Ursula Keay

Hi, I’m a journalist and videographer with experience in online, audio and video. 

NZ Herald •

Local Focus: Whareama Excellence in Teaching Award

Whareama School teaching principal Darren Kerr has won New Zealand's only National Excellence Award for primary teaching in 2021.

It was Kerr's first nomination for the award in his 24 years of teaching.

"You hear stories from parents about how well the school is going, but until you hear it from a national organisation it reinforces that what you're doing, you seem to be doing okay at," Kerr said.

Before teaching, he had several occupations but "couldn't find my niche".

"I remember working
NZ Herald •

Masterton's galaxy for the neurodiverse

Masterton Trust House Recreation Centre has a new room for the neurodiverse.

Masterton's newest activity for kids has been revealed, after 18 months in the making.

Trust House Recreation Centre now has a Sensory Room for its daycare programme.

Venue manager Marilyn Sayers said it aimed to be a calm-but-interesting room for neurodiverse children that needed a quiet space after a busy school day.

"Some children have more needs than others and we wanted to recognise that and build a space speci
METRONEWS •

Kaimanawa muster a possibility despite COVID-19

The Department of Conservation (DOC) has said there is a strong probability the bi-annual Kaimanawa horse muster will go ahead this winter with very little notice, aiming to muster 110 horses.

The possible muster would go ahead no earlier than May 25, should alert level 2 restrictions allow, DOC senior community ranger, Nina Manning, said.

The horses are re-homed via groups such as Kaimanawa Heritage Horses (KHH) and the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Preservation Society, however due to the financial i
Stuff •

82-year-old grandmother 'can't stop' tap dancing

Patricia Johnstone tap dances because there's something inside of her that no-one can see.

The 82-year-old Christchurch grandmother-of-five took up tap at the age of 76 and fell in love with it.

Johnstone got joy from ballet as a child, so when her husband and son died of cancer within a year of each other about 23 years ago, she turned to dance.

"I knew I had to dance again ... It helps me live, it's my love."

READ MORE:

* Timaru teen taps her way to three first places

* Alison Patterso
METRONEWS •

Roads to keep deteriorating, Christchurch City Council report shows

By 2029, 17 percent of the city's roads will be in such a bad condition that they're expected to fail within a year or two.

The Christchurch City Council's Long Term Plan shows that in 2010, 9 percent of the city's roads were in 'Grade 5' condition.

By 2029 it is estimated 17 percent of the roads will be Grade 5, the plan shows.

Grade 5 means a road is in a "very bad condition" and "expected to fail within one to two years".

Roads fail when they break up, water gets in, and the foundations s
METRONEWS •

Lyttelton cruise berth not 'dolphin-friendly'

Critics say development will have dire impact on endangered species despite port company's protection measures.

The Lyttelton Port Company (LPC) is developing a cruise ship berth in the harbour, but critics say the re-development will have dire consequences for the endangered Hector's Dophins in the harbour.

Otago University zoology professor Elisabeth Slooten was highly critical of LPC efforts, saying they amounted to nothing more than PR.

"Everything they've done has increased the noise. Bo