Lizard News March 2023

L i z a r d Ne ws

L i z a r d Ne ws

FREE LOCAL NEWS... IN THE COMMUNITY

FREE LOCAL NEWS... IN THE COMMUNITY

Station Road may be closed permanently

By Matthew Farrell

Te Puna Station Road appears likely to be closed to traffic other than cyclists for several months and probably permanently, as the District Council weighs up competing demands from more than 30 unexpected roading projects following Cyclone Gabrielle

The Western Bay land mass seemed to be protected by Matakana Island as the devastating weather system moved south east from Northland on Sunday 12th February to Hawkes Bay on Wednesday 15th February,

compounding the record rainfall of former Cyclone Hale during Auckland Anniversary Weekend at the end of January

Around 50 homes were evacuated across Waihī Beach and Athenree in the west of the region and Maketū and Little Waihī to the east, due to Gabrielle

Mayor James Denyer told Local Democracy Reporting tree falls, slips, power outages and coastal flooding were the main issues caused by the cyclone

Infrastructure Manager Gary Allis says the Ōmokoroa

wastewater pipe that runs below Station Road has been assessed and there are no concerns at this stage

New underslips, overslips and material across the road have ended the back roads “rat run ” and forced all rush hour traffic to use State Highway 2

Councillor Don Thwaites, who chaired Council’s projects and monitoring committee on 22nd February, says personally he’s seen a massive time saving from beyond Snodgrass Road

“At Wairoa Marae the maximum volume is 25 vehicles per minute or 1,500 per hour at 50kph Station Road closure has no impact on SH2 capacity,” Don tells Lizard News

Fellow Te Puna Councillor Tracey Coxhead says she doesn’t think locals will be too fazed by closure

“Some would be legitimate users, not rat runners, but we’d need to stop trucks using Clarke Road due to its width,” she says

Cllr Margaret Murray Benge says there is great division within the community about the closure, and says some used the rat run because they could easily drive at 120kph

Traffic monitoring will be carried out and Mayor James Denyer said he wanted to hear from the wider community and get the full feeling from an engagement process

Gary Allis says with 30-odd sites to rectify, his preferred option was to leave the road closed to vehicles for at least “ some time” because SH2 is a a clear alternative access

“Station Road is not going to be a resilient road in the future Yes it has shifted traffic queues and delays further back, but the bigger picture is the TNL will open in 2027/28,” says Gary

Lizard News understands the Department of Conservation has also been notified about roosting shags on the waterline, which would trigger additional Regional Council compliance Station Road’s future is next discussed by the full Council on Thursday 16th March

NEWS & ADVERTISING

07 548 1200 027 549 5410

matthew@lizardnews net www lizardnews net

CIRCUL ATION

11 500 copies printed

DEADLINE

Our news and advertising deadline is around the 20th of the month

If you’d like us to design your advert, please give us as much notice as possible so we can get it right

L AYOUT & DESIGN

Creative By Design, Matamata team@creativebydesign co nz

PRINTING

Beacon Print Whakatāne

Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of management

Lizard News and the lizard device are registered Trade Marks and are not to be reproduced without permission

Ⓒ Lizard News Ltd All rights reserved

NEWS CREDIBILITY

We welcome your feedback and letters to the editor We strive for accuracy fairness and balance in reporting news of public interest We request that contributors assist us in upholding standards of decency and privacyavoiding discrimination and defamation

We reserve the right to edit or abridge submitted material and will identify scribes where appropriate other than where confidentiality has been assured Unless an article is marked as supplied, those without bylines will typically have been written by the editor

I took photos after the heavy rains at the end of January as the severe erosion was encroaching onto the foundations of the bund beside the Ōmokoroa Golf course

Today (14th Feb), I traversed the same areas, and the erosion is now catastrophic Stormwater outlets are now threatened, and drainage pipes are exposed

Another severe weather event, possibly late March, and the pathway could be undermined

The Bund not only protects the golf course from storm surge but is a key piece of infrastructure for cycles and walkers around Ōmokoroa

Do we need a meeting of concerned parties to devise an action plan before all is lost?

Who will take responsibility?

Roger Goodman, Chairman, OEMI

A foot stream

When we first arrived in Ōmokoroa, we approached the council to see if the problem was caused by a broken pipe or similar, and we were advised that it is an underground spring which overflows when water levels rise, and as such, they did not want to do anything about it We agree that Mother Nature may have the upper hand, but the Council could surely alleviate the situation by means of installing some form of drainage down the side of the footpath so that the footpath remains relatively dry and usable

There has been an unusual amount of heavy rain over recent months, which has exacerbated the problem and has caused us great frustration, but my question remains - why have a footpath that is frequently a stream? Come on, Council, do something

Rodger Broomhall, Ōmokoroa

Pahoia to Ōmokoroa cycle/walkway

Please advise if you have had any recent update re the cycle/walkway between Pahoia and Prole Road, Ōmokoroa

It was said it was due to be opened in December 2021, then a year later, in December 2022

There’s still no sign that it is sorted from under the fabulous new bridge to the end of Prole Road

I am confident I am not the only one keen to hear of progress Plus, the walk/cycleway plantings are disappearing into weeds, so maybe we need to organise a community working bee to recover the plants Yes, I will be there

Kirsty Walker, Ōmokoroa

The Editor responds: We’ll follow up on these walkway queries

Pahoia needs volunteers

For the past few years, Pahoia School has run a Reading Enrichment Programme, and we are very keen to continue this successful programme during 2023 The Reading Enrichment Programme is a reading initiative that is aimed at children who are slightly below their chronological reading age, and who just need a period of one-to-one reading instruction to get them up to speed

Do you, or anyone you know, have one spare morning a week, Monday to Thursday, between 9am and 10 30am that you could regularly donate during term time to help these children improve their reading and writing abilities? No previous experience is necessary as training and ongoing support will be given You just need to be patient, be a good listener and enjoy helping children reach their potential

If you feel you could commit your time to this worthy cause, please contact Karen Radley karen@pahoia school nz, or phone the school on 548 0723

Juanita Meder, Office Administrator

Ōmokoroa Bowling Club

CL ASSIfIEDS

Business: $20 per 20 words

Personal: $10 per 20 words

1/32 PAGE $60

60mm x 40 5mm

1/16 PAGE $120

Vertical - 60mm x 85mm

Horizontal - 124mm x 40 5mm

1/8 PAGE $180

Vertical - 60mm x 174mm

Horizontal - 124mm x 85mm

1/4 PAGE $295

Vertical - 124mm x 174mm

Horizontal - 252mm x 85mm

1/2 PAGE $480

Vertical - 124mm x 352mm

Horizontal - 252mm x 174mm

BACk hALf PAGE $540 275mm x 188mm + 5mm bleeds

No

fULL PAGE $900

Bleeds - 252mm x 352mm

Bleeds - 275mm x 380mm + 5mm bleeds

fRONT PAGE SOLUS $420

Subject to availability

Invoices are due by direct credit within seven days unless by prior written agreement

Booking an advert constitutes acceptance of these terms

Q: When is a footpath not a footpath? A: When it is a stream

The Nell’s Dell end of the footpath on Ōmokoroa Road between Tralee Street and Nell’s Dell is frequently running with water after heavy rain The footpath becomes unsafe slippery, and slidey, filling your shoes with water, and this forces a number of users who do not wish to tackle the stream to go up the steep grassy bank to walk alongside Ōmokoroa Road next to the traffic

After a dreadful start to the year weather-wise, we have managed to get some of our tournaments played Club ChampsOpen ladies’ pairs won by Angela Stephen and Lynda Boschat Club Champs - Open men ’ s pairs to be completed Caitlin Thomsom has been selected for New Zealand under 26’s Twilight Bowls has started again Open singles men and ladies have started; finals are to be completed

Lindel Craig, Ōmokoroa

Community spirit

By the time you read this, we shall be home in England, having spent two months with family in Ōmokoroa

The warm welcome, love and friendship shown to us by so many people in your community have been overwhelming You are a wonderful example of what ‘community spirit’ is all about Thank you all, and hope to be back soon With our love, Liz & David, UK

Soft bund washed away

A round-the-clock response

By Matthew Farrell

Council says its teams have worked around the clock during February to ensure roads are open and safe following Cyclones

Hale and Gabrielle

Slips are being cleared, fallen trees and debris removed, and stormwater drains cleared

Driving could take longer than usual due to rain, flooding and slips, so motorists are asked to be patient and drive to the conditions

Council has been making specific contact with those affected by closures on Wairoa Road in Te Puna, Lund Road in Katikati, and No 4 Road in Te Puke

Council accepts some Reserves have been impacted by the wet weather

“While they need some attention, our priority right now is our roading network, and working to open as

many of our roads as possible Plus, we don’t want to go into these reserves and cause more damage due to their damp state

“The same goes for reserves mowing Record rainfall and the increased humidity equals long grass. This means things may get a bit scruffy for a short period of time,” says a Council spokesperson

Council is thanking everyone who has helped work through the weather events, whether by reporting a road slip, clearing a neighbour’s gutter or offering help in the community

If you have something like flooding, slips, or fallen trees to report, phone lines are open 24/7 and you can log a job by calling 0800 926 732

Alternatives include emailing info@westernbay govt nz, using Council’s online contact form or the Antenno app

Tornado hits Waihī Beach

By Matthew Farrell

Rooves were ripped from at least two homes in Waihī Beach by a tornado on the morning of Saturday 25th February Mayor James Denyer went to check on the damage and says at least one tornado and possibly another one or two water spouts had formed in the ocean

Damage was reported around Dillon Street, Island View, and in Athenree at about 9am

“It was a combination of rooves ripped off and flying across the roads, bringing down power lines, then landing on and damaging other homes

“I saw at least two homes with more than half of the roof removed Miraculously and thankfully, no one was injured,” he says Mayor Denyer says it’s great to see the community pull together to get matters

sorted out

“I was impressed by the resilience of people I was there within 90 minutes Rooves and windows were already being repaired and replaced Trees and branches were sawn and put to one side ”

Radio New Zealand reported that power was cut to nearly 2,500 properties PHOTO: James Denyer

The old bus shelter at the end of Prole Road in Ōmokoroa

PHOTO: Matthew Farrell

About 20 volunteers cleared vegetation from the Domain Beach using a truck loaned by Ōmokoroa Carriers

PHOTO: Matthew Farrell

Recent weather affected the Crapp Reserve in Ōmokoroa with cracking identified around the edge of the Pā site and along the walkway heading back towards Walnut Grove Some areas have been cordoned off for safety

PHOTO: Supplied

Pausing to reflect and honour

School buses drive parents mad

By Matthew Farrell

The person responsible for planning school bus routes around Ōmokoroa says 95% of the problems experienced this term are related to a shortage of drivers

Meanwhile, an Ōtūmoetai College mother says some students walked home without going to school on Monday 27th February, after waiting half an hour in the rain for a bus that departed early

Natalie-Jane Swift says a route was changed on Friday afternoon with inadequate communication, which filled a second bus to standing capacity and stranded other students

By Matthew Farrell

Ōmokoroa Volunteer Fire Brigade joined other brigades throughout the country in honouring two volunteer firefighters from Muriwai killed during Cyclone Gabrielle.

Craig Stevens and Dave van Zwanenberg were trapped in a house after another property collapsed on top of it

Their service and sacrifice were marked with a guard of honour at the front of the Ōmokoroa station on Tuesday 21st February The siren sounded, and a minute’s silence was observed

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Fergus Keith says it was a time to reflect

“Not only on our colleagues who have left before us, but also those who continue to do the hard yards

in the communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle - and the people in those communities coming to grips with the loss and destruction left behind

“We greatly appreciated community members who stood with us to show their respects. I was surprised when I turned around and saw how many had gathered,” says Fergus

Traffic informally stopped, tailing back to the roundabouts in both directions

First Responder Team Leader Hannelore Kemme says she found the experience emotional

Fergus says it shows the importance of stopping to honour the men

“You don’t think pausing to reflect will affect you, and then it does,” he says

“It’s a mess every year The bus company waits for people to give up and says it will sort itself out in a couple of weeks That’s because parents find alternative means or rural students work jobs to pay for their own fuel Everyone ’ s had a gutsful of this poor service which is unreliable and unsafe The Ministry, by law, has to provide a safe service,” she says Tauranga Transport Network Group manager, Greig Neilson, says a plan to change the start time by ten minutes was proposed on Tuesday 21st but not agreed on until Friday afternoon

“The buses have been late every day, so we need to start them earlier. The process of change has been tortured because there are so few drivers that office staff are back out driving buses themselves

“Uzabus were to use drivers to communicate the changes last week It’s the first time we ’ ve tried that, and I don’t think we’ll do it again I’ve only just found out that Route 25 has had casual relief drivers all year instead of its usual driver”

ADVERTORIAL

Natalie-Jane says when Ōtūmoetai College students board the bus at the end of the day, all but five seats are already taken by out-ofzone intermediate students

Greig says a significant number of schoolchildren are not going to the nearest school they could enrol at

“We try to support their choices, but we ’ ve been skating close to the edge on capacity for the past four to five years We are not penny pinching The network made a loss last year but has a slight surplus this year, and could fund two terms of capacity issues

“Buses are available, we have no one to get behind the wheel ”

Greig hopes an App with notifications can be developed, but for now, the advice is to check the website schooltransport org nz

Ōmokoroa Volunteer Fire Brigade

By Ian Blunt Chief Fire Officer

Firefighters have responded to 12 callouts in the month of February, three to the Pahoia school alarm, two minor motor vehicle crashes, two to assist Katikati and a small rubbish fire

We were lucky during the cyclone, attending three minor calls, none of them to flooding

Our team of First Responders were very busy in February, turning out 18 times to cardiac arrests, chest pain, breathing problems, and to the motor vehicle crashes attended by firefighters

You probably know that you should see the dentist once a year What if you haven t? Then you ve already missed out on the best thing you can do for your teeth: sort out little things before they become big problems,” says dentist Dr James Eastcott

During a dental exam we will check the general health of not only your teeth but also your gums and your entire oral cavity We will look out for signs of cavities, gum disease, tooth decay and other dental problems that may not be immediately visible to the naked eye We also use an intra-oral camera with a lens that magnifies even the tiniest cracks and crevices and takes a picture for you to see what we see After all, seeing is believing According to Dr Eastcott, “nine times out of ten if you don t catch it early the problem becomes very expensive or you lose a tooth ”

A new patient exam also includes full-mouth, panoramic X-rays These images can show problems that can t be seen by just looking at your mouth such as cavities especially small areas of decay between teeth, decay beneath existing fillings, bone loss in your jaw, areas of infection, abscessed teeth, i e infection at the root of your tooth or between your gums and your tooth and the position of wisdom teeth

Most importantly, we also check for oral cancer as early detection is key and we find it at a hugely high rate adds Dr Eastcott

Bagpiper Andrew Graham played a lament after the silence

PHOTO: Matthew Farrell

Room for 101?

By Matthew Farrell

Adeveloper

is seeking permission to build 101 dwellings on just two adjoining properties on Kayelene Place in Ōmokoroa.

In October 2021, 75 Kayelene Place was marketed as The Gables - an affordable retirement location with 26 villas initially for sale

In April 2022, BGT Developments and their partners subsequently blamed Covid and delays between Council, the planning team, and coordination of stormwater infrastructure when they sold out to another residential developer

Just before Christmas, New Zealand Housing Foundation applied for land use and subdivision consent to build 101 townhouses at 53 and 75 Kayelene Place

The sections range from 362m2 to just 99m2, with more than half smaller than 200m2 One of the lots is an outlier at 613m2 All of the dwellings have no garaging The majority have one uncovered off-street parking space The minority have two spaces

It is unclear which roads would be used for construction access, but the plans propose to permanently convert Pip Way and Tui Glen from cul-de-sacs to through roads

The District Council says the application is still being processed and it hasn’t yet been decided whether it will be publicly notifiable or not

“Staff are working with internal and external specialists, and may require further information from the applicant,” says a Council spokesperson

Pip Way residents held a meeting with Council’s Principal Planner Mark Batchelor on Thursday 23rd February to outline their concerns and ask questions

Andrew Tattle says locals bought

homes in a cul-de-sac for a quiet life, and this would be an environmental change to the way the street performs

“There are health and safety risks, a negative value change for nearby properties, and the risks of flooding in the nearby gully as people start to take climate change seriously,” says Andy

Nita Nooyen says traffic modelling shows there are currently 31 vehicle movements per day in Pip Way, projected to increase to 230 per day which would make reversing impossible

“I have no confidence Council will consider community feeling in making their decision,” declared Nita

Mark Batchelor says roading has already been highlighted as an issue for which Council will seek further information from the applicant

“The consultants for the developers have told them to talk to you The Housing Foundation CEO also says he intends to have discussions with neighbours,” says Mark

Mark explained Council is obliged to follow planning processes set down in bucketloads of law since 1991, and that ultimately residents have the right of appeal to the Environment Court in the event they do not accept the outcome of the process

Under the heading, ‘Home ownership for working households’, the Housing Foundation’s website says it is a not-forprofit, charitable trust that assists lowerincome renting households to become homeowners It mentions an absolute commitment to affordability through shared ownership and rent to own programmes

It says its plans for the sunny beachside community of Ōmokoroa are in the early stages

Above: The landscape masterplan for resource consent by Designgroup Stapleton Elliott for New Zealand Housing Foundation

IMAGES: Supplied

Right: Parking appears to be at a premium with a narrow internal road and just four visitor parking spaces for all 101 proposed dwellings

By Matthew Farrell

ATe Puna man, wanting to use a former sports academy to accommodate much-needed seasonal orchard workers, has gone public with his plans out of desperation

Kieren Thomas owns 23 Paparoa Road, the former Bracewell family cricket camp

“The place was accommodating teenagers on week-long camps in the late 90s and early 2000s I just want to house seasonal workers on Te Puna orchards,” he says

Kieren says the public response has been overwhelmingly positive

“One neighbour is refusing to engage in meaningful dialogue, but I have had productive conversations with another half dozen in Paparoa Road,” says Kieren

He says he’s spoken informally to marae members and would like to have an infor-

mal hui to discuss how his ideas could help everyone

“I have more than 30 letters of support, including growers, RD4 locals, locals in Pahoia, and two big post-harvest facilities My application is now on hold while I work towards getting written approval from my boundary neighbours, and I’m doing everything in my power I’ll be really sad if we can’t get this sorted I’m not asking neighbours for money, just their blessing,” he says Kieren says the property could comfortably accommodate 20 to 25 people in 13 existing bedrooms according to his architect and the Worksafe guidelines and the code of compliance rules and regulations around matters such as bathrooms

He’s applied for District Council permission to accommodate 50 people, which would require suitable development

By Maree Morton

This event has been running for 22 years, and we are pleased that after having to cancel in 2022 due to Covid, Te Puna Speed Shear was held on the 11th February at The Point Ale House

What a night it was Due to the weather and date change this year, we were not able to have lambs for the shearers to get the amazingly quick times we have had in past years

Digger Balme and Callum Bosley, with TJ and Kyle, came to Ted and Mavis Coles’s wool shed to help prepare the ewes for the Speed Shear I thought the times might be much slower, but on the night, the shearers came, and they left ev-

Changes to Freshwater Management in the Bay of Plenty

Bay of Plenty Regional Council must make changes to the way we manage the region’s land and water to ensure the health and wellbeing of our freshwater Rivers, lakes, streams, groundwater and wetlands are all present here in the Bay, and we value and use these freshwater bodies in many ways; from gathering kai, swimming, fishing and boating, to cultural connection and experiencing nature People’s livelihoods also depend on freshwater, for domestic and municipal water supply, to sustain crops and their businesses And the water in rivers and streams sustains important ecosystems and supports a rich tapestry of life

We are continuing work on draft policy options and will seek feedback from the community between April and September 2023 To be kept up-to-date, sign up to receive our Freshwater Flash e-newsletter at boprc.govt.nz/newsletters, follow our social media and visit our website for the latest news: boprc.govt.nz/freshwater

“That seems incredibly reasonable given the size of the site and proximity to urban facilities To minimise traffic, we won’t provide parking for all 50 We’d use four or five 12-seat vans and have no more than 13 car parks Even backpackers would use our vans

“I grew up and went to school here It’s an amazing piece of land in a thriving rural economy on the town boundary Our site manager could look after Recognised Seasonal Employees with pastoral care There’s already a swimming pool here,” says Kieren

So far, consultants and consents have cost Kieren $122,000 He says he started his orchard-building business with a Bunnings chainsaw and a station wagon, and he’s trying to provide needed RSE accommodation that currently only exists in Katikati and Te Puke

Orchard builder seeks accommodation support Te Puna Speed Shear 2023

erything on the stage The wool was coming off in awesome times, with Reuben Alabaster winning the Open with a time of 18 4 seconds and Forde Alexander, senior shearer winning with a time of 24 4 seconds

This event would not happen without the support of the sponsors and staff volunteering their time The event has been organised by the same committee for many years, and they are looking forward to returning in 2024

The money raised from this event will go to charities to help local people This year it will be distributed between Te Puna Kindy, the local food bank, and also we would like to donate to a young boy from Katikati raising money for an Assis-

Decorative Barks

Bark Mulches

Growing Medias

Premium

Superior

tance Dog In 2018 Te Puna Speed Shear raised money for Kyle Balme to get an assistance dog, so as a committee, we are happy that we can help a little, knowing Assistance Dogs change families’ lives

Thanks to our major sponsor JMC Civil Construction

Other sponsors Stihl Shop Tauranga/ Waihī, Silver Fern Shearing gear, Spencer Contractors Ltd, RWR, FMG Insurance, Bill and Noelene Bishop Lifestyle Transport, Elco Direct Wool Buyers, Maree and Craig Morton, Marshall Innovations, Lizard News, Stag Fencing & Rural Contractors Ltd, Brown Logging Ltd, Trailor Made NZ Limited, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boonies, Gallagher, and Farmlands Te Puna

Premium Compost

Seed

Reuben Alabaster with his winning time of 18 4 seconds PHOTO: Matthew Farrell

Kieren Thomas PHOTO: Matthew Farrell

We're your local team of property experts

Selling your home is a major life moment, so it’s important to get it right At Tremains we understand that a ‘sold’ sign isn’t your nal destination – it’s a step towards your next chapter

As a critical part of your life’s journey, we can help achieve the successful sale of your home with specialist care and attention to ensure we get you the best possible results

To nd out more, get in contact with our local property experts today!

By Matthew Farrell

Police investigating a fatal crash in Katikati on Monday 20th February are seeking help from the public

The single-vehicle crash happened on State Highway 2, near Turner Road in Apata before 11am The driver of the light van was discovered unresponsive in the driver’s seat

Medical assistance was provided, but sadly the driver was unable to be revived

The vehicle, a white 2003 Nissan Vanette, registration KHS980, had been travelling eastbound on SH2 towards Tauranga

Initial enquiries have determined the vehicle likely sat facing oncoming traffic on a busy stretch of the highway for about an hour with its headlights and windscreen wipers operating following the crash

Police would like to speak with anyone who may have seen this vehicle, or observed the vehicle’s movements beforehand

They are particularly inter-

Witness appeal after Apata crash Options as Census deadline looms

By Andrea Jacks Senior Collector, Katikati and Ōmokoroa

The census is coming, but you don’t need to wait until the 7th March to take part

This time you can do it early, and you can choose how to complete the census

If you would like to do the census online, just visit www online census govt nz to request an access code which can be texted to your mobile phone to enable you to fill out your census form online today It will take about five minutes

If you don’t have internet access or a computer, there are computers at the library that you can use

Alternatively, you can wait for a paper form pack to be delivered Each pack has an access code for the online access as well as paper forms to post in the pre-

ested in hearing from anyone who was travelling through the area between 9 30am and 11am

If you can help, please contact Police via 105 or the Western Bay of Plenty Road Policing Team at Tauranga Police Station with reference 230220/2335

paid envelope provided You don’t need to do both paper and online forms

If you would like help with filling in your census forms, then a collector will be at the Katikati library on Monday 6th March between 12 and 2pm, and at Ōmokoroa library on Monday 6th and 13th March from 12 and 2pm, to help you

The census is a nationwide survey that happens every five years to understand more about life in Aotearoa New Zealand, and how it is changing.

Iwi, community groups, local and central government, and businesses use census data to make decisions about funding and providing services that affect you, your whānau, and your community

By taking part in the census, you help create a better understanding of your community and what it needs

Annual grant applications open soon

By Rachael Hyland

While we spare thoughts for those suffering from the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle’s fury, we are indeed fortunate to have been spared such devastation

So many have had homes, property and livelihoods devastated by this weather event and will be dealing with the after effects for a considerable time

The Centre (Ōmokoroa Community Trust) continues to benefit from the

amazing generosity of the Ōmokoroa community. Many thanks for your wonderful donations of items for resale that are quickly snapped up

The proceeds from these sales fund grants from OCT that are available annually to local clubs and groups

Application forms and full guidelines for OCT grants are available by email from omokoroa centre23@gmail com

Applications open on 1st April and close on 30th April

Police appeal for witnesses to the crash of the Nissan Vanette PHOTO: Supplied

Doggy Day Out

By Western Bay Animal Services

Thank you to the community, visitors and the Western Bay of Plenty District Council for making the Doggy Day Out a success

The sun was shining on Western Avenue reserve, Ōmokoroa The dogs were playing, the kids were laughing, and the food was yummy This was the best Doggy Day Out we have ever had We raised plenty of money for HUHA for the dogs in need after Cyclone Gabrielle

We also had lots of enquiries about the dogs that were available for adoption at the event Mark Vette, animal behaviourist, was amazing up on stage and taught us all so much about puppy behaviour and more

Thank you to Vada’s Angels Animal Rescue Tauranga for providing the puppies for Mark Vette to work with

We look forward to seeing you all next year for more fun in the sun at the next Doggy Day out PHOTOS RIGHT AND BELOW: Matthew Farrell

F R E E S E M I N A R

ahead in your business by monitoring your incoming revenue vs your outgoing expenses We looked at using Xero repor ts to help plan for any potential cashflow shor tfalls as well as ways to help ensure you are paid promptly

We also talked about reaching out to your REAL Client Manager for help with meeting your tax obligations and potentially taking advantage of the Tax Traders service for financing your tax payments to reduce interest or help you through a tight cash period

Don’t miss our next FREE seminar coming up in April! Follow our Facebook page or check our website for more details

PHOTOS ABOVE: Evelyn Hoddinott

Two months to find $70k

Congratulations to Ōtūmoetai College Robotics Club On the weekend of 17th to 19th February, seven college teams joined 72 others from across the country to participate in the national robotics competition held in Auckland

Two of these teams have qualified for the World Championships, which will take place in Dallas, USA, from the 25th to the 27th April

The Club now starts the mammoth

By Angie Warren-Clark Labour List MP

Greetings to you all at a tough time for us all with weather events, tragic deaths and loss of homes and property It’s been incredibly difficult, but we have seen the very best of our country – people rallying to offer financial support, donations and practical help

Construction continues on transport projects around our region At last count, six of the ten sections of the over $150 million worth of safety improvements to SH2 had been completed A relief considering that between 2009 and 2018, 25 people lost their lives on this stretch of road between Waihī and Ōmokoroa I lobbied for these changes with my colleague Jan Tinetti and am delighted we ’ ve been able to make them happen

task of fundraising $70,000 to make the trip in a little over two months

Club manager Sarah Aldridge says, “this is an incredible opportunity for these kids For some, this is their first year doing Robotics They’ve done so well ”

If you would like to support this venture by donation or sponsorship, please contact club manager Sarah Aldridge via saldridge@otc school nz

Angie’s aspect

I’m really looking forward to the safety and access enhancement

The Tākitimu North Link is making good progress Environmental controls are in place, site accesses have been established, five bridges are in construction, a site office has been opened, and the relocation of critical utilities is underway A massive work programme and an impressive sight

Recent extreme weather events have wreaked havoc across the upper and eastern parts of the North Island Lives have been lost, and many more upended We acknowledge their loss and hardship, as well as the many acts of bravery and service dedicated to the community

Responding to Cyclone Gabrielle is a mammoth task requiring strong, experienced coordination across all arms of government Working closely with local government, the business community,

social service providers, iwi and community groups NEMA continues to operate its National Coordination Centre (NCC) to support and coordinate

Our new PM Chris Hipkins has appointed a new role of Cyclone Recovery Minister, selecting Grant Robertson to lead our response The PM also created a Cyclone Recovery Taskforce, ensuring local voices have direct input into decision-making so recovery is led by the needs of those on the ground Lead Ministers have been assigned to each affected region, working within their communities and reporting back on their local needs These Ministers sit on the new cabinet committee making decisions relevant to the recovery chaired by Minister Robertson

An initial $50 million support package for businesses, farmers and growers for urgent work like clearing silt and repair-

ing infrastructure is being delivered, and $250 million to help Waka Kotahi and local councils to assess and fix roads Inland Revenue is supporting interest write-offs, tax concessions for donated trading stock and an extension of R&D Tax Incentive filing deadlines This is only interim support, and there will be more to come

Recovery will cost billions, but we are in a strong financial position with some of the lowest debt in the world on a per capita basis Climate change is undeniable, and there will be more extreme weather events, so we need to build back better, safer, and smarter We will need to make some tough choices, and we will get through this We can rebound strongly from Gabrielle, navigate the global inflation pandemic and invest in the skills and innovation needed to power up for the future

Team 2941 B and Team 2941 E made it to the robotics final and can now head to Worlds PHOTO: Sarah Aldridge

Food rescue cranks up

By Matthew Farrell

AKatikati-based food rescue project

is thanking an Ōmokoroa supermarket for taking up their challenge to redirect non-saleable food to those in need in the community

Katikati Taiao is expanding its KaiGo distribution operation, thanks to Fresh Choice operator Steve Ling getting on board in the past month

An example of locally rescued food being put to good use, was more than 300 freezer meals being cooked in the Katikati College technology classroom on 18th February by Kura Kai, including ingredients from KaiGo.

Taiao’s Community Lead Development Manager, Sharaine Steenberg, truly appreciates the efforts of the Fresh Choice team

“Thanks for taking us on and letting us

take your waste off your hands and put it back into the community for groups to distribute This is about a circular economy, ” says Sharaine

They’ve rescued about 200kg of perfectly edible food from going to pigs in the first two weeks with Fresh Choice, which Sharaine says is incredible from a store just starting out with helping the cause - and it’s great to see staff so on board

Grocery manager Sharon Hanson says Fresh Choice is very happy to contribute

“We like to give back to the community Definitely, any people that need help or anyone else that can help out with KaiGo should get in touch with these guys, ” says Sharon

To give or take, contact KaiGo on 022 365 0703 or email hello@katikatitaiao org

Questions about Ōmokoroa policing

Our editor recently wrote the following letter to the Police Minister and Western BoP Area Commander:

“The community where I live has been designated for rapid urban growth by the government, with in-fill housing allowing up to three 3-storey dwellings per residential section

It would likely already be one of the largest centres of population in NZ with no permanent police presence despite a response time of around 20 minutes from Katikati or Tauranga

A number of sworn Police live in the settlement itself, but the crime rate here increasingly draws resources from Katikati or Tauranga

May I ask what is the criteria for a town to have one member of full-time equivalent sworn staff ?

When may a member of sworn staff be planned to be based in Ōmokoroa as the State Highway intersection, new intermediate/high school project, and two private town centre developments get underway?”

The Office of Hon Stuart Nash replies:

The investigation and prosecution of offences are the responsibility of the Commissioner of Police, as stated in part in Section 16 of the Policing Act 2008

The Commissioner must act independently of any Ministers of the Crown in discharging this responsibility This ensures that operational matters within Police remain free of any political influ-

ence or interference

Further, decisions about the allocation of resources are the responsibility of the Commissioner of Police and District Commanders

I have therefore transferred your correspondence to the Minister to the Police National Headquarters for further consideration from Police

Inspector Clifford Paxton replies:

The Bay of Plenty District has received additional staff in recent years based on factors such as expected population growth, including additional staff in Katikati, to support deployment to Ōmokoroa

There are several factors that Police take into account when considering how best to deploy our staff, which includes things like population, geography, and historic and current demand for service

Police operate in a mobile environment, and at any one time, our officers are out across our communities responding to, and helping prevent, crime and anti-social behaviour

While officers may begin their shift out of Tauranga or Katikati, they patrol and cover an area which includes Ōmokoroa

It’s important to remember that the people of Ōmokoroa have 24/7 emergency response coverage, and Police can be contacted in an emergency on 111

Incidents reported after the fact can be done on the 105 phone line or online at www police govt nz/use-105

L-R: Sharaine with a box of produce from Sharon

PHOTO: Matthew Farrell

Making a splash at the dash

By Matthew Farrell

From those in their teens to those in their 70s, waka ama paddlers came from far and wide for the Ōmokoroa Dash last month

Hosted at the Domain by the Tauranga

Moana Outrigger Canoe Club, about 250 representatives from 23 clubs participated

They came from Auckland, Waikato, Hauraki, Rotorua, Tarawera, Taupō, and Gisborne Others from Whangamatā and Whitianga had to cancel due to the

state of the storm-battered roading network

There were six-man crews, doubles and singles ranging from the battlehardened elite to the family and fun side of whānau 5km paddlers

An organiser, Gaylene Macfarlane, says it was wonderful to be back in Ōmokoroa after two years of Covid cancellations

“With this new playground here, it’s so family-friendly, which is great for our whānau-focused event The wind is a challenge today, so for the last race, the spray skirts will be on As conditions

change, so do our safety measures, ” says Gaylene

“We encourage people to come down and watch It’s your backyard Our aim is that when we leave, you wouldn’t know we have been here We will leave it at least as tidy as we find it because we enjoy coming back here every year, ” she says

The festival started off as the Maungatapu Dash, but due to a double booking on the harbour, organisers had to change venue, and it has remained at Ōmokoroa ever since PHOTOS: Matthew Farrell

Waitekohekohe Recreational Park officially opens

By Fiona Powell Katch Katikati

The Waitekohekohe Recreational

Park, located on Thompsons Track, Katikati, officially opens on Saturday 4th March, six years after a concept for a park comprising of horse riding, mountain bike trails, and bush walks was initially proposed.

The park is a Council-owned reserve in the upper hill slope catchments of the Kaimai-Mamaku Forest Park, covering an area of 87 982 hectares and includes an estimated 5km of the main Waitekohe Stream margins

In 2017 the previously leased forestry block returned to Council ownership at the same time as local horse riders were looking for spaces for horse riding

Jacqui Knight, manager of Katch Katikati, called a public meeting to gauge interest in building horse trails in the forestry block “We had about 80 people attend, and half of them were mountain bikers We formed a small committee from this meeting to start making plans,” says Jacqui

These plans were eventually adopted into the Western Bay of Plenty District Council Long Term Plan, which came into effect in 2021 when the funding was also available to start the development of the reserve

The development to date includes five mountain bike tracks, an equestrian area where existing forestry tracks have been cleared, new trails offering about two hours of riding, and a jumping alley and galloping track The mountain bike carpark at 360 Thompsons Track is com-

plete and awaits a toilet and weather shelter, while the equestrian car park at 252 Thompsons Track is finished and includes a toilet, corrals, weather shelter and wash down station

The project, developed in partnership between Katch Katikati and the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, has involved a large and diverse group of locals “Our volunteers have put in hundreds of hours marking out tracks, installing signs, and meeting to discuss plans and management issues,” says Jacqui

Future plans for Waitekohekohe

Recreational Park include building more mountain bike tracks and an additional equestrian track on the Lund Road side through the pines

The feedback for Katikati’s new and exciting development has been extremely positive “There aren’t many horse riding places in the district, and we ’ ve heard people will be travelling from out of town to use the park,” says Jacqui “The mountain bike tracks offer about an hour of riding on exceptionally good tracks ” Dog walkers are also catered for, with many of the reserve tracks available for walkers and dogs under control

Everyone is welcome to the official opening of Waitekohekohe Recreational Park on Saturday 4th March at 10am at 252 Thompsons Track, Katikati – it’s a great opportunity to explore the reserve on foot, check out a swimming hole or ride the mountain bike tracks

For more information about the park visit: www waitekohekohe nz

By Fiona Powell, Katch Katikati

March is Sustainable Backyards month, an event designed to improve our well-being and protect our environment, and several activities and workshops are being held in Katikati

Upcycle your clothes creatively

Don’t throw away your worn or ripped clothes – discover the Japanese art of Sashiko, a form of embroidery where fabric is patched and embellished with stitchery in a Visible Mending Workshop Learn several different methods of artfully mending garments and try some out yourself Friday 3rd March, 2pm4pm at The Arts Junction

Focus on Katikati

Refresh your wardrobe

If you have preloved clothes in good condition that you ’ ve grown tired of, bring them along and swap them at the Frock Swap event for something else that takes your fancy Bring up to five items, including women ’ s clothing, scarves, handbags and shoes, to swap Thursday 23rd March 6 30-8 30pm at The Arts Junction

Main Road, that may inspire you toward a simpler life The documentary focuses on a community in Australia that came together to explore and demonstrate a simpler way to live in response to global crises Thursday 30th March 6 30pm

Waitekohekohe Recreational Park officially opens

riders and horse riders are praising the park as a fabulous asset to our community

Everyone is welcome to the official opening of Waitekohekohe Recreational Park – it’s a great opportunity to explore the reserve on foot, check out a swimming hole or ride the mountain bike tracks

Celebrating the Protectors of our Community

Western Bay Museum’s new exhibition, ‘70 Years of the Katikati Volunteer Fire Brigade’, opens on 5th March and celebrates our local brigade and highlights the range of incidents they attend, from fires, false alarms, road accidents and health calls Food for thought when we hear the siren call

Responding to global crises

The timely movie ‘A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity’ is screening in the boutique theatre at The Arts Junction, 36

L i z a rd Ne ws

07 548 1200

Please call to enquire about our free professional ad design We can support your business with photos, logos or ideas

Katikati’s newest and most exciting development opens on Saturday 4th March at 10am at 252 Thompsons Track The park includes five mountain bike tracks and a separate equestrian area where trails offer about two hours of horse riding Dog walkers are welcome on most tracks, but dogs must be under control Already mountain bike

•

• Refinancing

• Relationship Property

• Wills, Trusts & Powers of Attorney

• Estate Administration Phone: 07 549 4890

Email: admin@klk.nz

Website: www.klk.nz

13 Talisman Drive, Katikati

E-Bike Specialist in Thames since 2015

→ Top Quality e-bikes, ranging from under $2,400 to $15,000+

→ Plus full range of accessories

→ Evinci, Avanti, Cube, Riese und Müller, and more

Lear n, touch, r ide: Test r ides more than welcome.

Waitangi Day

Western Bay Museum in Katikati celebrated Te Rā o Waitangi (Waitangi Day) with a dawn service They began with a karakia and flag-raising at 6am

Tauranga City Council held their Tauranga Moana Waitangi Day Dawn Service at Hopukiore (Mount Drury Reserve) in Mount Maunganui from 6 30am

Mayor James Denyer was there to commemorate the first signing of our country’s founding document: Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Treaty of Waitangi

Apata crash

A fatal crash at Apata closed State Highway 2 on Monday 20th February

Emergency services were notified of a single-vehicle crash at Turner Road just before 11am Diversions were in place at Wainui South Road and Esdaile Road

Sadly, the person died at the scene Enquiries into the circumstances were underway

Omanawa crash

State Highway 29 at Omanawa was blocked after a two-vehicle injury crash on Sunday 12th February

Emergency services attended after being called at about 4 30pm and motorists were advised to avoid the area

Lucky winner

One lucky Ōmokoroa resident has won a prize in the Coastguard’s Summer Lottery 108, taking home $2000 in the Autobuyer Draw Congratulations to the owner of winning ticket number 89799

There are more than 20 prizes The top winner bagged a brand new Isuzu D-Max LS Double Cab Ute and a Haines Hunter SF545 LE with Yamaha 130hp fourstroke outboard and trailer valued at $185,000 Sadly for locals, this was won by a ticket holder in Auckland.

Grants open

2023 Ōmokoroa Community Trust Annual Grant Applications

To all the educational establishments, sports clubs and groups, community groups etc, The Centre is pleased to announce that you will soon be able to apply for a grant from the Ōmokoroa Community Trust for 2023

Application forms and full guidelines for OCT annual grants are available by email from omokoroa centre23@gmail com

Applications open 1st April and close 30th April

Cadet intake open

Calling all environmental and conservation enthusiasts - earn while you learn Bay Conservation Alliance’s next cadet intake is now open for applications Train alongside industry experts, and gain qualifications, certificates, and physical experience to land your dream role in the environmental and conservation sector Our previous cadets have snapped up some pretty cool jobs after their 12 weeks with us, from team leaders in conservation, pest control contracts, conservation dog handlers, and so many more Will you be next?

Intake 8 of our cadet programme, starting in May 2023, is now open for applications and closes on 26th March ; visitbayconservation nz/bay-conservation-cadets to find out more

SH2 works ahead

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises the following works through State Highway 2 (SH2) Waihī to Ōmokoroa during the coming weeks

Weather events, as well as resources and material supply shortages, have made for a challenging start to the year on the Waihī to Ōmokoroa safety improvements project

Over the coming weeks, our crews are going to make the most of the predicted weather, and this will see a lot of activity that will impact traffic flows, particularly south of Katikati

Our teams will be doing their best to maintain two-way traffic flow whenever they can, but there will be occasions when Stop/Go traffic management is required

There will be big days coming up for slip repairs to clean up and shape the

new slope on SH2 opposite Sargent Drive A long-reach excavator will be used to do this work This is too dangerous to be done at night and will require two days of 9am-4pm Stop/Go traffic management (Tuesday 28th February and Wednesday 1st March), and a lane shift for around three weeks

There will be night-time Stop/Go at Rea Road / Tetley Road roundabout and Morton Road roundabout on Tuesday 28th February, and again from Monday 6th March to Friday 17th March

Along with safety improvements, our maintenance contractor will also be making the most of the weather and undertaking resealing along SH2 south of Katikati This work will take place overnight between the hours of 7pm and 6am, Sunday to Thursday nights

Reseal sites south of Katikati PHOTOS: Supplied

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY – WEEKLY EVENTS

Here are some of the groups and activities which happen regularly in the area. If you have a regular group you’d like to add to the list, please email liz@lizardnews.net or call 548

This is presented as a guide We recommend you check with organisers beforehand

The Old Library Ōmokoroa (TOLO), McDonnell Street 10am-4pm Tuesday-Sunday

Local history, community information and art for sale Contact Alison on 021 294 9294

Dave Hume swimming pool in Katikati is open for the summer season Check times/sessions at www davehumepoolkk com or contact 549 1069

MONDAYS

Homewood Park Tennis Club 9am start

30A Park Road, Katikati New members

welcome Email katikati tennis@outlook com

Ōmokoroa Playcentre Behind Ōmokoroa

Settlers’ Hall 9am-12 30pm

omokoroa@playcentre org nz

Pilates Ōmokoroa Sports Pavilion 9 15-

10 15am Contact Claudia 021 192 7706

Katikati Bowling Club Combined Roll Up

9 30am Names in before 9 15am 2x4x2

format Coaching available 8 Park Road, Katikati 07 549 0103

Fitness Fun Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall 9 30-

10 30am Contact Gloria on 021 139 2448

Scrabble at both Ōmokoroa Library and Pātuki

Manawa 10am Refreshments provided Free

Postnatal Support Group 10am-12pm

Bethlehem Birthing Centre All parents and caregivers of children under two are welcome

Starts back 10th Feb Phone 549 4522

Keep On Your Feet Strength and balance classes for older adults 11am-noon Ōmokoroa

Settlers Hall Sharnie 021 1118617

Western Bay Museum Guided Tour 11am

WBOP residents and ratepayers FREE 32 Main

Rd, Katikati Ph 07 549 0651

Justice of the Peace clinic 11am-1pm at Waihī Library, 40 Rosemont Street

Ōmokoroa Indoor Bowls 1pm for 1 30pm

play Ōmokoroa Settler’s Hall Contact Ruth

Hamilton 571 1564

Bolivia Katikati Christian Centre, Henry Road

1-4pm Some knowledge of canasta useful but not essential Contact Christine Sherriff 549 5601 or 027 434 9842

Movie Matinee 1 30pm at the Arts Junction,

Katikati Tickets $10 Limited seats 549 5250

Bridge Club Ōmokoroa Sports Pavilion

afternoons Call Lyn Chaston 022 165 0820

omokoroabridgeinvs@gmail com

Yoga for Men 5 15-6 30 pm Katikati

Community Centre Call Gerry 021 050 8419

IGIRLZ Fun adventure and learning for girls

8 - 11 6-7 30pm Ōmokoroa Community Church

Hall Call 548 2515

Yoga Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 6-8pm Contact

Mollie 021 177 8018

Pilates Mat class Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall

6-7pm Contact Nicole 022 409 7109

Table Tennis Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall Seniors

(18+) 7-9pm $3 per single, $5 per couple Inc

supper White-sole shoes preferred Call Bruce Lauchlan on 548 1741

Social indoor netball term time at 6pm Apata

Community Hall - Pahoia School Ages 11+

$5 per night Beginners welcome Contact Kirsten 022 535 1530

ITF Taekwon-do at Te Puna School Hall

6-7 30pm Self defence self confidence fitness

First 2 weeks free George 022 437 4403

Cards 500 7pm at Ōmokoroa Bowling Club

$3 incl tea and biscuits Prizes/raffles monthly

Carpooling from Katikati available Call Lorraine Taylor on 548 1404

Indoor Bowls 7pm at Waihī Beach RSA

Contact Grant on 027 475 0556

TUESDAYS

Social Tennis Waihī Beach Tennis Club 8 30/

9 am start All year Casual & new players welcome Call Kevin 027 273 5655

Te Puna Quarry Park clearing, planting and weed control from 8am and from 1 30pm

Contact Shirley on 552 2707

Ōmokoroa Playcentre Behind Ōmokoroa

Settlers’ Hall 9am-noon

omokoroa@playcentre org nz

Te Puna Playcentre 9am-1pm term times only

225 Te Puna Road te puna@playcentre org nz

Te Puna Tennis Club casual tennis 9am start

Casual and new players welcome Contact Catherine tptennisclub@gmail com or 021 506 855

Mainly Music Ōmokoroa Pavilion 9 30am in term times $4 per family Tamryn on 576 5387

Pahoia Creative Fibre Ōmokoroa Settlers’

Hall 1st 3rd and 5th Tuesdays at 10am Learn to spin, weave, felt, knit, crochet and more Call Alison 022 0849 348

Tai Chi 9 30-10 30am Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall

Contact Marilyn on 027 630 4063 or Anne 548

0763

Keep on your Feet strength & balance for older adults 10 15-11 15am Catholic Church Hall, 89 Beach Road, Katikati Sharnie 021 111

8617

Justice of the Peace clinic at Waihī Beach

Library 11am-noon

Waihī Beach Bowls at Memorial RSA Bowling Club Roll-up names in by 12 30 for 1 o ’clock

start All welcome Bowls and coaching available Contact 021 0220 4040, 027 863 1349, waihibeachbowls@gmail com

Ōmokoroa Bowling Club 12 30 to 4pm

30 Hamurana Road Beginners and visitors

welcome $5 Ph 021 255 6415

Mahjong Circle 1pm at the Ōmokoroa Sports Pavilion, Western Avenue Call Denise on 548 1385 or Margaret 548 2126

Wise & Wonderful Arts & crafts, games and afternoon tea for seniors Pick up and drop off available in Katikati area 1 30-3pm at Katikati

Community Centre Gold coin Contact 549 0399 or info@katikaticommunity nz

Teen Advisory Board Plan promote and implement programs and events for teens

Year 7 to 13 students 3 30-4 30pm during the school term at Pātuki Manawa Gentle Yoga at Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall

4–5 30pm One free trial class Contact: Karin 548 1787 or baysyoga@xtra co nz

Ōmokoroa Tennis Club 6-8pm Contact Sharon Parker on 027 261 9517

Ōmokoroa Indoor Bowls 6 30pm for 7pm play Ōmokoroa Settler’s Hall Contact Ruth Hamilton 571 1564

Katikati Toy Library 6 30pm-8pm at the back of the Christian Centre on Henry Rd Katikati

FB: ‘Katikati Toy Library’ text 027 551 5589 or E: katikatitoylibrary@gmail com

Whakamārama Hall regular events

Library

Thursdays 9am – noon (during term) and every third Friday 6-8 30pm Visit whakalibrary librarika com to see our great range of books A real eclectic mix!

PrESCHOOL PLayGrOUP

Thursdays 9 30-noon (during term time) This is a friendly free group with a fantastic range of toys and great indoor and outdoor spaces Email Dayna on daynarowe83@hotmail com for more information

TWiF

Thank Whakamārama It s Friday takes place every 3rd Friday of the month from 68 30pm Everyone is welcome Bring your dinner your family and a bottle or two and enjoy a gathering with neighbours and friends

Find out what s going on in the community and meet fellow Whakamārama locals

WHakamārama EmaiLS

Community news including lost and found animals, items for sale, excess fruit and vegetables and rentals wanted To receive these email Carolyn at rossroad@eol co nz

HaLL bOOkiNGS

Whakamārama Hall bookings are now available online To check availability and to make bookings head to spacetoco com

Keyword Whakamārama Community Centre

WEDNESDAYS

Katikati Coffin Club 78a Prestidge Road (off Morton Road) 8 30am-noon $10 lifetime

membership Contact John Russell afactor@xtra co nz or 027 281 7629

Kaimai Ramblers day tramp Good standard of fitness required, boots recommended Call Lisa 021 044 6449, or Kevin 021 0200 6306

Homewood Park Tennis Club 9am start 30A Park Road Katikati New members

welcome Phone Cushla 027 414 2587

Pilates Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall 9 15-10 15

Contact Claudia 021 192 7706

Community Tai Chi Waihī Beach RSA 9 30am during school terms Contact Trish 021 482 842 Knit & Natter at both Ōmokoroa Library and Pātuki Manawa, Katikati 10am Free

Stepping Up free computer classes at Katikati Library Wednesdays/Thursdays Book on 571 8008 or www steppingup nz

Fitness League exercise, movement, dance, for posture, strengthening & stretching All ages & abilities 10am Memorial Hall Katikati Phone Pam 549 4799

Ōmokoroa Artists Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall

10 45am-3 30pm $5 Contact Jill 021 408 660 or Facebook page: Ōmokoroa Artists

Adults Dance & Move 12 30pm St Peter’s Church, Beach Road, Katikati Many styles of fun dance Contact Gaye on 577 1753 or 027 274 8753 gayehemsley@gmail com

Katikati Toy Library 2 30pm-4pm at the back of the Christian Centre on Henry Rd, Katikati

FB: ‘Katikati Toy Library’, text 027 551 5589 or E: katikatitoylibrary@gmail com

Grow On Seedlings Club Katikati Community Centre 3-4pm 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of month, term time Intro to gardening for children aged 6-10 years Call Janet 021 0236 7038

Western Bay Museum Guided Tour 2pm WBOP residents and ratepayers FREE 32 Main Rd, Katikati Ph 07 549 0651

Ōmokoroa Athletics Club 4 15–5pm (3–6 years) and 5 15- 6 45pm (7–14 years) at Western Ave Sports Grounds

Wrestling Katikati Primary age 5 30-6 30pm, College age/seniors 6 30pm-8pm Bring a drink bottle A&P Hall, Major Street Text Ross 027 256 4470

Help bring back our native birds

Join

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY – WEEKLY EVENTS

Here are some of the groups and activities which happen regularly in the area. If you have a regular group you’d like to add to the list, please email liz@lizardnews.net or call

Twilight tennis at Te Puna Tennis Club 6pm

start Contact Catherine 021 506 855 or tptennisclub@gmail com

Pilates Mat class Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall 67pm Contact Nicole 022 409 7109

Ōmokoroa Tennis Club 6-8pm Contact

Sharon Parker on 027 261 9517

Yoga Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 7-8pm Contact

Sarah 021 022 19892

Quiz Night Waihī Beach Hotel, 60 Wilson Road 7-9 30pm

Casual Soccer at 7 15pm at Western Ave

Sports Grounds bottom field Over 12 years

old Call Hamish on 552 6427

THURSDAYS

Katikati drop-in Community Breakfasts

7 30-8 30am Baptist Church 2 Wedgewood St Free entry All welcome Pick Up/Drop Off Service and shower facilities available 549

0399

Pickleball at Waihī Beach Community Centre

9 30-11am Bats, balls, courts and nets provided $3 per session Call Phil on 021 624 908

Ōmokoroa Playcentre Behind Ōmokoroa

Settlers Hall 9am-noon

omokoroa@playcentre org nz

Tai Chi 9 30-11 00am Te Puna Memorial Hall

Contact David 027 222 2824

Tai Chi 9 30-10 30am Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall

Contact Marilyn on 027 630 4063 or Anne 548

0763

Katikati Embroidery Group 10am St Pius Church Beach Road Katikati Call Edna 027 474 9946

Tai Chi for beginners Sports Pavillion, Western Ave, Ōmokoroa 10-11am Call Sabine 021 1388770 or tetzlaffsabine@gmail com

Preschool Storytime ‘Read Sing Move’ at 10am at Katikati Library Caregivers, please stay with your children Free to attend

Ōmokoroa Community Garden working bee

10-noon Hamurana Road, south entrance to Ōmokoroa Point School Weather permitting

Diabetes NZ Drop-in group 10-noon 177a

Fraser Street, Tauranga 571 3422

tauranga@diabetes org nz

Justice of the Peace clinic 10am-12pm at Ōmokoroa Library & Service Centre

Western Bay Museum Guided Tour 11am

WBOP residents and ratepayers FREE 32 Main Rd, Katikati Ph 07 549 0651

Pilates Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall 11 30am12 30pm Contact Claudia 021 192 7706

Rummikub at Katikati Bowling Club 8 Park Rd, Katikati 1pm start, $3 per person

Te Puna Quarry Park clearing, planting and weed control 1-4pm Contact Shirley 552 2707

Line Dancing Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall

Beginners 1-3pm Call Joce 021 486 265

Brick Club Afterschool LEGO sessions in Ōmokoroa Library 2 45-4 45pm

ITF Taekwon-do classes at Te Puna School Hall 6-7 30pm Self defence, self confidence, fitness First 2 weeks free George 022 437

4403

Ōmokoroa Songsters Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall, term time from 7-8:30pm Contact Jan Murray 027 286 1552, Alison Badger 548 1544

Katikati Concert Band 7-9pm, Katikati

Bowling Club We welcome all ages and experience Contact Eryl 021 404 163

Bridge Club Ōmokoroa Sports Pavilion in the evening Call Lyn Chaston 022 165 0820 omokoroabridgeinvs@gmail com

Katikati Toastmasters Club Communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater selfconfidence and personal growth 7 30pm on 1st, 3rd and 5th Thursdays at Community Centre, Beach Road Contact 544 5989

FRIDAYS

Social Tennis Waihī Beach Tennis Club 8 30/9 am start All year Casual & new players welcome Call Kevin 027 273 5565

Friends of the Blade direct message the Facebook: Friends of the Blade or email noelenetaylor57@gmail com

Ladies Singles Tennis 9am at Ōmokoroa Tennis Club Western Ave Ōmokoroa Enjoy some competitive but fun games Line Dancing Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall General session 9am-noon Call Shirley on 548 1633 Ōmokoroa Playcentre Behind Ōmokoroa

Settlers’ Hall 9am-12 30pm

omokoroa@playcentre org nz

Preschool Storytime ‘Read Sing Move at 10am at Ōmokoroa Library Caregivers please stay with your children Free to attend

Justice of the Peace clinic 10am-noon

Bethlehem Community Church 138 Moffat

Road

Justice of the Peace clinic 10am-noon Katikati

Community Centre, 45 Beach Road

Ōmokoroa Friendship Club Ōmokoroa

Community Church Hall 10am-12 15pm for $4

Morning tea and lunch provided Drop in or call

Lorraine Taylor 548 1404

Ōmokoroa Singles over 60s meet for friendship, coffee, outings, etc

Email omokoroa senior singles@gmail com or phone 021 627 107

Waihī Beach Bowls at Memorial RSA Bowling

Club Roll-up, names in by 12 30 for 1 o clock start All welcome Bowls and coaching

available Contact 021 0220 4040, 027 863

1349, waihibeachbowls@gmail com

Bolivia Cards Ōmokoroa Bowling Club

12 45pm Contact Janet on janetandwillie@kinect co nz or Linley on 218

7003

Katikati Senior Citizens Indoor Bowls

12 45pm at Katikati Memorial Hall Contact

Chris 549 0958

Cards 500 at Katikati Bowling Club 8 Park Rd

Katikati 1-4pm $2 per person

Katikati Bowling Club Combined Roll Up

2 00pm Names in before 1 45pm Coaching available Social club day activities to follow 8 Park Road, Katikati 07 549 0103

Katikati Plant & Produce Market A&P

Showgrounds 3 30-5 30pm Contact Pauline Van Rijen 549 2449

SATURDAYS

Junior Tennis Coaching at Ōmokoroa Tennis Club Members and Non-members welcome

Visit omokoroatennis com for information and to book

Katikati Toy Library 9-10am at the back of the Christian Centre on Henry Rd, Katikati FB:

‘Katikati Toy Library’, text 027 551 5589 or E: katikatitoylibrary@gmail com

Friends of Cooney Reserve 9am Bring sturdy footwear and gloves and tools if you wish

Contact Chris Cole (text only) 0274 545 586

Grow On Katikati 9 30-10 30 Pick up/drop off seeds and seedlings for community food resiliency Next to Katikati Community Centre growonkatikati@gmail com

Ōmokoroa Toy Library 9 30-11am behind the Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall omokoroatoylibrary@gmail com

Ōmokoroa Community Garden working bee

10-noon Hamurana Road south entrance to Ōmokoroa Point School Weather permitting Western Bay Museum Guided Tour Noon WBOP residents and ratepayers FREE 32 Main Rd, Katikati Ph 07 549 0651

Ōmokoroa Bowling Club 12 30 to 4pm 30 Hamurana Road Beginners and visitors welcome $5 Ph 021 255 6415

Homewood Park Tennis Club 1pm start 30A Park Road, Katikati New members welcome Phone Michael 027 473 1540

Katikati Bowling Club Combined Roll-up

2 00pm Names in before 1 45pm Coaching available Social club day activities to follow 8 Park Rd, Katikati 07 549 0103

Boomerang Bags Katikati Sew reusable fabric community shopping bags Txt Robyn on 021 158 4038 to join or donate fabric Every other Saturday from 9th April at Katikati College Fabric Tech Room from 1pm Masks required Ōmokoroa Tennis Club 2-4pm Contact Sharon Parker on 027 261 9517

SUNDAYS

Athenree Homestead 360 Athenree

March is Sustainable Backyards month Visit envirohub org nz for ideas and events

Year-round swimming in Ōmokoroa interest you? Contact Russell on 021 153 0767 or mothcork@gmail com for more information You are welcome to join us and swim for health and well-being

Different Strokes Exhibition at Waihī Arts

Centre & Museum, 54 Kenny Street Runs to 20th March Featuring Naomi Wheeler and Sheryl White and guests

Wed 1st Aongatete Forest Project working bee Top of Wright Road 9am-12 30pm 1st and 3rd Wednesday morning of the month Visit aongateteforest org/join

Wed 1st Kati Chat Discover what Katikati has to offer you and learn more about local organisations All welcome Morning tea provided 10am-11am at The Arts Junction 36 Main Road Katikati

Wed 1st Waihī Beach FOCUS Group 10am at Waihī Beach RSA Interesting speakers interesting conversation and of course interesting people Every 1st Wednesday

Thu 2rd Business Breakfast 7am-8am at Pātuki Manawa Guest Speaker: Charli Crocker; Emergency Management RSVP to info@KatchKatikati org nz

Thu 2nd Ōmokoroa Peninsula Club 1st Thursday of the month, 9 30am, Ōmokoroa Community Church (excl Dec/Jan) Contact Geoff Gripton 548 1027 or Fred Hartley 548 1939

Fri 3rd Family Planning appointments 10-1pm and drop-in 1 30-4pm To book call 578 8539 Katikati Midwives Rooms 14 Jocelyn Street, Katikati Every 2nd Friday See familyplanning org nz

Fri 3rd Visible Mending 2-4pm at The Arts Junction, Katikati $19 Tickets from TheArtsJunction org nz or at the venue

Sat 4th Car Boot Sale Katikati A&P Showgrounds 8-11am $10 or $15 with trailer Contact Carole on 027 457 9686 or abbeyfieldwbop chair@gmail com An Abbeyfield fundraiser on the 1st Saturday until April

Sat 4th Grow On Katikati Crop Swap Swap excess produce seeds seedlings preserves jams baking etc 1st Saturday of the month Garden shed beside Katikati Community Centre on Beach Rd 9 30-10 30am Call Jizzy on 549 2337 or Marie on 07 9297906

Sat 4th Waitekohekohe Recreational Park official opening 10am at 252 Thompson’s Track Biking, swimming, walking, riding info@katchkatikati org nz

Sat 4th GreenNZPeace Sustainable Backyard Tour with Mike & Jizzy Green 3-4 30pm at 9b Park Road, Katikati $5pp Please text your name, email and numbers to 021 02651274

Sun 5th Ōmokoroa Boat Club Kids’ Fishing Competition 6am-4pm Tauranga Harbour Only Up to 14 years OBC members $10 entry, nonmembers $30 Includes kids’ meal and goody bag Register at the bar

Sun 5th Haiku Hīkoi Guided walk of Haiku Park and Uretara Reserve 10am-noon Meet at Haiku Park carpark Includes ice-creams and spot prizes

Sun 5th Plant Sale Te Puna Quarry Park 10am1pm Garden and indoor plants, preserves, crafts and tools and more

Sun 5th Katikati Folk Open Mic 5pm every 1st Sunday of the month Blackboard (open mic) session at Forta Leza, 2656 Main Highway, Aongatete

Mon 6th U3A Art Group 10am-noon every 1st and 3rd Monday at Waihī Bowling Club $2 Bring your own materials Contact Jose Jebb 027 457 0242

Mon 6th Bethlehem/Te Puna Lions Club at Te Puna Community Centre Hall, Tangitū Road 1st and 3rd Monday evenings from 6 00pm Contact Colin 576 9110

Tue 7th Census Day.

Tue 7th Book Buzz Come and share your favourite reads with other book lovers 10am on the 1st Tuesday at Pātuki Manawa

Wed 8th U3A Katikati monthly meeting 10amnoon in the Digital Hub next to the Library on 2nd Wednesday each month Guest speaker Paula Gaelic, Western Bay Museum Call Pam Mazoyer 021 104 2925

Wed 8th Ōmokoroa & Districts Lions Club 6pm at Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall on the 2nd Wednesday of the month Contact Keith and Rosemary Searle on 548 2117

Wed 8th Katikati Herb Society Every 2nd Wednesday at 7pm at St Paul’s church Contact Fiona 022 684 5178

Thu 9th Business Breakfast 7am-8am at Pātuki Manawa, Katikati All welcome Ph 549 5250

Thu 9th Friends of Puketoki Trapping/checking every 2nd Thursday Meet at Leyland Road carpark Call John Budden 548 1180 or Terry Edwards 552 6222

Thu 9th Ōmokoroa Business Network meeting 9am on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month Details available at omokoroabusinessnetwork@gmail com

Thu 9th Katikati Genealogy Group 2nd Thursday, Presbyterian Church Hall, 1 Mulgan Street at 1 30pm $5 New members welcome Contact Jeanette 027 348 3259

Fri 10th Outdoor Yoga at the park at The Arts Junction 10am-10 45am Free event All welcome Ph 549 1658

Fri 10th Bethlehem Night Market every 2nd

Friday from 5 30-8 30pm at Bethlehem Hall Facebook: cnmbethlehem or contact Jen on 021 672 281 cnmbethlehem@gmail com

Sat 11th Katikati Tramping Club Rapurapu Kauri Track An easy walk with a few stream crossings Phone Keith 0275 675 259

Sat 11th Katikati Fabric & Craft Destash Market 9am-noon at Pātuki Manawa

Sat 11th Katikati Moggies Market Second Saturday each month 9am to 12pm Katikati Memorial Hall Your local monthly market Support local, buy local E: moggiesmarket21@gmail com

Sat 11th Patchwork Quilting at Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 9am-4 30pm second Saturday each month Contact Christine 027 280 1344

DIARY – MARCH

Sat 11th Pahoia Tryathlon Ōmokoroa Domain from 9am All 5-13 years olds welcome Includes event t-shirt, goody bag, wrist band, medals and spot prizes Book via pahoia school nz

Sat 11th Shoe art workshop 6 30-8 30pm, $20 at The Arts Junction Bring your own white canvas shoes Drink and snack provided Tickets from the information centre

Mon 13th Te Puna Indoor Bowls Te Puna Memorial Hall at 6 45 pm for a 7-9 pm evening of social games and coaching if you wish 2nd Monday of the month First two months free Contact Jo Gravit 027 552 6063

Tue 14th Ōmokoroa Photography Club Ōmokoroa Sports Pavilion Social Room All levels welcome 7-9pm on 2nd Tuesday of the month omokoroaphotoclub@gmail com

Tue 14th Katikati Creative Fibre 7pm on 2nd Tuesday of the month at St Paul’s Mulgan Street $5 Email marparmail@gmail com

Wed 15th Aongatete Forest Project working bee Top of Wright Road 9am-12 30pm 1st and 3rd Wednesday morning of the month Visit aongateteforest org/join

Wed 15th Business After Five 5 15pm A different location on the 3rd Wednesday each month, 5 15-6 30pm RSVP to 549 5250 to check venue All welcome

Thu 16th Genealogy support Help with research into family history and DNA searches

Ōmokoroa Library, 3rd Thursdays 10am One-onone help available at other times Contact Lyn on 027 259 6643 or lynevaughan@gmail com

Thu 16th Fun Mixed Doubles Ōmokoroa Tennis Club Western Ave Third Thursday of the month from 5 30-7 30pm

Thu 16th Café Scientifique at The Arts Junction, 36 Main Road Katikati 7pm Free event

All welcome

Fri 17th Thank Whakamārama It’s Friday 3rd Friday of the month from 6-9 pm All welcome Bring your dinner and meet the community Whakamārama Hall

Fri 17th - Sun 19th Equinox Retreat Harnessing the Power of Life & Death with Meghan Don Meditation, beach Qigong, chant and ritual From 7 30pm Waihī Beach www MeghanDon Life

Sat 18th Katikati Artisan Market 9am-1pm Chrome Cafe 3 Wharawhara Road Katikati 3rd Saturday of the month

Sun 19th Sunday Scribblers Working on memoirs Fun writing exercises to warm up 3rd Sunday of each month 11am-12 30pm Chrome Cafe, 3 Wharawhara Road, Katikati Contact Gaye on gayehemsley@gmail com or 027 274 8753

Sun 19th Katikati Folk Club Jam sessions 5pm 3rd Sunday of the month Informal jam sessions at Forta Leza, 2656 SH2, Aongatete

Sun 19th Friendship Force Ōmokoroa Setters Hall 3rd Sunday evening of the month Ph Jonathan on 572 2091

Mon 20th U3A Art Group 10am-noon every 1st and 3rd Monday at Waihī Bowling Club $2 Bring your own materials Contact Jose Jebb 027 457 0242

Mon 20th Bethlehem/Te Puna Lions Club at Te Puna Community Centre Hall Tangitū Road Te Puna (Behind the Tennis Courts) 1st and 3rd

Monday evenings from 6pm Contact Colin 576 9110

Tue 21st Book Buzz Share your favourite reads with other book lovers 10am every 3rd Tuesday at Ōmokoroa Library

Tue 21st Innovation Garden Club 1 30-3pm every 3rd Tuesday Waihī Beach RSA Contact 027 289 7674 or innovationgardenclub@gmail com

Thu 23rd Ōmokoroa Business Network meeting 9am on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month Details available at omokoroabusinessnetwork@gmail com

Thu 23rd Probus Club of Ōmokoroa 9 3011 30am at Ōmokoroa Setters’ Hall every 4th Thursday of the month Contact Wavyne 548 1233 or Jean 548 2239

Thu 23rd Frock Swap at The Arts Junction, Katikati 6 30-8 30pm Bring up to five items of quality, clean women ’ s clothing, scarves, handbags and shoes to swap with whatever takes your fancy Entry by donation Ph 549 1658

Fri 24th On Point Coffee Club Coffee and a chat every 4th Friday of the month at 1 30pm at the Ōmokoroa Boat club Contact Lorraine Barnes on 548 2351 Everyone welcome

Fri 24th Tattletale Saints at Katikati Folk Club 7pm for 7 30 start katikatifolkclub co nz

Sat 25th Repair Cafe makers, fixers and tinkerers working to divert broken items from landfill 8 30am-noon the last Saturday of the month repaircafe@tinkd nz 148 Durham Street, Tauranga

Sat 25th Katikati Lions Garage Sale 9am-noon at the containers behind Caltex, Main Rd Indoor & outdoor furniture, tools & more 4th Saturday Call David 027 549 0168

Sat 25th Ōmokoroa Markets 9am to noon Last Saturday each month except Dec Crafts, art, produce, bbq, plants, car boot and much more E: omokoroamarket@gmail com

Sat 25th Death Cafe 9 15am at Ōmokoroa Boat Club We talk openly about death and dying, how we experience end of life and the fear, grief and questions that come with it Contact Carol 021 878 730

Sat 25th Waipuna Hospice Superhero fun walk Coronation Park, Mount Maunganui to celebrate the end of the superhero challenge Visit 2023-superhero-challenge raisely com

Sun 26th Katikati Tramping Club Wentworth Falls A moderate 7 hour walk from east to west through the hills Phone Laraine 021 0737 084

Sun 26th Pest Trap Library at the container next to Whakamārama Hall 3-5pm Last Sunday of the month

Tue 28th Green Drinks Katikati at The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati 5pm Free event All welcome

Thu 30th Movie: A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity at The Arts Junction, Katikati, 6 30pm Entry by donation A community in Australia that came together to explore and demonstrate a simpler way to live in response to global crises Ph 549 1658

Slotcar Club Ōmokoroa to race club class saloons Controllers and cars will be provided for all drivers Contact Steve Wall on 021 163 2055 for dates/times

“Worst display of behaviour” as councillors clash over town centre funding

By Alisha Evans Local Democracy Reporter alisha@thesun co nz

Western Bay of Plenty councillors have quarrelled over how to allocate the district’s town centre development fund

The disagreements emerged at the recent Western Bay of Plenty District Council Project and Monitoring Committee meeting

Committee chair Don Thwaites said it was the “worst display of behaviour by a bunch of councillors elected to govern a $150m budget”

“Everyone suddenly turned on their own little patch and what they got out of it, which I think is not good,” he said

The councillors were trying to decide how to allocate the $226,160 fund between the four town centres of Te Puke, Waihī Beach, Katikati and Ōmokoroa

Each property in the district pays $10 towards the fund as part of their uniform annual general charge in their rates

The fund was started 16 years ago, and previously each town would receive the full amount for a four-year period to enable town centre development and upgrades

Councillors were asked how to reallocate the fund now the four-year cycles have ended, but they couldn’t agree after 50 minutes of discussion

Some of the councillors argued it wasn’t fair that all properties paid the rate, but not everyone used the town centres

Councillor Rodney Joyce said the fund was a “poorly targeted system”.

“People from Te Puna don’t look to Ōmokoroa to go shopping The people at the Kaimais don’t get anything from this; Maketū gets nothing from this ”

Deputy mayor John Scrimgeour, councillors Allan Sole and Grant Dally agreed not everyone benefited from the rate Scrimgeour said, “If you take Te Puke people, like myself, our $10 gets spread all around the district and doesn’t go to the town that I support and value I still don’t think it’s fair”

Dally said consideration needed to be given to the smaller centres like Maketū and Paengaroa

Joyce moved to stop collecting the fund and not spend the money that had already been collected for the 2022/23 financial year

“We know it’s not a good system, and we want to change it, but we ’ re going to spend the money anyway How is that good governance?” questioned Joyce

He was supported by councillor Mar-

garet Murray-Benge

“If this money can save our ratepayers in any way this term, I think it’s important that we do so ”

Denyer spoke against stopping the payment, labelling it “making rating decisions on the hoof ”

“Community boards will be ropable if they think you ’ re accumulating this money and then suddenly we take it away This is just bad decision-making ”

Joyce’s motion was voted down

Thwaites moved Council to allocate the funding proportionally as proposed by the council staff as a “one-off ” and then refer the fund to the long-term plan for review next year

The staff recommended the fund be allocated proportionally based on the number of properties in each of the four community board areas

Waihī Beach would receive $50,037, Katikati $74,172, Ōmokoroa $37,133 and Te Puke $64,818

Mayor James Denyer supported Thwaite’s motion “It’s the best thing to

do for now, and I look forward to a discussion over the next year or so about how we might tweak this [and] change it,” he said

Sole spoke against it: “I feel we ’ ve lost the whole principle of what this is designed for”

“It’s designed to help the communities develop better communities To give them a decent dollop of money so they could do something with it

“Now $50,000, for instance, barely buys you a motor car these days, and that’s what we ’ re going to get into Waihī Beach “I just feel that Waihī Beach gets the dirty end of a stick again ”

Councillor Murray Grainger was also against the motion “I feel it’s adhockery, numbers just plucked out of the air, and it has no relevance

“We need to think about we ’ ve rated this money for town centre development, and those numbers are not going to develop anything anywhere of significance for anybody ”

Thwaites acknowledged the motion wasn’t “perfect”

He said he proposed the one-off allocation to move the council forward in the hope it would be a five-minute exercise

“It’s turned into a lot bigger than that ”

The motion was voted down, and the issue would now be raised at a future meeting Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

Contact Nicole: hello@mindyourmovement co nz 022 409 7109

Reformer Pilates Ōmokoroa

Councillor Rodney Joyce wanted to stop collecting the rate PHOTOS: John Borren/Sun Media

Councillor Don Thwaites hoped the allocation discussion would be a five-minute exercise

Ōmokoroa Community Board

By Peter Presland Chairperson

First up, let me introduce myself

I have lived on the peninsula for the past 14 years, and declare it the best place I have lived I still recall the first day I was here visiting my in-laws, and there at the wharf, the kids were jumping off the wharf, having good old-fashioned fun I turned to my wife and said we need to bring our boys up right here We went back south, sorted our lives and relocated a year later to Ōmokoroa

I’m not sure what time you need to put in to be a ‘local’, but I have always been happy to put in coaching sports, contributing to the running of our sporting clubs, and being a trustee at our wonderful Point School The past six years, I have been on our Ōmokoroa Community Board, now embarking on my third term, this time as Chair of the Ōmokoroa Community Board

In all of the groups I have been involved in, my guiding star is asking the question of myself ‘how will this make Ōmokoroa a better place to live?’, recently I have found myself challenged as to how to answer unequivocally

Recent criminal events in our community and various levels of offending both to people and property needs to be addressed by all of us, with our Community Board front and centre Assaults of the grievous nature that occurred at our Skatepark were unimaginable only a matter of years ago If we choose to, we can console ourselves with the fact this behaviour is commonplace nationwide There is a concept called ‘broken win-

dows’ narrative goes [figuratively] if we walk past a broken window, then we start to accept it, then we fail to notice two maybe three broken windows, we just adjust to accepting it I say we all stop walking past, leaving it to someone else

As Chair of the Board for our community, I will be taking a personal interest in all steps we can take to discourage criminal activity and support our community to take a stand I expect Council to be nimble in supporting whatever steps are available that demonstrate to

WANTED: BAR STAFF

Omokoroa Boat Club is looking for friendly, energetic and customer-focused individuals to join our team As a casual or part-time bar staff member, you will be responsible for providing excellent customer ser vice, preparing and ser ving drinks, and ensuring a clean and tidy bar

May include evenings, weekends and public holidays 18+ only

For more info, or to send a CV and cover letter, email barmanager@omokoroaboatclub co nz

our community Ōmokoroa will be a better place to live

I know our community is behind this sentiment big time Weather events have proven the old value of knowing and gathering around your neighbours and supporting each other So know your neighbours, and keep an eye out for anything suspicious in your surroundings Report dangerous behaviours to the Police

Speaking of Police, our Community Board is looking to create a case to have a permanent Police Station in Ōmokoroa

To that end, we will look to liaise, and work with all groups who are likeminded, so watch this space as we work hard to bring together our community to aid this common ground

My tenure as Chair will be to have discourse on how we maintain the Ōmokoroa I fell in love with, and how it continues to be the best place I have lived Standby!

peter presland@westernbay govt nz

Apata Have a Go Try-Athlon

The Apata Have a Go Try-Athlon has been hosted by Pahoia School for more than ten years, giving kids aged between 5 and 13 the opportunity to participate in a triathlon event

It’s $30 for early bird registration ($35 on the day) and every competitor receives a Have a Go Try-Athlon t-shirt, wrist band and goodie bag

There will also be the opportunity to win some excellent spot prizes, including a child’s bike kindly donated by My Ride Tauranga

The first five competitors across the line in each age group also get a medal

There will be food and drinks for sale on the day, so come and join us for this great family day at the Ōmokoroa Domain on Saturday 11th March

For more information and to register, visit our school website www pahoia school nz and click the Triathlon button at the top right

L-R: Cr Murray Grainger, Greig Neilson, Peter Presland, Allan Hughes, Ben Bell and Cr Don Thwaites

How Police respond to youth crime

By Matthew Farrell

There can be a perception from some that young offenders “get away ” with verbal reprimands for misdemeanours and face little consequence But sometimes, youths are trespassed from locations, for example We often read in Police reports that young offenders have been referred to Youth Aid Senior Constable Tāwhai Schuster answers our questions

How does the Youth Aid system work?

How serious a matter is a Youth Aid referral?

Matters involving youth that are referred to Youth Aid Services deal with care and protection issues involving a child or young person or offending involving a child or young person

A child is a person under the age of 14yrs A young person is 14yrs plus and under 18yrs old

In a youth offending case, this means that frontline staff, that deal with youth who are offending or suspected of offending, prepare the evidence and circumstances around the offence committed

Whether they are a child or young person, they are referred to Youth Aid Services depending on the scale of their offending (number, nature and magnitude) Youth Aid can make a referral for a Family Group Conference (FGC) under Section 14 (1) (e) (under 14yrs old) or 247 (b) (14 yrs and over) of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989

Serious offending is referred to Oranga Tamariki under Section 247b of the OT Act 1989 where a Family Group Confer-

ence is held and is an opportunity for victims to have a voice as to how the behaviour/offence committed has affected them This process can be then processed through to the Youth Court where bail conditions can be imposed and the youth is directed to complete the conditions of their FGC plan This can mean reparation, community service, apologies as well as interventions to ensure the young person is supported and understands their accountability and consequences

If a young person is a recidivist offender and continues to breach conditions imposed by the courts or their offending is that severe, they can also be arrested and released on bail to their parents, held in custody until the following morning to appear in court or they can be released into Oranga Tamariki’s custody until their next Youth Court appearance

If under 14 years old, a referral made under section 14 (1)(e) of the OT Act 1989 can also mean their behaviour is processed through the family court where the custody or the person having custody of that child can be examined

In general terms, serious crimes are identified in the Crimes Act 1961, and offences with less punitive measures are under the Summary Offences Act 1981 There are also a variety of other offences like the Trespass Act 1980 and the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 (online offending through social media) Depending on the offence committed and the circumstances around the offending will determine how Youth Aid Services deal with the matter

Each youth is dealt with on a case-bycase basis, especially around the number, nature and magnitude of their behaviour and how it is impacting on victims and the community We deal with offending by way of warning, alternative action (conditions set and monitored by Police) or referral to FGC or Youth Court

When Youth Aid deal with youth they

are bound by the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 which is extensive and other legislation relevant to policing

Police are not obliged to publicly advertise the consequences or actions taken in relation to youth in the community as there are privacy rights, especially around youth

Continued next month

Māra Kai: gardening for food as seniors swing into new year

By Alexia Skipper-Jones and Louis Arthur

In 2022, Te Puna School started our journey as a ‘Healthy Active Learning’ school In 2023 we are embarking on our Māra Kai journey

This journey begins with an initiative to make our school food garden sustainable

In term one, the students will be planting, germinating, and composting in order to learn to grow food and care for the garden From term two, the students will be learning how to harvest, prepare, and cook the food they’ve grown

The ultimate goals are to educate Te Puna School about food sustainability, food sovereignty, and nutritional health

The school has sourced a number of necessities but will need a bunch of things to get started this term. If you are able to donate, please drop any items listed at the office We are looking for: seeds and plants, kids’ spades and trowels, gumboots, compost, gardening gloves, rain jackets, hand beaters, juicers, measuring spoons and cups, scales, stainless steel and medium glass bowls,

By Todd Muller MP Bay of Plenty

Iwould like to thank our community for their incredible generosity towards victims of Cyclone Gabrielle, and especially Tenby Powell and the pilots, ground crew and suppliers at Tauranga Aero Club Tenby and TAC were supported by Auckland and Waikato pi-

aprons, wooden chopping boards, electric frying pans, food processors, and your help

We wholeheartedly invite all whānau and community contribution and involvement in this initiative If you are able to volunteer your time in the garden guiding small groups of tamariki under teacher supervision once a week or have garden expertise, we ask you to support

Māra Kai

The senior swings and supernova playground apparatus are now open for business

The new senior playground apparatus

Todd talk

lots who flew six tonnes of essential supplies to the East Coast and Hawke’s Bay

Thank you to TAC, Brett Marsh Transport, supermarkets, social clubs and everyone in the Bay of Plenty who helped with supplies, logistics and financial donations If you would still like to contribute, TAC would appreciate help towards fuel costs; they are accepting donations to 02-0372-0019669-00 with

“DB donation” in the reference field

I am so proud that the Bay of Plenty has been represented in such a special way when we ourselves are still recovering from the Anniversary Weekend storms that affected many in our region, including families in Maungatapu who still can’t access their properties

The coming months will continue to be challenging for us locally and for many

was installed in appalling weather during the last week of school in 2022, and unfortunately, a very similar weather pattern welcomed us back to school, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of these keen characters before school

The playmatta surface commenced on the 20th of December, just in time for Christmas, or so we thought Ian and Jan, a lovely couple from Whāngārei, were contracted to complete the matting It took longer than expected, with a retaining wall needed under sloping ground I was pleased they took Christmas Day off to relax and returned on Boxing Day to finish up

The total cost of the playground and playmatta base was $58K

The PTA would like to acknowledge The Lion Foundation, Tu Manawa Active grant, and We Care community trust for their support in funding some of this project

We would also like to thank our school community for your ongoing support at our quiz night, cake stalls, and school lunches in support of this project

regions in the North Island, including neighbouring Coromandel For a tourism destination whose international market has been locked out for two years, losing its domestic market due to bad weather and flood damage is devastating I urge you to support them and other local businesses as they provide products, services and employment under stressful conditions

The seniors are enjoying new playground equipment PHOTOS: Supplied

Integrating māra kai into school life

Crime and incident report

By Senior Sergeant Steve Hindmarsh and Senior Constable James Muir

Burglaries

On 24th January at 0412hrs, the batteries at the Paparoa Road level crossing alarm were stolen by cutting open the battery box

On 25th January, a building at the Te Puna Quarry Park was entered, but no property was taken, and no CCTV cameras operating

A burglary was reported at a residential address in Ōmokoroa No property was taken

A burglary was reported at a residential address on Gilfillan Drive, with various tools taken

On the afternoon of 8th February, a Pahoia Beach Road dwelling was broken into, and numerous electronic items were stolen

On the same afternoon, a garage door at a Pahoia Road dwelling was forced, and a line trimmer and tools were stolen

On 9th February, a vehicle parked at a Gellibrand Place, Ōmokoroa address was broken into, and a radar detector was taken This occurred around 12 45 am

Theft

A power pack and plugs were stolen from a Katikati laundromat while a customer was waiting for his clothing to be washed The property has since been returned

Several shoplifting complaints were made at Katikati stores, and a suspect has been identified and will be dealt with in the near future

Vehicle Crime

On 26th January, a vehicle parked on Kayelene Place, Ōmokoroa, was broken into by smashing a window No property was taken

On 26th January, a vehicle parked on Charlotte Place, Ōmokoroa, was broken into by smashing a quarter light window

On 30th January, a vehicle parked at Tanners Point was broken into, and a dash cam and tools were stolen

Unlawful taking of motor vehicles

On 28th January, a grader was stolen from a compound in Te Puna CCTV is available, and Police inquiries are continuing

A motor vehicle was stolen from SH2 Whakamārama and later recovered on Lochhead Road The vehicle has been examined by our scene of crime officers

Arrests and apprehensions

A male was arrested for a serious assault on his partner He has been remanded in custody until March

A male has been arrested and charged with aggravated robbery He was also charged with driving with excess breath alcohol

A male has been arrested for breaching a protection order He has been bailed to appear in the Tauranga District Court

10th February, a 33-year-old Minden man was arrested for breaching bail conditions

A 34-year-old Tahāwai man has been remanded on bail with a 24-hour curfew until the 7th of March after having been charged with two burglaries The burglaries relate to a Carisbrooke Road, Katikati address where a Nissan Terrano vehicle and firearms were stolen These were not recovered The other burglary relates to the theft of a classic Holden Torana vehicle stolen from a Chard Road address which was subsequently recovered in the Athenree Gorge

General

We attended a single-vehicle accident after a car was clocked at 193km on State Highway 2 at Ōmokoroa The driver escaped and has not been located

At about 1pm on 7th February, a trailer detached from a vehicle travelling on SH2 Whakamārama and collided with a truck causing significant delays while the crash scene was cleared up

It’s business as usual for me after having taken four weeks long service leave, much of which was raining, but good to have an extended break all the same

It appears that our area has come off relatively unscathed compared to some of our neighbouring districts A number of staff were on standby had the situation worsened. Thankfully this wasn’t the case and hopefully, there will be no more cyclones on the horizon

If you see something, say something Call 111 if it’s happening now Call 105 if it is after the event

Rats are everywhere

By Chris Cole Secretary, OEMI

Can you help? Over recent years, the continual conversion of Ōmokoroa’s orchard land into suburbia has led to an invasion of rats into our properties This led our local Probus Club, under the leadership of Jose Law, to create a group of volunteers called Pest Free Ōmokoroa about 15 years ago

Ōmokoroa Environmental Managers (OEMI) began in 2004 It is now an Incorporated Society with Charitable Status (tax-deductible donations) and Public Liability

Insurance for its various member groups

Pest Free is one of those groups

With the help of funding from our Regional Council, Pest Free Ōmokoroa has now grown to 50 volunteers maintaining about 250 bait stations in ‘old Ōmokoroa’ As a result of their superb work, the rat problem in ‘old Ōmokoroa’ is now very well contained

During the last five years, the orchards between SH2 and the railway line have gradually been converted into housing This area has no Pest Free volunteers As the trees are felled, the rats are beginning to find homes in and around the new properties There is now a growing need to create another Pest Free Ōmokoroa group for the area between SH2 and the railway line

If you are interested in joining such a new group of volunteers, please email chriscole46@hotmail com or text 0274 545 586

By Chris Wright, Chairperson, Ōmokoroa History Group

The guest speaker at the Ōmokoroa History Group meeting in midFebruary was Sandra Haigh, Community Heritage Service Co-ordinator for Western Bay of Plenty District Council She collects stories within the district governed by WBOPDC, with its a population of 51,000 people She is a team of one

Sandra preserves the history and information in perpetuity and makes it accessible to the public by arranging and describing it efficiently and professionally

Sandra also spoke briefly on the proposed Family History Day scheduled for 2nd September 2023 Planning for this day is already underway, with the History Group committee working with Sandra It will be held at the Settlers’ Hall

By Sue Morgan-French

Ōmokoroa No 1 School welcomed its new senior teacher for the junior school this year, Melanie Sloan

Melanie is originally from Tauranga, training at Bethlehem Institute and then beginning her teaching career at Hauraki School in Auckland Mel taught there for ten years, and then she and her husband decided to relocate to Tauranga

Melanie brings enthusiasm, a strong knowledge of structured literacy learn-

and be open to the public With Sandra, they hope the many newcomers to the district will benefit from learning more about this community, it’s past and present, its people and its community groups

ANZAC

The April history display in The Old Library Ōmokoroa (TOLO) will relate to the men of the district who were involved in World War One and Two

At the April AGM of the History Group, the guest speaker will be Roy Robinson Roy was a volunteer at the Waiōuru Military Base for 23 years He retired in December 2022 Once a month, Roy travelled to Waiōuru to help repair and restore vehicles, from bikes through to tanks, to get them up and running for exhibitions for the NZ Army

All are welcome on 23rd April at TOLO, 2-4 pm This should be a fascinating talk

ing and fresh ideas to support our school We welcome her and wish her well

Recently, our principal, Craig Pentecost, had a delightful surprise when Mr Fred Andrews came, unexpectedly, into school, bearing us a wonderful gift

It was a scale model of our school Right down to bits on the roof that need painting It is a hobby of his, and he did it totally as a surprise for us It took him approximately one month to make, and it fascinated the children at our school A treasured addition to our school Thank you, Fred

By Hon Scott Simpson MP For Coromandel

It hasn’t been the summer we were expecting, as the Western Bay of Plenty and wider Coromandel electorate have been continually battered by severe weather events The prolonged closure of SH25A (Kōpū – Hikuai) will have a significant impact beyond just Coromandel peninsula communities It will likely mean more traffic on SH2 as people detour through the Waikato and Western Bay of Plenty to get to and from the peninsula

The situation has been challenging, but our local civil defence teams do a terrific job keeping everyone up-to-date and as safe as possible Now would be a good time to support local businesses as they try to overcome a disrupted summer trading period

In political news, we have a new Prime

Minister, but it’s still the same Government which has failed to provide Kiwis with relief from the cost of living crisis, failed to keep our communities safe, and failed to address the critical state of our health and education sectors

Some unpopular policies have been ditched, but many have just been delayed until a more opportune time. Despite the new messaging, we ’ re still going to see wasteful spending decisions from Wellington

National will be laser-focused on getting results We’ll provide Kiwis with tax relief We’ll restore law and order by banning gang patches in public and introducing real consequences for serious youth offenders

If you have any issue you wish to discuss with me, don’t hesitate to get in touch by either calling 0800 550 330 or emailing mpcoromandel@parliament govt nz

The children were fascinated by Fred’s creation PHOTOS: Supplied

Drop Deep hits a high

By Matthew Farrell

Afree-to-enter skateboarding competition in Katikati is being hailed as a success after attracting 16 volunteers, 37 participants - more than half of whom had never competed before - and about 100 observers

Drop Deep founder Melody Lamb believes in investing in youth and providing opportunities for social confidence and inclusion from within supportive communities

“There was a young man who entered, Kris Mananus, whose grandparents came and stayed to support him He entered our first competition in 2021 and didn’t place in the top three

“This year he placed first in both U16s and Opens, which shows real progress with his skills,” says Melody

“Another victory was 14-year-old local Neo Anderson who rocked up with his friends late, not wanting to compete He later messaged me, to thank me for making him do so

“The local Tongan rangatahi did a fabulous job on the barbecue and added so much value to the event Having Lyric say his first public prayer was a real treat, and he should be very proud of himself We are, ” says Melody The skate fest on 18th February was sponsored by the

Tattletale Saints back in Katikati

Amasterful blend of Americana fused with jazz, soul, and pop It’s a few years since Vanessa and Cy last played at Katikati Folk Club, so don’t miss this chance to see them on Friday 24th March

Expat Americana duo Tattletale Saints return to the Katikati Folk Club to celebrate the release of their new album, In the Summertime On this new album, the Saints play a collection of cover songs that celebrate the diverse sound audiences have fallen in love with since the band’s first New Zealand tour in 2010

The Auckland-born duo moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2014 and have built flourishing careers as session players in Music City Individually, they tour and record with various Americana and country acts, and together for multi-Grammy nominated artist Brandy Clark

On their latest album, Cy Winstanley (vocals/guitar) and Vanessa McGowan (vocals/bass) dive deep into old set lists, with fresh takes of everything from old country traditionals and bluegrass to reggae and 70’s pop

Tattletale Saints won the Aotearoa Music Award for Folk in 2014 and 2021, plus a nomination for Silver Scroll in 2013 The 2023 New Zealand tour also celebrates the vinyl release of Dancing Under The Dogwoods, released in 2020 and the winner of the 2021 Aotearoa Music Award

As well as Cy’s award-winning songwriter talents, Tattletale Saints have long made cover songs an integral part of their live shows, delighting audiences worldwide with their quirky and often unexpected bluegrass, jazz, traditional country, and pop covers

“Cy is a beautiful singer, melodic yet conversational, and a vocal resemblance to Paul Simon is only heightened by the ambitiousness of his songwriting in the unadorned setting of the duo, it becomes clear how complete that talent is,” says Nick Bollinger

A show not to be missed Check out www katikatifolkclub co nz

Article supplied

District Council and Katikati Community Centre, Poutama Pathways to Employment, Katikati Rotary, Zorb, Backdoor, and Colab Community There’s another in Te Puke on 11th March

Melody says she’s here to develop and grow our youth and would value more community support for her work to prevent mental health problems, antisocial behaviour and crime

Tattletale Saints

PHOTO: Natia Cinco

By Liz Farrell

The first get-together of Ōmokoroa

Crochet & Crafters took place on Saturday 18th February at Ōmokoroa Library

The idea is the brainchild of Deb Bowden, who runs the Ōmokoroa Market at the Settlers’ Hall and is also a committee member there In December, she noticed the Hall’s Christmas tree had seen better days and wondered if a creative alternative could be made

After seeing a tv story on Seven Sharp of a crochet Christmas tree created by an Auckland community, Deb knew this would be a great fit

After reaching out to the community, a Facebook group was created by Dayna Baker, a date was set for the first meeting, and the granny square Christmas tree project began

The group was made up of beginners, advanced artists and every level of experience in between The aim is to make as many ‘ granny squares ’ as possible, which will then be attached to a frame to form the tree shape

Deb says the next challenge is to make the framework She has some ideas but hopes to find some help within the community and will be approaching the MenzShed for some expert guidance She is also looking into some funding to help pay for materials

It is hoped that ongoing, even when the Christmas tree is complete, this group will continue to meet every Saturday morning to allow a creative and so-

Community Gardens

By John Collier

When will we have golden weather? It’s been another awful month for the country and for horticulture, and we send aroha and support to everyone who has suffered cyclone Gabrielle, particularly Hawkes Bay, East Cape and Northland, the three biggest fruit bowls of Aotearoa

In Lizard country, we ’ ve dodged a bullet, and after a wet grey disappointing summer, it’s back to cleaning, weeding, pruning, mulching and nurturing the next generation of plants for the autumn

People often ask us when and how to grow plants, and really the answer is always ‘ now ’ The best ‘how’ is to stick some seeds in the dirt and provide love, warmth and water

cial outlet for anyone who crochets or who wishes to learn or improve Deb, Dayna and I hope that, between us, we can host the group every week If you would like to join the group, information is posted on the Facebook group ‘Ōmokoroa Crochet & Crafters’ Alternatively, come along to the Whakamārama Room (downstairs) of the Ōmokoroa Library on Saturday mornings If you wish to help with donations of 8-ply acrylic yarn or completed 15cm, green-edged granny squares, these can be dropped off at the Library during normal opening hours

In the 1960s, Uncle Ho Chi Minh was famous for always giving the thumbs up for cameras by which he meant all you needed was a piece of dirt the size of your thumb to grow rice

As autumn approaches, we are planning to sow and plant beetroot, winter lettuce, beans, garlic and fennel After Easter will be a good time to sow broad beans for spring eating and a good time to prepare to plant garlic cloves At $96 a kg for garlic, it’s worth remembering you can grow it in pots or in the ground. Just stick one clove to a depth of your first finger joint below your nail and be ready to harvest by December

One great joy for the loyal volunteers

on Saturday was discovering a treasure trove of spuds that we thought had been nuked by the October Polar Blast Everyone went home with a bag as a reward for a hard morning’s weeding With the food supply compromised again, every community needs to have a backup of good food on a hilltop

Come and talk to us every Thursday and Saturday morning from 10am-noon at Ōmokoroa Community Gardens, Hamurana Road

Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall

By Ellen Haynes Booking Officer

In February, we welcomed our newest OSH family member, Tina Halliwell, who is the Director of Diamond Studios Tina does amazing work running competitive small-group dance classes for children aged 9 to 14 years For further information along with photos, please go to the ‘Activities’ tab on the OSH website: www settlershall co nz

The historic OSH Hall is unique to the Ōmokoroa Community and provides a venue for a very wide range of activities from community and social activities (Probus and Lions Clubs, Songsters singing, line dancing, firearms training, the monthly Ōmokoroa Market) to

health and wellness (fall prevention, fitness, pilates, tai chi, and yoga), arts and crafts (Ōmokoroa Artists, Pahoia Creative Fibre, Patchwork Quilters) plus a place to hold wedding receptions, school groups, fundraisers, family get-togethers as well as all kinds of (large and small) celebrations We currently have close to 1,000 people in/out of our Halls every month

Trish Clokie, our Secretary, recently came across an article from April 2009 by Sandra Simpson with the headline: “Hall’s days are numbered.” To view this article in full, please email settlers hall@gmail com Yet, here we are, still going stronger than ever In fact, the OSH committee has recently received Council building consent to proceed with

a building project that will provide new, fit-for-purpose spaces and facilities for both our large and small halls

The group enjoyed plenty of laughs and learning during the first get-together PHOTO: Liz Farrell

A happy surprise Volunteers shared a crop of potatoes believed to have perished in October

PHOTO: Supplied

Stark fact check for Friends of the Blade

By Noelene Taylor

Predators targeting our native birds are nothing new The Haast eagle was not just a legend but a fearsome bird of prey which attacked and killed moa Kahu, the Australasian harrier, arrived around 500 years ago and predates on native chicks as well as our ducklings and chickens Weka used to be key predators of ground-nesting birds

They are still now treated warily and removed from conservation sanctuaries, even though they would be ideal at getting rid of the last, difficult-to-catch mice Neither of our cuckoo species is blameless either; they parasitise and kill grey warbler and whitehead chicks

Dr John Innes of Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research in Hamilton gave Friends of the Blade members a stark reality check during the Katikati Cafe Scientifique presentation in February when he discussed how the introduced pest mammals have taken over from the native bird predators and outdone them in their pervasiveness

As a rat biologist, Dr Innes shared some grim information about our introduced rat species, which are, after humans, the world’s most successful mammal Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), the biggest, lives around waterways and farm sheds It’s likely to be the rat

that startles people by its size, and even the toughest cat can’t deal with a Norway rat after it is more than half grown Ship rat (Rattus rattus), the target species of our rat management in the bush, can climb anything, anywhere, without any trouble It will kill anything less than its own body weight, which is why it is lethal to small birds and chicks It constantly reinvades unfenced areas where it has previously been cleared However, when a fenced eco-sanctuary keeps ship rats out, birds, reptiles and insects thrive in precious, balanced abundance

Dr Innes is very familiar with Maungatautari, a long-established, fenced ecosanctuary and the jewel in the crown of New Zealand’s fight against biodiversity decline Building and monitoring a pest fence provides sanctuary for tuatara, stitchbirds, saddleback, kiwi, wētā, skinks, geckos and native frogs The Friends of the Blade leadership knows it is out of our reach to build such a fence, and the pest mammals will always reinvade our trapped area, but members of the care group will continue to tackle them with every tool available The growing number of native birds in our patch of bush is enough encouragement for pest trappers to get smarter and keep control.

Good news (support) and bad news

(blunt facts) from such experienced scientists as Dr John Innes help encourage care groups in their pest management, benefiting from research and data gathered over years of study

The Friends of the Blade group welcomes anyone interested in joining Are you tech savvy, or maybe a data scrutiniser, a predator hunter, a lover of healthy bush and wildlife, or simply looking for an opportunity to join the

work towards Predator Free 2050? Our corner of the bush is close to town, our volunteers are well-supported, and you will find a welcoming community of likeminded people

If you are interested in joining a small and enthusiastic management group or our larger pool of equally enthusiastic predator control volunteers, contact us for more information by emailing friendsoftheblade@gmail com

Work to begin on elder housing redevelopment in Katikati

If you ’ re out and about in Katikati, you’ll soon see work taking place around the elder housing units on Heron Crescent

These works are the first step in the process of redeveloping the elder housing village, which is now over 40 years old When finished, the project, led by Western Bay of Plenty District Council, will see the existing 11 units replaced with a set of new modern units, with final designs to be decided by your elected members

The project is the second elder housing development in Katikati recently, with tenants moving into the seven new units built at Beach Road earlier this year

While final plans for Heron Crescent, including the number of units to be built, are still to be considered and approved

by elected members, Council is keen to begin initial earthworks so that we can see elder housing tenants settled in the new units as soon as possible

Initial site preparation earthworks began mid-February and include removing existing units, building a new retaining wall between the site and Diggelmann Park, remedying drainage issues and building preparation

The majority of funding for the Heron Crescent project comes from $5 34m of the Government’s ‘Better Off ’ funding allocated via the Three Waters Reform Package, approved in late 2022 Council CEO John Holyoake says with our rohe becoming more popular and the cost of living continuing to rise, there’s growing pressure on homeowners and renters to meet rising housing costs But Council can help, and with

Government funding and a rent increase, it comes at no cost to ratepayers

“Affordable housing for older people is a key area of concern in our Districtneed is increasing, and supply is very limited At the moment, Katikati’s housing stock of mostly three and four-bedroom homes doesn’t fit the needs of our older population, who typically want to downsize

“Providing affordable housing, especially for older people, often means they can stay in their local community and continue to contribute to the strong social networks and proactive community that makes Katikati so special ”

The latest figures show that 30 percent of people living in Katikati are over 70 years old, and most of these people are on an annual income of less than $50,000 (58 percent of all households)

The move to support our elder community by retaining and redeveloping our elder housing was backed by the community (88 percent in support) through the Long Term Plan 2021-31 We’re now acting on this support with an increase in the number of units to occupy the Heron Crescent site

John says we ’ re at the start line of this project, but we have the opportunity to do something incredibly meaningful for our older community

“We’re very excited to be addressing, where we can, some of the housing issues our rohe and people are facing It’s not an overnight solution, but it’s a start

“And we want to take the Katikati community on the journey with us, so we’ll be sharing the final concepts approved by Council by the end of Autumn ”

Article supplied

Dr John Innes was the guest speaker at Cafe Scientifique PHOTO: Landcare Research

Ōmokoroa Photographic Society

By Bevan Collings

Tuesday 14th February was our very first get-together for the year Yes, we love photography that much we all left our partners on Valentine’s Day to meet up and discuss photography Many may think that is inconsiderate, but we call it dedication to our craft Our partners understand – on the condition that we made it up in other ways.

It seems we weren’t the only ones prepared to leave our better halves for our photography fix We welcomed three new people who joined us for the evening Linda, Brian, and Terry joined in on the action and came along to see what we were about Thank you for joining us, and we hope to see you all back next month

We stuck with the new regime decided on late last year, where the first hour was reviewing the images submitted, and the second hour was dedicated to a tutorial on one aspect of photography We did change things up just a little, however, as a new person was chosen to critique the images. A long-time member of the society Mr Brian Ebbett happens to be a very talented painter, so he was chosen to have a go at reviewing the images It was interesting to get feedback from an artist’s perspective Let’s just say that we were all very impressed with his ability to provide some extremely valuable feedback. Shown here are some of the

images critiqued by Brian on the night

The second hour of our get-together was a tutorial on achieving images with movement in them Mr Steve Brown is a constant contributor to the group ’ s education He took the time to provide some pointers on capturing motion in a photo He discussed various ways one can either freeze motion or achieve motion blur using techniques such as panning He also discussed the camera settings one would need to use to achieve such an image

Many of the attendees on the night were so captured by the information provided by Steve that they requested a few work-

shops to be organised so that they could practice these techniques using their own cameras This was a very good suggestion, and it certainly fits with the goals of the club for this coming year We will make sure we get some of these arranged quickly.

If you have the desire to learn a bit more about photography and taking better pictures with your camera, then consider joining us. Come along and meet a great bunch of people and feel free to participate in some of our outings to practice We look forward to seeing you at around 7pm on the second Tuesday of every month at the Ōmokoroa Sports Pavillion in the room at the end farthest from the library

Brian Ebbett

Linda Williamson

Bruce Thomson

Evelyn Hoddinott

Bevan Collings

Gary Meynell

The Old Library Ōmokoroa

By Alison Badger

Just when we thought we could get back to normal, the weather decided to throw us a curve ball Did someone cancel summer and forget to tell us? At least there is little risk of bushfires, but whatever comfort that brings is surely outweighed by the slips and floods

Regular visitors to the Old Library will have noticed that we have had considerable work done on the entranceway and roof to improve the weathertightness of the building, so hopefully, if you are not able to get to the beach, you could pop in to see what we currently have on display The Jackie Knotts exhibition, together with her print-making workshop, proved very popular in February

In March, we again welcome our very talented Ōmokoroa Artists group In addition to the display, we have a great selection of greetings card based on the group ’ s original artworks and priced very reasonably All monies raised are fed back into supporting the work of the individuals who make up the group.

As we approach the second anniversary of our occupancy of the building, it is very pleasing to list the local groups who make use of our space, including Ōmokoroa History Group, Ōmokoroa Public Art group, Alzheimer’s Compan-

A bird’s eye view in miniature

By Matthew Farrell

Both Ōmokoroa primary schools have been gifted dioramas of their properties, handmade by a Bethlehem resident

Fred Andrews, who lives at the Bob Owens Retirement Village, has created models for about 20 Western Bay primary schools in the past five yearsbased on aerial photos, Google images, and photos taken by Fred himself

“They’re made of very thin card with a corrugated base glued to the sides, pin splits of timber, and hand painted, with

trees and bushes from a model-making shop in Greerton ”

He says it is a mixture of planning and fortune

“It’s good luck and good management that things work out the way they do ” OPS principal Sandra Portegys says it was a complete surprise

“He brought it in himself and said each one takes him a month or so Our outdoor theatre looks just right, and I think it’s half of a pill bottle All the details are there - the school mural, signage, bins, and the angles of rooves

Fred says both Point and No 1 Schools were very appreciative, nice people

ions, Scott Simpson MP, Ōmokoroa Quilters, Creative Fibre, Ōmokoroa Menzshed, Peggy Purl knitting group to name some

One of our primary objectives is to provide a place for local community groups and individuals to come together, and our lovely volunteers are always happy to share their knowledge of the community.

If you would be interested in becoming a volunteer, just pop in any day except Monday between 10am and 4pm and chat with the volunteer on duty Or call Alison on 021 294 9294 We’d love to see you

“Mostly, I do get a positive reaction Once, a principal just said, ‘oh my goodness, I must show the rest of the staff,’ and she was gone with the model.”

Adopting the kuaka at OPS

ŌBy Sandra Portegys Principal

mokoroa Point School has an exciting year planned We are looking forward to having a lot less disruption to learning and events and connecting more with our school community this year

As part of our ongoing school review the staff and BoT recognised the need to clarify and reimagine our school identity, as our school and community have undergone a lot of change in recent years ŌPS is no longer the small country school with seven classes it used to be, which means our mantra of “the best little school in the Bay” doesn’t hold the meaning it once did The school staff, BoT community and hapū have fed ideas into this revisioning through surveys and conversations

We believed it was important that our unique local environment was reflected in our school identity and vision With this in mind, we will be adopting the metaphor of the kuaka (godwit) for our school

Why the kuaka metaphor? The kuaka is a small coastal bird that travels great distances across the world Every spring, the kuaka depart from their breeding nests in the great Siberian and Alaskan tundra and return to the rich feeding grounds provided by Aotearoa’s tidal flats and coastal marshes Each year, approximately 7000 kuaka come to the shores of Ōmokoroa

To be successful, kuaka need to be both mentally and physically prepared, and continually develop skills and knowledge to navigate their world successfully It is these qualities that we aim to continue developing and nurturing in all members of our school community throughout their journey at Ōmokoroa Point School

We look forward to sharing more of this vision with you in the coming months and bringing this to life through our curriculum, a new school logo, and signage This term all classes are learning about the kuaka, including visiting the Tinopai sandbar, where thousands of birds are feeding

Fred Andrews miniature recreation of Ōmokoroa Point School

Ōmokoroa Domain’s Anchorstone by Brian Ebbett

South Island Valley by Jill Pretty PHOTOS: Supplied

Artwork by Carole Hebberd on two skateboards

Waihī Beach Menz Shed diary

By Bob Firth Secretary

Thursday 2nd February

Hi Shedders When is this rain going to stop? Let’s hope we have an Indian summer Any sort of summer would be good right now

Well, we have a steady stream of shedders being inducted with our machinery and a big thank you to Keith Billington for his help with this Now those inducted shedders can start their projects in earnest

We have an order for 30 traps to be made ASAP Anyone who wants to help, please contact Michael: 021 706 240 Coffee tomorrow at 10am Hope to see you all

Thursday 9th February

Coffee at the Menz Shed 10am tomorrow, and all invited baked goodies as well

Just an update from our last committee meeting The shed will be open on Tuesdays from now on 9-2pm Supervisors and instructors will be present to give you confidence and competence in oper-

ating our machinery You must be paid up and inducted to partake

Thursday 16th February

What a devastating few days I think it’s fair to say we dodged the bullet at Waihī Beach A big thank you to those that responded to my call for help to man the Emergency Centre

Also, thank you to our Emergency Response team at the beach, who swung into action and provided a safe, warm environment for the evacuees It’s comforting to know we are in safe hands in an emergency Well done

Anyone who has any damage and is unsure what to do or where to go, give me a ring, and I can put you onto an experienced shedder who can give advice

We have heaps of retired tradesmen who can help You are not alone

Boys have been busy building a new shelf for our screws and other items It looks good

We have scored our first big external job, to paint a large room at the Coastguard They have accepted our quote, and we are starting Monday This is our first big chance to get on the commercial

Ōmokoroa Tennis Club

By Jeff Warren and Craig Joubert

Hi all, we are entering a very busy period for the club, and it is always good to see new faces on club days at our expanding tennis club

We have a seniors’ doubles tournament coming up, which we run in conjunction with the Te Puna tennis club

The men ’ s and ladies’ doubles are on 11th March at Ōmokoroa, and the mixed doubles are on the following day in Te Puna This event is sponsored by our very own Stu Brooks of S B Electrical. Talking of sponsors, the Alma Eatery have kindly stepped up as sponsor of our monthly social mixed doubles competition

Our club champs are coming up in late March/early April, which no doubt will be keenly contested Our ladies’ and junior inter-club (Ōmokoroa Smashers) teams have been hard at it too The ladies (Ōmokoroa Ling shots) convincingly won their first inter-club match against Te Puna, and the team consisted of Sharon ‘she plays better when it’s darker’ Parker, Simone ‘sureshot’ Jenkins, Olivia ‘ game ’ Desset ‘and de match’ and Pink ‘when she loses she kicks up a stink’ Lewis

The Ōmokoroa Smashers looked great in their new club-sponsored shirts as they put on a show in beating Te Puke in round two of this term’s junior inter-club tennis Max Joubert and Reuben Philipps got the team off to a good start by winning both their doubles and singles matches, capping a great day for Reuben, who got his first win as an Ōmokoroa Smasher Congratulations, Reuben

Liam Bartle and Logan Pinkerton also had great days, emulating Max and Reuben by winning their doubles and singles games as well Well done, all After a slightly disappointing first round, it was great to see the boys bounce back with some excellent tennis

ladder (pun intended) and get some valuable funds for the shed John Lorimer has taken charge of this and is calling for a couple of helpers, please Someone who can climb scaffolding would be helpful. Chris has lent us his scaffolding, as the ceiling is higher than normal The job will take about three days

Thursday 23rd February

Here is the Menz Shed painting team doing a job at the Coastguard, admirably run and managed by John Lorimer Other helpers are Ken Olsen, Barry Hunt, and Keith McCreedy - a brand-new shedder.

The job was done 100%, and Coastguard were extremely happy Well done, Shedders

Water play excitement for Playcentre

By Steph Hume and Rachel Buer

Water play is not only fun; it’s a soothing activity that children can learn so much from Children of all ages can participate, from infancy to school The experience of water play allows children to learn strategies for active exploration, practice problem solving, experiment with ideas, experience physics in action, gain confidence and control of their bodies, and even develop useful social skills whilst playing alongside other children

Water play is an essential part of any early childhood setting, and for several years there has been talk about improv-

ing the water play area at Ōmokoroa

Playcentre With the help of grants from Fresh Choice and the Community Centre Trust, all our dreams became a reality with a new creek system opening on Monday, 20th February

Built by Landdesign HQ, the creek features a pooled dam which drains to form a bubbling brook, beautiful cascades, and an overhead sprinkler, all of which can be controlled by the children for different effects

The Playcentre environment provides unlimited opportunities for self-directed, free play for children aged 0-6 years Our parent-led centre is focused on responsive, respectful, loving relationships with family and friends Playcentre provides a place where adults can play, learn, and grow with their children

Alongside the new water-play feature, Ōmokoroa Playcentre also runs a Tuesday explorer session offsite where water plays a big part, with us regularly visiting beaches and rivers around the area

If you would like to come and check it out and meet our Playcentre family, Ōmokoroa Playcentre is open: Mondays 9 30am-12 30pm, Tuesdays: Offsite explorer session, Thursdays 9 30-11 30am, and Fridays 9 30am-12 30pm

Chen

(Acupuncture)

Treatment Provider

Tamariki enjoy water play both at Playcentre and during off-site explorer sessions

PHOTO: Steph Hume

Ōmokoroa Smashers in their new shirts

PHOTO: Supplied

Calling all makers, fixers and tinkerers

By Tia Lush

Tauranga has joined the global movement with its own Repair Café, a volunteer-driven initiative as part of Tinkd Makerspace Repair Cafés are part of the grassroots movement that aims to reduce waste and overconsumption It aims to encourage and foster the ‘do it yourself ’ spirit and strengthen social connections by bringing different members of the community together.

What is a Repair Café, and why are they an important community asset? A Repair Café is a pop-up event where members of the public can bring items to be repaired - for free - instead of throwing them away Tauranga ’ s Repair Café is run by a group of passionate volunteers who have expertise and repair skills they want to share Depending on the availability of the volunteers at each Tauranga event, repairs can be made to household items such as bikes, clothing, toys, furniture, jewellery, small electrical appliances, computing devices and more

Steven Vincent, founder of Tinkd Makerspace, says, “The purpose of these events is two-fold: to try to change our ‘throwaway culture’ and to bring people in the community together An added bonus is that it saves people money If their item can be repaired, they don’t need to replace it, pay for more expensive repairs elsewhere, or send it to the landfill If the item can’t be

Post-Covid, many of us have the travel bug again, and a new group called the Travel Group has started up in Ōmokoroa

Meeting once a month, members and invited speakers talk to the group on various travel-related topics and share their own experiences – the good, the bad and the ugly There are tips and tricks about travel, airports, the best travel agents, how to get the best deals

repaired, then at least we ’ ve tried

He continues, “When we were presented with an opportunity to host and support a Repair Café in Tauranga, we jumped at the chance to get involved Our Makerspace is all about collaboration and sharing knowledge and skills, so it just made sense

and what to look out for when booking airfares

The February meeting of the Travel Group focused on Shanghai, China, a very sophisticated, wealthy and wellplanned city.

An eclectic mix of very old and new, Shanghai has car parks underneath green spaces, and the trains are underground too All the brand name shops are there, like Nike, Louis Vuitton, LEGO

to facilitate this great initiative ”

Volunteer Jennie Halliday wanted to get involved with setting up the Tauranga Repair Café because “I grew up with “fixers”, but most people don’t have access to repairers now Finding out about Repair Cafés solved this – bringing together the know-how and the things otherwise destined for landfill There’s such a lot of goodwill and even excitement on the day when things get fixed, as they mostly do. And it’s really social and enjoyable ”

The first Tauranga Repair Café was hosted in September 2022, and since then 44 items have been brought in for assessment ranging from toasters; kitchen scales; garage door remote, blenders; dinosaur and robot toys, jewellery; clothing; office chair and more Most items have been successfully repaired or fixed, much to the delight of the person who brought them in and the repairer

The next pop-up events are planned for Saturday 25th March, 29th April, and 27th May at 9 30am at 148 Durham Street, Tauranga The organisers are looking for more volunteer repairers with different skill sets to add to the events It’s free to attend with an item, but pre-booking an item is preferred as it allows the organisers to prepare for any repairs

For more information and tickets to the next Repair Café event, visit the website: www tinkd nz

and M&M, and they even have a Disneyland

But it’s “not for the faint-hearted,” says group convenor Chris Subritzky With a population of around 28 million, the third most populous in the world, people are everywhere

In addition to the monthly meetings, group members will have the opportunity to travel to one pre-planned overseas destination and one New Zealand

destination every year, as part of the group, at discounted prices

The 2023 overseas trip will be to Canada in September, taking in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Haliburton Highlands, including Toronto, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City

If you’d like to join the group, contact Chris on 021 255 6415 or email christine subritzky@yahoo co nz Article supplied

The Repair Cafe is looking to open on the last Saturday of each month PHOTOS: Supplied

Quick cr osswor d

How many words of three or more letters, including plurals, can you make, using each letter only once? No words beginning with a capital are allowed

Adaptive surfing day comes to Waihī Beach

Sewing

COMPLETE

Just Cats

Painter

For all your painting requirements, phone: Gerard Quilty 027 447 5493

Quality Painting Services

Lawn mowing, green waste bags hedging/ tree pruning, yard/garden tidy and large green waste removal Locally owned and operated, ser vicing Omokoroa and surrounding areas All enquiries welcome

Boarding Cattery

482 Esdaile Road, Pahoia

Single rooms, no sharing, j t $16 per day

Ph 577 1993 or 027 233

Casual Football

By Cindy Clare Community Connections Coordinator

With the devastation of the past week top of mind, the Waihī Beach community was excited to welcome Parafed Waikato to our shores for an Adaptive Surfing Day on Sunday 19th February Parafed Waikato supports and promotes sport and recreation for people with physical disabilities and visual impairments and offers a range of activities for its members

Parafed Waikato traditionally holds its annual Adaptive Surfing event at Raglan, but due to the recent introduction of the accessible beach mats and community beach wheelchairs at Waihī Beach, they changed the location as this meant easier access to the beach for all members and their families

Cathy Wooller, Sport Development Officer from Parafed Waikato, worked closely with Aidan Comrie from Waihī Beach Surf School to coordinate a fun day in the water for Parafed members with disabilities including visual impairments, cerebral palsy and spina bifida Live Well Waihī Beach and Dave MacCalman from the Halberg Foundation, who co-

ordinate the accessible beach mats and wheelchairs, also supported the event by putting a callout for volunteers, and the community answered in numbers

Over 20 volunteers, as well as the Surf School team, attended to help out in the water and on the shore throughout the afternoon The participants had a ball, and everyone got in the water and gave it a go Some participants had never been surfing before, and a few had never visited Waihī Beach Two of the participants who are visually impaired had no vision, and two members who are wheelchair users were transferred onto boards and caught some awesome waves

Aidan Comrie stated, “People think surfing is about getting up and standing on a board, but it’s much more than that It’s about the therapeutic benefits of being in the ocean, the salt water and the thrill of the waves – and that’s what we wanted to share with the Parafed crew ”

Many new friendships were formed between volunteers and the Parafed crew over the afternoon It was such a positive event that Parafed will return each year (possibly twice a year) to Waihī Beach.

Every Wednesday at 7 15pm, a very casual kick around is held at the floodlit bottom soccer pitch of Western Ave, Ōmokoroa Anyone over 12 years is welcome, year round Call Hamish on 552 6427

Essential oils and aromatherapy support for your health and wellness

Based in Omokoroa Contact Liz on omokoroaoils@gmail com mydoterra com/omokoroa

KGN Gardening for all your gardening, lawns, hedges and trees

Give us a call/text for a free quote: 021 295 0134

Commun ty folk who oin Whakamārama Cyberlink are ema ed news and events relevant to Whakamāramans, sent to more than 230 fam lies n the area Posts include: lost and found free stuff community road notices, requests for help positions vacant markets WBoPDC updates house rentals/s tters workshops neighbourhood watch stray stock etc We also forward info from Ōmokoroa Cyber ink of general interest Join up by emailing: rossroad@eol co nz ask ng to be added to Whakamārama Cyberlink

Call Trent for a free quote: 022 333 2644 Members can share via Ōmokoroa

Card game Kickstarter

By Liz Farrell

The Whakamārama family, wh has created a family-fun card game, has launched a Kickstarter campaign

The challenge: to sell more than 400 games this year, and they need your support to succeed in their goal

The whole family enjoyed developing the FFF card game together Each on used their own skills to manage this n challenge, from gameplay strategy to work “A lot of smiles, sharing, discu arguments and happiness,” says mu describing the process.

The family is French, and they have lived in New Zealand since 2018 Their dream was to travel with their kids and learn how to speak English

Dad Benjamin Dubois was in NZ on a working holiday visa 18 years ago, and he fell in love with the country In 2018, they closed their own companies in France, got a work visa for NZ, and got on a plane It was the beginning

heir new lifestyle

In France, Audrey had an advertising company for 17 years She was a consultant and trainer for different companies In New Zealand, she is an art teacher and a salesperson for Lizard News She organises art classes for kids and adults from her home studio She loves new challenges and being with her family

Their project, the FFF card game “Fly nky Fly”, exemplifies what they can te when they combine their skills It is a fire card game of strategy with some ved, suitable for the whole family Each card tells a quick, hilarious story, and the aim of the game is to finish with the least number of flies In this case, you are the Best Serial Fly Catcher

To support the family, and score yourself an affordable, brand-new game, visit the Kickstarter page http://kck st/3wUmaJR or contact Audrey Dubois at hello@fffcardgame com or on 022 502 1671

IMAGE: Supplied

900

FIREWOOD

Hard wood $125 cubic metre Delivered, Omokoroa area

John or Cathy: 021 063 9041

DRUM INCINERATORS FOR SALE

44-gallon drum incinerators $35 each Delivered between Katikati and Tauranga

Phone: 548 0823 or 0274 920 223

FIREWOOD

Supply all year round

Mix $100 00 cube

t

Gum $140 00 cube

Free deliver y Katikati town

Phone 549 2141 or txt 027 778 7301

Justices

the

Fri 10-12 Katikati Community Centre

Aiden (left) with Wayne and his whānau PHOTO: Rachael Coll