Western News: February 06, 2025

16 th March 2025
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2025
connecting you with your neighbourhood
www.starnews.co.nz
Entries now open
www.city2surf.co.nz
Cyclist ready to roll for
Youth Hub fundraiser
• By Jack Ward
A SEMI-RETIRED
accountant is about to cycle
the length of the country
to give back to those less
fortunate.
David Barker will embark
on Tour Aotearoa – a 3000km
bike ride from Cape Reinga to
Bluff – on Saturday, to raise
$50,000 for Youth Hub
Christchurch.
The Upper Riccarton resident
said he is no stranger to
cycling, but this journey will
be uncharted territory.
“I’ve always done a bit of
biking, done the odd multiday
trip in the saddle but this
is a bit out of left-field.”
He said he had no direct
connection to Youth Hub, but
the work it was doing resonated
with him.
“Youth Hub Christchurch
has the vision of enabling all
young people in Canterbury
the opportunity to lead
healthy, safe and valued lives,
fulfilling their potential and
vibrantly contributing to their
community,” he said.
Youth Hub Christchurch is
New Zealand’s first purposebuilt
youth hub, complete with
supported housing facilities.
Barker, 64, said he spoke
to others who had completed
Tour Aotearoa before
deciding. • Turn to page 4
GEARING UP: David Barker and Youth Hub Christchurch chair Dame Sue Bagshaw
ahead of his Tour Aotearoa fundraiser, which starts on Saturday.
Confidence
in the city
council up
9%, survey
shows
A NEW NATIONAL ‘quality of
life survey’ shows most people
do not have confidence in the
city council’s ability to make
decisions in the best interests of
the community.
The biennial survey questioned
6994 Kiwis about their life in
New Zealand’s main centres
– Christchurch, Auckland,
Dunedin, Hamilton, Hutt City,
Porirua, Tauranga and Wellington
– last year.
Out of the 524 respondents in
Christchurch, just 38% said they
have confidence in the city council’s
decisions, compared to 29%
in 2022. Across New Zealand’s big
cities, the average was just 30%.
However, 80% of the survey
respondents said they are enjoying
life in Christchurch, compared
to 81% in 2022. The city ranked
slightly higher than the average
for New Zealand’s big cities of
77%.
Most other cities saw
a larger drop in quality of life
between 2022 and 2024.
Of the respondents, 26%
said their quality of life in
Christchurch had increased,
compared to 12 months ago, up
from 19% in 2022.
Christchurch was also
considered a great place to live
by 77% of people. They cited the
central city coming back to life
and access to recreational facilities
as reasons for living in the city.
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Thursday February 6 2025
DELIVERERS WANTED!
Are you honest, reliable and over
the age of 11? Why not earn money
and get fit doing it. Get in touch
with your interest today:
deliveries@alliedpress.co.nz
022 016 9739
Please include your name, address and contact details
Your local community newspaper connects
neighbours in the following suburbs
Templeton • Islington • Hei Hei • Broomfield
Halswell • Oaklands • Westlake • Hornby • Ilam
Wigram • Sockburn • Church Corner • Avonhead
Hyde Park • Russley • Riccarton Park • Riccarton
28,400 readers every week.
NEWS
Jack Ward
Ph: 021 913 566
jack.ward@starmedia.kiwi
ADVERTISING
Alana Powell
Ph: 027 535 6583
alana.powell@starmedia.kiwi
Nielsen Media NRS
GENERAL INQUIRIES Ph 379 7100
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Ph 379 1100
www.starmedia.kiwi
what’s on
Knit ‘n’ Yarn
Thursday and Saturday, 1-3pm
Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre
Come along to the Sitting Room in
the library at Te Hāpua: Halswell
Centre for a relaxing crafternoon.
The group meets every Thursday and
Saturday. Bring along your knitting,
crochet, stitching or any other
handcraft and enjoy the company of
others. Share skills and be inspired
in our friendly, relaxed environment.
Don’t forget to bring your library card
to borrow our fabulous range of craft
books!
JP Clinic
Tuesday, 10am-1pm
Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre
A Justice of the Peace will be available
to members of the community, to
witness signatures and documents,
certify document copies, hear oaths,
declarations, affidavits or affirmations
as well as sign citizenship,
sponsorship or rates rebates
applications. There is no charge for
this service.
Mahjong for Experienced
Players
Thursdays, 10am-2pm
Matatiki Hornby Centre
Are you a Mahjong expert? Want to
meet other experienced players? Our
table and equipment are available for
use between the hours of 10am-2pm.
VR Virtual Reality @ Matatiki Hornby Centre, Friday, 3.30-4.30pm,
Matatiki Hornby Centre. Would you like to explore a whole new world in
immersive 3D? Come to Matatiki Hornby Centre and you can choose an
experience on our VIVE Virtual Reality device. Let us take you to a world
where you can paint your own artwork or choose from several options that
will truly amaze you. These sessions are aimed at rangatahi and adults and
are only suitable for ages 12+. Walk ups only.
Not Just Cards - Social Games
Club
Wednesday, 10-11.30am
Upper Riccarton Library
Join us on the first Wednesday of
each month to play card and board
games at the Upper Riccarton
Library. Free, no bookings required.
English Conversation Club
Monday, 2-3pm
Matatiki Hornby Centre
The conversation group is a drop in
group where anyone is welcome to
come and practice conversations in
English, in a friendly and relaxed
environment. This is not a class, but
an opportunity to talk with others in
English and to meet new people in
the community. Especially good for
ESOL learners. Free and no bookings
are needed.
Afterschool Activity Zone
Tuesday, 3.30-4.30pm
Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre
Come and have fun at our Afterschool
Activity Zone. Join us for a variety
of activities including technology,
crafts and games. This is a playful,
interactive environment and operates
every Tuesday during term time.
Caregivers please stay in the library
during the session. All whānau
welcome! Free, no bookings required.
Spanish Book Club
Tuesday, 6-7pm
Upper Riccarton Library
Love sharing your favourite reads?
Come and join other Spanish
speaking book lovers in our friendly,
relaxed library environment. Free, no
bookings required. This club meets on
the second Tuesday of each month.
Bin good with recycling
These are the only items that can go in the yellow bin
Lids in
the red
bin
Clean cardboard and paper
(now including empty pizza boxes)
Clean food and drink
tins and cans
Clean plastic bottles and containers
(4 litres and under, numbered 1, 2 and 5)
Clean glass bottles
and jars
Remember to rinse your containers before putting them in the yellow bin. All lids go in the red bin.
Download our free Christchurch Bins app
to keep up to date with your rubbish and
recycling information.
Thanks for bin good.
Find out more at
ccc.govt.nz/yellowbin
INF7535 – Oct 2024

Thursday February 6 2025 3
Learning hub opens in time for school year
• By Jack Ward
THE OPENING of a new school
education space will bring much
needed room for its growing roll,
its principal says.
South Hornby School
opened the new learning hub,
Rakamaomao, on Thursday last
week, in time for the start of the
school year on Monday.
Principal
Wendy Huriwai
said she was
looking forward
to having the
new space operational.
“I am delighted
Wendy
Huriwai
to have it open.”
Huriwai said
during construction,
the library had been used as
a makeshift classroom.
“We are now able to go back to
business as usual.”
The hub will house about 100
pupils, taking the roll of the
school from 300, where it has
fluctuated in recent years, to 400
– a response to new housing in
the area.
It includes four classrooms and
a maker space, which is designed
for pupils to come together to
create, invent and explore using a
variety of tools and materials.
Rakamaomao means “the origin
of winds”, Huriwai said.
“The name was chosen through
its connection to the other hubs,
named after winds and it embodies
the multipurpose and adaptable
nature of this learning hub
and continues to help the kite, te
manu tukutuku, fly high.”
Ministry of Education programme
manager of capital
works Sharon Wong said construction
began in July 2023 and
finished in December at a cost of
about $3.5m.
“South Hornby School was
built in 2017 through the
Christchurch Schools Rebuild
Programme with a capacity for
300 students.
“The new four-classroom
Rakamaomao
block responds
to the school’s
growing roll.”
Said school
board of trustees
chair Andy Dickson:
“It has been
a four-year journey,
emotional
but celebratory
emotion.
Andy
Dickson
“A huge benefit to have it for
current students and for what
is coming, the roll has grown
so much and we couldn’t use
the spaces for what they were
designed for.”
Dickson was optimistic for
the future of the school now the
learning hub was ready to be
used.
“Knowing how good the space
will be, I’m really excited it is
here and really excited for what it
will allow us to do.”
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4
Thursday February 6 2025
SALE
03 322 4548 | Easy Parking
17 Lillian Street, Halswell
www.maxwellfashion.co.nz
Open Mon-Fri 9.30am - 4.30pm
Saturday 10.00am - 1.00pm
Check out our facebook page
LAYBY WELCOME
‘It sounded like a great challenge’
• From page 1
Barker said Tour Aotearoa
“sounded like a great
challenge.”
He started fundraising in
September, when he reached
out to his network.
His target of $50,000 was
a nice number to aim for, he
said.
As of Tuesday, he had raised
$24,450.
“I’ve been surprised by the
amount of people who have
given already, it’s quite a good
kickstart.
“People will be able to track
my progress and I have to
finish the challenge to activate
the money,” he said.
Barker suggests potential
donors give a certain amount
per kilometre travelled.
“One cent per kilometre
raises $30, 10 cents raises
$300, $1 raises $3000 – it
depends on the person or
business.”
Said Youth Hub Christchurch
chair Dame Sue Bagshaw:
“This project (Youth Hub)
has attracted people who just
want to give.
“It’s fantastic we have such
people in our community.”
Stage one of the hub was unveiled
in October by Governor
General Dame Cindy Karo.
The first purpose-built
youth hub in the country,
it includes a youth services
ON THE ROAD: David Barker is cycling the length of New Zealand to raise funds for
Youth Hub Christchurch.
building, outdoor activities
courtyard and supported
housing wing for 22 young
people.
“The focus of the hub is to
develop young people because
those social connections have
been severed,” Bagshaw said.
“A place to be, a place to
help and a place to connect.”
Barker won’t be alone in
his quest – he will joined by
friends and fellow cyclists
Jeremy Gould and Derek
Ensor.
“I talked to people who were
bikers to see if they would
be interested and up for it
and they said ‘yes’. We are all
similar ages and stages and
abilities.
“It is great having company
and three is a good number
– the more people, the
more chance of something going
wrong.”
The goal is to complete the
3000km in under 30 days.
“Time will tell,” Barker said.
• To donate go to https://
givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/
riding-the-length-of-nzfor-our-youth
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Thursday February 6 2025 5
we love
day
Celebrate the Special Person in your
life with a meal at Valentines
0800 VAL BUFFET
valentines.co.nz
T’s & C’s. Customer must be part of the Valentines
Loyalty Program. Not available in conjunction with
any other offer or promotion. Items on the menu
may vary due to suppliers availability.
You do the booking, we do the cooking...
VALENTINES DAY TREATS ON THE BUFFET:
Baked Salmon & Mango Salsa
Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin & Honey Mustard Sauce
Macarons
Hornby restaurant offers more choices and familiar favourites
Thousands of Christchurch families will have fond
memories of enjoying the tasty food and friendly vibe
of Valentines buffet restaurant, which was located for
many years in the central city.
A New Zealand-wide franchise operation, the
business went through many changes over the years,
then with new owners taking over the company six
years ago, it gained a new momentum.
A third franchise was set up in Auckland, its
Rotorua restaurant reopened, and in July 2019,
Valentines Christchurch opened at a new location –
Chalmers Street, Hornby.
As company director Ron Lal explains, Valentines
has a rich history in Kiwi culture and they wanted to
retain that feeling of nostalgia, but with some new
concepts added to the mix.
“We wanted to offer our customers a new
experience that’s up with the times, and with a
modern twist on hospitality.
“Customers have a lot more choice of food now,”
he says, “for example you can choose your own meat,
which will be cooked individually for you. We offer
a big selection of dishes, seafood and desserts, and
of course there are the familiar favourites that the
children love, like the chocolate fountain and an
endless supply of ice-cream.
“We want to wow the customers and at the same
time we want to create that nostalgic Valentines feel.”
The Valentines tradition of a free meal for a
customer on their birthday has been upgraded to
a celebratory birthday treat and, of course, with
the famous birthday song being sung by staff, too.
Families are also invited to take advantage of the
school holiday special from time to time. During the
holidays, one child under the age of eight gets a free
lunch if accompanied by a full paying adult. (T’s &
C’s apply.)
Valentines has always been seen as a 100 per cent
family restaurant, a tradition that the new Valentines
team is keen to continue, but Valentines is also a
restaurant for everyone, from families to couples, to
friends getting together to celebrate a special occasion.
Situated in the heart of the Hornby shopping
precinct, not only is Valentines the ideal place for
people from the Hornby community to enjoy tasty
food and a warm, friendly vibe, it also employs local
staff, who are treated well and therefore enjoy working
there and giving their customers the best possible
service.
Valentines is open seven days a week, from 10am
till late. Outside the buffet times they also do the
popular Valentines Shareboxes, which offer a range
of amazing dishes.
7/11 Chalmers Street, Hornby, Christchurch
0800 VAL BUFFET valentines.co.nz

6
Thursday February 6 2025
Enjoying a timeless afternoon treat
Nigel Slater whips up
some flavoursome
treats for a truly
glorious afternoon tea
in the garden
AFTERNOON tea is a timeless
treat that rarely fails to delight,
and never more so than in a
shady corner on a summer’s
afternoon.
Homemade scones, freshly
baked biscuits and a pot of
tea is a treat beyond measure,
especially if the rain stops for
long enough to set them up on a
table outside.
Feta scones with
watercress and cucumber
butter
Ingredients
Makes 9 scones
Ready in 45 minutes
225g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
A fat pinch of salt
75g butter
1 Tbsp thyme leaves
100g feta cheese
150ml sheep’s yoghurt
Egg and milk for glazing
For the butter:
120g butter
120g cucumber
3 Tbsp watercress leaves, chopped
You will need a baking sheet lined
with baking parchment
Method
• Preheat the oven to 220°C. Sift
together the flour, baking powder
and salt. Cut the butter into small
pieces and rub into the flour with
your fingertips, or blend in a food
processor until the texture is that
of fresh soft breadcrumbs.
• Chop the thyme leaves, stir
them in, then add to the mixture.
Crumble the feta cheese into
small pieces, then stir in with the
yoghurt. Bring together into a
ball and place on a floured board,
then pat or roll into a thick disc
about 2.5cm in depth.
• Using a 6cm round cutter, cut
out 9 scones (8 from the original
disc of dough, one from the cuttings,
pressed together and patted
into shape.) Place them on the
lined baking sheet. Break the egg
into a small bowl and pour in a
splash of milk, beat briefly with a
fork. Brush the top with a little of
the egg wash, taking care not to
let it run down the sides. Bake for
15 minutes until risen and pale
gold, leave to cool a little, then
transfer to a cooling rack.
• For the cucumber butter:
remove the butter from the
fridge and leave to soften at room
temperature. Coarsely grate the
cucumber into a colander or
sieve, place it on a shallow dish or
in the sink and sprinkle it with
salt. Leave for 30 minutes.
• Beat the butter until soft
and creamy. Squeeze the water
from the cucumber in the palm
of your hand, then stir into the
butter with chopped watercress
(if you don’t have watercress,
add a grinding of black pepper).
• Serve the cucumber butter
with the scones.
Vanilla shortbread with
pistachio and cherries
Ingredients
Makes 16 pieces of shortbread
Ready in 1 hour, plus cooling
For the shortbread:
250g butter
125g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or a few
drops of vanilla extract
250g plain flour
50g fine semolina
50g cornflour
2 good pinches sea salt
To finish (for six):
18 cherries
250ml cream
A little vanilla bean paste, or
vanilla extract
3 tbsp shelled pistachios
Method
• Set the oven at 180°C. Line a
shallow-sided baking tin measuring
20cm x 30cm with a piece of
baking parchment.
• Cut the butter into small
pieces, put it in the bowl of an
electric mixer with the sugar, then
beat until light and creamy. Mix
in the vanilla paste or extract. Stir
together the flour, fine semolina,
cornflour and a couple of
generous pinches of sea salt.
• Mix the dry ingredients into
the creamed butter and sugar,
then turn out the dough onto
the lined baking sheet and press
it into shape. Be gentle, taking
care not to compact the dough,
carefully patting it out to fit the
baking sheet. Prick all over with
a fork.
• Cut the dough into 16 pieces
(8 across the long side, 2 across
the short), then bake in the
preheated oven for 15-18 minutes
until pale gold. Remove from the
oven, sprinkle with sugar. (I also
go over the score marks with a
knife to make the biscuits easier
to separate.)
• Remove the stalks from the
cherries, halve them and discard
the stones. Pour the cream into
a chilled bowl, stir in half a
teaspoon of vanilla paste or a few
drops of extract and whip until
thick.
• Place a shortbread biscuit on
each of 6 plates and serve with
cream and cherries. Roughly chop
the pistachios and scatter over
the cream. Keep the remaining
shortbread in an airtight tin.
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Thursday February 6 2025 7
CROSSWORD
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9
10 11
386
SUDOKU
Every row, column and box should
contain the digits 1 to 9.
WordBuilder
WORDBUILDER
286
6
C R O
T O D
12 13 14 15
16
17 18
19
20 21 22 23 24
How many words of three or more letters,
How including many plurals, words can you of make three from or the more six
letters, using each letter only once? No foreign
words or words beginning with a capital are
from allowed. the There's six letters, at least one using six-letter each word. only
once? TODAY Good 11 Very Good 15 Excellent 18
Solution 285: are, arm, armed, army, aye, dam,
dame, dare, day, dear, derma, dram, dray, dream,
DREAMY, drey, dry, dye, dyer, ear, era, mad, made,
word.
mar, mare, may, mead, ram, ray, rayed, read, ready,
ream, red, rye, yam, yard, yea, year.
letters, including plurals, can you make
No words beginning with a capital are
allowed. There’s at least one six-letter
Good 11 Very Good 15 Excellent 18
25 26
27 28
29 30
31 32
33 34
Across
1. Respiratory condition (6)
5. Entry (6)
10. Viral disease (7)
11. Absurd pretence (7)
12. Dusk (6)
15. Trouble (6)
16. Plant support (7)
17. Challenge (4)
18. Component (4)
19. Gather (7)
20. Shut forcefully (4)
22. Freshwater fish (4)
25. Unsettle (7)
27. Incarnation (6)
28. Misprints (6)
31. Fissure (7)
32. Negligible (7)
33. Alternative route (6)
34. Reliable (6)
Decoder
Down
2. Wrench (7)
3. Headgear (6)
4. Part of a church (4)
5. Curved structure (4)
6. Fashions by hand (6)
7. Large farm (7)
8. Entertained (6)
9. Command (6)
13. Cavalryman (7)
14. Wail (7)
15. Earnest (7)
20. Grab (6)
21. Educational institute (7)
23. Frightened (7)
24. Plays for time (6)
25. Thin layer or sheen (6)
26. Alloy of copper and tin (6)
29. Possessive of she (4)
30. Rascals (4)
Crossword
Across: 1. Asthma, 5.
Access, 10. Measles, 11.
Charade, 12. Sunset, 15.
Strife, 16. Trellis, 17. Dare, 18.
Unit, 19. Collect, 20. Slam, 22.
Bass, 25. Perturb, 27. Avatar,
28. Errata, 31. Crevice, 32.
Minimal, 33. Bypass, 34.
Steady.
Down: 2. Spanner, 3. Helmet,
4. Apse, 5. Arch, 6. Crafts, 7.
Station, 8. Amused, 9. Behest,
13. Trooper, 14. Ululate, 15.
Sincere, 20. Snatch, 21.
Academy, 23. Alarmed, 24.
Stalls, 25. Patina, 26. Bronze,
29. Hers, 30. Imps.
WordBuilder
cod, coo, coot, cor, cord, cot,
DOCTOR, door, dot, orc,
roc, rod, rood, root, rot, tod,
too, tor, torc, trod.
Sudoku
DECODER
Each number represents a different letter of the alphabet. Write the
given letters into all squares with matching numbers. Now work out
which letters are represented by the other numbers.
All puzzles copyright
T H E P U Z Z L E C O M P A N Y
www.thepuzzlecompany.co.nz

8
Thursday February 6 2025
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