The Alexandra Blossom Festival committee has announced the cancellation of the Fulton Hogan Mardi Gras and The News Round the Clock Race tonight (Friday, September 22) due to severe weather. Festival chairwoman Sharleen Stirling-Lindsay said she was “gutted’’ to have to cancel the popular event, however people’s safety came first, she said. “The committee are absolutely devastated that we are having to do this, but people’s safety comes first. Our thoughts are with our neighbouring communities who are currently under a state of emergency due to the weather, and we just want people to be safe.’’ Event manager Martin McPherson said it was the right call to cancel the Friday night events and the organisers were still planning for a great day tomorrow with the Contact Grand Parade and Saturday in the Park. “We are still all go for tomorrow, see you there!’’ he said. Stay updated with all things Blossom Festival on the front page of The Central App.Torrential rain across the South Island has caused major problems on the eve of the festival and school holidays.

In the run-up to the general election on October 14, the Central App is introducing you to those running in Central Otago, whether for the Southland, Waitaki or Te Tai Tonga electorates.We asked each candidate to comment on some issues of concern to Central Otago residents and elsewhere: housing and the cost of renting; the cost of living; the future of tourism; Christchurch International Airports plans to develop an international airport at Tarras; and one other issue they wished to address.Today we hear from Tākuta Ferris, Te Pāti Māori candidate for Te Tai Tonga.Takuta Ferris says that looking after people is a priority for Te Pāti Māori. “We are whānau first,” he said. “When we look at the thinking, calculating and developing solutions we start with the people who are affected the most and build from that basis. This applies to housing, renting, the cost of living, etc.“In practical terms we believe that all whānau have a right to a warm, leak-free, secure home.“We want to invest in more social housing and implement rent controls,” he said. The party wants to remove GST from kai, he said, despite there being conflicting data on how well that would reach the wallets of the public. “We want to make sure we support our whānau who need it the most,” Tākuta said.“Healthy, thriving, and forward-driving people lift the whole community up and that is the goal. We want to leave no one behind.”Tourism plays a role in the country but it is important to listen to the people, Tākuta said. “We also believe in oranga taiao, oranga tangata – a healthy environment leads to a healthy people. If there are concerns around the environmental impacts and the infrastructure to support such a development that isn’t sustainable, what does that mean to our people?“We believe in mokopuna decisions, that we need to think about the decisions we maketoday and the impact on our future tamariki. We want an Aotearoa Hou where no one is leftbehind.”

It was a day for firefighters and their families as the Ranfurly Fire Brigade held an open day on Saturday (September 16) to celebrate its 75th Jubilee.Station officer William Dowling said about 100 people attended over the course of the day, experiencing a demonstration of rural fire equipment, portable pumps and portable dams, a simulated motor vehicle accident where firefighters showed how someone would be cut out if need be, and a great favourite with big and small kids, using the fire hoses. The brigade, whose members are all volunteers, also marked 50 years of service for senior firefighter Ewan Mason, and the unveiling of a new honours board.William has two brothers in the rural brigade, and his sons Fletcher and Emmett have followed in his footsteps to become volunteer firefighters.“In the Maniototo there are about 50 operational firefighters,” he said. Volunteer firefighter Fletcher Dowling assists Mackenzie Scott (10) to knock down a target.William’s wife, Michelle, said the firefighting community was a family too.“We’re a wee bit isolated from elsewhere so when something happens, we all pull together,” she said. Taking young children through the station could also remove any fear that young children might feel at hearing sirens, Michelle said.“Now that they are first responders as well, the siren is not just for fires. If you’ve got grandma and she’s not well, they often come to assist.”Ranfurly Chief Fire Officer James Hazlett said becoming first responders 30 years ago was one of many changes he had seen in his 38 years of volunteering.The biggest change had been in the use of technology, with firefighters being sent alerts to incidents on their cell phones so they could go straight there rather than marshalling first at the station. “Our communities can’t exist without volunteers,” he said.That was no news to Michelle, who said her sons were always going to follow their father as volunteers.“We have always taught the kids to give back to the community,” she said.

For newly minted New Zealand citizens Martin Sayer and Mel Hall, good things truly have taken time.New Zealand citizenship has been a long time coming for Martin, who was originally to move to New Zealand in 1969. He and Mel were two of 16 new citizenships conferred by Central Otago district mayor Tim Cadogan on Friday (September 15).Martin’s father and grandfather were both engineers, as is Martin, and his grandfather moved to New Zealand in 1969, with Martin’s immediate family to follow.“My grandfather liked New Zealand and he decided he would move on over first. He came over, bought a house, and set up a business that my dad was going to run with him.“We lived in Kent and we sold the house. We went down to Southampton and literally got to the boat to get on the boat and my sister started screaming in pain.”She was rushed to hospital in London, where she spent the next year as one of her legs was not growing properly.“We ended up moving to the Isle of Wight where we stayed with my other grandmother and grandfather,” he said. “My granddad had to come back because he was on his own then.”The family did not know he had suffered a minor heart attack while in New Zealand, and a few weeks after arriving back in the United Kingdom, he had a major heart attack and died.Martin married and had children but the marriage did not last, and Mel’s relationship story was similar, with children and a relationship breakdown.That was until one day when Martin was visiting his mother, who Mel lived opposite. The two, both in their 40s by now, had been nodding acquaintances but never really spoken.Mel was in her garage and he stopped to talk with her, “and we got chatting and that was it really”, Martin said.Mel had also lived on the Isle of Wight at the same time as Martin and the two worked out that in their entire lives, they had never lived more than seven miles apart.“It was like it was meant to be,” Martin said.The couple both made their citizenship affirmations in te reo Maori after the mayor read out their stories, and they said tikanga and te reo Maori were important to them.“We both love the Maori language, the culture, the beliefs,” Martin said. “Ninety percent of our friends in the North Island were Maori or Pasifika. We were made welcome in their whānau, in their traditions.”When they first arrived in Tauranga, they were welcomed into the home of a Maori woman, who they said was amazing.“Arrangements were made to stay with a lady - we had never met her,” Martin said. “She opened her door to us, everything she had was ours.“We were walking in the water one evening and we saw a stingray come in, and then we saw three stingrays. There’s a Maori legend about three stingrays and she said it meant we would stay.”“We knew then,” Mel said. “She printed the story off for us and we have had it on our fridge ever since.”They first moved to Greymouth and their weekends would often involve driving to Central to tramp or climb.“We love the mountains, the tranquility, we are really into nature,” Mel said.“And we find the people are friendlier down here,” Martin added. “We’ll go tramping and end up sitting down having a coffee with someone.”

The area where a strong magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck on Wednesday morning has no known historical quakes above magnitude 5.0, GeoNet says.The quake was centred in the South Island's Rangitata Gorge area where two identified active faults meet - the Ben McLeod Fault and the Lake Heron Fault.As the magnitude was relatively small for a major fault, it was probably on a subsurface fault between those two known faults.GeoNet said the area has no known historical quakes above M5.0.The nearby large faults are estimated, from landform evidence, to have each ruptured several times in the recent geological past (within the last 18,000 years), but not since European records began.The epicentre of the earthquake lay south-east of more active regions, and 70 kilometres from the Alpine Fault.Since it struck at 9.14am, there have been at least 37 aftershocks. The largest was a M3.8 at 1.18pm and a M3.6 which occurred at 9.25am.Fresh cracks appeared in the walls of the Mt Somers General Store following the quake.Raewyn at the Mt Somers General Store, inland from Ashburton, said the "fairly good shake" was rather noisy inside the old building and it seemed to go on for a few minutes."It made my heart rate go up and you take a few deep breaths and try to calm yourself, with customers coming in you don't want to be seen as being a bit panicky about it, but everyone is safe which is the main thing, we haven't had any reports of any injuries."It was quite shaky, quite violent, but nothing came off the shelving, a few things moved around but nothing fell on the floor."More than 14,000 people have reported feeling the earthquake through GeoNet's website.The reports came from throughout the South Island with a few as far afield as Auckland.Stay up to date on The Central App GeoNet - earthquakes section under Roads l Weather l ReportsFollow the latest information with RNZ's liveblog:

Central rowers have two reasons to celebrate: Lake Dunstan has been named as a Rowing New Zealand summer development hub (SDH), and the Dunstan Arm Rowing Club (DARC) won 15 golds at New Zealand Masters Championships last weekend (September 16-17). To complete the medal haul, the DARC squad of 16 athletes also won two silvers and six bronzes at the Lake Ruataniwha regatta.DARC coach and SDH coach Simon Smith said 17 years of toil were paying off and every year they were aiming for better results. Simon put his hand up for the SDH opportunity when Rowing NZ wanted applications and said he is thrilled to be part of developing rowers to get to the next level. “We put our names forward because we’ve got some young and up and coming athletes in the club and senior grades and I wanted to be involved with that because I care about my athletes and I’m on that journey with them.“To my surprise we got it, which is fantastic for Dunstan, fantastic for my athletes, and for the Otago region. “To give the [athletes] the opportunity to train together, come together, stay in the region, it's just win-won for everything really...I’m really proud to be able to look after those athletes, and really proud to work with Rowing New Zealand and try to develop the youth and the future of our sport,” Simon said.The SDH objective is to provide developing athletes with high performance potential with a place to train and get support closer to home. It will enable these athletes to stay engaged and further develop in their regions. Coach Simon (left) with the club’s coxless quad crew at NZ Rowing Nationals earlier this year.Rowing NZ has introduced two new pilot programmes to replace the disestablished Regional Performance Centres (RPC) to foster upcoming talent in the sport summer performance hubs (SPH) and SDHs. Rowing New Zealand athlete development manager Janey Charlton has been driving the structural shake-up for the last year, consulting with the community to solve a problem.“The RPC model went because of the large centralisation here at Lake Karāpiro. The old model didn't cope with having 45 athletes in this building,” she said.The locations of SPH and SDH across New Zealand. PHOTO: Rowing NZ Janey wants clubs to be strong, but she believed another tweak was needed.“The clubs are operating a really good club programme, but the athletes are not at the standard to come into the set-up here. So, what the summer performance hubs are trying to do is put in place a daily training environment that pushes the athlete’s level so that they're ready to be one of our top Under-23 athletes or can come into the building as an elite.”The two SPH are based out of Waikato Rowing Club (RC) and Avon RC (Christchurch), and 15 athletes are spread across the two centres after being invited through a talent identification process.The other three summer development hubs will operate in Auckland, Wellington, and Blenheim. For information about DARC contact:[email protected]

A group of 11 grandmothers (the ‘Grans who can’) are getting ready for their flower folding expertise to be filmed by Seven Sharp on Thursday (September 21). They have been working on a Minions themed float for the past six months. Spokesperson for the grans Laurie Paterson said they have created 60,000 crepe paper flowers for the 11.5 metre long trailer. “We did it for fun, not for any of this [media attention].”Weather and flights permitting, the grans are going to have a Seven Sharp film crew visit them on Thursday morning (September 21). Laurie said the float is “practically finished” thanks to many hours of work by the grans, their husbands and friends.Laurie and her husband Nigel moved back to Central five years ago. She said she remembers building floats together with her friend Glenys for Plunket “around a hundred” years ago. Laurie and friend Vyv Weller decided there weren’t enough floats and - with float numbers dropping - they were going to do something about it. Vyv Weller with a yellow section of the float. PHOTO: SuppliedBefore ‘the grans’, Vyv made floats for the Girl Guides that were “held together with sticky tape”. Thankfully the minions' structure is more robust.The grans group has grown from just Vyv and Laurie to include Laurie’s daughter's mother-in-law, her sister, her cousin, her sister's friend, several neighbours, various husbands - and on the parade day there will be 19 children on the float.Laurie and Nigel have the float stored in their shed, so Laurie has hosted flower folding sessions for months.“We do it for friendship, fun or the afternoon tea.“What turns up, turns up. It’s a great way to catch up.”There’s no formality, its friends folding flowers for around two hours and bringing what they can to enjoy with a cup of tea. Laurie said she’ll “whip up a sponge” if they need one. Unlike when she worked on Plunket floats where she would be up folding flowers until midnight, the grans “wanted it to be all finished so [they] wouldn't be stressed.”A glimpse of the Minions float. PHOTO: SuppliedThere’s just one more thing to do. The trailer tyres need to be deflated, the trailer rolled out of the shed, (it’s too high to get through the shed door) then the tyres pumped up again to be moved in time for the parade.Laurie said some husbands would be roped in for that, “even though they don’t know it yet.”Pictured are (back, from left) Shirley Hiscock, Noriko Stewart, Chris Allan and Glenys Henderson. Front from left are Debbie Saxton, Barbara Price and Laurie Paterson.PHOTO: Shannon Thomson/Alexandra Blossom Festival The grans’ previous float, Clifford the Big Red Dog, was a hit and won best floral float and the public vote last year.  For more on the 66th festival see The Central App Blossom Festival button here.

A Hawkes Bay family hit hard by weather events is coming to Blossy thanks to collaboration between Central Otago District and Hawkes Bay councils and event sponsors. Following the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) initiated the Adopt-a-Community campaign, where more than 30 councils in New Zealand adopted one of the affected areas.  Efforts were made to raise money for the Mayoral Relief Fund, kids from schools in unaffected areas became pen pals with affected schools, and so forth. As the instigator of the campaign, Central Otago district mayor Tim Cadogan was always concerned that the sharing of aroha stayed alive, as the difficulties faced by the affected communities would not be short-term. Central Otago has adopted Central Hawkes Bay, and with a view to showing our adopted community that we are still thinking of them, raising more funds for the relief fund, and giving some deserving people a break, the council has come up with “Bring ‘em to Blossy”. Central Hawkes Bay mayor Alex Walker identified a family who have been hit hard by the cyclone. They are Creedenz Karaitiana, owner of the Porangahau Garage, and his mum Ngaira Walford. The garage (pictured) has been shut since the cyclone hit. PHOTO: Supplied   The garage is slowly being rebuilt and the pressure the disaster has had on Creedenz and the wider family has been profound.  Air New Zealand has donated airfares to get these two down and back, CODC has secured accommodation, the Blossom Festival has organised a car and tickets, Contact Energy (Principal Sponsor of the Festival) will be matching donations collected at the Festival for the Central Hawkes Bay Mayoral Fund up to $2,000, and Highlands Motorsport Park has a morning of high speed thrills lined up for Credenze and Ngaira. Creedenz and Ngaira fly into Queenstown on Thursday September 21 and leave on Sunday, They will enjoy everything Central has to offer, including the Mardi Gras evening on Friday September 22 and the grand parade and Saturday in the Park.The effects of Gabrielle are still being felt every day by the people of the central North Island. Meanwhile ‘Bring ‘em to Blossy’ may remind the communities affected that we have not forgotten them, and we still care.

Jill Checketts of Wānaka, representing 50 Squadron (Alexandra) Air Training Corps, took out the 2023 Alexandra Blossom Festival Senior Queen crown at a special event at the Alexandra District Club this afternoon (Tuesday September 19). Nominees Angela Pratley (Combined Lions Clubs of Clyde & Districts) and Linda Leckie (Alexandra Senior Citizens) were named runners up and will ride next to Jill on the Contact Energy float in Saturday’s Alexandra Blossom Festival Grand Parade (September 23). Head judge and Central Otago mayor Tim Cadogan said judging was a difficult decision as all the candidates were deserving of the crown, however Jill’s 24 years of supporting young people through Air Training Corps was too big to dismiss. Jill said she was “very honoured and humbled’’ to win.Crowned: 2023 Alexandra Blossom Festival Senior Queen winner Jill Checketts. “The other contestants were amazing and everybody in this community does so well - they don’t just do one thing,” she said.“They do so much for everybody and it doesn’t matter what your walk of life is, you have a mutual interest in being the best you can be in this wonderful place.’’ The Senior Queen has been a fixture in the Alexandra Blossom Festival since 1996, with the crowning the first official event of the festival week.PHOTOS: Shannon Thomson/Alexandra Blossom FestivalMeet the 2023 Senior Queen nominees 

They’re quietly stoked about another strong showing in the Night ‘n Day awards, but Night ‘n Day Alexandra owners Hayden Manson and Brooke Williams said giving back to the community is a major part of their success.The pair were awarded overall runner up and excellence in marketing at the Night ‘n Day national conference in Auckland recently. Last year they won store of the year, but this year that went to Winton, a store run by their mates. Brooke said it was great to get recognition for the team after another hard year. “We’ve got the same issue as [other small businesses] with staffing. “Although Hayden and I might not be at the counter everyday, we have a great team, and we are maintaining our strength and support for our team - we’re definitely still here and proud of the workplace we’re building.“Our team is reliable, and it’s a great mix of people. They all enjoy having a laugh with our local customers.”The pair employ 20 people from a wide range of ages and backgrounds with many part time and flexible roles.There’s a 14-year-old who makes up lolly bags after school and someone in their 60s who is a regular behind the counter on the weekends.Brooke said their business is doing what it can to promote sports in Central including rugby, netball, soccer, squash, and hockey.“If you’re looking for sponsorship for sport teams over summer, don’t be shy, come in and see us. We want to give back to the community, as it’s the community that supports us.” The couple took over the business in May 2020, after moving home to New Zealand from Perth.There are 50 Night ‘n Day stores across New Zealand, and more than 100 people attended the conference.Brooke and Hayden got to connect with suppliers, try out new products and enjoy a gala awards evening at Bracu Estate in Bombay. Field Manager Night ‘n day Colin Robson, Hayden, Night ‘n Day general manager Matthew Lane, and Brooke. PHOTO: Supplied 

In the run-up to the general election on October 14, the Central App is introducing you to all those running in Central Otago, whether for the Southland, Waitaki or Te Tai Tonga electorates.We asked each candidate to comment on some issues of concern to Central Otago residents and elsewhere: housing and the cost of renting; the cost of living; the future of tourism; Christchurch International Airport’s plans to develop an international airport at Tarras; and one other issue they wished to address.Today we hear from the Hon Rino Tirikatene, Labour Party candidate for the Māori seat of Te Tai Tonga (which he currently holds), the Minister for Courts, and Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth. Rino Tirikatene says the past 12 months have been tough going for many whānau, but under Grant Robertson’s steady hand and Chris Hipkins’ leadership the economy was turning a corner. “Inflation is down, our cost of living payment put more money in people’s back pockets, the Winter Energy payments saw thousands of families through winter, and boosts to Working for Families and superannuation are helping whānau get ahead,” he said. “At this election we’re proposing to build on this by taking GST off fresh fruit and veggies, making dental care free for under 30s, and increasing and extending subsidies for childcare. The cost of living can bite particularly hard in Central, where the cost of freight and food is often higher, so we see GST-removal as a particularly important policy to take the bite off that supermarket receipt.” Regarding housing, Rino said he is proud the Labour government built more state homes than any other government since the 1950s. “That’s huge for whānau across the motu helping take pressure off the private rental market,” he said.“I’m also proud of our policies unlocking development. Under the Medium Density Residential Standards we’ve made it easier for developers to build up as well as out. For whānau Māori, we’ve also allocated more than $350M for papakāinga with these developments taking place from Bluff to Christchurch and in between. The aim is to deliver more than 1,000 homes specifically for whānau.” Tourism in Central Otago demanded a delicate balance, Rino said. “On the one hand, tourism creates thousands of jobs across nature, adventure, hospitality, hotels, and more. But on the other hand, ever-increasing tourism numbers place enormous pressure on infrastructure, housing, and amenities. Under Labour’s tourism strategy, we’re aiming to unlock investment in sustainable tourism funding initiatives that focus on high value products and higher spending tourists who stay longer rather than low spending tourists who quickly cycle through a destination. We’re mindful, too, of partnering with tourism operators - including Ngāi Tahu in Queenstown - to steer this work.”He said he was closely following Christchurch International Airport’s plan to develop a new international airport at Tarras. “First, I’ve heard significant local opposition from people in Tarras and Cromwell,” Rino said. “Second, I’m mindful of the climate change implications. Third, I’d like to see a region-wide needs assessment. Can Queenstown and Dunedin handle the forecast increase in visitor numbers? And do we need millions more visitors to Central in the first place? “My advice as a former commercial manager for Ngāi Tahu is to be guided by local needs and wants on this issue. An international airport is an enormous 100-year investment, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Rino chose Māori issues as his optional topic, and said one of the highlights of his year was the Matariki celebrations. “Cities and towns across the South marked the Māori new year. It was an awesome demonstration of how, as a country and people, we’re united. I’m proud, too, that these celebrations were made possible by our government’s decision to make Matariki a public holiday. This is part of our commitment to Māori and to New Zealanders. But we’re also committed to material gains putting more investment into Mana in Mahi, a jobs and training scheme for young people, more investment into housing including papakāinga, and more investment into education including Māori trades training.” 

The Cromwell Community Board was quick to approve one community and two promotions grants at its meeting on Wednesday (September 13), with a second request for a community grant being the subject of much discussion on whose purview it was.The board had $49,925 to distribute for community grants in both this initial round of funding and a second round scheduled for the first half of 2024. It had $11,224 remaining in the promotions grant to distribute for this round and the second round.Speaking in the public forum at the start of the meeting, Central Otago Queenstown Trail Network Trust executive Janeen Wood requested $10,686 to cover an unexpected invoice from Central Otago District Council (CODC) for a peer review in the resource consent process for the proposed Kawarau Gorge Trail. The trust had made a joint resource consent application to CODC and Queenstown Lakes District Council to simplify the process.Janeen said the amount was more than the trust spent on its resource consent application. The trust had offered to pay $3,000 towards the cost but was told by council staff they were unable to adjust the fee and advised to approach the Cromwell Community Board for a grant.“The trail is economically sustainable and our community is benefiting from this through financial and, more importantly, well-being benefits,” she said.Board chair Anna Harrison told Janeen the board had no function in consenting.“We are a small town and we are a community board for small funding to do these things,” Anna said.When the request came up during the grants funding, adjusted to $7,686 to take into account the $3,000 offered by the trust, the board was sympathetic that the trust had felt blindsided by the invoice, but felt it was not a Cromwell responsibility.“It’s a tricky one for us because as a community board, at this level, we have no function in consenting at all,” Anna said.CODC mayor Tim Cadogan said council did not have appropriate grants, despite, in his view, the trails serving the whole of the community and bringing money to the whole of the community.“We have other ways we can pay it,” Tim said. “It’s council’s problem, you should tell council that.”The board declined the application, referring the matter back to CODC, and noting that further investigation would be done to ensure the charge was appropriate.The second community funding application was for $10,000 toward the upgrade of the existing kitchen at the Bannockburn Bowling Club. The club had raised the remaining $120,000 itself, a feat the board found astounding.Deputy chair Bob Scott said it was amazing the club had managed to raise that amount with only 30 members.The board approved the grant.It also approved promotions grants of $1,500 for Arts Central towards its 2024 exhibition; and of $4,000 to Dare to Sweat Events for its Spirited Women Event 2023.In a separate funding request, the board considered a request from the Cromwell Golf Club for $10,000 from the Cromwell Golf Club fund to assist with the cost of a new greens mower.The former Cromwell Borough Council established fund accounts for the clubs that leased council reserve land, with each club fund account funded by the annual rentals that the clubs paid for the land. The money requested would come from the golf club’s fund account.As president of the club, Bob excused himself from the discussion.“It’s very straightforward, they have money set aside,” Anna said.The board approved the funding. 

A picture is worth a thousand words, so the saying goes, and that’s very true when it comes to marketing real estate.The visuals that make up your property advertising have an enormous impact on potential buyers, often making or breaking whether they bother to come view your home in person.As a result, it is important to get the pictures right when selling your property.PhotographyUsing photos to sell real estate is nothing new. What is new is the standard of photography that buyers expect. Photographs should look professional and there should be plenty of them. Buyers want to get a real feel for every room in the house and every corner of the yard. They will be scrutinising the photographs and sharing them with family and friends in the lead up to making an offer.Remember, too, today’s buyers are just as likely to be from out of town as locals – they may never see the house in person and need quality visuals to help their decision making.At Tall Poppy we like to take photographs that give emotional impact and increase buyer engagement. One way to do that is to take photographs at different times of day. Twilight photos that show your home illuminated by natural light or your house lighting can give buyers a completely different sense of the property, for example.VideoVideo provides the next step up from photos, allowing potential buyers to get a feel for the flow of the house and the spaces. Many agents now offer video and it’s something sellers should consider. Just make sure it is professionally done rather than someone wandering through your house with a shaky hand-held phone. Tall Poppy utilises visual content specialists who develop both photographs and videos of a consistently high quality – check out our current listings to see the standard you should be aiming for.DronesDrone footage is increasing in popularity as a selling tool, but it is most useful for lifestyle and rural properties. Properties that cover large areas and have interesting contours and natural features will benefit from a flyover. Drone footage is also useful for showing your surrounding location, for example if your property is near a river or nestled among vineyards.If you think buyers would benefit from seeing video taken by drone, ask your agent about the possibility. Floor PlansIt is surprising how few real estate listings include floor plans in their visual marketing. Buyers are forced to piece together the layout from the photos provided. Yet, floor plans are the most requested visual at Tall Poppy, which is why we include them with all our listings. Don’t make the buyer have to work to understand your property. Provide them with visuals that tell them what they want and need to know while at the same showcasing your home in its best possible light. And make sure your agent is up to the job of making your home look picture perfect.

A lot has changed in education in the last few decades, leaving some parents wondering how the system works. Hundreds of senior students around Central Otago are gearing up for evidence exam week (results from evidence exams are used as final grades if students cannot attend the end of year exams for any reason). All secondary schools across New Zealand take part in these exams, but evidence exams occur at different times in term three depending on the school.  The Central App sees exam week as a good time to explain NCEA so the community can commiserate with stressed-out students.  NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) - introduced between 2002-2004 - is a system of educational assessment used in New Zealand. NCEA is designed to assess and recognise the achievements of secondary school students. Here's how NCEA works: It is divided into three main levels, corresponding to different years of secondary education. Level 1 is typically taken in Year 11; Level 2 is typically taken in Year 12; and level 3 is typically taken in Year 13.The NCEA system is credit-based. To earn an NCEA certificate at each level, students need to accumulate a specific number of credits. In level 1, this is 80 credits with 10 coming from numeracy and 10 coming from literacy. In levels 2 and 3, this number decreases to 60.  Credits are awarded for achieving specific learning outcomes or standards.Students who excel in a specific subject area can earn subject endorsements by achieving a set number of credits in that subject at a particular level. These endorsements demonstrate a high level of achievement in a specific subject.In addition to subject endorsements, students can also earn course endorsements by achieving a certain number of credits at Excellence or Merit level across all their subjects.There is a separate set of requirements for entrance to university. Students taking level 3 must gain 14 credits in three university-approved subjects. These subjects range from English and Biology to French and Design. This is the first year since 2020 seemingly unaffected by Covid-19.“I am feeling confident this year but at the same time I’m a bit stressed as I have to pass exams to get into university,” one student told the Central App.End of year exams start on November 13th for all NCEA students. 

The Central App shares a story of our region’s artists each month. If you know someone with creative talent to nominate contact: [email protected] woman Linnet Julius is an artist, a senior solicitor at Checketts McKay and a mum of two boys aged 10 and 13. Where do you live in Central Otago?“I live in Alexandra, and am loving the beautiful blossoms around as we get ready for blossom festival. It’s my favourite time of year.”How did you get started as an artist?“I started drawing from an early age. My grandfather Ray Melhop was an artist as well as an engineer in Invercargill. I have memories of him showing me how he painted and he would always send a card that he had drawn for my birthday with a note in it. “My mum also liked to draw. I took art subjects at school and it has continued from there. [Art is] always my happy place to come back to.”Pen sketch of Kaka in progress. How have you ended up living and working here?“I grew up in Auckland, went to University in Dunedin and then married a local Alex boy. We decided to move down to Alexandra when my oldest son was about seven months old in 2011. Almost a local?”What's your favourite spot in Central?“I love getting out walking in summer with friends, at Butchers dam and behind the clock. I have also lived in Wānaka for a few years so love visiting there too.”What else are you involved in within the community? “I am a cub leader with Scouts NZ, on the Terrace School Parent Teacher Association and also get involved with my children's sports, cricket and football.”What do you see as the biggest challenge for Central Otago?“The cost of living and lack of housing for people is coming to be a real issue here. This seems to be the case throughout New Zealand, but I think it is amplified here due to the lack of accommodation for workers.”How can people find out more about your art? “My art prints are at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery and Mainstreet Barbers for purchase. “People can contact me directly via Instagram or Facebook @linneydraws. I have an etsy store linneydraws as well that people can [check out]. “I also do commissions and at the moment completing a picture in memory of a beautiful chocolate labrador for his owners.“People can email me at [email protected] too.”Postcard sized prints by Linnet. How did you manage through the pandemic and what are you doing differently post Covid-19?“Like most people, it was a bit of a shock and a surreal experience to go through. My work was amazing and we managed to set up so that staff could work from home. “It was a juggle working from home and also ensuring my boys carried out their online learning. “I now work from home one day a week which I didn’t do before the pandemic.”Pen sketch of a Kiwi.What does the future look like for you and your artistic work?“I hope to be able to continue drawing and producing art. I’ve got a few ideas in my head that I need to get on paper.“I am also hoping to grow my presence as an artist in between the daily juggle of family and work.”Portrait of Snoop Dogg. PHOTOS: The Central App and supplied

Alexandra Blossom Festival organisers will be watching the new blooms carefully this week, as strong winds experienced around Central Otago are forecast to continue throughout the weekend.The MetService today (Friday, September 15) issued a strong wind watch for much of the South Island, including Otago, with northwest winds approaching severe gales in exposed places.Met Service forecaster Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said strong winds were expected in Central Otago from Saturday morning throughout Sunday and into next week.“If people are looking to travel up into the Canterbury region, Sunday seems a particularly windy day,” she said.MetService warns of strong winds for Central OtagoHeavy rains in the west of the South Island could also have significant spillover into Canterbury and Otago headwaters.

The Central Otago and Upper Waitaki zones of the Otago District entered a restricted fire season as of 8am on September 14 until further notice, and Fire and Emergency is urging people to remain vigilant when burning off paddocks and vegetation, especially with high winds forecast.A restricted fire season means a permit is required to light a fire in the open. You can apply for one here.Otago District community risk manager James Knapp said the restricted season had begun earlier than usual."Central has generally gone into a restricted season in October but it is shaping up to be an extraordinary season, even before the expected El Niño weather pattern takes full effect over the coming weeks and months," James said."Key indicators for a restricted fire season have already been met. This is exemplified by the fact the daily fire severity rating for Cromwell is more than double the 17-year average for this time of year, and well above where it was at the same time in 2015 - the start of the last strong El Niño weather event.”Read more: Wildfire risk: Central Otago prepares for fire season"We need people to plan their burns carefully and contact us early so we can issue fire permits, which can take up to ten days to process," he said.James said people should not be complacent that it is still early in the meteorological "spring", with no substantial rain expected over the coming months leading into summer."The days will continue to get drier, and it is expected to be like this for the coming months," he said."During previous strong El Niño seasons, these zones have experienced very large fires. “The fire history shows that significant fires can ignite and spread quickly in grass and scrub even when the fire danger is moderate, so we must be vigilant when undertaking any activities which could cause fires."While controlled burns are still able to be carried out with a permit, the need to supervise any permitted burn is essential.For fire rules and safety tips, check out The Central App’s Fire Rules link under the Roads l Weather l Reports

It was a proud day for Maniototo yesterday (Thursday September 14) when the Governor-General of New Zealand, Dame Cindy Kiro, took time from her busy schedule to officially open the rebuilt Maniototo Area School, the first such event she had accepted.In a whaikōrero (formal speech) opening proceedings, kaumatua of the governor-general’s office Joe Harawira said learning was about a child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of a child.“Your teachers and the community are here to support you, the rangatahi, our future leaders,” he said.Principal Melissa Bell, who moved to the Maniototo to take up the role this year, spoke warmly of those who had shepherded the project through, including former principal Joe Ferdinands and Belinda Colling, past chair of the Maniototo Area School board of trustees.Belinda spoke of the growth of the school from its first days as the Eweburn School.“The foundations and origins of the first school on this site where we stand today were built in 1926. “How lucky we are now to have such a beautiful school for our students to learn and grow, and how fabulous it is to see the pride both staff and students have in their new buildings.”“In a world that is constantly becoming challenging for our families, whānau and community, for us to have somewhere safe, warm, modern, consistent and inviting is something that we will not take for granted.”The board’s hope was that the school would become a central part of the Maniototo community, she said.The school’s senior students perform the school haka. Dame Cindy said she knew how important education was and she encouraged every student to make the most of their journey of learning.“I have never agreed to open a school in my term until Maniototo,” she said. “The reason is because I thought it was so important to come to your community, and celebrate and acknowledge the history of the unique and beautiful place that is Maniototo.”Addressing the students, Dame Cindy said: “This must be an exciting day for you and you must be so proud to be part of this school and this community and to be able to come here and enjoy the facilities and really, you and future students who come, are what it is all about.”She acknowledged the amount of work that had gone into the project, and the impact the school would have on the wider community for many years to come.“Schools, churches, other community events, and maraes have always been a locus for communities. Your school will continue to be that for your community.”Guests were given tours of the school by prefects, who showed their pride in introducing visitors to the well-designed science lab, technology block, art room, community library and primary school.Briella (5), left, and Abbie (7) Graham and their grandfather Billy Graham cut the cake marking the occasion.Local resident Billy Graham, who attended school on the site in about 1939, cut the cake with his grand-daughters Abbie and Briella Graham, students at the school where their mother Amanda also teaches.The family have had seven generations involved with the school, with Billy’s great-grandfather chairman of the board of Eweburn school, and his grandmother a first day student in 1879.Billy was highly impressed with the new premises.“I wouldn’t mind starting back here again,” he said.

Alexandra police are reminding car owners to take extra care after a recent spate of cars being broken into and valuables taken. Acting Sergeant Graham Perkins said there had been up to six incidents in a fortnight in the Killarney Street - Simmonds Street area.“Being Alexandra, this doesn’t usually happen,” he said. “It’s someone new who has come to town.”Police are following up on leads but he reminded residents to make sure their vehicles were secured and parked under lights, and that all valuables were removed from the vehicle.Driving at speed was still a constant issue, with a driver stopped after doing 120km/h in a 50km/h zone on Tarbert Street over the weekend. That resulted in the vehicle being impounded and the driver’s licence taken. A vehicle was also clocked at 150km/h at Fruitlands in a 100km/h zone. The driver was also driving erratically, and the car was stopped in Roxburgh where it was safe to do so. The driver was transferred to Dunedin for further assessment.With the general election looming and hoardings sprouting around the city, Graham said the signs had been vandalised frequently. “It happens every time there is an election,” he said. “Just leave them alone.”The 66th Alexandra Blossom Festival is scheduled for next weekend (September 22-24) and Graham said police would maintain a presence, particularly with a group of car enthusiasts who drive through from Gore for the event.“Last year, it was good,” Graham said. “As long as we’re friendly with them, they’re generally good and law-abiding.”Police would also be present at Pioneer Park during the festival, although it was a well-run event with little for them to do, he said.“We will be conducting breath testing in the area.”Other road issues of concern were the removal or relocation of road cones from roadworks, and drivers exceeding speed restrictions that changed in Clyde, Earnscleugh Road, and Dunstan Road last year.“The locals asked for these and it’s mainly the locals exceeding them,” Graham said. “The period for warnings finished a long time ago and people can expect an infringement notice if caught.”Livestock were also an issue in the Cromwell Gorge and Ida Valley with spring bringing with it a new generation of goats and pigs, and drivers were advised to take extra care on those roads.There may also be new faces on the force soon, with a constable’s position being advertised in Alexandra, and a sergeant’s position to take over the rural side of policing, supporting sole charge officers in Ranfurly, Omakau and Roxburgh.