Young chefs compete
Two budding young Northland chefs will be cooking up a storm in a national cooking final in Wellington tomorrow. Ruakākā School pupils Cory Whitehead and Tai Marris, who won the Northland regional final of the Rabobank Root to Tip cooking competition this month, will face other young chefs from around the country. Last year's national competition was won by Parua Bay School pupils Holly Patterson and Madyson Picard. The competition, held in partnership with Garden to Table, will take place from 10am at Weltec. Thumbs up for fruit in schools
Parents and school principals overwhelmingly back the Fruit & Vegetables in Schools initiative and new research shows there's a strong desire for the Government-funded scheme to be expanded. More than 100,000 children from low-decile primary and intermediate schools - including more than 9500 pupils from 71 Northland schools - receive fresh seasonal produce to eat every day. The initiative aims to improve both health and education outcomes for Kiwi kids, as healthy food helps tamariki to concentrate and learn. FIS is funded by the Ministry of Health, run by United Fresh and supported by The 5+ A Day Charitable Trust. The chairman of The 5+ A Day Charitable Trust, David Smith, said new Neilsen research in May shows the vast majority of parents (88 per cent) agreed the initiative should continue beyond 2019.
Student actors set for Parliament
Shakespeare once wrote all the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. And on October 6 three young Northlanders will perform scenes from the Bard's plays in Parliament. Witches, fairies and soldiers will fire up the stages in performances at Pipitea Marae and Parliament's Legislative Chamber by the 48 young actors, student-directors, costumier and composer selected from the University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare regional festivals to attend Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ National Shakespeare Schools Production week. Forty minutes of scenes from Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Henry V will be performed. The three Northlanders are Manaaki Hoepo from Kaitaia College and Chiquela Blomfield and Tamaragh Potter from Tauraroa Ares School.
Photos focus on children
An exhibition of photographs of children that has been called thought-provoking - although the harder edged "provocative" might be more apt - will open at Whangārei Art Museum on August 31. Where Children Sleep, which will run to December 1, is by international photographer James Mollison, showing photos of children from different countries and their bedrooms, or in some cases what passes as a room. The project was aided by Save the Children Italy.
