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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

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