The Palms Celebrates Christmas With the  12 hours of Christmas Event

Featured on TV3 6PM news – spectacular floats, popular characters and a buzz of Christmas cheer ushered in the 2011 Christchurch Santa Parade, and put smiles on thousands of children’s faces. The parade at 2pm on Sunday 4 December l marked the events 64th year. While taking a different route, the parade was equally as thrilling, as a quarter of Christchurch’s population  lined the streets and share in the festivities.

The events of the past 12 months have meant several changes in and around Christchurch, including the famous CBD route of the Santa Parade. With funding harder to find this year, The Palms came on board to ensure this iconic event is still on the calendar for 2011.

The Palms shopping centre manager, Keryn Ward, is thrilled the parade is still going ahead this year and proud to be collaborating with other Christchurch businesses to sponsor this year’s Santa Parade.

“We are very happy to be able to support the parade and ensure the children in our community still have this exciting event to look forward to. The Santa Parade has become an iconic family event in Christchurch that is a great way to welcome in the Christmas season,” she says.

The Palms’ Beach Hut themed float was a magnificent sight, complete with palm trees.

Following the fun and festivities of the Santa Parade, The Palms  will host a special ’12 Hours of Christmas’ shopping event, on Thursday 8 December. All those who make a purchase of $50 or more on the day could enter to win a family holiday to the Gold Coast. The winner will be announced by a live draw in-centre at 9pm that evening. The winner must be present to claim their prize.

The ’12 Hours of Christmas’ day promises to be an event for all of the family with live music, entertainment and exclusive discounts throughout the centre so shoppers can get a head start and enjoy their Christmas shopping experience.

Keryn Ward says, “It has been a challenging year for the people of Christchurch and The Palms, so we want to give our community a special treat while shopping this Christmas. The ’12 Hours of Christmas’ day will be a fun way for the community to do their Christmas shopping.”

There will be complimentary wine, food tastings, live music and plenty of festive cheer.

For more information about the ’12 Hours of Christmas’ day and other Christmas events at The Palms, check the website: www.thepalms.co.nz. Also, for more information on the Christchurch Santa Parade, check the website: www.christchurchsantaparade.co.nz.

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For further information:
Alexander Communications
Laura Burns
021 259 3242
laura@alexandercomms.co.nz

About The Palms
The Palms Shopping Centre in Shirley (four kilometres from the Christchurch CBD), is an asset in the AMP Capital Shopping Centre Fund (ASCF). The Fund has 11 properties under management with a total fund size of over AU$2 billion.

Construction News magazine featured Space Studio as the cover story of their latest February/March Issue.

Space Studio commercial design associate Alex Kelly, sat down with Construction News to give an in-depth interview of the insight behind the creative thinking and design process of the new Whanau Ora Maori Health Centre.

Space Studio, an Auckland based interior design practice, set two key goals for the design: creating one centralised place, and a welcoming environment. In order to achieve these goals, Kelly explained that it was important for the team to design beyond the brief by really getting to know their clients – not  just senior management, but the ground-level staff too.

Whanau Ora has been taken beyond design to a functional, inclusive and cohesive environment.

Click here to read the full article.

The Auckland Welsh Choir will perform Celtic songs with connections from as far afield as Nova Scotia and Germany, in a 6 March concert presenting Elin, a young singer newly arrived from her native Wales. The concert, a St David’s Day tribute to the patron saint of Wales, will feature much-loved favourites balanced with new and interesting musical performances.

The choir is performing for the first time in the stunning concert venue of St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Takapuna, Auckland.

The St David’s Day 2011 line-up includes songs from Scotland (‘My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose’), Nova Scotia (‘Cape Breton Lullaby’), and Wales, with musical accompaniment from piano, strings and flute. The audience may feel inclined to dance in the aisles to the string band, weep for Danny Boy and be stirred by the wonderful Welsh Anthem.

The choir was established in 1988 and has been under the musical direction of Diana Williams Rhodes for the past decade. The assistant musical director is Steven Rapana.

The choir offers a wide range of accessible and enjoyable music, principally in a lyrical and folk style, and features invited soloists, vocal and instrumental (some from within the choir) to perform along with the choir. The cornerstone of music is in Welsh with a large proportion in English and some repertoire in Italian, French, German, Pacific languages and Latin.

Proceeds from concerts, which number up to six in any year, have assisted charities throughout New Zealand.  The choir also supports and encourage young people to develop musically through a scholarship programme which includes the provision of vocal training. The St David’s Day 2011 concert proceeds will go towards funding scholarships for the coming financial year. 

What: The Auckland Welsh Choir’s St David’s Day Concert

When: Sunday 6 March, 3pm

Where: St Joseph’s Catholic Church, cnr Taharoto and Dominion Streets, Takapuna, Auckland

Tickets can be purchased for $25 + service fee through www.iticket.co.nz or phone (09) 361 1000, or at the door (children are free). Concessions are available for student rush and group bookings.

For further information, please visit: www.aucklandwelshchoir.co.nz

Kerri Jackson was in the process of planning a milestone birthday for her and a group of friends when we approached her about Waiheke Island Resort.

She was immediately taken in by the pictures of the resort and its location on the island. Kerri decided that Waiheke Island Resort would be the perfect venue for her and her group to kick off the birthday celebrations.

The resort also offered a night of accommodation at an affiliated group’s holiday house, including transfers and first hand recommendations of the best gastro and scenic adventures Waiheke has to offer.

Kerri wrote an article about her experience following her weekend away at Waiheke, which featured in the January 30^th 2011 edition of Herald on Sunday Detours.

For more information, visit: www.waihekeresort.co.nz

Jack gets stuck into a good book. Image courtesy of North Harbour News, By Caralise Moore

The NZ owned book and stationary group were looking for 12 bright bookworms to become the nation’s kids choice reviewers.  Each reviewer would receive a monthly book pack to be read, reviewed and posted online for other children to access and also critique.

Open to three age categories, 7-10, 11-12 and 13-16 years olds, Paper Plus was inundated with over 500 applicants for this very special job!

Results

The Kids’ Choice Reviewers initiative received great nation-wide community coverage with young readers becoming stars overnight.

The Alexander Communications team spread the word about this exciting and engaging campaign to schools, education publications and to local papers.  Some of the coverage received was seen in the Hutt News, Kapiti Observer, The Daily Post, Education Weekly and in the Mt Roskill Intermediate school notice!

We also secured a 90FM radio interview of one of the selected book reviewers; Jordan Willis-Love, a 10 year old student from Waterloo Primary School got her first taste of fame commenting on her experience and interest in reading and reviewing.

Click on www.paperplus.co.nz/kids-club/reviews/ and enter the interactive website where young readers can read our Kids Choice Reviews, discover new books and post their own comments.

Congratulations to our 12 Kids’ Choice Reviewers and to all the young readers around the nation…keep up the good reading!

Campaign Overview

Kim Crossman and Ido Drent celebrate with young friends after finishing the Fit2Fly adventure course. Image courtesy of the Western Leader, By Luke Parker

This July the school holidays were a buzz with excitement over the Botany Town Centre and LynnMall Shopping Centre Fit2Fly adventure course. In conjunction with the Foundation for Youth Development (FYD), the malls help launch the Fit2Fly campaign for the second year running.

The adventure course was set up to encourage kids’ activity and to put their skills to test, all for a good cause; the $1 entry fee went directly to the FYD’s Project K programme. 

The two week campaign gained positive media attention, especially with some celebrities who showed their support.  Studio 2 and Shortland Street stars Faye Smythe, Kiel McNaughton, Kim Crossman and Ido Drent all tested their adventure skills as did sporting stars from the NZ Breakers Acadmey and Steelers Counties Manukau.

Results

The Fit2Fly adventure course drew crowds of excited school holiday children; over 2700 children tested their skills on the specially built course and $2900 was raised for FYD’s Project K Programme. 

Sunrise TV included four live crossover weather segments, several ad-lib presentations and interviews from Botany Town Centre, concluding with Josh Aston giving it his all on the course. 

The NZ Women’s Weekly featured a lovely story about Shortland Street’s Faye and Kiel’s involvement in the campaign.

Howick & Pakuranga Times, Eastern Courier and the Western Leader were just some of the community papers who covered the Fit2Fly campaign with articles and great action images of children out on the course. 

Fit2Fly also received great radio coverage with the ZM Black Thunders visiting Botany Town Centre on two different occasions, the two Robbies from The Breeze testing out the Lynn Mall course and Desiree Clark securing an interview on Big FM. 

We also gained great online media coverage hitting both social and educational sites.  The holiday event could be found on Eventfinder and on supporting radio station’s websites, Shortland Street’s network as well as school and educational websites.

Ladies love an opportunity for a get together and a glass of bubbles. What better way to do it than with the sensational Kerre Woodham for a good old gossip about chick lit, dating tips, marathon running, being a domestic goddess and why the world is your lobster.

The Paper Plus Group is giving Christchurch women the chance to have a Girls Night Out to remember with a special Books & Bubbles at Hotel Grand Chancellor on Friday 2 October. Hosted by Kerre Woodham, guests will enjoy a panel of high profile authors providing an unforgettable evening of entertainment.

The stellar line-up includes internet dating guru Rachel Goodchild, Christchurch based author and columnist Joe Bennett, media veteran and domestic goddess Wendyl Nissen and author of bestsellers Bonkers and Divine Michelle Holman.

“Women these days balance a busy professional career with parenthood and deserve a night out to unwind” said Paper Plus Group Marketing Manager Lyle Hastings. “They can do just that at Books & Bubbles Girls Night Out and bring along their friends for a great night of entertainment as Kerre Woodham speaks to guests about her experiences going from Short Fat Chick to Marathon Runner and our panel of authors chat about their books.”

The event will be held at Hotel Grand Chancellor from 6pm and guests will be treated to a complimentary glass of bubbles courtesy of Morton Estate on arrival. Along with sumptuous canapés from Regal Salmon, there will be goody bags for each guest, and a fabulous $500 hamper to be won with thanks to L’Oréal Paris.

Entry to the event costs $45 and tickets can be purchased from all Christchurch Paper Plus stores or online at www.booksandbubbles.co.nz, where you will also find a schedule and details of upcoming Books & Bubbles events. All proceeds from the events go towards Paper Plus’ chosen charity Cure Kids.

More about the panelists:

Rachel Goodchild – After trawling the internet for love and friendship, experiencing the highs and lows of cyber match-making, and meeting other people on the same path, Rachel Goodchild decided to compile these stories in a bid to help readers avoid disasters and head straight for the person of their dreams. Rachel is a full time writer for magazines and newspapers as a columnist on the joys of dating, providing some helpful tips and hints along the way.

Joe Bennett – Brighton born, Cambridge University educated and Lyttleton resident, Joe Bennett is a full-time freelance columnist and author. Three-time Qantas Media Columnist of the Year award winner, Joe is one of the country’s most widely read and popular syndicated columnists, both in newspapers and magazines. Joe Bennett’s erudite and wryly amusing commentaries on the foibles and eccentricities of modern life qualify him as one of our best-loved grouches. Joe’s latest The World’s Your Lobster has bottled the best of 2009’s writings and is set to be another hit with fans.

Michelle Holman – After returning from her ‘Big OE’ to the UK which beckoned at the tender age of seventeen, Michelle returned home to New Zealand in 1989 with her ‘Pom’ husband in tow and started a family. Working as a nurse and managing community health projects, Michelle always had the urge to be a published writer and on New Years 2005 set the goal of being just that! Her first book Bonkers was born in 2007 and paved the way for her second successful novel Divine followed by her latest Knotted to be released on October 1^st this year.

Wendyl Nissen – For more than 25 years, Wendyl has been at the front of the media pack – first as an eager young journalist, then as the influential editor of a string of high-profile women’s magazines, a television producer and writer, and a popular radio commentator and columnist. Wendyl’s bestseller Bitch and Famous details her magazine career. Her latest and another bestseller Domestic Goddess on a Budget released in May this year, is a user-friendly guide to saving time and money without losing your sense of style or humour. This how-to for women includes recipes for tried and true environmentally friendly cleaning products providing great alternatives to the expensive and chemical ridden concoctions on the supermarket shelves, as well as beauty products!

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About Paper Plus

The Paper Plus Group began 26 years ago and is f New Zealand’s largest stationery and bookseller. The Group incorporates three separate retail brands: Paper Plus, which has 106 stores; Take Note with 63 stores; and Office Spot with three stores, all offering a great range of stationery, books, magazines, cards and gifts to New Zealand consumers. There is a Paper Plus store in every town and city, from Kaitaia to Invercargill. It is the only New Zealand book and stationery retailer with Fly Buys.

For more information please contact:

Lyle Hastings
Group Marketing Manager
Paper Plus
+64 (0)9 261 0702
lyle.hastings@paperplus.co.nz

Laura Burns
Alexander Communications
+64 (0)9 522 5545
+64 (0)27 232 0009
laura@alexandercomms.co.nz

Botany Junction is now home to an impressive new book-and-stationery outfit, with the opening of the country’s latest Paper Plus store. The new store is part of a national roll-out of the leading book and stationery retailer’s fresh new brand concept, and Botany Junction’s adoption of the revitalised look and feel follows the successful launch of seven new Paper Plus concept stores in Tauranga during 2008.

The store’s owner, Dipesh Patel, has been with the Paper Plus Group for 11 years, having joined the company through his family’s business. “I started with Paper Plus straight out of university, when my parents bought the Karori Mall Take Note store in Wellington. I later bought the Manukau City Mall Paper Plus, which brought me to Auckland.

“You could say we are a family of book-lovers! My sister and brother-in-law own the Lambton Square Paper Plus store in Wellington, and my wife joined the business with me seven years ago. There are four of us in my immediate family, and we are all involved in the business.”

The new Botany Junction store on Te Irirangi Drive expands on the great Paper Plus book and stationery presence in the area. As a hub to the immediate community, the store will also be home to Kiwibank and NZ Post outlets. “We’re really excited to be opening a brand-new store which has a great range of books available, and look forward to serving the local community,” Mr Patel says – arguably an easy ask for the family, which lives in nearby Dannemora.

In addition to having a great range of books, Kerre Woodham, the Paper Plus’ books spokesperson does monthly book reviews as part of the Paper Plus Books Choices programme, which are always available in store – so shoppers can rest assured they are in for a pleasurable read! Avid readers can also share their thoughts on the books that Kerre reviews on the Paper Plus website (www.paperplus.co.nz) and keep up to date on the latest releases. Kids don’t miss out with a special Kids Club area including Kids Choices Book Reviews and fun games.

Paper Plus introduced the new concept in mid-2007, with the opening of its Sylvia Park store in Auckland. Following its successful reception by consumers, the company has conducted region-by-region roll-outs, giving the stores a fresh and revitalised look and enhancing the book offer. “It’s great to be part of the only New Zealand-owned-and-operated book and stationery retailer, with a great support structure that enables us to consistently punch above our weight,” says Mr. Patel.

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For more information please contact:

Laura Burns
Alexander Communications
+64 (0)9 522 5545
+64 (0)27 232 0009
laura@alexandercomms.co.nz

Lyle Hastings
Group Marketing Manager
Paper Plus
+64 (0)9 261 0702
lyle.hastings@paperplus.co.nz

About Paper Plus

The Paper Plus Group began 26 years ago and is New Zealand’s largest stationery and bookseller. The Group incorporates three separate retail brands: Paper Plus, which has 104 stores; Take Note with 63 stores; and Office Spot with three stores, all offering a great range of stationery, books, magazines, cards and gifts to New Zealand consumers. There is a Paper Plus store in every town and city, from Kaitaia to Invercargill. It is the only New Zealand book and stationery retailer with Fly Buys.

Paper Plus books spokesperson Kerre Woodham is visiting Queenstown on Friday 19 June to chat about her favourite reads. Irene (Spud) Godsall from Paper Plus Queenstown invites the community to attend the evening event and enjoy a glass of bubbly while talking with Kerre about favourite books.

Guests will also enjoy a special appearance by Suzanne Paul, famous in New Zealand for the phrase “But Wait There’s More!” which is also the title of her new autobiography. Suzanne says “I’ve been to hell and back and twice round the roundabout, and I know how to go from rags to riches. I also know that if you can dream it, you can live it.” In her book, Suzanne discusses her childhood, her difficult teenage years, her heartaches and triumphs, all with her unique humour and honesty, in the hope that it will inspire and encourage others facing their own battles.

In addition to being a bookworm Kerre is a writer, having published last year’s bestselling Short Fat Chick to Marathon Runner, a characteristically witty and candid account of how she worked her way to fitness and completed both the Auckland and New York Marathons – all after inauspiciously turning up to her very first training session with a hangover.

Irene says the evening will be a celebration of great reading and a chance for the guests to chat about their favourite books while relaxing with a glass of bubbly.

The event will be held at Queenstown’s Prime Restaurant from 6.00pm. Entry to the VIP night costs $20, and tickets can be purchased from the Paper Plus Queenstown and Cromwell stores. Along with sumptuous nibbles, and a glass of bubbles, there will be goody bags for each guest, and a fabulous hamper to be won courtesy of L’Oréal Paris.

Kerre is a well-known presence on the TV with Kerre’s Book Choices, the Paper Plus website and in stores, each month announcing and reviewing her preferred latest books in Kerre’s Choices, and sharing her thoughts in the Paper Plus Book Club online discussion forum. The Paper Plus Book Club gives readers the opportunity to review books they love, add comments to other reviews and receive special book offers.

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About Paper Plus
The Paper Plus Group began 26 years ago and is one of New Zealand’s largest stationery and booksellers. The Group incorporates three separate retail brands: Paper Plus, which has 104 stores; Take Note with 63 stores; and Office Spot with three stores, all offering a great range of stationery, books, magazines, cards and gifts to New Zealand consumers. There is a Paper Plus store in every town and city, from Kaitaia to Invercargill. It is the only New Zealand book and stationery retailer with Fly Buys.

For more information please contact:

Lyle Hastings
Marketing Manager
Paper Plus
 +64 (0)9 261 0702 
lyle.hastings@paperplus.co.nz
 Laura Burns
Alexander Communications
 +64 (0)9 522 5545 
 +64 (0)27 232 0009 
laura@alexandercomms.co.nz

Switching off the lights and locking up last Friday afternoon, the team at Cure Kids joined their fellow Aucklanders heading into evening traffic. The planned relaxing weekend was cut short early on Saturday 9 May when CEO Kaye Parker received a phone call advising her of a break-in at the Cure Kids office in Eden Terrace.

Despite a security response time of just four minutes from the moment burglars jimmied the door open and ripped the siren from the ceiling, the thieves got away with five laptops containing vital Cure Kids information and documents, along with the office’s petty cash store. Police believe the offenders wore gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints.

“This is not the first time we have been targeted,” Ms Parker says. “Thieves have attempted to break in previously without success, although just two weeks ago there was a robbery in the office above ours in which several laptops were stolen.”

Ms Parker says that to steal from a charity is “incredibly low” and is costly both in time and in the loss of crucial business equipment. “It is a tremendous inconvenience to lose work devices and documents which will take time and money to replace, and this affects our ability to help sick children through funding research into life threatening illnesses, which is Cure Kids’ purpose.”

About Cure Kids
Cure Kids has facilitated and funded over $21m of outcome driven research for children which has improved the quality of life and saved thousands of children’s lives in New Zealand and hundreds and thousands of children’s lives around the world.

Cure Kids is more committed than ever to help find answers to the many cruel, life-threatening illnesses that devastate the lives of young children and their families.   www.curekids.org.nz
For more information please contact:

Kaye Parker
Cure Kids
+64 (0)3 409 2323
+64 (27) 626 7448
k.parker@curekids.org.nz

 Laura Burns
Alexander Communications
+64 (0)9 522 5545
+64 (0)27 232 0009
laura@alexandercomms.co.nz