North Canterbury News: September 23, 2021

In brief
NEWS
North Canterbury News, September 23, 2021
17
Amoment for te reo
By SHELLEY TOPP
Takingamoment for te
reo is becoming apopular
activity for many Kiwis
keen to learn the Maori
language.
Last week, at 12pm on
Tuesday, all Kiwis were
encouraged to take part in
the nationwideMaori
Language Moment.
In Rangiora, librarian
Amy Hallmark recorded a
live reading in te reo of the
children’sbook Kei hea a
Spot? (Where Is Spot?) for
the WaimakaririLibrary’s
Facebook page duringthe
Maori Language Moment.
The initiative was part
of Maori LanguageWeek
(Te Wiki otereo Maori),
from September13­19and
recognisedthe day and the
hour in 1972 when agroup
of Maori language
champions presented a
petition with 30,000
signatures, on the steps of
parlaiment in Wellington
calling for te reo to be
taughtinschools.
Participants in the
Maori Language Moment
had to register online and
could celebrate the
language in any way they
chose.
AMaoriLanguage
Commissionspokesperson
says those who
championedtereo when it
was socially and potically
unacceptable to do so, will
alwaysberemembered.
Librarian ... Amy Hallmark
‘‘We wanted people to
sign up for the Maori
Language Moment so in
years to come,just as
peoplelook back at the
Maori Language Petition
now, peoplewill lookback
and see who joinedthe
Maori Language Moment
in 2021.’’
According to the
Ministry of Education, te
reo Maori is apopular
learning option in schools.
‘‘We haveanincreasing
demand on the system
from students and whanau
(Maori and non Maori) to
providetereo Maori in all
learning environments
across educatiion.’’
Last year’sministry
figuresshow 30,626 pupils
studiedtereo and 1324
studiedtereo rangatira
for nativespeakers.
Siren testing
Don’t be alarmed if you hear asiren in one of Waimakariri’s beach communities at
around 1pm on Monday.
Waimakariri Civil Defence is conductingatest of its coastal tsunami warning
sirens at 1pmnext Monday as part of its routine check.
Communities living in beach areaswill hear the alarms,which are beingtested to
ensure they are operating correctly.
There are threesirens in the Waimakariri district, stationedatThe Pines /
Kairaki, Woodend and Waikuku beaches.
The sirens are tested at least twice ayear, usually on the first working day
following achange to or from Daylight Savings.
Adaytime test, during working hours, is chosen in order to minimise the
inconvenience for the coastal communities.
The test will proceed as long as the region stays within Covid­19 Alert Level 2or
below.
It will be cancelledifthe region moves to Level 3orhigher on Monday.
The test usually takes around one minute to complete and depending on the wind
conditions, the sound maytravel further inland to other townships.
The sirens play acritical role in the district’s preparations for the risk of a
tsunami, which would most likely be triggered by an off­shore earthquake.
If anear­source tsunami was to occur, there may not be enough time for the sirens
to activate, so if you feel an earthquake and it's long or strong, evacuate yourself
immediately.
E­Scooter speed restrictions
The impending arrival of pink e­scooters is creatingsome interest among readers,
especially around the speed limits.
Flamingo Scooters says its e­scooters have abuilt­in speed restriction and
Flamingo utilisesspeed governance to ensure scooters can never exceed the
maximum speed limit of 25kph.
The e­scooters arealso programmed to not exceed 15kph in alow speed zones.
Geo­fencing also means thee­scooters will stop immediately if auser attemptsto
enter the exclusion zone, the High and Durham Streetshops in Rangiora.
Lost and found
The following property is reported as lost to the North Canterbury police ­have you
seen it?
Acellphoneinred case, an iPhone SE with ared back, aSamsung Galaxy S10 with
ablue back, apouch containing prescription medicine, ablack Warehouse
cellphone with raised keypad, ablack CAT S23 cellphone, and an Oppo AX5 pink
cellphone in black case
The following property is waiting to be claimed: Abrown leather “Barkers”
cardholder (Kaiapoi)
ARA INSTITUTE OF CANTERBURY
Engineering at
Ara ‘abreath of
fresh air’
From ayoung age, Stuart Jacksonwas
into motorbikes. It gave him apassion
forall things mechanical so acareerin
mechanical engineeringwas an obvious
choice.
After highschooland agap year
workingasasupermarketdutymanager,
Stuart went to universitytostudy
engineeringbut after ayear, he decidedit
wasn’t forhim. “I didn’t enjoyit,”hesays.
Stuart returned to theworkforce,
workingfor AshbyConcreteand
participating in itsparentcompany’s
traineemanagementprogramme.
However, hisdesire to studyhadn’t gone
away.
He chosetostudy engineeringagain,
but this time at Ara, after afamily
friendrecommended theBachelor of
EngineeringTechnology. “Ara’s degreewas
only threeyears,whichsuitedmebecause
Iwantedtoget back into theworkforce as
soon as possible.”
Stuart discovered abig contrast between
universityand Ara. “Afteruniversity, Ara
wasabreathoffresh airinterms of the
tutor’s engagement with students andthe
more intimate learningenvironment.The
tutorswereveryhonest, down-to-earth
andincredibly bright.Beingabletolearn
Ryan
Ara graduate
Like the idea of changing and improving how
the world works? Then check out our study
options in civil, mechanical, electrical and
electronics engineering. You’ll discover a
range of qualifications that can equip you
with the skills and knowledge you need for
acareer you’ll love.
Explorethe options at
ara.ac.nz |0800 242476
so closelyfromthemwas fantastic.”
Stuart says ago-cartproject, several
interestingfieldtrips andthe practical
approachtoproblem solvingwereamong
highlightsofthe course.
Sixyears on from graduating,Stuartis
nowcommercial directorand machine
designmanager forMotovated Design&
Analysis, amechanical design consultancy
establishedin1999.
He says oneofthe things that’s helped
him advanceinthe companyisthe fact
that he’s kept everycoursenote, exam
paper, hand-out andtextbook from his
time at Ara.
“Wheneveramechanical problem
comesacrossmydesk, Irememberthat
Icovered that subjectatAra so Ihunt
throughall of my notestofind what I
need.It’smade me quitesuccessfulhereas
Ihavethe abilitytobreak down complex
real-world problemsintosmaller,solvable
blocks.”
Stuart planstostayatMotovatedfor the
foreseeablefuture, but oneday he’d like
to starthis ownbusiness andmaybe even
return to Aratoteach.
Ara’sBachelorofEngineering
Technology starts inFebruary. For
detailsvisit ara.ac.nz.