Lizard News November 2022

L i z a r d Ne ws

L i z a r d Ne ws

By Matthew Farrell

Earthworks are about to begin in earnest in preparation for a new Ōmokoroa town centre project, on the site of a recently cleared kiwifruit or chard

The horticultural and property devel opment company JACE was granted re source consent for a privately funded $75 million project in May 2021, by inde pendent commissioners appointed by the District Council

The mixed use retail and commercial precinct at 404 Ōmokoroa Road will also have medium density residential units, and visitor accommodation The 7 9 hectare site includes 5 3 hectares already commercially zoned The re mainder is categorised as Future Urban

As part of resource consent obliga tions, JACE has an earthworks permit for the next two summer seasons from September to May, in which time they must prepare the ground in readiness for future roading, stormwater and power services

Some geotechnical test drills will also take place on softer ground

A Te Puna based cultural monitor for Pirirākau hapū, Maali Murphy, visited the site on 28th September to catch up with the JACE team as well as Mark, Antonio, and Jacob from Sabre Construction Maali says she isn’t fussy as long as dust and sediment is kept out of water ways She will be around for archaeolog ical interest when the first 400mm of topsoil is stripped, and says work would

By Matthew Farrell

Lizard

News

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Digging in for town centre

has learned the planned opening of two new schools in Ōmokoroa has been delayed by a year to 2026, with site works yet to begin

The new primary and secondary schools on the corner of Ōmokoroa Road and Prole Road will eventually include intermediate years, to free up roll

only be stopped if bones were encoun tered

“Shells, fire cracked rocks and charcoal are your three ingredients for cooking For finds like kūmara pits and middens we would just move works alongside

and carry on ”

Most artefacts are only just below the grass Maali says 800 or so obsidian flake tools have been found in Ōmokoroa so far Although it appears like black glass, local obsidian is most commonly

Delay for new College

growth space at existing primaries

To hear input from the community, the appointed architects Warren and Ma honey held an informal drop in engage ment session at the sports pavilion on Saturday 7th May

The Ministry of Education’s Head of Property, Sam Fowler, says the design team is progressing with a master plan for the site.

“Design is set to continue and contrac tors are expected to be appointed next year The consultation report will be sent to the Minister before the end of this year for the formal approval of the estab lishment of the schools

“Initially, the new schools were pro jected to open in 2025 This timeframe has since been updated to 2026 The Ministry has identified this is a more re

green and from Mayor Island

Other examples of obsidian are red, yellow, charcoal grey and brown which tells us about relationships between Pirirākau and iwi from other areas such as Taupō, she says

alistic delivery schedule given the level of planning, design, consultation and construction activity required ”

Estimates in the National Education Growth Plan originally projected the need for a new secondary school in the area by the end of the decade, before lo cals petitioned and presented to a Parlia mentary Select Committee to have the plans brought forward.

Te Puna • Whakamārama • Matakana Is • Ōmokoroa • Pahoia • Apata • Aongatete • Katikati • Tahāwai • Bowentown • Athenree • Waihī Beach

Adele Selfridge and Hayley Larman from Southern Orchards with Pirirākau kaitiaki Maali Murphy JACE Group Director Craig Lemon and the Sabre construction team

PHOTO: Matthew Farrell

Western BoP’s new mayor to bring a “ younger perspective”

Construction on stage one, from Te Puna to Tauriko, began this year, but the govern ment delayed stage two for five to 10 years

“The TNL stage two and the Katikati by pass, they’ll be a political decision

By Alisha Evans Local Democracy Reporter alisha@thesun co nz

The Western Bay of Plenty’s new mayor James Denyer is “thrilled” to have won but didn’t want to cele brate too early because it was a “tough race ”

Denyer has taken out the Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s top spot ahead of Te Puke businessman Mark Boyle followed by previous deputy mayor John Scrim geour

The results were announced on 8th Oc tober Denyer says he thought the mayoral race would be “close enough” that he would have to wait until the preliminary votes were confirmed

“It was a tough race There were lots of good candidates, so I didn’t want to put the champagne on ice,” he told Local Democ racy Reporting

The 46 year old was elected to mayor after serving as a Katikati Waihī Beach councillor in the previous triennium

When asked what skills he would bring to the role, Denyer replied he brought fi nancial skills from his previous career, was “hardworking”, and “out there in the com munity a lot”

“I’ve got a younger perspective, and there’s a lot of change happening in local government at the moment, and that needs a certain agility to navigate ”

Those changes include the contentious Three Waters reform, the Resource Man agement Act reform and the Future for Local Government review Denyer says the Future for Local Government review, that is looking at how local democracy and gov ernance needs to evolve over the next 30 years, could have “far reaching impacts”

“I want the best for our community, for our district

“I’m here to represent them, to listen to them and to achieve their aspirations and goals ”

He listed transport as a “perennial” chal lenge for the Western Bay of Plenty

Denyer is a “passionate supporter” of the Katikati Bypass, something the community has lobbied central government for, for 20 years

He also wanted to see stage two of the Tākitimu Northern Link, from Te Puna to Ōmokoroa, started

“I enjoy good relationships with our local MPs and want to make sure that they know we want those things ”

Denyer has lived in Katikati with his wife, Victoria and their two children since 2009

Although he is a Katikati resident, he “wants to work for the whole district”

He says he’s looking forward to working on the new Waihī Beach Library, the new Te Puke swimming pool and the continued development in Ōmokoroa

“One thing I heard clearly during the campaign is people in Te Puke are fed up with the traffic situation there, and they want a solution for that So, I want to see what is possible there ”

Denyer will govern 11 councillors, with four of them being new to the council table

The new mayor says the initial period at council is “ very important to build the councillors as a team”

“I do plan to be a collaborative leader

Letters

to the

Editor

Roadside rubbish and rats

and involve everyone and value everyone ’ s opinion and get some exciting stuff done ” His advice to the new councillors was: “There are two main things to realise at council

“One is there is a lot of reading, and sec ondly that things don’t happen as quickly as you might like them to ”

Denyer replaced Garry Webber, who re tired after 12 years, serving two terms as mayor and two terms as a Kaimai Ward councillor

Webber told Local Democracy reporting he was “really pleased” for Denyer

“A lot of good candidates put their hat in the ring, but James will bring a new ap proach

“He’s a younger generation, he’s got a very good background, really good history, and he will be an asset not only to Western Bay but, I think to the wider Bay of Plenty region ” Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

When I stopped to take photos this week, a rat jumped out of the rubbish and ran into the long grass it is a breeding ground for rats

When it rains, then some of it flows with the water and pollutes the streams and es tuary

It truly is disgusting we seem to have got used to accepting that this is the way it is

My questions are: who is responsible for cleaning this up is it NZTA Waka Ko tahi? Where are our city and district coun cillors on this don’t they care about how our district looks? What is Regional Coun cil doing surely they have the environ mental responsibility?

Can you please raise this issue and help to get something done about this?

The rubbish in these photos has been there at least six months

Mike Smith, Ōmokoroa

One republic

I have developed a formula for when New Zealand becomes a republic Here it is

This

1 republic = (1 person + 1 vote) x 1 elec toral roll It would be great if you can pub lish this against my name in your letters section Cheers

Richard Miller, Ōmokoroa

I have been driving past the increasing amount of rubbish on the sides of BOP roads for months now

is particularly bad between Ōmokoroa and Tauranga on SH2

James Denyer says it was a tough mayoral race PHOTO: Sun Media

ŌMovie night fundraiser raises thousands

mokoroa Point School is well on the way towards its goal of re placing and supplying much needed IT equipment for its students after a successful movie night fundrais ing event brought in around $4,000 Night At the Movies was organised by the school’s PTA in association with Night Owl Cinemas and sponsored by Tall Poppy The school’s community

turned out in droves to enjoy the event, which included food trucks, entertain ment, live auctions, and a screening of the popular movie Sing 2 Ōmokoroa Point School Principal San dra Portegys says the school is very for tunate to have a dedicated and hardworking PTA to help fundraise for the school

“This year they took on the challenge of fundraising over $20,000 to allow us to replace IT devices, pay for our Seesaw annual subscription, which allows us to share student learning with families, and provide Scholarships for Year 8 stu dents,” she says.

“Fundraising has been very challeng ing over the past two years, with many events cancelled or severely reduced in size due to Covid restrictions It was fan tastic to have our school community back on the school grounds for a fun event, as we ’ ve missed this”

The Movie Night was supported by the Ōmokoroa Tall Poppy team, who backed the event and pitched in to help on the night Team member Bernie Limbrick says it’s hugely important to them to ac tively support the small local community

where they live and work

“We immediately said yes to support our school and tamariki to provide ac cess to critical IT devices and services, which are central to modern day learn ing and the success of students,” she says

The Tall Poppy team helped arrange several significant items for the live auc

tions held on the night, including a child’s bike worth $600, a round of pro fessional golf with local legend Kieran Muir, a signed shirt from the Black Caps and a limited edition cricket ball from the inaugural World Test Championship 2021; they also filled 150 bags of can dyfloss for sale at the event Article supplied

$3M extension of Heartwood Avenue starting this month

Construction of a $3 million exten sion of Heartwood Avenue in Ōmokoroa is set to start in November The extension will support planned land and housing development in the area

Western Bay of Plenty District Council has awarded the contract for the project to HEB Contractors for $3 46m

The project involves the construction of the road extension, including a new roundabout, as well as new footpaths, lighting, landscaping, and supporting utilities

Council’s Project Manager, Raj Sumeran, says this is an exciting step in the project, which will involve extending Heartwood Avenue from Prole Road through to Kaimai Views

“This will open up a number of poten tial land developments adjacent to Heartwood Avenue and ultimately help support the fast growth we ’ re seeing across the peninsula

“The extension will also assist traffic to use this as an alternative route to Prole Road while the Prole Road Urbanisation

project is under construction next year. ” Council worked with the community on the early stages of the Heartwood Av enue extension, with people’s feedback helping to shape the final design, says Raj

Construction is planned to start in November, with completion estimated for mid 2023 The works are not ex pected to affect the general public

The Heartwood Avenue extension is one of more than 15 Council infrastruc ture projects planned for Ōmokoroa to provide for the community’s significant growth

If you ’ re keen to learn more about what else is happening in Ōmokoroa, keep an eye out for Council’s next com munity info session coming up in November

Subscribe to Council’s monthly Ōmokoroa Peninsula Projects e newslet ter to be notified of the community info session details, and stay up to date with this project and others Sign up at west ernbay.govt.nz/omokoroaprojects

Article supplied

The community turned out to enjoy the food and entertainment

PHOTOS: Supplied

Bernie Limbrick Linley Ward and Jane Cross of Tall Poppy supported the event

Residents Helena, Johan and Sweetie Pie have found fondness for all the wonderful people they have met here at the village and love being so close to the sea and golf course

New Mayor keen to write for Lizard News

By Mayor James Denyer

Connecting with the community throughout the Western Bay of Plenty mayoral campaign has so lidified what I and many others believe about our district: we are a vibrant com munity with many aspirations and ideas

It is a privilege to have been elected to represent our District as the Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Since I got the call, my phone hasn’t stopped ringing or get ting messages, and it is humbling and a little overwhelming to be in this position, and I wish to say thank you to everyone for that support

I have previously served the Western Bay as a councillor, and the rigours of an election campaign were familiar to me, but running for Mayor was a whole new experience From ‘Meet the Candidate’ events to livestreamed debates, I thor oughly enjoyed the opportunity to con nect with you and compare notes about our priorities for this beautiful region Congratulations also to everyone who put themselves forward for office I want to also acknowledge candidates’ support crews at home to my wife Victoria and my two children, thanks for keeping me on track and grounded

As this is my first column as Mayor, I wanted to provide a little bit about me Whānau is very important, and I cherish my time with my family I want those op portunities for the people in our District, also It’s also important to me to enjoy the outdoors and occasionally spend some time recharging by enjoying our wonderful environment, whether tramp ing in the bush or being at the beach As Council, we have a role in making these places accessible and inviting, and that’s a focus for me

This election, Council made the deci sion to host and livestream candidate de bates and create the Generation Change

website to publicise the election, both in terms of attracting candidates and to help inform residents before casting their votes I aim to continue this renewed effort to engage with our com munities A desire for improved commu nication was one of the messages that I heard on the campaign trail As your Councillors and I get settled in, I want to assure you that we have heard this call, and we ’ re committed to connecting with you to make decisions with your feed back in mind

Being out and about in the community and making connections is also part of that communication process, listening to the people and understanding their as pirations While I have always been ac tive in my local Katikati community through my involvement with several groups, including Rotary and Aongatete Forest Project, I am looking forward to broadening my connections in all parts of the District Indeed, this already started during the election as I partici pated in events run by residents’ associ ations in Pukehina, Te Puna, Paengaroa and Ōmokoroa and took part in the Sikh Parade in Te Puke

The role of mayor promises to be an extremely busy one, and the first couple of weeks after the election were cer tainly a whirlwind of inductions, learn ing, meeting people, and generally finding my feet at the start of a new job Over the coming months, we will start to bring together our plan for the next three years This will involve Councillors working with mana whenua and repre sentatives from across our communities I plan on providing updates monthly through this column and via the Council website I will be your voice, and I will listen, so let me know how you think I’m going

I look forward to serving our District and achieving some positive change

James Denyer is taking up the mayoral chains after a period of electoral stump speeches which proved he wasn t barking up the wrong tree PHOTO: Matthew Farrell

BACK or NECK PAIN?

Then tr y a Teeter

WHY?

Because they work! Spinal traction is the oldest recorded medical cure for back issues first documented by Hippocrates in 400BC, spinal traction was used successfully for many year ’s in modern hospitals however because it was a slow process and tied up hospital beds for long periods, was dropped in favor of surger y, which is considerably faster

A new study recently published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science brings good news to people struggling with sciatica and lumbar disc disease: surger y may not be your only option for relief Researchers at Newcastle University found that inversion therapy with a Teeter inversion table offers back pain and symptoms relief in sciatica patients and may even allow them to avoid surger y altogether

The case controlled study evaluated the effects of regular inversion therapy on the pain symptoms of sciatica patients in line for surger y The purpose of the study was to, “[measure] symptoms and [compare] the surger y rate following inversion for 85 par ticipants with the surger y rate in 3 control groups ”

Researchers found that lumbar disc disease and sciatica patients in line for surger y who inver ted with a Teeter inversion table regularly, were 78% less likely to need surger y than matched individuals who didn’t inver t, even as far as two years after the initial trial period

The study suggests, inversion therapy reduces symptoms and the rate of surger y in patients with lumbar disc disease and sciatica ” Using a Teeter is gentle and relaxing if done properly

WHY TEETER?

Because they are unquestionably the safest, strongest, most comfor table (especially on the ank les) and easiest to operate, Inversion table in the world Teeter are also the only Inversion tables to meet any and all safety standards for Inversion tables as well as being the only ones FDA approved

A decision was made by U L (the top testing facility in the U S) to test the five most common brands of Inversion Tables on the U S market Teeter was the only brand to pass all tests All other brands structurally failed in all tests! In the strength test, the best of the cheaper brands structurally failed at only 40% of the test and the worst at 18% In the endurance test (daily use) the best of the cheaper brands structurally failed at only 12% of the test and the worst at 7%

This is why we only promote Teeter, Inversion is for life, a few minutes of daily use long after your back issues have gone, will help to keep you fit and healthy

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O ur back Pain Expos IT IS PURE LOGIC AS TO HOW THE TEETER TABLE WORKS

Discs: I t uses gravit y to apply trac tion, the trac tion gently opens the discs and as they open up they create suction, this suction draws fluid from the surrounding tissue back into the discs, re hydrating them This is the key! Discs do not have their own blood supply, they rely on transfer of fluid from the surrounding tissue to keep them healthy and hydrated and over the years as discs get thinner with age, they lose the abilit y to take on fluid ( just like squeezing a sponge) and they star t to de hydrate

De H ydrated discs are less flexible, they are harder, more prone to injur y, they inter fere with ner ve roots creating pain and ultimately the de hydration causes degeneration The Teeter I nversion table slowly and gently brings the hydration back into the discs, plumping them up I t separates the ner ve roots far more effectively and returns quality of life.

Muscles: A lot of pain is muscular, when muscles are stressed they become tight which restricts the ow of blood and lymph through the muscles so toxins build up, Co2 and Lactic Acid Traction opens up the muscles, Rhythmic Trac tion, is a gentle rock ing motion that stimulates circulation and encourages blood flow through the muscles, which clears the lac tic acid into your lymph system where it stimulates lymph flow and deals with it Most people with serious neck issues see a large improvement after only one treatment

Posture: Poor posture is one of the major cases of pain and is a major contributor to the deterioration of the body with age A difference in leg length causes most of the hip and k nee issues, as they continue to place uneven loads on the joints; similar to the wheels out of alignment on your car

Tr ying to correct posture is extremely difficult due to muscle memor y, as it constantly pulls the muscles back to where they were At a level of 40 degrees or more on the Teeter, the muscle groups open up and eventually come back into alignment, using the table daily, does not allow the muscle memor y to pull them back out of alignment and slowly the muscles star t to lose their memor y and go with the flow, allowing the body to come back into correc t posture Then using the table once a day will ensure it is kept there

This is pure logic, if a machine is out of alignment it does not last long, the only difference between the body and a machine is that the body is constantly repairing itself, however if the wear and tear on the body is greater than the body ’s abilit y to repair itself, it is a slow decline

The Teeter slowly brings the body out of its decline and allows the body to repair itself, resulting in a far healthier life

If you are serious about investing in your health and really sor ting your issues out, come see us at one of our local roadshows, you have nothing to lose and chances are, a lot to gain

We host a number of back pain expos throughout the countr y almost ever y weekend, these expos are a way for people to tr y out a Teeter Inversion Table and feel the benefits for themselves in a way that is instruc tive and informative

I t is also a great way for people who already own a Teeter to come along and get a refreshment course on the use and operation of their Table and clear any questions they have about it

Sessions run continuously from 10am to 4pm and there are no book ings required, just come along at a time that suits you

There may be a wait during cer tain times and in these instances chairs are set out for anyone waiting for a turn, or anyone who just wants to ask us a few questions

We strive to cover the entire countr y and always tr y to book the most accessible venues we can All our upcoming shows in the region are listed in the blue bar below, other wise check out our website for more

BACK PAIN EXPOS

Frank Har wood (84 at time of picture) using his Teeter, Frank ’s been Inver ting for over eleven years and has found it keeps him young

Twice the celebration

By Matthew Farrell

It was two honours nights in one for Ōmokoroa Volunteer Fire Brigade on Saturday 8th October Both the 2021 and 2022 recipients were acknowledged at the station on Ōmokoroa and Gold stone Roads, after last year ’ s event was hit by Covid protocols

Brigade members respected a period of silence for former administrator Helen Hof a “heart and soul” hard worker and for other recently lost fam ily and friends

Dignitaries included Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller and outgoing Mayor Garry Webber and their partners, as well as life members such as Don Leek and Rus sell Goodwin

There were thanks for many brigade sponsors, including Seeka for the new ute

Warwick Francis was voted in as an life honorary member after retiring fol

lowing 18 years of service

Nikki de Vreede and Hannelore Kemme were jointly awarded the inau gural First Responder of the Year trophy after 7 years of service Firefighter of the Year was Josh Goldstone

Three gold bars were awarded from 2021 One was for Senior Station Officer John Leek for 41 years, who is now with the Mount brigade The others were for Chief Fire Officer Ian Blunt (37 years), and former Deputy Chief Fire Officer Simon Priest (31 years), who is now a First Responder

Long service, good conduct honours for 14 years in 2021 were presented to Qualified Fire Fighter Ross Leek and Se nior Fire Fighter Michael Kingston

A range of 3 year certificates, 5 year medals, and additional 2 year silver bars were also awarded for 2021 and 2022

At the other end of the scale Stuart Newcombe was acknowledged for com pleting his consolidation training this year to become a fully fledged fire fighter

Ōmokoroa Volunteer Fire Brigade

By Fergus Keith Deputy Chief Fire Officer

Avery quiet month for firefighters with just three calls; a rubbish fire, a non injury road traffic accident, and a call to assist the Katikati brigade at a vegetation fire

Our first responders responded to eight calls, including two chest pains and two calls where the patient required re

suscitation These calls were received back to back, the second being a cardiac arrest

As we move towards summer and the temperatures heat up, a reminder about lighting fires

There are no open fires allowed in the urban area of Ōmokoroa For all fires in all other areas, please check checkitsal right co nz for restrictions and other useful information

Defibrillator at Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall

Thanks to the generous support of the Lions Club of Ōmokoroa and Districts, on 12th October, the Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall proudly took possession of a Meditrain AED Defibril lator unit This was perfectly timed, as it not only arrived during the Lions Club’s regular monthly meeting at the Hall, it was also during ‘Shocktober’ This was a month long initiative, run by the ambu lance service Hato Hōne St John, aimed at teaching people the steps to take, such as chest compressions and using a defib rillator, when faced with a cardiac arrest or heart attack

The Lions’ donation is truly amazing, and it demonstrates their commitment to our community to care for others as well as the importance of better out comes in critical situations like cardiac arrest

The unit will be placed in the Hall lobby area, although it is sincerely hoped that the unit will never be needed The unit will serve all Hall users and their group attendees in case of an emergency

As most of you will know, cardiopul monary resuscitation (CPR) and defibril lation are key links in the ‘chain of survival’, a process which can help save the lives of people in sudden cardiac ar rest.

AEDs are used to analyse a person ’ s heart rhythm and shock a person ’ s heart back into a normal function if they are in cardiac arrest Should the unit be needed, the OSH AED unit provides a step by step recording with clear, easy to follow instructions

We would encourage a call to 111 in any emergency situation

Article supplied

Children’s art competition

By Alie Henderson

Interest is growing in the children’s art competition being organised by Ōmoko roa Public Art to cele brate the arrival of the godwits/ngā kuaka in Ōmokoroa

As I write this arti cle, I am imagining all the awesome original works of art that our creative tamariki and rangatahi our chil dren and young people are busy imagining, crafting, and creating

We invite all our young creatives (5 14 years) to send us an original artwork inspired by ngā kuaka, the amazing little birds who fly such long distances to spend the sum mer in Aotearoa, and delight us as they fly overhead to their feeding grounds

Start dreaming about godwits! Create a sculpture, a diorama, a mobile, a model, a painting or an original artwork of your choice

The competition is in support of the Welcome Home Festival Day on Saturday, 29th October, planned by the Ōmokoroa Bird Group and taking place from 11 30am to 1 30pm at Cooney Reserve, Ōmokoroa

November

All entries will be exhibited in the

space at The Old Library, with a small prize for the most outstanding cre ation in each of the two age groups (5 9 years and 10 14 years) We’re looking forward to an awesome exhibition!

For more information, please contact Alie Henderson on 021 248 0173 or alie henderson@gmail com

Competition entry forms can be col lected from the Ōmokoroa Library on Western Avenue or from The Old Library on McDonnell Street The beautiful works of art can be handed in to either Library until the closing date on Satur day, 12th

Gallery

L R back row: Brian Burford Mark Ryan Anne Andrews Rosemary Searle Barbara Haseltine

L R front row: Barbara Ryan Jocelyn Burford Shirley Miller Raewyn Hamilton (Meditrain) Mary Klein

PHOTO: Supplied

Leo Benstead making a godwits diorama

PHOTO: Angela Benstead

Rotary is coming to Ōmokoroa

Are you interested in making Ōmokoroa a better place to live and a community where everyone is given the opportunity to fulfil their dreams?

Do you like to surround yourself with positive “ can do” people? Do you care about the environment that surrounds you? Are you motivated to make the world a better place?

If you reply ‘ yes ’ to any one of these questions, then Rotary might be the an swer you are seeking

The Rotary Club of Katikati, with over fifty years of community, environmental and international service experience, is helping to extend Rotary to Ōmokoroa Examples of current Rotary projects in clude jointly sponsoring the “KaiGo” pro ject that is now recovering nearly 800Kg of perishable food weekly from local su permarkets and distributing it to re gional Food Banks

We work with Rotary clubs in Califor nia and Port Vila to provide toilets and security fencing at the Victory School of Hope in Vanuatu We provide financial support for displaced Ukrainian citizens through the international Rotary Shelter Box programme We provide Rotary vol

unteers and expertise on the large Pro ject Parore environmental restoration project, and we sponsor local college stu dents on the Rotary Youth Driver Academy programme

Ōmokoroa has always had a strong sense of community, and the formation of a Rotary club can only help to enhance this as the town continues to expand Rotarians come from all walks of life, and they share a common interest: they are women and men with a desire to serve Service to the community, to the environment and to the world are com mon Rotary themes

With that in mind, Rotary is hosting a coffee morning at the Ōmokoroa Boat Club at 9 30am on Saturday, 12th November If you are interested in learn ing more about Rotary and what it has to offer, we would love to meet you For catering purposes, please advise your plans to attend by phone or text to Jenie Strongman at 027 620 8911

Article supplied

A contractor working on Prole Road, Ōmokoroa, on 6th October inadvertently hit the water main at around 3 30pm The contractor had understood that there were no services located in the area he was working in The contractor contacted Council quickly, who sent a team to turn off the mains and work on repairing the pipe Customers were without water for several hours during the unplanned shutdown.

The Katikati Rotary team paused for a cup of tea while installing the Wharawhara Track picnic table which was soon completed PHOTO: Supplied

Waihī Beach Menz Shed

By Bob Firth Secretary

At the time of writing, architraving is almost com pleted The shed was progressing well early last month, with the lining almost finished and skirt ing on the way

Thanks to Lance for working all week on this and Chris and Mike earlier It has been a big job Graham Jenkins was also well on the way, painting the walls with polyurethane

A bit of spouting and an electrical certificate and we could call for a sign off At last, we were almost there John Allen put his hand up to clean and paint the steel shelving We couldn’t have found a better shedder for the job The metal had to be cleaned down, and rust re mover applied John has done a superb job The long back bench for machinery was hopefully to be completed Devon had asked for some help with this This will house our big machinery like drill press, routers, grinders, buzzers and the such like

As part of our health and safety, we require your next of kin’s names to be available at the shed in case of emergency If any shedder does not want his/hers to be available, please advise me, and I will delete this from our list Otherwise, we will press on Information will be in the top drawer of the filing cabinet for the mo ment

Michael Bonnici is out and about looking at tools and following up on donations It never fails to amaze just what’s out there and what’s being donated or loaned Michael says the last place he went to was an Aladdin’s cave of tools

We have been very fortunate to have been donated a shed full of good quality tools on a long term loan basis We are still working through the process, and more on this to come later

A big thank you to Waihī Beach Hardware for your recent donation of nails and screws Phil advises me that the saw bench obtained from Mt

Maunganui Menz Shed now has a guard fitted and is ready to go Our aim is only to have safe, well main tained equipment Anything else which has been do nated will be sold or disposed of

Thanks to Phil Bowyer’s valuable input, we are al most approved under the “SHE” umbrella to contract for Council work We hope this will bring in some much needed revenue in the future

Don’t forget to check the job sheet box and see if there is something in there you can take responsibility for The jobs are starting to come in now, but we could always have some more Simply pick up a job sheet, put your name on it and place it in the “work in progress box”

The committee decided to have a big push and finish

the shed ASAP If you can help in any way, please make yourself available We will find a job for you We want the shed finished so we can get on with our core roles of making things, helping people, having fun and having a chat We are also planning our opening bash

We are ready to go with more projects, advice and as sistance We are open to any tasks you may have for us We have retired engineers, builders, mechanics, fitters and turners, plumbers, electricians, welders, toolmak ers, and even a retired manufacturing jeweller on our books so I think we have the expertise for anything

Bring your jobs along, and we will get them done for you We have Shedders just waiting to get their teeth into something Contact Michael on 021 706 240 if we can help Article compiled by Editor

Locally improved app and website

An updated app and website are being launched to help people stay stronger for longer and add life to their years

The free and easy to use digital service, called Life Curve™, helps older adults stay active and independent and is based on international research about ageing

Users can take the LifeCurve™ quiz to map how they are ageing based on their ability to do 19 everyday ac tivities such as reaching their toes to cut their toe nails, walking up and down stairs or cooking a hot meal

They can then receive a personalised results package with movement routines and hints and tips on how to age better, stay active and improve their position on the LifeCurve™

Users can also choose a goal such as ‘Take care of my self ’ , ‘Manage everyday tasks more easily’ or ‘Improve my strength and balance’ to receive personalised advice based on research and knowledge from physiothera pists and occupational therapists

Although developed in the Bay of Plenty, LifeCurve™ can be used by anyone in New Zealand

An earlier version of the app was launched in the Bay of Plenty last year However, the LifeCurve™ team at Te Whatu Ora knew they had more work to do

Project Lead Kathy Everitt says that they have been working in partnership with Māori through Te Pare ō Toi and a local Te Ao Māori focus group for the last sev eral months to ensure that adaptations to the new app are in line with a Māori worldview

“Research shows we can make a difference to how we age and that getting older does not have to mean losing our abilities or independence,” says Kathy “It’s about changing our attitudes to ageing no mat ter what age we are, small changes like adding more movement into our lives can make a big difference

The LifeCurve™ is based on Newcastle University re search around age related functional decline and has been in use in the United Kingdom since 2018

The research proves that ageing does not have to mean losing your abilities, as ageing is only 20% ge netic

Users can download the app from the Apple or An droid (Google Play) app stores by searching for ‘Life Curve’ Alternatively, they can find a link on the website www lifecurve co nz

Kathy suggests that people who don’t have smart phones or who need help with using the app, choose a support person like a family member or friend to help

The app and website have a whānau / family focus which allows one account holder to create several pro files, similar to Netflix This means one account holder can help several different family members or friends to age better You can try it at www lifecurve co nz

More improvements will be made to the LifeCurve™ service based on user feedback over the next few months Article Supplied

Safer plates success

By Liz Farrell

On Saturday 15th October, a ‘safer plates’ event took place at the carpark opposite Prole Road Ōmokoroa Community Policing Group were on site to replace one screw per licence plate on the front and back of a vehicle with a tamper proof screw to help prevent theft All this was done for a gold coin donation for Ōmokoroa Volunteer Fire Brigade and First Responders

Ōmokoroa Neighbourhood Support Coordinator, Rachel Millard, was there with her team from Your Real Estate offering information about Neigh

bourhood Support and a sausage siz zle to all those who made a donation towards the mahi

The group ’ s trainer, Peter Goad, says 235 vehicles took advantage of this project, which averaged nearly 50 cars an hour

“The event raised a total of $781 for FENZ including the take from Rachel’s enthusiastic sausage sizzling team,” says Peter

It was a good chance for the group to have some useful conversations with the locals and great to have the Fire Brigade and Community Consta ble James Muir in attendance

Patrol volunteer Mark Lynch PHOTO: Matthew Farrell

LifeCurve™ project lead Kathy Everitt PHOTO: Supplied

ŌPS excited to help design new billboard

The beach, pōhutukawa, and kuaka (godwits) are just a few of the great ideas from Ōmokoroa Point School to feature on a new billboard sign at the entrance to Ōmokoroa

The new billboard design will also feature a tohutō on the O of Ōmokoroa, following a successful campaign by Ōmokoroa Point School’s Room 10

In September, students presented Op eration Tohutō to Western Bay of Plenty District Council, calling for a review of signage around the district to include a tohutō on Ōmokoroa, and any that have a legal name with a tohutō be updated Their request was unanimously agreed to by Councillors

Following their presentation, Council CEO John Holyoake invited the class to help design the new Ōmokoroa billboard at the intersection of State Highway 2 and Ōmokoroa Road

They took up the invitation and contin ued to lead their community initiative by participating in a co design workshop with Council The Council team visited Room 10 and worked with students to voice and illustrate their ideas of what Ōmokoroa means to them

School Principal Sandra Portegys says Room 10 and Ōmokoroa Point School are excited to be part of the design process for the new sign

“We thank the Council for inviting us to be part of this The design of a new sign for Ōmokoroa shows the students that they do have a voice and they can participate in the democratic process to make change

“We talk to our students about being an upstander, not a bystander, when they see something that is not right Room 10 is doing this through Operation Tohutō, and I’m very proud of them ”

Vivienne from Room 10 was chuffed with the opportunity to contribute “We get to have a say in designing the bill board It’s great Council has taken time to visit, interact and help us ”

Fellow student Evan agreed saying, “It’s good giving kids a chance for an idea for the billboard.”

Hana is excited to see the final design “It’s cool! When we get to go past the bill board, we get to see what we love about Ōmokoroa ”

Council CEO John Holyoake says Coun cil really appreciates Room 10’s mahi to be advocates in their community and for helping to design the billboard

“Students in Room 10 have shown we need more rangatahi, to lead change in our communities, to use their voice and show how to use and respect the reo They should feel proud of their achieve ments This is what generation change is all about

“It was fantastic to take part in the workshop and to talk with the students about what they love about Ōmokoroa,”

says John

The new billboard is planned to be re vealed to Ōmokoroa Point School and local hapū with Room 10’s help in the coming months, before it’s placed at the entrance to Ōmokoroa

Article supplied

Students putting ideas to paper during the visit by Council staff and CEO

Waiau wetlands restoration a refuge to wildlife

Aproject to transform 5 3 hectares of salt marsh and grazing land near Athenree is underway, restoring the taiao (natural environment) provid ing a refuge for īnanga (whitebait) and native bird life

Local hapū of Te Whānau a Tauwhao are re establish ing their kaitiakitanga (guardianship) leading the eco logical restoration of 5 3 hectares of wetland at Te Waiau awa (river) near Athenree, enhancing the mauri (life essence) of this once teeming environment

The project has created a strong partnership between the hapū of Te Whānau a Tauwhao with the support from Ngāti Te Wai, Ngāi Tamawhariua and Pirirākau as well as Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council

Reon Tuanau, Te Whānau a Tauwhao, says the wet land is a waahi tapu (sacred place), with immense cul tural significance

“It’s steeped in history, my tīpuna (ancestors) when they first arrived in this area would settle right next to the waterways, which have provided sustenance for our people for hundreds of years The benefits of what we are doing with this restoration are immense, I’m very proud of our hapū and all the partners that have come together for this common goal and long may it last Mauri Ora!”

Riki Nelson, Ngāti Te Wai, Tuapiro Marae, says the ini tiative will leave a legacy for our future generations “We’d love to see this habitat with an abundance of native life in five years ’ time The cultural experience and involving our rangatahi is important, because over the generations we have lost some cultural connection and it’s important that we have this rejuvenation ” Waiau has high ecological values and is special be cause it is where the salt water and fresh water meet at

Te Waiau river, this is significant because it is where īnanga thrive

During Matariki, planting of harakeke (flax), taupata, kahikatea and mānuka provided tamariki and whānau from Te Kōhanga Reo o Ōtāwhiwhi the opportunity to be involved and connect with the whenua

The local hapū environmental team Kaimai Kauri will continue to support the project in partnership with the Department of Conservation, with planned work on the wetland to tackle pest management and fostering ecol ogy in a space where it thrives

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Regional Manager of Infrastructure Delivery, Jo Wilton, says “Native species depend on ecosystems like wetlands to enable them to thrive, and we are thrilled to be able to support this initiative and partnership It is heartening to see tamariki being part of the journey ”

Karl McCarthy says, “It’s fantastic to see this project of creating more wetland go ahead The critically endan gered Australasian Bittern or Matuku hūrepo have al ready been observed using the site, which is incredibly encouraging to see ”

Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Resource Re covery and Waste Team Leader, Ilze Kruis says, “The Waiau wetland restoration is a really special project that’s brought people and organisations together to work for a common cause the health of this beautiful wetland environment. We’re proud to be involved in this kaupapa which will provide homes for precious plants and animals and enhance the overall health of Tauranga Moana harbour Ka rawe to everyone in volved in the project for their mahi ”

Department of Conservation Biodiversity Ranger

Article supplied

Helping tamariki regain cultural connection to the waahi tapu (sacred place) PHOTO: Supplied

Charity concert featuring four bands

Our 11th November concert is a fundraiser for 47 year old Tim Pardy, who is undergoing treat ment for pancreatic cancer Tim was con sidered cancer free in March, and he couldn’t have been happier But that joy was cut short after five months when the Katikati family man discovered his pancreatic cancer had returned this time in his liver Last year, Tim was among the small number

of New Zealanders diagnosed with pancreatic cancer every year There was no family history it was a total shock and very uncommon for someone of his age

Katikati Folk Club is supporting Tim and his family by fundraising with four featured acts that encompass a wide range of musical styles Be entertained by four acts: Smith & Co with their pop ular folk and harmonies; Two’s Company

playing jazz, popera and classic hits; The Wild Clovers bringing their thumping Celtic rock to Katikati; and Calico Line’s sweet sounds of Americana Katikati Folk Club is at The Arts Junc tion, 36 Main Rd, Katikati Doors open at 7pm for a 7 30pm concert start Come early and get a good seat 100% of our show take goes to Tim Members pay only $20, and casuals pay $25 We accept Eftpos or cash, though we suggest you

Time to sow for A&P

By Virginia O’Leary

Katikati A&P Show it’s on again on 5th February 2023, at the Uretara Domain After the disappointment of two years of cancellations, the 99th show will finally see action

This coming February gives us a good opportunity to celebrate a traditional ac tivity with the communities from Katikati and surrounding districts There will be all the usual fun of the fair and equestrian

events drawcard as well as the home in dustries competitions

Get your seedlings in now, as vegetables and flowers grown over the summer holi days will be perfect for entering in the home industries competitions

Children and adults may find their pro duce and crafts could win them prestigious prizes Check out the Home Industries Schedule for just what categories there are to enter

There are lots of categories for children of all ages, such as creating bird feeders, lego build, decorating cupcakes, creating tiny villages, growing flowers and vegeta bles and much, much more Children can also enter the adult categories Use the summer holidays to create and grow Home Industries will again be giving out prizes for the biggest and heaviest zucchini (marrow) and the weirdest, roundest, longest, and twistiest zucchini Try Rampi

buy your earlybird tickets on our web site or onsite at the Arts Junction As al ways, children are free Membership only costs $10 per person per annum

During the break, grab yourself a com plimentary tea, coffee and biscuits Or, before the show starts, treat yourself to a wine or beer from our cash bar

It’s a great cause, and we need your ac tive support For more information, check out www katikatifolkclub co nz

cante zucchini seeds from Kings Seeds in your garden and grow to enter There are also prizes for the biggest tomato and the biggest onion Get your A&P Home Sched ule from Katikati Information Centre on Main Road, the Community Resource Cen tre on Beach Rd, the libraries in both Katikati and Ōmokoroa or online at ka t i ka t i o rg n z / b u s i n e s s / ka t i ka t i a p society The schedule tells you what com petitions there are for you to enter

Tim Pardy and his family will receive 100% of proceeds from the event

Wild Clovers will be one of four bands at the charity concert

PHOTO: Supplied

New Regional Council, but business as usual

By Diane McCarthy Local Democracy Reporter

“Im not business as usual,” Kohi Māori constituency councillor Toi Iti told his fellow new councillors as he spoke to his nomination to be deputy chair man of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council The newly elected council held its inaugural meeting at Te Mānuka Tūtahi Marae in Whakatāne on Wednesday, 19th Octo ber After a pōwhiri led by Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa chairman Joe Harawira and the swearing in of council lors, Doug Leeder was returned to his former position as chairman, winning 10 votes to four over Ōkurei Māori councillor Te Taru White

The division of votes between Māori constituency voters and general constituency voters was pro nounced, with new Tauranga councillor Kat MacMillan being the only general constituency councillor to vote for Mr White alongside all three Māori constituency councillors Mr Leeder said he was humbled and privileged by the support that his colleagues had given him for his

continued leadership “I will continue to employ all the effort, passion [and] the desire to see this organisation excel and represent our communities because that is what we are ultimately about ” Mr Leeder’s first order of business was to call for nominations for deputy chairperson Tauranga councillor Paula Chapman nom inated former deputy, Western Bay councillor Jane Nees, and Mr White nominated Mr Iti

Speaking to his nomination, Mr Iti said it was great to see the process of open government in front of his community “There is an expectation on us as Māori councillors from our community for us to participate and to contest these roles They can see for themselves that we are doing it and the challenges that we face ” “As I am here, at our inauguration, in a blanket, my wild curly hair out, bare feet, I believe that it is impor tant that there are times when we cast aside the cul tural constructs and be unapologetically Māori and still bring value to organisations like Toi Moana. This is who I am; therefore this is who we are

“Chairman [Doug] Leeder is business as usual, and kei te pai, we have business to get on with,” he said However, Mr Iti asked that councillors “endorse this other side of the community so that we can see our selves reflected in the leadership”

“To me, your choice is not about which candidate can do the job better It’s about sending a strategic tohu, or signal, to our staff, to our communities and to the coun try that Toi Moana accepts and trusts contrasting parts of itself ” He finished his speech with a rousing haka, supported by kapa haka students from Whakatāne High School However, only the Māori constituency councillors, Mr White and Matamoana McDonald, gave him their votes All of the general constituency council lors voted for Ms Nees

Ms Nees said being returned to the deputy chair woman position was a great privilege and honour “We have a strong council, but we have a lot of challenges ahead,” Ms Nees said. Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

Bay of Plenty Regional Council held its inaugural meeting at Te Mānuka Tūtahi Marae in Whakatāne PHOTOS: Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Meet the new faces at the Western Bay of Plenty District Council

Anne Henry and Allan Sole

By Alisha Evans, Local Democracy Reporter Email: alisha@thesun co nz

The Western Bay of Plenty District has four new councillors to repre sent them, who will sit alongside new mayor James Denyer and the seven other councillors who retained their seats

The new council has been chosen after the local government elections on 8th October

Tracey Coxhead joins sitting council lors Don Thwaites, Margaret Murray

The former financial journalist, who now runs a business in Katikati, said: “My first goal in the election was to raise awareness of the council’s finances” and what he claims is “the mountain of debt that it’s building”

Joyce, 56, said his second goal “ was to get on council to try and do something about it,” and he was “successful” in both of those goals

“Now the real work begins because the same issues that made me stand are still there ”

The father of three said roads still need to be maintained and new infrastructure created, but things can be built “ respon sibly, not crazily”

“To avoid future constraints, we need to make adjustments soon ” When asked how on board he thought

Benge and Murray Grainger as a Kaimai Ward Councillor

Coxhead lives in Te Puna and said she would bring her expertise in finance to council

The 58 year old says challenges facing the district were the upcoming local gov ernment reforms “which are more of a challenge for the council, but it affects the community hugely”

These include the Three Waters re form, repealing the Resource Manage ment Act and the Future for Local Government review, due on 28th Octo ber, which is looking at how local democ racy and governance needs to evolve over the next 30 years

Coxhead said there are the “usual chal lenges” around the quality of roading and transport and infrastructure around the proposed builds as well

“The key to being a councillor is we have to listen to our communities and our ratepayers, and that needs to be our go to for our decisions,” said the mother of four She said it also comes back to what you can “actually achieve”

“You have to be realistic You don’t go into council and change the world, but it’s about persevering; it’s about being persistent on the really key issues ”

“I’m really looking forward to the chal lenges that we ’ re going to face together as a council ”

New to the Katikati Waihī Beach Ward is Rodney Joyce, who also stood for mayor He joins sitting councillors,

the other councillors would be with this, he replied: “That’s my challenge ”

“It’s teamwork I think you chip away at it as a culture of spending that we need to adjust ”

Richard Crawford and Andy Wichers are the two new Te Puke Maketū Ward Councillors They join John Scrimgeour and Grant Dally

Crawford was the chair of the Te Puke Community Board for the previous trien nium and wanted to “step up ” and run for council

The 65 year old spent 13 years as a volunteer firefighter, chairs the Daily Charitable Trust, a not for profit organi sation that fosters community connec tions, and runs his own building company.

“A lot of people just think council’s got all the answers, but the answer is not just in council The answer is with coun cil and community working together,” says Crawford

Wichers has lived in Te Puke for 28 years and has been involved in the com munity through the junior football club and served on the board of trustees at three different schools

One of the things the 57 year old was keen to work on is council’s communica tion with the community

The mayor and councillors will be sworn in at the inaugural Western Bay of Plenty District Council meeting for the triennium on 7th November Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

Rodney Joyce PHOTO: Sun Media

Tracey Coxhead PHOTO: Supplied

Low voter turnout

review how elections can be “delivered more consistently and impactfully,” said Crosby

“LGNZ has asked for a piece of re search to be done to get a clear under standing what the issues are ”

By Alisha Evans Local Democracy Reporter alisha@thesun co nz

Like the Western Bay of Plenty Dis trict Council, Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) in conjunction with Taituarā Local Government Pro fessionals Aotearoa ran a Vote 2022 campaign

“It’s critical that people feel as if they can exercise their democratic right, which was hard fought for, and help shape their communities through their elected members as they move forward ”

Locally, the WBOPDC’s voter turnout was 37 6 per cent, down from 39 1 per cent in 2019 and 38 4 per cent in 2016

Prior to the election, Council CEO John Holyoake told Local Democracy

It had a similar goal to Generation Change to attract more candidates to stand for council and increase voter par ticipation

In terms of attracting candidates, LGNZ president Stuart Crosby said: “It [the campaign] didn’t get off to a robust start initially, but it gathered momentum, and we had a good range of candidates across New Zealand”

With voter turnout, Crosby said the campaign “didn’t hit the targets we were hoping for”.

“We need to own that and be honest about it No, we didn’t get the turnout that we were trying to seek ”

He said the target was to improve on the 2019 election’s national voter turnout of 42 per cent The 2022 voter turnout was 40 44 per cent, according to the LGNZ website

Crosby said there was a “ range of rea sons ” for low voter turnout, including disconnection between communities and council, postal voting and informa tion about candidates

Currently, the information booklet sent out with voting papers allows candidates 150 words to introduce themselves

LGNZ has “informally” asked the Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta to

Reporting the council would be “disap pointed” if they didn’t achieve higher turnout than the 2019 election

When asked what he thought of the re sult, Holyoake replied: “We’ve done all we can in this year ’ s elections, through our Generation Change campaign, to in crease voter participation and attract a more diverse range of candidates and voters ”

“We’re proud knowing that we ’ ve done as much as we could, and beyond that it’s out of our control ”

Regarding what changes were needed to improve voter turnout, Holyoake said it was time for a “serious look” at the cur rent system

“With the digital age and decline in post shops now is the time to connect with communities in the ways they inter act in everyday life

“Whatever the eventual solution, or range of solutions may look like it’s about making it easy and accessible ”

Figures provided by WBOPDC show the Generation change campaign spend (as of 19th October) was advertising $57,743, debates $29,688 and poll par ties $6796 (including GST)

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

LGNZ president Stuart Crosby PHOTOS: Sup plied

Western Bay of Plenty District Council CEO John Holyoake

Ōmokoroa history books reprinted

Ōmokoroa History Group out and about

By Chris Wright on behalf of the Ōmokoroa History Group

We have just done a reprint (200 copies) of the highly successful “Ōmokoroa Farming Families

1900 1970” book This professional pub lication consists of 336 pages with nu merous photos depicting the various pioneering families, their farming lives, volunteer organisations they belonged to, leisure times in Ōmokoroa and other activities on the peninsula It also depicts the development of Ōmokoroa during the 70 year period with many interest ing chapters, such as roads, shops, and schools

If you have recently settled in Ōmoko roa, you will learn of the early twentieth century history of the area in which you now reside We received so many posi tive comments following the printing of the first 300 books

We also have copies of the earlier pub lication “Ōmokoroa”, taken from Jenny Woods’s book and updated by Colin Pet

tigrew in 2015 This publication of 246 pages also has many photos and depicts the early history of Ōmokoroa from when the Rt Rev Joseph Tice Gellibrand settled on the Peninsula in 1877 Many interesting articles about the Gellibrand/ Crapp Families, early Tauranga develop ment, Gerald Crapp Reserve, coal at Ōmokoroa, regattas, Lynley Park, the original homestead fire and much more

One person said after buying a copy, she could not put it down This book also needed a reprint after quickly selling out

Both books would make a great Christ mas present and are available for $45 each Copies are available from Jo and Don Cameron (548 0655), Val Hale (548 0370) or Chris Wright (548 0088) plus Ōmokoroa Pharmacy and TOLO (The Old Library Ōmokoroa) in McDonnell Street

All proceeds go to Ōmokoroa History Group for further projects Article supplied by Ōmokoroa History Group

Instead of our more usual indoor meeting, in early October, 13 mem bers of our group visited the Western Bay Museum in Katikati to view the Ser vice and Sacrifice display

Paula Gaelic, Museum Manager, wel comed us, and after a brief introduction about the Māori taonga in display cases near the entrance and a look at the time line of Irish settlement of Katikati on the wall, she moved on to a presentation on the various large display boards depict ing the First World War in regard to the heroic stories of New Zealand women Titled “What granny did in the war ” it covered the many and various roles of women both in NZ: land girls, nursing, knitting socks and balaclava for their men, raising funds, sending food boxes; and overseas: nursing on hospital ships, in England and other army bases, near theatres of war, plus our ‘wickedest woman in Britain’, Ettie Rout, disowned by her family for her mission, providing safe sex education to soldiers on leave in Paris

We were taken back in time to our primary school days with the replica school room we could all relate to We enjoyed a delicious Devonshire tea of hot scones (straight from the coal range, thank you, cooks!) with jam and whipped cream all delivered by two parlour maids dressed in period cos tume We were then entertained by a tune on the Pianola (a mechanical piano where the sound is made by vigorous pumping of the pedals to cause wind to go through the special holes in the music paper)

On we travelled to Waihī Beach to look at their history bollards where one can download on one ’ s smart phone the his tory of a particular place/area by way of the QR code on the bollard Local iden tity Marilyn Roberts advised us of the procedure and other details which we were very grateful for And so to Flat White Café for lunch, rounding off a very different history group meeting It was a pity that school holidays meant some members were unable to come the joys of grandparent duties!

The next meeting is on 10th December for our Christmas lunch

Marilyn Roberts shares information about the Waihī Beach bollards PHOTO: Supplied

Val Hale Maureen Bruning and Chris Wright relax on completion of the Ōmokoroa Farming Families book, late 2021 PHOTO: Supplied

The Old Librar y Ōmokoroa

The Old Librar y Ōmokoroa

By Alison Badger

In September, we were pleased to de vote the gallery space to ‘Blue September’ and promote ‘Blokes and their Bits’, including a marvellous display of work by the MenzShed, as well as other creative guys in our community

In October, we changed colour, focus ing on Pink October and celebrating ‘Wonder Women who Changed our World’, both nationally and here in Ōmokoroa We wanted to acknowledge the many hours our locals devote to vol unteering from knitting garments for needy families to the First Responders Both displays brought very positive feed back from our visitors, and enabled us to make generous donations to the respec tive campaigns

We were happy to support the Godwit Kuaka Day on 29th October, and if you are similarly interested, why not pop into the gallery and see the wonderful display of photographs and information about these quite sensational birds The Ōmokoroa Pubic Art Group competition

(details in a separate article) runs from 15th October to 12th November and in vites artistic work in all forms

In November, we welcome back the Ōmokoroa Quilters If you were lucky enough to view their work last year, you will no doubt be beating a path to our door to see their latest cornucopia of colour and design From traditional pat terns to more contemporary designs, you will marvel at the use of bold colours and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid colour, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space, and alternate grid work

If you are a creative person and would like to exhibit your work, either for sale or for display only, get in touch, and we can chat The gallery is already booked for December and January, but we would love to hear from you.

Not forgetting the wonderful display of quality greetings cards by Ōmokoroa Artists, blank for your personal message and priced to beat anything you’ll find elsewhere

Local wonder women in history

When Alison Badger outlined her exhibition plans for October, breast cancer month: Wonder Women, national, international and local, Val Hale and Chris Wright searched the history group archives for an interesting slant on the wives and daughters of early farmers What did these women do be sides their farming duties, their house wifely duties, their child care, and farm accounting?

Some unmarried daughters became postmistresses, especially the daughters of Plummers Point families Some be came assistant teachers Some trained as nurses and teachers After marrying local farmers, some returned to teaching This was frowned upon at the time, but with shortages during and after the war and the ongoing need for relief teachers, some, like Betty Francis taught for many years

During World War 2, there were land girls who came to work on local farms Enid Plummer came to work on the Plummer farm and stayed, marrying Jesse Plummer and farmed in Whakamārama

It was women who provided social co hesion, bringing suppers to meetings, contributing food for wedding recep tions, and organising social activities Eventually, this formalised into the CWI and WDFF

The Country Women’s Institute, as well as regular meetings with competi tions and talks, also led to widening in terests with its Garden Club, and its

involvement in Eisteddfod competitions

Public speaking and one act dramas all gave women increasing self confidence Likewise, the Women’s Division of Fed eration Farmers (now Rural Women NZ) became a very important part of each woman ’ s life, with its regular meetings providing women with essential social contacts Fundraising for local, national and international causes was also impor tant

See the display at The Old Library Sit down to read more about these women as individuals and as groups and con sider the huge social changes since those times Article supplied by Ōmokoroa History Group

Pink October at The Old Library

PHOTO: Liz Farrell

Enid Plummer came to the area to work on a farm and stayed She turned 98 at the end of October PHOTO: Supplied

Where’s Aunt Daisy when I need her?

By John Collier Ōmokoroa Community Garden

Iwas listening to some older wisdom on the radio about learning the an cient art of preserving and pickling as a way of bolstering our cupboards and larders against rampant food inflation

Last week I was feeling rather smug about getting my seedlings started early and my spuds in early and planting the babies out to capture the best of global warming And then that frost, that polar blast that nuked rows of Bortolotti’s and all my early spuds Ignore old wisdom at your peril! When I arrived here 30 years ago, there was just one bit of gardening advice “Don’t plant out till labour week end because of the risk of a late frost ”

Well, after 30 years of obedience, I knew better and sadly, my crop is dead and blasted And spare a thought for the blueberry farmers who lost 90% of their crop with one cold blast

So back to the beginning, and I thought I should add that good preserving starts with your last harvest and the important gathering and labelling of seeds I bought a packet of basil seeds from Kings 15 years ago, and I gather the seeds at har vest time, and they breed true every year So buy seeds that are heritage, and then when planting, think of how much you want to eat and how much is for the

birds and slugs (I work on the principle of thirds)

Stagger the sowing, so you have enough for every week rather than a glut that goes in the compost, and of course, plan your pickles preserves and passa tas Gather jars or freezer bags and save enough for the winter months

And this week’s unusual fact is that the pleasure neurotransmitter Dopamine was first synthesised from broad beans by a Swiss chemist Markus Guggenheim in 1913, who gave it to his rabbits!

The Ōmokoroa Community Garden welcomes volunteers on Thursday and Saturday mornings

Before (above) and after (below) the potatoes nuked by the frost PHOTOS: Supplied

Ōmokoroa Probus Club

Probus Club on 22nd September

was

Phillip started as a Constable and early on was involved in the Libyan Embassy siege in April 1984 His most vivid mem ory of this was learning that a radio code for the refreshments van, owned by the Police, was ‘Teapot’ (Teapot now in po sition down a side road away from the siege) He claims that a good policeman never gets wet and never has to buy a cup of tea But has to be a good tourist guide, GPS base, marriage counsellor and shopping guide!

The London Underground was difficult as no radio communication was possible He recounted how they once arrested four people, leaving one handcuffed to a seat on the train They left, and so did the train Fortunately, it was the Circle Line, and they waited and got their man later Being ambitious and bored with standard police work, he sat exams and

graduated as a Detective Constable with a whole new world of crimes

He eventually moved into investiga tions into credit card fraud, both national and international, with some interesting experiences He claims much fraud is re ported by jilted spouses or partners

The biggest fraud involved a building society where false premises with fake ATMs were set up for people to have their card details and pin numbers stolen The bogus shop front would close up, and the perpetrators would vanish

After 22 years of service, Phil retired with a Long Service Good Conduct Medal and now enjoys the Bay of Plenty

Thanks to Phil for a highly entertaining ramble through his time in the London Police Force

Ōmokoroa Probus meets at Settlers’ Hall on the fourth Thursday of each month

Contact Dianne Arlidge on 552 6456, or Wavyne Phillips 548 1233 for more information

The guest speaker at Ōmokoroa

Phillip Waters, a former Detec tive Constable at London Metropolitan Police

EVENTS

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

Scottish Country Dancing 1 3 pm St Peter s Anglican Church Beach Road $4 All ages no partner required Call Douglas 021 0244 6099

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 lynchaston@btinternet com

Yoga for Men 5 15 6 30 pm Katikati Community Centre Contact 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

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 classes 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 Contact 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

Keep on your Feet seated fitness for older adults 11 30 noon 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

WEDNESDAYS

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 gayehemsley@gmail com 577 1753 or 027 274 8753

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

Twilight tennis at Te Puna Tennis Club 6pm

start Contact Catherine tptennisclub@gmail com or 021 506 855

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

Te Puna Community Library in the School library 6 30 7 30pm

Justice of the Peace clinic 6 30 7 30pm

Te Puna School Library

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, Katikati Free entry All welcome Pick Up/Drop Off Service and shower facilities available 549 0399

Pickleball Waihī Beach Community Centre

Starts at 8 45am on 1st and 3rd Thursdays 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

Adult Colouring in at Pātuki Manawa 10am Refreshments provided Free 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

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY WEEKLY EVENTS

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 30am 12 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

Social Dancing Ballroom, Latin, Rock n Roll, Salsa 7pm Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall $5

Contact Angela 027 246 1624

Ōmokoroa Songsters Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall during school terms 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 lynchaston@btinternet com

Katikati Toastmasters Club Communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self confidence and personal growth 7 30pm on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Thursdays at the 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

Omokoroa 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 Enquires to Janet on janetandwillie@kinect co nz or Linley on 218 7003

Katikati Senior Citizens Indoor Bowls 12 45pm at Katikati Memorial Hall Contact Heather 549 1008

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

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

Te Puna Community Library in the School library 10am noon

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

Ōmokoroa Cricket 20 overs from 1pm every second Sunday at Western Ave BYO picnic

FB: @omokoroacricket

Movie Matinee 1 30pm at the Arts Junction, Katikati Tickets $10 Limited seats 549 5250

Jam session Waihī Beach Hotel, 60 Wilson Road 4 7pm Everyone welcome

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

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

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

Tue 1st Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall AGM 7pm followed by drinks and nibbles All welcome Meet and get to know your Committee Members, have your say and perhaps even consider joining the Committee?

Wed 2nd 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 2nd Waihī Beach FOCUS Group 10am at Waihī Beach RSA Interesting speakers, interesting conversation and of course interesting people Every 1st Wednesday

Wed 2nd Kati Chat New to town? Join us for morning tea and invited speakers Every 1st Wednesday, 10am The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati Ph 549 5250

Thu 3rd Ōmokoroa Peninsula Club 9 30am 1st Thursday of the month at the Ōmokoroa Community Church (excl Dec/Jan) Contact Geoff Gripton on 548 1027 or Fred Hartley 548 1939

Thu 3rd Business Breakfast 7am 8am at Pātuki Manawa Guest Speaker: Corey Hinde of Good Oil Marketing on ‘How to get found online with SEO RSVP to info@KatchKatikati org nz

Thu 3rd Live Music Mike Garner’s Ragtime Washboard Kings 7 30pm at The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati

Sat 5th Waihī Beach Op Shop Ball Day of the Dead 7pm at Waihī Beach Community Centre Tickets via Eventbrite

Sat 5th 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

Sun 6th Katikati Folk Open Mic 5pm every 1st Sunday of the month Blackboard (open mic) session at Forta Leza 2656 Main Highway Aongatete

Mon 7th 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 7th 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 8th Ōmokoroa Photography Club

Ōmokoroa Sports Pavilion Social Room All levels welcome 7 9pm on 2nd Tuesday of the month Contact omokoroaphotoclub@gmail com

Wed 9th U3A Katikati monthly meeting 10am noon in the Digital Hub next to the Library on 2nd Wednesday each month Call Pam Mazoyer 021 104 2925

Wed 9th Movie ‘Elvis’ 1 30pm at the boutique Junction Theatre @The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd Katikati Tickets $10 or $7 50 Gold Card Ph 07 549 1658

Wed 9th 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 9th Katikati Herb Society Every 2nd Wednesday at 7pm at St Paul’s church Contact Fiona 022 684 5178

Thu 10th Emergency preparedness drop in sessions every 2nd Thursday at The Centre Pātuki Manawa, Katikati 10am noon Visit westernbay govt nz/community/civil defence

Thu 10th Friends of Puketoki Trapping/checking every 2nd Thursday Meet at Leyland Road carpark Call John Budden 548 1180 or Terry Edwards 552 6222

Thu 10th Ōmokoroa Business Network meeting 9am on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month Details available at omokoroabusinessnetwork@gmail com

Thu 10th Floral art demonstration ‘A Rustic Wedding hosted by Katikati Floral Art 1 3pm, Katikati Memorial Hall Tickets from The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati Ph 07 549 1658

Thu 10th Katikati Genealogy Group meets on the 2nd Thursday at the Presbyterian Church Hall, 1 Mulgan Street at 1 30pm $5 New members welcome Contact Jeanette 027 348 3259

Fri 11th 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 11th 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

Fri 11th Live Music A Charity Concert in Four Acts Presented by KatiKati Folk Club at The Arts Junction 36 Main Rd Katikati at 7 30pm

Sat 12th 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 12th Patchwork Quilting at Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 9am 4 30pm second Saturday each month Contact Christine 027 280 1344

Sat 12th Ōmokoroa Rotary coffee morning Ōmokoroa Boat Club 9 30am RSVP via text to Jenie Strongman at 027 620 8911

Sun 13th Sunday Scribblers Working on memoirs Fun writing exercises to warm up 2nd Sunday of each month 11am 12 30pm Chrome Cafe 3 Wharawhara Road Katikati Contact Gaye on gayehemsley@gmail com 577 1753 or 027 274 8753

Sun 13th Movie ‘Nude Tuesday’ 1 30pm at the boutique Junction Theatre @The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd Katikati Tickets $10 or $7 50 Gold Card Ph 07 549 1658

Mon 14th 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 15th Book Buzz Share your favourite reads with other book lovers 10am every 3rd Tuesday at Ōmokoroa Library

Tue 15th Innovation Garden Club 1 30 3pm every 3rd Tuesday Waihī Beach RSA Contact 027 289 7674 or innovationgardenclub@gmail com

Wed 16th 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 16th Business After Five 5 15pm A different location on the 3rd Wednesday each month, 5 15 6 30pm RSVP to 07 549 5250 to check venue All welcome

Thu 17th Garden Ramble with Ruud Kleinpaste NZ s Bug Man 4pm 5 30pm, Kati KaiWay (parking on Gilfillan Drive) $15 entry includes a digital photo with Ruud Grow On Katikati Contact Jess membersgrowonkatikati@gmail com to reserve a space

Thu 17th Café Scientifique Katikati 7pm The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati Free event Guest Speaker: Ruud Kleinpaste on ‘Love Our Bugs’ Entry by gold coin donation

Thu 17th Genealogy support Help with research into family history and DNA searches Omokoroa Library, 3rd Thursdays 10am One on one help available at other times Contact Lyn at lynevaughan@gmail com or 027 259 6643

Thu 17th Fun Mixed Doubles Ōmokoroa Tennis Club Western Ave Third Thursday of the month from 5 30 7 30pm

Fri 18th Death Cafe 1 30 3pm at Katikati Community Centre, every 3rd Friday of the month We talk openly about death and dying, how we experience end of life and the fear, grief and questions that come with it

Fri 18th 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 18th Painting night Create a beautiful watercolour painting amongst a small group of like minded people 6 8pm in Whakamārama $60 per person all materials supplied Book at week end a la mer com

Fri 18th/Sat 19th The Gallipoli Monologues at 7pm Friday and 2pm and 7pm Saturday The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati Tickets from The Arts Junction, Katikati Phone 07 549 1658

Sat 19th Katikati Artisan Market 9am 1pm Chrome Cafe 3 Wharawhara Road Katikati 3rd Saturday of the month

Sat 19th Waihī Beach Summer Kickoff Festival 2 6pm at Anzac Bay Live music, food trucks, storytelling, kids workshops Free entry waihibeach co nz

Sat 19th Dinner with Dame Silvia Cartwright A fundraising event for Abbeyfield WBOP 6pm at the Fairview Golf and Country Club, Katikati Tickets from The Arts Junction, Katikati Phone 07 549 1658

Sun 20th Katikati Folk Club Jam sessions 5pm 3rd Sunday of the month Informal jam sessions at Forta Leza, 2656 SH2, Aongatete

Sun 20th Friendship Force Ōmokoroa Setters’ Hall 3rd Sunday evening of the month Ph Jonathan on 572 2091

Mon 21st 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 21st 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

Wed 23rd Ōmokoroa Projects Community Info Session 5pm 7pm at the Ōmokoroa Pavilion at 28 Western Avenue It’s an informal drop in session so people can pop in for a look or a chat anytime

Thu 24th Ōmokoroa Business Network meeting 9am on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month Details available at omokoroabusinessnetwork@gmail com

Thu 24th Probus Club of Ōmokoroa 9 30 11 30am at Ōmokoroa Setters’ Hall every 4th Thursday of the month Contact Wavyne 548 1233 or Jean 548 2239

25th/26th/27th and 1st/2nd December A Reindeer Revolt at Santa’s Workshop presented and performed by Katikati Theatre Times information and tickets from The Arts Junction Katikati Ph 07 549 1658

Sat 26th 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 26th 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

Sun 27th Pest Trap Library at the container next to Whakamārama Hall 3 5pm Last Sunday of the month

Sat 3rd Dec Live Music Big Muffin Serious Band 7 30pm, The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati Tickets from The Arts Junction, Katikati Phone 07 549 1658

Sun 4th Dec Movie ‘Whina’ 1 30pm at the boutique Junction Theatre @The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati Tickets $10 or $7 50 Gold Card Ph 07 549 1658

Tue 6th Dec Ōmokoroa Foodbank Drive Collection of pantry goods as well as bathroom consumables Ōmokoroa Volunteer Fire Brigade and community volunteers will be coming door to door in Ōmokoroa from 6pm

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

Weeding Wandering Willie a winner for students

By Janie Stevenson

Weeding isn’t usually a fun job, but that didn’t stop 185 stu dents recently removing 30 large bags of tradescantia (Wandering Willie) at I’Anson Bush Reserve in Te Puna The students from four local schools are part of the Bay Conservation Alliance (BCA) Education programme that is funded by Western Bay of Plenty District Council

The programme covers a new topic each term with the schools, and works in partnership with Manaaki Taiao Ltd and in collaboration with local groups and experts, such as Friends of I’Anson Bush Reserve

This term, the focus ecosystem was wetlands, and the schools received an in class workshop on wetland trees and birds The field trip to I’Anson Bush Re serve included activities on wetland monitoring, bird, eel and freshwater bug identification, and a guided plant walk The field trips were during conservation

week, hence the opportunity for the stu dents to give back to nature by partici pating in a weeding activity

I’Anson Bush Reserve was gifted to the Queen Elizabeth II Trust in 1987 by local residents Keith and Takiko I’Anson The reserve is home to over 200,000 native trees planted by volunteers 35 years ago and two lakes with adjoining wetlands It is maintained by Western BOP District Council and a group of enthusiastic vol unteers who focus on animal and plant pest removal

“The students did a fantastic job of weeding a small area in the Reserve It was great to see a big smile on their muddy faces as they got stuck in,” com mented Kate Loman Smith, volunteer co ordinator at I’Anson Bush Reserve

The next BCA education field trips in November will be to the estuary below the reserve to show the impact of sedi ment flowing down the catchment to the harbour and the importance of wetlands, such as at I’Anson Bush Reserve

Te Puna School Ag Day

By Kylie Chambers Teacher

Te Puna School held a fantastic Ag Day on Friday, 21st October

One of the wonderful things about being a rural school is that we have gen eration after generation of local families taking part in the day by bringing their animals and creating traditional Ag Day items

Children came to school laden with plates of pikelets, sweet samplers, bird feeders, decorated gumboots and all manner of creative items as exhibits and competition entries

Each year, classes create new exhibits with an animal or nature theme for dis play, such as nature crowns, bee cre ations, or pressed flower windows. The creativity shown by the children is in credible Each year, we are so impressed

After Covid guidelines restricted whā nau from coming on site last year, it was great to see so many parents, grandpar ents, aunts and uncles here supporting their children

Honour our heritage / Ō tātou taonga

is one of our school values Our tradi tional Ag Day is one of the ways that cel ebrate our rural heritage here in Te Puna It is great to see an increase in our lamb entries this year

Thank you to all who supported the day by encouraging, assisting and at tending PHOTOS: Supplied

Jonathan Burwell from Whakamārama School weeding tradescantia alongside fellow students and Maali Murphy Pirirākau kaitiaki from Manaaki Taiao PHOTO: Supplied

Into the bush with gumboots and iPads

By Johanna Kirschner

With the end of Covid restrictions around parent support, the children at Whakamārama Kindergarten are back into ngahere (for est)! Twice a week, they venture out in their gumboots and neon vests to a neighbouring section of native bush that the owner kindly makes available “It is an amazing learning resource right on our doorstep”, the teachers re port “Children are spotting pīwakawaka and tūī and love to get up close with all sorts of creepy crawlies They are fasci nated by tree fungi Learning about

wildlife and pest control just happens naturally ”

At the moment, the kids are all about finding treasure, such as leaf skeletons, tawa berries and pūriri flowers We start each haerenga ngahere (bush trip) with our ākonga song, which talks about looking after nature’s treasures (taonga) This is what being a kaitiaki (guardian) is all about Children need to love nature before they want to take care of it

Being in ngahere also provides the perfect backdrop for storytelling such as ‘Rata and the Tōtara Tree’ or legends of Tāne Māhuta (the guardian of the forest)

Tamariki have lots of time to roam around for free play, though They get to climb trees, balance on logs and swing on vines You wouldn’t find such unpre dictable physical challenges on a play ground It’s great for building up

resilience and confidence and for learn ing how to take calculated risks Of course, we teach them how to keep safe in the bush, too

Teachers Emily, Mike and Johanna at Whakamārama Kindergarten are really appreciative of the IT grant they have

recently received from TECT to upgrade their devices This means they can utilize nature apps with children and keep families in the loop about all the exciting learning that is happening via Storypark

PHOTOS: Johanna Kirschner

Whakamārama Hall regular events

Friends of the Blade

By Noelene Taylor

On a frosty morning in October, the Friends of the Blade preda tor control group hosted a Care Group Day at the Whakamārama carpark The aim was to show members of other groups how we run our trapping operation in the bush around the Pā Ker erū walking track

The other groups from around the Bay will return the invitation and show off their work restoring wetlands, trapping urban areas or supporting kōkako recov ery

Supported by Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Bay Conservation Alliance and Department of Conservation, four care groups around the Bay will have a day to share their aims and their methods. Each group works in a different environment, but despite that, the goal of supporting the health of habitat and species is the same

Friends of the Blade demonstrated the range of traps they use, including the new ‘hero’, self resetting AT220 traps made in Whakatāne and deployed around the boundary of the trapping

area Other tools in the box are field cam eras to show what or who is out and about in the bush and monitoring tun nels to show the number of smaller ani mals out at night

Colin Hewens, who founded Friends of the Blade in 2016, accepted a presenta tion from Anna Dawson of the Regional Council to thank the group for their predator trapping work which has re sulted in removing more than 12,389 pest animals since 2016

It is not just the bush environment which is receiving attention backyard trappers in Whakamārama are taking pests out of gardens and pasture

The next Trap Library day at the Whakamārama Hall is Sunday 30th Oc tober and interested neighbours can pick up information about Friends of the Blade while they collect a trap between 3 and 5pm

Anyone who is interested in joining a small and enthusiastic management group or our larger pool of equally enthusiastic predator control volunteers is very welcome to contact us for more information by emailing friendsoftheblade@gmail com

Colin Hewens receiving a presentation from BoPRC s Anna Dawson PHOTO: Supplied

Crime and incident report

By Senior Sergeant Steve Hindmarsh and Senior Constable James Muir

Burglaries

In the early hours of 28th September, a thief entered a Snodgrass Road prop erty and broke into sheds and a camper van. Two KTM 690 motorbikes, a Giant mountain bike, motorcycle gear, tools and fuel cans of diesel were stolen

On 25 26th September, a caravan was broken into at Tanners Point, and a 22 rifle was stolen

Overnight on 24th September, a Lund Road, Aongatete garage was entered, and a 243 calibre rifle, 2 E bikes and multi ple Ryobi tools were stolen One of the E bikes was found abandoned further up Lund Road

Overnight on 24th September, a shed on Walker Road East was broken into, and diesel cans and a leaf blower were stolen

The same night an attempt was made to steal a Toyota Altezza car parked on a Lochead Road, Te Puna property

Between 24th 27th September, diesel was syphoned from work vehicles parked at a depot on Tetley Road Two 20 litre drums of diesel were also stolen

Youths have broken into the Katikati College Action Centre We are following up on positive lines of enquiry due to the CCTV on site Nothing appears to have been taken

Overnight on 29th September, a large shed on a SH2 Whakamārama property was entered, and a substantial amount of property was stolen, including a Go Kart, Honda XL 250 motorbike, four alloy wheels, tools and two E bikes

Overnight on 3rd October, a trailered generator was stolen from Prospect Drive, Katikati It was recovered hidden in the bush up Lund Road the following day

Also, on 3rd October, a vehicle was broken into on Mulgan Street, Katikati and a car stereo and subwoofer were stolen

A Holden Commodore and Jeep were stolen from a Tetley Road, Katikati com mercial address over the weekend 11th October (see apprehensions)

A shipping container situated on an Oikimoke Road address was broken into, and a gun safe containing five revolver type rifles was stolen If anyone saw any suspicious activity in the area, please contact your nearest Police Station

On the night of 13th October, a garage door was forced open on a building site on Ainsworth Road, Minden, and a large number of plumbing goods ready for in stallation were stolen

On Thursday night, 13th October, dur ing the power cut that affected the WBOP, the Katikati RSA was broken into, but the alarm was still able to be acti vated The tills were targeted, and some cash was taken

Theft

Further thefts of parcels were re ported on Friday afternoon on Esdaile Road, Whakamārama Packaging was found nearby If anyone finds these thieves in the act of going through letter boxes, call 111 immediately

A number of vehicles were broken into while the owners attended a wedding reception on Bruntwood Drive,

Whakamārama, on Saturday night

Headphones were stolen from BP Katikati on 29th of September We are confident of the identity of the culprit and are looking for the person con cerned

Two vehicles parked at a Katikati tav ern were broken into on Friday night. Both had windows broken, and a small amount of property was stolen

On Sunday 16th October, between 9 and 10am, two vehicles parked outside a Kauri Point Road orchard were broken into An attempt was made to steal one, and a 22 rifle and ammunition was stolen from the other We would like to hear from anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area at the time

Unlawful taking of motor vehicles

A Mazda Demio was stolen from Caris brooke Street, Katikati, on the night of 24th September The vehicle was located abandoned in Henderson, Auckland, the next day

Between 25th and 27th September, a white Ford Courier utility reggo CLE311 was stolen from Patricia Place, Katikati This was later found burnt out on Thompson’s Track

On the evening of 23rd September, an attempt was made to steal a Nissan ve hicle on Beach Road, Katikati

An attempt was made to steal a Nissan car on Middlebrook Drive, Katikati, on Thursday night, 22nd September

On Saturday night, a Subaru Legacy was stolen from Polley Cresent, Katikati It was found by Police abandoned on Esdaile Road before the owner realised

it had been stolen

A Nissan Laurel motor vehicle was stolen from the side of Fairview Road, Katikati, on 17th of October (see appre hensions)

Wilful damage

On the morning or early afternoon of 15th October, a vehicle parked in a par tially open garage on Park Road had a number of its panels deliberately scratched

Arrests and apprehensions

A wallet was stolen from a delivery truck at Caltex Katikati on the afternoon of 28th of September A PayWave card was subsequently used four times to buy goods at stores to the tune of $400 plus Police located and arrested a woman at a nearby motel She has been charged with the theft of the wallet and the sub sequent fraudulent use of the PayWave card

A 26 year old Tahāwai man was ar rested for driving with a revoked licence and also for an outstanding arrest war rant after being stopped on SH2 Katikati on 24th September

On the evening of 24th September, a vehicle was stopped by Police on SH2 near Pahoia Road The driver failed to re main stopped after breath test proce dures were commenced He was located soon after on foot but took off into farm land A Police dog tracked him for around two hours before he was finally located A 37 year old Aongatete man has been charged with failing to remain stopped and refusing an officer’s request for a blood sample

10

most frequently asked QUESTIONS

Question 10:

Bacteria just love sugar One of the leading risk factors for tooth decay is a type of oral bacteria called Streptococcus mutans, the bacterium mostly responsible for plaque When plaque goes out of hand the immune system starts attacking the bacteria in it This can lead to inflammatory gum diseases

Oral bacteria feed on glucose, i e sugar from food, but they cannot use xylitol Replacing sugar with xylitol therefore reduces the available fuel for the harmful bacteria

But the effects of xylitol go beyond that Even though the bad bacteria cannot use xylitol for fuel, they still ingest it When they are full of xylitol, they are unable to take up glucose, so essentially their energy producing pathway is “clogged” In other words: when you chew gum with xylitol or use it as a sweetener the sugar metabolism in the bacteria is blocked and they literally starve to death In one study, using xylitol sweetened chewing gum reduced levels of the bad bacteria by 27 75%, while it had no effect on the friendly ones

Therefore many dentists us included recommend using xylitol sweetened chewing gum Numerous studies show that this has powerful benefits for dental health and prevention of tooth decay Xylitol also:

• increases absorption of calcium in the digestive system, which is good for your teeth;

• increases production of saliva, which contains calcium and phosphate that get picked up by the teeth thus aiding remineralisation;

• reduces the acidity of saliva, which helps to fight acid driven degradation of tooth enamel

What are the benefits of xylitol over sugar?

By Shirley Miller

ongratulations to Callie Breen and Ayla Percy of Ōmokoroa Point School winner and run ner up of the Lions International Peace Poster contest

Peace poster winners

Callie’s poster now goes forward to compete against other local winners, to decide best in the district All 34 partici pants in rooms 7 and 8 at OPS received a certificate for their artwork, and there was a cash prize for the winner

continued from page 31

A 55 year old Tahāwai man has been charged with driving with excess breath alcohol after being stopped on Park Road, Katikati, on Friday night

A 29 year old Katikati man has been charged with driving whilst disqualified after being stopped by Police on Talis man Drive on Friday afternoon His vehi cle was impounded

A 25 year old Tauranga man has been charged with driving with excess breath alcohol after being stopped on Tangitū Road, Te Puna, on Thursday evening The thieves left the vehicle abandoned in the middle of the road

A 32 year old Katikati man has been charged with driving with a suspended driver’s licence after being stopped on Mulgan Street, Katikati, on the evening of 26th September

On 1st October, a vehicle was im pounded on Jocelyn Street, Katikati, due to the driver having previously been for bidden to drive

Ōmokoroa Lions Club are involved in many more local events, serving our people and caring for our community If you would like to join our club, please contact President Mark Ryan on 021 244 4466

Wharawhara Stream A 27 year old Katikati man has been charged with re ceiving the stolen vehicle He was also wanted on a warrant for failing to appear at court on numerous other dishonesty charges He was due to appear in the Tauranga DC on 19th October with his bail opposed

On 17th October, a 23 year old Katikati man was arrested for receiving a stolen Holden Commodore vehicle taken from Tetley Road over the week end The vehicle was located at his Katikati address He was also charged with breaching a protection order and has been remanded in custody until 28th October A Jeep stolen during the same burglary was recovered from Kauri Point on 18th October Investigations are still continuing

A 22 year old Tauranga man had his vehicle impounded and was charged with driving whilst disqualified after being stopped driving on Dawson Road, Aongatete, on 14th October

competition invites young people aged 11 13 to express themselves through art and share their vision of peace Cal lie’s interpretation of this year ’ s theme “Lead with Compassion” impressed the members of Ōmokoroa Lions Club, who awarded the poster first prize

On 1st October, Police were called to a woman attempting to use a PayWave card stolen from a vehicle earlier in the week On our arrival, she had left the store and was in the process of stealing property from a nearby vehicle A 27 year old woman who is temporarily staying in Katikati has been charged with two counts of theft from vehicles and several charges of using a document to gain a pecuniary advantage She has been remanded in custody to reappear in court on the 4th October

On the night of Thursday, 13th Octo ber, a 22 year old Tauranga woman was stopped on SH2 Katikati She has been charged with driving on a suspended driver’s licence

General

It has been busy for the Katikati Police team again We have made some positive inroads into offending in Ōmokoroa, with youths from both Tauranga and Ōmokoroa being interviewed This seems to have stemmed offending in the Ōmokoroa area for now

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A search warrant was executed at a Katikati address on 5th October A large amount of property stolen from rural burglaries was located As a result, two Katikati men aged 23 and 27 were ar rested and charged with six counts of re ceiving stolen property recently taken in six burglaries between Katikati north and Te Puna One of the men is also charged with possessing ammunition without a licence We are interested in hearing from anyone who may be miss ing a Stihl Magnum chainsaw and a Ryobi cordless grinder which were found during the search warrant Both were due to appear in court on 10th Oc tober A 29 year old Katikati man who was also at the address has been charged with possession of methamphetamine and obstruction

A 26 year old Matakana Island man found in possession of a recently stolen late model utility vehicle has been charged with receiving stolen property and has appeared in the Tauranga DC He was found in possession of the vehicle at Ōmokoroa on 7th October

A 43 year old Katikati man has been charged with driving with excess breath alcohol after being stopped driving in Katikati on 9th October

On the afternoon of the 18th October, the stolen Nissan Laurel listed above was seen driving from Ōmokoroa towards Katikati with different plates attached Police stopped this vehicle on Wharawhara Road and apprehended a male after a foot chase across the

We now have had a spike of dishonesty offending around the Katikati township and the rural areas surrounding Katikati Disturbingly there have been two firearms stolen Luckily one didn’t have a bolt, so it’s as good as a club It is a good reminder to secure your firearms in gun safes and to hide your safe keys where nobody can find them

Whilst the team are actively patrolling the area and stopping vehicles looking for active criminals, we are constantly coming across people who shouldn’t be driving, whether it be because they are drunk or they are disqualified from driv ing

Rural burglaries involving large amounts of property are still occurring The amount of property would indicate that a utility vehicle or a vehicle with a trailer would be required to transport the goods Call 111 if you see anything suspicious, particularly on rural proper ties

Hopefully, these recent apprehensions will slow down some of the dishonesty offending which has been occurring across the district recently As always, let us know any information relating to criminal activity This will be kept in con fidence

Information provided by the public is usually what leads to the apprehension of criminals and the recovery of prop erty

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

L R: Ayla Percy runner up; Ōmokoroa Lions Club President Mark Ryan; Callie Breen winner

PHOTO: Supplied

Kindergarten cookbook and Christmas market

Back by popular demand, Grounded in Goodness the Te Puna Kinder garten cookbook has been reprinted from the original 2018 edition This cookbook is full of tried and true recipes collected from whānau of the kindergarten and has something for ev eryone Presales have been going great, but now the shipment has arrived, we are ready to sell from the kindergarten So all your Christmas shopping can be done in one easy step; come and see us at the kindergarten for your copy or visit our Facebook page “grounded in good ness ” All fundraising proceeds will be going toward our outdoor play environ ment

We are hosting our annual Christmas

night market on Friday, 25th November, from 4pm running until 7pm It is our first one for a few years due to Covid, but with over 30 stalls, there will be some thing for everyone We look forward to seeing you there for a spot of Christmas shopping, face painting, grab a classic sausage sizzle and just enjoy our beauti ful space

We are so grateful for the number of sponsors in our community that have donated items for either our silent auc tions or raffles for the night A special mention to Bespoke, Troupe life, Te Puna Pharmacy, Clarke Road eatery so far, and I am sure there will be more before the night Please all join us at 17c Minden road Friday the 25th 4 7pm

Volunteers needed for Waipuna Hospice’s annual Remembrance Tree Appeal

Christmas is generally a festive time of the year, but for some, it can be a challenging time spent thinking of the people who we can’t be with They may have died, they may be living overseas or in other parts of the country, or perhaps just can’t be with you at this time of year The Waipuna Hospice Remembrance Tree Appeal is a time when the community is encouraged to leave a message on a Christmas tree for their loved ones, remembering those who they can’t be with Waipuna Hospice needs your help this year to make that possible They are looking for volunteers to help with their Remembrance Tree Appeal in November and December As a Remembrance Tree Volunteer, you will be a friendly face helping someone make a donation and write a special message for a loved one to place on the Waipuna Hospice Re membrance tree

Funds raised from this appeal will go directly towards supporting the termi nally ill and bereaved in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty Everything Waipuna Hospice provides is at no cost to patients and their families because they believe that hospice care should be available for everyone How

ever, while completely free of charge, their services cost a lot to provide Waipuna Hospice is not funded by the government, and while some of its ser vices have historically been contracted by what was the DHB, they still need to raise over $7 5 million in the coming fi nancial year to meet the shortfall in their operating costs That’s why their Re membrance Tree Appeal is so important.

Last year their Remembrance Tree Ap peal raised almost $60,000 for Waipuna Hospice, which was only made possible thanks to the generosity and support from volunteers

It may seem early to think about Christmas, but Waipuna Hospice needs your help to make its campaign a suc cess So, if you can spare just two hours this November and/or December and want to help raise money for people in your community facing a life limiting ill ness, please sign up at www waipuna hospice org nz/remembrance tree volu nteer 22/ phone Michael on 07 552 6892, or email events@waipunahos pice org nz

Shifts are only 2 hours long, and there are opportunities to volunteer all across Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty Article supplied

Tamariki

enjoy reading and making the recipes from Grounded in Goodness PHOTO: Supplied

Focus on Katikati

By Fiona Powell, Katch Katikati

We’ve been hearing glowing reviews about The Gallipoli Monologues, and the show is coming to Katikati in November Professional actor Mark Wright gives voice to the many faces of Gallipoli at three shows over the 18th and 19th of November at The Arts Junction.

We

fortunate to have a num ber of talented and well known individuals visiting Katikati to share their passions with us during November, including a floral artist, an actor, a former Governor General and a naturalist

A Rustic Floral Demonstration

demonstration, at the Katikati Memorial Hall, is open to the public, giving locals a unique and special opportunity to learn new floral ideas and techniques Francine is known for her humorous, re laxed delivery style while sharing her amazing talent and skill Tickets are $10 from The Arts Junction or online at www theartsjunction org nz

The Gallipoli Monologues

Mark, who has starred in almost 40 different television series, including What Now and Shortland Street, says his one man play contains nine monologues based on different characters, symbol ised by him changing hats throughout the production The engaging and enter taining, but also historical show, gives audiences a glimpse of life during WWI and offers something for everyone Tick ets are available from The Arts Junction

Dinner with a Dame

Former Governor General of New Zealand Dame Silvia Cartwright ONZ, PCNZM, DBE, QSO, is guest speaker at an Abbeyfield WBOP fundraising dinner event on Saturday, 19th November, at the Fairview Golf and Country Club Grab your tickets from The Arts Junction for this special event helping a great cause See advert on page 27

Meet the ‘Bug Man’ New Zealand’s ‘bug man ’ Ruud Klein paste is coming to town on 17th Novem ber and is making a couple of guest appearances

First up, you can join him on a garden ramble hosted by Grow On Katikati at the Kati KaiWay from 4pm 5 30pm (reg istration and payment are needed to book your space) and have your photo taken with him In the evening, Ruud is guest speaker at Café Scientifique at 7pm at The Arts Junction sharing his love of bugs and the environment He’ll share fascinating insights into our ecosystems and how we can all make a positive dif ference Everyone is welcome, and entry is by gold coin donation

Vote for your Favourite Avo dish Katikati is acknowledged as the Avo cado Capital of New Zealand, and our local cafes are celebrating the avocado season by competing in the Seeka Avo cado Cafe Competition and serving up an avocado themed dish You’re invited to vote for your favourite dish from the competing cafes between Monday, 21st November to Thursday, 22nd December using the voting boxes at participating cafes

The cafes competing for the People’s Choice Award are the Talisman Hotel, The Orchard House Cafe, Flatwhite Cafe, Common Ground Cafe, and the Surf Shack Eatery Compare the presentation and flavour of each avocado inspired dish, make your vote, and you could be in to win one of two $50 vouchers

On Thursday, 10th November, from 1pm 3pm Francine Thomas, a well known florist and floral designer, will be presenting a floral demonstration called ‘A Rustic Wedding’ for the Katikati Floral Art Group which is hosting the Thames Valley Area Day Francine will slowly build a scene for a wedding out of rustic found objects and props using gathered plant material, both dried and fresh The

Waihī Beach to launch new summer kick off festival

Waihī Beach Events & Promo tions are excited to announce a new summer festival coming to the area this November

This festival will be held at Anzac Bay/Waipaopao on Saturday, 19th November from 2 6pm Anzac Bay is a unique and significant location The fes tival looks to embrace both the natural setting and cultural history of this site and create a wonderful day out for friends and family

“As locals and visitors to Waihī Beach are drawn to the beach, we have always dreamed of holding a festival that is sit uated on the water which celebrates our local area, ” says Vicki Lambert, Events Manager at Waihī Beach Events and Pro motions “And with the holidays just around the corner, this festival will kick off the season kiwis love most sum mer ”

Working closely with Ōtāwhiwhi Marae and Waihī Beach School, the festi val line up consists of live music, food trucks, children’s workshops, festival face art, as well as cultural storytelling We are grateful to Te Whānau ā Tauwhao of Ōtāwhiwhi, who have offered to share their stories of Anzac Bay/Waipaopao “The collaboration between Waihī

Beach Events & Promotions and Te Whā nau ā Tauwhao enables the community and visitors to come together in a signif icant spot here at Waipaopao, to learn more of the history and celebrate the start of the summer season, ” says Reon Tuanau of Ōtāwhiwhi Marae “The kau papa around this event is so positive, we can learn from our past and encourage our tamariki to care for our whenua for the future ”

The awesome line up of live music from Looking for Alaska, Sarah Spicer, Matty Buxton and Regan Perry will liven up the afternoon The audience can also expect a guest appearance by Liam Ryan of The Narcs

The festival is being supported by local and regional sponsors, who have con tributed to this festival The major spon sor is Harcourts Gold Star (Waihī Beach) with supporting sponsors Western Bay of Plenty District Council; Creative Com munities Fund NZ; TECT; Owens Floor ing; Bowentown Holiday Park, and Oceana Gold

So, book in 19th November for the Waihī Beach Summer Kick Off Festival it’s going to be a fabulous inaugural event, and it’s free for all Visit www wai hibeach co nz for more information

Katikati Art Group’s annual exhibition

By Liz Farrell

Memorial Hall, the displays showed a vast array of styles and media, but all of a fantastic quality The themed section ‘after a master’ contained several versions of famous artworks replicated

by Katikati locals

Councillor Anne Henry was invited to officially open the event She wished all the particating artists success with this year ’ s exhibtion their only fundraiser

for the year and called for a round of applause to acknowledge the members of the group whose work and dedication have kept this event going for 60 years

PHOTOS: Matthew Farrell

Having a holistic look at health

By Tammy Bruce Qualified holistic health coach

Are you happy with how you feel overall? Do you wish for better en ergy, vitality or health?

Our bodies are always trying to get back to a state of homeostasis (a place of balance or equilibrium), but due to our often fast paced lifestyles and diet choices, we can get easily knocked out of balance When compounded over time, symptoms may start to arise Symptoms are our body telling us something is not right

Symptoms such as weight gain, hor monal issues, headaches, migraines, acne, sleep trouble, stress, anxiety, food sensitivities and more are all signs of an imbalance Often, we seek to treat the symptoms in isolation, ignore them or believe it’s just a part of getting older But it doesn’t have to be this way

The holistic way to address your health challenges is by looking at all as pects of your life to assess what the root cause of your imbalance is i e , what is on your plate literally and figuratively Health coaching is awesome because I work with you on an individual level As

the saying goes, “what is good for one person may be bad for another”

I’m starting a Spring series of “After dinner mint walks” in Ōmokoroa This is for women of all abilities, ages and stages, it will be free and fun Walking after eating a meal has great health benefits If you’d like to find out more, please find my Facebook page: Tammy Bruce Health Coach or visit my website for more information, which is www tammybruce co nz

attend the opening of the Katikati Art Group’s Annual Ex hibition for 2022 Held in the War

Health Coach Tammy Bruce is leading a series of free walks

Ōmokoroa Photography Society

By Gary Maynell

11th October

submitted for the night’s judging, which was once again done by our resident expert p h o t o g r a p h e r , Steve Brown from Black Diamond Photography Steve reviewed all the images sub mitted and pro vided comments on each one high lighting the good points and suggesting any improvements that could possibly be made Judging was a lot quicker this time round, as each member only sub mitted one image for review Earlier in the year, the Ōmokoroa

Photography Club officially evolved into the Ōmokoroa Photographic Society

This was a significant advancement for us as a group, because it now puts us on a level playing field with other regional photographic societies across the coun try

As a result of this change, and the fact that we are attracting new members reg ularly, we have also had to evolve in the way we conduct our monthly group meetings It is important that we cater to all members whether they are a com plete beginner or have some advanced

skills To that end, the format of future meetings will be that members will sub mit just the one image each night, so that the second hour of the night can be allo cated to a tutorial that contributes to the education of all participating members

Our October club night was the first to be conducted in this format Steve had put together a PowerPoint presentation covering the basics rules of using a cam era by explaining the exposure triangle. This tutorial proved to be very well re ceived

Our next get together will be on Tues day 8th November at the Ōmoko roa Pavillion in Western Avenue, in case you wish to come along and see what we ’ re about

The committee members of the Ōmokoroa Photographic Society would like to thank the Lizard News for publishing our articles each month A couple of recent members have joined as a result of these articles, so a very big ‘Thank You’ for your continued support

Barbara Thomas

Gerald Paterson

Brian Ebbett

Jeff Martin

Bevan Collings

Change of exhibit: How to save the planet Busy summer for Harbourmaster team

Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Harbourmaster is expecting an other busy summer, and he’s urg ing boaties to check their vessel and equipment before they hit the water

With Covid restrictions largely being lifted last summer, the Harbourmaster team had their busiest season on record speaking with more than 11,000 people on the water

“Those heading out on the water should check the weather forecast, pre pare their boat with essential items and know the rules before they go, ” Harbour master Jon Jon Peters says

“We are still seeing people not wearing lifejackets or travelling at speed and breaking the 5 knot rule There are a wide variety of people now using the lakes and harbours, and keeping every one safe is paramount,” Mr Peters says

“This year, we will have an additional vessel in Rotorua and an additional pa trol team in Whakatāne ”

According to Maritime NZ, 55% of those who die in recreational boating ac

cidents each year could be saved if they wore a lifejacket.

For more information about the boat ing rules, visit www boprc govt nz/boat ing in the bay Article supplied

Western Bay Museum will be closed from 20th October as the Service & Sacrifice Exhibition gets packed down to travel to the National Army Museum, Waiōuru Our new exhibi tion, ‘How to save the planet What we can learn from our grandparents’, is spon sored by Western Bay of Plenty District Council and will be open to the public from 2nd November

What an exciting and thought provok ing exhibition looking back, in the pre sent and looking forward In a world where the state of our environment is a major issue, how can we play our part every day? If we all take responsibility and make small changes, we can make a difference It is super encouraging to see what a difference we have made as a re gion with our Kerbside Collections and knowing that it is being repurposed, reused and/or recycled By playing our part, we also have reduced waste going

into landfill and, with this, significantly re duced emissions

Using objects from our collection, we look at what our grandparents did in the past and ask if those things are practical for us to do now If not, what is?

Plastics did not exist until after WW2 and did not appear in packaging until a lot later It is estimated that nearly half of the plastic items ever produced were made after the year 2000

You have the opportunity to check out our local heroes as we highlight local busi nesses and organisations who are doing their bit to reduce waste in our area

We look at practical ideas around the house, clothing, food, gardening, waste, and kerbside collections Where does it go, and what can we do today? Over the next few months, Western Bay Museum will be holding workshops and demon strations, so keep an eye on social media for blogs about things you can do

Scott says

By Hon Scott Simpson MP For Coromandel

Congratulations to all the success ful local candidates from around the Western Bay of Plenty Dis trict The incoming council has a mixture of continuity and fresh ideas Well done to the new Mayor, James Denyer I’m looking forward to working with you and your Councillors and Community Board members

Standing for public office can be con fronting, and I’m sure that all the candi dates are relieved that the campaign is over Hopefully, it was an enjoyable expe rience full of robust debate and a shared commitment to do the best for our com munities Special thanks to all the unsuc cessful candidates too Our democracy depends on people offering themselves for election and being willing to stand up and be counted Giving voters a choice is important and appreciated

In central politics news, the release of the country’s financial statements makes it clear that the government has a spend ing problem, not a revenue problem

Businesses and individuals across New Zealand are contributing more than their fair share, with tax revenue in creasing by 43% in the last five years

This is an average increase of $15,000 for every household in the country But instead of receiving first class services for their hard earned tax dollars, Kiwis are facing longer wait times at hospitals, declining education standards and a seemingly never ending crime wave

It’s time to give Kiwis some much needed tax relief We’re experiencing the highest levels of inflation in three decades Everyone feels the bite of higher costs when they do their weekly shop, fill up their car, and pay the rent or mortgage The average household is spending $1600 per year on groceries, $1900 per year on petrol, and for those who have a mortgage, that has seen an average annual increase of $17,000

National continues to advocate for the adjustment of the income thresholds This will have a much more positive im pact on Kiwis and help them get ahead than a band aid response like the cost of living payment

Harbourmaster Jon Jon Peters

PHOTO: Supplied

Angie’s aspect

By Angie Warren Clark Labour list MP

hearty congratulations to James Denyer, the newest mayor of the Western Bay of Plenty Council Really looking forward to working with

The Government has launched a suite of digital tools for people affected by family violence, improving access to much needed support Traditional sup port services are now complemented by a new centralised 24/7 phone and online chat service If you need support now, head to areyouok org nz For the new on line space driving behaviour change for those who may use violence, check out inyourhands org nz Because hurt peo ple, hurt people

The Our Marine Environment 2022 re port released recently emphasised the need to cut plastic waste, improve water quality in our rivers and lakes, reduce sedimentation, and address climate change Thankfully we ’ re already taking action The Fisheries Amendment Bill, now before Parliament, will help ensure a more sustainable fishing future by re ducing by catch and increasing the use of cameras on fishing boats Music to this rec fishers’ ears!

From 1st October, we ’ ve banned sin gle use plastic drink stirrers and cotton buds, plus most plastic meat trays from sale or manufacture to end the cycle We’ve phased out plastic shopping bags, so we know we can make the retail and

household changes needed to pass fu ture generations a planet they can live on The next group of single use plastics will be phased out in mid 2023

Jobs for Nature has funded 2,000km of track maintenance, and 7,000 hectares of riparian planting and 56,000 hectares of weeding It’s already supported 27 Bay of Plenty projects, including the phe nomenal Bay Conservation Cadets, the Kaiate Falls planting project (let’s make this spot swimmable), Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project, Project Parore and Myrtle Rust Jobs for Resistance

These measures protect our well being, environment and economy New Zealand’s focus on sustainability has al ready helped us achieve free trade agree ments with the UK and EU, underpinning our $53 billion dollar record in agricul tural exports Let’s keep reducing and preventing environmental pressures until it becomes second nature

Ōmokoroa Community Tennis Club

By Ellen Haynes

Although the weather has not really been at its best over this past month, the OCTC committee has been busy preparing for the better weather that we know will be coming This will, in turn, encourage more club members (and non members) to get out their racquets and come along to join in during our regular club days on Tues days and Wednesdays from 6pm, Fridays (Ladies Singles) from 9am as well as Sat urdays from 2pm (followed at 4pm by our ‘Social Saturdays’ on the first Satur day of the month) plus a fun mixed dou bles competition on the last Thursday of each month Players of all levels are wel come We also offer junior coaching as well as cardio fitness with our coach, Pete O’Dea

Members are able to enjoy the free use of our ball machine, but online bookings are a must

Club shirts are now available to order, also via the OCTC website:

omokoroatennis com

Our big news is that we will be a part of the International Tennis Federation Tournament in Pāpāmoa during the week of 18th to 24th December It is free entry and has US$15k prize money for the men and US$25k prize money for the women These players will be ranked 200 300 in the world Very little sepa rates these players from the Nadals and Djokovics, except they make fewer mis takes

Volunteers from OCTC will be needed to help on a kids’ court; also, volunteer drivers will be needed to ferry the play ers to and fro

If you were interested in becoming a line umpire, you could attend and re ceive training You can only umpire once you have had the training This could give you the opportunity to go to the ASB Classic in future

We are very keen that this tournament is a success, so we get allocated this in future

Kids enjoying our recent Love Tennis Day PHOTO: Supplied

Angie is a keen fisher and is pleased the Fisheries Amendment Bill now before Parliament will help ensure a more sustainable fishing future

PHOTO: Supplied

Ecology of Te Hakao Minden Gully is pivotal as bridge construction begins

onstruction has started on a collection of three bridges that will cross the Te Hakao Minden Gully at Te Puna, as part of a major interchange being built for the Tākitimu North Link project

Waka Kotahi Regional Manager of Infrastructure De livery, Jo Wilton, says work in this area will also see the restoration of the ecologically and culturally significant Hakao stream and gully one of the wider benefits pro vided by this New Zealand Upgrade Programme (NZUP) investment

“This is an important location for the project as the build will be significant for the major interchange. The site is also very special as Te Hakao Minden Gully is an area of cultural and ecological significance The stream is an important tributary that links the mouth of the awa, Wairoa River to Te Rangituanehu Minden ”

Ecologists and kaitiaki undertaking the pre construction baseline freshwater surveys in the Hakao/Minden Stream

“During freshwater surveys longfin eel, shortfin eel, kōura (freshwater crayfish) and kākahi (freshwater mussels) were identified in the Hakao stream high lighting just how precious this waterway is “As part of the project the gully will be restored in this area, planting a variety of native plants as well as restoring a significant length of stream banks This will provide an enhanced environment for native fish and bird species to thrive ”

While construction is in progress, temporary bridges will be built to protect the stream and provide access for construction vehicles

Te Hakao Minden Gully has steep faces that slope down to the gully floor and the Hakao stream below There will be three bridges built to cross the gully, rang ing between 140 150m long A mainline bridge, an eastbound on ramp and the westbound off ramp bridge

Jo Wilton says, “Our aim is to leave things better than before, and there is an enormous programme of ecological and environmental work that will take place as part of this project and NZUP projects across the country

By Todd Muller MP for Bay of Plenty

Tree felling

Cambridge Road will be closed between Moffat Road and St Andrews Drive on Saturday 29th October, between 7am and 7pm, to allow for tree felling A detour will be in place from St Andrews roundabout to Orange Lane A stop/go and a 30km/h temporary speed limit will be in place outside the Ad ventist School The trees will be cleared for the re alignment of the Cambridge Road East intersection further north to make way for the TNL

Todd talk

In early October, I was appointed as Acting Opposition Spokesperson for Agriculture, Food Safety and Biose curity I’ve been involved in primary industries all my life, growing up in our Te Puna orchard and working in horticulture and dairy before becoming MP for Bay of Plenty in 2014 I have enjoyed the portfolios of Primary Industries, Forestry and Oceans and Fisheries

As Climate Change spokesperson, I spent months in tough cross party negotiations, with the bi partisan Zero Carbon Act the right outcome for New Zealand But the Government’s recent pricing emissions re sponse is not the right outcome

For three years, representatives of the primary sector have worked to devise a new consensus system with rec

ommendations sent to the Government in May But when the Government announced its proposals, key points that the partnership had suggested were missing; up to 20 per cent of the capacity of sheep and beef farming could be lost by 2030 while seeing emissions increase offshore as production and jobs move overseas This is as unac ceptable to National as it is to farmers

Farmers should be able to count the carbon sequestra tion and be able to work in collectives The price proposed is too high; high ETS pricing will drive investment into forestry We should encourage technology trials that could reduce emissions

The Government must listen to the anger and frustra tion in our rural communities It needs to return to the negotiating table and find a solution that farmers can sup port A solution that works for them, that works for our economy and is the right thing for our environment

Bridges construction

Piling work is expected to take about seven months and involves a 280 tonne crane driving 129 piles ap proximately 20 metres into the ground There is 2 5km of piling work nearly 30% of the whole project

The mainline bridge will carry two lanes of traffic in each direction The new Tākitimu North Link express way will connect onto this bridge

The on ramp bridge will carry a single lane of traffic with shoulders from Te Rangituanehu / Minden inter change to the west, across Te Hakao Minden Gully, to safely merge onto the new Tākitimu North Link road

The off ramp will carry a single lane of traffic with shoulders across Te Hakao Minden Gully to link into the Te Rangituanehu / Minden interchange to the west

A three metre wide shared path for walking, biking and other modes of active transport will be separated from the traffic by a rigid barrier

The Te Hakao Minden Gully bridges are expected to be completed late 2024 Timeframes are subject to change depending on ground conditions and weather

As part of the Government’s New Zealand Upgrade Programme investment in better travel options, the Tākitimu North Link project connects Tauranga and Te Puna with a new 6 8km expressway and shared path It’s all about ensuring people get where they’re going safely

Projects worth $2 1 billion, including the Tākitimu North Link, are now under construction as part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme

To find out more about the project go to www nzta govt nz/takitimunorth

Finding kākahi (freshwater mussels) highlights how precious this waterway is at Te Hakao stream Te Puna

Aerial photo over Minden Gully August 2022 PHOTOS: Supplied

Artist impression of the completed Te Rangituanehu / Minden Interchange IMAGE: Supplied

Ōmokoroa sailing

Ōmokoroa sailing

By John Budden Sailing convenor

Three brave keelers and crew took on the Kārewa Challenge on Sun day 9th October

They were Caribbean, Invincible and (welcome back) Goldie We decided to start at A beacon as we were unable to get shipping movements from Coast guard

The weather was overcast and cool and, as usual with an outgoing spring tide, very lumpy

Caribbean was first out, followed by Goldie, then Invincible

The start at A was at 11 35 and a bit ragged, with only Goldie near the bea con However, it was a fun event With a NNE breeze of up to 10 knots, we all made good time to the rock

Caribbean and Goldie did two tacks, but Invincible tried the ‘ go out, come in’ route only to meet a surging Goldie Goldie had clear air and rounded after one hour 30 minutes Caribbean would have done the trip in an hour

Coming home it was kites up on C and G with Invincible under plain sail

A tanker in the entry made life inter esting, as well as the gin palace that had no concern for the wake it was creating Caribbean finished at 2 37pm, a trip of 3 hours 2 minutes Second was Goldie at 2 53 20, a trip of 3 hours 18 Invincible finished 3rd at 3 13pm, about 3 hours 20 plus

It was a lumpy old sea both ways but a lovely reach up to Ōmokoroa Well done, all

The next sail was on 16th October for a short harbour The weather report was reasonably accurate, so the three brave crews decided a quick blast around Mo tuhoa would fit the bill

High tide was at 1 38pm at 1 7m, so the big boys would need the main chan nels

Caribbean, Goldie and Piccaninny faced the start at 10 40am

There was a stiff WSW breeze at about 10 knots, so the blast down harbour was on

Pic crossed the line 30 seconds early and did a very tidy 360 to avoid penal ties, and then we were off The wind rose, and so did the waves. At Rangi waea, Carib was in the lead, Goldie hav ing slipped away was second and Pic third

Up to Te Puna, there were many tacks, but when Pic made the final mark, we eased sheets for the run to Motuhoa mark it was a joy! By then, the tall ships had finished However, nil desperandum and Pic finished 3rd, only 35 or so min utes down on Carib 1st and Goldie 2nd A great sail in strong breezes Well done, all

The next sail was scheduled for Labour Weekend Sunday Ōmokoroa would be packed, so I called a lay day to enjoy with your families Hope you had a good one

Importance of strength as we age

By Nicole Dixon Mind Your Movement

Our quality of life is directly corre lated with the health and strength of our muscles The more skeletal muscle mass we have, the more resilient our bodies can be Adding strength training into your weekly routine has benefits such as de creasing the risk of falls, decreasing chances of injuries, immune dysfunc tions and chronic illnesses such as dia betes and Alzheimer’s

What’s also really important to note is anything is better than nothing! But if you would love a couple of specific tips for increasing strength, keep reading

The first step is introducing once a week high intensity interval training This can be as little as ten minutes

Usually, when we think of high inten sity training, we think of sprinting, and for some people, this is what level they need to be in interval training But for people who are sedentary, interval train ing can be as simple as sitting to stand

ing Start sitting in your chair, then standing up, sitting down

Or, it could be walking up a set of stairs which would increase our heart rate rapidly, then walking back down, which would decrease our heart rate, having a break then doing another round

The second step to strengthen our muscles is resistance training three to four times per week

The most important element of resis tance training is that we work multiple body parts and our perceived exertion of that movement is high Great exercises include functional movements, for exam ple, squats, deadlifts and lifting things over your head

Including variety is also important to gain growth of that muscle

It is never too late to start, and we have a number of very experienced strength training professionals in Ōmokoroa that you will never be short of guidance or ways to strength train Whether it’s a local personal trainer, the gym, yoga or Pilates The options are endless

Fresh Choice to your door

By Matthew Farrell

An online grocery

delivery

service

necessity in the first Covid lockdown is going from

born

to strength Drivers from Fresh Choice Ōmokoroa now cover not only the peninsula but in creasingly trips from Te Puna, Whakamārama, and Plummers Point, to Pahoia, Apata and Aongatete

With Hannah and Tyla picking and packing for runs at 9 30am, 1pm and 4pm from Monday to Saturday, rain or shine, there is availability to suit many households

Drivers John Whitfield and Colin Cox say they plan an efficient route which is better for the environment than multiple car trips, saving shoppers travel time as well as fuel

out of

strength

Geoff s photo from Caribbean says it all Goldie then Piccaninny PHOTO: Supplied

Delivery drivers John Whitfield and Colin Cox

PHOTO: Matthew Farrell

“We’re not going to take it” Te Puke farmers take a stand

demonstrations have been organised the length of Aotearoa from Kaitāia to Bluff

The government recently announced tweaks to its Emissions Trading Scheme and proposed to bring in split gas farm level emissions pricing from 2025

By Alisha Evans Local Democracy Reporter alisha@thesun co nz

Farmers converged on Te Puke’s town centre on Thursday 20th Oc tober, to protest at the Govern ment’s latest proposal for an emissions tax on food production

The Te Puke protest is part of a nation wide movement organised by the Groundswell NZ lobby group calling for people to back food producers by show ing up to their town centre en masse in tractors, utes or on foot at noon

The ‘We’re Not Going to Take It’

Groundswell NZ co founder Bryce McKenzie labelled the tax “punitive, counterproductive, and unworkable” in a statement on the Groundswell NZ web site

He claimed it will: “Cut food produc tion by up to 20 per cent in some sectors, ripping the heart out of our rural com munities, but barely touch net global emissions as foreign, less efficient farm ers take Kiwi farmers’ place in interna tional markets ”

The proposed changes put prices on both emissions of methane and emis sions of nitrous oxide while allowing

farmers payments for planting and car ing for carbon dioxide sucking trees

To determine their bill, farmers will enter a list of inputs into a calculator: farm area, livestock numbers, how much meat or milk they produce, and how much fertiliser they use on their pad docks

The proposed pricing system applies to farmers who are GST registered and who meet thresholds for fertiliser use and herd size

McKenzie said: “This emissions tax on food production will lead to food scarcity, higher food prices, and even more productive farmland land planted in pines, leaving our rural communities and rural businesses

hanging by a thread ”

“Groundswell NZ supports a focus on reducing farm emissions through farmer led, practical environmental ac tions on farms ”

“This emissions tax will harm environ mental outcomes in fact, it will in crease some global emissions,” claimed McKenzie

The Te Puke protesters met at the Te Puke Sports and Recreation Club at 11 30am before heading down the main street at midday

Consultation on the proposed scheme closes on 18th November, with final pro posals to go to ministers for approval in 2023 Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

Never too old to learn at Chrome Collective

By Fi Gudsell

Agroup has just finished a 3 week ‘Zones of Regulation’ course that helped them understand and ex press what they were feeling emotion ally It also gave them the tools to change which emotional zone they were in handy skills for anyone to have

A new Lvl2 Feuerstein Course with PCTI’s Jude Robinson is taking place at Chrome Collective’s workspace in Wharawhara Road, Katikati This cogni tive learning programme takes learners from simple concepts through to more complex ideas

And on 3rd November, a new course with Edvance’s Charli Crocker starts Fol lowing on from the Good to Great course earlier this year, the Good to Excellent course covers listening, speaking, read ing, digital and numeracy skills around general everyday living It helps learners

make positive life choices by setting and achieving personal goals as well as de veloping health and well being strate gies

And for those interested in Disability Inclusion, there’s a networking seminar coming up on 11th November

On Saturday, 3rd September, a group of about 30 parents and helpers gathered at the Arts Junction in Katikati to hear from Tony McLean and Nicky Mayne of Allies Aotearoa The course sets out to help parents in three ways: firstly, navi gating the ‘system’ and how to get the funding you need Secondly, securing NASC funding and finding support work ers Then developing the vision, aspira tion and goals to enable good lives

A key message was that as a parent, you ’ re the expert on your child You must be their champion and fight in their cor ner

If you do the work upfront, you will find the funding process much easier We encourage you to talk to us We can help support you through this process

One very helpful tip when trying to se cure NASC funding for your child is to compare them to a child without a dis ability of the same age For example, if you have a 16 year old teenager, what do they need to enable them to live life as any other 16 year old teenager?

Some examples might be transport (other 16 year olds can catch buses) or meals (other 16 year olds can feed themselves if they want to)

And your funding needs will change as your child gets older and their needs change

We’re very excited to be working with Toni Taylor from the independent trust Career Moves Whai Umanga to see if we can place some of our volunteers into

paid employment

Toni works with a client to find out what sort of work they might enjoy, helps develop CVs and interview skills, looks for a suitable employer and sup ports them in their new job for as long as they need it

As a former support worker and mum to an amazing neuro diverse child, Toni is passionate about finding work with purpose and giving her clients freedom of choice in where and how they work

It’s so heartwarming to see so many funders getting behind the Chrome Col lective and supporting us in going for ward Recently we have received a $10,000 grant from BayTrust and a $40,000 grant from the NZ Lottery Grants Board This gives us the certainty that we can fund the collective for an other year and continue to develop our offerings in the community

The Groundswell protest in Katikati in July 2021 PHOTOS: Sun Media

Art standard goes up every year

Ō

By Matthew Farrell

mokoroa Artists held their an nual exhibition and sale of work at Settlers’ Hall

over Labour Weekend

An organiser Jill Pretty says 27 of the 48 members had art on display this year, and hopes were high of a good atten dance after a record one thousand visi tors last year It was a wet weekend in 2021 with Auckland and Hamilton in lockdown

“I think the standard just keeps going

up every year We’ll have artists working in the small hall over the weekend, as well as Carole Hebbard’s wearable art, well worth seeing ”

Artist Sue Dent, one of the group ’ s few remaining founding members, officially opened the event on the Friday evening

Sue says being involved with Ōmoko roa Artists was a real kickstart for her 26 years ago, and she feels quite a connec tion to the group after being “ new to art and terrified” back then PHOTOS: Matthew Farrell

All welcome at Ōmokoroa community info session

Keen to know more about the big in frastructure projects in Ōmoko roa? Join us at the next community info session this month

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is hosting the Ōmokoroa Projects Com munity Info Session on Wednesday, 23rd November, from 5pm 7pm at the Ōmokoroa Pavilion

The Ōmokoroa community is invited to come along and learn more about key infrastructure projects and plans hap pening across the peninsula

People will have the opportunity to chat with our team about the various roading, recreation and planning pro jects and how they’re progressing These include the new medium density hous

ing rules, the Pahoia cycleway link and the relocation of the old pavilion, to name a few Council’s Project Manager Raj Sumeran says there’s a lot already hap pening and more planned for the penin sula, so it’s important the community knows what to expect heading into a busy construction season

“We want to give locals an opportunity to come and talk to us in a relaxed envi ronment where they can get the whole picture of what is planned

“This is also your chance to provide feedback on key projects, such as the up grade of Prole Road, which will help shape some of the key decisions we ’ re making ”

Staff will be available to speak to peo ple on key projects, including the SH2/Ōmokoroa intersection upgrade, Prole Road Urbanisation, Ōmokoroa Ur banisation Stage 2, Heartwood Avenue extension, industrial area upgrades, cy cleways, and housing development

“These information sessions are es sentially a one stop shop where people can learn, ask questions and provide feedback about the different projects that impact their lives,” says Raj

Great progress has been made since the last information session in May, with the completion of two major projects: Western Avenue Urbanisation and Ōmokoroa Road Urbanisation Stage 1 (Western Avenue to Tralee Street)

“We want to thank the community for their patience and cooperation during these projects, which have made both these roads safer and futureproofed them for the expected growth in Ōmoko roa ”

The Ōmokoroa Community Info Ses sion is on Wednesday, 23rd November from 5pm 7pm at the Ōmokoroa Pavil ion at 28 Western Avenue It’s an infor mal drop in session, so people can pop in for a look or a chat anytime

For regular updates on Ōmokoroa projects and what to expect through construction periods, you can sign up to receive Council’s monthly Ōmokoroa email newsletter at westernbay govt nz/omokoroaprojects

Ōmokoroa harbour memories

By Terry Edwards Ōmokoroa resident 1974 1998

Recently, when visiting Ōmokoroa Beach, it brought back memories of our beautiful harbour and how much it has changed in such a short time Memories of what I used to see, like the orcas and dol phins playing and feeding off Motuhoa Acres and acres of kahawai and trevally travelling down the channel be tween Matakana and Motuhoa Thousands of young stingray resting on the sand banks leading to the en trance to the Wairoa river The huge grandfather stingrays that would drift along with me in the shallows off

Flax Point

I would watch the kingfish follow on each wingtip, having an easy feed as the wingtips disturbed the sand In Bluegum Bay, you could see the fins of large schnap per feeding on shellfish, crabs and small flounder Across at Aongatete, I used to net for flounder, and after DDT was banned, the crabs and shellfish made a rapid recovery

The flounder did also, and then they were seen by the thousands, sliding over and into the shallow creeks It was handy to know someone with local knowledge, es pecially for night fishing I was privileged to know two flounder fishermen: Mich Kenner, who fished Katikati, and Boyd Parrott, who fished Pahoia and Aongatete One high for me was when a marlin leapt out of the water next to our boat 200 yards off the Ruamoana sub division It was evening, I hadn’t been drinking, and I have witnesses

Crayfish were in abundance in a certain part of the harbour, large ones too I didn’t believe it until I saw them for myself On the channel banks by Motuhoa were parori (black schnapper) by the ton, and they fed on the sea lettuce and seaweed (food for thought) There were also mullet, dogfish, gurnard and trevally

Closer to home, by the jetty, you could watch the huge kingfish swim around and underneath Some of the old identities would have a go at gaffing them on spears and would put a loop around their wrist If the kingfish didn’t straighten the gaff out, it certainly straightened

their wrist! Even then, people thought it fantastic to watch these giants, and smaller ones, swim around only inches from the edge of the wharf Other people would catch them

When we swam with our children, we saw squid, oc topus, sea anemones, both red and yellow ones, sea horses, blue mau mau, even barracudas and all the oth ers that inhabit jetties

When one notes the condition of our harbour and its environs now, it is obvious to us that we need to con sider the future of our aquatic life and think of the next generations We have seen in past years many events which have altered our harbour The Sulphur Point reclamation, changing the tidal flow, the dredging of the

harbour, the Ruahihi dam disaster, new subdivisions that allow silt into the harbour because of inadequate drainings septic tank runoff, because the ground is sat urated from too many in an area too small Agricultural and residual runoff and, possibly the worst offending, is the runoff from roading around the harbour Some countries use wool bales as scourers placed at the drains entering the harbour

People need to say ‘enough is enough’ If we need ma rine sanctuaries to enable our grandchildren to see the marine life we have seen, then let’s have some ‘ no go ’ fishing areas in our harbour Like the Native American proverb says, we don’t inherit the earth from our ances tors; we borrow it from our children

Commodores past and present Back L R: Tim Raeburn John Budden Terry Edwards Steve Willoughby Front L R: Phil Cox Cory Payne Barbara Olds Allan Crapp Ōmokoroa Boat Club held an old meets new members evening on Wednesday 28th September adding several stalwarts to the honours boards PHOTO: Matthew Farrell

Western Bay of Plenty locals are being reminded to put the rub bish out with a correctly fitted pay as you throw tag or expect to keep your waste for another week

Western Bay of Plenty District Coun cil’s Kerbside Collective rubbish and recycling service features a pay as you throw (PAYT) system for rubbish pro viding a financial incentive to reduce waste The fluorescent orange tags must be attached correctly to red lid rubbish bins before they are put out for collec tion

To use a PAYT tag, it’s as simple as fol lowing these steps: purchase a tag from one of the selected stockists; attach the PAYT tag to the red rubbish bin by loop ing through both the red lid handle and black bin handle; Fasten the tag; place the red lid rubbish bin on the kerb by 7am alongside other bins ready for col lection on your collection day

Council’s Solid Waste Contract Man ager Tony Wilson says there is still some confusion around how to attach the PAYT tags the most common being attaching the tag through either the red lid handle or the black bin handle, not both “Looping the tag through both handles is an important step as it means the tag will break free and fall into the truck and

not remain on the handle allowing a res ident to use the same tag for another col lection

“Unfortunately, this has become quite regular across the District, so we are tak ing a harder stance on rubbish collection to try and increase compliance levels

“In the interests of being fair to the rest of our rohe that are paying and using tags correctly for a single use, we’ll only be

emptying bins with the PAYT tag at tached correctly”

Council’s Kerbside Coach, or recycling inspector, will also be helping by turning their attention from ensuring efficient re cycling and reduction of unnecessary landfill waste to incorrectly applied PAYT tags

Council introduced the PAYT tags last year on 1st July, in line with the new

Kerbside Collective service, and the re duction of waste going to landfill since has been sizeable

“For example, in the first year of Kerb side Collective, Western Bay residents have stopped 3300 tonnes of material from going to landfill,” explains Tony

“A year later, the rubbish is still coming out for Kerbside Collective but some times, the PAYT tags aren’t We’d really encourage people to get back in the habit of putting these on correctly again or ex pect the rubbish will not be collected that week ”

Serviced households’ recycling, food waste and glass bins are collected on a regular basis However, the frequency of the red lid rubbish bin being collected is up to the resident Only when a prepaid tag is attached to the bin will it be col lected

“This prepaid system is a great finan cial incentive to cut back on waste It’s not bound by a fixed rate, so you ’ re only paying for what you throw out,” says Tony

“But, if you want to throw it away, you do have to pay ”

The recommended retail price is $3 95 per tag For more information, or to find a stockist near you, please head to kerb sidecollective co nz

Events in the Western Bay backed by collaborative fund

Much loved community events are coming to Waihī Beach, Katikati, and Matakana Island soon, thanks to a new community funding grant

The new Tauranga Western Bay Com munity Event Fund (TWBCEF) is a collab oration between Acorn Foundation, Bay Trust, Tauranga City Council, TECT, and Western Bay of Plenty District Council

The fund aims to streamline the applica tion process for community events taking place in the region that enrich our commu nities through active participation and in clusion Instead of applying to multiple funders to meet their funding require ment, community event organisers can now apply to a single joint fund

Five events securing funding are in the Western Bay of Plenty District They are the Anzac Bay Summer Kick Off in Waihī Beach: $4269; Festival of Cultures in Katikati: $12,000; Fiji Independence Day: $10,000; Katikati Community Christmas Meal: $4000; and Matakana Island, Opure ora Marae, Rangatahi Creative Art &

Design Event: $10,000

The Matakana Island, Opureora Marae, Rangatahi Creative Art & Design Event brings the marae and hapū together on Matakana Island to create flag designs with rangatahi and whānau for four marae

Tracey Tāwhiao, from the Opureora Marae Committee says funding received through the TWBCEF means this event can go ahead without significant costs to the artists being shown

“It’s a real highlight to come together under a common goal that requires our creativity It’s also an awesome opportu nity to hear stories from kaumātua to help with the designs

“Creativity is a healing tool, and while design and creativity at the marae may seem very simple, the multi dimensional relationships we have with each other hapū to hapū and the importance of our whakapapa gets to shine through in the art we create ”

Western Bay of Plenty District Council

Community and Strategic Relationships Manager Jodie Rickard says the fund has been well received across the rohe so far “It’s so exciting to have had such a posi tive reception to this fund and to be able to support some amazing community events in the process

It has been a difficult few years for the events industry, so we ’ re excited to help bring our Western Bay whānau and others together to celebrate, make new memo ries, and to have some fun too ”

Another event that received funding is an inaugural event at Waihī Beach, the Anzac Bay Summer Kick Off Festival, tak ing place on 19th November

Waihī Beach Community Events & Pro motion Manager Vicki Lambert says the free family event has live music, food trucks, and workshops on offer in a signif icant location

“The collaboration between Waihī Beach Events and Promotions and Te Whānau ā Tauwhao enables the commu nity to come together in a beautiful spot

here at Waipaopao to learn more of the history and celebrate the start of the sum mer season

“We are also working with environmen tal teams to ensure this is a low waste event as part of our commitment towards low or zero waste operations ”

Twenty six community events planned for Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty this year, and in 2023, secured funding

A total of $700,000 is available in the fund The maximum an event in the West ern Bay of Plenty can receive is $15,000

Applications are considered on a bi monthly basis, event organisers are en couraged to submit their applications at least four months in advance The next funding round is open until Sunday 20th November, with funding decisions re leased on Tuesday 20th December 2022

For more information and to apply for funding in the Western Bay rohe, visit westernbay govt nz and search for Com munity Event Fund

laughter as Western Bay of Plenty councillors say farewell

By Alisha Evans Local Democracy Reporter alisha@thesun co nz

Councillors shared laughs, and shed a few tears in an emotional final Western Bay of Plenty District Council meeting

On Thursday 22nd September, the current elected members met for the last time of this triennium

Councillors Monique Gray, Kevin Marsh, Mark Dean and mayor Garry Webber have chosen not to stand in this year ’ s election and gave valedictory speeches

All of them took the opportunity to thank their fellow councillors and the council staff and list their highlights

Kaimai Ward councillor Mark Dean said it was an “emotional time” leaving council after two terms He said it was an “incredibly interesting six years ” and a “steep learning curve ” when he first came to council “I’ve been proud of what this excellent team has achieved over the years However, there have been some disappointments ”

“I’ve been disappointed at the time it’s taken to get things done, but I’ve been told that that’s part of local government ”

He said he was also disappointed he “couldn’t have done more ” for what he termed “the Southern Districts of the Kaimai Ward”, which were Ohauiti, Ōropi, Pyes Pā, Omanawa and Kaimai

Dean said when the council’s representation review occurred, the ward representation needed to be “looked at carefully because the Kaimai Ward was split by the city [of Tauranga]”

The council is due to have a representation review in 2023, which will look at what form the wards and com munity boards should take and how many elected members there should be to best represent the dis trict’s population

Dean listed some of his highlights as the return of PanePane Point on Matakana Island from council own ership to five hapū and instituting the new waste man agement system, as well as the debt reduction the council had achieved

He finished with a plea to the councillors that were elected again to “ pay careful consideration to the issues which will affect our district”

Dean listed those as rural urbanisation, climate change and misinformation

In his opinion, “One of the biggest issues that we have is misinformation being used erroneously to influence decisions that this council will make ”

The council’s youngest councillor Monique Gray titled her farewell ‘Until Next Time’

“Because until next time, unlike many of you, I can re tire [from council] for 10 or 20 years and still be one of

the youngest at the table,” she joked, which was met with laughter from the room

The Te Puke Maketū Ward councillor is standing down after one term because of a move out of the dis trict and to “put her family and her health first” and said: “I don’t think I am done for good”

Gray gave herself the award for the “most tears shed” in council chambers but said being a councillor had helped her develop a “slightly thicker skin”

“For me standing as a councillor was an emotionally driven position

“Our district deserves better, and it still does The fu ture generation has always been at the forefront of my decisions and having a voice for those who have not been given one ”

Her highlights included PanePane Point, increasing the alcohol free zone in Te Puke, because the “whole community mattered”, and having the Treaty of Wait angi hung on the wall in council chambers, which will stay in her heart “for a very long time”

Seven term councillor Kevin Marsh said he had seen “ a lot of changes” in the 21 years since he started at council, back when he was a “ one man farmer,” and the pay was $12,000 and mileage was 12c

The Te Puke Maketū Ward councillor said he threat ened to ride a horse to council chambers and tie it up outside

“I was going to do it, but the mileage changed after that,” said Marsh

He said running a farm and being a councillor was “hard”

“Anyone that thinks they’re going to come in here and it’s a sweet job has got a different thing coming

“It’s not beer and skittles I can tell you that”

Marsh acknowledged his wife Andrea, who had “been there the whole time” for him

“Without Andrea, I don’t think I could have done this job ”

Mayor Webber also took the time to acknowledge ev eryone ’ s partners during his valedictory speech

“They do a hell of a lot behind the scenes, and I don’t think the general public understand what a partner of a councillor or mayor goes through ”

Webber opened with the Māori proverb, “Kāore te kū mara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka The kūmara does not brag about its own success, and my success is not mine alone It is this team’s own, together,” he said

The 76 year old is retiring after two terms as mayor and two as a councillor, and a couple of years on the Ōmokoroa Community Board

The positive he sees is illuminating the “true and ac curate history of the district” and he has tried to bring a “smattering” of te reo in the council

He said they had done “great things” in the council and worked “reasonably well as a team”

“It is a dreamer who thinks you ’ re going to win every thing unanimously, and I have never been a dreamer I’ve been a pragmatist ”

He said there were “robust debates” over the years in the chambers, but once they left, they went “back to a bunch of people who need to respect each other”

The mayor thanked the staff, wished the outgoing members well and had advice for those standing

“For those of you who are brave enough to continue the fight, I wish you well Whether you return or not de pends on how well you campaign and depends on the community

“It’s been a pleasure to be part of this organisation,” he concluded while holding back tears

The outgoing councillors and mayor all received a standing ovation at the end of their speeches

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ ON Air

The outgoing Western Bay of Plenty District council Photo: Alisha Evans/Sun Media

to paint in watercolour

By Audrey Dubois

Would you love to be an artist? This is your op portunity! I am hosting a painting night on Friday 18th of November in my art studio, Week end à la mer, in Whakamārama Create a beautiful watercolour painting amongst a small group of like minded people

All materials will be provided, including canvas, paints, paint brush, watercolors

The class is from 6 to 8pm at my studio on Sagewood Road and costs $60

Places are limited so jump on to www week end a la mer com to make your booking

If you would like to see more of my work, see my social media pages @audreynzWE

For any queries, please contact me on audrey duboisNZ@gmail com or phone 022 502 1671

PHOTOS: Supplied

Bush skills for women

Enjoy the outdoors and learn valuable skills for enjoyable and safe tramping and meet women with similar interests

Topics include trip planning, equipment, map reading, basic navigation, river crossing, basic first aid, and survival

This takes place on Saturday

5th, and Sunday 6th November, from 8 30am to 2 30pm and will be in the Whakamārama area The cost is $80 per person

For more information or book ing, please contact Anja Morris on anjaoutdoors@gmail com or via her Facebook page, Outdoor Skills BOP