Palmerston North Pitopito Kōrero: News in brief

Have your say on a new playground at Chippendale Reserve in Highbury.

Have your say on playground upgrades

Palmerston North City Council is renewing the playground at Chippendale Reserve in Highbury and wants your ideas. The current playground – on Chippendale Cres – is old and tired, and the council wants the people who use this park to have input into its design. The parks team will be at the playground on Saturday, 11am to 12pm, to hear your ideas. Parks and logistics group manager Kathy Dever-Tod says the council wants the playground to be a unique and exciting space. “We want to know what you believe would enhance the experience for children of different ages and abilities. Perhaps you’d like to see a particular theme for the new playground?” Residents can also have their say by filling out the online form at pncc.govt.nz/chippendale.

Mina McKenzie Memorial Lecture

Jock Phillips will present the 2023 Mina McKenzie Memorial Lecture at Te Manawa Museum at 2pm on Sunday, September 24. His topic is a history of New Zealand in 10 (sewing) objects, and it draws on research for his book A History of New Zealand in 100 Objects. He will describe what he discovered about sewing and sewn objects. These include several fascinating items from the lower North Island. Phillips is a widely published historian, former chief historian at the Ministry for Culture, and general editor of Te Ara The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. The free event is hosted by Te Manawa Museum Society.

Plant and Play Day

Palmerston North City Council is hosting a Plant and Play Day at Frederick Krull Reserve in Kelvin Grove on Saturday at 11am. The reserve is at 6 Logan Way. There will be 800 native plants ready to go into the ground, and the council is after some extra pairs of hands. There will be some spades and shovels available but people are encouraged to bring their own.

Attention adventure seekers

Applications are open for the Jaycee Travelling Trust Fund, which helps young people study or engage in special projects, either overseas or within New Zealand. Successful recipients could get up to $5000 towards travel costs associated with their project. Councillor Lorna Johnson, chairwoman of the selection panel, says the fund is here to help turn your travel dreams into a reality. “This fantastic opportunity is open to all Palmerston North residents under 40 who have a passion for travel, a sense of adventure, and a dream destination in mind. Last year’s successful recipients included one of our local dance groups and they were sent to Australia to compete in the World Supremacy Battlegrounds 2022 Championships. The two other recipients went over to Panama to complete their practicum course with the World Health Organisation, and also to Colombia to complete a sustainability internship.” A maximum of $10,000 will be granted in this year’s funding round. Applications close on September 29. For more information, or to apply, visit pncc.govt.nz/Community/Community-funding/Jaycee-Trust-Travelling-Fellowship-Scheme.

Feilding baker fails to take home top prize

Bethany Friend from Whangārei’s Countdown Regent is the Countdown Baker of the Year for 2023. She took home the top prize after a contest in Auckland. The other two finalists included Feilding Countdown bakery manager Tiffany Corlett, who lives in Marton.