vulnerable people are still waiting to be identified and prioritised. EQC has recently developed a process to prioritise the vulnerable but it relies largely on community groups discovering and referring those they find in the community. EQC does action these referrals but it leaves too many gaps the most vulnerable are the hardest to find and we are slowly uncovering 95 year olds and 101 year olds who have waited for over two years for EQC to make contact. While utilising the knowledge of the community can be seen as a positive move, people will be missed and EQCs preoccupation with capacity has overruled the priority to find every possible vulnerable person. EQC's needs have been put over and above the needs of  the vulnerable. This is unacceptable and shows a lack of commitment to actually wanting to identify the most vulnerable.

The solution
EQC management were given advice via the EQC Customer Advocacy Group to promote the programme widely via the media and to use the MSD database which they have access to to proactively and directly contact all people to offer them information about the programme. EQC refused to take this advice saying capacity was an issue and they were cautious of opening it up and being taken advantage of.

Case Management - the issue
Access to personal information and accurate and timely communication has been the plague of an overwhelming number of residents. Ian Simpson, Bruce Emson and other senior managers have publicly stated that they need to do better and yet from a resident’s perspective, little has improved in this area.

Residents with the most complex situations can not get clarity on their position. This is extremely distressing as was witnessed on the Campbell Live programme and the added stress of having to repeat your story every time you manage to make contact with EQC is unacceptable and breaking the spirit of strong Cantabrians.

The solution
Based on EQC’s claims that a large number of claims have now been resolved, case management of those in the most complex repairs is now a valid option and priority should be given to meeting the communication needs of these people. Case management could be managed on a pod style basis organised into areas of complexity cross lease, Port Hills, TC3 foundation repairs, TC3 others, most vulnerable land damage homes (increased risk of flood, increased risk of liquefaction), rockcote properties (who have been classified as leaky homes). If EQC does not have the systems in place to flag people into these categories, they have once again failed to implement a system to identify the most vulnerable and worst affected and it would highlight the need for questions to be asked regarding how they have estimated all claims will be resolved within certain timeframes.

Discrepancies in assessments - EQC and the private insurer - the issue
Discrepancies in assessment costs between insurers and EQC are not the result of apportionment as you stated in the Campbell Live interview. They are largely the result of inadequate assessments, EQC’s interpretation of the Act, repair methodologies which breach or subvert the Building Act and subversion of the Building Consents process.

Presently the monitoring, auditing and quality control processes of both EQC and Fletcher EQR are internal processes (other than Treasury and Auditor General reviews which focus more on financial accountability processes). Residents have little faith in the validity of these processes. Contractors and professionals have indicated they also have concerns which have been raised to no avail.

The solution
Adequate external monitoring and auditing processes need to be established immediately. Scale is a given. Speed is important. These things can not be at the expense of quality and resident assurance that their home is still a valuable asset. Only independent monitoring and auditing of the assessment and repair processes will give this assurance.

Management of EQC - the issue
Ian Simpson by his own admission has failed to address the longstanding issues which plague the community. The huge number of email responses to the Campbell Live interview which outline negative experiences are a vote of no confidence for the management of EQC.

Time and time again we have been told by managers at EQC that communicating with the people is a priority and that they were looking at ways to improve this. This began with Reid Stiven early in 2011, was reiterated by Bruce Emson on many occasions in 2012 ( as far as we are aware one of his roles in EQC was to develop a better communications process) and repeated again by Ian Simpson when we met him in the later half of 2012 and was further echoed by the board chair Michael Wintringham when we visited him in Wellington in December of last year. From the residents perspective the actions of EQC to fulfill this role are actions that meet the needs of EQC and do not meet the needs of the people. We have yet to have the ‘how’ articulated.

CanCERN met with EQC Board Chair, Michael Wintringham late 2012 and were told to wait and see what positive measures would be put in place to address our stated concerns. As of yet, we can identify no real improvements and believe the EQC Board has also failed to acknowledge and address the massive systemic failings of EQC. Letter to Michael Wintringham 11.10.12

The solution
Many have suggested how things could be resolved to no avail. Two and a half years is too long for residents to wait for this service to improve. There has been no articulated plan to address the greatest concerns that is acceptable to the residents. Therefore we reassert our formal request that Ian Simpson is not best qualified to be the Chief Executive of EQC and should be replaced immediately.

In the spirit of solution focused outcomes, we would once again offer the opportunity to speak with you directly about these issues with the purpose of resolving the issues in a mutually beneficial way.

Yours sincerely
Leanne Curtis

CanCERN Relationships Manager
on behalf of the CanCERN Board and network

leanne@cancern.org.nz
 

A network of representatives mandated by community organisations to advocate for full engagement in the earthquake recovery.

CC:
John Campbell - Campbell Live
Jendy Harper - Campbell Live
Ian Simpson - EQC Chief Executive
Michael Wintringham - EQC Board Chair
Lyn Provost - Office of the Auditor General
Dame Beverley Wakem DNZM CBE - Parliamentary Ombudsmen
David Rutherford - Human Rights Commission
Gabriel Makhlouf - Secretary to the Treasury

BREAKING NEWS: There has been a terror attack in the UK killing one and injuring two others, more to follow...

A man believed to be a soldier is dead and two people have been shot in Woolwich, south east London today.

Witnesses told the Press Association that the man was assaulted with a machete-style knife in a Woolwich street by two individuals who were later shot by police.

One witness, identified only as James, said he saw two men attacking another man, aged about 20, who was wearing a T-shirt of military charity Help for Heroes.

"These two guys were crazed... They dragged him from the pavement and dumped his body in the middle of the road and left his body there," he said.

Security was tightened in the area immediately after the incident. Helicopters hovered above and nearby roads were sealed off by the police.

"A number of weapons were reportedly being used in the attack, and this included reports of a firearm," police said in a statement.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has called a meeting of his government's emergency Cobra security committee after the killing, and is treating the attack as a terrorist incident, the BBC reports.

LATEST WE KNOW: David Cameron, Prime minister of the London is expected to cut short trip to Paris and return to London for an emergeny meeting. 

HIGHLIGHTS:

NEW: Two suspects are taken to separate hospitals to be treated for injuries, police say

The British government says it is treating the incident as a suspected terror attack

A local lawmaker says he believes the man killed is a serving soldier

Prime Minister David Cameron says the killing is "truly shocking"

Radio Training School graduates have won again at this year’s New Zealand Radio Awards. 

Gary Pointon has picked up the Best New Broadcaster – Promotions award while Laugharne Kemp has picked up the Best New Broadcaster – Creative + Technical award.

Both of these students studied at the Whitireia Media Training Centre in Wellington over the last two years and have worked extremely hard at their craft.  “We’re over the moon for them said Jono Manks, Programme Coordinator, New Zealand Radio Training School at Whitireia. “Being recognised at these industry awards will set them up well for their careers in radio”.

The annual Radio Awards acknowledge on air-personalities, programming, news and sports reporting, promotions, creativity and production, sales and community involvement. A special recognition award along with awards for services and contributions to radio were included this year also.  Over 60 radio broadcasting personalities received awards.

This is the second year running that our graduates have dominated the Best New Broadcaster category at the Radio Awards said Manks.  “Last year saw Libby Greatbatch winning the Creative +Technical category as well as the overall prize.”

Another graduate of the Radio Training School was recognised recently at the 2013 New Zealand International comedy Festival Awards.  Tim Batt picked up awards for Creative Marketing of a show and Best Newcomer (Auckland).  Along with his stand-up comedy show Unified Theory, Tim still puts his radio skills to good use, producing the Radio Hauraki Drive Show.

The New Zealand Radio Training School is owned by Whitireia New Zealand Limited. It offers a six month, full-time programme in Commercial Broadcasting from its Media Training Centre in Wellington City and from its campus in Auckland. Starting in July is the new Diploma in Radio Journalism, a one year full-time programme offered from the Media Training Centre in Wellington City only. 

The Radio Training School keeps pace with industry.  It turns out graduates in tune with what the radio industry wants.  These recent awards are a testament to this.

This month Tony Hodge of Wheatgrass New Zealand wants to tell the world about the wonders of wheatgrass by relating the amazing story of how wheatgrass spray saved a little boy’s life, as told to him by Dr Chris Reynolds, M.B., B.S. who has been working in India. Here is what happened.
Picture a tiny hovel on the outskirts of a dusty provincial town in Madhya Pradesh State in India, home to an impoverished family of six. It has dirt floors, no sanitation, no beds (they sleep on the floor) and no electricity. There is a lighted kerosene cooker in the centre of the room. Five year old Pawan runs into the room and knocks over the cooker which explodes and drenches him in flames. He suffers severe burns to 40% of his body.

He is taken to a Burns Unit in a large private hospital that philanthropically admits a limited number of impoverished burns victims for free treatment. However, there is a catch. The burn must be healed within a week (an impossible task in most cases), after which the patient will be sent home. As he is from a poor family, follow up treatment is highly unlikely. The unhygienic surroundings and high risk of infection will threaten his survival. Many of these children (and adults)usually don’t even make it to a hospital, and die at home from their infected, untreated wounds.

Visiting Pawan’s bedside on day four, the hospital surgeon told Dr Reynolds, “His only chance (of survival) “is for me to put a skin graft over the burn. But the wound is infected, so the graft won’t take. Also, I won’t have enough donor skin even if I could do it. Do you think the wheatgrass spray would help? He must be discharged in three days”.

Having seen wheatgrass heal many kinds of wounds, including some very bad burns, Dr Reynolds said he was sure it would. At the surgeon’s request, Dr Reynolds sprayed a small area at one corner of the infected area of full thickness skin loss. The following day, the surgeon called to say that overnight the infection had cleared up, the wound surface was no longer losing fluid and a graft would not be necessary. Two days later his burns had recovered so well that he was discharged to return to the Outpatient Department for dressing changes.

health
It would be fair to say that the wheatgrass spray saved this little boy’s life. Dr Reynolds will soon return to India to continue sharing his knowledge of wheatgrass healing with clinical staff at the hospital and reports that the surgeon is about to run a clinical trial using the wheatgrass spray for serious burns.
For more information on wheatgrass please visit the website at http://www.wheatgrass.co.nz.

New Zealand’s best value Pinot Noir?

Mission Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir 2012 (priced from just $14.99)
wins Gold at the International Wine Challenge.

A gold medal at the world’s most prestigious wine competition confirms what canny local Pinot Noir fans have known for a while – it’s possible to enjoy an exceptional New Zealand Pinot Noir for an exceptionally reasonable price.

Mission Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir 2012 retails from only $14.99 on special to $20.99, and has just been awarded gold at the International Wine Challenge, considered the Oscars of the wine world.  More than 12,000 wines were entered, providing a truly global benchmark.

“Pinot Noir is known as the ‘winemaker’s wine’, because it’s a challenging varietal to work with,” says Mission Estate winemaker Paul Mooney. “We relish the challenge though, and enjoy crafting great wines at an affordable price.  Winning such a significant award for this Pinot Noir is a great honour.”

The fruit was sourced from older vines on two vineyards, on Te Muna Road and the Dry River flats. “We waited until the very end of the season before picking, to make sure the fruit was really mature with concentrated flavours.”

The wine has a sweet floral bouquet of red cherries and wild berries. The palate is medium-bodied and carries an impression of sweet fruit and ripe silky tannins, with a rich long finish. Enjoy now, or cellar for 5 – 10 years.

2012 Mission Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir is widely available in supermarkets, RRP $20.99.

ENDS

Jade Hart     
09 360 4466     
021 346 667     
jade.hart@lilyandlouis.com  

Following reports today of a fire at FUJIFILM NZ LIMITED’s headquarters in Albany, Auckland, Sales & Marketing Manager Peter Bonisch has issued the following statement:

“The cause of the fire has been confirmed as an electrical fault. It was quickly put out by the sprinkler system and the firefighters who arrived shortly after the fire began. There is some smoke and water damage inside the building, but I’m pleased to say only minimal damage to our main operations. We’re already up and running again at full capacity, and customer service will not be affected. Our thanks to the fire brigade who responded so quickly.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Jacqui.ansin@lilyandlouis.com   

09 360 4466     

Justice Minister Judith Collins today opened a new multi-jurisdictional Customer Service Centre and marked the returning of full registry services to the District and High Courts in central Christchurch.

The new centre in Durham Street provides a one-stop-shop for the Ministry of Justice, and will manage face-to-face customer interactions with court customers and lawyers for the District Court and the High Court.

“Christchurch’s Customer Service Centre is another example of the justice sector working smarter and delivering better public services,” Ms Collins says.

“The centre will also be a stepping stone towards even more integrated services being delivered through the Justice and Emergency Services Precinct, a key anchor project for the Christchurch rebuild.”

Features of the new centre include:

• Modern, open plan floor layout between court customers, lawyers and Ministry of Justice staff.
• Greater utilisation of technology enabling faster access to information and resolution of enquiries reducing the need for the customers to revisit.
• A single point where customers can pay fees, fines and reparations.
• A convenient ‘drop-box’ for lawyers to use when dropping off information to the Registries.
• Private meeting rooms for staff to meet with customers including lawyers.

“The new Customer Service Centre follows excellent progress across the sector’s Better Public Services (BPS) results to December 2012, showing a 9 per cent reduction in total crime rate (down from 983 to 891 crimes per 10,000 people) and a 7 per cent reduction in violent crime (down from 109 to 102 crimes per 10,000 people).

“We are continually developing smarter ways to ensure access to justice. This Government is delivering better public services, and a safer New Zealand,” Ms Collins says.

BPS targets for the justice sector are to reduce the total recorded crime rate by 15 per cent, the recorded violent crime rate by 20 per cent, the youth crime rate by 5 per cent and the reoffending rate by 25 per cent by 2017.