Professor Allan Blackman: investigating the 'living glow'
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RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
Shared housing for elderly a step closer in Rangiora
Waimakariri District Council is helping with a new initiative to provide housing for those in need. File photo. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER A social housing initiative, described as ''like flatting for older people'', is a step closer to becoming a reality in North Canterbury. The Waimakariri District Council agreed to enter into an agreement to support and provide land for an Abbeyfields house to be built in Rangiora, at a meeting on Tuesday. An Abbeyfields house offers supported housing for single older people of limited means. Addressing the council meeting, Abbeyfield Waimakariri Incorporated chairperson Valda Reveley said it was "like flatting for older people". She said granting the lease will allow her organisation to get on with raising the funds it needs to build the house. "It will be a one-storey house and from the road it will look like the surrounding houses - only bigger. "We call it a house, but it will be a home for those who don't have many options." The concept is a large house with 12 to 14 studio units, a shared living room, dining room, laundry and often gardens. Residents can share meals together and connect with each other. The trust will employ a housekeeper and a cook to prepare the meals, but it will otherwise be run by volunteers. The Waimakariri District Council is backing an initiative to build an Abbeyfields house in Rangiora. Photo: David Hill / North Canterbury News Deputy Mayor Neville Atkinson, the council's housing portfolio holder, said entering into the agreement is "a huge step forward". "We have been told about the needs of social housing many times and we have a role to play in looking after those in need in our community and by enabling people to look after social housing." Atkinson said he and Mayor Dan Gordon had visited the Abbeyfields house in Hornby, Christchurch, and were impressed with what they saw. Gordon said the council should support social housing initiatives such as Abbeyfields and a recent initiative to provide shared housing for women. "Why wouldn't we be looking after people in our community at a time in their life when they most need it? "Not everyone can afford to go to a Ryman or another model." Councillor Niki Mealings said the council already provides older person's housing, and by working in partnership with Abbeyfields, it can provide housing "with no additional cost to ratepayers". Cr Tim Fulton said the partnership is an example of the council enabling people to do "what they do best". The council has been working with the community to support the establishment of an Abbeyfields house in Waimakariri for the past four years, as part of its efforts to address housing shortages in the district. Under the agreement, the council will enter into a 33-year lease with Abbeyfield Waimakariri Incorporated to lease a site in Kingsbury Avenue, Rangiora. * LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
9 hours ago
- RNZ News
Cat throwing and online abuse: SPCA staff facing more threats on the job
SPCA staff say they are dealing with verbal abuse on a daily basis. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver SPCA staff say an increasing amount of physical and verbal threats is one of the primary reasons for leaving the job. There have been 70 incidents of verbal and physical threats reported so far this year, but the animal welfare protection agency believes the numbers are much higher, with some staff just putting up with daily abuse. In one case, a worker in Hawke's Bay had a cat thrown at them. SPCA general manager for animal services Dr Corey Regnerus-Kell told Checkpoint there had been assaults, vandalism, physical threats, vehicles attacked with batons and a lot of abuse on social media. He said the abuse was directed at staff around the country who were just trying to do the best job they could. "One of the primary reasons we actually see people leave is because of the abuse that they received. The team work tirelessly, making very hard decisions every day and they all want to help as much as they can, but they also know that at the end of the day they are a charity and they can only do as much as they can within those means. "Sadly we've had to put the Christchurch centre into numerous levels of lockdown, so whether they have been real or perceived threats, we do take the safety of staff very highly at SPCA and we do want to make sure people are protected." Regnerus-Kell said the SPCA was hoping for a bit more empathy and compassion when people contacted them to ask for help. "If people actually listen to the help we are offering, and not just hearing 'no, we won't take them', then I think we will be on the track to success." He said the case of a cat being thrown at staff was another instance where the organisation struggled to get across what it could and could not do. Dr Corey Regnerus-Kell says there have been assaults, vandalism, physical threats, and attacks on vehicles. Photo: SPCA Regnerus-Kell said the SPCA was there for the sick, injured and vulnerable animals in the community. "So those animals that can't really fend for themselves, so if there is a new litter of puppies that has just been born and abandoned on the side of the road, those are the animals we would look at. "We don't help the owned, healthy animals, and we have to be really clear that owning an animal is a responsibility, not a right. The SPCA is not here to be a rehoming service, the onus is on the owner." He said the issue was about managing the resources it had. "If everybody who didn't want an animal came to us there is just no way we could cope, and that's the same with every rescue group across the country. "We're doing our best, where we can." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
Community aims to stop Takapuna golf course conversion
"My lifetime's work could be gone". That's the message from the head green keeper of Takapuna's beloved golf course as the community tries to stop a big chunk of it being turned into a wetland. The council has proposed converting half the course into a flood storage and recreational area to avoid a repeat of the suffering caused by the 2023 Auckland anniversary floods. But those backing the alternative proposal are confident keeping the course at 18 holes while safeguarding against flood damage is not only possible, but a better option. Jessica Hopkins reports . To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
