This is Us – he waka eke noa Page 2
THE WEEKEND
Kewpie’s new owner
Twenty years of Sun shine
Koha lovebirds
Support local businesses
˜
life+style The Weekend Sun ˜°28 ˜˙August, August,˜˛°˝ ˜˛˜˛ 2020
Personal stories on painted hoe People from many countries have been telling their personal stories of how they arrived in New Zealand at the ‘This is Us – he waka eke noa’ workshops that have been held during July.
From left: Carolynn Tepou, Bronz Cross, Kaye Hubner, Liam Banbury, Leiona Tupou,
Stories from people who originated in Ireland, Israel, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Tolaga Bay and Niue to name a few, are being portrayed in an exhibition that is running for the next month at The Incubator. ‘Where did we all come from?’ and ‘where are we going?’ have been questions that many of us face individually and collectively. Workshop participants were encouraged to design their own hoe or paddle, portraying their personal journey on one side, and their vision for Tauranga on the other. Marijke de Jong, born in the Netherlands, immigrated with her family to NZ when she was about seven months old. “My parents had no idea about this country. We travelled a lot as children and I went home to Holland when I was a teenager. I came back to NZ in my 20s.” Marijke’s mother is originally from Israel. “My grandparents are holocaust survivors. My grandfather was in Auschwitz and my grandmother was hiding like Anne Frank in the Netherlands but in much worse conditions.”
During her late teens Marijke studied photography. “I did my project on the Jewish culture in Auckland and discovered that there was a lot.” Thus began the start of a 20-year journey discovering this part of her identity. On visiting Israel, she found a sense of belonging, returning to make NZ her permanent home. “I feel settled now and have a sense of identity while living in an adopted country.” On the back of her hoe, a Star of David with images of eyes that are open and closed represent how she started collecting parts of herself when she landed in Israel and her personal journey of awakening. Carolynn Tepou, a descendent and daughter from Niue Island, hails from the villages of Alofi and Mutalau. Her hoe design incorporates a shell necklace and flower lei and honours her grandparents. “Especially my grandfather who joined many Pacific Island families coming to New Zealand for a better life and better opportunities. I wanted to honour his ways of bringing us up. He was a man of faith and family. He was a hard worker and great provider.” “The flower head lei represents celebration and unity and what the Pacific Islands are all about. Coming together, enjoying one another over food, over culture, song and dance. It’s a celebration.” The reverse side is about new ideas, hopes and
Jera Mae and Rolph Hediger
Is your kitchen looking old and tired but you don't want to spend mega bucks on an entire kitchen makeover? We have you covered! Simply Surfaces will give your kitchen a new lease of life and added value without added stress or huge costs. We fabricate and install high pressure laminate (Formica) and solid surface (Acrylic) benchtops in a wide variety of shades and textures, right here in the Bay! Go a step further and treat yourself to a new custom glass splashback! Printed or plain - the options are endless all printed using our state of the art UV Printer.
P: 07 282 7217 - 0508 746 759 A: Relocated to 102 Birch Ave, Judea E: sales@simplysurfaces.co.nz W: www.simplysurfaces.co.nz
Massive
SPECIALS On trending benchtop Pattens & styles.
www.simplysurfaces.co.nz | 0508 746759 S I M P L Y
Cosmetic Medicine
life+style The Weekend Sun ˆ
˜˙ August, ˜˛˜˛
This is Us – he waka eke noa
dreams with symbols of Christianity and Pasifika represented in the cross, fish, and olive leaf. “Being a woman of faith, my hopes for Tauranga are that we are kinder, loving on humanity. It’s about making a difference. I connect to this because of faith, family, culture, song, dance, language and words, and I’m proud to be from Niue.” Bronz Cross from Tolaga Bay has incorporated East Coast rivers and mountains in his hoe design. “My uncles and aunties all gave me different stories about our iwi and where we’ve come from. The past is almost dark. I definitely felt the impacts of colonisation. I saw a generational hurt in my people and wondered why.” Bronz says he sees the past as something to learn from, something to propel us forward. The back of his hoe portrays his vision for the future. His theme of hope, life and peace also is displayed in Les Geraghty’s hoe design. “My great-grandparents came out from Ireland, leaving in 1865, approximately ten years after the Irish famine and arriving in New Zealand a year after the Battle of Gate Pa,” says Les. His hoe features a celtic cross, a map outline of Ireland, a tear representing the sadness of leaving Ireland, photographs, a silver fern with both a green and silver side, and the
Southern Cross. “My dad used it as a metaphor for me and my siblings that we should always look up, be positive and take the opportunities that come along in life.” A three-leaf clover in the design stands for faith, hope and love “which embodies my outlook on life”. Karolina Bemova arrived in NZ about 16 years ago while visiting her mother. Her hoe incorporates Slovakian designs and hearts, and reflects her desire for people to combine cultures, taking the best from each culture, not dividing and highlighting differences, but bringing them together. “The theme of Matariki is seven sisters so there are seven hearts. Down the bottom on one side is a Maori design and the opposite side has a Slovakian design.” The ‘This is Us – he waka eke noa’ project is a collaboration between Tauranga Sunrise Rotary club and the Incubator. It began in June with the unveiling of a beautifully painted sevenmetre-long waka, representing not only the first journey over water by early Maori settlers, but a journey that each immigrant has made when moving to New Zealand. The culmination of the project is the exhibition of the painted hoe, now on display at the Incubator until September 26. Rosalie Liddle Crawford
What’s on your bucket list!
Tailored for Mature Travellers, with over 35 years of experience some of the best iconic tours around New Zealand. Locally owned & operated, expert tour team, travel with like-minded people.
A Fresh Look at Auckland $ 2725(twin share)
6th to 11th October 2020 Departs Tauranga Highlights: Experience NZ iconic Chelsea Sugar factory - Guided tour through the working factory, Cruise to
Riverhead for lunch in the beautifully restored restaurant, Muriwai Gannets Colony, "behind the scenes" tour of the famous Eden Park, Specialty dinner at Orbit 360 Auckland Sky Tower, Sculptureum Matakana, Devonport Historical tour
Inclusions: Coach travel, accommodation, all activities, meals as listed Breakfast x 5, Lunch x 3, Dinner x 4
21 Day More Southern Beauty Tour $4450 (twin share)
1st to 21st November 2020 - South Island Hop on board this 21 day South Island experience and create some fantastic memories. Takaka, Farwell Spit, West Coast, Queenstown, Glenorchy, Milford Sound, Catlins, Central Otago, Hanmer Springs and much more. Inclusions: Coach travel, accommodation, most meals, tour commentary, plus many surprises along the way
info@uniqueholidaytours.co.nz|Ph:0800 33 99 33
www.uniqueholidaytours.co.nz
ˇ
˜˙August, August,˜˛°Ë? ˜˛˜˛ 2020 life+style The Weekend Sun ˜°28
Hitting the harbour with Kewpie For Tauranga skipper Amy Neale, nothing beats a day cruising around the Tauranga Harbour in one of New Zealand’s most historic vessels. And that’s why she’s the proud new owner of the native Kauri 1953, 16-metre boat Kewpie. The Kewpie scenic harbour cruises are set to kick off in the September school holidays and Amy couldn’t be more excited. Kewpie was originally built in the Bay of Islands for the internationally famous cream run. Departing daily from Russell to visit the outer islands and pick up milk cans, as well as ferry passengers and mail. It soon became an extremely popular tourist attraction. Kewpie was named after cream run boat guide Ted Cubitt, who became one of New Zealand’s most famous guides. It has been the boat name since it was launched in 1953. The vessel moved to Tauranga in February 2004 as a houseboat, and then former owner Henry Althuazen kicked off the harbour cruises. Amy bought Kewpie in July this year, after crewing the boat for the past couple of years. Despite the excitement, Amy says she doesn’t plan on changing much about how the boat operates. “I don’t want to change anything – it’s really neat as it is. When you have a business and it is super busy as it is, why would you?�
Along with scenic harbour cruises, the boat also offers three-hour private charters which often take place at sunset. The vessel is licensed for up to 75 people. Seeing Tauranga from out on the water can change how you view the city, Amy says. “It’s so important to get out and experience the harbour. I have had some people – older people that have lived here their entire lives – that have never been out. “It changes how you see a place – and it’s really neat at night heading down to the Port of Tauranga and seeing all the lights. She expects to be jam-packed this summer, working all week and making multiple trips in a day. “We target locals with this boat, so I think it will be quite busy. It’s family-friendly, and it’s always nice to get locals on the water.� Amy reckons she’s the only female skipper of tourist boats in the Bay of Plenty, and the first female owner of Kewpie. “People are often surprised when they find out I am a female skipper. But I have always been into the outdoors growing up in Ohope – fishing, snorkelling and everything water-based. “Plus having two brothers I was raised that way as well.� Amy says Kewpie’s rich history makes the vessel even more special to take out on the water. The scenic harbour cruise departs from Pilot Bay Wharf. The service is expected to return on September 26.
Luxurious Lakeside retirement in
MOUNT MAUNGANUI
Pacific Lakes Village has everything you need, where the best of city and nature meet. The village is set amongst lush foliage and is just a short stroll to the beach. Our spacious and premium villas and terrace houses are designed and positioned to make the most of our beautiful village surroundings and lakes.
Private viewings are now available, call us to make an appointment today
pacificlakes.co.nz
242 Grenada St, Mt Maunganui Located across the road from our sister village, Pacif ic Coast and the beach.
˜˙ August, 28 ˜˛˜˛ 2020 ˜° August, ˜˛°˝
life+style The Weekend Sun ˝
Two decades in the Sun The Weekend Sun has never been shy of an opinion with strong ‘Letters to the Editor’ pages and robust viewpoints and humour from regular and guest columnists. Here are few comments from some of the more well-known opinion writers over the years.
The SunMedia team today is still working hard to bring readers their favourite publications and live internet news. Great technology and flexible working conditions means most staff are well equipped to work from home when social distancing measures are in place.
A unique skills set, dogged determination and whiff of an opportunity sparked a life-changing venture for the Rogers family. Two decades ago they bundled it all into a tiny office and launched their big plan with an even bigger circulation. For Brian and Claire Rogers and their team of enthusiastic staff and clients, it was a matter of holding their breath and jumping in boots and all. And so, 20 years ago, SunMedia was born – an ambitious undertaking that included regional weekly newspaper The Weekend Sun, rural newspaper Coast & Country and Waterline Magazine. “The region was ready for locally-owned, locally-operated, grass roots news and we could see the overseas-owned dinosaurs weren’t efficient or filling the needs of the community,” Brian says. The new company used many of the ingredients of a good team. Brian had been a journalist all his working life and Claire’s background is in marketing, sales and business. “Our kids and parents were hugely supportive and we had great mates and community and business networks backing us up. “There was a really big gap in the market because there hadn’t been a weekend paper for about 15 years, since The Bay Sun had shut down,” Brian says. And there was nothing “flashy” about the new venture, says Claire. They put their resources into new technology, adopting new publishing software such as InDesign and innovations such as double computer screens so staff could access tools of the trade faster. “We started in 2nd Avenue – a tiny place and with one new car, Brian’s mother’s car and a bicycle. We have seen other businesses go broke because they went out all flashy …
We were falling over each other at the start.” In tandem with The Weekend Sun, the Rogers launched their own monthly rural tabloid Coast & Country. With the region’s healthy farm and horticulture economy, there was strong demand for rural news and advertising and that has continued to this day. Professional graphic design has been a big focus for the company, and all of its publications. Claire says a few key dedicated staff made the venture possible. And the basic principles of The Weekend Sun haven’t changed much either since Day 1. “Light, bright and entertaining,” says Brian and a focus on “looking forward not back”, says Claire. And the community has responded and benefitted over the years. “It has been a huge thing for the community. There has been a lot of organisations that have thrived because of the publicity,” Brian says. Things like the What’s On are a big commitment and effort to produce, but allow groups with little or no budget to tell people what they are doing. Claire says perhaps the biggest role they play is that of community connection, made more powerful by the fact The Weekend Sun has total coverage to homes in the Western Bay of Plenty – now 70,500 altogether. “It’s that belief in the community, and doing our best to help businesses thrive and events flourish, that keeps us going.” And that sense of community is in-house as well with staff often coming back to work there again after leaving for OE or study, or to try something different. “A lot of people have left and come back over the years and that’s been awesome,” Claire says. Devonport Road Office
First cover
First Birthday 24 August
TO 50,00
0 RESIDENTIA L& RURAL MAILB OXES IN THE WESTERN BAY OF PLENTY.
The Sun is one!
The Bay’s bigge
st circulation.
First Office
PM 08/24/00, 4:30
Nominations rol
l as districts cou
The Weekend Sun turns one this week, and birthday is enthus sharing our iastic reader, also one year old, Matth ew Talbot of Mount Maunganui. Thanks to all the readers and advertisers who have supported Sun Media Ltd in our first year of and we look forwaroperation more years of serviced to many as the Bay of Plenty’ s locally owned and largest circula paper. Our story, ting news16-17.
nt down to elec
Possibly the two busiest people this week were the electoral offi in Tauranga for the largest ward cers for the Tauranga and Western of Te Papa.” The Papa ward now Nominations closed Bay councils. covers a larger area Te last elections. This than the today at midday anyone wanting for to stand as mayor Pa residents said came about when Pyes lor for either council. or councilthey the Greerton village had more to do with Tauranga District which was the ward than with Welcome Bay, Peter Allsop says Council electoral officer they were previou sly rephave left it to the that as usual most candidates resented under. last week to get Peter Allsop says nations in. their nomithere has also been interest in the Taurang a large “There are enough trict Health Board. a constitute of the Discandidates in each torate and at this elecstage we have nine Down standing District the road at the Western Bay of Plenty Council commu nications officer Peter
tions
Hennessey says 38 nominations received as the Sun went to print,had been Mayor, ward councill for either “We are expectin or or community board. g that number Friday as there to rise on is day to register.” typically a rush on the last Meanwhile all of enrolled to vote you out there who aren’t in have to next Friday,the local body elections August 31, to do so. If you have enrolled or updated your a voting form will details, September 21-26. be sent to you between
1 d
2_3 Aug25.ind
Bill Faulkner was a Tauranga City councillor and wrote a no-holds-barred column from soon after the paper started through until 2012. He regularly aired his opinions on council business, much to the dislike of some other elected members. His only rule was ‘don’t edit my columns’. “The other councillors hated it so they tried to shut me down. “They talked about collective responsibility.” He says it was OK to oppose something leading up to a decision but the protocol was that once the council had made its decision everyone had to toe the line. “I wasn’t having a bar of that”. Brian Rogers started off writing only when something sparked him, but the column was so popular it became a weekly ‘Rogers Rabbits’. He launches his witty style at all sorts of subjects. He says the paper encourages strong opinions and that extends through to the letters pages where people are allowed to express their own thoughts, with a large amount of freedom. “We have taken a very fair approach to letting people have their say but we have made it clear where the line is drawn between opinion and reported fact.” He has had plenty of feedback and verbal “hidings” over his own columns. “There are a lot of people out there who don’t think you are entitled to an opinion apart from theirs. “But I think we have had our finger on the pulse of the town and plenty of other people have offered their opinion. There has been thousands of letters over the years.” Winston Watusi: “I came aboard sometime early 2003 when the office was still in the avenues. Head-hunted from the other paper by Brian and Claire. Thank heavens. I regard the column as primarily existing to promote local music. And sometimes other things. Many musicians fail to appreciate what a huge thing that is - most newspapers simply don’t bother with local music. In the beginning it was called The Watusi Brothers. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Then my partner in writing was unfortunately arrested and jailed and I inherited the mantle. Feedback is mostly very positive and supportive. Thank y’all! Weirdly, it’s the things I don’t think twice about that sometimes cause offence - when I try to bait people no one notices. I did get an erotic letter one time (which was opened by someone in the office. They were quite surprised)...”
°ˇAugust, August, August, °Ë?°Ë? 2020 life+style The Weekend Sun °˛28 °Ë?˛˙
Twenty years of being there when it counts The development of SunLive saw a major evolution for Sun Media and the introduction of breaking news coverage. Ross Brown - a veteran of 30 years of news photography - came on as general manager to help integrate the new addition. Until then reporters and sales staff had been providing community content for the community paper so suddenly having to adapt to 24-7 news coverage and the new concept of digital advertising was something completely different. Brian says the region was ready for an alternative to the old daily newspaper. “A lot of news websites are just copies of what’s in their print versions and SunLive is not that at all. SunLive is not just an online version of The Weekend Sun. It’s an instant, hard news site with a different energy.� The company’s present day general manager Jay Burston designed the IT that underpins it all and before long the live news website was reaching a huge audience. “We launched SunLive in 2009 in order to provide a reliable, timely news service to Tauranga and the Western Bay,� Jay says. Ross says online news wasn’t straightforward in the early days. Simple things like sending photos from the scene of a news story were not as easy because mobile internet was not great. “But we set the benchmark really high and we still do.� He says The Weekend Sun and SunLive complement each other really well and each serves its own role in the community. “Because of the change in the way we get our news, SunLive and The Weekend Sun is a great combination. “And everything is free.� Brian says they had known for a while that breaking news and dailynewspaper style news was destined for online but actually setting up a platform was quite costly. However, when the cost was realistic and the time was right, they launched and now it is one of the most popular news websites in the country. “Because we put out a weekly paper we never tried to do hard news but when the time was right we went with the website and it was a good fit with the weekly papers and other titles.� From humble beginnings SunLive is now the fourth most read news/ magazine website in New Zealand (Nielsen). And it never stops - SunLive has undergone several major upgrades to provide more services, add apps, and to support the company’s other websites. It will have another major overhaul this year, Jay says.
Sam Taikato surveys the wreckage washed up from the Rena on Matakana Island when the ship finally broke up on January ˜°, Ë›Ë?˜˛.
The big disaster
SunLive and The Weekend Sun have been at the forefront of many major events including the Rena disaster. “The Rena stories [and photos] were supplied to a lot of places
Jet Sprints world
27 March 2015, Issue
Footing a premie
r start – p11
24 January 2014,
20 August 2010,
Stocking up
See our story, 24-25.
DE INis SI weekend this
e Creative cuisin
ess Snow busin
Ode to art
wild! Food goes
Sky high specta c
whistle Blowing the
le
Welcome to a Classics of the Sky long weekend full of excitement and events. - Tauran Two massive events, ga City Airshow (see pages 14-15) Why go away when there are so many one city, one weeken , while d - don’t miss out. ASB Baypark is geared for high-ocgreat options here in the Bay? Saturday and Sunday Pictured: One of the German WWItane water-based action at the ENZED will see Fokker triplanes V8 Jetsprint Champthe long-awaited at the airshow, ionship on Saturda arriving in the y. city. Photo by Bruce Barnard.
Enrolling Pa tients Now
formerly known
as the Accident &
19 Secon d Aven
HealthCare Centre
ue - Taura nga
Opening Hours 8AM - 9PM Every Day
• acciden t & medical • skin cancer clinic • chiropra ctor • physiot herapy
• family medical practice • dentist • pharma cy • xray
The Central City
Family Practic
e
Doctors: Antho ny March - Matild Brad Little a Angus WatsoLawrence - Franz Strydo n m
HOURS: Mond ay - Friday 8.30 - 5pm Enrol Now For Redu
City Centre Med
Located Downto wn Central City
ical
ced Fees
ph 578 8089
in the 2nd Avenue
Health Centre
building
Carribbean
the dedicated She is just one of August 25, 2000. Photo by Bruce Barnard. published on Friday pages 29-31. since the fi rst issue,years this week. Read more, Sun every week 10 d The Weekend n Bay homes for The Sun into Wester
adventure
schantz has delivere
Barbara Vander
Issue 509
Sun shines for 1100 years
DE INSI is week th
issue went to press thriving. Our 253rdto community news is five, alive and ution The Weekend Sun Sun Media’s fantastic contrib ting Maunganui this week celebra Talbot of Mount in the Bay of Plenty. y is five-year-old Matthew first birthday issue. in the Sharing our birthda page of The Weekend Sun’s ted Sun Media suppor front the have on who was who and advertisers years of service. Thanks to all readerslook forward to many more per in the Bay of Plenty we last five years and is the largest circulating newspa d, owned and operate The Weekend Sun locally dent, BOP. indepen and proud to be one in circulation in The Sun-ny r and still numbe
First published July 9, 2010 The first man to positively identify Moko as the dolphin found dead on Matakana Island this week was also the first man to enjoy his company when the bottlenose arrived in Tauranga. Sun Media director Brian Rogers paddled out in his kayak to meet Moko on June 3 when the dolphin followed the fishing boat Eskdale into Tauranga Harbour from Whakatane. The joy Brian experienced as Moko played with his paddle on this day was a stark contrast to the low he felt yesterday when he saw the carcass lying in the sand on Matakana Island. Pursuing a surfer’s tip-off that a dolphin similar in size to Moko was lying dead there, Brian ventured to the island at daybreak on Thursday. Spotting various nicks in the carcass’ fin and noting several missing teeth, it was soon apparent to Brian that the dead dolphin was Moko. This was later confirmed by DOC. SunLive broke the news that Moko was dead and has exclusive pictures and video of this sad find at www.sunlive.co.nz
Get fibre broadband with Trustpower
22 February 2019,
Issue 948
744
20 March 2020, Issue
1004
170
Five years old!
anui Mount Maung pupil Primary School turned Mathew Talbot five years old with The Weekend Sun this week.
Farewell Moko
to the homes of 159,700 residents throughout TAURANGA, MOUNT MAUNGANUI, PAPAMOA WAIHI BEACH, KAIMAI, , KATIKATI, TE PUKE, PAENGAROA, OTAMARA KAU and all RDs
– p34
Champion speedw ay event
team who have
    � � �
& plasters. Fracture
Clinic, Womens Health
Clinic, Mole Removal
available
Full medical services
includes Xrays,splints
Issue 820
Inside
On the case p9
been helping bring
Â? Â? Â? Â? Â Â?
9 September 2016,
– p46
Inside
Â? Â Â
I, TE PUKE,
KAIMAI, KATIKAT
And then there was the story of Moko the dolphin who captured the world’s attention for several years with his social nature and interactions with people up and down the East Coast of the North Island. Brian met Moko in the harbour on June 3, 2010 after the dolphin followed a fishing boat in. Just over a month later and SunLive broke the story that the popular dolphin had died - washed up on Matakana Island. The cause of death was never established. A tragic end to a captivating story and here is the front page editorial from July 9, 2010‌..
Issue 683
Issue 253
A, WAIHI BEACH,
ANUI, PAPAMO
GA, MOUNT MAUNG
56,250 to TAURAN
19 August 2005,
The life and death of Moko
64,980 copies
A yarn bomb sign-up
and all RDs
meets Moko in June Ë›Ë?ËœË? .
The Bay’s largest circula most read newspaper.ting,
11- 4PM
See p4.
Sun Media director Brian Rogers
around the world. We were on top of the Rena, we had the technology and we had a couple of years under our belt,� Ross says. Brian and Ross jumped in the Waterline boat and went out to the Rena as soon as word broke that it was on the reef. “The crew were still hanging over the railings, having a smoke and a coffee and laughing about it,� says Brian. “I knew straight away it was going to be a massive environmental problem.� Claire recalls the day she and Brian raced over to Matakana Island to see the mayhem and washed up cargo and take the Weekend Sun cover shot of Sam Taikato holding an oily Rena life ring. (pictured left). “I had the iPad on the back of the four wheeler. I was doing all the photos of the wreckage. It was like a scene from Mad Max. It was unreal, it was just insane.�
first
Jetsprint compet itors will race on a worldfirst track at ASB Baypark this weekend.
AKAU PAENGAROA, OTAMAR
life+style The Weekend Sun ˆ
°ˇ August, 28 August, °Ë?°Ë? 2020 °˛ August, °Ë?˛˙
˜
  Â? Â? Â?Â
Flick the switch Tomorrow night, switch off the box, A night of food, fun and enterta flick off the lights and re-ener But this year’s torch-fi inment gise your sustain ability efforts by lled, glow stick-la – completely run off the grid heading – is den junket has a few new tricks to on offer from 5pm, with Earth to Tauranga’s free Earth Hour event at Corona make Tauranga’s Hour tion Park. environmental awaren being celebrated power-free from 8.30pm-9.30pm ess glow. To learn . more, see page 4. Photo by Bruce Barnard.
Your Central
City Health Cen
OPEN EVERY DAY
8AM - 9PM
tre
Your Central
Clinic & Ear Care Service.
City
Family Practic e Enrolling Pati ents Now
Doctors: Emma Stanley - Brad Little - Rebecc a Hughes - Angus Watson
 �   � � �
• accid ent & medic al • family medic • chirop racto al pract ice r • physi other apy • pharm acy
2nd Avenue Heal
th Centre - 19 Seco
The Bay’s largest circulating, per. most read newspa
66,600 copies
residents throughout to the homes of 159,700 MAUNGANUI, TAURANGA, MOUNT BEACH, KAIMAI, PAPAMOA, WAIHI PAENGAROA, KATIKATI, TE PUKE, all RDs OTAMARAKAU and
Dapper up! bike prime both your your leathers for a suit, hop on Men – trade the handlebar moustaches, and en will don their your dapper gentlem handlebars and motorcycles on cause. About 150 steed for a good cruise around Tauranga on their Ride. Sunday best and the Distinguished Gentleman’s September 25 for
Reggae
by smartd on the Sunday and a will be reclaime physical The streets of Taurangto raise awareness for men’s cause on page 5. bikes the ride and the looking men on Read more about Darren Leggatt and Keith Gordon mental health. Fleming, Photo: Bruce Barnard. Pictured are Damian ready for the ride. and up dressed all
Centre City Health Your Central - 9PM
OPEN EVERY DAY
On your skates!
p14
returns p37
Snapped at the
games p50
tors r Hours Doc SARY Tauranga’s Afte INTMENT NECES NO APPO
8AM - 9PM OPEN 7 DAYS
8AM
Jungle time p9
aw’ The ‘short str
Rail jumpers p18
above) from s-Wilson, pictured nice grilled ďŹ gs p28 Great feast of sister Nikki Reynold deeds – doing spontaneous, good shitty, but their 65 days of te strangers. “I am feeling pretty but days thing out of living. it happens,â€? she says. Dying things for comple days out of their challenging , as I am strong enough dealing with life They made happyliving with cystic ďŹ brosis - a cruel always thought is no longer smiling. “I have them and slowly But her attitude because they were bum. slowly suffocating ve roses, they called ďŹ ght this thing.â€? At best, weeks. stumble can I disease right a that ting few big day out p51 I never genetic down their lungs. Sixty-ďŹ talking days. I was a right klutz, It’s the doggies’ enough. We are it would claim me one day, but – privileged but confron shutting like cystic ďŹ brosis. Kristie Purton I had just had a “I always knew life and death with mum who has it, because it sounded 4 - 5. Photo: John Borren. would be now. pages minutes chatting ever thought it Continued on Sisters, and a young be sometime.â€? one of the Cystic “It would always er the Cystic Sisters (Kristie and nts throughout die. who so very come home to of 159,700 reside ARAKAU and all RDs You may rememb faced 35-year-old , OTAM es to the homes This spunky, freckle- ly made such a wonderful 67,668 copi ATI, TE PUKE, PAENGAROA positive publicly and very read newspaper. I, KATIK most KAIMA , ting, t circula OA, WAIHI BEACH The Bay’s larges GANUI, PAPAM MOUNT MAUN TAURANGA, Wells By Hunter
Centre l City Health Your Centra 9PM
OPEN EVERY DAY
• denti st • xray
anga
HOURS: Mon - Fri City Centre Med 8.30Enrol - 5pmNow For Reduced ical Fees Located Downto wn Central City
ph 578 8089
in the 2nd Avenue
Health Centre
building
al pract ice • family medic • pharm acy medic al apy • accid ent & • physi other r • chirop racto Second Avenue
th 2nd Avenue Heal
Centre - 19
• denti st • xray
- Tauranga
TEL :57 7 00 10
- 19 HealthCare Accident &
ue Second Aven
Tauranga
& medi cal • accid ent
• denti st
th Cent 2nd Avenue Heal
• pharm acy
re - 19 Second
• xray
• urgen t care
Avenue - Taur
Counting on Kiwis
anga
ental.co.nz www.team-d Saturdays available on
tments now
Hygienist appoin
A new tourism
When the skies over Bay of Plenty people are happy, are blue and hoop. All is well. the tourism industry is cock-a “But when the weathe r changes, when darken like they the skies have with COVID -19 then we
are the first ones to get slammed under a bus,� says Blair Anderson (pictured) owner That why Blair of the Waimarino Adventure Park and and operations are danglina bunch of other local tourism “And that’s pretty Kayak Tours. g a 10 per cent much happened carrot to Kiwis discount round.� A nasty only. global bug has bittento us this time They are countin his business. industry alive�. g on Kiwis to “keep the tourism The Bay’s larges Full story on page TAURANGA, MOUN t circulating, most read 5. Photo: John Borren. newspaper. 70,50 T MAUNGANU I, PAPAMOA, 0 copies to the WAIHI BEACH homes of 182,70 , KAIMAI, KATIK 0 residents throug ATI, TE PUKE, hout PAENGAROA , OTAMARAKA U and all You
r Central City Health Cen tre OPE
N EVERY DAY 8AM
8AM -
xrays. le including services availab 6 pm weekdays. Full medical 10 year olds before tations for under FREE ACC consul
nd Avenue - Taur
Inside
Stepping up p7
• accid ent & medi cal
2nd Avenue Heal
• denti st
• pharm acy
th Centre - 19
- 9PM
• xray
Second Avenue
• urgen t care
- Tauranga NOW OPEN
www.team-d ental.co.nz Late Nights Wedne sday
Old money, new
A lifetime of tennis
RDs
p8-9
use p11
p15
°ˇAugust, August, August, °Ë?°Ë? 2020 life+style The Weekend Sun °˛28 °Ë?˛˙
Twenty years of being there when it counts The development of SunLive saw a major evolution for Sun Media and the introduction of breaking news coverage. Ross Brown - a veteran of 30 years of news photography - came on as general manager to help integrate the new addition. Until then reporters and sales staff had been providing community content for the community paper so suddenly having to adapt to 24-7 news coverage and the new concept of digital advertising was something completely different. Brian says the region was ready for an alternative to the old daily newspaper. “A lot of news websites are just copies of what’s in their print versions and SunLive is not that at all. SunLive is not just an online version of The Weekend Sun. It’s an instant, hard news site with a different energy.� The company’s present day general manager Jay Burston designed the IT that underpins it all and before long the live news website was reaching a huge audience. “We launched SunLive in 2009 in order to provide a reliable, timely news service to Tauranga and the Western Bay,� Jay says. Ross says online news wasn’t straightforward in the early days. Simple things like sending photos from the scene of a news story were not as easy because mobile internet was not great. “But we set the benchmark really high and we still do.� He says The Weekend Sun and SunLive complement each other really well and each serves its own role in the community. “Because of the change in the way we get our news, SunLive and The Weekend Sun is a great combination. “And everything is free.� Brian says they had known for a while that breaking news and dailynewspaper style news was destined for online but actually setting up a platform was quite costly. However, when the cost was realistic and the time was right, they launched and now it is one of the most popular news websites in the country. “Because we put out a weekly paper we never tried to do hard news but when the time was right we went with the website and it was a good fit with the weekly papers and other titles.� From humble beginnings SunLive is now the fourth most read news/ magazine website in New Zealand (Nielsen). And it never stops - SunLive has undergone several major upgrades to provide more services, add apps, and to support the company’s other websites. It will have another major overhaul this year, Jay says.
Sam Taikato surveys the wreckage washed up from the Rena on Matakana Island when the ship finally broke up on January ˜°, Ë›Ë?˜˛.
The big disaster
SunLive and The Weekend Sun have been at the forefront of many major events including the Rena disaster. “The Rena stories [and photos] were supplied to a lot of places
Jet Sprints world
27 March 2015, Issue
Footing a premie
r start – p11
24 January 2014,
20 August 2010,
Stocking up
See our story, 24-25.
DE INis SI weekend this
e Creative cuisin
ess Snow busin
Ode to art
wild! Food goes
Sky high specta c
whistle Blowing the
le
Welcome to a Classics of the Sky long weekend full of excitement and events. - Tauran Two massive events, ga City Airshow (see pages 14-15) Why go away when there are so many one city, one weeken , while d - don’t miss out. ASB Baypark is geared for high-ocgreat options here in the Bay? Saturday and Sunday Pictured: One of the German WWItane water-based action at the ENZED will see Fokker triplanes V8 Jetsprint Champthe long-awaited at the airshow, ionship on Saturda arriving in the y. city. Photo by Bruce Barnard.
Enrolling Pa tients Now
formerly known
as the Accident &
19 Secon d Aven
HealthCare Centre
ue - Taura nga
Opening Hours 8AM - 9PM Every Day
• acciden t & medical • skin cancer clinic • chiropra ctor • physiot herapy
• family medical practice • dentist • pharma cy • xray
The Central City
Family Practic
e
Doctors: Antho ny March - Matild Brad Little a Angus WatsoLawrence - Franz Strydo n m
HOURS: Mond ay - Friday 8.30 - 5pm Enrol Now For Redu
City Centre Med
Located Downto wn Central City
ical
ced Fees
ph 578 8089
in the 2nd Avenue
Health Centre
building
Carribbean
the dedicated She is just one of August 25, 2000. Photo by Bruce Barnard. published on Friday pages 29-31. since the fi rst issue,years this week. Read more, Sun every week 10 d The Weekend n Bay homes for The Sun into Wester
adventure
schantz has delivere
Barbara Vander
Issue 509
Sun shines for 1100 years
DE INSI is week th
issue went to press thriving. Our 253rdto community news is five, alive and ution The Weekend Sun Sun Media’s fantastic contrib ting Maunganui this week celebra Talbot of Mount in the Bay of Plenty. y is five-year-old Matthew first birthday issue. in the Sharing our birthda page of The Weekend Sun’s ted Sun Media suppor front the have on who was who and advertisers years of service. Thanks to all readerslook forward to many more per in the Bay of Plenty we last five years and is the largest circulating newspa d, owned and operate The Weekend Sun locally dent, BOP. indepen and proud to be one in circulation in The Sun-ny r and still numbe
First published July 9, 2010 The first man to positively identify Moko as the dolphin found dead on Matakana Island this week was also the first man to enjoy his company when the bottlenose arrived in Tauranga. Sun Media director Brian Rogers paddled out in his kayak to meet Moko on June 3 when the dolphin followed the fishing boat Eskdale into Tauranga Harbour from Whakatane. The joy Brian experienced as Moko played with his paddle on this day was a stark contrast to the low he felt yesterday when he saw the carcass lying in the sand on Matakana Island. Pursuing a surfer’s tip-off that a dolphin similar in size to Moko was lying dead there, Brian ventured to the island at daybreak on Thursday. Spotting various nicks in the carcass’ fin and noting several missing teeth, it was soon apparent to Brian that the dead dolphin was Moko. This was later confirmed by DOC. SunLive broke the news that Moko was dead and has exclusive pictures and video of this sad find at www.sunlive.co.nz
Get fibre broadband with Trustpower
22 February 2019,
Issue 948
744
20 March 2020, Issue
1004
170
Five years old!
anui Mount Maung pupil Primary School turned Mathew Talbot five years old with The Weekend Sun this week.
Farewell Moko
to the homes of 159,700 residents throughout TAURANGA, MOUNT MAUNGANUI, PAPAMOA WAIHI BEACH, KAIMAI, , KATIKATI, TE PUKE, PAENGAROA, OTAMARA KAU and all RDs
– p34
Champion speedw ay event
team who have
    � � �
& plasters. Fracture
Clinic, Womens Health
Clinic, Mole Removal
available
Full medical services
includes Xrays,splints
Issue 820
Inside
On the case p9
been helping bring
Â? Â? Â? Â? Â Â?
9 September 2016,
– p46
Inside
Â? Â Â
I, TE PUKE,
KAIMAI, KATIKAT
And then there was the story of Moko the dolphin who captured the world’s attention for several years with his social nature and interactions with people up and down the East Coast of the North Island. Brian met Moko in the harbour on June 3, 2010 after the dolphin followed a fishing boat in. Just over a month later and SunLive broke the story that the popular dolphin had died - washed up on Matakana Island. The cause of death was never established. A tragic end to a captivating story and here is the front page editorial from July 9, 2010‌..
Issue 683
Issue 253
A, WAIHI BEACH,
ANUI, PAPAMO
GA, MOUNT MAUNG
56,250 to TAURAN
19 August 2005,
The life and death of Moko
64,980 copies
A yarn bomb sign-up
and all RDs
meets Moko in June Ë›Ë?ËœË? .
The Bay’s largest circula most read newspaper.ting,
11- 4PM
See p4.
Sun Media director Brian Rogers
around the world. We were on top of the Rena, we had the technology and we had a couple of years under our belt,� Ross says. Brian and Ross jumped in the Waterline boat and went out to the Rena as soon as word broke that it was on the reef. “The crew were still hanging over the railings, having a smoke and a coffee and laughing about it,� says Brian. “I knew straight away it was going to be a massive environmental problem.� Claire recalls the day she and Brian raced over to Matakana Island to see the mayhem and washed up cargo and take the Weekend Sun cover shot of Sam Taikato holding an oily Rena life ring. (pictured left). “I had the iPad on the back of the four wheeler. I was doing all the photos of the wreckage. It was like a scene from Mad Max. It was unreal, it was just insane.�
first
Jetsprint compet itors will race on a worldfirst track at ASB Baypark this weekend.
AKAU PAENGAROA, OTAMAR
life+style The Weekend Sun ˆ
°ˇ August, 28 August, °Ë?°Ë? 2020 °˛ August, °Ë?˛˙
˜
  Â? Â? Â?Â
Flick the switch Tomorrow night, switch off the box, A night of food, fun and enterta flick off the lights and re-ener But this year’s torch-fi inment gise your sustain ability efforts by lled, glow stick-la – completely run off the grid heading – is den junket has a few new tricks to on offer from 5pm, with Earth to Tauranga’s free Earth Hour event at Corona make Tauranga’s Hour tion Park. environmental awaren being celebrated power-free from 8.30pm-9.30pm ess glow. To learn . more, see page 4. Photo by Bruce Barnard.
Your Central
City Health Cen
OPEN EVERY DAY
8AM - 9PM
tre
Your Central
Clinic & Ear Care Service.
City
Family Practic e Enrolling Pati ents Now
Doctors: Emma Stanley - Brad Little - Rebecc a Hughes - Angus Watson
 �   � � �
• accid ent & medic al • family medic • chirop racto al pract ice r • physi other apy • pharm acy
2nd Avenue Heal
th Centre - 19 Seco
The Bay’s largest circulating, per. most read newspa
66,600 copies
residents throughout to the homes of 159,700 MAUNGANUI, TAURANGA, MOUNT BEACH, KAIMAI, PAPAMOA, WAIHI PAENGAROA, KATIKATI, TE PUKE, all RDs OTAMARAKAU and
Dapper up! bike prime both your your leathers for a suit, hop on Men – trade the handlebar moustaches, and en will don their your dapper gentlem handlebars and motorcycles on cause. About 150 steed for a good cruise around Tauranga on their Ride. Sunday best and the Distinguished Gentleman’s September 25 for
Reggae
by smartd on the Sunday and a will be reclaime physical The streets of Taurangto raise awareness for men’s cause on page 5. bikes the ride and the looking men on Read more about Darren Leggatt and Keith Gordon mental health. Fleming, Photo: Bruce Barnard. Pictured are Damian ready for the ride. and up dressed all
Centre City Health Your Central - 9PM
OPEN EVERY DAY
On your skates!
p14
returns p37
Snapped at the
games p50
tors r Hours Doc SARY Tauranga’s Afte INTMENT NECES NO APPO
8AM - 9PM OPEN 7 DAYS
8AM
Jungle time p9
aw’ The ‘short str
Rail jumpers p18
above) from s-Wilson, pictured nice grilled ďŹ gs p28 Great feast of sister Nikki Reynold deeds – doing spontaneous, good shitty, but their 65 days of te strangers. “I am feeling pretty but days thing out of living. it happens,â€? she says. Dying things for comple days out of their challenging , as I am strong enough dealing with life They made happyliving with cystic ďŹ brosis - a cruel always thought is no longer smiling. “I have them and slowly But her attitude because they were bum. slowly suffocating ve roses, they called ďŹ ght this thing.â€? At best, weeks. stumble can I disease right a that ting few big day out p51 I never genetic down their lungs. Sixty-ďŹ talking days. I was a right klutz, It’s the doggies’ enough. We are it would claim me one day, but – privileged but confron shutting like cystic ďŹ brosis. Kristie Purton I had just had a “I always knew life and death with mum who has it, because it sounded 4 - 5. Photo: John Borren. would be now. pages minutes chatting ever thought it Continued on Sisters, and a young be sometime.â€? one of the Cystic “It would always er the Cystic Sisters (Kristie and nts throughout die. who so very come home to of 159,700 reside ARAKAU and all RDs You may rememb faced 35-year-old , OTAM es to the homes This spunky, freckle- ly made such a wonderful 67,668 copi ATI, TE PUKE, PAENGAROA positive publicly and very read newspaper. I, KATIK most KAIMA , ting, t circula OA, WAIHI BEACH The Bay’s larges GANUI, PAPAM MOUNT MAUN TAURANGA, Wells By Hunter
Centre l City Health Your Centra 9PM
OPEN EVERY DAY
• denti st • xray
anga
HOURS: Mon - Fri City Centre Med 8.30Enrol - 5pmNow For Reduced ical Fees Located Downto wn Central City
ph 578 8089
in the 2nd Avenue
Health Centre
building
al pract ice • family medic • pharm acy medic al apy • accid ent & • physi other r • chirop racto Second Avenue
th 2nd Avenue Heal
Centre - 19
• denti st • xray
- Tauranga
TEL :57 7 00 10
- 19 HealthCare Accident &
ue Second Aven
Tauranga
& medi cal • accid ent
• denti st
th Cent 2nd Avenue Heal
• pharm acy
re - 19 Second
• xray
• urgen t care
Avenue - Taur
Counting on Kiwis
anga
ental.co.nz www.team-d Saturdays available on
tments now
Hygienist appoin
A new tourism
When the skies over Bay of Plenty people are happy, are blue and hoop. All is well. the tourism industry is cock-a “But when the weathe r changes, when darken like they the skies have with COVID -19 then we
are the first ones to get slammed under a bus,� says Blair Anderson (pictured) owner That why Blair of the Waimarino Adventure Park and and operations are danglina bunch of other local tourism “And that’s pretty Kayak Tours. g a 10 per cent much happened carrot to Kiwis discount round.� A nasty only. global bug has bittento us this time They are countin his business. industry alive�. g on Kiwis to “keep the tourism The Bay’s larges Full story on page TAURANGA, MOUN t circulating, most read 5. Photo: John Borren. newspaper. 70,50 T MAUNGANU I, PAPAMOA, 0 copies to the WAIHI BEACH homes of 182,70 , KAIMAI, KATIK 0 residents throug ATI, TE PUKE, hout PAENGAROA , OTAMARAKA U and all You
r Central City Health Cen tre OPE
N EVERY DAY 8AM
8AM -
xrays. le including services availab 6 pm weekdays. Full medical 10 year olds before tations for under FREE ACC consul
nd Avenue - Taur
Inside
Stepping up p7
• accid ent & medi cal
2nd Avenue Heal
• denti st
• pharm acy
th Centre - 19
- 9PM
• xray
Second Avenue
• urgen t care
- Tauranga NOW OPEN
www.team-d ental.co.nz Late Nights Wedne sday
Old money, new
A lifetime of tennis
RDs
p8-9
use p11
p15
˙
˜˙ August, ˜˛˜˛ 2020 life+style The Weekend Sun ˜°28 August, ˜˛°˝
It’s a family business Lois Natta is rural stock through and through. The sales rep’ for the monthly Coast & Country newspaper and the annual edition of New Farm Dairies has been with the company since it started. She worked with Brian and Claire for eight years before that too. And during that time she has never worked from the office but from home on various farms in various far-flung parts of the country. She is one of two of the original half dozen at Sun Media who are still working there. Coast & Country News covers and area from the rural hills of South Auckland, down through the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and King Country. Lois says the family focus of Sun Media means she has been able to retain her lifestyle and she has clients who are more like family now.
“I’m a rural person and used to be a dairy farmer and live the lifestyle and knowledgeable about most things rural. “We have lived rural and home-schooled the kids all while working for Claire and Brian. I love my job and I love Claire and Brian. They are just wonderful.” Publications manager Kathy Sellars started just two months after the business got underway and recalls the close-quarters of the original two-room offices in 2nd Ave. “It was cosy.” She has stuck around for similar reasons. Friendship. Claire was her support person at the birth of both her daughters and a bridesmaid at her wedding. “They are not in it to make millions of dollars. They are into it to help people.” For their part, Claire and Brian put the success of the company squarely back on the staff they have employed over the years and highlight recent events as evidence of this.
When the country was going into lockdown, almost every staff member worked from home to put out an edition of The Weekend Sun on March 27. A government ban on community newspapers scuppered the four editions scheduled for April – the first and only time The Weekend Sun has not been delivered each week, in its 20 years. As soon as it was allowed, the Weekend Sun was again produced from spare rooms and dining room tables across the region. And reporters continued to produce and publish news for SunLive throughout the lockdown. Brian says the company is very light on its feet, adaptable and able to change quickly if required. “No need for a board meeting,” Claire says. “It is a brilliant team – they really have been amazing.”
History in the making Sun Media now occupies the historic old former Bond Store at Number 1 The Strand – the oldest commercial building in Tauranga. It was originally used to store imported goods and evidence of that can be found in the thick brick walls and the bars on the windows of the original part of the building. It was used by Guinness Bros for 78 years, from 1908 before being sold to another wine and spirits dealer Hughes and Cossar in 1986. It was then used by an assortment of businesses and in 1997 the original part of the building was
refurbished as a restaurant and bar. It has been associated with the storage or sale of wine and spirits for most of its 137 years and the building still retains a function area next to The Weekend Sun reception area. The building was purchased and lovingly restored by the Rogers family and staff in 2008, offering a much larger premises than what they originally started in and reclaimed much of the heritage attributes. The owners are very proud of No.1 The Strand, a category One listed historic building and are pleased to have helped preserve this unique piece of local history.
John Key opens the new premises at Number ˜ The Strand with Claire and Brian Rogers dressed in late ˜°th cen tury period costume in the background.
MPs and Mayors at the opening.
Home of
˜˙ August, ˜˛˜˛
Lovebirds on the Koha Come and see Tauranga’s medical aid ship When driving over the Tauranga harbour bridge I often look down at the YWAM Koha ship berthed at the end of the dock. It was due to sail to the Pacific Islands in May but because of the global pandemic it stayed here. I wondered about the crew on board, where they all hailed from and how they’d fared. I’d also heard there had been a postlockdown wedding between two of the captains. The YWAM Koha is a NZ-registered medical aid ship, but it’s also Tauranga’s own. Director Marty Emmett says over the last year a deep sense of connection has grown between the Tauranga community and the vessel, with many locals volunteering their time and expertise to help with the ship’s mission of taking medical aid up into the Pacific Islands. The plan is for Koha to be open for public tours later this year, but being curious, once we reached Alert Level 1 I went on board to check it out. After signing in, it was up and down little steps until popping through one door I found myself in the galley where Bryan Clark, Koha’s chef from California, was working away on food preparation with Shaileerae Cabreros from Hawaii. Shaileerae arrived last July, and Bryan in March, just before the nationwide lockdown. They are feeding around 18 people twice daily. “Once in a while I surprise them with French toast, pancakes or eggs,” says Bryan who has worked in the newspaper world for 46 years. “It depends on how early I wake up or how much coffee I’ve had.” He laughs as he recounts becoming the adopted grandfather of a family of seven who arrived for a week to
volunteer their time on board. He’s a grandfather himself 15 times over with nine great grandchildren living back in the USA and Canada, staying connected via the internet. Each week Koha receives food from Good Neighbour through its Food Rescue programme. “It’s been amazing,” says Marty. We head up more steps until reaching the bridge, we find the newly married captains – Stephanie and Jonathan Birdsall. Both from the UK, they also both attended the Maritime College in 1974. “Stephanie started her cadetship with BP in 1974 and I started mine with Mobil Oil in 1973,” says Jonathan. They became more aware of each other during the last decade and found they often missed each other by days as Stephanie would finish on board a ship with Jonathan arriving to captain the same ship shortly afterwards. They made a point of meeting up in Brisbane last year and a romance blossomed. Their original plans to be married in the UK with family around them in June were quashed by the pandemic. Jonathan works week on and week off as a captain for the Interislander ferry but had taken five months break to attend a YWAM DTS course in Nelson. Stephanie flew into NZ just before lockdown and when the country returned to Level 3 they made the decision to go ahead with a small low key wedding. Koha’s crew however turned it into a bigger celebration, putting up bunting around the deck with a ship party and cake. The vessel and its crew are hoping to welcome the public aboard mid-October, Covid dependent of course. Rosalie Liddle Crawford
New Zealand’s Quietest Heat Pumps
life+style The Weekend Sun 9
°˛
˜˙August, August,˜˛°˝ ˜˛˜˛ 2020 life+style The Weekend Sun ˜°28
Greerton Village Business owners’ doors are open for you
Susan Snodgrass from Greerton Furnishings.
Jill Simpson from Pets by Design.
Let’s take a tour of Greerton starting at one of the most iconic Greerton stores, Greerton Furnishings. Sitting on the corner of Chadwick and Greerton Roads this long-established furniture store boasts experienced interior design specialist Susan Snodgrass. As part of the service Greerton Furnishings offers a free home or in-store interior design consultation aimed at helping you to visualise what can be created in your home and how you can best utilise the space available to you. Susan passionately believes in connecting with people and helping to create something beautiful for their family home, retirement home or apartment. The extensive showroom allows you to visualise what can be created in your very own home or Susan will come to your home and show you how to maximise and add value to your living spaces. Small independently owned retailers have done it tough so far this year, along with many other industries, however each of our Greerton businesses have strived to adapt and fulfil their customers needs and now they need us to support them more than ever
as they slowly bounce back. New Zealand is a nation of pet owners and lovers and of course many of our house pets need grooming and where better to go for that service than Pets By Design in Cameron Road Greerton. They have been in operation since 2004 and today focus exclusively on a grooming Salon with owner Jill Simpson who has been grooming since 2002. In that time she has had over 36 000 dogs through the door, which equates to around 650,000 toe nails! Jill says “Dogs are our passion and we see many that other groomers cannot manage. Being a small quiet salon, we are great for nervous and anxious dogs, without the noise and excitement from large numbers helps keep them quiet and relaxed.” They use a Bach flower mix and happy hoods to help calm the most anxious. “Believe it or not many of those dogs settle nicely be themselves once their owners have left.” Jills says Pets by Design caters for all sizes from tiny puppies to the largest Great Dane. “Nervousness, badly behaved, knotty, dirty coats, extra-long coats, skin conditions, flea infestations, dryer phobias and teaching dogs that brushing is OK are just a few unexpected things we can work through daily.”
With FREE Bedroom Hi-Wall Unit (*Conditions apply)
˜˙ ˜° August, ˜˛˜˛ August, ˜˛°˝
life+style The Weekend Sun °°
Robyn Parker from Robyn’s Cottage.
“If you haven’t been out to Greerton shopping lately, come out and have a look and support these local business owners and Buy Local Buy Tauranga” By shopping locally you know that you are not only supporting local business owners but their family and the wider community and now, more than ever, every dollar you spend in your local centre is a dollar that will help our whole community to grow and succeed. Another of Greerton Village’s unique stores is Robyn’s Cottage. In 1999 husband and wife Robyn and Rex Parker started a knitwear/yarn supply company under the name RnR Knitwear while living in Masterton selling knitwear around craft markets, suppling shops, exporting to Japan and supplying machine knitting yarn to machine knitters and weavers around New Zealand and Australia. In late 2005 they returned to Tauranga and re-established the business, renaming it Robyn’s Cottage in 2013 and branching out into other crafts in 2010. “Crafts included now are machine knitting, hand knitting, fibre and fabric dying, crocheting, sewing, cross stitch, card work and machine embroidery and we’re an authorised Brother dealer too,” Robyn says. How lucky are we in Greerton to have attracted a number of new, young business owners with fresh ideas and the willingness to work hard to build their business and one such business is the Nail & Beauty Lounge in Cameron Road.
Sapan Shah
GREERTON FOODMARKET GREERTON VILLAGE
This is a truly remarkable success story of three young women. Around five years ago Hannah, Sophia and Cake arrived in New Zealand from Vietnam as independent young women in their early 20’s. They met up working together at a Nail Bar in the Tauranga area, became great friends, saw an opportunity in Greerton and grabbed it! Hence the birth of the Nail and Beauty Lounge in Greerton. Since opening almost a year ago they have built up a loyal clientele with some customers travelling from as far away as Hamilton and Auckland – just to receive the amazing, friendly service on offer. It’s not all about the nails for these ladies either, they offer a full range of beauty treatments through waxing, eyelash extensions, lifting and tinting. These are just a few of the businesses that make up the eclectic mix of retail and service providers in Greerton Village – famous for our stunning Spring display of flowering Cherry Trees and Yarn bombing among other things. So if you haven’t been out to Greerton shopping lately, come out and have a look and support these local business owners and Buy Local Buy Tauranga. Because when you spend locally you are saving local businesses. Meet more locals here: www.buytauranga.co.nz
Georgia Haywood - MANAGER ASTROLABE BREW BAR THE MOUNT
Ian Mikkelsen
Cake Kieu from Nail & Beauty Lounge.
ROBERT HARRIS CAFÉ DOWNTOWN TAURANGA
Meghan Maher
REPERTOIRE - DOWNTOWN TAURANGA & THE MOUNT
Spending locally saves local businesses www.buytauranga.co.nz TS & CS APPLY. SEE INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES FOR DETAILS.
°˜
life+style The Weekend Sun ˜° August, ˜˛°˝
HUGE
Chiropractic Clearance
Design Design Mobel Mobel
Bedding Bedding
MONTHS INTEREST FREE
MONTHS INTEREST FREE of Sanctuary on in store purchases on in store purchases of Sanctuary Dream & Escape ‘til 15.9.20. Dream & Escape ‘til 15.9.20.
Proudly Local
Comfort Guarantee
Warranty
Shop Safe