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WWE superfans meet wrestling idol on By Julia Evans ZEINAT ALEBEL almost broke down in tears when she met her WWE professional wrestling idol, Dean Ambrose. The 18-year-old Sockburn resident would describe herself as a wrestling super fan. Which was proved after she and her sister Sofiya, 14, lined up from 7am at The Hub Hornby for the chance to meet Raw tag team champion, Ambrose. “My heart is racing,” she said. Zeinat got Ambrose to sign her cellphone, which she said was now one of her favourite possessions. After the 3pm meet and greet, the teens went to WWE Live at Horncastle Arena – the only live wrestling event in the country. Zeinat said seeing WWE Live was seven years in the making. “Last time we saw them I was 11 and Sofiya was 7.” But she said they’d both been watching it on television for as long as they can remember, if not longer. “I’ve been watching since 1999 and I was born in 1999,”
Fire rage s, homes
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CREATIVE: Ruby Williams, 15, is all smiles with her steel sculpture of a tree branch. PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER
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GUN SHOW: WWE wrestler Dean Ambrose shows off his muscles to super fan Sofiya Alebel from Burnside High School who he met during a meet and greet. PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER
Zeinat said. She, along with almost 300 other fans, lined up from 7am to get the wrist bands that would see them meet Ambrose later in
the day and get his signature. Zeinat said she and Sofiya went to The Hub early for the meet and greet. “It was so worth it,” she said.
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By Julia Evans ARTIST RUBY Williams stood on the workshop floor of ENI Engineering in Halswell’s industrial outskirts. It might not seem like a place for creating art but the 15-yearold Villa Maria College student couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. Ruby saw the sculpture she designed as part of the SCAPE Public Art season for the first time. “It’s perfect. It’s exactly what I had in mind. Absolutely perfect,” she said. The mammoth steel branch, which will be fixed to a tree in Hagley Park, was shaped by ENI engineer Paul Bacon. It’s not something he gets to do very often. Ruby picked out the “pinkypurple” shade it will be painted,
saying it represented her personality. Ruby’s mum Breda said her “budding artist” had been waiting eagerly to see the sculpture all day. She was “so, so proud” of her daughter. Ruby won the chance to see her sketches come to life after winning the senior section of the Re:ACTIVATE project. “I don’t know how to explain how it feels. It’s just really, really cool to finally see it,” Ruby said. The branch will be on display for six weeks during the public art season from October 7. It will even feature as a stop on the public walk, which takes people on a tour of all the public art in the city. The teen said seeing the branch had given her the drive to keep chasing her creative dreams.
“Now is the moment we’ve been waiting for. It’s time. This is our opportunity to build a better, fairer future for New Zealand. To fix our healthcare, grow our economy, respect our environment and to look after our towns as much as our cities. It’s time to change things for the better. I’m ready. We’re ready.” Jacinda Ardern, Labour Leader
Ruth Dyson for Port Hills
As your local Member of Parliament, I listen to people, work hard and get things done. We need affordable housing, better mental health services and truly swimmable rivers and lakes. I want to be part of a Labour-led government that delivers these things for all New Zealanders.
Authorised by Andrew Kirton, 160 Willis St, Wellington