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Hamilton Christmas Parade float to feature for twelfth year

Te Kauwhata man Richard Stewart, 69, is on a mission to put Christ back in Christmas with the float he takes to parades around the country. This is the twelfth year that his famous Jesus' Birthday Party float will appear in the Hamilton Christmas Parade on Sunday 14 December. "The world is a changing place and I am scared that one day, children won't know what the true meaning of Christmas is, and will rather get caught up in the material side of the day," he says. "Very few Christmas par...

Christmas parade volunteering a family affair

Cambridge-based local, Suzanne Collins, simply loves Christmas. Come December, you can guarantee her house will be decorated – inside and out – and from breakfast time on 25 December until dinner time, there will be presents, food and family galore in the Collins' household. "We visit the temple every year, and do the rounds at night to see everyone's houses decorated in lights, tinsel and ornaments," she says. So it's no wonder that Suzanne has volunteered for the Hamilton Christmas...

From Senior Constable to Counsellor: a policeman’s career transition

Ex-policeman Neil Warren always knew he wanted to help people. That's precisely why he became a policeman nearly three decades ago. What he didn't know is that it would eventually be people just like him who he would particularly desire to help. "Policemen, and those within the emergency services, face unique emotional challenges. Daily you can be subject to an array of issues such as domestic violence, vehicle crashes involving serious injury or fatalities, and drug related problems," he ...

Celebrity Trade Me auction raises awareness for child abuse prevention

The message that it's up to all of us to keep kids safe was shared more than 16,000 times last week, thanks to the recent creativity of some household Kiwi names. Friday 14 November marks the fourth annual 'Buddy Day' - New Zealand's only child abuse prevention awareness day. In aid of the event, Black Seeds and Fly My Pretties frontman Barnaby Weir, Shortland Street cast members, Auckland artist and entrepreneur Otis Frizzell, WORLD fashion designer Benny Castles and artist PJ Paterson joi...

Community and national leaders lined up to attend Buddy Day

Buddy Day, taking place this Friday (14 November), is shaping up to be an action-packed event with overwhelming support from community and national leaders in the four participating centres of Wellington, Tauranga, Hamilton and Auckland. Run by Hamilton-based child advocacy agency Child Matters, Buddy Day is New Zealand's only child abuse prevention awareness day. It is in its fourth year and focuses on promoting the message that every adult in New Zealand has a role to play in keeping children...

CTC Aviation calls attention to global need for women in aviation

The predicted global airline pilot shortage has prompted world-leading flight training organisation, CTC Aviation, to call for more women to enter the aviation industry. In July this year US aircraft company Boeing released a statement-1 announcing that about 533,000 new commercial pilots would be needed worldwide in the next two decades to satisfy a growing global fleet. According to CTC Aviation Chief Commercial Officer, Anthony Petteford, the challenge of meeting this global demand for air...

Rotorua Trust grants $200,000 to Crankworx Rotorua

The Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust announced today it will contribute $200,000 to the world’s largest mountain biking festival coming to Rotorua - CrankworxThe phenomenon that is Crankworx, which also includes the Enduro World Series, will make its way to Rotorua from 25th – 29th March 2015, marking the first event on the professional racing calendar for the year. It is expected to attract up to 15,000 spectators and 750 riders from New Zealand and around the world. Crankworx Rotorua brin...

Waikato director wants to see Maori communities grow

Waikato-based director and member of the Institute of Directors, Tureiti Moxon, is pushing for more Maori to put their hand up for director and board member positions if they want to see their communities develop and grow well into the future. Tureiti Moxon has a long standing career in leadership and governance and has recently been recognised and acknowledged for her work by the Institute of Directors with a Chartered Fellowship. She said this was a great opportunity to encourage others to...

Funny guy Jeremy Corbett supports Buddy Day’s important message

Kiwi comedian Jeremy Corbett says since having children, he finds it increasingly hard to read about child abuse cases. “I can’t bear the thought of innocent children suffering,” he says.But he also says this instinctive gut reaction is one of the main reasons he chose to take part in New Zealand’s only child abuse awareness event, Buddy Day. The event is being held for the fourth consecutive year on 14 November, and takes place in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Wellington. &nbs...

Waikato tennis star empowers youth through education

When Hamilton-based Hannah Fick was just 9 years old, she jumped on a plane to New Zealand with her family in a bid to escape unrest in her home-country of Namibia. And having since experienced opportunities in this country that she may-never otherwise have, Hannah has made it her prerogative to empower Waikato youth to make the most of life. At only 25 years old, Hannah has been appointed tutor for ‘#Ultimate’, a new TrainMe course designed to give Waikato youth, aged 16-19, a taste of a...

Keep kids safe this social summer season

Labour Weekend signals the start of the social summer season in New Zealand.    The weather gets warmer, Christmas festivities and holiday planning begins – present shopping, menu setting, bach bookings, summer slim down programmes . . . But this year, Child Matters – Hamilton-based national child advocacy organisation – is urging adults to keep something else in mind over the silly season: keeping your children safe. Child Matters chief executive, Anthea Simcock, sai...

Dairy Solutionz develops new dairy breed

Hamilton, New Zealand-based Dairy Solutionz Ltd has led an expert genetics team to develop a new dairy cow breed conditioned to thrive in lower elevation tropical climates and achieve high milk production under heat stress.  Derek Fairweather, Chief Executive of Dairy Solutionz Ltd, said, “Our new composite breed will be used on the large-scale dairy farm systems we are constructing in partnership with governments and land owners in countries such as USA, Colombia and Ecuador.”&nbs...

NZ businesses get ready for Buddy Day, 14 Nov

Many leading New Zealand businesses have partnered with national child advocacy organisation Child Matters to participate in the fourth annual ‘Buddy Day’ - New Zealand’s only child abuse prevention awareness day.   Delivered by Child Matters, Buddy Day involves 1500 adults in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Tauranga adopting a life-size cardboard ‘Buddy’ and taking it into communities and workplaces. The Buddy is used as a tool to generate conversations about the wel...

Media release: Millennium Plastics takes out Supreme Award at Plastics Industry Design Awards

MEDIA RELEASE 7 October 2014 On 3 October Hamilton-based Millennium Plastics Ltd was awarded the overall Supreme Award at the 2014 Plastics Industry Biennial Design Awards for their contribution to the design and development of Waikato Milking Systems’ all-new Electronic Milk Meter.   The company also took out Gold Awards in both the Primary Product and Conventional Injection Moulding Process Categories.   Millennium Plastics General Manager Tony Rutz said, “We ar...

Media release: Couple give up Auckland for a new slice of heaven in Cambridge

MEDIA RELEASE 16 September 2014Like many other Kiwis, the first residents of Cambridge’s premier subdivision St Kilda have given up the long commutes, higher costs of living and smaller living space for their take on the quarter acre ‘kiwi dream’.   Matt and Claire Malligan sold their house in Auckland in 2010 and made the move to Cambridge with their then one-year-old son.  They purchased their section in St Kilda in June 2013 have shifted into their brand new ...

Media release: Tasman Tanks appoints Craig Hemmings as dairy effluent sector manager

Leading New Zealand and Australian storage tank company Tasman Tanks, has appointed Craig Hemmings as dairy effluent sector manager. Mr Hemmings brings to his position more than a decade of management experience with nationally and internationally recognised agricultural companies. As dairy effluent sector manager for Tasman Tanks, Mr Hemmings will oversee the operational management of the company’s dairy effluent division in New Zealand. “From small beginnings in 1996, Tasman Tanks ha...

Media release: Young child advocate urges New Zealanders to go ‘Shoeless’ for Cambodian kids

One of New Zealand’s most passionate campaigners for social justice, Katie Boom, is urging New Zealanders to take off their shoes on 24 October and join her in raising $200,000 to educate Cambodia’s most impoverished children.   Her charity, Shoeless, today announced New Zealand’s first Shoeless Day on 24 October 2014.    For nearly two years 23-year-old Katie Boom has not worn shoes as a way to raise awareness of the plight of Cambodian’s poorest children.&n...

Media release: Nominations for fourth Dairy Woman of the Year set to open

MEDIA RELEASE  15 September 2014  Momentum is quickly building as nominations open for the fourth Dairy Woman of the Year Awards today.   The awards, which are sponsored by Fonterra, coincide with Dairy Women’s Network’s annual conference which is being held in Invercargill on 18-19 March 2015 and this time boasts two new judges. Joining a delegated DWN trustee, Fonterra representative and 2013 Dairy Woman of the Year Justine Kidd on the judging panel will be Glob...

Media release: Milk-Bioactive Skincare Product is Innovation Award Finalist

MEDIA RELEASE 12 September 2014 Quantec Ltd is excited to announce that its new product line, Epiology Skincare, has been named as a finalist in The New Zealand Innovators Awards.   Quantec Ltd launched its Epiology Anti-Acne Cream into New Zealand pharmacies in April 2014. It is a clinically proven line of skincare targeted toward older teens and young adults with mild to moderate acne who have found regular use of common anti-acne treatments le...

Media release: Hamilton scientist wins award at international science conference

MEDIA RELEASE1 September 2012New Zealand scientist, Bruce Morris, from Hamilton, has won the inaugural “Excellence in Sample Prep” award at an international conference for analytical chemists held in North America. The annual conference, known as the North American Chemical Residue Workshop (NACRW), is open to scientists from all over the world with attendees from North and South America, Asia, Europe, Africa and Australasia. Dr. Morris, a Senior Technologist at New Zealand's le...

Media release: World-leading flight training organisation, CTC Aviation, to host open day

MEDIA RELEASE29 August 2014 World-leading flight training organisation, CTC Aviation, is hosting an Open Day at its crew training centre located at Hamilton Airport on 13 September 2014.   Open Day visitors are invited to attend the morning session from 10am-12.30pm or the afternoon session from 1pm-3.30pm.    CTC Aviation Chief Operating Officer – Ab initio Training (NZ), Peter Stockwell, said all Open Day visitors are invited to explore CTC Aviation’s state-of-...

Media release: Young Hamilton local wins web design gold at national competition

MEDIA RELEASE July 2014 Damian Small, 18, has won the gold medal for web design at the intensive two-day WorldSkills New Zealand 2014 national competition held in Hamilton this month. And as a category winner Damian is in the running to represent New Zealand as part of the 'Tool Blacks' team at the biennial international WorldSkills Competition next year. This year the national competition in Hamilton saw 90 regional competition finalists from across the country showcase their talent ac...

Media release: Hill Laboratories appoints new Agricultural Divisional Manager

MEDIA RELEASE 21 August 2014 New Zealand's leading analytical testing laboratory, Hill Laboratories, has appointed Dr Bart Challis as new Agricultural Divisional Manager for the company. Dr Challis brings to Hill Laboratories 16 years of international experience in the fields of Life Science and Biotechnology. After completing a PhD in microbiology from the University of Otago, Dr Challis began his career in Sales in the United Kingdom in 1999. Swiftly adding management experience to...

Media release: Claire McGowan appointed new CEO of SODA Inc.

MEDIA RELEASE 30 July 2014 Dr. Claire McGowan has been appointed chief executive of Waikato-based business incubator, SODA Inc.   Claire is an accomplished director, with experience in the venture capital and investment banking industries. She also has experience in personally building and growing companies.   Claire has an MBA and PhD in Microbiology from the University of Otago and also holds various director positions with science and investment organisations. �...

Media release: Waikato PR firm HMC Communications continues to grow

MEDIA RELEASE 14 August 2014 Just two months after Hamilton public relations consultancy HMC Communications grew from two to three, the small Waikato agency has taken on a fourth communications professional. Amy Meade joined the team in last month (July) in a communications manager role, after seven years’ experience working in communications and public relations for the Waikato District Health Board. Prior to beginning her professional public relations career, Amy worked as a c...