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Last updated
March 9th, 2010
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Home > Current News Articles |
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links below to news items on the Helensville area and its
future development. Most articles appear courtesy Helensville News.
2010 Articles
(March 6th, '10)
(March 6th, '10)
(February 2nd, '10)
(February 2nd, '10)
(February 2nd, '10)
(February 2nd, '10)
 Click
here for archived stories from:
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Local plans afoot for Rugby World Cup (March 6th '10)
Planning is underway for a series of
events and activities which will attract
visitors to Helensville during the Rugby
World Cup in 2011.
A committee has been established to
coordinate the activities which will focus on
the annual Helensville Heritage Day to be
held in October.
The day will extend to a major evening
function with the quarter-final games
shown on a giant video screen and plenty
of food and entertainment. A venue has
yet to be finalised however the Helensville
War Memorial Hall, is a top contender
because it is one of the few locations not
affected by possible bad weather.
A major goal of the committee is to
attract visitors to the area who are in need
of accommodation. It is already
anticipated some Rugby World Cup
(RWC) spectators will have to stay in
Hamilton and Rotorua and be flown or
bussed to Auckland for the Cup final. This
shortage of central accommodation puts
Helensville in an ideal location to cater for
overflow accommodation. Chrissy Jones of Frech Orchards
Estate at Shelly Beach is compiling a list of
locals who would like to have paying
guests in their homes during the
tournament period and those who have
other accommodation available.
The committee, which is affiliated to
the Rodney District Council World Cup
committee was instigated by the
. It is
chaired by Alan Hargreaves, with Sarah
Legg as deputy and Sherryl Walker as
secretary. Other members are: Richard
Kidd (representing the ), Rick Croft (), Chrissy Jones, Gary Dunn
(Helensville Business Association), Terry
Somers and Dave Fergusson (Richies
Buses).
The RWC is a golden opportunity for
the business community in Helensville,
according to chairman of the committee,
Alan Hargreaves. In addition to involving
businesses, the committee is keen to
engage with rugby clubs, schools and
other organisations to ensure a cross section of the community is involved, he
says.
Representatives from the Heritage
Day committee and Dave Addison from
, who runs the which will help promote the
events, are also liaising with the group.
A special section will be set up on the
website to point RWC tourists to local
accommodation and the range of events
and attractions that will be on offer. The
information will be online soon at
, or
accessible from the site's homepage.
The committee would like to hear from
anyone with ideas for other events during
the month-long RWC tournament. Contact
Alan Hargreaves, ph 420 2063. If you have
a spare room, granny flat or any other form
of available accommodation contact
Chrissy Jones, ph 420 2010.
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Kaukapakapa to get one-week bus trial (March 6th '10)
Kaukapakapa residents are one
step closer to a permanent bus service.
A trial service from Kaukapakapa,
along Kahikatea Flat Road is scheduled
to run for one week from Monday, March
15 to Friday, March 19.
Positive feedback from an online
survey initiated by the Kaukapakapa
Area Residents and Ratepayers
Association (KARRA) earlier this year
has prompted the trial and will
determine the extent of the proposed
bus service and its destination.
Three operators have expressed
interest in transporting passengers from
Kaukapakapa to Silverdale with a return
trip at the end of the day. Vehicle options
allow up to 40 people to be transported.
Routes to Albany and the Auckland CBD
are also being explored.
The online survey was initiated to
allow KARRA to gauge public interest in
a permanent bus service and predict
realistic passenger numbers. KARRA
have requested people book seats for
the trial service.
KARRA representative, Pip
McAlwee says the survey results were
extremely positive and that a service
was long overdue.
“Catching buses is a mindset and
once you get used to it, it's really easy;
the route is fixed and you can work on
them.”
The latest census showed the
catchment areas for the proposed bus
service had population growth of more
than 50 percent from 2001-2006. That rate of growth in the area has continued,
if not accelerated.
Most survey respondents indicated
they worked on the Hibiscus Coast,
North Shore or in the Auckland CBD and
commuted along Kahikatea Flat Rd
(average daily traffic figure of 5,500 as
at October 2009) to the motorway
onramp at Silverdale. Some commute to
the Auckland CBD from Tauhoa and
Ahuroa.
Ritchie's bus company already
transports around 300-400 students
each day to North Shore schools along
Kahikatea Flat Rd, and there are
hundreds more who travel on other
school buses to Orewa, Kingsway and
Wentworth Colleges.
Details of the bus service have yet to
be finalised, however the trial was likely
to include a bus leaving between 7am
and 7.15am from Kaukapakapa Hall. If
the service concludes at Silverdale
passengers could transfer to several
buses at 7.40am bound for the CBD, the
North Shore,Albany and Orewa.
A return journey is likely about 6pm
which would allow commuters to reach
Silverdale, including students from
North Shore schools participating in
after school activities.
The survey also identified interest in
carpooling and a bus service for
shoppers. Rodney District Council has
been operating an online carpool
scheme called 'Take a Mate' since 2007.
A major project signalled in the draft
Regional Land Transport Strategy is the
extension of the Northern Busway to
Silverdale, with two new bus stations to
be built at Redvale and Silverdale. The
busway is being designed to allow for a
light rail service in the future.
If the bus trial is successful, KARRA
expects the operator to continue the run
as a permanent service.
The majority of bus services in the
region are subsidised and KARRA is
lobbying to get funding assistance for
the Kaukapakapa to Silverdale run.
Without a subsidy the fare would be no
more than $5.
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New Zealand's Got Talent star at A&P Show (February 2nd '10)
Popular finalist of television show 'New
Zealand's Got Talent', Chelsea Marriner
will feature at this year's .
Chelsea (18) and her border collies will
entertain and delight visitors with the tricks
and stunts which rocketed her to fame
during last year's televised talent show, on
which she featured with Quest.
Since then, Chelsea and her dogs
have travelled the country performing at
agricultural shows. It has become her
hobby and income.
Audiences will get to see the whole
team of dogs - Bree, Quest, Flash, Ike, Spy
and Shift. The newest member Cloud, who
was a Scottish farm dog and is currently in
training.
“The dogs love to show off their tricks,
and people are often amazed at the focus
and enthusiasm they put into their
performances,” says Chelsea.
The dogs are regular competitors at
agility, flygility and canine freestyle events
around New Zealand. Chelsea has been
competing in agility events for the past 11
years. Bree, is the country's first and only
dual agility and flygility 'Grand' Champion.
The 'Grand' category requires more than 20 placings in competitive events and Bree
has about 60. Quest and Flash are also
Dual Champions with placings in more
than six events.
Chelsea is from Rotorua and has had
dogs since she was two and a half years
old. She performed her first shows at
school sports days when she was eight.
Now she spends all day exercising,
grooming, feeding and teaching the dogs
new tricks. It takes patience and
perseverance but the breed is naturally
hyperactive and they pick things up
quickly, she says.
“I teach them in a fun way, which
means they enjoy it, however sometimes
they enjoy it too much and go off course! Border Collies are working farm dogs
so they need an incredible amount of
exercise and discipline to be well behaved
but they are so willing to please it makes
them fun dogs to work with and train.
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Big list of events set for A&P Show (February 2nd '10)
The 108th annual is on Saturday, February 27. It’s the
largest event on the town’s calendar.
A major reorganisation of the grounds
last year proved very successful, so the
show’s layout will be pretty much
unchanged again this year, apart from a
few minor tweaks to the layout of some of
the horse rings.
One of this year’s highlights is bound to
be Chelsea and her Star Dogs. Chelsea
was one of the most popular competitors
on the recent television series, ‘New
Zealand’s GotTalent’.
Also new this year will be a
performance by Kahurangi Ki Kaipara
kapahaka, who are raising funds to visit an
international folk festival in Finland in June.
And also making a first appearance will
be a kiwi lumberjack show, featuring
among other things log-rolling in a big pool.
Once again, the popular ‘Carnival’ area
of sideshows and rides will be around by
the racetrack, adjacent to the wood
chopping area which this year will have a
full field of competitors.
One of last year’s big hits was the
introduction of Clydesdales - the gentle
giants of the equine family - to compete in
the equestrian section. They are back
again this year.
Prime Minister and local MP John Key
is booked to visit the show, but he won’t be opening the event - show organisers have
decided an official opening ceremony, in
previous years held in the middle of the
day, is no longer necessary.
Reorganising the Show’s layout last
year was necessary because of high
demand for trade spaces at the Show; at
the time of writing trade stall bookings for
this year’s event were pouring in - with
many new businesses signing up - and it
looked like the show would equal the more
than 100 trade stalls that were open for
business last year.
Once again, the A&P Show promises a
day filled with fun and activity for local
families - and the many ‘townies’who make
a special trip to our town for what is the
largest one-day A&P Show in the Northern
District.
Show visitors in recent years have got
used to seeing beautifully coloured and
decorated cardboard-cutout works of art by
local schools, fastened to the outside of the
main building and toilet block, and inside
the main building. This year, look out for
some stunning tractors, following on from
previous years which featured horses,
pigs, sheep, goats, trains, gumboots and
cows.
Relish the Taste, the ‘mini expo’ of
locally produced food and wine which has
been so popular the last few years, is back
again.
On the main stage, local band Last
Chance will be playing up a storm, while
younger visitors will enjoy the Marionette
Circus, The Cookie Bear Roadshow and
face painting.
Of course the A&P Show would not be
what it is without the usual assortment of
animals, including Highland cattle, sheep,
alpacas, miniature donkeys, horses,
poultry, working dogs - plus the equestrian
competition.
There will be free tractor rides from the
public carpark, accessed through Stewart
Street, and EFTPOS cash out facilities will
be available at the show office.
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Kaipara Mills development undergoing redesign (February 2nd '10)
The proposed multi-million dollar
in Mill Road
has had a major setback.
The project planned for the 14,000
sq.m site of the old Kaipara Dairy Factory
is undergoing a redesign as the original
plan, which included a hotel, 150
residences, 20 commercial units, a public
market place, theatre and river front
development was proving too expensive.
Developer Jeremy Dyson says the
costings were a major setback as they
thought they knew what it would cost and
the next stage was to apply for resource
consent. However a quantity surveyor had found the project to cost a lot more and a
new design was required, he says.
“We're getting together a new design
and keeping going.”
Mr Dyson says in the current economic
climate it was challenging to start from
scratch, but he was pushing ahead every
day.
Local residents packed the Helensville
War Memorial Hall in July last year when a
public meeting was held to present the
proposal and receive public input. The
development, which was to include a
major upgrade for the river frontage, was
generally well received.
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40 years of combined community service to District Health Trust (February 2nd '10)
has
farewelled two of its foundingTrustees.
Alison McKenzie (MNZM) and Ian
Amoore each gave 20 years of voluntary
community service to the Trust - service
which was recognised at a special
dinner in December.
It was through the
leadership and drive of
Alison, in the years
leading up to the
closure of the
Helensville Maternity
Hospital, that NZ's first
birthing centre was
established in Helensville in 1989.
Hallmarks of
Alison's leadership
included a
determination to
succeed and the
ability to build strong
personal relationships
with people from the
community. She
quietly worked
towards achieving
what have often been
very ambitious goals
with a professional
and always caring
approach. Hern
attention to detail
ensured that the
highest standards
were always met.
Alison will continue
her ongoing interest
and involvement with
the Trust as a director
of the Helensville
Birthing Centre.
Ian Amoore's two
decades of service with the Trust were
marked in particular by the
responsibilities he took on with property
management in the early years. Hands
on attention was often required.
Ian also provided a strong community relationship with The Lion's
Club of Helensville, which in turn has
provided significant financial and
working bee support to the Trust over
the years.
The Helensville District Health Trust
is a great example of
what can be
achieved in
communities where
people work
together. The
success and pivotal
role that the Health
Trust has today in the
community is a
tribute to Trustees
past and present,
and particularly to
outgoing chairman
Alison McKenzie.
There have been
continuous changes
in the health sector
over the past 20
years, and the Trust
has kept on task to
ensure quality health
facilities are available
for people in the
Helensville District
which extends from
Huapai / Kumeu,
Parakai and South
Kaipara Head in the
west through to
Kaukapakapa,
Waitoki and Glorit in
the north.
The purchase of
land in Commercial
Road in 1999 which
now houses the
Kaipara Medical
Centre and other health services, with
the help of a $250,000 Government
suspensory loan, secured the ongoing
delivery of health services for the Helensville District for the future.
None of the developments on the site occurred without much planning,
negotiating and hard work from the
Trustees of the Helensville District
HealthTrust.
The Health Trust is a registered
charitable trust with local assets of
almost $3.5 million.
Today it is recognised and respected
throughout the region as a very
successful and integrated rural health
model. The quality health facilities
include the Genesis Energy Kaipara
Medical Complex and the Alison McKenzie Community House, both
owned by theTrust.
These facilities provide a wide range
of essential health services in our rural
area and include the , the ,
Waitemata Health Community Services
andTe Puna Ote te Ora.
The Trust recognises and values its
key strategic health partners in this
complex - Waitemata Health, Genesis
Energy and the Kaipara Medical Centre.
Dianne Kidd was elected as
Chairman of the Trust at the AGM held in
November 2009. Dianne is also a
foundingTrustee.
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