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The Chatham Islands has solved a hair-raising crisis by finding someone who makes the cut as the islands' new hairdresser.
Last Saturday, the Weekend Herald revealed the New Zealand territory about 700km east of the mainland was struggling to find someone to fill the vacancy in its sole hairdressing salon after the previous hairdresser retired after 14 years' service.
The islands were looking for someone to travel from the mainland and man the salon for one week every six weeks, working from dawn to dusk to get through the clientele.
Weeks had passed with no one suitable found and people were resorting to crude attempts at cutting each others' hair.
But the islands' salon owner, Simone Croon, said the response since the Weekend Herald article had been amazing.
She had received 10 quality applications, and from those, Auckland hairdresser Chris Parker had been selected.
Ms Parker will travel to the Chathams for her first stint on July 18.
Ms Parker, who is in her mid-fifties and manages a hair salon in Sylvia Park, said the job sounded just like her when she read about it.
"I've been hairdressing for a long, long time now and I'm one of those people always up for a challenge and a lot of fun.
"I'm really looking forward to it. My son has been to the Chathams as a fisherman and he said: 'Mum, you'll love it.'
"I might even wind up living over there."
While she expects many on the island will be looking for the more conservative hairstyles, she does hope to introduce some new trends as well.
"For someone of my age, I am pretty out there."
Ms Croon said she already had 20 bookings for Ms Parker.
And that is without even advertising the new service.
