Contact Kirstie for real estate advice Kirstie McGrail 027 270 3175 Thursday, June 10, 2021 Rosetown Realty Ltd Licensed REAA2008 BRIEFLY Mt Pirongia Lions Midwinter Xmas Mt Pirongia Lions Club are holding their over 65s Midwinter Christmas luncheon for Pirongia and district residents at the Pirongia rugby clubrooms on July 5. Starts at 11.30am. Orienteering Waikato Orienteering Waikato is holding a rogaine event on Te Anga Rd, west of Waitomo, this Sunday. There are both two hour and four hour events. This is spectacular limestone country, both native bush and farmland. Signposted from Waitomo. Entries today please. Go to entero.co.nz/evento. php?eventName=rr-2021 or any queries to Tom Davies on 0272114467 or Tom. Nurses and health assistants from Matariki Hospital walked off the job yesterday and went on strike. Photos / Caitlan Johnston [email protected] Continuing Education The topic at Continuing Education on Wednesday, We’re not gonna take it June 16 is Our Native Birds and Mt Pirongia. Speakers will be Nardene Berry and Clare St Pierre who work with the Undervalued local nurses walk off the job Landcare Trust and have a special interest in Mt Pirongia. Tea/coffee from 9.30am. Caitlan Johnston “It’s not new that we’re under- Programme runs from 10am- staffed, we always have to get staff 11.15pm. esterday nurses across the from agencies to cover but the Please pay $2 on arrival. country walked off the job workload and acuity of patients is still after the New Zealand really heavy,” says Jinky. RhinoKids Flooring Nurses Organisation (NZNO) The nurses’ union wants a 17 per Y“overwhelmingly” voted to reject a cent pay increase for all nurses and Fund second offer in their current round in April the union rejected an in- The RhinoKids Flooring Fund of multi-employer collective agree- crease of around 1.38 per cent. is an initiative that Carpet ment (MECA) negotiations on NZNO lead advocate David Wait Court have set up to help Monday. said the second offer hadn’t sig- improve the educational Here in Te Awamutu a group of nificantly changed and does not environment in public schools nurses and healthcare assistants got address issues nurses face. and pre-schools by providing involved by protesting outside And on Tuesday, PM Jacinda funds for new flooring up to Matariki Hospital and walking around Ardern said the Government is the value of $2,000. 3km in and out of town. financially constrained. Each store from around the They could be heard chanting the They walked into town from Matariki Hospital and drivers tooted their “Members are facing serious nurs- country has had local lyrics from Twisted Sister’s We’re Not horns in support. ing workforce issues, with pay rates education providers apply Gonna Take It as they walked to and that do not attract people into the and they selected one of them along Alexandra St. Matariki Hospital healthcare assist- and the acuity of patients coming profession or retain the people we as their chosen project. They joined around 30,000 NZNO ant Rhonda Rhre says while there is through now,” says Rhonda. have, and staffing levels which For more information or to members including nurses, midwives a component for monetary value, Matariki Hospital nurse Jinky stretch them to breaking point, put- apply for your school, head to and hospital assistants nationwide they were mostly out there fighting Belisario, who was passionately pro- ting them and their patients at risk,” carpetcourt.nz/rhino-kids- and were all on strike from 11am to for safer staffing. testing by dancing at yesterday’s de- says David. about. 7pm yesterday. They were striking “We need to have the right number monstration, says she often doesn’t for better pay and staffing levels. of staff for the right amount of care feel safe when working. continued on A7 R OLD CLAWS FOR A NEW SET OF AIKATOI 320 CLAWS AND GET FREE FIRST SERVICE H NYOU BUYA KINGQU D LIMITED STOCK Te Awamutu 07 871 6781 * 1st May – 31st July 2021. Only applieswhen p urchased at recommended p i e. Ōtorohanga 07 873 8500 Excludes GST. Designed and assembled in New Zealand with a 5 year warranty. Putaruru 07 883 3423 2 Te Awamutu Courier Thursday, June 10, 2021 ■ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Broken pipes units then it is not apparent from constantly being maintained and percent) start smoking by age 25. Local Government Minister where we stand. upgraded. A double glazing Last month, UK’s The Guardian Circulated free to over 14,000 homes in Nanaia Mahuta left to ponder $185 The council measured our units programme is underway, which has reported that two-thirds of global Te Awamutu and surrounding districts. billion cost of fixing broken water for double glazing a couple of years recently seen Wallace Court retro smokers live in just ten nations: pipes. Stuff; June 2, 2021 ago, but nothing has happened. fitted. China, India, Indonesia, the US, CIRCULATION 14,180* Yet, Waipa District’s mayor is None of us tenants raised these Russia, Bangladesh, Japan, Turkey, not convinced reforms are needed, questions at the hastily convened Inspiring couple Vietnam and the Philippines. PHONE: 07 871 5151 Te Awamutu Courier; June 3, 2021. meeting, but if we had we would After reading the article about Ben In fact, one in three tobacco POSTAL ADDRESS: I am sorry, is our mayor have been brushed aside. Purua and his wife Nikki, I felt smokers — more than 340 million 97 Sloane Street, PO Box 1, confused? Does he feel that a $185b It needs someone with some compelled to write to say how people — live in China! Te Awamutu 3840 spend is a justified spend on sort of public presence or authority inspiring it was to read this story Smoking is a killer: 80 to 90 per something that has been neglected to raise these matters with council. of hope and change and purpose. cent of lung cancer deaths in the OFFICE HOURS: not at the fault of ratepayers? They will not listen to us. Congratulations to Ben and US are linked to smoking. Monday - Friday 8am - 4pm In my opinion if $185b is needed The rent rise this year will leave Nikki on all they have achieved Cigarettes are a unique product Closed Public Holidays to fix the problem, this in itself is us tenants with approximately 50 both personally and that, even when used as directed, DELIVERY QUERIES: 0800 111 200 clear evidence of neglect of the per cent of our net income after professionally. will likely kill two-thirds of their highest magnitude on our core the rent is paid. This equates to I loved Ben’s goals, outlined at users. EDITORIAL infrastructure perpetrated by our about $250 or less weekly to pay the end of the article … and They are scientifically designed Dean Taylor (Editor) councils nationally. all our other bills and buy food and paraphrasing them for general use to addict smokers, turning them There is simply no excuse that other sundries. Some will get less … stop doing things that are hurtful into clients for life. Ext: 67705 0274 819951 councils can come up with to than that. for you and others; look after and Cigarettes make the vast [email protected] justify such neglect of this scale to I know there are others worse love your family; provide for your majority of smokers sick and Caitlan Johnston Ext: 67710 the people. It is a disgrace and an off, but these are pensioner units wha¯nau; be good at whatever your increase the risk of death from [email protected] insult to ratepayers who have and we have no real option of work is; help others. Goals for us other diseases as well. Jesse Wood Ext: 67713 funded to have this infrastructure finding other accommodation. all, I think. Not only are cigarettes deadly, [email protected] maintained. Therefore, we are at the mercy of God bless and aroha to you and they are also a substance that SPORT The people will want to see the whims of council. your wha¯nau Ben and Nikki. many turn to for an artificial sense accountability for this neglect. Colin E Walters Nga mihi nui. of peace, stress relief, and security. [email protected] It would go a long way to the Cheryll Robertson Unwittingly, many make ADVERTISING removing of CEOs and the Council responds: Rents for our 93 cigarettes their 'saviour'. But sadly, Leon Green 027 2393864 executive level from the offices of pensioner housing units in Kihikihi, in our societies today, this deadly councils – they are clearly the Cambridge and Te Awamutu have Tobacco is the killer habit destroys the body, and is [email protected] problem as this has happened all not increased for the last two years. As of this writing, more than 3.7 even accepted as normal and an [email protected] under their so-called leadership. This year, from 6 July 2021 rents million Covid-19-related deaths individual right! CLASSIFIEDS Wake up elected councils, will increase by between $20 and have been officially reported Besides this, smokers can't keep Tania King Ext: 67708 represent and protect the people! $30 per week. Rent is capped at 30 worldwide since the pandemic their habit to themselves. Their Hayden Woods per cent of gross national began. smoke permeates their [email protected] superannuation, after taking the This virus has held the world surroundings which are We welcome letters - preferably via email. maximum accommodation hostage for over a year.