Smiles all round as Papakura school kids welcome new neighbours

Take a drive down Walters Road in Papakura this week and you may notice something a little different. The first hoardings have gone up for the McLennan housing development; and to celebrate the near-completion of the first 11 of 550-plus homes to be built there, a few animated characters – the development’s first residents - have also appeared.

Not all the characters are of the two-legged sort, and the children of neighbouring Papakura Normal School were invited to come up with a name for the new pup that would make it feel immediately at home at McLennan.

Over 500 entries from school children aged 6-12 were shortlisted to three names, which the kids themselves then voted on. The winning name, pipping Tahi and Trooper by the breadth of a dog’s whisker, and celebrating the area’s strong military legacy, was Anzac.

Anzac was chosen by four children, aged 6 to 11. Each received their own cartoon portrait with their new four-legged friend and $200 Rebel Sport vouchers from competition sponsors Barfoot & Thompson at a ‘welcome’ sausage sizzle last week.

Housing New Zealand Development Manager, Dylan Pell, was delighted to see the interest and enthusiasm shown by Principal Judy Morgan and all of the school children.

“This is an exciting development that is taking place almost next door to the school, so it’s important for us to get the kids involved right at the start. We’re looking forward to a long-term relationship with the school, its teachers and its students, some of whom will no doubt soon be living in one of our fabulous new homes.”

ENDS

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