News in brief

No more berry picking

There will be no more pick-your-own berries for the public at Berry Lands from this summer. Connings, who run Berry Lands, say they need the berries they grow to stock their shops and to keep the shelves full. The berry farm in Appleby grows strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, and karaka berries. The public will still be able to buy them from their shops and there are still other places in the region that offer pick-your-own berries.

Shihad return to Nelson for last tour

New Zealand rock legends Shihad are saying goodbye for good, but not before they rock Nelson one last time on 7 February next year. The show at the Trafalgar Centre is part of their nationwide tour called ‘Loud Forever – The Final Tour’. These will be their last shows in Aotearoa before the band calls it quits for good. The group, made up of frontman Jon Toogood, Karl Kippenberger, Phil Knight, and Tom Larkin, formed in in 1988 as high school students. To get your tickets, go to www.shihad.com

NZCT grants awarded

The New Zealand Community Trust awarded $169,000 worth of grants to local organisations in their latest funding round. Some of the recipients included Gymnastics Nelson, who were awarded $50,000 for equipment, St Joseph’s School Nelson received $15,000 for the installation of heat pumps, and Nelson Rugby Football Club were awarded $11, 562 for uniforms, balls, contracts, a medical table and a defibrillator. The Nelson Historic Theatre Trust also recieved $15,000 towards upgrading their PA system and $13,340 went to Basketball Development Nelson Trust.

Rare jug donated to archives collection

A rare 1870 Dudson Jug was gifted to St Mary’s Catholic Church Archives on Manuka St last month. While the first Nelson owner of the jug was Rosaline Margaret Frank, Nelson’s first female professional photographer, the second owner was Beatrice Duncan, who was the granddaughter of the founder of the Nelson Evening Mail.  Local researcher and author Rosalina McCarthy, who happens to be Nelson’s second female professional photographer, says the jug, an example of Jasperware by James Dudson, is rarely seen in New Zealand and is historically valuable.

High marks for eBus

Tasman District Council has conducted a public transport survey of eBus passengers, with 214 responses. The eBus had an overall satisfaction rating of 94 per cent, vehicle quality and service access both at 93 per cent had the highest satisfaction, with change information at 69 per cent, and service frequency at 76 per cent. A common request from passengers was for earlier and later services.