Western News: October 02, 2025

FOR LOCAL ADVERTISING 

Alana Powell 

Ph: 027 535 6583 

alana@alliedmedia.co.nz 

Big response to dog blanket drive 


Alana Powell 


alana@alliedmedia.co.nz 

Animal shelter dogs have been 

wrapped up in warm blankets 

after the community answered 

the call for bedding donations. 

A post on the city council’s 

Facebook page, asking for 

spare blankets for its shelter 

in Bromley, saw hundreds of 

residents from across the city 

donate items. 

City council animal services 

manager Lionel Bridger said the 

shelter was overwhelmed with 

the response. 

“We had hundreds of 

messages, calls and people 

coming into the shelter within 

the first hour of the post going 

up,” Bridger said. 

The shelter relies on bedding 

donations and had been running 

low due to the current influx of 

dogs. 

“We know dogs are more 

than just pets, and with the 

generosity our community has 

shown, it’s clear our residents 

know that too.” 

The Star, January 23, 2025 

People responded to the 

Facebook post from as far 

away as New Plymouth and 

Ashburton. 

“We had donations from 

organisations, including the 

SPCA and Christchurch City 

Mission op shop, who brought 

in excess items of their own,” 

Bridger said. 

The City Mission donated 

bags of linen, blankets, towels 

and bedding that it was unable 

to sell. “We’d like to say a big 

thank you to everyone who 

donated. The team at the shelter 

– and our dogs – are blown 

away by the generosity of our 

community,” Bridger said. 

“We are now well-stocked 

with blankets for our dogs and 

don’t need anything more at this 

stage.” 

The City Mission op shop 

is still looking for blankets, 

towels and bedding in excellent 

condition to give to people in 

need. 

Photos: CCC 


Annabel Judd 


annabel.judd@alliedmedia.co.nz 


Jenny Wright 


jenny@alliedmedia.co.nz 

starnews.co.nz 


City Mission retail team leader Josie Cox, city council principal advisor animal management, Ivan Trethowen, and City 

Mission retail and logistics supervisor Tina Burrows with the donated blankets keeping dogs warm at the animal 


shelter. 



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The Star, October 2, 2025 


From helping godwits to saving 

BY GEOFF SLOAN 

Tanya Jenkins loves a challenge. 

The environmental advocate 

is stepping down from her parttime 

role at the Avon-Heathcote 

Estuary Ihutai Trust after more 

than 25 years. 

"I've loved working for the 

estuary trust but it's just time 

for someone with new ideas, 

and better IT skills than me to 

take over." 

In 2002, she helped set up 

the trust to advocate for the 

estuary's ecology. She was its 

environmental educator. 

"I've always worked part-time 

so that I can volunteer the rest 

of my time and do what I want 

to do." 

The 65-year-old said the 

change will give her more time 

to pursue other challenges and 

volunteering projects. 

Jenkins' great passion is the 

estuary. 

"It's the most amazing place 

for me. The fact that we have 

a wetland of international 

significance in the middle of a 

city makes it unique." 

The Woolston resident 

organises a range of events and 

campaigns aimed at protecting 

the estuary and raising 

awareness of its value. 

The estuary is an important 

nesting site for 142 species 

of birds, including some 

endangered species, she said. 

It serves as an internationally 

PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN 

significant stopover point for 

migratory birds and is a habitat 

for native species, including 

godwits and oystercatchers. 

Jenkins and other volunteers 

have set up eight wetland 

restoration projects around the 

estuary. 

"We're there every Sunday 

afternoon weeding and doing 

whatever we can." 

Jenkins was 19 when she 

arrived in New Zealand in 1980 

from the Netherlands. 

"I came for a holiday but I 

just never returned. I thought 

this is paradise with mountains, 

oceans and wetlands, and 

all these beautiful creatures. 

Why would you not want to be 

here?" 

She said her family was 

gutted when she made the 

difficult phone call to tell them 

she wasn't coming back. 

"My mother started crying 

and hung up on me." 

She said they have made up 

since then. She went on to have 

her own family. 

She said she immediately 

joined environmental groups 

which were enhancing 

wetlands. 

"I used to pick up litter in 

the streets and people would 

ask me what I was doing. They 

thought I was looking for 

cigarette butts but I said no, 

whatever goes down the drains 

ends up in the wetlands and 

estuary." 

She said her conservation 

work was a way to give back to 

New Zealand. 

It was when her two children 

went to primary school that 

she realised they were not 

being taught environmental 

conservation. 

"I thought if no one is 

teaching them how to protect 

the environment then we're 

going to ruin it pretty quickly." 

That spurred her into action. 

"I did a lot of research 

and, in 1992, I set up the first 

environmental education 

consultancy business in New 

Zealand." 

She voluntarily introduced 

environmental lessons in 

schools. 

"It's now in the curriculum. 

Education in schools has made 

a humongous difference." 

Jenkins founded Seaweek in 

1992, an annual celebration 

in March of marine life and 

waterways. 

"It started in Australia. 

Someone there heard about me 

and rang up asking if I could 

introduce it to New Zealand. I 

said sure. They said well that 

makes you from today the 

national co-ordinator." 

The week-long event in March 

features beach and waterway 

clean-ups and educational 

activities. 

11–27 October 2025

starnews.co.nz The Star, October 2, 2025 

seals for environment advocate 

"It was all voluntary work but 

quickly got bigger than Ben-Hur, 

so I had to pass it on to another 

national co-ordinator." 

She said a key event was the 

annual Mother of All Clean Ups, 

held in April. 

Jenkins helped organise 

more than 1000 volunteers who 

collected 600 bags of rubbish 

from Christchurch's waterways 

earlier this year over a single 

weekend. 

Among the several tonnes 

of rubbish collected were 

discarded TVs, microwaves, and 

cushions. 

She said it was disappointing 

to see so little improvement in 

the waterways after a decade of 

running the event. 

"We were always hoping 

when we started that we may 

make ourselves obsolete. That 

was a bit too optimistic. There 

will always be people who 

litter, and we still have a lot to 

educate." 

In 1996, Jenkins founded 

Marine Watch New Zealand 

after watching a news item on 

television. 

"I saw an item about farmers 

risking fines to shoot seals in 

Kaikoura for dog tucker." 

That angered her, and she 

quickly mobilised a group of 

volunteers from Christchurch 

and Kaikoura to patrol the 

coastline and protect the seals. 

"We got the Department of 

Conservation involved, and 

Tanya Jenkins teaching Burwood School pupils about the estuary in 2000. Right – Jenkins with Te Raekura Redcliffs School pupils in June. 

Marine Watch grew to include 

injured wildlife and whale 

strandings." 

The organisation was taken 

over by DOC and Project Jonah. 

"I like to get an idea in 

motion, so that other people 

can take over and I can do 

another project." 

Jenkins also founded the 

Farewell to the Godwits event, 

which attracts hundreds of 

people to the estuary every 

March. 

"It's another way of educating 

the public in a fun way about 

the importance of the estuary." 

For more than 25 years she 

has watched the birds take off 

on their non-stop marathon 

flight to their breeding grounds 

in Alaska. 

"It is the longest bird 

migration in the world. That 

makes them so special.” 

Jenkins said funding is 

getting harder and harder for 

environmental groups and she 

wants to help them. 

"We're loosing momentum, 

and that's really scary." 

They need to look at other 

ways of getting volunteers and 

funding, she said. This includes 

plans to become more involved 

in Rotary International. 

"They've just signed up with 

the United Nations. One of their 

core functions is to improve 

the water quality of waterways 

around the world. I thought 

we want a slice of that funding 

here in New Zealand. 

"I'm not finished yet." 

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Student leads battle to bring back birdsong 

BY GEOFF SLOAN 

A determined Canterbury 

University student is leading a 

volunteer effort to rid parts of 

the city’s north-west of rats and 

other predators – all to bring 

back the birdsong. 

Jade Humphrey grew up in 

Wainuiomata surrounded by 

bush and lots of birds. But when 

she moved to Christchurch in 

2016 to begin her PhD in geology, 

she realised something was 

missing. 

“I noticed in Riccarton there 

weren’t many birds around, but 

I did see lots of rats,” Humphrey 

said. 

That observation spurred 

her into action. Predator Free 

Riccarton took flight in 2022, 

after she sought advice from 

local conservation groups. 

“I did some research, I applied 

for funding and got it off the 

ground.” 

The 27-year-old completed 

her PhD earlier this year and 

is now pursuing a postdoctoral 

fellowship in earthquake science. 

Despite her busy schedule, she 

continues to volunteer running 

Predator Free Riccarton – though 

she admits it is getting harder to 

find the time. 

“We’re predominantly a 

backyard trapping group. We 

give out traps to people who are 

interested in catching rats, mice 

and hedgehogs.” 

Predator Free Riccarton has 

expanded from Riccarton to 

now include the area stretching 

from Hagley Park to Russley Rd, 

and from Blenheim Rd up to 

Jade Humphrey oversees 482 predator traps in the north-west of Christchurch. 

Bryndwr. The group manages 482 

traps, which includes trapping 

lines in Riccarton Bush and 

Canterbury University. 

“At the university, we’ve got 

about 150 traps that students 

check every week. That includes 

possum traps as well.” 

She said while rats were the 

main problem in Riccarton, 

possums were becoming a big 

issue. 

“They’re coming out of Hagley 

Park. We’ve caught around 40 

possums over the past year 

in the university trapping 

program alone.” 

She has even seen them turn 

up in surprising places. 

“They’re definitely around 

the city. I’ve seen a few – I 

actually saw one at Northlands 

Mall when I was there a couple 

months ago.” 

Humphrey said in response, 

they were trying to increase the 

number of traps, all of which 

are kill traps. 

“We follow animal ethics 

and guidelines, and train our 

trappers to set the traps in the 

best way so the animals don’t 

suffer.” 

She said a new initiative 

was the use of carcasses by 

university students for their 

studies. 

Humphrey said she was 

looking for a volunteer to help 

co-ordinate and expand their 

school trapping project. 

“We’ve got nine schools 

currently trapping in the area 

as well, and that’s all done by 

students.” 

She said with 25-30 primary 

and high schools in the area, 

there was room for expansion. 

“I really want to increase the 

biodiversity in our local area 

and give people skills to make 

a difference – and help them 

connect with nature as well.” 

She said Predator Free 

Riccarton staff and trap 

volunteers have grown to now 

number in the hundreds. 

However she’s putting out a 

call for help from anyone with 

a few hours to spare each week 

to help run and co-ordinate the 

programme. 

“I kind-of run this mostly 

on my own. We have a lot of 

support from the different 

groups but most of the heavy 

Our Great 

Volunteers 

CALL TO ACTION 

Do you know someone 

doing valuable work in the 

community? Send their details 

in 200 words or less to 

geoff.sloan@alliedmedia.co.nz 

lifting I’m doing myself at the 

moment, on top of doing a 

PhD.” 

Still, she said the effort is 

making a difference. 

“We can’t eradicate pests 

entirely, but with the traps 

we can lower their numbers 

enough to keep birds in our 

area safe.” 

Bird numbers and diversity 

are already increasing. For 

Humphrey, that’s the reward. 

“I want future generations 

to have that same experience 

I had growing up, being 

connected to nature.” 

• To contact Predator Free Riccarton, 

email: predatorfreericcarton@gmail. 

com or to donate a trap, visit 

giveatrap.org.nz 

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Brilliant brassica bliss 

Kale, cabbage and cauliflowers 

— sauteed, shredded or baked. 

However you like your greens, 

a touch of frost makes all the 

difference, writes Nigel Slater 

This is a good time generally 

for greens eaters. Tight, sweet 

cauliflowers are around, and 

offer a gentle alternative to the 

more strident members of the 

brassica family. 

Cabbages are looking 

tempting, too. Heavy to carry 

home from the shops, their 

many layers will provide plenty 

of opportunities to eat well 

throughout the coming week. 

 

KALE WITH CHORIZO 

AND ALMONDS 

Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side dish 

INGREDIENTS 

250g curly kale 

250g cooking chorizo 

groundnut or sunflower oil 

50g skinned whole almonds 

a clove of garlic, peeled and 

crushed 

METHOD 

• Wash the kale thoroughly – 

the leaves can hold grit in their 

curls. Put several of the leaves 

on top of one another and 

shred them coarsely, discarding 

the really thick ends of the 

stalks as you go. 

• Cut the chorizo into thick 

slices. Warm a frying pan 

over a moderate heat, add the 

slices of chorizo and fry till the 

pieces are golden. Lift them out 

with a draining spoon on to a 

dish lined with kitchen paper. 

Discard the oil that has come 

out of the chorizo and wipe the 

frying pan clean. 

• Add the almonds and cook 

for 2 or 3 minutes till pale gold 

then lift out and add to the 

chorizo. 

• Warm the oil in the pan, 

add the crushed garlic and 

shredded greens and cook for a 

couple of minutes, turning the 

greens over as they cook, till 

glossy and starting to darken in 

colour. 

• Return the chorizo and 

almonds to the pan, add a little 

salt and continue cooking till 

all is sizzling, then tip on to hot 

plates. 

 

CAULIFLOWER GRATIN WITH 

OAT AND SUNFLOWER SEED CRUST 

Serves 4 

INGREDIENTS 

For the vegetables: 

3 medium-sized onions 

a clove of garlic 

2 bushy sprigs of rosemary 

2 Tbsp olive oil 

800g cauliflower or romanesco 

a handful of sprout tops or 

cabbage leaves 

200ml cream 

100ml vegetable stock 

80g deep-flavoured hard cheese 

For the topping: 

60g rolled oats 

100g fresh white breadcrumbs 

40g sunflower seeds 

Set the oven at 180 deg C. 

METHOD 

• Peel the onions, halve and 

slice them thickly 

• Peel the garlic and slice it 

thinly 

• Pull the rosemary needles 

off their stems and chop them. 

• Warm the oil in a large, deep 

pan, add the onions, garlic and 

rosemary and let them cook 

over a moderate heat for a good 

15-20 minutes until the onions 

are pale gold and soft. They will 

need an occasional stir. 

• Bring a pan of water to the 

boil and lightly salt it. 

• Break the cauliflower into 

large florets, then slice each one 

in two or three so you have lots 

of flat pieces. 

• Widely shred the greens. 

Add the cauliflower to the 

water and cook for 6-7 minutes, 

or until the cauliflower is 

almost tender to the point 

of a skewer. Add the greens, 

give them a minute then lift 

everything out and drain in a 

colander. 

• Lightly butter a baking 

dish. Tip in the lightly drained 

cauliflower and greens. Season 

the cream and vegetable stock 

with salt and black pepper and 

pour over. Grate the cheese and 

scatter over, reserving a small 

handful. 

• To make the topping, mix 

the oats, breadcrumbs and 

sunflower seeds and pile on 

to the vegetables. Add the 

reserved cheese. Bake in the 

preheated oven for 45 minutes 

or so till the crust is golden 

brown. 

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We are lifelong learners who 

aspire to excellence 

Term 3 Highlights 2025 

37 Cunningham Pl, Halswell | Ph. 03 322 8735 

E. admin@oaklands.school.nz | www.oaklands.school.nz 

Hub 4 visits the Antarctic Centre 

Hub 2’s Trip to Willowbank 

What an amazing time we all had at 

the Antarctic centre. 

Students explored icy conditions, 

watched 4D movies, and learned 

about the important role Antarctica 

plays in our global climate. 

First up we got to see the little blue 

penguins. These rescued penguins 

were sooo cute. 

Through interactive talks, children 

learned how these birds are cared 

for and how their natural habitat is 

being impacted by climate change. 

Next, we went to the famous 

Antarctic Storm Room. Kids stepped 

into sub-zero temperatures and 

were blasted with icy winds that 

mimicked a real Antarctic storm. 

Could they last the full 5 minutes? 

After that we got to learn about 

Huskies and how they adapt to their 

environment. Some of us decided 

we would love a pet Husky. 

We had such a wonderful time 

exploring the park together, 

enjoying the fresh air, and 

getting up close with a wide 

variety of amazing animals. 

Some of our favourite animals 

included the capybaras, zebu, 

rabbits, otters, llamas, eels, 

kiwi, cockatoo, turtle, sheep, 

kāka, tuatara, and wallaby! 

It was so exciting to see them 

up close — especially the 

curious owls, who seemed to 

be watching us just as much 

as we were watching them. We also loved seeing the playful otters and 

spotting a tiny egg on display. 

One of the highlights for many of us was feeding the animals — 

especially the sheep! We also really enjoyed patting some of the 

friendlier animals, walking together in small groups, and sharing our 

discoveries along the way. 

To finish off our lunch break, we 

had a great time playing on the 

small playground before heading 

back to school with full hearts 

and lots of stories to tell. 

We were also so proud to hear 

positive comments from both the 

parent helpers and Willowbank 

staff, who were impressed by 

how knowledgeable, curious and 

well mannered our children were. 

It was wonderful to see their 

learning come to life and to hear 

them proudly share what they 

know. 

It was a truly special day full 

of laughter, learning, and 

connection — a big thank you to 

our parent helpers for making it 

all possible. 

Canterbury Winter Tournament 

On Thursday 11th September we took 

on the best schools in football, hockey 

and rugby, and we did very well. 

Never mind the rain the night before, 

the sun was shining when we arrived 

at Nunweek and South Hagley Parks 

for the Canterbury Winter Tournament. 

Having placed highly at our SW zone 

tournament a week ago, the Year 5/6 

Football, Year 5/6 Rugby, Year 7/8 

Hockey and Year 7/8 Football team 

spent the day taking on schools from as 

far away as Ashburton, with a group of 

country school teams in the mix as well. 

After playing games in their pool, our teams then progressed to playoff rounds 

depending on their pool round placings. In the end, teams play around 5 to 6 games. 

A tough day at the office. 

Over at the rugby the Year 5/6 team had a 3-way tie in the pool round, and as they 

progressed through their playoff games, found themselves playing two ‘golden point’ 

extra times as the game was tied at the conclusion of regular play. The boys gave their 

all but were on the other side of the ledger of those golden point games. It was great 

to see the teamwork, encouragement, and the boys digging deep and showing great 

determination. 

A big thanks goes out to our 

supporters who were there for the 

day. Thanks to Reed for working 

with the boys throughout the day, 

and to the wonderful Taine who 

has been with us for the entire 

season. We appreciate everyone’s 

time and the boys love having you 

all there on the sideline. 

Over at football, the Yr 5/6 and Yr 

7/8 team were battling it out in closely contested games. There were penalty shootouts, 

last minute goals and lots of encouragement and support. With a 1-0 victory in their final 

game, the Year 7/8 team secured 5th spot. Well done, lads. A great result. 

It was also a very successful day for the Year 5/6 football team. So successful in fact, 

that the organiser handed over 3rd place certificates. What an awesome result. This is 

the highest one of our teams have placed at a Canterbury Winter Tournament in recent 

years which makes it even more special. 

A huge thanks to Zack and Mike for leading the teams. We really appreciate your 

availability, guidance and positive influence on the kids. 

A huge thanks to the wonderful Emma and Jeanine who took the Yr 7/8 hockey team 

over to Nunweek Park. Whilst the results didn’t go their way, it was a great experience - 

playing hockey at such a high level. 

Jump Jam Success 

Our Sassy Circus Oaklands Sisters 

had an outstanding performance 

at Cashmere High School on 

9th August, competing in the Open 

Year 5/6 Category, it was their best 

performance yet, coming away with 

an Excellence in Presentation and 

a Merit in technical execution. The 

girls tried their very best and made 

us very proud. 

Congratulations to the Oaklands Workaholics who were presented with a third-place 

trophy. There were 14 teams in the Year 7/8 Open Category, and got Excellence 

certificates in Technical Merit and Overall Performance. 

Oaklands Power came 2nd overall in their grade and scored a whopping 49.3 out of 

50! They were given an excellence in Presentation and Technical Execution. We have 

secured our spot in the National Strictly Competition on the 10th of November, where we 

will compete against the best of the best in the country. 

Miss Preston and Miss Lane took the Year 3 Jump Jam Team, the Oaklands Twisters, to 

the 2025 strictly jump jam competition. They were outstanding and the crowd was very 

loud cheering them on. They achieved a merit certificate in both technical presentation 

and execution. We could not be prouder of them!



CROSSWORD 

1 2 3 4 5 6 

7 8 9 

10 11 

12 13 14 

15 16 17 

18 

19 20 21 22 

420 

SUDOKU 

Every row, column and box should 

contain the digits 1 to 9. 

WordBuilder 

WORDBUILDER 

K P E 

I D C 

6 

320 320 

I D C 

words of three or more letters, 

How 

including 

many 

plurals, 

words 

can you 

of 

make 

three 

from 

or 

the 

more 

six 

letters, using including each letter plurals, only once? can No you foreign make 

How words or beginning with a capital are 

from many 

allowed. 

the words 

There's 

six letters, of three 

at least one 

using or more 

six-letter 

each letters, 

word. 

only 

including once? plurals, can you make from the six 

TODAY 

letters, Good using 12 each Very letter Good only 16 once? Excellent No 20 foreign 

No words beginning with a capital are 

words 

Solution 

or words 

319: add, 

beginning 

addle, ADDLES, 

with 

adds, 

a 

ads, 

capital 

ale, ales, 

are 

allowed. allowed. There’s at least one six-letter 

dad, dads, There's dal, dale, at dales, least dead, one deal, six-letter deals, eld, lad, word. 

word. lade, lades, lads, lase, lased, lea, lead, leads, leas, led, sad, 

SADDLE, sal, sale, sea, seal, 

TODAY 

sled. 

Good 12 Very Good 16 Excellent 20 

Solution 319: add, addle, ADDLES, adds, ads, ale, ales, 

dad, dads, dal, dale, dales, dead, deal, deals, eld, lad, 

lade, lades, lads, lase, lased, lea, lead, leads, leas, led, sad, 

SADDLE, sal, sale, sea, seal, sled. 

23 24 

25 26 

Across 

7. Majestic view (8) 

9. Quantity (6) 

10. Strong wind (4) 

11. Brains, intelligence (inf) (4,6) 

12. Against (6) 

14. Nude runner (8) 

15. Made to appear guilty (6) 

16. Help (6) 

19. Solitary (8) 

21. Military rebellion (6) 

23. Decorative (10) 

24. Boxing match (4) 

25. Climb (6) 

26. Misshapen (8) 

Decoder 

Down 

1. Oversee, organise (6) 

2. Finished (4) 

3. Generosity (8) 

4. Agriculturalist (6) 

5. Dispute, argue against (10) 

6. Obscene (8) 

8. Strongly against (6) 

13. Embarrassed (10) 

15. Thrive (8) 

17. Make less complex (8) 

18. Hired (6) 

20. Go too far (6) 

22. Feeling of sickness (6) 

24. Drill (4) 

Crossword 

Across: 7. Panorama, 9. Amount, 10. Gale, 11. Grey matter, 12. Versus, 14. 

Streaker, 15. Framed, 16. Assist, 19. Lonesome, 21. Mutiny, 23. Ornamental, 

24. Bout, 25. Ascend, 26. Deformed. 

Down: 1. Manage, 2. Done, 3. Largesse, 4. Farmer, 5. Contradict, 6. 

Indecent, 8. Averse, 13. Shamefaced, 15. Flourish, 17. Simplify, 18. Rented, 

20. Overdo, 22. Nausea, 24. Bore. 

WordBuilder 

Cedi, cap, deck, dice, dick, die, dike, dip, epic, ice, iced, kepi, kid, kip, peck, 

pic, pick, PICKED, pie, pied, pike, piked. 

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 

Sudoku

Western News: October 02, 2025

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