Channel Youth

Your monthly Channel Youth Supporting local business - column from Jessy Thurston. supporting the community

Supporting local businesses has always been such a great way to get involved in the community, but now the efforts we put into above and beyond

supporting them mean more than ever. NEELAM DAVIES

It can be hard sometimes to stray away from the big business chains that we get so used to, but there are some awesome benefits Business Studies Teacher and Senior School House Dean from choosing to shop local. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is to shop online and access all of the wonders from small community businesses without ever leaving the couch. A lot of your favourite items are listed online for purchase, and it's easier than ever to browse for a new place in the neighbourhood to get whatever you may need, or even just to treat yourself or others around you!

If the concept of picking things up is something that deters you from shopping local, don’t forget that a lot of these places offer shipping or drop-off options for your convenience. Aside from the minimal effort required to shop local online, you can also guarantee that every sale made in a small business comes with personalised customer service. These local companies are relying on the community to help them thrive, so in turn, every purchase is greatly appreciated and reflected back with individualised assistance that heart and soul really makes you feel special. You just won’t get that kind of energy GIANCARLO LISI from big chain companies, so all the more reason to keep it local and watch that inevitable kindness spread throughout the community like Curriculum Leader, Music wildfire.

There’s also the added benefit of the unique creativity and distinctive feel of each product a small local business puts out for sale. You really don’t have to worry about gifting someone something from a local business and wondering if anyone else plans to give them the same thing. This makes for a really personal and sincere gift for someone you love, and also gives them something to talk about among their friends, as the word of mouth about these local businesses gets stronger with every small transaction.

Trying something new is always exciting, and why not share the local spirit by selecting nearby businesses when you feel like a bit of a change. There are loads of great local businesses for anything you’re after – food, crafts, clothes, gifts, jewellery, entertainment and so many services that you can turn to local employers for. If you find something great in the community while you’re branching out, sharing this with your friends and family is the perfect way to give local businesses the extra support they are looking for, and also provide other people with a new source for products! If you aren’t already part of them,

Jessy Thurston

The money that we all put into our local businesses eventually cycles back out into the community and strengthens our local community.

community pages on Facebook are the perfect place to look for opportunities to help local businesses. A lot of the businesses are already utilising this feature, and have posted their websites or pages on there for the community to use. You can easily jump onto the search bar in a community page, search for the product or service you’re after, and a lot of these posts will pop up. If that doesn’t work, it takes a few seconds to make a post on the Facebook group yourself, letting everyone know what you’re after and asking for suggestions from other members in the your neighbourhood. What is better than getting reviews and suggestions from the people living in the same area as you? There are also a lot of great tools to search for businesses near you, such as the Neighbourly Local Business Directory. This website extra mile makes it super easy to select a category for what you’re after, and SARAH BACKHOUSE-SMITH then whittle down the location you’d like to search in. You can even search specifically for your suburb, if you want an easy pick up/Year 7 Homeroom Teacher and Associate Dean shipping location. The businesses listed on this site include a brief summary of what they do, contact details, and reviews from fellow local shoppers too. The money that we all put into our local businesses eventually cycles back out into the community and strengthens our local community. For example, you may buy a meal from a local business, COVID-19 Recovery which will then use their profits to buy locally sourced ingredients from a nearby farmers market and so on. These spending patterns build relationships that stem and grow from within the community. Local businesses often have a far smaller carbon footprint too, and they work and produce ethically, so there is the added bonus of being sustainable while you shop local. So next time you go to the usual big chain to buy what you’re after, take a step back and seek it out in the community first. You a cut above For our businesses and our community never know what amazing treasures you might find hidden closer than you think. NATHAN CALVERT

Year 1 Teacher and Dean

Building a new home

Designing and building a new home is a daunting process, and a big investment. How do you know that you will LOVE the home when you are finished?

At LC Designer Homes, we work through a robust design briefing process. This combines clever design, some magic technology, and a quality build. As your new home design and build team, we make sure you DO love your home when we are complete. Michelle and Adam,

Things you need to think about before briefing your designer.

• What is your end goal? Is this your forever home, a subdivision to generate another income or a home where your family will grow together for the next phase in your life? • What is your family's lifestyle? Do you need to work from home?

Do you entertain often or have visitors staying for extended periods of time? • Are you an outdoor family – who want to make the most of the outside of your home – or do you prefer to keep the doors closed, air conditioning on watching movies in a media room? • Do you live with an active dog or children who need robust flooring and walls that protect from scratching and denting?

All these factors and decisions will inform the number and the layouts/ relationships of rooms, and some of the materiality – as you know how you will live in the spaces.

The other input is matching scope or how large you want to build with your budget – as there is a close relationship between the two. Scope drives budget and being realistic with both is important – read our article about Budgets here. https://www.lchomes.co.nz/what-is-a-budget/

Putting together your team early in the process is important with regards to budget, as the build team can give feedback to the design team, making for an efficient and collaborative process. Your team also includes your bank or financial advisor who will be aware of your overall vision. Their support will be key to ensuring you have available funds up front to start work on the development costs, while covering you as the project progresses for the build work. Conversations around budget and finance can seem daunting, which is why we are happy to be involved, being able to provide answers about your project.

Overall, superior design is around prioritising your vision to fit within your budget, so understanding both of those is paramount.

Top tips from Amanda Graham, Newhaven Gardens. North Shore hedge trimming, garden tidy ups, Organic weeding and pruning. pest control

Amanda Graham.

The first defence against pests is to ensure your plants are healthy and strong. Improving soil quality with compost and organic fertilisers, and regular waterings will help to ensure your plants are better equipped to fend off foes, as will fortnightly waterings with seaweed tonic through the summer months.

Timing is everything. Most synthetic pesticides, and even some natural pesticides such a pyrethrum are harmful to bees if they come into contact. So try to spray at dusk when bees have returned to their hive for the day.

Neem is one organic pesticide which doesn’t harm bees. Neem can be applied either by adding granules or powder to the soil or spraying the plants and soil with Neem oil. Neem is a systemic pesticide, it is absorbed by the plants and then kills the little critters that are eating the plant. Therefore Neem is effective against sucking insects, including aphids, thrips, whitefly, mealybug, scale and mites.

For other insects such as slugs, ticks, ants, and cockroaches, diatomaceous earth is a good option. It is made from the fossilised remains of tiny, aquatic organisms called diatoms. Their skeletons are made of a natural substance called silica, which causes insects to dry out and die by absorbing the oils and fats from the insect's exoskeleton. While it is less harmful to the environment, as with many other pesticides, there is a health risk from inhaling it, so please use a face mask when applying.

Pyrethrum is another natural option, made from a species of daisy. It is a contact insecticide and must be sprayed directly onto the insect to be effective. Unfortunately Pyrethrum also affects beneficial insects if it comes into contact with them; luckily, Pyrethrin’s insecticidal activity only lasts a few hours so spraying at dusk can mitigate the harm.

There are also many recipes for effective homemade insecticides. These usually involve a combination of cooking oil, dish soap, garlic, and chilli. Again, these sprays can be harmful to beneficial insects, so spraying at dusk is best, but they can be a great cost-effective and safe alternative to store bought sprays, and the ingredients are often already available in the home.

Amanda Graham Newhaven Gardens Ltd Ph: 09 218 9233 / 021 378969 amanda@newhavengardens.co.nz www.newhavengardens.co.nz