Results -

FEI World Children's Jumping Challenge: Rebecca Porter (Hawke's Bay) Mr Bee Brown 1, Harry Duncan (Marton) Cheblinkers 2, Melanie Weal (Te Awamutu) Hopeful Illusion 3, Melanie Weal (Te Awamutu) Jazz Cheval 4, Emma Thurlow (Waverley) I'm Ollie 5, Shaun Fannin (Hawke's Bay) Bro Town 6.

Cathay Pacific horse grand prix: Robert Steele (Hawera) Gospel 1, Doug Isaacson (Dannevirke) Major Brown 2, Rachel McGregor (Auckland) Kabo Benny Boy 3, Philip Steiner (Tauranga) Annandale Daylight LS 4, Julie Davey (Hastings) Air Hill Myka 5, Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) Once a Warrior 6.

Toyota young rider: Gabrielle Harvey (Central Districts) Monavie Westella 1, Rachel McGregor (Auckland) Kabo Benny Boy 2, Chloe Akers (Palmerston North) Brother Brown 3, Emma Williams (Masterton) Cricklewood Ace 4, Danielle Maurer (Auckland) Blue Rinse 5, Carissa McGregor (Christchurch) Chatterton 6.

Cushionride seven year old: Kirsten McLeod (Gisborne) Kahurangi Valenza 1, Rachel McGregor (Auckland) Henton Exclusive 2, Sally Clark (Dannevirke) Woodbury 3, Tom Tarver Priebe (Kawerau) Pick Me NZPH 4, Daniel Webb (Hunterville) Abernaki Chief 5, Catherine Cameron (Cambridge) Campione GNZ 6.

FMG pony grand prix: Logan Massie (Dannevirke) Kickin the Clouds 1, Jake Lambert (Cambridge) Soul Sister 2, Emily Fraser (Takapau) Tony the Pony 3, Jake Lambert (Cambridge) Co Calico 4, Tinesha Carey (Hawke's Bay) High Hat 5, Henry Booth (Masterton) Woodmount Splash 6.

Hawke's Bay shearers scored a second successive cleansweep of the top three placings in major South Island competitions in dominating two open class finals at the 45th Southern Shears in Gore last night (saturday)

The big win went to Hastings-based Dion King in the Southern Shears open, in which four of the six finalists were from Hawke's Bay, despite the competition drawing the best field of the season in which the big prize, from next month's Golden Shears in Masterton and the New Zealand Championships in Te Kuiti in April, is selection in the New Zealand team for this year's World Championships in Wales. Cam Ferguson, of Waipawa, was runner-up, John Kirkpatrick, of Napier, third and Dannevirke shearer Adam Brausch was fifth. The South Island, without a win in the event since 1994, was represented by Invercargill shearer Nathan Stratford, who was fourth, and Winton shearer Darin Forde, sixth.

Press Release: Shearing Sports New Zealand

Celebrate and thank youthful volunteers in your community by nominating them for the TrustPower Tararua Youth Community Spirit Award.

The TrustPower Youth Community Spirit Award aims to recognise secondary school students’ service to the school and the community. The award is part of the existing TrustPower Community Awards programme and is jointly run by TrustPower and the Tararua District Council.

Nominations are now being accepted for the TrustPower Youth Community Spirit Award, which is open to all year 13 students at Tararua College and Dannevirke High School.

Each school is being asked to recommend one year 13 student for the Award, with students, teachers and school staff eligible to nominate a student for recommendation. The recommended students from the local High Schools will then speak to a judging panel consisting of representatives from the Tararua District Council, the community and TrustPower. That panel will then decide on the Award recipient.

To be considered for the TrustPower Youth Community Spirit Award students must have contributed widely as a student to their college/school; developed good relationships, treating others with respect and care; given service to school or community projects; and been a good ambassador for the college/school and the region.

Tararua Mayor Maureen Reynolds says that in Tararua there are many young people who contribute to their college and community.

“The TrustPower Tararua Youth Spirit Award is indeed a way of acknowledging their work on a district wide basis,” says Mayor Maureen.

The winner of the Award will receive a framed certificate and $500 prize money, with $250 going to the student personally and $250 being given to a community group or organisation of the student’s choice.

TrustPower Community Relations Representative Teresa Partridge says the Youth Spirit Award acknowledges the enormous role young people have in developing a spirit of compassion and selflessness in the community.

“Many young people are committed volunteers – be it within their sports clubs, music groups or community projects. The work these young people do positively enriches their community and this Award aims to recognise and celebrate that,” says Mrs Partridge.

The winner of the TrustPower Youth Community Spirit Award will be named in May 2010 with the Award presented at the TrustPower Community Awards, being held on Monday 10 May.

For more than five years the TrustPower Tararua District Community Awards have recognised voluntary groups and organisations in the Tararua district.

Press Release: TrustPower

Dannevirke's hulking Viking has been stopped in his tracks by lack of booty.

With little money raised, and trusts tightening their belts, the proposed 10-metre-high statue may be years away.

The project, which started seven years ago, aimed to produce a 20-tonne statue, built with glass-reinforced concrete, laced with copper, stainless steel and bronze.

Dannevirke Promotion Society chairman Malcolm Peffers said that, even with resource consent secured, there was little the society could do to make the statue a reality.

"Because of climatic economic conditions it has been really difficult to try to extract money from anybody, so we decided to put it on hold for a year. It doesn't mean that the project has run out of puff but the bottom line is, no money, no statue."

Several trusts that rejected funding applications last year have offered a glimmer of hope, suggesting the society reapply this year. But the costs were escalating in the face of tough economic times and rising prices, Mr Peffers said.

The original estimate was for $180,000, but now the work, by Wellington sculptor Denis Hall, will not happen until organisers have at least $300,000.

"We have raised $15,000 so far and that was mainly from locals after all the hoo-ha about whether a Viking was appropriate. We have fought very hard to convince people that the icon is not inappropriate so there is no way we are giving up on seeing the project really happen."

Opponents who initially tried to scuttle the society's resource consent bid said portraying a warrior race renowned for pillaging, looting and carrying off women would be culturally insensitive and distort the town's history.

The society hopes to restart fundraising efforts this year.
By The Dominion Post

Contact Energy is renewing its fight to build a $550 million wind farm near Dannevirke.

After being declined consent last year, the company is now fighting for approval through the Environment Court.

In the first round of mediation late last year Contact Energy came up with a new plan to transport its building equipment, one of the many issues that angered residents.

The company is now seeking approval for a change of its original application.

Residents in the Waitahora Valley, where the wind farm is proposed, say they will continue to fight any development.

Consent for the planned 65-turbine wind farm on the Puketoi Range, about 10 kilometres northwest of Dannevirke, was rejected last April after a nine-day hearing. The planned 150-metre-high wind turbines, the biggest in New Zealand, would be capable of generating power to 86,000 homes.

Planning commissioners ruled there were "plainly potential adverse effects of some significance, which are not fully understood".

Contact Energy spokesman Jonathon Hill said the site was too valuable to let it go easily. "This is a world-class wind farm site and Contact Energy wants to invest there. It is a significant investment."

Opponent Tania Simmons said the company was facing an uphill battle. "We are going through the mediation process as directed by the Environment Court but, at the end of the day, we don't want a wind farm in our patch. These power companies can twist and turn their way through arguments and have the money to make it hard on us, but we will not give in."

Meanwhile, a resource consent hearing for an alternative access road to the proposed Waitahora Wind Farm will be heard, possibly next month.

Opponents have voiced concerns about the effect of 58 truck movements a day along the Waitahora and Waitahora Valley roads.

The Dominion Post

Tararua residents are being urged to support the dedication of their local voluntary groups by nominating them for the TrustPower Tararua District Community Awards.

Nominations for the TrustPower Tararua District Community Awards opened Tuesday 26 January.

The Awards, which are run in conjunction with the Tararua District Council, are open to all voluntary groups and organisations working to make Tararua a better place to live.

Tararua Mayor Maureen Reynolds says the Community Awards are an opportunity for people in the Tararua community to nominate their volunteer groups and organisations for this prestigious Award.

“We are so lucky to have many volunteers striving to make Tararua the great place it is. These volunteers work extremely hard and give up much of their personal time, therefore a nomination to the Trust Power Awards is a great way to say ‘thank you’,” says Mayor Maureen.

TrustPower Community Relations Representative Teresa Partridge believes that everyone in the Tararua community will know of a deserving voluntary organisation that makes an outstanding contribution to this community.
“Volunteers are the wheels that keep this community moving, we need to make sure they know their efforts are appreciated.

“Taking a moment to nominate these groups for the TrustPower Community Awards takes so little effort and time, but will provide a huge boost for the volunteers you are recognising,” says Mrs Partridge.

Anyone can nominate a voluntary group for the Awards – groups can even nominate themselves. Last year 52 nominations were received for the TrustPower Tararua District Community Awards.

Since the TrustPower Tararua District Community Awards began in 2004, more than $31,000 has been given away to deserving voluntary groups and organisations, this year a further $5,250 is up for grabs.

The awards cover five categories; Heritage and Environment, Health and Wellbeing, Arts and Culture, Sport and Leisure, and Educational and Child/Youth Development. Category winners receive $500, runners-up receive $250 and the Supreme Winner will take home $1,500 and an all-expenses paid trip to the TrustPower National Community Awards.

Nomination Forms for the TrustPower Community Awards are available from the Council offices or service centre or can also be downloaded from www.trustpower.co.nz/communityawards . Nomination forms can also be received by texting the word ‘trust’ to 244, or you can call TrustPower Community Relations on 0800 87 11 11.

Nominations close on Thursday 1 April.
Press Release: TrustPower

Rural Women New Zealand is calling on the Government to re-think its $300 million Rural Broadband Initiative, in a white paper released today.

“The current proposal is unfair as around half of rural households will have access to ultra-fast broadband, while the other half will remain stranded on dial-up internet, or have to pay for expensive wireless or satellite connections,” says RWNZ telecommunications spokesperson, Jacky Stafford. 

Rural Women New Zealand says the $300 million rural broadband funding is a precious resource and must be spent wisely. 

“The Government must avoid costly duplication of the existing copper network that can deliver acceptable broadband at a much lower cost than the planned fibre-based alternatives,” says Ms Stafford.

In line with overseas approaches, Rural Women New Zealand’s white paper recommends the Government’s first priority must be 100 percent basic broadband coverage for rural at city prices, before spending money on delivering ultra-fast broadband to rural schools and those fortunate households which happen to share the same phone cabinets.

“We shouldn’t be gold-plating existing broadband services for some, while leaving the rest stranded.  Equal access for all rural households and farms should be the primary goal.”

Rural Women New Zealand says approximately 100,000 rural households missed out when some rural phone cabinets had broadband installed as part of the schools-based Project PROBE in 2003/04, and the situation is unlikely to improve under the new Rural Broadband Initiative.

For this ‘stranded half’, satellite and wireless broadband have been the main alternatives, but price has proven to be a real barrier, resulting in only 13 percent broadband uptake.

“This is third-world standard, and not acceptable in our internet-based society,” says Ms Stafford.

This compares with 52 percent broadband uptake for the ‘fortunate half’ of rural households which are connected to broadband-enabled phone cabinets, giving them access to city-priced deals. 

Rural Women New Zealand is also recommending subsidising satellite and wireless companies so they can offer city-priced broadband for the last 10-15% of rural households for whom these are the only long-term solutions, along the lines of the Australian Broadband Guarantee scheme.

Rural Women New Zealand says there has been no significant consultation with the stranded 100,000 households, and little sign of any detailed analysis of overseas approaches to the problem.

“Without a universal service focus a large proportion of rural households will continue to struggle without affordable broadband access and will be a political thorn-in-the-side indefinitely.  We urge the Government to take another look at this important issue,” says Ms Stafford

Press Release
Rural Women

Today Olaf is being returned back  to Norsewood.

Roger Montgommery came back from work last night and had a crash with something solid wood on the middle of the road. That was Olaf being put in the middle of the road by some one , he couldn't avoid Olaf, Roger's car is damaged .

Olaf is broken in several pieces ,his head is off, arm broken and still some pieces are missing.

Also there were traces of spaghetti on him.
Who ever done this , is pretty dumb, and not thinking of the risk with traffic when someone hit Olaf.

Why not just put Olaf back in the grass on the side of the road.
  
All this is reported to the Norsewood police and will have a follow up.
 
Thanks to all the publicity from newspapers, radio and even Good morning TV. this scared the robbers and made them decide to bring Olaf back.
 
Thanks everybody for your support.

Ella
Norsewood Promotions
 

A new Roundabout is planned for the intersection of Denmark Street and Miller Street Dannevirke. This will look similar to the existing roundabouts on Queen Street.

 It wants to lift the driving age from 15 to either 16 or 17 and extend the compulsory duration of learner licences to a year. 
 Transport Minister Steven Joyce said yesterday that young drivers aged 15 to 24 were "seriously over-represented" in crash statistics and the road toll. Young people make up 16 per cent of licensed drivers but are responsible for 37 per cent of serious injury crashes.

Mr Joyce said the Government could not ignore the statistics. "There are too many young people dying on our roads."

He wants to put proposals before the Cabinet early next year.

It will be trialled for six months to see if it improves traffic safety, and forms part of the heavy traffic diversion asked for in the Long Term Plan. The roundabout will replace the stop controls on Miller Street, which some drivers have ignored leading to crashes.

 The roundabout will have a mountable kerb block ring with a concrete centre to allow any larger vehicles to drive over the centre if they need a larger turning circle. As all entrances to the roundabout will be giveway controlled, drivers are reminded to give way to all traffic to the right, and to traffic already on the roundabout.

 Some drainage work, as well as kerbing and footpath design, at the intersection will be altered slightly but this should not impede the flow of pedestrian traffic. In fact, pedestrian traffic will benefit from the design, making it easier and safer to cross at the intersection.

 As part of the public consultation process Tararua District Council Engineering Services welcomes any feedback on the proposed roundabout, as well as any concerns the public may have.
 Taraua District Council

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