Issue April 2015

DayDateMeetingTimeVenue Wednesday 1 April Open Day – Long Term Plan 7.00 pm Ōtaki College, 233 Mill Road, Ōtaki Thursday 2 April Corporate Business Committee 10.00 am Council Chambers Ground Floor, 175 Rimu Road, Paraparaumu Wednesday 8...

Next potluck meeting will be Wednesday April 29 at 6pm — for more info contact Belinda McLean, 364-5573 or belin7mclean@gmail.com TTO has links with the...

‘Why didn’t I move in sooner’ is the most common question asked by Enliven’s Reevedon Retirement Village residents after settling into their new relaxing...

Food forest, sustainable gardening, permaculture, locavore—words once unfamiliar to gardeners now crop up regularly in the media and in gardening conversations.All are talking about a way of gardening that is both productive and efficient, making the best use of soil, sun and water. Planting intelligently with a mixture of different trees, shrubs and crops and using chooks, worms or other animals to keep the garden fertile and abundant without expensive fertilisers and pesticides.

Otaki Remembers World War I focuses on Gallipoli, as 25 April 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the landing at Anzac Cove. After eight months of battles and heavy losses, the troops had to be evacuated. Gallipoli was a costly failure; the Allies suffered 141,547 casualties of which 44,150 died; Turkey had 251,309 casualties of which 86,692 died. New Zealand had around 8,000 casualties, of which 2,779 died. Otaki just after the war is also featured.

Fourteen school libraries, a teachers’ conference and a farewell function for a school principal – Helen Walch and Judith Miller’s recent visit to Cambodia was definitely not a leisurely holiday. The two local women are trustees for Books for Cambodia, a small charitable trust that supports the development of some rural school libraries in two Cambodian provinces.

The speaker for April will be Pip Devonshire, a nationally-known weaver who has exhibited her work around the world. She is a tutor of Maori Art and Design at Te Wananga o Raukawa where she teaches and creates from historic Maori designs, and with her creative talent presents them in a new form.

A fuchsia’s ballerina-like blooms lift and brighten the gloomiest spots in our gardens, and most of us remember the large, flamboyant, double-flowered hybrids, those lovers of dappled shade, that were popular in our grandparents’ gardens.

It seems that Otaki ratepayers may be missing out on rate rebates said Trevor Daniell Local Body spokesperson for Kapiti Coast Grey Power. The 2013 census shows that 987 Otaki ward households earn less than $30,000 a year but only 420 claimed the rates rebate and 194 have applied for rates remission due to hardship.

Hooray! we have locally grown Malvern City daffodil bulbs for this year’s planting season. Malvern City is a classic all yellow trumpet daffodil. It is tall-growing (50cm) and an early flowering variety, a perfect cut flower.

How the family justice system works changed in April 2014, but separating parents are still unsure how to go about resolving their disputes over...

April is a busy month in the garden

One Night in Italy by Lucy Diamond; Time and Time Again by Ben Elton;Recipes from My French Kitchen by Allyson Gofton,The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore

Over the last four years in Otaki there have been long periods during summer that have been very hot and dry. Whilst this is great for spending time with the kids at the beach it can be challenging for gardens particularly for those in the Kapiti beach communities.

Just like human diets, canine diets go in and out of fashion. These days the fad is the raw-meat diet. Feeding these diets has become an increasing trend among pet owners, on the basis that they are more ‘natural’. However