Nor'West News: February 12, 2019
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8 Tuesday <strong>February</strong> <strong>12</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
<strong>News</strong><br />
NOR’WEST NEWS<br />
Rangi students excel on<br />
the water, track and field<br />
TRAINING: Meg Longley<br />
and Josh Stevenson will<br />
attend a debate training<br />
programme this month.<br />
Developing top high<br />
school debaters<br />
• By Jess Gibson<br />
TWO YEAR 13 debaters from<br />
the north-west have been<br />
selected for a South Island<br />
development programme this<br />
month.<br />
Belfast’s Meg Longley and Josh<br />
Stevenson of Burnside have been<br />
selected to attend two weekend<br />
training camps, along with another<br />
Christchurch student and<br />
three from Otago.<br />
After the programme Meg,<br />
who attends St Andrew’s College,<br />
and Josh, who goes to Christ’s<br />
College, will go head-to-head for<br />
their schools in the regional debating<br />
competition at Canterbury<br />
University next month.<br />
They were chosen by the<br />
Canterbury Schools’ Debating<br />
Council after a selection process<br />
which monitored their abilities<br />
throughout past competitions<br />
Greater Christchurch National<br />
MPs enjoyed getting out on<br />
Monday and reconnecting with<br />
the people who work so hard for<br />
our region. We met with a range<br />
of organisations from Canterbury<br />
Police to Regenerate Christchurch<br />
to ChristchurchNZ. As I often say, it’s<br />
only when MPs are working on the<br />
ground that we can see the impact<br />
larger issues have on people’s<br />
daily lives and it’s important to stay<br />
connected.<br />
Waitangi Day brought our<br />
communities together in the spirit<br />
that has made New Zealand the<br />
envy of other countries. The traits<br />
we value as New Zealanders, such<br />
as our distinctive national identity<br />
and respect for diversity, hold as true<br />
today. I’ve begun my own Te Reo<br />
Maori journey and enjoyed a greater<br />
understanding this year of our Maori<br />
tikanga. I encourage you on your<br />
own Te Reo journey.<br />
Constituents looking to purchase<br />
their first home are losing confidence<br />
they will be getting the keys soon<br />
through Government’s KiwiBuild<br />
and debates. Meg and Josh both<br />
discovered a passion for debating<br />
in year 9 and have competed<br />
against each in several different<br />
competitions.<br />
They will work together for the<br />
first time at the development programme,<br />
going over a range of<br />
articles about different political<br />
issues and topics with coaches to<br />
develop their skills.<br />
“It’s important to be aware of<br />
issues so that when we can vote<br />
we know what’s going on,” said<br />
Meg.<br />
Josh said he enjoys debating<br />
social issues that challenge him<br />
and make him think. Both are<br />
looking at their options for<br />
university next year. Meg said she<br />
wants to study law at either Otago<br />
or Canterbury university, and<br />
Josh has his sights set on Victoria<br />
University.<br />
SPORTS<br />
initiative following the Housing<br />
Minister’s admission they will be<br />
going back to the drawing board on<br />
this one.<br />
This comes after Government<br />
spectacularly missed its first-year<br />
target to have 1,000 homes built<br />
by July. First we saw that number<br />
downgraded to 300 – and now<br />
interim targets have been scrapped<br />
altogether. So far, only 47 homes<br />
have been built – amid discouraging<br />
reports of buyers pulling out and<br />
the homes being sold on the open<br />
market instead of going back in the<br />
ballot. National has always said<br />
the way to build more houses is to<br />
release more land and speed up the<br />
consent process, and we proved<br />
this after the earthquakes. Added to<br />
this was our KiwiSaver HomeStart<br />
scheme, which allowed people to<br />
withdraw from their Kiwisaver funds<br />
and gifted them an up to $10,000<br />
grant towards their deposit. The<br />
results? Between April 2016 and<br />
March 2017, 315 HomeStart grants<br />
were approved just in Waimakariri<br />
electorate. The figures speak for<br />
themselves.<br />
ROWING, HOCKEY and<br />
cycling have featured in the<br />
achievements of talented Rangi<br />
Ruru sportswomen.<br />
First XI hockey players<br />
Brittany Wang and Anneka<br />
Calder were invited to play<br />
for an invitational team against<br />
the Great Britain women’s<br />
team.<br />
Brittany scored a goal<br />
in the penalty shoot-out<br />
at the end of the game<br />
However, Anneka wasn’t able<br />
to play due to rowing<br />
commitments.<br />
Rangi Ruru director of sport<br />
Mandy Anderson said it was<br />
a real honour for both girls to be<br />
asked to play.<br />
“It was an extremely exciting<br />
opportunity to play against the<br />
current Olympic champions,”<br />
she said.<br />
Meanwhile cyclist Charlotte<br />
Spurway picked up the<br />
Canterbury track cycling record<br />
for the under-17 2km individual<br />
pursuit.<br />
On the water at the South<br />
Island rowing club champs at<br />
Lake Ruataniwha, Rangi Ruru<br />
had an impressive medal haul<br />
SPEEDSTER: Charlotte Spurway picked up a Canterbury track<br />
cycling record in the under-17 2km individual pursuit.<br />
PHOTO: GRANT HARRIS<br />
with five gold, four silver and<br />
two bronze. Anneka is also part<br />
of the under-17 eight which won<br />
gold.<br />
“Rangi Ruru Girls’ School is<br />
one of New Zealand’s highest<br />
Eat fresh fruit and<br />
veggies to grow healthy<br />
bodies and minds<br />
• Convenient Location<br />
• Organic products<br />
• Selling real fruit and<br />
vegetables at real prices.<br />
• Knowledgeable friendly staff.<br />
• “We grow what we sell”<br />
vegeland<br />
achieving schools in sport, as we<br />
have a diverse range of sporting<br />
codes and professional coaches,”<br />
said Anderson.<br />
•More sport, page 10<br />
Fresh produce a drawcard<br />
for over three decades<br />
For 33 years now, customers from across<br />
Christchurch have enjoyed the fresh flavours,<br />
the quality and the very competitive prices of<br />
the fruit, vegetables, dairy products and honey<br />
offered at vegeland in Marshland Road.<br />
One of the last remaining market garden<br />
businesses in the area, it has also been under the<br />
same ownership since it started, and the team<br />
now includes fifth-generation family members.<br />
as well as growing and selling produce,<br />
vegeland purchases fresh items from the market<br />
every morning, and has built up a strong<br />
relationship<br />
based on trust<br />
with the market<br />
operators, owner<br />
Tony Kiesanowski<br />
says.<br />
vegeland’s<br />
delicious, fresh<br />
fruit ice-cream is always a popular choice<br />
with customers, while a recent development<br />
at vegeland has been the introduction of topquality<br />
meats from elite Meats of the Bush Inn<br />
Centre, with the mobile truck on-site at vegeland<br />
every Saturday and Sunday.<br />
“This has been very well received by our<br />
customers,” Tony says, “and there will be more<br />
exciting developments at vegeland within the<br />
next couple of months, so watch this space.”<br />
vegeland is located at 310 Marshland Road, and<br />
is open seven days a week, from 9am-5.30pm.<br />
310 Marshland Road, Chch<br />
Phone 03 385 3718<br />
Open 7 days 9am - 5.30pm