North Canterbury News: July 01, 2021

Vaping in the spotlight at RHS
Vaping ... Rangiora High School students and staff join forces to
fight vaping.
PHOTO:ABIGAIL CHESSUM
By ABIGAIL CHESSUM
Awar on vaping is being waged
at Rangiora HighSchool.
It is being led by several
students and teachers at the
school due to their growing
concern about the recent
vaping trend hittingthe New
Zealand high school scene.
They are also concerned
aboutthe openingofavape
shopabout 750 metresfrom the
school.
Shemya Jones­Bloomfield
and Kirriana Sutton, two Year
12 students,have put posters
around the school, advertising
the negative effectsofvaping
they feel many studentsneed
to know.
They are not only targeting
the issue because it is
becoming awider New
Zealand one, but also because
they want to spread awareness
to young students.
‘‘We saw howimportant it
wouldbetospreadawareness
around it becausewefeel alot
of the younger kids,especially
here at Rangiora High School,
see what the older kids are
doingand theycopy them.”
said Shemya.
Rangiora High teachers and
staffare supportingthe efforts,
pulling out all the stops to
combat vaping, including
tightening up on out of class
passes, checking up regularly
on where vapingoccurs,
educating studentsthrough
assemblies and using ministry
providedsignage.
PrincipalKaren Stewart
says it is illegal to vape on
school sites, due to achange in
legislation lastyear, so there
were consequences.
‘‘Vaping is out thereinthe
community. It’sinthe movies,
you see it on TV, so therefore
we’ve got asection of our
community thatthinkvaping is
the thingtodo,’’ she says.
In 2019 asurvey showedthat
an estimated12percentof
Year 10 students, aged 14 to 15
years, vape on acasual basis, at
least monthly, and about3%of
Year 10 studentsvape daily.
Vaping,unlike smoking, can
be flavoured whichgives it
furtherappeal to students. The
good taste in vapes can mask
it’s negative effects, and only
makes themmore addictive.
‘‘I thinkother young people
think they’re ok because
they’reusing vapejuices,
which taste good, therefore
make themthink they’re safe,’’
says Mrs Stewart.
Studieshave shown vaping
has as many negative effects as
smoking.
Chemicals suchaspropylene
glycol and flavourings are
inhaledthrough vape, as well
as Vitamin Eacetate, a
thickening agent, whichcan
potentially damage the lungs.
Nicotine is acommon
substance in most vapes.
Concernisgrowing and it is
recommendedyoung people
need to treat vaping as a
harmful substance. As more
peoplebecomeaddicted to
vaping, there is less of achance
of removingthe trend in
youths. ‘‘Just don’t do it’’
Shemyasays.‘‘Just don’t.You
don’t look cool when you follow
what everyone else is doing.’’
New business bringing memories to life
By SHELLEY TOPP
Anew business callediRemember is
bringing memoriesofthe dead back to life
usingaquickresponse (QR) code.
The business is the brainchildof
Kaiapoi’s Ben O'Reilly, Paul King, his
employeratGraceworks Recycling, in
Flaxton, near Rangiora, software engineer
Dan Rosenbrock, of Halswell, plus Paul’s
nephew Sam McKay, whoisafilm student
at theVictoria UniversityofWellington.
Ben approached Paul about creating a
QR code, similartothe Covid­19 tracer
code,toaccess amemorial page for
deceasedloved ones at cemeteries and
othermemorial sites.
Ben suggested establishing anew
business together. They brought Dan and
Sam on board and began workingon
establishingthe iRememberwebsiteearly
last year. ‘‘Everyonehas an equal input
into this project,’’Ben says.
Once the memorial marker QR code has
been placed at amemorial site, anyone
with asmartphone can scan the codeand
view photos, videos and images of the
person.The iRememberservice comes
with three subscription options, monthly,
yearly or lifetime. Subscriptions can be
cancelled at anytime with no continuing
contracts or obligations.
Ben saysthe initiativewas createdto
share the legaciesand help preserve
memories of their lovedones.
‘‘Everyonehas ahistory, astory to tell, a
lesson to teach, alife they have lived, a
legacy,’’ Ben says. The motivation for the
business came from the death of his
brother, Jamie O’Reilly who died in acar
crashin2008.‘‘He was cremated and his
asheswere scattered to the wind,’’ Ben
says.‘‘My familybuilt amemorial chairfor
Jamie, but it doesn’tshow what an
amazing person he was. It doesn’t allow
me and my familytohear his voice or see
his face again to sharethe memories we
haveofhim or for Jamie’s story to be
preservedfor my children or their
grandchildren.’’ AQRcode memorial
marker has now been createdfor Jamie’s
memorialchair to access hismemorial
page on the iRemember website.
For more information on how to create
amemorial page and establishan
iRemember QR codegotothe iRemember
website at www.iremember.co.nz.
The Widest Music Variety
NEWS
The North Canterbury News, July 1, 2021
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