TePuke NEWS
Aninitiativetoraiseawarenessofgrowing yourownfoodwillbetakingoffinTePuke nextweek.Aseedtrolleywillbeoutside ArohanuiArtandEducationTrustbuilding
threedaysaweekonCommerceLane.The ideaofthetrolleyistoteachpeoplehow togrowtheirownfood,andtobeableto accessseedsateithernoorverylittlecost.
Thetrolleywouldalsoprovidesomewhere forpeopletoleaveseedstheyhaveharvested toberedistributed.ManaKaiManaOra WesternBayKaiResilienceprojectnetwork
co-ordinatorAmyBoardencouragedpeople tovolunteeratthecommunitygarden astherewillbepeopletherewiththe knowledge. Readmoreonpage4.
Discgolfers chasingfunding g fornewcourse e
Twodiscgolfplayershoping tobuildacourseinTePuke arestilltryingtogetthe projectacrosstheline.
JordanKemenandSamEdwards lastyearsecuredthebackingofTe PukeCommunityBoardtobuilda nine-holecourseatDonovanPark.
TePukeCommunityBoard chairwomanKassieEllissaidthe boardwassupportingtheprojectas itfeltitwouldbeagreatassetfor thecommunity,anotheractivity forpeopletoenjoyandwouldbe inagreatlocation.
Sponsor-a-hole Acoursehasbeendesigned,but moremoneyisneededifitistobe constructed.
“Thecommunityboardwasreally keentogetitupofftheground andinstatedandcommittedsome fundingthatwouldbeabouthalf thebudget,”saidKemen.
It’snowacaseofchasingother funding.
“We’vegotnineholessowecould getninebusinessestosponsorthem
andhavetheirnamesonaholellike asponsor-a-holesituation.”
Alternatively,itmightbepossible forEdwardsandKemento constructthecoursethemselves.
“Ithinkthenwecouldgoaheaad withthefundingwe’veacquired d
“Itshouldonlytakeusafew monthstostartbreakingground d andmakeithappen.Wedidhavve dreamsofhavingitallupand runningforsummer,butitjust didn’tquitegetthere.”
A-ttier tournaments are the highestcategoryoftournaments playedinNewZealand.
LastyearEdwardsandKemen hadregularpop-updiscgolf gamesattheparkthatproved popular,butothercommitments meanttheyhavenotbeen organisedthissummer.
Therulesofdiscgolfaresimilar tothoseofgolf,butinsteadof hittingaballintoahole,people throwaFrisbee-stylediscintoa chainbasket,aimingforthefewest throwspossible.
Playersarecurrentlytakingpart inaseriesoftierAeventsdubbed theTourDownUnderthatfeatures someofthetopprofessionaldisc golfplayersfromtheUS.The
TePuke’sNathanielCrawford wontheMA2(mixedamateur division)andthesecondofthe fourroundsofthetour,the TaupōClassicandhisbrother JonowasseventhintheMA1 division.
Thereasons
Crawfordhasbeenplayingfor threeyears,andhaswhatare perhapssurprisingreasonsfor enjoyingthesport.
“Thewayyoucanshapea disc’sthrow,there’sscienceand physicsbehinditandIlove it–it’samazingtomehowit allworks.”
H He said it would be amazing to haveacourseinTePuke.
“IworkatthegyminTePuke andwehavepeoplecoming intothegymwhenwewere runningthepop-upslastyear askingwhenwearegoingtodo itagainandhowgreatitwasfor thekids.
“Wehadalotofteenagers thatjustcamealongandspent acoupleofhoursplayingwith us,sowhenwegetitsetupin TePukeit’sgoingtobegreat foreveryone.”
AnotherTePukeplayer, MitchellKeyte,wontheMA2 divisionattheXtreme2024, theNorthIslandChampionship RoundontheNewZealand DiscGolftourheldatMcLaren
F Falls Park last year
Earlierthismonth,Kemen tookbasketstoarecent SummerintheParkeventinTe Pukeforpeopletohaveago, withasix-basketcoursesetup andsaidtheenthusiasmshowed therewasanappetiteforthe gameinTePuke.
“Peoplewerehavingablast. I’dliketokeepthatmomentum going,keeptheawareness.Te Pukeiscryingoutforthings likethis,it’ssuchacoollittle community.”
KemenisontheTauranga DiscGolfAssociation committeeanddetailsof anyeventsarepostedonthe association’sFacebookpage.
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SayinggoodbyetothelastmayorofTePuke
Saying goodbye to the last mayor of Te Puke
MichaelPittarhasleftanindelible markonTePuke–andthe widerWesternBay.
Michael,whodiedonJanuary15, wasthelastTePukemayorandthefirst mayoroftheWesternBayofPlenty district.
BorninWhakatānein1938,hewas oneofJackandCeciliaPittar’snine children–fiveboysandfourgirls.
Primary Schools and Te Puke
High
HewenttoMaketūandPaengaroa PrimarySchoolsandTePukeHigh School.
Hewas broughtup inPikowai, Otamarakau andthenon thefamily farmonTe TumuRd, notfarfrom KaitunaCut.
Hisbrother Russell recalledthat Michaelwas agoodsportsmanwhoplayedforthehigh schoolfirstXVandwentontorepresent TePukeatjuniorlevel.
itstimeandthevisionMichaeldisplayed ingettingitbuiltwastypicalofthe man.Itwasalsofarfrombeingtheonly lastingimpactMichaelhadonthetown.
Politicalcareer
Itwasinlocalgovernmentpoliticsthat Michael’snameisbestknown.
Hewaselectedasacouncilloronthe TePukeBoroughCouncilin1977and wasmayorofTePukefrom1983until localgovernmentreorganisationin1989.
local government reorganisation in 1989.
Hesaidtheninesiblingsgrewupin hardtimesandworkedonthefarmwith nopay.
Oneman’sdestiny
WhileMichaelandhiswifeDerynwere sharemilkersinthe1960s,farmingwas notobehisdestiny.
Heboughtanolddiggerandfrom thereheneverlookedback.Heimported whatwasthoughttobethefirstfully hydraulicdiggerinNewZealand.
Itwasoneofmanyfirsts,thatalso includedtheideaofacagefortrimming shelterbelts.
Michaelwasthemanbehindthe buildingofTePukeCountryLodgeas atouristmotelonthecornerofNo1. RdandwhatisnowTePukeHighway. Heassembledabusinessconsortiumfor theproject,thensetaboutthesiteworks himself.
FamilyfriendJohnDohnt,whowas encouragedbyMichaeltostandfor andwasthenelectedtotheTePuke BoroughCouncil,rememberspreparing theground,whichinvolvedlowering andlevellingtheland,was“aprettybig undertaking”.
“Michaeldidallthat.Hetookoff about8m.”
Hesaidthecountrylodgewasaheadof
Hethenbecamethefirstmayorofthe newlycreated WesternBayof PlentyDistrict Council,a positionheheld until1992.
Western Bay of
Oneof hismajor achievements duringhistime asTePuke mayorwasthe constructionof the$12million seweragescheme whichwascompletedunderbudget.
Localgovernmentreorganisationin 1989sawTaurangaCountyCouncil becomeWesternBayDistrictCouncil whichthenincludedofTePuke, Ōmokoroa,KatikatiandWaihiBeach.
Asmayorofthenewdistrict,heguided thecouncilandthedistrictthrough manychangesincludingcontractingout ofcertainoperations,encouragingmore accountability,longtermplanningand engineeringstrategiesandareductionin staffnumbers.
Johnsaidwhentheyarrivedatthe council“theplacewasbroken”.
“Thefirstthreeyearswasputtingall thosepoliciestogetherandsortingout thefinances.Wewentaroundthedistrict takingthepoliciesoutthereandtrying toexplainwhatwasgoingonandwe usedtogetsomeflack.Thereweresome fieryratepayers’meetings.”
Asmayor,MichaelopenedtheWaihi BeachRSAafterhelpingsecurethe building’sresourceconsent.
“Hedidcompulsorymilitarytraining fortheRSAwasinhisheart,”said Russell.
Differentpositions
Michaelheldmanyotherpositions, beingamemberoftheBayofPlenty CatchmentCommission,theBayof PlentyUnitedCouncilandtheBayof PlentyEconomicDevelopmentCouncil.
Whilemayyorof f TePuke,MichaelPitterwas“kidnappped”by y TePukeHigghSchool studentsandsuspended20maboveJellicoeStaspartofafundraisingtelethon.
Whiledistrictmayorhewasthehead ofcivildefencefortheTaurangaand WesternBaydistricts.
Inthelate-1990shebecameanelected memberoftheBayofPlentyRegional Council.
Hislastlocalgovernmentrolesawhim serveontheTePukeCommunityBoard from2010to2013.
TePukeEconomicDevelopmentGroup managingdirectorMarkBoylehadaclose relationshipwithMichael.
“Michael facilitateda numberofdeals inrecentyears thathaveresulted innewhouses inTePukeand goodcommunity building.
“Michaelwas alwaysvery supportive ofTePuke EDGanddid muchtobring peoplealonginsupportoftheideasand initiativeswehavehad.
afterameeting.Itwouldbefairtosay thatforthelast45-plusyearsMichael maintainedapassionforthesuccessof localgovernment.”
Michaelwasalsoacelebrant,aqualified realtorandacommissioner.
Atruecharacter
Russellsaidoneincidentwhenthey weremuchyoungersumsupMichael’s character.
“Hewasalwaystryingtohelppeople.His networksandconnectionswereoftenkey tosolutionsandgoodoutcomes.
“Hewaspassionateabouttheneedfor andimportanceofcommunitiesand economicsectorstobeheardatlocal government.”
MarksaidMichaelwasalsoaraconteur.
“Hewouldoftenholdcourt,whether itbeonthestreet,inacafeorbaror
Whileworkingonabulldozerfor MichaelneartheKaitunaCut,Russell hadtobreakoff todriveintoTe Pukeforadoctor’s appointment. Michaeltookover andtoldRussell totakehisbrand newFordFalcon ute.Acrashon thewayhomeled totheutehaving tobetowed. Beforeitwas, Russellpicked upthegrilleand,whenhearrivedback clutchingit,Michaelaskedhim:“whatthe hellhaveyoudone?”
“Isaid,‘thisiswhat’sleftofyour wagon’andhejustsaid,‘ohwell,you’re allright’.
“Nothingfazedhim,hecouldhandle mostsituations.”
MichaelissurvivedbyhiswifeDeryn, theirfoursonsParke,Craig,Peterand Luke,eightgrandchildrenandone great-grandson.
GrowingfoodawarenessinTePuke
Thereisagrowingawarenessofthe advantagesofgrowingyourown food,andifyouknowwhereto look,initiativestomakeiteasier andcheaper.
Fromnextweek,CommerceLaneinTe Pukewillbeoneofthoseplaces.
AspartoftheManaKaiManaOra WesternBayKaiResilienceproject,a seedtrolleywillbeoutsideArohanuiArt andEducationTrustbuildingthreedays aweek.
Thetrustofferscommunityparticipation andactivitiesforpeoplewithadisability, andclientswillhelpwiththeinitiativeby ensuringthetrolleyiskeptstockedand packingseedsthataredonated.
Regionalkairesiliencenetwork co-ordinatorAmyBoardsaidthe purposeoftheseedtrolleywasto encouragepeopletogrowtheirownfood andtobeabletoaccessatno,orvery little,costseedstomakeastart.
“Wearegoingtohaveakohaboxon thestand,butthere’snoexpectation[for peopletopay],”shesaid.
Seedpacketswouldincludeinstructions forplanting.
Thetrolleywouldalsoprovide somewhereforpeopletoleaveseedsthey haveharvestedtoberedistributed.
Accessiblegardening Boardsaidit’saperfectlocationand providingthetrolleywasawaytomake gardeningmoreaccessible.
Thetrolley,paidforbyCOLABand
builtatTePukeMenzShed,would be“open”Mondays,Wednesdays andFridays1pm-3pmfromnext week.
In conjunction with the seed trolley, there are plans to create a seed library.
Inconjunctionwiththeseedtrolley, thereareplanstocreateaseedlibrary.
Boardsaidseedharvestingwas relativelystraight-forwardandthere wereresourcesavailableonlineorinthe library.
were resources available online or in the
“I’dalsoencouragepeopleto volunteeratthecommunitygarden astherewillbepeopletherewiththe knowledge.”
as there will be people there with the
The Mana Kai Mana Ora WBOP K Resilience project covers the whole of the Western Bay of Plenty and has its roots in the Food Sovereignty and Security
TheManaKaiManaOraWBOPKai Resilienceprojectcoversthewholeofthe WesternBayofPlentyandhasitsroots intheFoodSovereigntyandSecurity PlancommissionedbyPoutiriTrust.
Theplan’svisionisthatby2030the WesternBayofPlentywillbeakaisecureandwell-connectedcommunity withamorerobustlocalfoodsystem.
Initiatives
Anotherrecentinitiativeisthecreation ofakaiactivitysharingmapthatAmy describesas“abitofawin”.
Themapshowedthelocationofpataka kai,communitymeals,community gardens,foodbanks,publicfoodtrees andotherresourcesacrosstheregionand isonlineat:manakaimanaora.nz.
Communityinvolvement
“Iamfocusingonpatakakairightnow, ensuringeverypatakakaiisshownon thatmap.”
Regionalkairesiliencenetwork co-ordinatorAmyBoard.
Boardsaidpatakakaiwasforeveryone. “Iamencouragingpeopletofindwhere theirlocalpatakakaiisandputsomething inthereonceaweek.Youmighthave excessplumsandsomeoneelsemay haveexcessrhubarb–apatakakaiisan excellentplacetoswapandtoshare.”
Variousotherinitiatives,including Poutiri’smārakai(vegetablegardens) programmethatoffersresourcesand advice,areavailable.
“It’sreallyencouragingtoseesomany
youngfamiliesgrowingfood,”saidBoard. “Andthemorepeopledo,themore theywillconnectwithandsupportother people.Wearestrongertogether,it’sall aboutcollaboration.”
Boardtookadisplay,arangeofvarious seedsandsomekaialongtoarecent SummerintheParkfamilyeventinTe Pukethatprovedtobeasuccess. “Wehadabigrush.Itwasabout instillinganinterestingrowinginkids.”
StuartWhitaker
Therearesmilesonthefacesof staffatHatoHoneStJohnTePuke thankstoalong-timebenefactor.
Anewambulancewasdedicatedatthe town’sambulancestationlastweek.The ambulancewaspaidforfromanAcorn Foundationendowmentfundsetupin 2015byJoyceWessel.
EventhoughWesseldiedlatein2023, shecontinuedto givethroughthe JoyceWesselFund.
Atlastweek’s dedication,watch operationsmanager PreetinderSingh saidtheTePuke stationwasoneof thebusiestrural stationsinthe NorthIslandandits ambulancesalways clockupahigh mileage.
New ambulance for
Newambulancefor busyruralstation
devoted collator of the ambulance support scheme subscription that raised money for
officer,areacommitteetreasureranda devotedcollatoroftheambulancesupport schemesubscriptionthatraisedmoneyfor thelocalambulance.
Significantcontributions
Shehasalsomadesignificantfinancial contributions.
Sheprovided$250,000forwhatwas thenthenewambulancestationonNo 3Rdin2013,and paidforthefirstnew ambulancetooperate fromthestation.She alsocommitted,viathe fund,toreplaceTePuke’s ambulancewhenneeded.
“Seeinganewvehicleissomething thatbringssmilestothestaffmorethan anythingelse,”hesaid.
Volunteer TePukeareacommitteechairwoman LynGovenlockoutlinedWessel’s contributiontoStJohninTePuke,saying shehadbeenavolunteerambulance
“Sheunderstoodthe importanceofhavingthe bestpossibleambulance forstafftoservethe community.”
was grateful for Joyce’s
Lynsaidthecommittee wasgratefulforJoyce’s donationandtheAcorn Foundationwhichhas investedandgrowntheendowment.
“HatoHoneStJohnisalwaystryingto runonthesmellofanoilyrag.Donations suchasthisareasamazingastheyare essential.”
Therewillbeninepaidofficerskeeping theambulanceontheroadeverydayand nightoftheweek.
“Joycewouldbeproudtoseethenew
HatoHoneStJohnretiredcentralregiongeneralmanagerEddieJacksonreceivedthekeys tothenewambulancefromAcornFoundation’slegacygivingmanagerCampbellHiggins.
ambulancetoday.”Overtheyears,other financialdonationshavebeenmadefrom thefundanonymouslytoStJohnandalso toTePukeVolunteerFireBrigadeandthe rescuehelicopterservice.
“Sheneverwantedanyonetoknowher philanthropywhenshewasalive.Itis importantthatherlegacyisacknowledged andwecelebratehercontinuing contributiontothecommunity.”
Recognition
AcornFoundationCEOLoriLukesaid whiletherewasanumberoforganisations Joycewaspassionateabout,“TePuke StJohnhadherheart”.
“Eachyeardonationsweremade throughAcornFoundation–upuntilshe diedtheyweremadeanonymously.”
Wessel’saccountant,BennettsProactive directorLanceEwens,saidwhenhe receivedtheinvitationtothededication
ceremony,herealiseditcouldbethe onlyopportunitytorecognisewhat Wesselhaddone.
WesternBaymayorJamesDenyersaid: “OnbehalfoftheWesternBayofPlenty andtheresidentsofTePukeinparticular, Iwouldliketosayawholeheartedthank youtoJoyceandthewiderorganisation ofHatoHoneStJohnforallthe importantworktheiremployeesand volunteersdoforthecommunity.”
Wesselwas98whenshediedand spentherlateryearsatCHTGlynavon Carehome.Shealwayshadastrong connectiontohertimeasanambulance officer.
ShecametoTePukefromHolland withherhusband.
Theyhadnochildrenandinthe 1980sshebecamepartoftheStJohn AmbulanceBrigade,asitwasknown backthen.
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