[Animals] Hawke’s Bay news in brief: Special service to recognise pets and animals

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A church in Hastings is holding a unique service to recognise pets and animals. The Blessing of the Animals Service is being held on Sunday, October 1 at 4pm at St Matthew’s Anglican Church on King St, Hastings. “Everyone is welcome to attend this joyous event - with their companion animals - to celebrate our love of the animal kingdom and to give thanks for the countless blessings they provide,” the event blurb read.The only rules are dogs and large animals need to be on leads, while small animals need to be in carry boxes. Hawke’s Bay solar energy company wins national award Solar energy company Greener Solar has won an award for the Best Small Business at the 2023 SEANZ Industry Awards. Greener Solar was founded in Hawke’s Bay in 2018 and has worked on a wide range of projects including solar on schools, homes, businesses and community projects.Following Cyclone Gabrielle, the company was involved in delivering equipment to people in need and supporting local farmers. Sustainable Energy Association of NZ (SEANZ) celebrates success in the sustainable energy industry. New lifeguards get ready to wet their feet in time for Splash Planet opening Training to get the next generation of lifeguards ready to wet their feet in the upcoming summer season is well underway two months out from Splash Planet’s opening. Hastings District Council has been working with schools to support training more lifeguards, with potential job opportunities both seasonal and permanent at Splash Planet and HDC’s other aquatic facilities. Karamū High School student Danielle Setford, and William Colenso College’s Seth Flanders, both 16, were at Clive Pool this week taking part in the Pool Lifeguard gateway programme run by Te Mahi Ako. Flanders said he had always wanted to be a lifeguard as he had a family of keen swimmers who were also involved with running Onekawa Pool.“I want to get qualified and get a job as a lifeguard at Splash Planet this summer. I like interacting with people so think I would really enjoy it.” Work had taken place to get Splash Planet itself ready for opening, including full maintenance checks and cleaning of the slides, installing a new jungle adventures playground, putting in new e-lockers, transferring the Flying Fox to a new location, painting new murals and putting the Jungle Jeeps track in a new location. Applications for seasonal and permanent lifeguards are still open at all Aquatics Hastings facilities and Splash Planet at https://hastingsdc.elmotalent.co.nz/careers/hastingsdc/job/view/671 . Unexplained Māhia death referred to coroner The police investigation into an unexplained death at Māhia has resulted in the case being referred to the coroner. A helicopter, police, fire trucks and ambulances responded to a sudden death at a property in Māhia about midday on July 6. Detective Inspector Martin James said at the time that police were establishing the circumstances of the death and treating it as unexplained. A police spokesman said in a statement on Tuesday the officer in charge of the case had advised the death would be referred to the coroner “Police are conducting enquiries on behalf of the coroner,” the police spokesman said. One NZ launches first ‘resilient’ store in Napier One New Zealand’s newly opened ‘resilient’ store in Napier this week could serve as a way for people to stay connected in the worst-case scenario if another disaster like Cyclone Gabrielle hit. The store, located on Emerson St, is equipped with an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) battery backup, and the equivalent of a miniature cell tower. It means that if grid power fails as it did during Cyclone Gabrielle the store can continue to operate and give customers a way to reach loved ones and charge their phones, tablets, and other connected tech. Chris Fletcher, One NZ’s SME and Consumer director, said the lack of power meant the old store couldn’t open despite wanting to help Napier residents struggling to keep in contact during the cyclone. “We’ve learned from this, which is why we’re investing in additional technology like UPS and generators, so that should the worst happen again, we are ready to pitch in and keep customers connected,” Fletcher said. “We believe this resilience in store is a first in New Zealand, and it’s great to offer peace of mind to Napier residents first. Of course, we hope we never have to use it but it is great to know we have this ability and are prepared for whatever the future throws at us.” Prison inmate in intensive care An inmate remains in the intensive care unit (ICU) in hospital following a serious assault at Hawke’s Bay Prison. The alleged prisoner-on-prisoner assault happened on Friday morning and led to one prisoner, a man in his 40s, being rushed to hospital. As at Tuesday, he remained in ICU in a serious condition at Hawke’s Bay Hospital. The prison confirmed there was nothing to indicate a weapon had been used in the alleged attack.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/hawkes-bay-news-in-brief-new-lifeguards-get-ready-to-wet-their-feet-for-summer-season/SWIBLBYFLBAN3MMWJZLI4BBOJE/