HOW SAFE IS YOUR CAT IN THE COMMUNITY?
What alarms Chopper's owners are the ambigious guidlines around who can take a cat to the SPCA
Community and Cats aren't two subjects that would usually go together in the same sentence but on the evening of Tuesday 27th July Onehunga residents Tony Morgan and Sharon Martin became worried about both.
During the morning their healthy, happy, eighteen month old cat Chopper wandered off around the semi industrial Newsome St neighbourhood, an area complete with grass covered open space he'd known from being rescued at four weeks old. At some point on that morning a neighbour already familiar with the cat (whose identity they wish not to disclose) reportedly enticed him into a cage. She then bundled Chopper off to the SPCA in Westney Rd, Mangere with the claim that he was a feral, or wild cat that needed to be de-sexed.
It is unclear what screening process, if any, then took place to measure how genuine the claim was but the results of the visit when Chopper eventually returned home were all too clear.
"When he walked in he was unsteady on his feet and I thought he'd been in a fight as his ear was bloody and looked as if it was bent under. When we picked him up we were horrified to see it had actually been clipped off. Worse still he had been shaved in preparation for de-sexing but of course we had already had Chopper neutered twelve months ago "says Sharyn.
They quickly got onto the SPCA who advised her that no such animal had been brought in that day yet after a wild goose chase round local vet clinics the ball landed back in the SPCA court. Several hours and phone calls later executive director Bob Kerridge called and clarified that the attempted neuter had in fact taken place at the SPCA but could not explain the ear clipping.
What alarms Chopper's owners are the ambigious guidlines around who can take a cat to the SPCA under their 'De-sex and the City' campaign, designed to drive down the number of feral cats in Auckland. Mr Kerridge has as yet not responded to a letter in which the Morgans asked for issues surrounding the incident to be addressed. He was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.
"If you saw something out of the ordinary in your neighbourhood would you not ask your neighbours about it before taking drastic action first? We'd like the community to be more aware of this now and if you think you might have a stray on your hands ask around first" say Sharyn and Tony.
"The poor cat hasn't been himself since the incident. Although we're glad he's home its raised questions about how safe a community this is for a cat."
Follow progress on this story in our September print issue due for delivery 2nd September 2010.
A FORESHORE OPPORTUNITY NOT TO BE LOST.....FOR SURE!
restore the Onehunga foreshore to some of its pre-SH20 glory
Filling up the Onehunga RSA's main hall on the evening of Tuesday 27th July were over 100 individuals united in one concern; to support The Onehunga Enhancement Society in their drive to restore the Onehunga foreshore to some of its pre-SH20 glory. OCN has reported on many of the steps TOES has initiated, often striving against an increasingly strong bureaucratic head wind. The most recent of these is the push to use some of the mountainous 900,000 m3 of clean fill from the imminent Waterview Tunnel project to form the foundation of the multi- beach foreshore plan.
"At the meeting we passed round a three-step resolution that covered design, urgency surrounding the resource consent and the public endorsement of the design at the appropriate stage. We were thrilled with the turnout of the range of people who unanimously supported us with this common sense approach" says Jackson.
Consistently supportive of the restoration cause MP for Maungakiekie Peseta Sam Lotu-liga adds that despite apparent setbacks he is "still confident that the collective efforts of all involved will bring about a positive outcome."
What himself and long-time Onehunga businessman and member of the Onehunga Foreshore Working Group Mr Jackson are aiming for is a prompt consent to secure its future with The Auckland Council. A single source of fill would make consenting a lot easier rather than obtaining material from uncontrolled sites around Auckland, explains Jim. Ticking even more environmental boxes the New Zealand Transport Agency would use less fuel to transport the clean fill downhill to Onehunga rather than more distant disposal options such as Puketutu Island.
"The NZ Transport Agency continues to consider that the Onehunga foreshore project remains a potential and cost-effective option for the disposal of excavated material. Should that project obtain the necessary consents to implement its construction, the NZTA will be able to give this option consideration" confirms NZTA State highway manager Tommy Parker.
THREE WEEKS LEFT FOR WORLD CUP 2011 FESTIVAL FUNDING!
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga ,MP for Maungakiekie, is urging locals to come up with ideas for New Zealand's biggest ever festival. But time is of the essence!
Offered by The Lotteries Fund, the carrot of $9.5 million intended to spread over the nation's festival initiatives is only dangling till 31st August 2010.
Funding was announced at the end of July to support community events and activities in the lead-up to, and during, the Rugby World Cup.
OCN has reported previously on what Sam refers to as "a huge event for New Zealand and a great chance for us to celebrate as a region." The New Zealand 2011 Office Festival Director Briony Ellis explains further.
"The impact of the games taking place in twelve stadiums nationwide can extend to the whole country. We are emphasising this with the availability of funds and asking people to think about what makes their area special and what events they can come up with to represent it. Remember that overseas visitors will be travelling the length and breadth of the country and this applies to New Zealanders who will become tourists as they travel to the games as well.
"While we are in the beginning stages of festival planning our website www.NZ2011.govt.nz showcases examples of what different organisations and businesses are doing to exemplify their village, town or regions flavour. It also encapsulates some already notable celebrations that take place in the country" says Briony.
Successful applicants for the fund will be announced by the end of October and
Although details are not available at this stage it's understood Maungakiekie has already put some great ideas forward.
"Our locals know best how to show off what our region has to offer," Peseta Sam adds. "The world cup is more than just the matches. We want to make sure our visitors get to see our country, meet our people and have a great time in between the games."
For more information on the Fund, visit: www.dia.govt.nz
For more information on the Festival, visit: www.nz2011.govt.nz
NEW STATION FOR ONEHUNGA
Maungakiekie MP Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga is pleased the
Government and Auckland Regional Council have agreed to
jointly fund the new railway station at Onehunga. "I've been
working hard to help the community, council and Government to
find a solution," the National MP said. The Government through
the New Zealand Transport Agency will contribute 60 per cent
to the cost of the project. "I am pleased that progress can
now be made on this public transport project for Onehunga,
while also sparing our community 9.5 cents a litre price
increase for their petrol," Mr Lotu-Iiga said. "This is part
of a wider initiative to improve Auckland's rail system
through electrification which we are committed to and is
funded by central government."
HOP ABOARD A FREE SHUTTLE TO DRESS-SMART
Auckland’s premier outlet shopping
centre, Dress-Smart in Onehunga is pleased to announce that
bargain hunters can now take advantage of a free shuttle
service to and from the central city.
The shuttle
service will make five return trips to Dress-Smart in Onehunga
each week day. There are nine pick up points in the city,
including major central city hotels: Langham Hotel; Carlton
Hotel; Heritage Hotel; Copthorne Hotel; Mercure Hotel; Hyatt
Hotel; and the Auckland Central Backpackers.
Dress-Smart Centre Manager, Gaylene Powell says the
service is being provided for both Aucklanders and tourists
alike.
Visitors to Auckland often include Dress-Smart
on their ‘must do’ lists. However, if they don’t have their
own vehicle, it can be difficult to navigate the public
transport system. And, we’re also aware that plenty of locals
would venture out this way more frequently if they could find
an easy transport option. So we’ve come up with a solution to
make shopping in Onehunga a breeze for everyone!” Gaylene
said.
The Onehunga Business Association (OBA) also
supports the service.
OBA Town Manager, Amanda Kinzett
believes the free shuttle service will further enhance
Onehunga’s growing reputation as an exciting and adventurous
shopping destination.
Onehunga is a vibrant and
diverse suburb with plenty to offer shoppers and day trippers.
We hope people will take advantage of this free shuttle
service and come and discover Onehunga’s charms for
themselves,” she said.
The free shuttle service
commences operation on Monday 21 August 2006. For further
information and to obtain the shuttle timetable, please visit
the Dress-Smart website at www.dress-smart.co.nz or phone the
information line on (09) 622 2400. Dress-Smart Onehunga is
open seven days from 10am to 5pm.
REPORT GRAFFITI - ONLINE
Graffiti not only affects you, but the whole community.
Graffiti is a sign which, if not treated, can lead to rundown
buildings, abandoned cars and urban decay. Neighbourhoods
become less desirable to live in and property values fall. It
costs thousands of dollars annually to repair the physical
damage. It is also stressful to those who are victims.
Auckland City now offers a new way of reporting
graffiti damage – an online service. The electronic form is on
the website, www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/services/graffiti/.
This form is self-explanatory and easy to fill out. The
information provided will assist Auckland City with existing
community initiatives such as eradication, prevention and
education, which are proven methods to combating graffiti
crime.
Photos can be emailed to notags@cityparks.co.nz
which are added to the graffiti tracker database to record
evidence and monitor trends in graffiti type, frequency and
location.
Councillor Graeme Mulholland, chairperson of
the Public Safety and Community Order Committee says, “We
don’t see graffiti as an art form. We see it as wilful damage
and therefore a crime. We want the community’s assistance to
keep to our goal of zero tolerance.
People can still
request removal through the Auckland City call centre on
379-2020. The new online resource provides an extension to the
existing free graffiti removal service offered to private
properties with immediate street frontage.
The more
quickly graffiti is erased the less incentive vandals have to
practice tagging.
WEB SUCCESS
Following the launch of our website on the 3rd of June
2006, we are delighted to report over 149,000 hits and
climbing. With this stunning initial success, now is the right
time for you to consider all the ways that utilising the
website could help you.
If you run a business this site is for you as well! For a
small investment, you can reach a much wider audience for your
trade, service or employment advertisements
The website is an ongoing investment in our community by
The Auckland NewsLetter Company, owners of the Onehunga
Community News. It will be regularly updated with all the
local happenings that are of interest to us all, and will be
enhanced by your participation.
