News in brief

Setting sail

Ākonga (students) at Parklands School have been hands-on in their Aotearoa Hītori (New Zealand history) learning, exploring the incredible journey of master navigator Kupe and bringing history to life through his creations. The students even got to test out the seaworthiness of their waka hourua, or double-hull canoes, by giving them a maiden voyage in the school swimming pool.

Housing proposal for Karaka St

Kāinga Ora is proposing to build new homes on Karaka St in Stoke, but the project is still in the early stages. “We are considering redeveloping the sites at 2-14 and 45-51 Karaka St to provide new warm and dry homes,” says Julia Campbell, regional director for Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast. “We have assessed these proposed projects to ensure best value for money, and they have met the criteria to progress further.” Site investigations have been carried out to determine whether the sites are suitable for redevelopment, however no further details have been confirmed. “When we redevelop a site, we prioritise telling the tenants who live there first and support them to move to another suitable home, ahead of any work beginning.” Meanwhile, construction is almost finished on 26 new homes in Neale Ave in Stoke on the site of the former Whareama Rest Home. Kāinga Ora is planning to purchase the homes upon completion and tenants and families are expected to begin moving in from the end of July. The new development includes eight one-bedroom units, 14 two-bedroom homes and four three-bedroom homes.

Sarah Kerby selected as Labour’s candidate for Nelson City Council

Sarah Kerby has been selected as Labour’s candidate for the Stoke-Tāhunanui Ward in the 2025 Nelson City Council local elections. A third-generation Stoke local, Sarah says she is standing to make sure everyday people have a strong voice at Nelson’s council table. Sarah is well-known as the founder of Bellyful Nelson, a volunteer group that delivers meals to families with newborns facing tough times. This mission became personal for Sarah when her own son was diagnosed with cancer. She has a background working for the Parliamentary Service, supporting Nelsonians with everything from housing and immigration issues to navigating government agencies and accessing community services. She also owns her own small business and is a Justice of the Peace. Sarah says her top three priorities for council are affordable housing, reliable public transport and strong local services that ease the cost of living.

Theatre Royal marks 15 years since reopening

Nelson’s Theatre Royal recently marked 15 years since they reopened. The theatre reopened on 31 May 2010 after 10 years of fundraising and two and a half years of rebuilding and restoration work. The theatre was built in 1878 and was closed down in 2005 due to the building being so rundown.

Chlorination exemption sought for Tākaka water supply

The Water Services Act requires all water supplies that have a networked distribution system to provide for residual disinfection. This effectively means that all networked water supplies must be chlorinated. Upper Tākaka is the only Council-managed supply without chlorine and therefore Taumata Arowai has requested the Council to either install permanent chlorination or to apply for an exemption from this requirement. The Council has agreed to pursue an exemption. This may or may not be granted and if not, chlorination will be required. An application for exemption is to be submitted by the end of July 2025 and it is expected that a decision will take two or more months.

Recycling truck tips

There was an accident on Monday 28 April 2025 involving a Recycling truck on the Tākaka Hill. There was no other vehicle involved as the truck tipped over on a righthand bend. The driver was taken to hospital and fortunately only received a broken wrist and some bruising.

NZCT boosts Motueka High School

New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) has awarded Motueka High School a $25,000 grant to support its growing textiles, mountain biking, and rock-climbing and physical education programmes, enabling the school to purchase new sewing machines, mountain bikes and specialist climbing gear.