Weather Bomb Hits Te Waipounamu

A huge weather has hit large parts of Te Waipounamu (South Island)

Wild weather, including high winds torrential rain, have soaked large parts of southern New Zealand. Townships on the West Coast including Franz Josef and Fox are cut off as washouts and slips blocked state highway 6. Around 970 tourists are trapped in Franz Josef and are unlikely to get out until Friday. The only way in or out is by helicopter.  In Timaru District, the council says it could take weeks to recover from flood damage. Timaru District remains under a state of emergency which will not be lifted until at least on of the bridges reopen.

Online Shopping Now More Expensive

                 Online purchase will now get more expensive for New Zealanders.
Offshore retailers selling products in New Zealand will now be required to collect and pay GST. The rule applies to businesses selling goods online in the country worth more than $60,000 annually. The  changes are intended to help local suppliers compete with online overseas companies. It is expected that the government will earn roughly around $130 million in revenue each year by 2022.

Last Day Of Tech

   On The last day of tech we finished adding our details on and coloring it in. When we finished cutting out our carton we had to stick it onto another carton format. When we finished sticking it on our second paper we were supposed to laminate it but unfortunately I didn't finish it in time. 

What I have achieved is designing useful things for our environment and community. 

                           What I have not achieved is working fast enough to get things done.                                                                                      

Crusaders Get New Logo

The new logo is a Maori design and the phrase is ma pango ma whero. In translation it means a Maori Proverb referring to different cultures working together. Following the Christchurch attacks this year there was pressure to change their logo and name. The Crusaders have decided not to change their name but to release their new-look logo. Mansbridge say that the Crusaders thought of lots of other names but none reflected their identity or values.

Tech

At tech we started designing our front cover of our juice carton. I haven't started on my good copy of my carton so I am designing on a test paper. One thing we need on our cover is how many ML. The title of my juice carton is Apple Bomb and the flavor is obviously apple. On my cover I have a little apple character saying try it love it its good and healthy for you.

Company Making Robots That Looks Like Human

A Russian manufacturing company has released a scheme to mass produce life like robots.
The design is called a Robo-C because they are designed to be used as a companion. The company that makes these robots is called Promobot. It plans to use the robots as personal assistance and companions and hopes they will be able to be used for educational purposes. The Robo-C has a neck and torso and can look like any person on this earth. Very soon people will be able to order a robot with any appearance for professional or personal use. The robot is not able to walk but is able to copy human expression, move its eyes, eyebrows and muscles. It can also hold a conversation. The robot has over 600 facial expressions and will be able to communicate and answer questions by studying the original.

NCEA Exams Start

The first of 119 NCEA and Scholarship exams started last week. In total around 140,000 secondary school students will be taking tests. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority is the group that organised these exams. They are expecting to mark more than a million exam booklets, as well as 48,000 online exam entries from this years exam. The exams will finish on the 3rd of December. Education Minister Chris Hipkins said about 20,000 students from nearly 200 schools would be sitting online exams this year, up from 6,700 students last year.

Tech

At tech today we started creating the cover of our juice carton. The name of my juice is Apple Bomb the flavor is apple and this is the font I used. Next we had to add our ML, bar code, ingredients and lastly nutrition. When we thought about those things we had to think about what is legal and why. We said that you need ingredients to show if you have any allergies to the juice. Next we had to think about what we can use that can be safe and not harming the sea animals. We came up with an idea instead of straws you can have a side where you can unfold a attached pouring hole.

Smart Money: Buying Online

Tips for Shopping Online

First of all you have to check that the website is secure also to check the reviews and feedback's. You can also remember to check and see if their policy's are good and fair. A good tip is to check the product description such as what colour, what size, what materials and what features the product has. 

South Africa Wins Rugby World Cup

South Africa dominated England 13-12 in the final in Yokohama. Tries by wingers Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe and the goal kicking of Handre Pollard earned South Africa their win. England came into the match with huge expectations after the New Zealand win however they were disappointing. South Africa has now earned their 3rd trophy ever since 2007 and 1995.

Facial Recognition For Sheep

A Dunedin company has announced they are developing facial recognition for sheep. Iris Data Science is working on the facial recognition instead of costly electronic identification or ear tagging of animals. The project has received a $40,000 grant from Callaghan Innovation and the company is aiming to prototype the software this year. Sheep face images are collected and fed into a machine-learning model which learns how to identify sheep by finding recognizable features. It is the same facial recognition technology is on humans in the airport. 

Langman Wins Supreme Netball

 

Silver Ferns captain Laura Langman has been named player of the year at the New Zealand Netball awards evening. Laura Langman wins the Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award is the highest individual award a New Zealand netball-er can achieve. It's the third time Laura has received the award ever since 2015 and 2016. She remains the only Silver Fern to receive the Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award. 

Fire Breaks Out In Sky City

A major fire has hit Auckland's Sky City Convention centre. Large flames engulfed the top of the building just after 1pm yesterday afternoon starting on the seventh floor before spreading to the sixth. The fire started in the roof cavity and it's been difficult for firefighter's to get inside the building and to the top. St John says one person has been admitted to Auckland City Hospital in a serious condition. Sky City has evacuated it's entire Auckland area, with people forced to leave the Sky Tower, casino, all Sky City hotels, restaurants and corporate offices.

Tech

Today at tech we finished off our me drawing, carton research and design brief. Next we drew the cover of our fruit carton. My cover is a passion fruit and the title of my carton is Dark Night. When we finished we all submitted our work to Miss Ferguson.

Silver Fern Beat Aussie

The Silver Ferns have beaten Australia 54-53. The result means the New Zealand side takes a 2-1 lead in the four-match Constellation Cup series. The Silver Fern trailed by six goals earlier on. However the world champions fought their way back in front of 13,497 fans at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday. Ameliaranne Ekenasio made the shot with 20 seconds remaining after both teams made some errors in a pressure-packed final five minutes. The Silver Ferns can win their second Constellation Cup series if they win the final match in Perth on Sunday.

Finish Up For Rotation

At tech we started painting our board for our 3d games. I painted my board black because I thought it matched my pieces.  I added three thin coats lairs of black to my board and then in the square holes I added two thin coats of lairs. Then we let them dry by using the sun or blowing it because unfortunately Mrs Ferguson lost the art rooms hair dryer.

Funding For Hamilton To Auckland Rail Service

              

     Funding has been given for a rail service from Hamilton to Auckland. Around $92 million in                 funding has been approved for the service, Which will launch next year. Transport Minister Phil             Twyford announced the funding on Friday, saying that more and more people are travelling                   between the two cities. The train will run from Hamilton to Papakura, Where passengers will have   to transfer to the Auckland public transport system. The final aim is to get the train all the way to           Britomart which is in Auckland's city.

(Tech) Completing Our 3d Work.

At tech we finished off by adding a second coat to our 3d pieces while we were painting some of us still needed to share our 3d pieces creation to our teacher Mrs Ferguson.  If we had already sent our creation to her then we wrote our name on the board and how big do we want our pieces. I wanted by pieces 35x35.

When my board piece was cut out I had to sand it with a sanding paper until it was smooth. When my board was smooth I then added some glue and glued the board together with a cut out square frame.

Government Pledges $54 Million To Fight Homelessness

The Government has announced a $54 million funding package to help fight and reduce homelessness. The money is said to go towards programmes that support at risk individuals and whanau. The plan is to get them to stay in a stable housing. The news was announced by Minister of Social Development Carmel Sepuloni late last week. The plan is to have 67 intensive case managers and navigators to work with homeless people. Their role will be to work with those in most need.

Painting

At tech we started painting our 3d pieces. My 3d pieces were naughts and crosses instead it was called sun and moon. I painted the sun yellow and the moon white. To let the pieces dry faster we used the art classes hair dryer. The finally we took them to the back to dry completely. 

Rare Flag Given Back To Kingitanga.

A rare 160 year old flag has been returned to the Kingitanga by the Anglican Church. The flag dates back to the time of the first Maori King Potatau Te Wherowhero. The Anglican Church officially signed over ownership to the Kingitanga after forgetting they had it for almost 100 years. The current King Kingi Tuheitia's son Te Ariki Tamaroa Whatumoana, received the Taonga on behalf of Kingitanga at a ceremony at Auckland Cathedral. The origin of the flag is unclear, it may have been made as a kind of funeral pall at the time of Potatau's death. In 1929, it surfaced in England. It appears to have been taken there in 1865 by a member of the clergy who had served in Aotearoa. It was then returned to Aotearoa. Ross Bay the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, it is time for the Taonga to finally return home. The flay will be welcomed back to Turangawaewae Marae formally next week with Waikato Tainui now resuming their role as Kaitiaki of the Taonga.

Kayaking At Wero White Water Park

At Wero White Water Park we went kayaking. We put on our gear which was a wet suit, boots, helmet and a life jacket. Then our instructor told us to secure our legs in somewhere under our kayak. We lined up in boys and girls line from shortest to tallest. Each people at the front had to grab to kayaks and put it in the shallow. When everyone had put their kayak in the shallow. We were told that if your kayak has the titan logo on the left and nothing on the right then we were correct. We kayaked to one end on my way I either flipped over or sank. When we were at one end we then had to kayak to a different area to rest. When we were resting our instructor gave us a challenge to make it back to land without flipping over.

Creating Our 3d Pieces

At tech we finished creating our 3d pieces on tinker cad and sent the link to our graphics teacher Miss Ferguson to print out our pieces 3d. My 3d game is supposed to be naughts and crosses instead my game is called sun and moon. 

Auckland Girls Grammar New Policy

James Hunt age 13 is made to cut his hair in order to attend Auckland Girls Grammar. The new policy is that each students hair to be shorter than their collar. James Hunt has had his long hair ever since he was born he kept his hair long in memory of his grandfather Paul Hunt who passed away before James was born. 

Prime Minister Ardern On Vogue Magazine Cover

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been selected onto the cover of Vogue Magazine. The issue is a significant one as The Duchess of Sussex Megan Markle is the guest editor for the September issue. The front cover features 15 women who the Duchess feels are trying to bring big changes to society. 

Using Plasticine

At tech we used Plasticine to try model our game pieces 3d. We used a carving tool and ruler to straighten our shapes. We also used a roller to lay out the Plasticine then we carved our Pisces and straighten them. If we were finished we could take a photo. Sadly I didn't finish in time so I dont have a photo.

South Africa Snatch Late Draw Against All Blacks

South Africa have snatched a last minute 16-16 draw against the all blacks in Wellington. South African half-back Herschel Jantjies scored with one minute left on the clock. The draw sees New Zealand hold onto the Mandela Trophy which is played between the two countries. The All Blacks led at half time through a Jack Goodhue try, Although South Africa was the better side for most of the 40 minutes. The All Blacks played better in the second half and looked in control of the match until the try in the final minute. South Africa can win the Rugby Championship for the first time if they beat Argentina.

Designing At Tech

At tech we went on a website called Tinker Cad and started crating our shapes for our games that we were going to be printing 3d. I made pieces that I was going to print 3d to play with. For naughts and crosses I used a sun and moon. For Jenga a just used a long plastic block. We explained our pieces. We labeled it, label the materiel and explained how to play.

NZ Loses World's Steepest Street Titile

New Zealand can no longer claim to have the steepest street in the world. A street in the Welsh seaside town of Harlech has come forward to take the crown, with its street Ffordd Pen Llech. Baldwin Street in the South Island of Dunedin had for years been known as the worlds steepest street. The result comes after a campaign by Welsh residents. To qualify for the record a street must be fully paved with buildings along it. The measurement is based on the highest gradient over a section of 10m. Ffordd Pen Llech runs past Harlech castle, houses, shops, a caravan park, a laundry service and a restaurant.

Lake Tekapo In For A Name Change.

One of New Zealand's most popular lakes, lake Tekapo, might be in for a name change. The reason is because people have been spelling it incorrectly. The plan is to change Tekapo to Takapo. Mackenzie District Deputy Mayor and James Leslie say the lakes name is meaningless. The local council generally supports a change. Some locals believe that the computers should partly take the blame for misspelling Takapo. Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu representative David Higgins says his tribe place huge importance in place names and having them correctly written and spelled. Making and official change to the lakes name requires a proposal and the local council supported this move.

Tamaki Estuary Trip

On Monday our whole school went to Dunkirk to learn about the water.  When we arrived My class budded up with room 7. We used the bucket room 7 had  prepared and started looking for rubbish. Helen and I found tissue, beer glass, a beer can, packets of chips and a sardine can. After we collected some rubbish Frazier told us to look down at the stream and see if we can spot some rubbish. We looked down and saw a beer can, a beer bottle and a chips packet. After Frazier was talking we soon started walking and looking for more rubbish. Finally we arrived at the park and we went to the toilet and drank some water from the drinking tap. Then we waited for our lunch. After we ate our lunch we were allowed to play on the park then we were back to school.

Wero Whitewater Park

At Wero Whitewater Park we learnt about crossing a moving river, swimming, paddling and rafting. The gear we had to wear to keep us safe was a swim boot, wet suit, life jacket and a helmet. My favorite part was when we went over the bridge and into the water.

Toys

At tech we searched online games we can play physically. When we had found our physical games we made a slideshow. We all made 5 slides and in those 5 slides we had to label the game. Through labelling, we stated the object, material and how to play the game.

White Ferns lose To Canada

The Football Ferns have lost their second game of the Women's World Cup. Canada are now in the last 16 of the World Cup while the New Zealand team is unable to qualify for the last 16 they have one game remaining against Cameroon. The White Ferns have now gone 14 games without a World Cup win. 

Two People On Paper Games

At tech we played 2 people games on paper. Agueer and I played tic, tac, toe, hangman and connect the dots. After we played we had to think of how we could make our 2 people games on paper 3d so we wrote ideas and talked about it. We all then sat around with Miss Ferguson and talked about some ideas of making hangman 3d. Some people said to use magnet and some said to use wood and metal.

NZ First to add a compostable sticker to apple

A Hawke's Bay apple grower has become the first person in NZ to use compostable sticker on apple's. The apple comes from a company called Bostock New Zealand. They plan to use more compostable stickers next year after a successful trial. The compostable stickers were more expensive than the lastic ones. Bostock hoped that industry's would start using them.

Tech (Graphic)

At Tech we made a goggle drawing about what we like. I choose food, cartoon and movie charterers, Jesus, Milo, Netflix and Instagram and Queen Elizabeth. I choose all of those things because thats what I like.

Queens Birthday Honors Kiwi Legends

New Zealand has remembered a number of legends in this year’s Queen’s Birthday honors. 

This year’s list includes 183 extraordinary New Zealanders who have shaped our country. This year the list includes seven new knights and dames: Yvette Corlett, Roger Hall, Graham Lowe, Areta Koopu, Fran Walsh, Dr Susan Bagshaw and Paul Adams. Dame Yvette, who won the long jump in Helsinki in 1952, died at the age of 89 on 13 April, shortly after being told she would be receiving the honour. Dame Areta Koopu is known for three decades of service to Māori and the wider public, including through the Māori Women’s Welfare League, Waitangi Tribunal and New Zealand Māori Council. She had a simple message for those following in her footsteps.“Carry on learning our language, it’s so good – and I need you to know our world and not leave it behind. Anyone can nominate someone for an appointment or award under New Zealand’s honours system. The final decisions are made by the 12-person Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee, which is chaired by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Samoan Language Week

A number of events are are being held all across the country to celebrate the Pacific Island culture. This years theme is weaving an environment for a better future. I think people should learn some Samoan words in order to understand the culture. I think people in the community should learn some Samoan words because if they go on vacation in Samoa they will know a little bit and if the shop keepers in Samoa they talk in Samoan the people on vacation will not understand. but if they learn a little bit you will understand a little bit. I think it is good for my class to learn about Samoan language week because if their families do want to learn some Samoan words then they can tell their families about what words they know.

Chocolate Muffins ( last day of cooking class )

 Making chocolate muffins on our last day of cooking class.

First we added 1 cup of sun rise flour then we added half a cup of flour. Next we added 1 quarter of cocoa. We then added half a cup of sugar. Next we poured in half a cup of milk after we poured the milk in we poured half a cup of oil and lastly we added 1 egg. After we added all of the ingredients me and my buddy took turns mixing the ingredients. While I was mixing my buddy added 1 teaspoon of mixture. When we finished mixing we added the mixture to the muffin tin and baked the muffins for 15 minutes. While the muffins were baking we cleaned when the muffins were ready we took a photo and added whip cream to eat with.

Cottage Pie ( Shepard Pie)

 Cottage Pie ( Shepard Pie)

First we peeled the potato and then we boiled the potato until it was soft. When it was soft my buddy mashed the potato and I fried the mince and vegetables. When it was ready we put the mince and vegetables into the bowl and topped it up with the mash potato and cheese. Next we baked it for 15 minutes at the end we took a photo and ate our pie. When we finished eating we then cleaned up.

Chicken Wrap

Chicken Wrap

This week was a little bit different because we went by ourselves instead of buddies. We first watched Mrs Tuipulotu demonstrate then we had to use a butter knife to butter our wrap with mayonnaise. Next we used a vegetable and meat that were prepared for us in separate bowls after we took one bowl we had to add the meat and vegetable onto the middle of the wrap. When we had done that she came around and offered chili sauce after we had put our sauce on our wrap she helped us fold it. At the end we used a paper to cover the wrap. Finally we took a picture and then we ate our wrap at the end we had to clean the table, floor and dishes.

Potato Salad

How we made potato salad.

The first step was to boil the water, then we peeled the potatoes then we sliced the potatoes into small square pieces. Next we boiled the potatoes until it was soft, while the the potatoes were boiling we put the egg in with the potatoes to cook at the same time. While the eggs and potatoes were cooking we sliced the ham. When the potatoes and eggs were ready we drained the water and mixed the potato with the egg, onion, carrot, salt and ham. Our last step was to serve the potato salad on a bowl and take a photo. When we finished eating we cleaned our kitchen.

Kiwican

Then we played bang where we introduced ourselves in a circle, then Miss Tuia said some students names. After that we talked about cheating in a games that we've played. Our last activity was GKQ which stands for general knowledge questions and the tutors had to ask us questions.

On Tuesday we had our first kiwican lesson of the week. Our tutors were Miss Tuia and Mr Matt but Mrs Mac was filling in for Mr Matt. We first went over the rules our next topic to talk about was what is the meaning of integrity?. They told us if we know the answer raise your hands some people said it is about being kind and being honest. Our topic was what does Honesty mean? we talked about what honesty is and people said honesty is about not cheating and telling the truth.