Rotorua sleeping pods for homeless no longer being used
The maker of sleeping pods being used to house some of the homeless in Rotorua has said it is disheartening to see the project just tossed to the side. Julie King of Love Soup came up with the idea to use some of Tuff Roto-Moulders' pods - which are insulated, lockable and traditionally used for camping to create her Village of Hope. Rotorua has been grappling with a large homeless population in recent years, and the project's aim was to keep people safe through a community-based solution. Issues with council and land have forced an end to the project. Maker of the pods, Hilton McLachlan spoke to Lisa Owen.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

RNZ News
11 minutes ago
- RNZ News
'Wouldn't overblow it' - Education Minister on maths book errors
Erica Stanford says it is not unusual to have errors in books. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER The Education Minister has thanked "keen bean" students for picking up errors in Ministry of Education-funded maths resources. Eighteen errors were spotted and fixed in new maths resources, including incorrect sums, a wrong number labelled in te reo Māori, and incorrectly saying "triangles" instead of "rectangles" in an answer. In one case, an answer to a problem in a Year 4 workbook was listed as 1024, and had to be changed to the correct answer of 19,875. In another workbook, the number four in te reo Māori (whā) was incorrectly written as two (rua). Erica Stanford said she "wouldn't overblow it," as there was, on average, half a mistake per book. "Those little eagle-eyed, keen bean students around the country who are now doing an hour a day of mathematics, picked them up and we've fixed them," she said. Stanford said it was not unusual to have errors in books, and they may have been there for a while as they were existing resources. "You find it quite often in books, and it's not just these maths books, you'll find the odd error here and there." The errors were immediately changed online, and would be fixed in re-prints for next year's release. A Ministry of Education list of the errors that have been resolved in maths resources. Photo: Supplied A Ministry of Education list of the errors that have been resolved in maths resources. Photo: Supplied A Ministry of Education bulletin sent to school leaders said the ministry was aware of the errors. "Our resource providers regularly review their print and digital resources to correct any errors that have been reported, and to ensure accuracy," it said. The ministry asked schools to contact it if they found any errors, including typos. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

RNZ News
11 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Dog therapy service open to taking on St John volunteers
The president of a dog therapy organisation is open to working with St John volunteers whose services will soon be axed. As Checkpoint revealed last night, Hato Hone St John is plans to can its community programmes for hospital volunteers, community carers and pet therapy services. Vicky Graham is president of Canine Friends Pet Therapy, whose volunteers and their dogs visit rest homes and hospices, just as the St John volunteers do. Vicky Graham spoke to Lisa Owen. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.

RNZ News
41 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Orana Wildlife Park resumes taking in animals after six-month pause due to welfare allegations
A zebra foal with its mum at Orana Wildlife Park. (File photo) Photo: Supplied / Orana Wildlife Park Christchurch's Orana Wildlife Park will resume taking new animals following a six-month pause following a review prompted by whistleblowers' animal welfare concerns and allegations of a toxic culture. The Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) launched an independent investigation at the zoo in July last year, while the Orana Wildlife Trust Board asked agency Culture by Design to assess the park's workplace culture. The final report released in December suggested improvements to animal welfare processes , organisational systems, health and safety, asset management, and workplace culture. Orana Wildlife Park said it had met all the requirements set by the ZAA and the pause on incoming animal transfers had been lifted. Orana Wildlife Trust Board co-chairperson Emeritus Professor Ken Hughey said the outcome reflected the organisation's commitment to positive change. "This is a significant step forward. Our team has worked tirelessly to strengthen governance, systems, and processes. The ZAA review has been a catalyst for transformation, and we're proud of the progress made." Hughey said public support had been invaluable. "We want to thank the people of Canterbury and beyond for standing by us. Our team are motivated and remain deeply committed to delivering the highest standards of care to our animals, and as we look toward Orana Wildlife Park's 50th anniversary in 2026, we're focused on the future with confidence and purpose." "We're implementing a five-year vision called Future Focused, aimed at strengthening animal welfare practices, enhancing our organisational culture, and ensuring long-term sustainability. This includes the establishment of a new Animal Welfare Advisory Group to provide independent guidance and ensure ongoing best practice in animal care." The Orana Wildlife Trust Board released a summary of the investigations' outcomes and recommendations last year but declined to publicly release the reports in full, due to privacy reasons. Recommendations included a temporary pause on all incoming animal transfers and for the park to provide an animal welfare accreditation plan to the zoo association. The zoo would also establish a formal process for reporting and addressing animal welfare complaints and incidents, with clear protocols for measuring risk, handling, documenting and resolving matters of concern. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.