Kiwi kids are in the thick of school holidays before the final term for 2009, but it’s not too late for parents to plan a quick family holiday or weekend trip away before the kids go back to school.

Term Four will begin October 12 for primary, intermediate and secondary school students, so if you’re considering a spontaneous trip with the family, contact a local holiday planner to sort things out for you.

Whether you need the skinny on cheap flights and hotel deals or car rentals and travel deals, doing your own research and getting some industry expert advice is the quickest and easiest way to get your holiday started.

You may even be able to nab some last minute deals, so be in quick before school starts back.

If you’ve always dreamed of escaping the city and setting up camp on your own exotic island, Tim Manning has the deal for you.

The New Zealand property developer currently has Eori Island up for sale, introducing an exciting opportunity to the real estate market for buyers interested in owning a piece of private paradise or developing their own island resort.

Situated in the Mamanuca group of islands, Eori Island is one of the many Fijian islands visited by travellers worldwide, and has been part of the inspiration behind the philanthropic work Tim Manning has achieved for the Fijian community.

Along with friend and former All Black Eric Rush, Tim Manning has been involved in a number of charitable ventures to help children in Fiji, including the Performers4Poverty charitable trust projects and donating uniforms to local children’s rugby teams.

Tim Manning and Eric Rush are also investors in a number of community projects through Pacific Islands Partnership, which has worked toward the installation of a diesel generator and water tanks for the community.

Of The Performers4Poverty charitable trust Tim Manning has said, “I have offered them my guidance and support for the foreseeable future to help those truly needy kids. Fiji and its people are very close to my heart”.

If you’re looking for mortgage advice so you can take control of your finances there are an endless host of options and opinions out there. From lenders and consultants to  well meaning friends and experienced Auckland mortgage brokers, it can be hard to figure out which source can give the right advice for you.

And sometimes deciphering fact from fiction can be tricky, especially if you’re new to the home loan game and you haven’t had a chance to get your head around the lingo.

Sure, your buddies at work may think themselves authorities on the subject of mortgages since they’ve been swimming against the financial tide for longer than they care to remember. And the procession of people you’ve seen at the bank do have a bunch of official papers they keep shuffling between themselves while assuring you you’re in the same boat as everybody else…

Ultimately it all comes down to finding a credible, expert source who can help you nut out a mortgage plan that works for you. Find someone you feel comfortable asking even the silliest of questions, because once you have a greater understanding of your situation, you’ll be in a much better position to work with them toward the right solution.

Have you lifted the ‘kindness temperature’ in New Zealand today?

Launched in New Zealand in 2005, Random Acts of Kindness Day is all about people doing kind and unexpected things for others – for no reason at all.

Over the last four years people have been RAK’d with strangers buying them coffee, paying for their parking, schools throwing events for their community and even huge giveaways like flights and cruises.

Now hundreds of thousands of people take part on the first day of spring.

Josh de Jong, who came up with the idea while stuck in Auckland traffic, said it didn’t have to be a grand gesture or expensive gift, and often the smallest acts were the best.

Businesses, schools, community groups, churches and individuals around New Zealand will be taking part in the RAK movement today.

Random Acts of Kindness ideas include;

• Buying a stranger a coffee

• Mowing the neighbour’s lawn

• Giving someone flowers

• Visiting or calling an old friend for a chin-wag

• Washing a car

• Dropping clothes to the Sallies

• Taking scones or other feel good treats to work to share

• Sending a pizza to the local fire station or hospital for their reception staff

• Donating your pre-loved toys to charity

• Walking the neighbour’s dog

• Paying for a friend to join you in a round of golf

For more information visit the Random Acts of Kindness Day website.

The ‘Skanks in NYC’ blogger whose identity was unmasked by court order plans to sue Google for $US15 million for breaching her privacy.

Google was forced to reveal the blogger’s name after former Vogue Australia covergirl Liskula Cohen claimed statements published on the Google-run blog about her were defamatory.

Cohen confronted and reportedly forgave the blogger, and has decided against going through with a defamation suit. Even though her right to sue the blogger was the whole reason Google was forced to reveal the blogger’s identity in the first place.

And in a new plot twist, the blogger – 29 year old New York fashion student Rosemary Port – is now going after Google.

Port’s lawyer Salvatore Strazzullo said he was prepared to take a case against Google all the way to the US Supreme Court because the company had “breached its fiduciary duty to protect her expectation of anonymity”.

Port has argued Cohen had defamed herself by launching such public legal action, and claimed she had the right to an opinion. She said before the lawsuit and subsequent groundbreaking court order, there had been few hits on the website.

“That was before it became a spectacle. I feel my right to privacy has been violated.”

If you’re interested in buying or selling real estate in New Zealand you’ll need to get in touch with good real estate agents to help secure the best deal.

Whether you are interested in rural real estate for a taste of country living or a property closer to town to cut down your daily commute, doing your homework and finding an agent you trust can play a huge role in helping you find the perfect new home.

Real estate in New Zealand is a hot commodity, with many overseas buyers opting move to New Zealand for a change of pace and lifestyle. For buyers this can mean an increase in competition, but for sellers it can mean greater opportunities and the ability to reach a global real estate market with help from a reputable company.

Professional real estate agents can also help you make the transition, and their expert advice can make selling your own home easier in the current real estate market. Speak to your agent for expert tips on getting your residential real estate property sale-ready.

If you want to hold on to your current property but you are interested in renting it out, real estate agents can also give you the best advice on property management.

SME’s make up some 96% of businesses in New Zealand and it’s almost a national tradition for SME owners to get out, network with their peers and finding answers to their business questions around a barbeque or over a beer.

While NZS.com is currently focused on building an online resource for SME’s to help find answers for presenting themselves on the web, it’s bizchat that’s working to build a community site aiming to recreate those peer-to-peer conversations over the barbeque covering the complete spectrum of Q & A’s.

Any site that’s looking to help SME’s in such an open, community oriented way is a great resource for the New Zealand business community and well deserving of support.

Founded by SME owners, bizchat aims to fill a hole in the market where answers to questions are facilitated better by conversations with other SME’s who have already been through the same situation and are interested in helping their counterparts.

Building a vibrant and dynamic forum with varying channels of information is a key part of their initiative as they look to cover SME specific news feeds, events relevant for SME’s and a resource library sourced from varied support organisations.

If you’re thinking of starting a business or already have one and are looking for sales & marketing ideas, pop through to www.bizchat.co.nz and have a look around their forums.

Auckland bars and their counterparts around the country are pampering parents with indulgent evenings out and fine dining now that the kids have gone back to school.

Class is back in session, and parents around the country are breathing a collective sigh of relief after an action-packed break.

The last two weeks may have been all about keeping the kids entertained and out of trouble, but now that the holidays are over for another term, parents from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the south are taking some much needed time out themselves with some relaxation and fine dining.

If you need a night out with the grown-ups, book a babysitter for a couple of hours, set up the latest High School Musical DVD at home, get in your glad-rags, and venture out to indulge in some fine dining and adult conversation at one of the country’s finest ecotourism inspired hotspots.

There is an excellent selection of stylish Auckland restaurants to choose from for a quiet wine with friends, or a spot of fine dining near the waterfront.

And you can always pick up a drive-through treat for the kids on your way home.

An earthquake in Fiordland measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale rattled the South Island and sparked a 90-minute tsunami alert last night.

Though the quake appears to have caused little damage, an alert from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii was issued for southern New Zealand soon after it struck at 9.22pm, 100 kilometres north-west of Tuatapere in Southland.

The earthquake was estimated to be approximately 12 kilometres deep, and was followed by two sizeable aftershocks, the first of a 6.1 magnitude 20 minutes later, and the second measuring 5.9 just before 2am.

Though both quakes were far from any towns, phones went down in east Invercargill power was out in Otatara, and a water main was broken in Winton, north of Invercargill.

The quake was felt strongly in Dunedin, Invercargill and Timaru, and Christchurch residents have reported feeling it as a long, rolling motion. People as far north as Wellington are said to have felt the earthquake to a lesser extent.

At 7.8 on the Richter scale, last night’s quake in Fiordland was among the second largest earthquakes records in New Zealand since European colonisation. The only one to top it was the 8.2 magnitude quake in Wairarapa on January 23, 1855.

One of New Zealand’s most famous earthquakes, also measuring 7.8, was in Napier in 1931, and caused the largest loss of life and most extensive damage of any recorded New Zealand quake.

News of last night’s earthquake was quickly picked up by world media, with reports appearing within the hour on BBC, CNN and Sky News websites.

For more information on New Zealand earthquakes check out the seismology category on NZS.com.

Looking for a way to beat the blues mid winter? If hitting the slopes isn’t your thing, why not indulge in something a little more relaxing and warm up in a luxury hotel for a few nights?

There are tons of great winter packages around this time of year, with many fantastic off-peak season bargains leaving more mini-break cash in hand for a spot of shopping.

Modern hotels offer the ultimate in style and comfort, so whether you pick somewhere close to home or you decide to get out of town for a few nights, pamper yourself and select one of the luxury hotel rooms on offer around New Zealand to unwind and spoil yourself.

Make a luxury hotel booking online now for a romantic mid winter weekend away, a girls or blokes getaway, or to take some luxurious time out just for you.

For more ideas on winter packages and mid winter getaways check out the NZS.com directory.