Feed families in need this Christmas!
Christmas is just around the corner and for most kiwis this means preparing our homes to host a nice warm meal, but for some this can be a really hard time of the year.
Filled with food essentials and Christmas treats, a Christmas Box is a much-needed addition to the table and also a much-needed reminder that people care. This year we will deliver 45,000 boxes to those in need but we need your help!
Help us bring hope to the table for those struggling by donating a Christmas Box for just $40 at christmasbox.co.nz.
Poll: Would you want an unconventional funeral?
Funerals can cost as much as $22,000 and the planning can be stressful especially at a time when loved ones are grieving. Some New Zealanders are re-imagining funerals by making their own coffin or having a relaxed ceremony at home. Would you want a less traditional funeral? Share your thoughts below.
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the Conversations column of your local paper.
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84.2% Yes
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13.7% No
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2.1% Other - I'll share below!
Addictive Eaters Anonymous
I am no longer looking in from the outside
I had a sense of isolation and loneliness which had been with me from childhood. As an overweight child I went on to be an obese adult.
I suffered from massive anxiety and later on in life with depression. If asked how I was I would reply 'fine', but inside felt dreadful. I recall feeling depressed in my late teens and later had postnatal depression with the births of my children. The amounts I was eating at these times increased and so did my weight - the more I ate, the worse I felt; the worse I felt, the more I ate.
Poll: What could the Christchurch City Council fund if it didn't have to pay GST on rates?
Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger says GST on rates, currently taken by central government, would be better spent locally.
The comments follow an Infometrics analysis that found over $1.1 billion of rates revenue nationwide was collected by the Government in 2022 as GST.
According to Infometrics, $88.5m of that came from Christchurch city ratepayers. It would be enough to save the Christ Church Cathedral from ruin; restore the Dux de Lux seven times over; cover both the Art Centre and Orana Wildlife Park’s request for regular public funding for over 26 years; contribute to light rail in Greater Christchurch; or get the South Library rebuild completed.
Read the full story by reporter Sinead Gill here and share your thoughts in the comments below. (Note: Subscription required. You can still read two free stories a month if you're not a ThePress.co.nz subscriber).
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25% Light rail
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0% South Library
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62.5% Orana Wildlife Park
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12.5% The Arts Centre
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0% Dux de Lux
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0% Christ Church Cathedral
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0% Something else (share your thoughts in the comments)