Taranaki daily news

Jane Matthews is a reporter at the Taranaki Stuff office. This is her last story before embarking on her OE. OPINION: Home is where the heart is, right? But what if your heart is in two places. No, this isn’t me opening up about my love life, it’s about something I’ve come to realise in the weeks approaching me fleeing the country – yes, I’m part of the “brain drain” . I’m born and bred in the beautiful Far North, the majority of my family live there, and it’s where I’ve also thought of as “home”. But after school I shifted to Auckland to study, lived there for three years, and then made the move to Taranaki, and have been here for the past five years and eight months (yes, I counted). READ MORE: Borders open: More people leaving New Zealand than entering Why I'm joining the post-Covid brain drain from New Zealand Brain drain? Don't panic, it's more of a brain loan And in that relatively short time I have come to think of Taranaki as my home and know I … [Read more...] about Opinion: Why a Northlander shifting to London calls Taranaki home, and always will

Taranaki has reported its 50th death with Covid-19. The Ministry of Health announced the death in its 1pm update on Sunday. It was one of 11 deaths nationally. There were 1265 active cases in the Taranaki region, while the number of recovered infections was 34,384. Nationally, there were 4924 new Covid-19 community cases and 424 people in hospital. The seven-day rolling average of hospitalisations was 405, up from 336 a week ago. The 11 deaths reported on Sunday all happened in the previous three days, and took the total number of publicly reported deaths with Covid-19 to 1560. The seven-day rolling average of reported deaths was 14. Three of the people whose deaths were reported were from Auckland region, one was from Taranaki, two were from MidCentral, two were from Canterbury, and three were from Southern. Two were in their 60s, two were in their 70s, four were in their 80s, and three were aged over 90. Of these people, five were women and six were men, the … [Read more...] about Taranaki records 50th death with Covid

A Taranaki town known for its Shakespearean identity and naming ritual has let tradition slide after being gifted a title in te reo Māori for its $20-million new pool. The swimming hub, which is set to be completed in coming months, will be known as Wai o Rua – Stratford Aquatic Centre. But the decision to adopt the name, gifted by Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahine, and Ngāti Maru iwi, didn’t come without debate. At a Stratford District Council policy and services meeting this week, community services director Kate Whareaitu explained why the name of the Portia St facility was special. READ MORE: Stratford District Council to include te reo in its new, much-debated logo History made as Romeo and Hurieta played in Taranaki Shakespearean town during Te Wiki o te reo Māori Stratford District Council called out for lagging behind in establishing Māori ward Ka pai councillors: Stratford District Council votes aē to Māori ward She explained Wai o Rua directly translates to … [Read more...] about Stratford’s $20m aquatic centre gifted bilingual name by local iwi

Ever thought of opening a rooftop bar with uninterrupted sea views on one side and a spectacular mountain on the other? If so, this could be your chance. After years of “plans flying around” and rumours circling , the new owners of New Plymouth’s Centre City shopping mall have had concepts draw up for a bar on the fourth storey of its waterfront car park. The central city mall has been subject to controversy over the years for not embracing its prime seaside location, with just one second floor cafe utilising the ocean views. But now, Prime Property Group, which bought the mall off AMP Capital three months ago , are looking for somebody with a hospitality background to team up with them to open a roof top bar. READ MORE: New owner reveals plan to strengthen New Plymouth's Centre City shopping mall How New Plymouth could be better with a rooftop bar New Plymouth's first roof top bar set to open in February The mall undoubtedly has “one of the best views in the … [Read more...] about Plans emerge for New Plymouth rooftop bar with ‘best views in the city’

The semifinalists in the CMK premier club rugby competition have been found, but who will play whom won’t be decided until after next weekend’s final round. Clifton, Tukapa, New Plymouth Old Boys (NPOB) and Stratford/Eltham make up the top four after the penultimate round on Saturday. Clifton have confirmed semifinal hosting rights, with a five-point lead over Tukapa, after a 37-25 win against NPOB at Vogeltown Park. Tukapa are likely to host the second semi, as they hold a five-point advantage over NPOB. Stratford/Eltham’s convincing 60-10 win against Spotswood United cemented themselves a playoff spot. The win knocks out any hopes defending champions Inglewood had to earn a play-off spot, coupled with their 37-24 loss to Tukapa at home. READ MORE: Premier rugby semifinal spots to be determined in weekend clashes New Plymouth Old Boys still in CMK premier club rugby competition play-off contention Fight for top four alive in Taranaki’s CMK premier club rugby … [Read more...] about Semi-finalists found in Taranaki CMK premier club rugby competition

Lately, New Plymouth has had either too much wind or not enough, thereby frustrating Jack Parr’s attempts to get out on the water and train. Jack, 16, will represent New Zealand this week in the iQFoil sailing class – on a windsurfer that is up on a hydrofoil. ‘’I was a windsurfer and I knew how to sail, so I combined both,’’ he said. The New Zealand Sailing Foundation Youth Worlds Team was leaving on Sunday J to compete at the Allianz Youth World Sailing Championship 2022. The event is taking place off the coast of Scheveningen in The Hague, Netherlands, between Friday, July 8, and Friday, July 15. READ MORE: The faster, the smarter for Kiwi windfoiling ace Veerle ten Have America's Cup: Italian sail experts suggest fix to ailing British yacht Kiwi sailor Erica Dawson determined not to be another statistic and reach Tokyo 2020 The iQFoil class is new and will be at the Olympics for the first time Paris in 2024. The surfboard is 85cms wide and about 1.5m … [Read more...] about New Plymouth teenager off to youth world champs sailing at The Hague

STUFF Justine Shera shares her weight loss surgery journey When Justine Shera realised she was being a spectator in her son’s life due to her weight, she knew she had to do something about it. “I just had this epiphany moment crying like, oh my god, I'm just watching this little boy grow up, and his memories are going to be of dad playing with him and that's not going to involve me,” the 45-year-old New Plymouth woman says. After losing and gaining the same 40 kilograms three different times in her adult life, Shera decided to get $25,000 weight loss surgery to try and keep the weight off for good. She explained to 11-year-old son Aiden she was doing it for him. READ MORE: Desperate bid for 'life-changing' breast reduction surgery Woman loses over 80kg after lifelong body battle: 'I'm finally starting my life now' New Zealand woman Ariana Omipi loses half her body weight after surgery “I've talked to him a lot about this is something I'm doing because I … [Read more...] about The Taranaki mum who cashed in KiwiSaver to get life changing weight loss surgery