Latest news with #NorthCanterbury
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Orange ballot boxes to be placed around Canterbury district to make postal voting easier
Voting papers from any neighbouring district would be accepted in Waimakariri ballot boxes. Photo: NZ ELECTORAL COMMISSION Orange ballot boxes are expected to pop up around North Canterbury later this year. Waimakariri District Council deputy electoral officer Sarah Nichols said orange ballot boxes would be deployed around the district in September and October to make it easier for people to vote in this year's local government elections . ''We are still finalising the locations, but we are intending to have more than we did last time. ''With less post boxes around, we want to make sure people are able to have their say.'' She said voting papers from any neighbouring district would be accepted in Waimakariri ballot boxes ''as they all end up in the same place''. Christchurch-based runs the elections for several councils around the country, including the Waimakariri, Hurunui and Kaikōura districts. Nominations open on Friday July 4, with 35 positions up for grabs in Waimakariri - including mayor, 10 councillors and 24 community board members. In Hurunui, nominations will be accepted for mayor, 10 councillors and community board members in Hanmer Springs, south ward (including Amberley) and the Cheviot Licensing Trust. Nominations will also be accepted for two councillors in Environment Canterbury's North Canterbury constituency. Nichols said there were more than 80 candidates in the Waimakariri district in 2022, with contests required for all positions. ''It will be interesting how many come forward. We are certainly encouraging people from all walks of life and ages to stand for their community.'' She said she hoped recent publicity about online abuse of female politicians would not deter too many people from standing. ''It is certainly a factor for people to consider. Abuse can range from texts or emails, it can be keyboard warriors and in-person and none of it is acceptable behaviour. ''We hope it is a clean campaign with issues being debated, rather than personal traits.'' Nichols said there had not been too many issues with candidate nominations not complying with the rules in the past. Candidates need to submit a passport sized photo with their 150 word profile. The photo need to be of your head and shoulders, with no sunglasses, no hat and not accompanied by whānau, pets, friends or kissing a baby. Candidates must be a New Zealand citizen. You do not need to reside in the district(s) you choose to stand in - but your two nominees do. If you or your partner hold a contract of more than $25,000 for your local council you cannot stand, unless you have prior approval from the Auditor-General. Nominations close at 12pm on Friday August 1, and no late nominations are accepted. Once nominations close, you were on the ballot paper, Nichols said. Voting papers are posted out from September 9, with voting closing at 12pm on Saturday October 11. A telephone dictation service is available from the Electoral Commission to assist those who are unable to read the voting papers. In the event a candidate passes away after nominations close, as in the Port Waikato electorate in the 2023 general election, a by-election will need to be held. - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
24-05-2025
- RNZ News
Principal speaks out against keyboard warriors after alleged assault
Oxford Area School principal Mike Hart. Photo: David Hill / North Canterbury News All schools grapple with ''challenging student behaviour'' and it is not helped by social media outbursts, a North Canterbury principal says. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said he felt for his colleagues, when critics took to social media following an incident this week at Oxford Area School. A student was taken to Christchurch Hospital with injuries, after being reportedly assaulted by another Oxford Area School student on Wednesday. Challenging behaviour happened in all schools and most followed restorative processes when addressing the behaviour, Kearney said. ''Kids do dumb things and our role is to teach them the consequences of their actions,'' he said. ''We try to hold young people to account for their actions in a kind and positive way, but social media isn't interested in that.'' He said people should not assume every ''unpleasant incident is bullying''. ''Bullying is ongoing emotional abuse, and it happens everywhere and not just in schools. It happens in the workplace, in the home, out in the community and online.'' While some social media critics wanted schools to return to corporal punishment, Kearney said that was not the answer. ''It is teaching a student, 'I'm going to hit you, because you hit someone else'.'' Rangiora High School presiding board member Simon Green and principal Bruce Kearney. Photo: LDR / David Hill Like politicians, Kearney said school principals were often targets of online abuse, including death threats. Rangiora High School was one of several schools to participate in the recent Pink Shirt Day. Oxford Area School board of trustees presiding member Aaron Campbell referred enquiries about the incident at OAS to principal Mike Hart. In a statement, Hart said the school was following its procedures to work through the incident. He asked the community to contact the school, if they with any concerns or questions. ''Our thoughts and heartfelt support are with the student and their whānau during this time. ''We know this may be unsettling, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing of all involved.'' Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said schools had always grappled with ''challenging student behaviour'', which was an emotive topic. He said the board worked with school leadership to ensure bullying was addressed promptly and constructively, with ''a focus on restoring relationships and building a culture of respect and accountability''. A Ministry of Education spokesperson said staff had been in contact with Oxford Area School and were confident school staff were following appropriate procedures. Oxford Area School has students from years 1-13. Local Democracy Reporting noted several Oxford Facebook pages had blocked comments on the incident. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
The North Canterbury Hunting Competition Is No Conservation Effort — It's Cruelty Disguised
Article – Animal Justice Party If we were truly serious about protecting Aotearoas natural world, we would be confronting industrial farming, land degradation, climate pollution not scapegoating vulnerable animals because it's easier. The North Canterbury hunt is a competition that kills many animals. While public outrage rightly focuses on the inclusion of a cat-killing category in the North Canterbury Hunting Competition, we must not lose sight of the broader reality – this event inflicts immense suffering on many animals — and worse, it hides behind the false banner of 'conservation.' Let's be clear about the cat issue first. The competition's method of trapping cats and the incentivised killer making the judgment about whether they are 'feral' or 'companion' is deeply flawed. A trapped, terrified animal, whether companion or feral, behaves similarly when panicked. Without mandatory microchipping, accurate identification is impossible and therefore illegal when killing cats that aren't feral. The 'conservation' excuse used also lacks any real scientific credibility. Habitat loss, not cats, is the primary driver of native species decline. Studies show that culling can actually worsen ecological problems by triggering higher breeding and hunting rates among survivors. Organisers provide no local evidence to back their claims about cats harming the native bird population and their own website reveals the real motives – cats are included not based on scientific need, but because the controversy helped drive sponsorships, media coverage and turnout. This is about publicity, not conservation. Worse still, involving children in this violent event is very disturbing. Teaching young people to kill is normalising cruelty and dulling empathy — something consistently linked in research to higher risks of future interpersonal violence. A simple glance at Google Maps shows that Rotherham isn't surrounded by pristine wilderness, it's dominated by farmland. And here lies the real question: who is the pest? Compared to the massive, ongoing environmental destruction caused by agriculture, especially intensive dairying, the impact of wild animals like deer, pigs, possums, geese, rabbits, or feral cats is almost negligible. Are these animals seen as 'pests' simply because they are inconvenient for farmers? And if so, why are we allowing that narrative to hijack the language of conservation? New Zealand has long been trapped in a warlike mentality toward so-called 'pest' species. Predator Free 2050 is framed as a noble mission, but at its heart lies violence and mass killing, not care or restoration. We use military language 'invaders,' 'eradication,' 'weapons,' — to justify the widespread slaughter of animals who were, ironically, only here because of human colonisation. As Samah Seger and Philip McKibbin powerfully describe in War on Pests, 'So-called 'pests' are animals, like dogs and humans: they are sentient, they have interests, and they maintain relationships. And they are among the most mistreated animals in the world — especially those who live here in Aotearoa.' We demonise and destroy these animals while ignoring far greater harm: The real environmental destruction is not caused by possums, rabbits, or feral cats. It is caused by us. If we were truly serious about protecting Aotearoa's natural world, we would be confronting industrial farming, land degradation, climate pollution — not scapegoating vulnerable animals because it's easier. There are humane, sustainable alternatives to the violence we too often accept such as investing in widespread desexing initiatives, supporting Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs, rewilding degraded farmland, reducing our reliance on animal agriculture and restoring native plant species that nurture native wildlife, just to name a few. Knowing this competition has started makes my heart hurt for the many animals that will suffer and die. We tell ourselves that the death of these animals is quick, that they don't suffer. But the truth is much darker. I've seen the bodies of the animals killed in this event. I've witnessed the brutality of it. And I've experienced extreme harassment from the organisers and attendees, even though I remained peaceful in my stance. Their attitude spoke volumes, a culture of cruelty masked as 'sport,' where empathy is an afterthought and violence is rewarded. Killing animals is never acceptable, under any circumstances. The cruelty is compounded when it is disguised – when lies and myths are used to justify it, and people are encouraged to believe it serves a noble cause. Killing animals for the sake of a competition devalues life, reduces sentient beings to mere prizes, and breeds a culture of cruelty where empathy is replaced by the thrill of violence. This is cruelty… for the animals, for the children and even harms those participating. And it needs to end.
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Scoop
The North Canterbury Hunting Competition Is No Conservation Effort — It's Cruelty Disguised
The North Canterbury hunt is a competition that kills many animals. While public outrage rightly focuses on the inclusion of a cat-killing category in the North Canterbury Hunting Competition, we must not lose sight of the broader reality - this event inflicts immense suffering on many animals — and worse, it hides behind the false banner of "conservation." Let's be clear about the cat issue first. The competition's method of trapping cats and the incentivised killer making the judgment about whether they are "feral" or "companion" is deeply flawed. A trapped, terrified animal, whether companion or feral, behaves similarly when panicked. Without mandatory microchipping, accurate identification is impossible and therefore illegal when killing cats that aren't feral. The "conservation" excuse used also lacks any real scientific credibility. Habitat loss, not cats, is the primary driver of native species decline. Studies show that culling can actually worsen ecological problems by triggering higher breeding and hunting rates among survivors. Organisers provide no local evidence to back their claims about cats harming the native bird population and their own website reveals the real motives - cats are included not based on scientific need, but because the controversy helped drive sponsorships, media coverage and turnout. This is about publicity, not conservation. Worse still, involving children in this violent event is very disturbing. Teaching young people to kill is normalising cruelty and dulling empathy — something consistently linked in research to higher risks of future interpersonal violence. A simple glance at Google Maps shows that Rotherham isn't surrounded by pristine wilderness, it's dominated by farmland. And here lies the real question: who is the pest? Compared to the massive, ongoing environmental destruction caused by agriculture, especially intensive dairying, the impact of wild animals like deer, pigs, possums, geese, rabbits, or feral cats is almost negligible. Are these animals seen as "pests" simply because they are inconvenient for farmers? And if so, why are we allowing that narrative to hijack the language of conservation? New Zealand has long been trapped in a warlike mentality toward so-called "pest" species. Predator Free 2050 is framed as a noble mission, but at its heart lies violence and mass killing, not care or restoration. We use military language 'invaders,' 'eradication,' 'weapons,' — to justify the widespread slaughter of animals who were, ironically, only here because of human colonisation. As Samah Seger and Philip McKibbin powerfully describe in War on Pests, 'So-called 'pests' are animals, like dogs and humans: they are sentient, they have interests, and they maintain relationships. And they are among the most mistreated animals in the world — especially those who live here in Aotearoa.' We demonise and destroy these animals while ignoring far greater harm: The real environmental destruction is not caused by possums, rabbits, or feral cats. It is caused by us. If we were truly serious about protecting Aotearoa's natural world, we would be confronting industrial farming, land degradation, climate pollution — not scapegoating vulnerable animals because it's easier. There are humane, sustainable alternatives to the violence we too often accept such as investing in widespread desexing initiatives, supporting Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs, rewilding degraded farmland, reducing our reliance on animal agriculture and restoring native plant species that nurture native wildlife, just to name a few. Knowing this competition has started makes my heart hurt for the many animals that will suffer and die. We tell ourselves that the death of these animals is quick, that they don't suffer. But the truth is much darker. I've seen the bodies of the animals killed in this event. I've witnessed the brutality of it. And I've experienced extreme harassment from the organisers and attendees, even though I remained peaceful in my stance. Their attitude spoke volumes, a culture of cruelty masked as "sport," where empathy is an afterthought and violence is rewarded. Killing animals is never acceptable, under any circumstances. The cruelty is compounded when it is disguised - when lies and myths are used to justify it, and people are encouraged to believe it serves a noble cause. Killing animals for the sake of a competition devalues life, reduces sentient beings to mere prizes, and breeds a culture of cruelty where empathy is replaced by the thrill of violence. This is cruelty… for the animals, for the children and even harms those participating. And it needs to end.
Otago Daily Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Roses add bright note to cooler temperatures
As I write this there is more and more that sense of things turning autumnal. The nights draw in ever more quickly, the mornings herald lawns wet with dew and temperatures have begun their slow nose dive towards winter. But there is hope, with today's collection of rose to brighten your mood. Around the country the new vintage crop of rose will all be picked and safely in the tank awaiting bottling, with the first of the 2025 wines perhaps only two to three months away from hitting the shelves. An early bellwether for what this harvest holds in store for us. For now though we can continue to enjoy the 2024s and the occasional '23. 2024 Emma by Trinity Hill Hawke's Bay RosePrice $34.99 Rating Excellent Hints of smoke, strawberry, watermelon, an earthy touch. Changes and evolves in the mouth with every sip, dried strawberry, a tangy hard candy side, savoury aspects, a little herb backdrop, softening and rounding out on the close. Nicely integrated, typically medium-weight, hits some different buttons. A wee touch of fruit sherbet now, deceptive carry, elegant. 2024 Main Divide North Canterbury RosePrice RRP $21.90 Rating Very Good to Excellent Bold nose, musky perfume, sweeter fruits on offer. Cherry ripe, boiled sweets, a basket of summer berries, like the nose this is quite bold and also bigger boned. There's a zesty undercurrent that keeps this fresh, balancing the rich creaminess. A wee touch of spritz on the palate now, generosity, heaps of user appeal in a glass. 2024 Penkridge Farm Central Otago Pinot Noir RosePrice RRP $32 Rating Excellent A finer expression, perfumed florality, stone fruits, quite elegant. The palate is more about red fruits, a fruit jelly note akin to Turkish delight dusted with icing sugar. Brimming with flavour, fruit sweetness balanced by good acidity that all gives a sense of balance and freshness. With air, a little touch of chewy grip appears on the close, adding texture. 2023 Trinity Hill Hawke's Bay RosePrice RRP $20 Rating Very Good to Excellent Pale onion skin colour that stands out in a lineup. Subtle but attractive nose with watermelon nuances. Hard candy on the palate, a tangy quality, with a little tannic grip; there's refreshing tartness on the close that would work very well with food. Nose expands to offer fruit sherbet and fruit jelly notes. Not hugely complex but actually very nice drinkability. 2024 Jules Taylor The Jules RosePrice RRP $26 Rating Very Good to Excellent Perfume, fruit sherbet notes, nectarine, stone fruits, berry fruits too. Nice volume to the nose. Continues those characters on the palate, adding dried strawberry to the mix; good flavour intensity and generosity that makes this eminently drinkable. The warm glow of the summer sun on the close, with the fruit to the fore on the finish. 2024 Quartz Reef Central Otago Pinot RosePrice RRP $36.50 Price Excellent A sense of volume apparent, perfume, the fruit woven through with savoury elements. Balance, integration the key here, adding some fruit jelly characters. A lively crunchiness to the texture that is rather engaging, displaying its structural backbone now. The close is long and appealingly dry; I suspect equally at home by itself or accompanying food.
