Hearing the Easter story for the first time

five months, weather permitting, project manager Nigel Auger said in a statement. The project will be jointly funded by South Taranaki, New Plymouth and Stratford District Councils and New Zealand Transport Agency.

‘‘The project includes relocating the existing intersection 100m south to the crest of the local rise to increase visibility of traffic turning into and out of the junction; adding a left turning lane on SH3 from Eltham, a right turning lane on SH3 from Hawera and a right turning lane on SH3 for traffic turning from Rotokare Rd,’’ he said.

Taranaki’s district councils had been working collaboratively on a regional approach to managing solid waste since 2000, South Taranaki District Council’s group manager of engineering services, Brent Manning, said. The new regional landfill should be opened by July 2019 when the existing NPDC owned landfill is expected to be at capacity. The new facility will cost about $42.9 million and will be funded by the three councils. NPDC will shoulder 66.4 per cent , STDC 27.1 per cent and Stratford District Council 6.5 per cent. More than 1600 year five and six students have been told the Easter story thanks to a walk-through play, with some youngsters hearing it for the first time.

The performance took the students from the gates of Jerusalem to the garden of Gethsemane and through to the cross and the tomb where Jesus was buried. Along the way, they saw him ride in on a donkey, be betrayed in the garden and nailed to the cross, before rising again to oohhs and aahhs from the children. Director Louise James said the event was run by the New Plymouth Christian Leaders Network and involved people from more than 20 different churches around the district.

‘‘We do it because we want to show people that there’s more to Easter than Easter eggs and Easter bunnies and hot cross buns,’’ she said. ‘‘But there’s a real meaning behind it and we really believe what Jesus did on the cross.’’

She said Rodney Dunlop, who was welcoming the school students off the buses, had been asking them what they knew about Jesus and Easter.

‘‘He said he’s astonished how they don’t even know, some of them have never even heard the name,’’ she said.

The play had started in 1991 and run every two years since then at the Central Baptist Church but this year moved to the St James Presbyterian Church in Moturoa for the first time.

‘‘Some of the original cast in 1991 are still doing the same roles which is pretty amazing. Pilate, I think, is one of them,’’ she said.

‘‘This morning we’ve got 10 productions so they really have to keep fit and healthy, they’re pretty tired by the end of the day.’’

The event started on Tuesday and since then the cast and crew of more than 60 had been putting on up to 16 productions a day, with each one taking about 45 minutes to go through.