See the earlier post about this statue which won the Gold NZ Sculpture Design Award in 2011 and which the KCDC Art Panel rejected as being “muddled and confusing”. Following a wave of public support for the statue, councilors overturned the decision of the Art Panel. This statue to be placed on Marine Parade, Paraparaumu Beach, will be in the same place as the lovely Tui sculpture removed because of the council’s Political Correctness thinking.

Will Clijsen from Art Castings in Mangere Bridge made the sculpture. (stuff photo)

Raumati Paraparaumu Community Board members Guy Burns and Bernie Randall welcome the installation of the Kiwi Rider sculpture on Thursday 4 October.

“We are pleased red-tape, bureaucracy and political correctness have been short-circuited with the sculpture erected in a relatively short period of time.

“There has been minimal cost installing the sculpture, which has been gifted for a one year period. We look forward to the public reaction and response to kiwi art in Kapiti’s cultural centre.”

A couple of weeks ago we made a regular visit to an elderly lady friend who excitedly told us she had won a million dollars — and thrust a piece of elaborately decorated thick paper similar to the one shown at us.

Of course, she hadn’t, but it took us a while to convince her of that.

These devices used by companies like Readers Digest, Windsor and this one, Magnamail, to encourage people to buy more of their stuff are nothing new.

Do they have any intention of paying anyone a million bucks?  Probably not, despite the fact it is actually an offence under Section 17 of the Fair Trading Act to offer a prize with no intention of paying it.

Offers of small prize amounts are credible, if the organisation is a sizeable one, but the likelihood of winning them is miniscule.

In America, people get routinely subjected to this type of thing; an article about Publishers Clearing House, a company registered in Delaware, which has the slackest commercial laws of any American state, begins:-

As millions of Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes envelopes begin to arrive in mailboxes across the country, you should know that your odds of winning big are pretty small: Only a 1 in 1.2 billion chance of snagging the top prize of $1 million a year for life, according to the company. Even getting a one-time prize of $2,500 has odds of 1 in 130 million.

Full article

Unfortunately, this is another area where the elderly are vulnerable to being sucked in by the hype, and as Waikanae has a high population of over 65’s, we expect that more than a few are every year.

As ever more people feel the financial pinch from the massive regular increases in power bills and KCDC rates, the temptation to try to win prizes increases proportionately; Lotto etc. outlets always do best in the poorest areas.

A message from the Wellington Police FB page is below.

These people are known to have shown up in Waikanae, too.

To repeat what we have said before: aboriculture is a specialised field and you want to use people who both know what they are doing and who take due care.  Most trees will still grow following a butchering, but they are sure to lose at least some — and probably most — of their natural beauty!

Before you engage any tradesperson, check them out first.

We’ve received reports of people offering door-to-door tree trimming services in the northern suburbs. Those offering their services provide a quote, take payment after doing a poor job, and then often return for further funds.

Elderly residents appear to have been targeted and have felt intimidated.

We encourage people to remain vigilant and advise anyone who thinks they are the target of this scam to contact Police on 04-3812000.

A scene on the Otaihanga side with a group of large stones that must have been placed there.

It happens this year over the 27-28 October and 3-4 November weekends, and as is usual contains some familiar artists and some new.

The Waikanae/Peka Peka/Reikorangi entries cover pages 12-26 in the brochure and 7-11 in the pdf which is on the KCDC website here

Mahara of course means remembrance, (mau = keep; korero = talk, address, speech; a kapu ti = a cup of tea!).

For those who didn’t make it to the Arts and Crafts Centre in Elizabeth St this weekend, here are photos of some of the models.

We were asked to mention the national show happening over Labour Weekend in Palmerston North which naturally will be much bigger, the leaflet is below.

a display of those most important buildings, the outhouse, or in NZ, the dunny!

Pataka pā

a group of towers — do we spot a Pringles tube among them? 🙂

‘Receivers Lane’, which is in the ‘dodgy’ part of town and the name of the shop second from left, Stollen Goodes, says it all. 🙂

old fashioned street frontages

the mobile fast food vendor