The Weekend Sun
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KNOW YOUR Local REAL ESTATE AGENT
Finance approval recommended eing finance-approved before you start looking for houses is a great way to plan buying a home, says real estate agent erek Roser. Approval is in principle only’, he says, and will be time-related depending on the lender. “ enders will not want to pre-allocate too many funds, buffering themselves against unfavourable e ternal changes, such as the loan-to-value ratio
Derek Roser.
Looking to take advantage of this real estate market? Contact Susan now to find out how. Susan Northey M 027 576 0499 Advantage Realty Ltd MREINZ Licensed Agent REA 2008 P 07 578 0879 susan.northey@harcourts.co.nz
or interest rates. In some cases, lenders need to review potential properties before final approval. “ lients have assured me they are approved and have then spent months looking for a property, only to discover at the eleventh hour that their approval had lapsed,” says erek. “ sing an e perienced agent at the start of your house-hunting process can reduce the stress to you and provide valuable guidance and knowledge for a successful outcome.”
Going plastic-freeish
oing plastic-free is a wonderful idea, but many will feel it’s a bit of an unachievable goal. That’s why Plastic Freeish July is an easier way to ease into a plastic-free life. Straws Suck is a Mount Maunganui campaign, powered by Sustainability ptions and ickit, and is on a mission to build awareness about the damage single-use plastic products are making to our marine environment. The campaign started in March through Sustainable ackyards. Plastic straws were the first target, and the campaign has since e panded to other everyday products to prepare everyone for Plastic Free July – a global movement to raise awareness of the problems with single-use plastic. “Plastic Freeish July is our take on the national promotion Plastic Free July,” says co-founder of Straws Suck, Rachel lasier. “ e e perience the challenge in our own lives of saying no to every piece of plastic, so starting by giving
up a few single use items first would be a more realistic step.” Rachel says the Straws Suck vision is to make Mount Maunganui single-use plastic free. “It might be ambitious, but it’s possible if everyone comes together to take action. This can be as simple as changing small behaviours.” “ e want to help unravel the confusion around the options and support people on their own pathway towards reducing single-use plastic by sharing what we learn,” says Straws Suck co-founder Jo ills. The public can use the hashtag StrawsSuck’ to commit to giving up one or more of the top five single use plastic products in July, with a view to eliminating them for good. These include plastic bags, straws, disposable cutlery, takeaway containers and coffee cups. For more information visit www.facebook.com strawssuckthemount
arden birds signalling changes irds are signalling ma or changes in our environment and a new report shows some of New ealand’s birds are sounding the alarm. “ irds act as backyard barometers, telling us about the health of the environment we live in,” says Manaaki henua ecologist r atriona Mac eod, “and we should be listening.” The State of N arden irds 201 ’ report draws on 1,000 bird counts gathered by volunteers in their backyards since 200 as part of the New ealand arden ird Survey. Manaaki henua researchers have condensed the information to provide insights into how garden bird counts have changed from local to national scales. This year’s report shows counts of one of our most common native garden birds, the silvereye, is still declining. ounts have almost halved in gardens since the survey began, which researchers say could be a warning sign that
something is changing for the species. “ e don’t yet fully understand what is driving these changes,” says survey founder and Manaaki henua research associate r Eric Spurr, “but increasingly warmer winters may mean silvereyes are less likely to come into gardens in search of food. “They come more in cold winters when there’s snow on the hills.” n the other hand, a cautiously positive picture is emerging for tui, which could be the result of improved predator control in urban and rural landscapes. “Among native species, tui, and possibly kereru, counts have shown a shallow increase over the 11 years, while fantail and bellbird have remained at relatively similar levels,” says Eric. f the introduced species, only the greenfinch has increased almost doubled in counts since 200 . Si of the most common species in our gardens blackbird, dunnock, chaffinch, goldfinch, song thrush and starling have e perienced shallow to moderate declines 10- 1 per cent over 11 years . This year’s garden bird survey is taking place between June 0 and July .