SOUTH WAIRARAPA REBUS CLUB

At our September meeting the Guest Speaker, Sarah Wright from Digital Seniors, asked us why our grandchildren should have all the fun. Supported by videos of typical Zoom sessions, and linking directly with two of her volunteers who contributed to her presentation, she demonstrated how Digital Seniors are encouraging seniors, like us, to get familiar with recent advances in technology.     

Digital Seniors was born in early 2018 from research into the “digital inclusion problem” in NZ which showed that there were significant numbers of people in the 65+ age group who were missing out. They had significant issues of access to and skills with the unfamiliar new technology, and didn’t trust it. There were also many who did not appreciate the potential of the new technology to impact positively on their lives.  … Continue Reading

Ruamahunga Health Trust

Thank You to Martinborough Health Services

We would like to express our thanks to all the staff at the Martinborough Health Centre for the excellent services they have provided to everyone during the Covid 19 outbreak.  It has a been a difficult time especially for front line services who have had to adapt to meet the new requirements to keep staff and patients safe from the virus. We are fortunate to have such an efficient health service which is dedicated to providing a first-class service to the people in South Wairarapa.

New Equipment

A Butterfly Hand-Held Ultra Scan with additional probes has been purchased recently to improve diagnostic work.   A Welch Allyn GS900 Surgical Light has also been bought to provide better light in the surgery room.  We are grateful to a small number of generous donors who have contributed to the purchase of such vital equipment for the Health Centre.  

Liz Hancock, Terry Blacktop, David Lawrence, Jo Guscott, Paula Jackson, Cynthia Maling, Ro Griffiths. (Trustees) 

Regional Council notes

The recent election has delivered a very different political landscape for New Zealand.  With a single party in power, that party has the mandate to deliver on its election promises and no smaller parties to put the handbrake on its chosen path.

At least one of those election promises has serious ramifications for local government.  On page 19 of the Labour Party Manifesto you can read that “Labour will reform New Zealand’s drinking water and waste water system and upgrade water infrastructure to create jobs across the country.”  The bit about creating jobs is a sweetener for a move away from localism to a much more regionalised way of delivering our water and waste water services.  The word is that these services will move into five or six regional stand-alone water bodies across the country.  … Continue Reading

Regional Banking Hubs launched 

A trial of Regional Banking Hubs to test the demand for basic banking services in regional communities will begin in November.

The trial, which includes ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank, TSB and Westpac, will run in four regional centres: Twizel, Martinborough, Stoke and Opunake. Three of the sites will have community partners, who will host the Hub and provide staff services.

The Hubs will be based around a Smart ATM that provides for deposits and withdrawals. Other basic transactions will be available on tablets and phones, with staff to assist. Staff will not be able to provide financial advice or assist with individual bank products such as home loans, but can help direct customers to phone or internet banking. … Continue Reading