Latest news with #LocalDemocracyReporting
1News
19 hours ago
- 1News
Heartwarming community effort brings missing woman home safely
The family of a 75-year-old Samoan woman with dementia, who went missing after leaving her Glen Innes home alone earlier this week, says they are "eternally grateful" to the community for helping her return home safely. Her daughter, Rina Tuigamala Sua, said the experience showed the challenges Pacific families face when seeking help and hopes that the government will streamline the process for pensioners with dementia. Peta, only one name, recently moved to Glen Innes after living in West Auckland for decades. On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 7, she left her daughter's home without a phone, money, or any means of communicating her whereabouts. She boarded a bus headed across the city, unable to remember her new address or how to get back home. Sua, who lived in Samoa but was temporarily in Aotearoa New Zealand to care for her mother, said the experience was frightening and disorienting. "To be honest, a lot of mixed emotions, it was not only very scary, we felt lost and helpless because New Zealand is so big and we're from Samoa," she said. "Maybe a little embarrassed because I lost my mom under my watch… but dealing with dementia isn't easy." ADVERTISEMENT Peta, 75, was safely reunited with her family. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) Later that day, an act of kindness from a stranger triggers a chain of events leading to Peta being found safe. Will Flavell, deputy chair of the Henderson-Massey Local Board, noticed Peta struggling to communicate at a café in Henderson Mall earlier that afternoon. Recognising that something was wrong, he approached Peta and greeted her in Gagana Samoa. "I get up, approach her, greet her in Samoan and ask what she would like. After she orders, I sit with her," he said. Flavell, who has whakapapa connections to Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, and Ngāti Maniapoto, spoke with Peta for nearly half an hour. She shared about her life in West Auckland and mentioned that she had come to the mall because she was bored at home. "She is in good spirits, but she keeps repeating the same question every 45 seconds," Flavell said. Realising something was amiss, he offered to help her get home, but she insisted on taking the bus. Henderson-Massey Local Board deputy chair Will Flavell helped reunite the family with their missing mother, thanks to his ability to speak Gagana Sāmoa. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) ADVERTISEMENT Later that evening, Sua posted a plea on Facebook: "Hey, family and friends. My mom has wandered off from home in GI at 1.30ish this afternoon. Some of you don't know but my mom has dementia and she doesn't know our current address… She was last seen sitting at the bus stop on Taniwha Road on the route to go to the city." The post quickly spread across local pages. Within two hours, Flavell recognised her photo and contacted the family, sharing what Peta had told him, including her name and their meeting location. "When Will called, all my kids and family were circling the city streets. So once we got that call, we had high hopes and on top of that we managed to narrow down the area she's likely to be." Not long after, a taxi driver called to inform them that he had dropped Peta at Waitākere Hospital. The family found her sitting safely in the waiting area. "Will's call played a huge part in finding my mom," Sua said. "We're so grateful. I don't personally know Will, I'm from Samoa, but I spoke to him and I just want to thank him from the bottom of our hearts." Sua thanks the kindness shown by strangers. "Awww, on behalf of my family, I like to thank everyone that reached out via call, message and prayers... faafetai faafetai lava, may the Lord bless each and every one of yous tenfold." The woman boarded a bus in Glen Innes and travelled across the city alone. Photo/Auckland Council (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) ADVERTISEMENT She said the experience highlights how difficult it can be for Pacific families to get support, especially when caring for elders with dementia. 'Everyone tells me to get my mom a tracker, so I get one the next morning. But maybe the Government can ease up on the rules when it comes to our parents who are on the pension. 'Us Islanders want our parents and grandparents to enjoy their old age, especially when they're sick. Having so much red tape around their movements feels a bit unfair.' She calls for more compassionate, culturally aware systems that better support elders like her mother and reflect the needs of Pacific communities. Flavell said the experience also shows the need for frontline public transport and service staff to be more aware of the needs of vulnerable elderly passengers. "Even a simple 'Are you okay?' or 'Who are you travelling with?' can go a long way," he said. "It would be great to see bus drivers, transport staff or security at stations just taking that extra moment to check in with elderly passengers. That small act could prevent a family from going through what Rina's did." He said basic awareness training on dementia and elder vulnerability could make a real difference. He adds that language is also a powerful connector. ADVERTISEMENT "You never expect someone with dementia to travel across the city alone, but it happens," he said. "It would be good if staff just had prompts to ask gentle questions or check if someone's okay. "If someone knows your language, it just makes that connection more stronger and strongly connected to the person. "Speaking with her in Samoan... helped me realise... this is the outcome of learning Samoan and this is a benefit to that for me. It's not just for me. It's about how you serve the community." Flavell, who is not of Pacific descent, learned to speak Gagana Samoa through free community classes. He said he's grateful for the opportunity to learn the Samoan language. He said learning one's heritage language was extremely important. "Letting her know that I'm not Sāmoan... I think she was probably a little bit surprised." "Tāmaki Makaurau has the biggest Pasifika community in the world… When one knows their language and their identity, it just makes life so much better for them… Language can literally help save lives." ADVERTISEMENT LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
1News
a day ago
- Politics
- 1News
Former Green MP Elizabeth Kerekere runs for Māori Ward
Former Green Party MP Elizabeth Kerekere says she is excited at the potential opportunity to bring her government experience to a local level. Kerekere is campaigning to become a Māori ward district councillor in Gisborne's upcoming local elections. She said she could offer a "bridge to government", which no other candidate could bring, and wanted to "hear the voices of different people" that might not always get heard. Kerekere was elected to Parliament for the Green Party in 2020 but resigned to become an independent MP in 2023 after allegations of bullying. Speaking to Local Democracy Reporting, Kerekere said she refuted all of the claims. ADVERTISEMENT "Most people don't believe it because it wasn't true. "It is not an unusual thing for an MP to get kicked out of their party because of petty power struggles inside that party. "So that happened to me. I get on with life. I've got better things to do. And for me, running for council is one of those." Kerekere said her first experience with central governance was at age 19 on a government advisory group while studying at teachers' college in Dunedin. "Governance is something I have been in for decades." She wants to use this experience to help clarify the council's responsibilities to the public. "Here's the person in Parliament you need to speak to about this ... this infrastructure ... that's us," she said. ADVERTISEMENT "Council is not responsible for everything, but it definitely gets blamed for everything." After finishing her parliamentary term in October 2023, Kerekere reflected on what she wanted to do next. "What is the best way I can help my whānau? It's my tribal home. It's where I was born." Kerekere said she had always worked on a national scale, which meant domestic and global travel. However, she wanted to be more local. "My preference would have been to be local for most of the time, but that's where my work took me and my income was." As part of Ngāti Oneone, Kerekere had been doing overnight shifts with her wife at the hapū protest movement, called "a reclamation of whenua". Kerekere is an LGBTIQ activist and scholar. Her doctoral thesis (2017) was on takatāpui identity (Māori who identify with diverse genders and sexualities). ADVERTISEMENT After finishing her parliamentary term, she took a role as an adjunct professor for the School of Health at Victoria University, which allows her to live in Gisborne and fly to Wellington most months to lecture and conduct research. "Health has been my background for a very long time, particularly in violence [and] suicide prevention, [with a] focus on young people and takatāpui. Of course, Māori all the way across." Kerekere is also a sole trader for a business she set up almost 20 years ago, she said. "I'm an organiser, a project manager, a co-ordinator and a strategist, so people bring me in when they are trying to achieve something." When asked why electorates should support her, she said: 'If people want the status quo, don't bring me in. But if you want things to change, bring me in.' She is the founder/chairwoman of Tīwhanawhana Trust (2001), chairwoman of Kawe Mahara Queer Archives Aotearoa, and on the boards of Mana Tipua and ILGA Oceania – both LGBTIQ organisations. Understanding the difference between governance, management and operations was essential to a councillor's role, she said. ADVERTISEMENT "It's a particular skill set that means you've got to make those top decisions and then let it go and let other people put it in place, and sometimes that is difficult for people to do," Kerekere said. When asked if she was bringing a Green voice to the council, she said she would be a Māori voice, which is "inherently green in the sense of protecting Papatūānuku [the earth mother]". "So, in terms of council, then ... what's our wastewater? That's not sexy, but it directly feeds into the quality of our rivers and our beach." Kerekere said connecting the council with services that looked after young people and ensuring youths had a place to go, such as drop-in centres, would be a focus for her. 'We've got incredible agencies here that work with young people in different ways, particularly for our rangatahi [and] takatāpui/rainbow ... places where kids can just go because sometimes home is not the safest place.' She also wants to help bring back a form of youth council, designed by youth themselves to boost youth engagement with the council. "It shouldn't be old people deciding what young people need. Go and ask them, 'Is this the best way for you to have representation'?" ADVERTISEMENT Kerekere said it was her youth activism and doing these kinds of roles when she was young that was the basis for her "complete confidence" in youth and "what they can achieve if they're given the support they need". Kerekere was among 11 candidates standing for the five Māori ward seats. Local Democracy Reporting is local-body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
1News
2 days ago
- Politics
- 1News
Road works 'pointless' if bridge is underwater
A councillor is calling for a Bay of Plenty highway bridge to be raised and lengthened, in the wake of last week's flooding that closed the important route. The issues with Matekerepu Bridge turning into a "choke point" during flooding was discussed at an Ōpōtiki District Council meeting this week. Councillor Tom Brooks described the new Matekerepu roundabout as 'pointless' if traffic from Ōpōtiki couldn't get over the bridge less than 50 metres away. He said when the new roundabout was announced, he queried at an Eastern Bay Road Safety Joint Committee meeting why the bridge wasn't being replaced at the same time. The committee includes a representative from NZTA. 'I was told that there was no budget for that, and it was never considered.' He raised the issue a second time at a meeting of the joint committee last Friday after the bridge had been under water the previous day, cutting off traffic between Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne. ADVERTISEMENT He pointed out that there was no detour available when the bridge was closed. 'The nice new roundabout that is being built is superfluous if we can't get over the bridge,' he said. He described the bridge as a 'choke point' for traffic, not only from Ōpōtiki but from the entire East Coast, including Gisborne. He said he was sharing some thoughts with the secretary of the joint committee who would draft a letter to the Bay of Plenty Regional Transport Committee and the Minister of Transport about the importance of the bridge. He suggested other councillors put their concerns forward as well. He felt Gisborne District Council also needed to be made aware of the issue. 'Because that's one of the choke points for them if we're cut off with these storm events. The new Matekerepu roundabout is under construction, less than 50 metres from a bridge that becomes a choke point in flood conditions. Photo supplied The Matekerepu Bridge on State Highway 2 between Ōpōtiki and Wainui Road. (Source: Supplied/Karen Richardson) 'It affects the resilience of our town and up the coast.' He felt both Gisborne and Ōpōtiki should put pressure on the Government. ADVERTISEMENT 'If you're going to do something, let's do it once, and do it right. If that bridge was raised and had a bigger span, that water could go right under there.' Councillor Maxie Kemara agreed the bridge needed to be updated. He attended a pōwhiri at Roimata Marae at Kutarere earlier this year when the local hapū welcomed the contractors constructing the roundabout. "One of the NZTA staff got up and said it wasn't in the budget to update that bridge. They said there was a 20-year life expectancy left in that bridge.' Mayor David Moore said it was a good issue to raise with the Bay of Plenty Road Transport Committee. He made East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick aware of the issue last week when she visited the area. Local Democracy Reporting is local-body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The reason Lincolnshire water will be sent as far away as Essex
Water from Lincolnshire will be transported to drier parts of the country to keep the taps running over the next few decades. Anglian Water has shared how it plans to meet demand as drier weather and new environmental regulations take effect. A new reservoir could be built in the county, and work is underway on a pipeline over 200 miles long. The utility company says the county's extra water will be shared with other parts of its region, which stretches as far as Essex and Buckinghamshire. The government warned earlier this year: 'Rapid population growth, crumbling infrastructure that has been left to decline, and a warming climate mean the UK could run out of clean drinking water by the middle of the next decade without a major infrastructure overhaul.' READ MORE: The biggest housing plans in every corner of Lincolnshire READ MORE: Residents blast plans for huge poultry farm near Sleaford but applicant says site is 'exceptionally well suited' Under its Water Resources Management Plan, Anglian Water is looking at how to ensure water security until 2050. Its strategic pipe network will be used to transport water from wetter regions in the Midlands to southern areas that get less rain. A 205-mile pipeline is currently being constructed between North Lincolnshire and Essex. Anglian Water says the entire network will be completed by 2028, making it one of the country's biggest infrastructure projects. However, the company told the Local Democracy Reporting that Lincolnshire could still end up running short on water if nothing is done. Environment Agency targets to protect sensitive rivers mean less groundwater will be taken for the taps in future, and climate change could also lead to less rain. Two new reservoirs – one in Lincolnshire near Sleaford – are planned to deal with changes over the coming years. It would be able to supply 750,000 homes and has been fast-tracked by the government, with construction potentially starting in 2031 if approved. Anglian Water says it will be able to adapt if these infrastructure plans are delayed to ensure there isn't a shortage. This could mean delaying cuts in how much groundwater it takes or bringing other plans forward instead. It will also try to manage how much water is used, with its 25-year plan including smart metering, compulsory metering, water efficiency measures and further leakage reduction. Greater Lincolnshire Mayor Andrea Jenkyns weighed in on the issue at a recent event, saying 'We're got a real water shortage problem' and she wanted 'further discussion on the reservoir and where it should be.'
1News
6 days ago
- Business
- 1News
Tauranga paid parking would ‘kill all the businesses', meeting hears
Tauranga businesses have slated paid parking around the CBD, with one restaurant owner saying it would "kill all the businesses". The comments were made at a Downtown Tauranga meeting where businesses shared their concerns about parking with Tauranga City Council. About 25 CBD businesses attended Thursday night's meeting alongside council staff and councillors Rod Taylor, Glen Crowther and Kevin Schuler. Parking in the city has been a long-standing issue, with free parking trialled in the past. Paid on-street parking was meant to begin on August 4 in the city centre fringe between the eastern end of 4th Ave and Park St, north of the CBD. ADVERTISEMENT Fees would be $1 an hour for the first two hours and $2 for every hour after until 5pm, to a maximum of $10 on weekdays. New two-hour parking limits would also apply to some CBD-fringe streets as far south as 8th Ave. Council parking strategy manager Reece Wilkinson told the meeting paid fringe parking would be delayed a "week or two". This was while the council looked at options for permits that would exempt residents in the fringe streets from parking charges, he said. At a council meeting on July 14, councillors opted not to approve the staff recommendation of resident permits after a split vote and asked staff for more options. Around 25 businesses met to discuss their parking woes with Tauranga City Council staff and councillors (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) Business owners close to 'walking away' ADVERTISEMENT At Thursday's meeting, Satori Sushi and Sake Bar owner Lisa Wilson said after 13 years in downtown Mount Maunganui, she moved the restaurant to Tauranga two years ago and it had been a "struggle". Two weeks after Wilson moved to The Strand, the nearby carpark was closed to be transformed into a green space, she said. At least twice a week the restaurant would have no-shows because people couldn't find a convenient park, Wilson said. She wanted two hours' free parking for city centre shoppers and diners to entice people back to the city. A lot of their older customers didn't want to walk from the parking buildings because they were too far away, Wilson said. "I want them to be able to park right in the street and come into our businesses and not have to worry about moving their cars." Wilson said she understood the council needed parking revenue, but it was going to "kill all the businesses". ADVERTISEMENT They had been in business for 15 years and she was "this close to just closing the doors and walking away," she said. The Collection gallery and gift shop owner Margaret Crowley said she had been in the CBD for 11 years. The city used to be very busy but when paid parking came in the Mount Mainstreet got very busy and the city got quiet, she said. She wanted equity and fairness across the shopping areas and suggested the downtown Mount, Greerton and city all have paid parking but at cheaper rates than the current CBD rates. "So that we all bear the burden rather than the CBD, which is struggling the most, [and] which is [also] suffering a rebuild." Construction of the $306 million civic precinct Te Manawataki o Te Papa was under way and many other developments were being built. Councillor Glen Crowther said there were strong issues and feelings across Tauranga about parking. ADVERTISEMENT People from Greerton, the Mount and Pāpāmoa would not support paid parking in their areas, he said. There were tricky conversations to be had about equity, Crowther said. It was also "quite complex" because the council needed to raise $46m from parking for the civic precinct, he said. Crowley said if more people knew that, the parking charges might be more "palatable". Wanderlust NZ accommodation owner Sarah Meadows said Tauranga businesses shouldn't have to carry the burden of funding the precinct. They could take up to 110 guests but currently had nine, which was the worst it had ever been, she said. Other businesses wanted the parking to be free after 3pm as it had been previously and a better bus service with buses that ran later was also suggested. ADVERTISEMENT Taylor said "I feel your pain", because he had businesses in the city, so his workers had the same issues. The August 4 parking price changes were designed to increase parking turnover so customers could park outside businesses, he said. Wilkinson said the council was happy to look at data from other cities that had two hours' free parking. The buses were run by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, so he encouraged people to speak to them about their ideas. Speaking after the meeting, Liam Jackson – who lives in the CBD and manages a bar – said the delay of paid parking showed the council was listening. "It's really positive. They've [the council] realised that there are concerns from residents and businesses." Earlier this week, he told Local Democracy Reporting he wanted the charges paused until resident permits were sorted. ADVERTISEMENT Downtown Tauranga manager Genevieve Whitson said the council showed a "great willingness" to listen to the challenges businesses faced and agreed there were lessons from the meeting that need to be pursued with urgency. There were merits to bringing back free parking after 3pm, she said. Wilkinson said the councillors would consider a permit solution at the council meeting on August 5. The council would update the community after the meeting once there was clarity on when paid fringe parking would start and on any permits, he said. The off-street pricing changes and new time-restricted areas would still begin on August 4. - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
