In a hidden valley, just a stone’s throw from the new Kapiti expressway, a lifestyle couple, Peter and Diana Kiernan, are restoring their 19-hectare block of bush for native lizards and insects.

The Kotukutuku Ecological Restoration project, on private land in Valley Road, Paraparaumu has just received its third consecutive year of funding from the Department of Conservation’s Community Fund. The newest grant of $5,000 comes on top of $19,000 across two earlier grants in 2015 and 2016.

The Department of Conservation's (DOC’s) community ranger Melody McLaughlin says they are the only community group in the Wellington area to be funded back to back for three years.

She says this is an exceptional project using highly professional techniques and showing real outcomes for biodiversity. The repeated support from DOC is fully deserved.

The Kiernans fenced the bush block nearly 30 years ago to exclude stock. The trees look lush and the understory is recovering with regional council already controlling possums, trapping for rats and hedgehogs.

The Whareroa Guardians volunteer group have thanked the Lion Foundation for an $8000 grant which will provide 2,000 more plants for the Ramaroa Wetland in 2018.

The Guardians say they will plant mainly swamp plants with dry foot plants on the sides of the gully.

They are monitoring survival this hot summer to help with choices for next year - on the slopes where the terrain is dry and exposed. They say sadly, they have lost a number of this year’s plants but have been able to water some extra special ones like the Rhabdothamnos in the Dell and totara.

Meanwhile DOC rangers have cleared the large blackberry infestation near Matai Bush above the group’s plantings, to be followed with spraying as it regrows.

DOC volunteers cleared access paths through the patch in Upper Dell to allow spraying. When clear the big totara will be much more accessible. They say at the moment fire risk is high.

Kapiti and Horowhenua beachgoers can expect warmer than usual summer water temperatures according to the MetService.

The first weekend of summer was marked by scorching temperatures nationwide, and this week is expected to be even hotter. The warm weather is predicted to continue for the rest of the week as a ridge of high pressure sits over the country.

According to NIWA's Ben Noll, ocean temperatures around New Zealand have

been on average 2C warmer than usual - and up to 6C warmer off the West Coast. Water around the country has been warmer than average for more than a month now.

Mr Noll says a very impressive marine heatwave is unfolding near the east coast of Australia, across the Tasman Sea, and in New Zealand coastal waters.

While a slow-moving front was expected to bring rain to the far south and Fiordland on Monday and Tuesday sun should be the prevailing condition across much of the country.

Levin man Douglas Niel Mackay, 46, has been sentenced to two years and nine months' jail for arson and obstructing police.

The court documents record Mackay as being the owner of the house he burned down on Morgan Cres, Levin.

Mackay’s flatmate says she heard him getting angry while on the phone, so went into the lounge to calm him down. She told him not to drink a bottle of alcohol that was in the lounge, as that would not help the situation, but Mackay got even angrier.

He grabbed a 4-litre bottle of solvent that was in the lounge and threatened to throw it in a neighbour's face, before throwing it at a gas heater that was on in the lounge. The force of his throw caused the bottle to break and the solvent to ignite.

Judge Jim Large says Mackay had suffered from mental health problems most of his life, which played a part in calculating the sentence.

Greater Wellington Regional Council says more affordable fares are coming for students, blind and disabled customers, and adults travelling during the off-peak periods in the Wellington region.

Metlink is moving towards an integrated fares and ticketing (IFT) system. This new system will simplify the large number of existing fare products (such as various bus smartcards, ten-trip tickets on bus and rail, monthly passes, day passes, event tickets, etc) across the region’s bus, rail and ferry networks.

In August/September 2017 Greater Wellington consulted with the public on proposed Metlink fare changes, which included a series of public meetings. Over 700 submissions were received on the proposed changes.

Based on this feedback Greater Wellington Regional Council made further changes to simplifying fares and improving overall affordability after consulting the public on its proposed Better Metlink Fares package.

In July 2018, Wellington city’s new bus network becomes operative, and Snapper will become the sole interim travel card on all buses in the region.

Re-establishing the Lindale Market will take perseverance after its first day back yesterday.

A late plan change to the afternoon caught many unaware and crowds were less than anticipated but stallholders made the most of the fine weather and visitors gave plenty of positive feedback.

Kevin Jones, who co-manages the Lindale market as well as the very successful Saturday Market at Paraparaumu Beach with Warwick Halcrow, says this is just the beginning so they will spend some time talking with stallholders and getting feedback. He says the market may not be ready to be a weekly event yet but it certainly has potential.

In its hay day The Lindale Market was one of the biggest farmers markets in the region.

One very popular feature was the pedal powered slot car racing from Race Entertainment which is all about having fun and getting fit at the same time.

The shops at Lindale also reported a benefit from having the market day and organisers will confirm if there is to be another before Christmas.

Porirua’s bid to attract more central government departments and their employees away from central Wellington could catch on as the attractions further north become apparent.

Over 110 workers from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment have relocated from the capital to Porirua and they will be joined by another 120 in the new year.

Kapiti Chamber of Commerce chair Heather Hutchings says other government departments might want to look at what Kapiti has to offer as well.

She says Kapiti has lifestyle, facilities and already provides many of the commuters to Wellington.

Ms Hutchings says Transmission Gully is likely to further enhance the drift of jobs north.

She says Kapiti doesn’t have a lot of permanent office space at present but we do have office space such as the Kapiti Collective which enables hot desking and can facilitate job share time where someone can work on the Coast for a few days and then commute to Wellington when necessary.

Ms Hutchings says government departments are starting to think more innovatively and Kapiti would happily welcome them.

Muffy, a 15-year-old blind and arthritic fox terrier used to rummage through its neighbours rubbish bags as night but had to be euthanised after the Waikanae neighbour threw a rock, hitting it in the head and fatally injuring it.

The man was convicted of recklessly ill-treating his neighbour's family pet. For fatally injuring Muffy the man was sentenced to nine months supervision, ordered to attend an anger management course, fined $800, pay reparations of $679, and disqualified from owning any animals for five years.

SPCA chief executive Andrea Midgen says more people are starting to understand that certain actions or behaviours are not tolerated, and people are starting to report incidents more, which is a good thing.

Ms Midgen says the SPCA education programme, which is now in over 600 schools and growing across the country, teaches children to have compassion for animals.

The recent Kapiti Festival has been judged a huge success by the public, organisers and participants.

Based on promotion and volunteer work by local BNI chapters, this year’s Festival incorporated the Mary Potter Hospice Strawberry Festival.

Craig Bardell, chair of the organising committee, says the Festival exceeded expectations and it is now an important part of the Kapiti events calendar.

Mr Bardell says the visitors would have been around 7000 and next year is likely to be an even bigger event.

The Kapiti Festival raised just on $50,000 and Festival organisers says they are extremely happy with this result as all the net proceeds go back to Mary Potter Hospice and keeping their service free to the people of Kapiti.

Phillip Harris from Mary Potter Hospice says on the day over 30 volunteers assisted with running the event which is absolutely awesome as events like the Kapiti Coast Festival can only be successful with the backing and support of community volunteers.

It was once one of the biggest farmers markets in the region and now the Lindale Village Market is getting a rebirth.

Many visitors to the Lindale Village in Paraparaumu remember the popularity of the old market and organisers says the Christmas wish has come true and the Lindale Village Market officially launches this Sunday 3 December.

Market manager Warwick Halcrow says the market will have a range of offerings and a raft of stalls, jewellery, paintings.

He says there is also great coffee and food available from 10am-3pm in the park-like setting of The Lindale Village.

The Lindale Village Market is run by Mr Halcrow and his team who also run the Paraparaumu Beach Market.

Lindale has plenty of free parking and lots of wares on offer to complete your Christmas shopping.

Mr Halcrow says anyone wanting to host a stall at the Lindale Village Market this Sunday, can contact him on 0272421222.

Outstanding voluntary service to the community has seen eight people and two organisations officially acknowledged at the Horowhenua Civic Honours Awards by Mayor Michael Feyen at the newly opened Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom in Foxton.

Civic Honours awards were presented to:

Tony Strawbridge – a proud member of the Waitarere Beach community.

Gerald De Castro – a dedicated sporting enthusiast.

Christina Paton – a devoted public servant for around 20 years;

and Allan Little QSM – a true soldier for the community.

Certificates of Recognition were awarded to:

The late Rose Thompson - of Shannon Lions Club and Plunket Society.

Lew Rohloff – Horowhenua Grey Power Life Member.

Mel Chandler - A veteran of the sporting world;

Margaret Williams – of the Older Persons Network.

Sidney Anderson - Levin Music Society.

The Mayoral Award was presented to the Horowhenua Special Olympics Committee. 2017 marks the 30th year anniversary of the establishment of Special Olympics in the district.

In addition to the Civic Honours Awards, the Council’s 2017 Horowhenua Youth Excellence Scholarships were presented to 12 young people.

Horowhenua College took second placing at the recent College Quiz Team and are already planning to go one better next year.

The 34th annual Jimmy Carter Quiz competition, hosted by Manawatu Lions, took place in Palmerston North.

The Horowhenua College team were Jesse Dahya, Jasmin Beach, Madison Walsh, Oliver Bau, and team captain Jotham Harris.

Questions ranged from aspects of the America’s Cup, to the speed of thunder, the spelling of local Maori names, and definitions of rainfall. After the half-time interval Horowhenua College was in 1st place but after a closely fought last hour they were pipped by just 2 points by Palmerston North Boys High School.

The team was coached by Mr Smith, mentored by Mrs Corbett and supported on

the night by Mr O’Brien. Team members say next year the aim is clear: a win and

roll on 2018.

Levin's Tash Gouldsbury is making waves in the surfing world after picking up national placings with skills learned on the Horowhenua beaches.

The twelve-year-old surfing sensation started surfing three years ago, encouraged by her dad getting back out into the waves.

Since then, the family have taken every opportunity to drive out to the Horowhenua beaches whenever there's any surf.

Tash says she loves waves where she can pile on the speed and snap her board off the top of the wave.

She says surfing a range of different breaks, including surf that is choppy and small, has helped build her skills.

This year, Tash placed third in the under-14 girls' categories at the New Zealand Nationals Surfing Championship at Piha in January, and in the under-14 New Zealand Billabong Grom Series and won the open womens' category at the Opunake Classic.

Most recently, she took the top girls' placing at the national Primary School Championships in Gisborne in October.

Kapiti’s nextdoor neighbour Porirua City is about to have a $21 million adventure park constructed in its western hills which is being hailed as a game-changer for the city's economy.

The network of trails on Rangituhi, or Colonial Knob, is expected to attract walkers and mountain bikers, and other attractions will include two cafes, a chairlift, and an indoor surf simulator.

Mayor Mike Tana says it's like a year-round ski resort that doesn't require snow. He says the park would be built by Select Contracts, the Canadian company behind the Christchurch Adventure Park, at no cost to Porirua ratepayers.

Work would begin next year and take two years to complete. More than 100 jobs were expected to be created.

Mr Tana says estimates show around 80,000 local users will visit per annum and a potential economic impact, over five years, of about $40m coming into the Wellington economy.

Porirua Chamber of Commerce acting director Nick Leggett said the park was a tremendous step for the city

It has been an Airport since 1939 when the Crown compulsorily acquired the airport land under the Public Works Act at the start of World War II but recent plan changes may give some doubt to its future.

Kapiti Council have approved a private plan change from Kapiti Coast Airport Holdings which will allow houses, supermarkets, a department store, industrial units, and multiple small food outlets to be built on land surrounding Kapiti Airport.

The change has been criticised as potentially fracturing the district's existing town centre, and creating chaos on its busiest road.

New Airport owners Todd Property managing director Evan Davies was pleased with the decision to remove what he called historic and outdated planning.

KCDC councillors approved the hearing panel recommendation which says the consent process was the best place to deal with the impacts of any development.

Coastlands Mall, a competitor to any new businesses, submitted against dropping existing prohibitions around the airport.

Director Richard Mansell says it was taking legal advice on whether it would appeal against the decision.

The second part of the Kapiti Arts Trail is underway and 98 artists will be represented at over 60 venues from Paekakariki to Otaki for today and Sunday.

The two-weekend format, which has been in place for two years, gives visitors more time to plan days out looking at all the art on offer, talking to the artists taking part and experiencing the creativity of the coast.

The trail has been running for 17 years, involving artists the length of the district from Otaki to Paekakariki and has become one of Kapiti's most significant cultural events.

Kapiti Mayor K Gurunathan says whoever the public decide to visit they are sure to be inspired.

The weather was fine weather last weekend but is not so bright this weekend.

Details of exhibiters for the trail can be found in the free Kapiti Arts Guide available at and Kapiti Library or council office and visitor centre.

Kapiti Community Food Bank’s shelves were re-stocked with a large donation of food items from Kapiti Community Corrections staff on Thursday.

The donation included a large fruit box of tinned and dried goods, including muesli bars and pasta, as well as several shopping bags of kitchen basics.

Probation Officer Michelle Bussey says staff make several large donations to the Food Bank each year.

She says they’re part of the community, and are happy to contribute to make a difference to the lives of Kapiti residents.

Ms Bussey says they check on offenders’ well-being when they’re managing them and during discussions if there seems to be a need they advise them where to go for extra support.”

Gay Graham, Food Bank volunteer was grateful for the donation. She says it’s a marvellous donation. Ms Graham says as well as food, the Food Bank also needs cleaning products, nappies and sanitary items. She says anything you use, we need.

An auction event for five year old Harper Ahern, who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) last year, raised more than $30,000 over the weekend.

Harper's Little Auction took place at Southward car Museum, with around 250 guests and 75 artworks up for auction from 62 artists.

With the help of family and friends, local businesses and a string of artists from across the country and abroad, the event secured $32,700 to assist Harper, who was diagnosed in October 2016.

Collectively, $24,000 worth of artwork was donated by artists, including pottery and sculpture, paintings, mixed media, quilts, jewellery, photography, prints including gold leaf, wood carvings and pencil drawings.

Comedian Cohen Holloway stood in as MC for the evening, before Harper's father Dion Ahern shared his family's journey in a speech detailing what DMD meant for Harper.

Harper, whose aunty, Emma Ahern, organised the event, will likely be in a wheelchair full-time by the time he is 12.

Student leaders say increased discounts for students and disabled people travelling on Greater Wellington public transport will have a massive impact on young people.

For many students on the Kapiti Coast, public transport costs have been a significant barrier to study.

Rory Lenihan-Ikin, Victoria University Student Association president, says this has been a long time coming. He says Wellington has really been falling behind when it comes to tertiary discounts on public transport.

Many students travelled from various parts of the region, so the discounts could equate to $30 a week for those travelling from Kapiti.

The Greater Wellington Regional Council yesterday voted almost unanimously to provide 50 per cent fare decreases to blind and disabled passengers, and 25 percent decreases to fulltime tertiary students on the smartcard fare, which is more than 40 per cent off the cash fare.

High patient demand and staff vacancies are causing Palmerston North Hospital's mental health ward staff to clock up hundreds of extra hours in overtime.

A MidCentral DHB Report shows Ward 21 staff worked an extra 93 shifts in July this year and clocked up 452.8 hours in overtime.

This was a massive increase compared with August 2016, where staff worked an extra 11 shifts and just 28.6 hours in overtime.

Mental health and addiction service director Christopher Nolan says the increase in workload and staff working double shifts was a real concern. He says the spike in hours was a result of high patient demand across health services, including community services, and also staff vacancies.

Mr Nolan says they have now had four months of resurgence of very, very high - level activity.

He says recruitment was a problem other DHBs were experiencing, including one DHB having trouble staffing its mental health crisis team.

A beach-based rubbish cleaning robot being developed at Paraparaumu College is one of 35 finalists from around the country in the Conservation Innovation Awards.

The robot, which would have a vision mounted camera, would be able to independently pick up rubbish between the size of a bottle cap and a 3L milk bottle.

The Wall-E 2.0 project is being developed by the college's senior Robotics club students as well as its Societal, Environmental and Animal Rights Action Group (SEAR).

Student Maha Fier says having a beach cleaning robot could potentially change the game for the cluttered path our beaches and oceans are heading towards and can potentially change public perception for everybody to realise that littering is not OK. Ms Fier says her group are currently securing funds for this project.

A prize package of $25,000 will be awarded to each category winner. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in Wellington on November 22.

A recent guest speaker at the Kapiti Rotary Club, was Raumati Beach resident John McBeth, a well-known New Zealand sports broadcaster over the last four decades.

Mr McBeth continues to travel the world for a variety of contracted sports assignments, and says he has no intention of surrendering the microphone just yet.

Mr McBeth relayed to the Rotarians and visitors his first-hand behind the scenes commentary on some of the most spectacular international events that he has attended. His particular focus was on the Olympic Games that he has broad cast on seven occasions.

He says one highlight was at Athens Olympics, where he called 250 swimming races; 1150 dives; and 20 synchronised swimming events.

Other memories relate to his first Rugby World Cup in 1987; the Americas Cup in San Diego, and three subsequent Americas Cups in Auckland and Valencia.

Paekakariki was festooned in rainbow colours on Saturday when around 200 turned out to march in the inaugural Pride Festival March.

The Rainbow flags and colourful outfits brightened up what was a generally rainy afternoon but the weather couldn’t dampen the spirits as the queer pride marchers took over the township.

The official parade only lasted the distance across a 10-metre pedestrian crossing on outside St Peter’s Church and the organisers are hoping to lodge an application with the Guinness World Records to claim the title of world's shortest pride parade.

Ms Little says she was thrilled with the turnout. She says it was just way beyond expectations, and it was an incredibly, heart-warming, beautiful moment.

She says it was intergenerational, it was interracial, it was everything they had hoped for.

The parade was part of the Rainbow in the Village Paekakariki Pride Festival, which started on Friday and ended with a screening of the movie Pride on Sunday afternoon.

White Ribbon wants your help to end men’s violence and sexual harassment against women.

White Ribbon Campaign Manager Rob McCann says the recent Weinstein allegations and subsequent ‘Me too’ Facebook status have demonstrated in a very public manner what family violence organisations have known for a long time.

Mr McCann says while one in three women experience violence in their lifetime, the number of women that experience issues such as sexual harassment is clearly far higher.

He says White Ribbon has events planned for Palmerston North, Levin, and the Kapiti Coast in November.

Mr McCann says the 2017 Campaign will be called ‘Raise our Boys,’ and will focus on preventing violence and harassment by encouraging dads to teach our boys about consent and being respectful.

He says White Ribbon is a small organisation and needs public help to get campaign information in front of as many men as possible. He says now more than ever, everyone can see just how immense this problem is.

The average house value in the Kapiti district is now $541,500, an increase of 37% on capital values three years ago.

Mayor K Gurunathan says the rise in property values over the past three years reflects the very real appeal of the Kapiti district.

The new rating valuations have been prepared for 25,599 properties on behalf of the Kapiti Council by Quotable Value (QV) and property owners will soon receive a 2017 Notice of Rating Valuation with an updated rating value for their property.

KCDC Group Manager Corporate Services Wayne Maxwell says valuations are one of the factors that determine how rates are allocated across the district.

He says Council will be looking carefully at the impact of the revaluations on rates and affordability across the district as part of the rating review, which is currently underway.

Council rates will not be based on the new 2017 rating valuations until 1 July 2018.

Kapiti writer Mandy Hager has been announced as one of the feature speakers at the New Zealand Festival (formerly the International Arts Festival).

Ms Hager is an award-winning writer for young readers and adults. Her 2017 novel Heloise, about the doomed 12th-century lovers Heloise and Abelard, was called a tremendous achievement in Metro.

In 2018 she will publish Ash Arising, the sequel to The Nature of Ash, her 2013 futuristic political thriller for young adults.

Ms Hager is among a number of internationally acclaimed writers who will be part of the Festival in the very popular Writers and Readers section.

Organisers say the Festival Writers and Readers will be a chance to discover events, guests and themes to satisfy the straightest and strangest literary appetites.

At present they are busy creating keynote sessions, panel discussions, debates and workshops and will be revealing the full programme of events on 1 February.

The New Zealand Festival runs 23 February to 18 March 2018.

It has been well tested by the elements but the Breast Cancer Foundation’s Pink Caravan has dodged an earthquake and a cyclone to be in Levin this week.

Breastcare nurses Trish Sole and Gillian Mockford are outside Levin New World today (THURS 19) from 9am to 4pm.

Ms Mockford says they are looking forward to hosting anyone who wants to know more about breast health. She says they have lots of information people can take away.

Ms Sole says women are often surprised to learn what a lump actually feels like. She says they can be a bit tricky to find and there is Bessie, the Foundation’s life-like torso to demonstrate techniques on.

About 120 people in the MidCentral DHB area are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and about 20 die of breast cancer each year so early checks are advised.

Central Police have today finalised a 10 month-long operation in Manawatu, executing multiple search warrants and arresting 12 people yesterday, with more expected.

The investigation was launched after Police identified that a small number of individuals based in Feilding were contributing to a disproportionate amount of criminal activity in the wider Manawatu area.

Detective Inspector Ross McKay says Operation Crust was an innovative approach to a problem, aimed at preventing future harm in the community allegedly inflicted by these individuals and their associates.

He says Feilding is a close-knit and supportive community and the impact of this operation will be felt across the Manawatu.

Detective Inspector McKay says the individuals collectively face a wide range of charges from the possession and distribution of methamphetamine, possession of firearms and stolen property, to money laundering and burglary.

Kapiti's three craft beer brewing companies have received numero us medals in the Brewers Guild of New Zealand Awards held in Christchurch.

Duncan's Brewing Company from Paraparaumu made an impressive debut in their first year, achieving four medals, while Waikanae’s North End Brewing Company received a haul of 12 medals, including a gold medal for its Rhum Visitation.

Top honours went to Paraparaumu based Tuatara Brewery which achieved 14 medals including best in class/gold for Kapai APA, and best in class/gold for Belgian Tripel.

Tuatara founder and master brewer Karl Vasta says getting a best in class for one beer, let alone two this year, was awesome.

He says the number of medals was an amazing endorsement in what had become a very competitive and high-quality craft sector.

Mr Vasta says Tuatara is a tight-knit team, proud of its Kapiti roots, so any success is down to everyone's contribution and it comes down to a love of making great tasting beer.

Tiny sea creatures called Velella have washed up in their millions at along the West Coast with huge numbers landing on Kapiti beaches.

The startling blue jellyfish-like creatures have been washing up on local beaches for the last few days.

According to Livescience.com, the creatures are not true jellyfish, but are related to them. They float on the ocean surface and are blown by the wind.

Their electric-blue body hangs down into the water, with stinging tentacles that capture small prey such as tiny shrimp and plankton. They are about 7cm long, and small stiff sail like membrane that catches the wind.

Although velella toxins are harmless to humans, it's not a good idea to handle the jelly creatures and then touch your eyes or mouth. The velella neurotoxin can cause itching.

Unfortunately as they perish the smell can be quite noticeable so visitors to the beach might want to be upwind for the next few days.

Thieves on the hunt for so-called nana cars are hitting heartland New Zealand - where rising numbers of Mazda Demio are being stolen in Horowhenua.

Central District Police say they have noticed a marked increase in vehicle thefts over the past few months, particularly small, non-descript hatchback cars popular with pensioners.

Senior Sergeant Steve Crawford said the thefts follow a trend across the country.

Until 2015, the number of Demio's stolen had been in the single figures. But, in the 12 months between February 2016 and February 2017, 55 had been stolen - a number that has climbed even higher in the eight months since.

Intelligence analyst Olivia Cleaver says the cars were seen as an easy target without the immobilisers or security features of newer vehicles.

She says the cars had also been featured in the video game, Grand Theft Auto, which could mean they were perceived as cool nana cars.

Police have acted quickly in resolving resent aggravated robbery incidents in Levin.

Three people have been arrested and charged in relation to the aggravated robbery of a Levin petrol station last month.

The petrol station on Oxford Street was robbed at gunpoint on 20 September 2017.

Detective Sergeant Philip Skoglund says two 19-year-old's and a 25 year old man were due to appear in the Masterton District Court yesterday afternoon on aggravated robbery charges.

Detective Sgt Skoglund says the pistol believed to have been used during the robbery has been recovered.

He says these arrests are a great result for the community and police are pleased to be able to hold those responsible to account.

The Governor-General, Dame Patsy Reddy, hosted the annual Frances Clarke Memorial Awards this week celebrating the achievements of young people with Down syndrome, at Government House.

Tuesday’s recipients included joint adult winners Brendon Porthouse of Otaki and Stephen Williams from Paraparaumu.

Mr Porthouse was nominated by teacher Gaelene Praat from Waiopehu College, for his athletic abilities in swimming, Bocce, and horse-riding as well as his service to the community.

Ms Praat says Brendon is a delightful student whose enthusiasm is contagious. She says his achievements are particularly significant for him because he has numerous barriers to overcome in order to undertake tasks that come so easily to others.

Mr Williams was honoured as an inspiring human being, one whose life has been lived according to simple enduring principles, says nominator Michele Ness.

She says Stephen has raised funds for Africa in numerous famines, and has a continual focus on New Zealand’s role as peacekeepers, paying respect to New Zealand Army soldiers whenever he can.

Capital and Coast DHB is coming under fire as staff shortages hit mental health services throughout the region.

The crisis resolution service - a 24-hour community mental health and addiction team working across the Wellington region - is short 13 staff, or a quarter of its workforce.

The Public Service Association (PSA) says the service was stretched, prompting long delays and even gaps in patient care.

As a result of staff shortages, seclusion rooms and common areas were being used to house the overflow of patients in Wellington Hospital's acute inpatient mental health ward.

Platform Trust chief executive Marion Blake, whose organisation represented community organisations who dealt with mental health and addiction, says people who've been in these rooms say that it is really distressing. She says it's not about well-being, it's not about recovery, it's actually sometimes very, very traumatising."

The PSA said the problems at the DHB reinforced the need for a nationwide independent inquiry into the country's mental health system.

The NZ Transport Agency consultation on 13 possible options to replace or repair the highway through the Manawatu Gorge and tomorrow those options will be reduced to four.

The short-list of four possible routes will be revealed at a public open day at the Palmerston North Conference and Function Centre from 3pm on Wednesday and online.

State Highway 3 through the gorge has been closed since slips came down in April. In July, contractors were pulled from the area and the road linking Manawatu and Hawke's Bay was closed indefinitely amid fears about the stability of the hillside.

The final contenders for a long-term solution will have been those narrowed down from the 13 proposed routes made public by the NZ Transport Agency on September 25.

The transport agency says hundreds of people had attended the meetings and extensive feedback had now been submitted, providing valuable input.

Auctioneer John Mowbray, of Otaki, says an upcoming stamp auction could be the first such auction held in this country in which sales were expected to exceed $2 million.

Among the items is an old, unused postage stamp with an estimated value of $50,000.

In total there is approximately $2.2 million worth of items, with 1434 lots of stamps and 552 lots of coins, medals and banknotes - varying in age, origin, condition and rarity, as well as the odd error.

The stamp with the $50,000 price tag was a mint-condition HMS Vanguard, printed in New Zealand for the 1949 Royal Visit by King George VI.

Mr Mowbray expects up to 100 people at each lot's auction, and a lot of absentee bidding by phone, email and even post.

He says to think that an auction attracting such worldwide interest, and producing such sales volume, can put it together here in New Zealand, let alone our humble base in Otaki, is quite satisfying. Actually, it's pretty exciting, he says.

Foxton's long-anticipated $7.3 million culture and community hub may open soon, but the project's organisers are still grappling with a budget overspend.

Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom is set to open mid-November. The centre got a $1m boost from the Government's regional culture and heritage fund, but ongoing funding problems could mean cuts are made to the centre.

Horowhenua District Council strategic projects manager Cathy McCartney says heating, ventilation and air conditioning system estimates were below the actual quotes received.

This meant the project was still over budget by $200,000 and the council would apply for grants to cover the extra costs.

Ms McCartney says if the council did not get more funding, it would look at saving money elsewhere, such as in landscaping, McCartney said.

Mayor Michael Feyen says he started advocating for Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom about 13 years ago. He says it's been a hard road and a long road.

An opening ceremony was planned for dawn on November 18.

Te Manawa Art Gallery has hosted works from the region’s artists for the last 40 years old but its future is up for discussion.

Te Manawa began life as the Manawatu Art Gallery, in an old house converted by architect David Taylor on the corner of Carroll and Grey streets.

The current exhibition is a celebration of the art gallery's 40-year milestone. Ian Scott's Golden Dreams was used as the title and hero image for the exhibition because it was displayed during the opening in 1977.

A new gallery building would cost up to $58 million which would be projected to increase visitor numbers from 200,000 to 500,000 a year. Plan B has costings sitting between $30m and $45m, and would include a mix of renovation and new buildings.

Whatever the outcome, changes will happen at Te Manawa. Earthquake strengthening is a must-do and the collections need better storage.

Golden Dreams is at Te Manawa until November 5.

Police are urging Paraparaumu residents to be vigilant following a recent escalation in the number of burglaries in the area. Tawa has also been hit lately. Kapiti Mana police Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Ferguson says the last few months had seen an increasing amount of burglaries from cars and homes in Paraparaumu.

He says police officers had made arrests, but there was a growing need for vigilance from residents to prevent further escalation.

Detective Ferguson says Police are noticing a lot of those burglaries could be avoidable by people placing valuable items out of view, as well as locking vehicles and houses.

He says people engaged in helping themselves is the first barrier to these criminals.

Detective Ferguson says a lot of burglars are opportunists. He says if they're provided with the opportunity of say an unlocked car or a laptop in plain view they will take it.

Kapiti resident Helen Whitfield is on a mission to save 3000 chickens.

No longer wanted, the hens are destined to become dog food at the end of the month. The Otaki farm owners let her rescue as many as she likes and then she sells them for $5 to cover costs.

Ms Whitfield was adamant the farm owners were good people, they cared about the animals, and the chickens were in good condition on their release.

Despite not laying regularly enough to provide a business, the hens would still produce enough to keep their new families in supply for at least two years.

Ms Whitfield says while most people adopted the birds for their eggs, people also delighted in rehabilitating them into their new lives.

With about 100 re-homed so far, Ms Whitfield was working as hard as she could to find homes for the birds, but knew she probably wouldn't be able to save them all.

Kapiti’s next door neighbour Porirua City is about to have a $21 million adventure park constructed in its western hills which is being hailed as a game-changer for the city's economy.

The network of trails on Rangituhi, or Colonial Knob, is expected to attract walkers and mountain bikers, and other attractions will include two cafes, a chairlift, and an indoor surf simulator.

Mayor Mike Tana says it's like a year-round ski resort that doesn't require snow.

He says the park would be built by Select Contracts, the Canadian company behind the Christchurch Adventure Park, at no cost to Porirua ratepayers.

Work would begin next year and take two years to complete. More than 100 jobs were expected to be created.

Mr Tana says estimates show around 80,000 local users will visit per annum and a potential economic impact, over five years, of about $40m coming into the Wellington economy.

Porirua Chamber of Commerce acting director Nick Leggett said the park was a

tremendous step for the city.

Four young Kapiti Boxers have made a massive hit at the recent New Zealand Championships in Rotorua.

The four were part of the Wellington team and Kapiti Boxing Club head coach Wayne Spratt says it was the best result that club has had since it started 12

years ago.

Mr Spratt says a lot of work goes into a few minutes or even seconds in the ring, but it's the results that count. He says by winning national titles, the four young Kapiti boxers are helping put their local club on the radar of the sport's circles.

Raumati Beach's Toby Jensen, 15, won the 57kg junior male featherweight title and his older brother Zac Jensen, 16, won the 63kg junior male light-welterweight title. Paraparaumu's Michael Reynolds, 18, won the 69kg youth welterweight title; while Waikanae's Szilard Laszlo, 18, won the 75kg youth middleweight title.

Kapiti 19-year-old Andor Laszlo, a 69kg senior welterweight, was runner-up in the elite fighter senior open division

Paraparaumu multimedia artist Rebecca Bond was among 122 national and international designers to secure a spot as a finalist in this year's World of Wearable Art (WOW).

Ms Bond’s red and black design, Hangups was among the 104 finalists after the third round of judging. This year WOW featured designers from 44 countries, who competed for 37 awards.

Ms Bond says an artist, getting into the finals of such a prestigious event gives her weight as a designer. She says her garment was named Hangups because its story represents the fake selfie-obsessed, social media world we live in.

This year, her environmentally focused works will be displayed as part of the Kapiti Arts Trail, at Kapiti's Whitireia campus.

Ms Bond is co-ordinator of local art group Art Studio, run at the Kapiti Community Centre for Kapiti artists with intellectual disabilities. She is also nearing the completion of an Advanced Diploma in Art and Creativity, through the Learning Connexion.

After further testing it is now revealed that 14 kilometres of the 18km Kapiti Expressway will need resealing. New Zealand Transport Agency senior manager Chris Hunt says the work will require resealing long stretches of the 18km expressway in both directions, and the agency would be footing its share of the bill.The Expressway started developing discoloured cracks only months after it opened in February. In June NZTA confirmed work would be needed along 1.2km around the Kapiti Rd interchange in Paraparaumu.

The 14km of slow lanes to be resealed are expected to be completed by the end of the summer work season, next year.

Mr Hunt says until they’re able to define the exact extent of the issue and the areas for remedial works, the cost is unknown. He says the issue appears to have been caused by the unexpected penetration of moisture through the membrane seal."

Members of the Expressway Alliance, a consortium of contractors and NZTA, would be sharing the costs of the work.

One of Kapiti’s major annual events gets underway in two weeks when 65,000 books go on sale at the Waikanae Memorial Hall as part of the Combined Kapiti Lions Monster Bookfair.

The doors will be open from 8am to 6pm on Saturday and on Sunday from 9am to 2pm.

Lions spokesperson Joe Franklin says there will be more than enough to satisfy everyone, with plenty of fiction, travel, sport, cooking, gardening, hobbies, biographies and New Zealand and other titles, puzzles and games and musical material.

Mr Franklin says Lions are able, from each bookfair, to give some $40,000 to a range of worthwhile beneficiaries.

This year funds raised will go to Waikanae Surf Club, Wellington Hospital Neo-natal Unit, Wellington Hospital Mobile Neo ICU, Birthright, The Shed Project, Woman’s Centre/Refuge, June Oakley Memorial Trust, Life Flight Trust, Kapiti Youth Quest, Waikanae Primary School, Kapanui Primary School and Alzheimers Kapiti.

Kapiti businesses are showing confidence in their outlook, as evident in rising levels of commercial vehicle purchases and non-residential building consents. Cr Angela Buswell, KCDC rep on the Kapiti Economic Development Leadership Group says over the June year, commercial vehicle registrations climbed 39% to 397 – a record level. The value of non-residential building consents rose from $15m to $41m over the same period.

The average current house value in Kapiti Coast District was up 18% in June 2017 compared with a year earlier. Growth outperformed relative to New Zealand, where prices increased by 6.7%.

The average current house value was $489,218 in Kapiti Coast District over the June 2017 year. This compares with $587,664 in the Wellington Region. House sales in Kapiti in the year to June 2017 decreased by 15% compared with the previous year.

Cr Buswell says Kapiti has a vibrant, diverse and thriving business community. She says the indicators used to track the district’s economic performance are encouraging and the future looks bright.

A Horowhenua adult learning centre is screaming out for more funding as it tries

to get adults into employment.

The Arohamai Literacy Horowhenua Centre in Levin struggles to provide students with resources.

Arohamai tutor Daniel Bulman says the centre needed more support and they are desperately underfunded and work on a fraction of what a secondary school would receive if they had a similar number of students.

Literacy Aotearoa chief executive Bronwyn Yates would not disclose how much funding the Horowhenua centre receives from the Government, but she said it received $7.6 million in 2016 to work with 6300 learners across its 47 sites.

That is $1206 per person, on average. The centre also received $500 from the Horowhenua District Council in 2017 and about $2000 last year.

There are about 100 students each year at the Horowhenua centre. Bulman says they were given help to complete NCEA qualifications, they were taught basic numeracy and literacy skills, and how to write resumes and cover letters.

One full-time manager, three part-time coordinators, and a combined 4000 volunteer hours later show that this has been a busy year for Zeal Kāpiti.

A host of programmes designed for local creative Kiwi youths to get involved, stay engaged, and learn skills increased over the past year, emphasising collaboration within the Kāpiti District. Zeal engaged with 31 community leaders and organisations and supported 19 community events.

Kāpiti Coast Councillor and Zeal Kāpiti Committee chair James Cootes says that the level of interest from local college students is indicative that the programme is both necessary and effective.

Zeal’s youth centre has been approved for an extensive renovation that will

realise a long term vision of an equipped home base for the youth development programme in Paraparaumu. Zeal’s centre should be completed by mid-2018.

(photo: http://zeal.nz/blog/kapiti-is-getting-a-zeal-youth-facility-receives-green-light)

Two alleged thieves visiting a Paekakariki family home on Monday had no idea they were being watched live by the homeowner.

Watching from his car on the motorway, Matthew Trail told Stuff he saw people allegedly steal two laptops and an empty bottle of vodka.

One of the alleged thieves then sees the camera, jumps with shock and runs.

He says he called the cops on the way home and gave them a description of the woman and man ... watching them in real time."

The police arrived within 15 minutes, and he was able to give them all the detail they needed to find the alleged thieves.

Their videos, shared on Facebook, had hundreds of shares and thousands of views by Monday evening.

Two aging bridges at Kaitawa Reserve are about to get a well-needed makeover, and Kapiti Coast District Council is taking a new approach by using a product that’s made from recycled plastic bags.

Parks and Recreation Manager Alison Law says both bridges are being revamped and Council will be using Enduroplank, a product that ticks all the boxes while being environmentally friendly.

She says “This is the first time we’ve used a product like this and we’re excited because the end result will be easier to maintain, has better slip resistance, a longer life span and also helps with the war on waste.”

Ms Law says locals can expect work to start soon, and both bridges to be

finished this financial year.

“Work on the first bridge will kicked off on Monday 4 September. We’ll do them one at a time, with the bridge closest to the Scout Hall up first.

Council expects the first bridge revamp works to take around a month and while they are working locals won’t have access to the bridge and will need to use the road instead.