6 September 2012

New skiff for Porirua Rowing Club

The New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) has granted $5000 to the Porirua Rowing Club. The grant, coupled with club fundraising, has enabled the purchase of a new double scull rowing skiff for the club.

The ‘Swift Racing’ boat will be used to train the women’s crews for the upcoming 2012/2013 season. The boat offers another option at training and regattas and will ultimately help the club’s women’s crews compete at the top level.

Rob Flett, Porirua Rowing Club Secretary, says that the new boat will be very beneficial.

“With an expected increase in membership again this year on the back of our ‘learn to row’ classes, and the success of the New Zealand team in London, we think this new women’s double skiff will get a lot of use,” says Mr Flett.

The rowing season starts in October, and the club is holding learn to row classes for the next three weeks on Wednesdays and Sundays [editor’s note: up to and including 23 September 2012] to encourage new members to join up.

Some of the women who will train in the new boat are a top crew which received line honours at the recent motorway marathon held on Wellington harbour.

Paul Elenio, NZCT Regional Advisory Committee Chairman, says the trust was pleased to help.

”NZCT is one of the largest funders of amateur sport in New Zealand,” says Mr Elenio. “Last year alone NZCT distributed $38.5m in grants to sports and community groups throughout the country. We are proud of the positive contribution we make to organisations like the Porirua Rowing Club.

“We can only achieve this thanks to the hard work of our local venue operators who operate safe, controlled gaming environments, where responsible and legitimate gambling takes place,” he says.

“Rowing is not a sport for the faint hearted and we appreciate how much work the rowers and their coaches put into the Porirua Rowing Club. We trust the new skiff will help them achieve their goals for the next season and beyond.”

– Ends –

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On The 2013 Budget

Among Thursday’s main talking points:

We are apparently on track for a margin-of-error $75 million surplus, now in sight for 2014/15. But this sickly creature is hobbling out of the lab on the basis of all kinds of facilitative conjuring: such as trimming by $200 million the amount of new spending next time around.

With this strictly nominal surplus in sight, the 1984-ish justification for eternal austerity will have a news talisman: namely, getting Crown debt down to 20% of GDP by 2020. More>>

Budget Report, Lockup Audio & Images: Budget Day 2013 As always and especially after the managerial mishaps of the past few weeks and months, (e.g. Aaron Gilmore, the Mighty River Power share float, the GCSB mishaps) Budget Day 2013 was always going to be a pageant of reassurance... More>>

Budget 2013 Comment: Plain Sailing, But It's No America's Cup Pattrick Smellie: Compared to the last four budgets, this year's reflects an economy moving out of recession and into calmer waters... Yet if the fastest annual growth rate we can expect over the next two years is 3 percent - with the Christchurch rebuild in full swing - then you'd have to say New Zealand's underlying low-growth problem is far from fixed. More>>

Auckland Discord: Govt’s Power Hungry Housing Approach A Threat - Labour

Last week the Government said this, ‘The Government commits not to use any proposed or existing powers ... to override the council's planning and consenting processes’. But its housing Bill says this; ‘If an accord cannot be reached in an area of severe housing unaffordability, the Government can intervene by establishing special housing areas and issuing consents for developers’. More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Housing accords legislation passes first reading - Legislation For Housing Accords, Land Supply - Housing package improves affordability, access
• Greens - Budget numbers show National’s failure on home affordability
• Auckland Chamber of Commerce - Budget 2013: Housing intervention needed
• Out-Link - Gareth Morgan: Response to housing problem limp-wristed
• Earlier, Pre-Budget - Auckland Accord announced

Extending Protest Ban, Relaxing Permit Rules: Govt Abuses Urgency To Extend Anadarko Amendment

The Government is trying to pass legislation under urgency which would make the Anadarko Amendment – which limits protest at sea – apply to an additional 1.7 million square kilometres, the Green Party said today. More>>

ALSO:

• Parliament Today - Parliament Resumes To Pass Budget Bills
• Labour - Government to extend protest ban
• Greenpeace NZ - Oil Companies Lacking ‘Expertise’ and ‘Financial Ability’ Set to Be Handed Drilling Permits
• 2010 image via: Pacific.Scoop - Media watcher gives NZ press nil score card for China oil spill coverage