Latest news with #Christoffel
Scoop
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Last 50 Years Of Nelson Council Go Down In History
Nelson City Council's history has been turned into a trilogy with the launch of a new volume documenting its last 50 years. For its 50th and 100th anniversaries, the council had commissioned histories of the preceding 50 years. In 2023, the council agreed to write a third to mark its sesquicentenary – or 150th anniversary. That latest instalment, Welcome to Whakatū Nelson City Council 1974–2024, was launched on Thursday afternoon at the Elma Turner Library. Written by local historian Dr Paul Christoffel, the book covers everything from the council's acceptance of Melrose House as a gift in 1975 to the public consultation on its controversial housing intensification in 2024. It was Christoffel's first foray into documenting the history of local government and he said it was 'bloody hard work'. 'When I came into this, I thought, 'oh, it's only 50 years, that won't be such a big deal'. But what I gradually discovered was the enormous amount of stuff that councils do, it's just quite phenomenal.' It took him about 18 months to write – 'quite a short space of time' in terms of history books – and he said 'an awful lot' had to be left out. One such piece of information that wasn't featured in the book, but had captured Christoffel's attention, was one radio segment featuring then-council officer Pat Dougherty, who would, years later, become the council's chief executive. Dougherty had gone on the radio to defend the council's plans to build Tantragee Water Treatment Plant from callers opposed to the plan when he heard a familiar voice. 'He said: 'is that you, Peter?'' Christoffel said. 'He recognized his voice, even though he didn't say who he was, and it was the former mayor, Peter Malone!' Though once controversial at the time, the construction of the water treatment plant is one such achievement lauded within the history book and was a key highlight for Mayor Nick Smith. 'The most striking feature for me on this issue is just how much our city has progressed over the last 50 years,' Smith said. He reflected on how, in 1974, the city's water was rationed and regarded as some of the worst in the country. However, with the construction of the Maitai Dam and the water treatment plant, Nelson's water was now 'some of the best and most secure in the country', Smith said. '[The book] is actually an important reflection on the people, the projects, and the progress that our city has made.' However, he added that the book had nearly not happened, with it being deemed 'hardly a priority' following the August 2022 storm event. Had it not been for the advocacy of the Nelson Historical Society and the City of Nelson Civic Trust, Smith wouldn't have renewed the idea which was eventually unanimously supported by the council. Councillor Mel Courtney, who also sat on the council during its centenary celebrations 50 years ago, thought it was important to chronicle the past. 'Documenting council's rich history gives us a sense of who we are, where we came from, and where we're going,' he said. About $175,000, including $20,000 from the City of Nelson Civic Trust, went towards the council's anniversary commemorations, with most of the funds contributing to the book. Welcome to Whakatū Nelson City Council 1974–2024 is available for issue at Nelson's public libraries or to purchase from local independent bookstore Page & Blackmore, and will be made available as an ebook. 'It inspires the next generation to make good decisions, to further build the city's unique character, and make sure that Nelson is the best little city, in the best little country, in the world,' Smith said.
Forbes
19-04-2025
- Forbes
Apple iPhone 17 Pro And iPhone 17 Pro Max: Latest Leaks Promise New Designs
Updated April 19 with report of new battery design in the iPhone 17 Pro Max and a different render video of the iPhone 17 Pro. The iPhone 17 series is expected to launch in September, and one persistent rumor is that the rear camera panel will have a complete redesign. Not one, but two, renders aim to show what the new iPhone 17 Pro will look like, though one seems more likely than the other, I'd say. Meanwhile, a new report comments on how a different part of the iPhone 17 range will see a welcome design change: even longer battery life. Apple iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max: will the next-gen models look strikingly different? Let's start with that. As Ryan Christoffel at 9to5Mac points out, the largest iPhone in the current range, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, already has great battery life. 'The 16 Pro Max offers, per Apple's website, up to 33 hours of video playback with its massive battery. This is up from the 29 hours quoted for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. And this year, it's getting even better,' the report says. That's because several rumors have fastened on the news that the iPhone 17 Pro Max is expected to be thicker than before. This seems to indicate the phone could have a bigger battery — after all, the internal components aren't expected to get fatter and that extra thickness has to be used for something. Christoffel thinks that just as the biggest Apple Watch battery is in the Apple Watch Ultra, so it's possible that the Pro Max released this fall could be renamed iPhone 7 Ultra. I'm not sure about the naming, though it has been rumored before, but I can absolutely see Apple claiming bragging rights on the biggest iPhone having the best battery life ever. 'Prefer a beast of a phone with over-the-top battery life? This year's iPhone 17 Pro Max will make that happen more than ever before,' the report concludes. Back to the renders claiming to show the new external designs. Instead of a squarish raised area in the iPhone's top left corner, the panel is thought to stretch the width of the phone, a bit like the camera bar on the Google Pixel 9 Pro, for instance. The first new render shows an image and video of how the back of the iPhone 17 Pro will look. The report comes from a 3D designer whose X handle is kanedacane tweets. You can see the video here. What's different in this image compared to previous renders is that it shows the panel in the same color as the rest of the back of the phone — something that a recent report specified in an interesting update . True, the render is in a dark gray finish, so we don't get to see the colors shining through, but the effect of the uniform color is markedly different from some earlier renders and leaks. It shows the panel rising smoothly from the body of the iPhone, with three lenses and the flash, microphone and LiDAR sensor. The flash currently sits above the third lens on the iPhone 16 Pro, with the LiDAR sensor and microphone below. Instead, the render shows these sensors sitting at the extreme right of the wider panel, in a neatly spaced column. The lenses for the three cameras protrude from the rest of the panel, as they do now. And then there's the second render, which comes in the shape of a concept trailer from 4RMD, which you can see here. This looks beautiful but I slightly take issue with it. First, it has the camera panel in a contrasting color to the rear of the phone, which contradicts Gurman's report. Though, who knows, maybe 4RMD is right? Also, it shows a periscope camera on the rear of the phone, suggesting this could be a 48-megapixel sensor. I think the sensor upgrade is likely, but the render shows the familiar rectangular shape that defines most periscope lenses. Apple already has a periscope telephoto, which it calls a tetraprism. The company went to some pains to ensure it looks exactly like the other lenses, so I think the concept video is wrong here. I'm also doubtful that Touch ID will return this year to the iPhone, as the concept render suggests. I'll be frank, I'm also still not smitten with this new rear camera panel design, in either of these renders, though I have previously seen leaked designs and had to change my mind when the real thing emerges. One good result from the full-width bar is that the phone doesn't rattle back and forth as it does with a corner panel if it is lying on a table, for instance. But the raised lenses would diminish this stability unless there's a case on the phone. Still, this is a useful new hint at what the iPhone 17 Pro seems increasingly likely to look like.
