Condolence Books for Prince Philip in Auckland
People can pay tribute to the late Prince Philip in a series of condolence books launched by Auckland Council.
They can write messages of aroha to the Royal Family in tomes displayed at Auckland’s Town Hall from Tuesday and council service centres from Wednesday.
Condolence books will sit at centres in Graham St, central Auckland, 4 Osterley Way, Manukau, 9 The Strand, Takapuna, 6 Henderson Valley Rd, Henderson, 24 Wellesley St, central Auckland, 35 Coles Crescent, Papakua, 50 Centreway Rd, Orewa, and 296 Main Rd, Huapai.
Members of the public’s tributes will be collected at the end of business on April 23.
The council said flags were flown at half-mast on council buildings on Tuesday to honour the Duke of Edinburgh, who died at Windsor Castle, aged 99.
The banners will also fly at half-mast on Saturdayto mark the funeral of the husband of Queen Elizabeth II.
The funeral is set to take place at Windsor Castle. Only 30 people will be able to attend under the current coronavirus restrictions in England, but the slimmed-down service is scheduled to be broadcast live on television.
MPs from across Parliament have paid tribute to Philip, who died on Friday, New Zealand time.
Led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, party leaders spoke of the Duke’s life spent serving the monarchy and the Commonwealth.
Ardern also expressed concern for the Queen, who had lost her husband of 73 years.
“No matter what your role, no matter what your responsibility, grief spares no one,” she said.
What are your memories of Prince Philip?
Some Choice News!
Many New Zealand gardens aren’t seeing as many monarch butterflies fluttering around their swan plants and flower beds these days — the hungry Asian paper wasp has been taking its toll.
Thanks to people like Alan Baldick, who’s made it his mission to protect the monarch, his neighbours still get to enjoy these beautiful butterflies in their own backyards.
Thinking about planting something to invite more butterflies, bees, and birds into your garden?
Thanks for your mahi, Alan! We hope this brings a smile!
Christmas gifts stolen from parked car prompts warning over holiday break-ins
An Auckland man whose Christmas presents were stolen from his car on a quiet street is warning others not to repeat his mistake.
Police and the AA say opportunistic thieves are breaking into cars more frequently during the Christmas period.
Jeremy Rees, an RNZ staff member in Auckland, had packed his car full of gifts when he decided to visit a friend.
“Everyone had handed over presents and we had a couple of bags full of presents sitting in the back of the car,” he said.
“I decided it would be great to go around and see a friend, drop off some presents and say hello. My wife said to me, ‘Are you sure we should be taking this car?’ I said, ‘I’m sure it’ll be fine’.
“I think it was only 20 minutes outside their house, a very quiet street. It was light [outside]. We came out and my wife pointed out that someone had smashed the rear window, reached in and grabbed the presents, and headed away.
“It was a shock. It was a shock partly because of the Christmas presents and partly because my wife had been telling me, ‘Don’t do that’.”
AA Insurance head of motor claims Beau Paparoa said roadside staff were responding to smashed windows more often.
“We definitely see car break-ins starting to occur a lot more around this time of year. We’re often hearing from customers and some of our roadside teams that there’s definitely a bit more opportunistic theft happening,” he said.
“We’re putting that down to it being a busy time of year. Everyone’s out doing their Christmas shopping and there’s much more presence of gifts and valuables being visible in the car.”
He encouraged people to be careful and make sure valuables were hidden from view.
“In terms of any valuables, if you’ve done some Christmas shopping, or if generally you’ve got valuables in your car, try [to] keep them locked away or out of sight – in your boot if you can,” he said.
“Where you’re parking is possibly a good thing to think about. If you can afford to, don’t park on the street, but if you have to park on-street, make sure you park in well-lit areas.”
Police said it was not uncommon for Christmas presents to be stolen.
“The key is to remove any opportunity. This includes taking valuables or documents out of vehicles wherever possible,” a spokesperson said.
Rees said he wished he had followed that advice.
“I feel a bit stupid, to be absolutely honest. I read all of the things from police saying ‘don’t do this, don’t pack your car, don’t just leave it on the street’, and I did exactly the opposite and I paid the price.”
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