Bay Harbour: January 15, 2020

2
Wednesday January 15 2020
[Edition datE]
News
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
BAY HARBOUR
CONTINUING EDUCATION
PAGE 13
New fitness stations to
be installed at Little River
FIVE NEW outdoor
fitness stations will be
installed in Little River’s
Awa-iti Domain by next
month.
Banks Peninsula
Community Board approved
the installation
last month, amending
the master plan for the
domain.
The installation follows
requests from residents
seeking additional fitness
activities.
Community board
chairwoman Tori Peden
said the new “outdoor
The
Redcliffs
Residents
Association
has
launched
an “ecovillage”
initiative
in response to our
climate and ecological
emergency. This
month member Dave
Bryce focuses on
weeds
OUR COUNTRY has
about 2500 types of native
flowering plants. However,
in addition, we also have
more than 2500 (and
increasing) types of exotic
“wild” plants or weeds and
more than 20,000 types
of cultivated and garden
plants.
Many exotic plants are
“invasive,” including some
exotic forest species, and
spread and take over habitats
of native plants.
Many of our native plants
have evolved here over
millions of years and are
unique to New Zealand,
which makes them globally
important for protection.
In addition, they have
evolved with our native
animals, insects and soil
biota and have symbiotic
relationships with them,
unlike most exotic plants.
Weeds have no natural
checks on their spread and
need to be controlled or
eliminated to protect our
native plants and habitats
and also to protect our agriculture
and horticulture.
Many of these weeds
come from our home
gardens via neighbours
or plants or soil imported
from other parts of the
country or even overseas.
gym” in Awa-iti Domain
will help meet the growing
demand for improved
health and well-being
options in the district.
“Having such diverse
fitness stations in place
will hopefully also motivate
people with a range of
fitness goals to regularly
use the equipment,” Ms
Peden said.
The wooden apparatus
includes a stepper,
hurdles, a balance beam,
stepping logs and a
straddle jump sited in a
corner of the domain near
Weeding lets native
plants flourish
CONTROL: Removing weeds from your garden
will help to protect native plants
While it is tempting to
buy off-the-shelf herbicides
for problem weeds, the jury
is still out on the safety of
such products for other
plants, micro-organisms,
insects like honey bees and
even humans. In any event,
the scale of problem weeds
on a residential property is
usually manageable without
such products.
In Redcliffs, some weeds
have seeds which are
dispersed by wind, water,
birds or other animals.
These can be pulled out,
hoed or cut, or you can cut
off flower heads to prevent
seeding. These plants
include nightshade, lupins,
veldt grass, boneseed or
saltbush, cleavers, dandelion,
fathen, fumitory, gallant
soldiers and oxtongue.
Other weeds have big
roots which you either
need to dig out, or regularly
remove foliage, which
feeds the root, until the
root withers and dies.
Many have flowers and
seed as well and these need
to be cut off. These plants
the fire station.
The different apparatus
caters to multiple fitness
levels.
The domain, which sits
next to Little River School,
already includes several
sports fields, a community
centre and rugby clubrooms.
Work is also under
way to restore the
damaged tennis courts
in the domain in tandem
with the fitness stations
installation. The domain
will remain open during
the installation work.
include pig’s ear, fennel,
wild parsnip, hemlock,
twitch, convolvulus,
blackberry, spur valerian,
thistle, gorse, male fern
(spores, not flowers), and
polypodium fern (also
spores, not flowers).
Still, other weeds have
bulbs and corms, all of
which you will need to dig
out. These include agapanthus
and oxalis.
Others are creepers
which drop roots at regular
intervals, which you will
need to carefully pull out.
These include nasturtium,
periwinkle, purple loosestrife
and tradescantia
(wandering willie). Some
creepers invade trees and
can be pulled out when
you find the rooted stem.
These include banana passion
fruit.
Remember the old saying…one
year’s seeding
gives seven years weeding…so
stop them seeding!
You can Google plant
names or search “weed
busters” for pictures to
identify these weeds.
From computer
novice to digital
whizz
A simple desire to become more
confident using computers has opened up
a world of possibilities for Thomas King, a
co-director of a logistics business.
“The world is rapidly changing and to
keep pace with it, having some confidence
and competence in computing is crucial,”
he says. “I realised that I’d have to embrace
this scary but exciting new tech-driven
world sooner or later, and now here I am
today, loving what I once feared.”
Thomas got the skills he was looking
for at Ara Connect, a network of
community hubs operated by Ara Institute
of Canterbury which
offer free, non-assessed
computing courses for
anyone wanting to gain
skills and confidence
using digital technology.
Thomas says the tutors
at Ara Connect made
learning an enjoyable
experience and were
very supportive. “I felt
so inspired during my
journey. The tutors were
very attentive and always
eager to assist. They want
you to succeed and they
encourage you to push
your boundaries without ever throwing
you in the deep end.”
His advice for anyone else considering
the computing courses at Ara Connect
is to just go for it. “Knowing how to use
computers in a way that delivers results can
make life so much easier, especially in the
world of business. I certainly wish I’d taken
courses like these two decades ago. My
advice is to pluck up the courage and just
go for it.”
Information about Ara Connect
courses is available at ara.ac.nz or by
calling 0800 24 24 76.