www.thebeacon.co.nz | Wednesday, November 9, 2022
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BUSINESS Potential developments sought for old Beacon site Heidi Bendikson Staff reporter
THE former BEACON site on the corner of The Strand East and Wairere Street has been sold but there are no plans in place yet for its development. Commerce Street Properties, a company formed in 1969 and which owns other commercial properties in town, settled its purchase of the site in September. A sign on the vacant site says, “Development Site Available.” Former owner, Beacon Property Development announced plans late last year for a five-storey complex on the site but managing director John Spring said those plans were set aside earlier this
year due to rising construction costs and Covid. “It’s a bit sad to sell the old BEACON building. My father, Leicester, started the BEACON there in 1939 and there’s a lot of fond memories and history there. We moved out of the building about 20 years ago due to the earthquake risks and relocated to Pyne Street. “The building remained empty for a long time. It was demolished last year with the plan to develop an apartment complex. “Unfortunately, that didn’t work out due to escalating construction costs and Covid,” Mr Spring said. “It’s good to pass it on to someone else to hopefully develop something of value for the town. Maybe an apartment complex.”
Cameron McCausland-Taylor Staff reporter
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Saving lives in bank branches HAPPY TO HELP: Melanie Roberts of Westpac Whakatāne, excited to see the new defibrillators installed in the branch.
Cameron McCausland-Taylor Staff reporter
A LIFE-SAVING initiative has been launched at Westpac bank in Whakatāne. In partnership with Red Cross, the Westpac AED installation is being rolled out across every branch in Aotearoa, with the South Island and the lower North Island already complete. Now, the Whakatāne branch has its device. “Westpac recognises the enormous benefit of these devices,” said project manager Paul Bonini. “The chances of CPR working are about 5 to 10 percent, whereas with a defibrillator, it’s much higher.” He said so far, the feedback from the public had been fantastic. The defibrillators are available for public access, with the Westpac initiative providing the largest nationwide AED network. These are not your average defibrillators. One of the standout features are the cabinets, which use an IOT (internet of things) connection each day to check the AED packs and batteries are fit to use. If anything needs updating or replacement, notifications are sent to the bank. The cabinets also record data around the use of the AEDs, which can be passed onto medical professionals if needed. Another feature is that the AEDs will talk people through the process of use, and through administering CPR if needed. Westpac aims to have the AEDs installed in every Aotearoa branch by the
Photo Troy Baker E2924-01
start of February. New Zealand Red Cross head of first aid Carol Gardiner said more than 2000 New Zealanders suffered an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest every year. “In New Zealand, only 11 percent of patients having sudden cardiac arrest survived where defibrillation is not provided before ambulance arrival,” she said. “When defibrillation is provided by a community responder using an AED, that number jumps to 48 percent. “We are proud to team up with Westpac and NXP to create the largest network of available 24/7 AEDs in New Zealand.” Ms Gardiner said having the AEDs monitored remotely via IOT technology provided an added layer of assurance for communities. “It’s one thing for AEDs to be available but we have to ensure they are
Honey company in liquidation
rescue ready. AEDs are highly technical equipment that need regular upkeep and thanks to this technology, this initiative will save lives.” Westpac Whakatāne manager Melanie Roberts and her staff are excited to be part of the initiative. “It aligns well with our chopper initiative that already majorly supports the community with the Tect Rescue Helicopter,” she said. “It is really awesome that Westpac has taken on this countrywide roll-out of defibrillators, especially for our small provincial towns that may not have defibrillators readily available. “We will be making sure our team is comfortable with using the equipment and that we are able to provide extra care, especially with Whakatāne being a desirable retirement destination.”
A WHAKATĀNE honey business is in liquidation. Manuka Honey NZ Limited has been trading in honey manufacturing since August 31, 2015. On September 28, shareholders resolved to voluntarily liquidate the company. Liquidator Thomas Lee Rodewald reports the reason for the failure of the company as lack of profitability. The company has 40 listed creditors owed money, including 11 from the Eastern Bay. One of the local creditors is Manuka Performance but chief executive Tristan Vine said the liquidation would not severely impact his business. “They were doing all of our batch production, but we can source elsewhere locally,” Mr Vine said. “It is unfortunate that the business has gone into liquidation. But our relationship was on a commercial basis. We’ve got some sizeable export deals and large contracts with the US coming up, so we’ll be good.” Other companies on the list also appeared unfazed by the debt. Mainfreight Limited Whakatane branch manager Kayne Newman said their affiliation was likely to be “pretty old money that is probably still standing with our Rotorua branch”. Eastern Bay Auto Electrical also said Manuka Honey NZ’s debt had been paid “some time ago”. At the date of liquidation, the company’s assets included plant and machinery, stock on hand, and minor book debts. The last day for creditors to make their claims is November 28. Mr Rodewald could not be reached for comment.
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