FUTURE GENERATION BE BA BO – A NEW GENERATION OF TOYS Top quality European toys are hard to find at the best of times. But thanks to conscientious Kiwi mum Liza Shieff, they are now readily available at be ba bo which has recently moved from Newmarket to Ponsonby. Be ba bo was born in 2007. As a mum concerned with the quality and educational aspects of toys for children, Liza set about researching and sourcing top quality, fun and educational toys. “I wasn’t very happy about my daughter playing with Barbies, especially when she started to compare herself unfavourably with Barbie’s unattainable figure and long, blonde hair,” recalls Liza. “So, the Barbies had to go. When all the dolls left our house, I realised I needed to replace them with something. My quandary increased with the arrival of Daniel. I always wanted high quality, long-lasting toys for him and his big sister but it was very hard to find them in New Zealand. “Fortunately I came across a Haba catalogue and was happy to discover some of the toys I had been looking for - and so my journey into a toy business started.” The Auckland based business provides parents and grandparents concerned with making sure their child’s development is nurtured through age appropriate toys. “Toys play an important role in children’s development so we sell only high quality toys which are not only safe, but help encourage imaginative thinking of young minds.” As well as the carefully selected range of toys be ba bo sells an inspiring range of children’s play tents, including beautiful children’s rugs. PN BE BA BO, 1 Pompallier Terrace T: 0800 23 22 26 www.bebabo.co.nz
LOCAL MP NIKKI KAYE PROVIDES LEADERSHIP EXPERTISE FOR ACG SENIOR COLLEGE LEADERS In a joint presentation the leaders of ACG Senior College were lucky enough to receive top leadership tips from two of our local best; our electorate MP Nikki Kaye and the Prime Minister John Key. The ‘Conversation with the Prime Minister’, is part of a unique ACG Senior College leadership programme. Instead of prefects this year, 13 seniors have been put into five leadership portfolios ranging from academic and social awareness through to entrepreneurship. The leaders collaborate across the various groups and the school to create meaningful projects. Run a little like a business with an executive team, the leaders use a boardroom for meetings and have their own office to implement projects. Katarina Zujovic, ACG Senior College’s top scholar and entrepreneurial leader was impressed. “Nikki Kaye MP made me reflect that you never truly realise what you’re made of until you’re prepared to lose it all and fail. I’d never thought of leadership like that before - you put everything on the line for something that you really believe in.” “Another point Nikki made that really rang true for me was the importance of being compassionate towards the people that you’re leading,” says Katarina. Kathy Parker, Principal, ACG Senior College, said “We were honoured that the Prime Minister and Nikki Kaye could have such a frank conversation about their pathways to leadership. Our students asked a lot of questions and they patiently answered with their personal insights.” “Developing leadership skills in students is becoming increasingly important. Students nowadays can’t leave school with just good academic grades, it takes much more than that to become successful later in life. There is such a large combination of skills to build in teenagers and providing them with fabulous role models makes a substantial difference to their own outlook and perspective on what they can personally achieve,” says Kathy. For Katarina, she will return to the boardroom invigorated with fresh approaches to lead her projects and get the best from the students contributing to the project goals. PN The World Belongs to the Dissatisfied
DEADLINE – 20TH OF THE MONTH July 2012 PONSONBY NEWS+
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