A captivating celebration of South Asia’s unique heritage and cultural practices has something for everyone on Saturday. The popular and colourful Diwali festival, also known as the
Festival of Lights, celebrates the victory of truth and light over oppression and is a showcase of traditional art, music, drama and delicious vegetarian Indian street food. The Rangoli art display is
interactive, using colourful sand art on the footpath. Ramayan drama and dance performances will keep everyone spellbound. Head along to the Tauranga Diwali
Festival at Tauranga Historic Village for five hours of celebration from 4pm – 9pm on Saturday, October 15. Entry is by gold coin. Read more on page 7.
The government is planning to ban the use of cellphones in cars, a great move if it saves lives on the road.
Let’s not stop there. The ban should tackle some equally dangerous driver habits at the same time. It’s difficult to quantify stupidity, so let’s start with some other distractions that must be contributing to road accidents.
1. Smoking
2. Changing CDs
3. Checking make up
4. Distracting passengers.
5. Things that dangle.
1. This should be a no-brainer.
Smoking, in itself is a no brainer – you’d have to have rocks in your head to carry on with it, knowing what we all know today. But lighting up while driving should be outlawed. Along with cigarette lighters in cars. There’s no future for anyone. If we can’t answer a cellphone call safely, then we can’t expect to light and smoke.
2. Changing CDs and fiddling with the car radio is surely just as dangerous.
Considering the CD player is generally in the centre of the dashboard, the CDs are stored in jackets or sleeves somewhere and the driver must be distracted from the road ahead to selection, remove from the cover and insert in the CD drive. Fine if your passenger is doing it, in which case the drive should only be allowed if it’s located in the passenger side, inaccessible to the driver or in the back seat. The answer is: Get a stacker!
3. Checking make up: how many times have we seen cars belting along the highway with the driver undertaking a close quarters examine of the lips,
eyeliner or crow’s feet in the rear vision mirror? Not just Ma’a Nonu on his way to training, but some women do this too.
4. Distracting passengers. This should be defined as anyone under the age of 20.
Part of the boy racer problem is not just the fast cars, alcohol and disregard for the law and human safety – it’s the peer pressure. Outlaw carriage of passengers for anyone under 20, raise the driving age and a large part of the hoonery will be cut.
5. Dangly things. Crap that hangs from the rear view mirror. Anything that obscures the field of vision is a really dumb idea and should be outlawed. Fluffy dice, voodoo charms, Christine Rankin’s earrings, Indian mystical feather arrangements, and assorted pieces of underwear will not improve anyone’s view of the road.
I’m sure our MPs will lead by example on this cellphonewhile-driving ban. Yeah, right. Just like the MP caught using his phone on a plane a few years ago.
There’s been a lot of concern lately about the boy racer issue.
All sorts of experts having their say about how to deal with the problem.
Here at RR, we think it’s a shortage of rugby. Good old fashioned energy burning, testosterone-flexing rough and tumble. Rugby has camaraderie, teamwork, a sense of belonging, instils a
sense of pride in young men; and best of all, oranges at halftime.
These guys need an outlet for their bravado.
The rugby field is the perfect place.
Plus, it’s great for fitness and team building.
Sure there’s a risk of injury, but nothing compared to the risks of tomfoolery on the road; stupidity that threatens the lives of innocent travellers.
Finally this week, I enjoyed a lovely evening with the genealogists last night. Prompted by a piece in one of my columns recently about my ancestor’s relics, they invited me to speak about my forebears; our historic building at No.1 The Strand and this column.
I took along a few relics, some from my great grandfather.
As I carefully loaded his World War II hand grenade into the car, it reminded me of the time I took the grenade to primary school for show and tell.
I’m not sure if my parents knew I’d taken a hand grenade to school for the day, but what they didn’t know didn’t hurt them.
My mates and I had a great time in the playground.
You wouldn’t get away with it these days. If you show up with bombs or guns they tend to get a bit excitable and you’d pretty soon find yourself surrounded by armed officers in flak jackets and helmets.
Geez, it’s not like we pulled the pin.
Well, not very often.
Ethan Watene has taken matters into his own hands in light of council’s recent decision to remove Tauranga CBD’s free parking, by creating a petition to support parking for Tauranga City workers.
Earlier this month, Tauranga City Council announced that the free on-street parking in Tauranga CBD will cease from the beginning of December as part of council’s Parking Management Plan. The changes will involve the free two-hour parking, shifting to $1 per hour for the first two hours, then $5 per subsequent hour from 8am-6pm Monday to Saturday.
Ethan is among a number of CBD workers opposed to this decision and has more than 180 signatures from town workers for his petition so far. “My main goal is for the workers of the town to be able to get an annual pass to say that they work in town,” says Ethan. “We should be getting a discounted price at minimum because it’s too expensive to come to work every day.”
As a hospitality worker at The Barrel Room, Ethan starts his work day at 11am and parks at The Strand carpark, paying $55 each week. “I can’t find anything in the on-street parking because it’s
always gone at about 7.30am,” says Ethan.
Part of council’s decision is to free up parking spaces for customers and increase carpark turnover.
“At the moment, parking is being over-utilised by workers who tend to park in the area all day, at the expense of people visiting the city centre for retail or other short-term purposes,” says Commission chair Anne Tolley in a previous statement.
Gaining signatures from around the CBD, Ethan says: “There were only a couple of places that weren’t on board because the carpark turnover would work better for their business which is understandable, but for a lot of us it’s a bit of a struggle everyday – especially in my industry.”
Director of transport Brendan Bisley previously stated that Tauranga is on a journey from a car-oriented past to a future that supports more sustainable transport. “This plan is an important step towards that, where people of all ages and abilities can move safely and freely around the city, whether they choose to travel by foot, bike, scooter, bus, or other types of vehicles,” says Brendan. However, Ethan says that alternative transport options aren’t viable for a lot of city workers – particularly hospitality staff, who finish after bus services operate. Read this story at: www.sunlive.co.nz Georgia Minkhorst
Walking arm-in-arm with the community is the driving force behind a new social supermarket set to open in Otumoetai.
Foodstuffs North Island and Linkt Community Trust are partnering to bring a social supermarket to the region, providing a neighbourhood that’s connected through kai/food. Set to open next month, Linkt Community Trust Founders John and Jackie Paine are excited by the prospect of the social supermarket in partnership with the 100 per cent owned and operated co-operative Foodstuffs North Island.
Bay of Plenty bus drivers have become some of the highest paid in the country after an agreed wage hike to $28 an hour.
The rise in earnings – an extra $4.35 an hour from the previous rate of $23.65 – was announced by Bay of Plenty Regional Council officials on Monday.
The new rate of $28 eclipses the previous nationwide high of $27.76, which was handed to bus drivers in Otago late last month.
An agreement was reached following negotiations between NZ Bus, which operates the Tauranga city bus services, their council partners and First Union.
BOP Police are very concerned about the four fatalities that happened last weekend
Inspector Brent Crowe says “any death on our roads is an absolute tragedy, let alone multiple fatalities, over such a short period of time”. “Police are now working hard to understand why these crashes occurred and our focus is on supporting the families and providing them with answers.
“Such a sudden loss of life is extremely hard for families to come to terms with and is life changing, knowing a loved one is gone.
“The impact is also keenly felt by the emergency services who attend.”
Police urge all drivers to drive with care.
Fruit growers across the central North Island are counting their losses after a heavy frost decimated crops last weekend.
Seeka chief executive Michael Franks says the hard frost did not come at the best time for vines. “The damage we've seen from the frost has come though ... Katikati, Te Puna, Tauranga, Te Puke, out to Edgecumbe and actually in Ōpōtiki as well, so right through the Bay of Plenty growing region.
“We were fortunate we had warning, so we had done assessments and brought helicopters in for orchards that didn't have frost protection.”
Franks says it would be a while before the full extent of the damage was known.
The Western Bay of Plenty’s new mayor James Denyer says he has the “agility” to tackle all the changes that will happen in local government over the next three years.
The 46-year-old was elected to mayor in the October 8 local government election, after serving as a Katikati-Waihi Beach councillor in the previous triennium.
When asked what skills he will bring to role, Denyer says he brings financial skills from his previous career, is “hardworking” and “out there in the community 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, repealing the Resource Management
Act and the Future for Local Government review, which is due to be released on October 28.
Denyer says the review, that is looking at how local democracy and governance needs to evolve over the next 30 years, could have “far reaching impacts” and is “eagerly awaiting” to see what is in there.
When asked if it could completely change the way local government works, he says: “It could, but I suspect it won't happen overnight.”
The last local government review in 1989 saw 850 local bodies amalgamate into 86 local authorities.
Back then it was proposed that the local bodies for Mount Maunganui, Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty District all amalgamate, but the Western Bay chose to stay separate to protect the rural nature of the area.
When asked his thoughts on amalgamating with Tauranga he says he has some “serious concerns”,
because Western Bay is a “mostly rural” district and Tauranga has “their own issues at the moment” which includes “high debt”.
“How to represent the voice of that [district] within Tauranga, which has three times the population.”
“We could have a good look at it, but it’s not one of my priorities,” says Denyer, who 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”.
“I'm here to represent them, to listen to them and to achieve their aspirations and goals.”
Denyer is 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 newcomers are Andy Wichers, Richard Crawford, Rodney Joyce and Tracey Coxhead.
They join current councillors John Scrimgeour, Grant Dally, Anne Henry, Allan Sole, Murray Grainger, Margaret Murray-Benge and Don Thwaites.
The new mayor says the initial period at council was “very important to build the councillors as a team”.
“I do plan to be a collaborative leader and involve everyone and value everyone's opinion and get some exciting stuff done.”
Denyer and elected members will be sworn in at the inaugural meeting on Monday, November 7.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air.
Western Bay of Plenty people have voted
chosen who will represent them on the regional council and district council for the next three years.
Following the local government elections on October 8, voters elected a new mayor and 11 councillors for the Western Bay of Plenty District Council as well as 14 new Bay of Plenty Regional Councillors.
Western Bay mayor James Denyer, who was previously a Katikati-Waihī Beach Ward councillor, will govern four new councillors and the seven councillors who stood for re-lection and retained their seats.
Newcomer Rodney Joyce joins Anne Henry, Allan Sole in the Katikati-Waihī Beach Ward.
In the Te Puke Maketu Ward new councillors Andy Wichers and Richard Crawford will sit alongside John Scrimgeour and Grant Dally.
Te Puna resident Tracey Coxhead is a first term Kaimai Ward councillor, she is joined by Murray Grainger, Margaret Murray-Benge and Don Thwaites.
Denyer replaces previous mayor Garry Webber who retired after 12 years on council serving two terms as mayor.
He says the mix of four new councillors and seven current ones is “about the right number”.
“You don't want to have a situation where you have the same council for 10 years and then everyone gets replaced in one go.
“Because you need that institutional knowledge, but you do need renewal [to] keep getting new ideas, new people.”
The Western Bay of Plenty also has five community boards with four seats each. The new members are:
Waihī Beach Community Board: Ross Goudie, Heather Marie Guptill, Alan Kurtovich, Dani Simpson.
Katikati Community Board: John Clements, Andy Earl, Norm Mayo, Teresa Sage.
Ōmokoroa Community Board: Ben Bell, Allan Hughes, Greig Neilson, Peter Presland.
Te Puke Community Board: Kassie Ellis, Anish Paudel, Dale Snell, Karen Summerhays.
Maketu Community Board: Rewi Boy Corbett, Tippany Hopping, Laura Rae, Donna Walters.
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is made up of 14 councillors, with 11 of these councillors elected from four general constituencies – Tauranga (five seats), Rotorua, Western Bay of Plenty and Eastern Bay of Plenty (two seats each). Voters on the Māori roll elect one councillor from three Māori constituency areas – Kōhi, Mauao and Ōkurei.
In the Tauranga Constituency two new councillors Ron Scott and Kat Macmillan will sit alongside Stuart Crosby, Andrew von Dadelszen and Paula Thompson.
Māuao constituency councillor Matemoana McDonald was re-elected and in the Western Bay of Plenty constituency first term councillor Ken Shirley joins Jane Nees who retained her seat.
In the Eastern Bay of Plenty Malcolm Campbell and Doug Leeder were elected, while Toi Kai Rākau Iti retained his Kōhi seat and was elected unopposed. Rotorua regional councillor Kevin Winters and Lyall Thurston are joined by Ōkurei councillor Raina M Meha. Just seven votes separate Meha and previously sitting councillor Te Taru White.
This is based off preliminary votes, excluding special votes, the final results will be confirmed on October 14.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
New Zealand’s 5+ A Day Charitable Trust has joined the global call for a World Fruit and Vegetable Day, to be celebrated this Friday, October 14.
The day aims to officially recognise the initiative to raise awareness of the vital role fruit and vegetables play in the lives of every person on the planet.
The proposal builds on the momentum created during last year’s International Year of Fruit and Vegetables, a UN
global event that brought together experts from around the world to discuss the ways in which the production and consumption of fresh produce could be improved to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
5+ A Day trustee and principal scientist and Plant & Food Research team leader Dr Carolyn Lister says the mooted annual day of recognition comes at a critical time for world health.
Dr Alistair Reese.
Check out the full interviews on our website
CBK Craft Bar & Kitchen is a wellknown and loved eatery in the city centre, but you may have yet to discover the new kid on the block; Station 83. Both are owned by well-known Downtown Tauranga local Billy Emeny.
Meet Robyn, the Manager of nood (said like ‘food’ but with an n), which stands for ‘new objects of desire’. nood is full of unique replica furniture, on-trend homewares, and quirky giftware.
Three voices with three perspectives will be addressing how the Treaty of Waitangi affects three issues that concern Bay of Plenty residents.
The Crown, Tangata Whenua and the Church will be coming together at Baycourt on October 31 to discuss how the Te Tiriti o Waitangi influence co-governance, Three Waters and the redevelopment of Tauranga’s city centre.
Representing the Crown will be Justice Ministry Kiri Allen, representing Tangata Whenua will be Antoine Coffin, with Dr Alistair Reese representing ‘the Church’.
Te Kohinga, a Tauranga-based reconciliation network is organising the free event to help improve public understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how it affects current events.
The concept of the hui is the idea of Dr Alistair Reese, whose research centres on reconciliation and Pākehā identity. His research about Te Papa precipitated the Anglican apology to Tauranga Māori in 2018, and contributed to Council understanding of the need to reconcile the Heart of the City. He says many struggle to understand co-governance.
“There is a lack of understanding about the implementation of the Treaty by the Crown and a variety of Councils. This is in part due to the deficit within our school curriculum. The event provides an opportunity for the public to hear and learn about the positions held by the three parties who initiated, signed and mediated the treaty - the Crown, Māori and the Church,” says Alistair.
“It is to help people be more informed about the Treaty, and therefore co-governance, Three Waters and the Tauranga Civic development.
“What position on the Treaty does the Crown hold that results in their Three Waters proposal?
“What position do iwi hold that has them
pushing for co-governance? What position does the Church hold that motivates them to give land back to iwi?
“People won’t understand co-governance unless they better understand what underpins the logic of co-governance,” says Alistair.
“Differences of opinions on these important civic issues will remain, however, it is hoped the event will contribute to a more informed public discussion. Three Waters, Co-governance, and the Downtown redevelopment have not happened in a vacuum. The common denominator is the Treaty.”
Alistair says the language of the church formed the language of the Treaty, and the idea that the Treaty was a covenant rather than a contract.
“It is historically based rather than belief based,” says Alistair. “Unless we understand where the people in governance roles are coming from, and their decision making, we won’t be able to participate in the discussion and dialogue. This will be a platform to give the Crown, tangata whenua and the church - which was a major player in the signing of the Treaty - a chance to explain why they are making these decisions.”
Justice Minister Kiritapu Allen will present the Crown’s view of Te Tiriti. She is also Associate Minister of Finance, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, and Associate Minister for the Environment.
Ngāti Ranginui’s Antoine Coffin will discuss tangata whenua’s view of Te Tiriti and how it has informed Treaty settlements. He is a Māori resource management specialist with expertise in Māori cultural impact and values assessment, cultural and historic heritage planning, and community engagement.
Three Voices at the Treaty Table will be held at Baycourt, Tauranga on October 31, from 7pm –9pm. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers from the audience.
Admission is free.
Expect music, dance, sand art, delicious street food at the Tauranga Diwali Festival on Saturday.
One Love Charity has successfully hosted three Tauranga Diwali Festivals at the Tauranga Historic with more than 2800 people attending each year, and this year the event has grown even more in popularity.
The annual Diwali festival celebrates South Asia’s unique heritage and cultural practices. It is India’s most anticipated and celebrated jubilee, being known as the Festival of Lights. It lauds the victory of truth, light and wisdom overcoming the darkness of oppression and ill-intent. This event is about celebrating cultural diversity in our Tauranga region.
One Love Charity have also hosted the Holi Colour Splash, another Tauranga cultural event which has been running for more than five years.
“The Holi and Diwali culture
Tauranga Diwali Festival will include unique South Asian dance.
are gaining immense popularity and we feel confident that by holding the Diwali festival we help to build stronger communities by sharing South Asia's unique, colourful traditional and semi-classical/modern art forms like dance and song with our local Kiwi people,” says organiser Bela Reid.
For a gold coin donation at the Historic Village gate, the audience can expect five hours of traditional and modern South Asian music and dance from local and nationally renowned artists, a captivating Ramayan drama performance, informative snippets about the Secrets of Diwali, delicious vegetarian Indian street food, a rangoli art display for people to join in - colourful sand art of the footpath, henna body work, free South Asian-themed face painting, Indian crafts, and plenty of diyas (clay lamps) to paint and display.
The Tauranga Diwali Festival is being held from 4-9pm, Saturday, October 15, at Tauranga Historic Village, 17th Ave. Gold coin entry.
Tomorrow is an exciting moment for Tauranga Moana and local business, as the first cruise ship will dock up at our port after two-and-a-half years.
At 5.30am on Saturday, October 15, the Majestic Princess cruise ship will arrive at the Port of Tauranga, carrying more than 3500 passengers. After borders closed in 2020, the cruise’s arrival is even more special as it’s the first cruise to arrive in all of New Zealand for the summer.
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan thinks it’s a privilege that our region will be the first host of summer cruise guests.
“After a pause in cruise ships coming into our waters due to Covid-19, to see tourism pick up again in the Bay of Plenty is a significant milestone for everyone involved in the tourism and cruise industries – locally and nationally,” says Nathan.
“With about 171,000 cruise ship manuhiri (visitors) and almost 73,000 crew members expected for the 2022/23 season, more people will be shopping, dining, and adventuring in the Bay of Plenty, which will be fantastic to see.”
In total there will be 103 cruise ships that will dock at the Port of Tauranga this cruise season, with the last full summer cruise season contributing $89m to our local economy.
Members of Mount Maunganui Business Association Destination are eager to see the cruises
The Majestic Princess will be the first cruise ship that the Port of Tauranga has seen in two-and-a-half years.
return and excited to see how this season will turn out, says marketing manager Claudia West.
With the changes that Covid cause for business, Claudia says they are keen to see how the make-up of cruise guests will spend their time while here.
“Regardless of what they choose to do, there is so much on offer – from experiencing the delights of the coastal Bay of Plenty, wandering the Mount Mainstreet shops and cafés, learning to surf at the main beach – we want to provide tourists a taste of our slice of paradise.” Locals are encouraged to farewell the Majestic Princess from spots around Pilot Bay and Mauao when it leaves port at 5.15pm on Saturday, October 15.
Georgia Minkhorst
This weekend sees the return of cruise ships to our region, a welcome sight for many locals and particularly those in the industry that serves the many thousands of passengers that they bring. Readers will know that our region’s economy has endured the pandemic pretty well.
Despite this, unfortunately a few industries have still had a tough time over the past couple of years, with the cruise industry subjected to a swift halt in business followed by two years of uncertainty.
The cruise industry is estimated to bring in around $100m of spend to the Western BOP, which is significant although not particularly large in the context of the whole economy (kiwifruit is more than $2b for example) and is smaller than our domestic tourism spend – our traditional summer surge driven by beaches and events.
Cruise plays a critical role for local retail and hospitality companies, however, is the
lifeblood of tour operators, and has strong benefits across the wider BOP and Waikato region.
Tourism for the region plays a larger role than it might appear in our economy. While we may traditionally view the industry as being retail, hospitality and accommodation based, its impact on talent is arguably just as significant and we see this in a couple of ways. Firstly, the attraction of backpackers to the region allows many local businesses access to talent that is not available otherwise – hospitality and horticulture being two significant recipients. Also, tourism is often the shop window to our region, where positive experiences have the potential for people to come back as migrants to the region.
The key future challenge for tourism, as it is for many industries, is to grow value in the future. We are a little more aware of this in the Western Bay because of the comparative lack of product
that we can use for high value tourism. I’m confident that we will be able to build this in the future however as the industry gets back on its feet. In particular, Tourism Bay of Plenty and the food industry are making excellent progress on building value through a focus on food, under the Flavours of Plenty banner. This provides an excellent platform for the Bay to showcase our great food producers, personalities and restaurants, leading to more business and higher value in the future. Keep an eye out for their festival in Autumn 2023. In the meantime, the return of cruise ships is a very welcome one for many in our community.
Lastly, I wanted to acknowledge the recent passing of Brian Rogers.
Strong, independent and colourful media is essential to the health of our community and Brian was a leader in the industry.
Best wishes to Claire and the Sun Media team.
Everyone loves four-year-old Tinkabell, she is sooo smoochy.
Tinkabell can't get enough love and cuddles! She's so cute when she pokes her wee tongue out at you when she's happy and wants attention.
As Tinkabell is deaf, she will need to be an indoor only cat as she can't hear hazards like cars coming past. Tinkabell would suit a quiet, indoor only home without too much action going on.
Tink doesn't like to share her space with other animals so will need to be the only pet in the household.
Please give the Tauranga centre a call on: 07 578 0245. Reference number: 552762
Young journalists from Mount Maunganui
Primary School will share what they think we should be seeing more of in the news in the show ‘New News News.’
Held this Saturday, the show is part of Tauranga readers and writers arts festival, Escape, and has been created by UK theatre makers Andy Field and Beckie Darlington, in collaboration with New Zealand’s Rosabel Tan. The show gives children the chance to talk about community issues that matter to them, and tell the news through their eyes.
“Normally it’s adults that get the chance to do that so we thought it’d be really interesting for young people to set the agenda for this big conversation,” says Andy.
During their school holiday time, the 12 Mount Maunganui Primary School students have been reporting in Tauranga and rehearsing to put the show together. “Over the past week, the children have been making essentially three mini news stories,” says Andy. The three story topics that emerged and will be covered in the show is bullying, the beach and the future. “The kids wanted to do stories that were more about ordinary people, stories
about small things, some happy stories as well as the sad stories and some stories about the future,” says Andy. “One of the interviews the children did was with Commission Chair Anne Tolley… who said soon Tauranga is potentially going to become the fourth biggest city in Aotearoa.”
The show will be an amalgamation of live theatre and the pre-recorded news interviews for a one-ofa-kind show experience. “The first part of the show is like a behind the scenes at the news agency,” says Andy, who adds that the stage will be turned into a child-sized news studio. “The audience watch as the children run around and get the last news stories that they need for their news program.”
“It’s genuinely very funny giving the news over to these 10 year olds and their wild sense of humour.
“It’s also a really interesting way of getting a different perspective on the city so hopefully it’s the kind of show that has a little bit of something for everyone.”
Held on Saturday, October 15, at Baycourt Community and Arts Centre, the show starts at 6pm. To purchase tickets visit: www.taurangafestival.co.nz/event/escape-2022-401
Georgia Minkhorst
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Life-saving help is available when you need it thanks to new defibrillators installed at Te Puke Library and The CentrePātuki Manawa in Katikati.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council opted for Automated External Defibrillators that could be mounted outdoors, so Te Puke or Katikati communities would have help available any time of the day or week.
The two new AEDS completes a full suite of defibrillators at all council library and service centres – Waihī
Beach, Katikati, Ōmokoroa, Te Puke and Barkes Corner.
The defibrillators are housed in a secure cabinet, mounted to the wall just outside the main doors of each library.
The cabinet is opened with a code anyone can get by calling 111. The operator will provide the code to open the cabinet. If a defibrillator is needed during library opening hours, council staff can also provide the code.
Council’s new defibrillators have a seven-year battery life and will be regularly serviced by a contracted medical supply company.
To know where your closest defibrillator is, visit: aedlocations.co.nz
Pāpāmoa Surf Lifesaving Club is throwing open its doors and inviting the community in to explore their facilities as season two in their new building gets underway.
“The open day on October 30 is a wonderful opportunity for people to have a look at what we have here, what we offer, and to see exactly what we do,” says club administrative assistant Stephanie Mardon.
The community will be able to view the club member lounge and lifeguard tower, the first aid room and the kitchen facilities.
For those considering booking the function room for a beachside wedding reception, there will be a table set up as an example of what the club offers for such occasions.
Live demonstrations will be held to highlight the skills required to keep Pāpāmoa Beach a safe place during summer.
“Our lifeguards are going to be doing some mock rescues on the beach,” says Stephanie.
“These form some of the components of their refresher for the season.”
The club has a strong Junior Surf membership, and a number of these Under 14s will be showing off the paddleboarding skills they’ve worked on throughout winter.
“Our Junior Surf programme is starting up again in mid-November, and runs through to the beginning of March,” says Stephanie. “This is for 5–13-yearolds, and new members are always welcome.
“Once Juniors reach age 14 they are able to take the next step in their club journey by sitting their lifeguarding award.”
The club expects a bumper season in terms of locals and visitors hitting the beach.
“This year, because there are no restrictions on travel, I expect it to be busier than last couple of years,” says Stephanie.
From October 22 until Easter Monday, April 10, 2023, volunteer lifeguards will be on weekend patrol.
Throughout the busiest of the summer months –November to January – lifeguarding members of the Regional Patrol will be employed on weekdays.
For those interested in becoming involved with the club there are plenty of positions open for new hands to help out.
“We’re always looking for volunteers, particularly for our Junior Surf BBQs on Sunday mornings,” says Stephanie.
A range of associate memberships are also available online: www.papamoalifeguards.co.nz
Open Day - October 30, 1-3pm Pāpāmoa Surf Lifesaving Club, 561 Pāpāmoa Beach Road.
The Mount Maunganui Golf Club are mowing towards a greener future with their brand new electric greens mower.
Receiving $98,000 from New Zealand Community Trust last month, the club are eagerly awaiting the mower which is expected to arrive next year from overseas. Club general manager Michael Williams says a lot of green keeping machinery is joining the electric revolution.
“They’re just starting to become available to us in a cost-effective way now so this will be the club’s first purchase of an electric mower,” says Michael.
Although the electric mower is not a cheap piece of equipment, Michael says they will see a return on this investment for the club. “Our fuel costs are going to decrease… upfront it’s a little more money but in the long run it should end up being cheaper for the club.
“Across all our green keeping equipment we spend about $34,000- $35,000 a year on fuel.”
Opting out on fuel and opting for a lithium battery powered mower instead, Michael says: “we want to be a responsible club that is environmentally friendly and ecologically friendly and we see this as the first step going down that direction”.
“The other benefit for us is noise pollution, so the petrol mower they make a fair bit of noise
The golf club’s beautiful greens will be taken care by an electric mower come next year.
when they’re operating… having an electric mower means the works going to be undertaken in a far quieter manner.” He adds this will be much better for golfers and surrounding residents.
Looking ahead to sustainable options for the club, Michael says they have also just adopted a plan to grow a new grass type on the tees, fairways and greens that require less water. “The new grass types will need less inputs put into them so less fertiliser and less chemicals so that’s going to be great in terms of sustainability going forward for the club.”
The club will be making funding plans over the next six months before announcing when this project will begin.
Georgia MinkhorstAre you renovating, spring-cleaning, or freshening your windows with new curtains?
If so, Sustainability Options is in desperate need of donated curtains to help warm the homes of fellow Bay of Plenty residents.
The “altruistic business” based in Tauranga, which provides free environmental and social sustainability advice and guidance to Bay of Plenty residents in need, is currently short of curtains.
Sustainability Options marketing and communications coordinator Teri Dawson estimates there are currently 29,000 homes in the region that are exposed to unhealthy living conditions.
Through their Healthy Homes Initiative, Sustainability Options visit nearly 1000 of these homes each year.
“Our specially trained housing assessors look for ways to draft-proof houses, and to aid in the retention of heat within the home.
“They also provide residents with education around the importance of having dry and healthy homes.”
Teri says the repercussions of having damp, cold and poorly ventilated conditions within the home are significant. “These factors create an environment where the risk of mould growth is increased.
Sustainability Options’ Teri Dawson and Nik Gregg need your old curtains to warm the homes of others.
“The health of residents is often negatively impacted, with the young, old, and those with respiratory or other health concerns greatly affected.”
While Sustainability Options receives funding from Te Whatu Ora, Teri says they are extremely reliant on donations.
“Heaters, blankets, and children’s clothing are always needed – but at present, curtains are top of the wish-list.”
If you have curtains to donate, or blankets and heaters, drop them off at 59 7th Ave, Tauranga, or to the Hillier Centre, 31 Gloucester Rd, Mt Maunganui.
Catherine SylvesterA quiet, green oasis looking out to Rangatua Bay.
Discovering all that’s new in this year’s Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival is part of the allure that brings people back time and again.
The charm of stepping down into a hidden private garden, finding distinctive steel sculptures, or seeing the Bay of Plenty from the front lawn of a coastal parkland estate – the festival opens otherwise closed gates to the best of the Bay’s properties. And 30 per cent of the 2022 gardens are new to the festival.
This year’s trail from Katikati to the far side of Te Puke, sponsored by Palmers Bethlehem, has a solid four days’ worth of gardens and art to see including plenty of time to spend at the festival hub – Bloom in the Bay – at Tauranga racecourse.
Not only are there more than 70 garden and art stops, but some gardens have artists, some artists are showing their work in their own
gardens, and 24 stops also have studios or galleries.
“We have always had studios, but we decided this year to create a trail within the Garden & Art Trail that just includes art studios,” says Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival director Marc Anderson, who is delighted that Bayleys are the principal festival partners for 2022.
The festival map, obtainable once a festival pass is purchased, clearly outlines the locations of each garden and art stop on the Garden & Art Trail, with the central hub on the map being Bloom in the Bay.
Purchase a $40 one-day or $65 multi-day Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival pass and go exploring the bay from November 17-20.
The Weekend Sun has a ‘Win with the Sun’ festival pass giveaway to anyone who can answer the question: “Which real estate company is the festival’s Principal Festival Partner?”
Enter online at: www.sunlive.co.nz
Entries close Tuesday, October 18.
CAB has new location
Tauranga’s Citizens Advice Bureau is now open at its new home – at 367 Cameron Rd – after shifting from its long-term CBD base on Hamilton St.
“Our new site at 367 Cameron Rd is opposite the primary school, and adjacent to the Salvation Army op shop,” says CAB manager Claire Hine.
She wants Western Bay of Plenty residents to know while CAB has moved – it still has the same opening hours at its new Cameron Rd base.
“CAB Tauranga is still open 9am-4pm MondayFriday – we are just at a new site at 367 Cameron Rd. Our CBD office is now closed.”
To get in touch, visit: www.cab.org.nz email: tauranga@cab.org.nz or call: 07 578 1592 and leave a message including email/telephone number; they will get back to you.
Our local schools have been real champions of the Challenge this year with students, teachers and faculty heads getting actively involved to promote wellbeing, fitness and fun. With 44 school and college teams participating, it’s a great competitive environment.
With around 550 students, Omanu School has been leading by example. Parents and whanau are actively supportive at the school. While the students have been role models, the parents and whanau can also be spotted biking, walking and even skateboarding alongside their kids. The Travel Safe school leaders, pictured above, have played a vital role too.
Omanu parent Stefan Hendren says “My kids and I have fun biking together to school, and from there I continue on to work. It’s a great way to integrate some fun and fitness into our morning.”
Students have created videos, school notices, social media posts and newsletter mentions, and staff have worked with students to collect and create entertaining ways of counting data within classrooms. One class has new entrants mime their mode of transit.
Omanu Board member Jenn Ross says “Omanu has an active focus on creating and nurturing whanaungatanga” (close connection between people; kinship).
If you need help with a legal problem we are here for you. Baywide Community Law offers free legal information and advice to our community.
Our fortnightly in-person clinics are available now in Katikati, Waihi and Te Puke.
Katikati Clinics
Tuesdays 1pm-3pm
Katikati Community Centre 45 Beach Road.
Waihi Clinics
Tuesdays 10am 12pm Waihi Community Resource Centre 4 Mueller Street.
Call Baywide Community Law
www.baywidecls.org.nz
Te Puke Clinics
Mondays 12pm-2pm
The Hub Te Puke, 32 Jocelyn Street.
Managing solicitor Olivia Brittain and the Baywide Community Law team are here to help those who need it most with their legal needs.
“Our aim is to ensure access to justice for people with unmet legal needs. We provide free legal advice to people on low incomes, to people with disabilities or other disadvantages,” says Olivia. “If people don’t qualify for legal advice, we can still give them information and point them in the right direction.”
The Baywide Community Law team provides legal advice and information for a range of problems including employment, financial disputes, tenancy and housing, criminal, family, Māori Land and issues for young people.
Legal advice can be given over the phone, online via Zoom or in-person at Baywide’s offices and regional clinics.
Olivia says that the team has been able to help “some very deserving people” with legal needs who would not have been assisted if it wasn’t for Baywide. “Most people are very appreciative of our assistance and we have managed to secure a number of very successful outcomes for a lot of people,” says Olivia.
Before Olivia joined the Baywide Community Law team in 2021, she had been a barrister specialising in criminal law and has more than 15
Baywide Community Law’s managing solicitor, Olivia Brittain.
years of experience practicing law.
Now, Olivia helps people in a range of areas at Baywide in a way that fits with her personal values.
“I’ve always been passionate about helping people who are economically, culturally or socially disadvantaged and I feel Baywide Community Law is an organisation which helps people exactly like that with their unmet legal needs,” says Olivia.
Baywide Community Law also provide legal education sessions to the community for free.
“We’ve recently led a couple of very successful education sessions covering protection orders, police safety orders, domestic violence leave entitlements, powers of attorney and wills,” says Olivia.
Baywide welcomes suggestions from community organisations regarding topics they would like to learn about.
Georgia Minkhorst
1 leek, finely sliced
1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 skinless chicken breasts
1 big bunch of each: coriander, mint, parsley, dill. Roughly chopped. 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped Juice and zest of one lemon Water or chicken stock
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 can cannellini beans or butter beans, drained
Good quality olive oil, to finish.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan on medium heat, add a good glug of olive oil. Add the leek, fennel and garlic and a good pinch of salt, and sweat gently until it’s soft, sweet and glossy. We’re not trying to brown here!
Add the whole chicken breasts and lemon zest, and cover with stock or water.
Bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts from the liquid, and shred with two forks. Add back to the pot, along with the cannellini beans, peas, spinach and herbs, plus a big pinch of salt and pepper. This pot of deliciousness will require more salt than you would suspect, especially if you’re using water instead of stock. So be generous! Add more liquid if needed. We’re wanting a consistency halfway between a soup
Bring back to a simmer and cook for only a few more minutes. Take off the heat, add the juice of a lemon, and another decent drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil. Adjust the season as required. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread and butter.
The best way to get a true sense of life at The Bayview, is by getting to know its residents.
As you enter the home of Gary and his wife Shirley, you’re greeted with the quote, ‘Retirement is when you stop living at work and start to work at living.’ This sums up this warm, community-focused man perfectly.
At The Bayview, Gary has continued the things he loves while also finding new interests. Most recently, he’s turned a bowls hobby into a passion project by creating bowls containers in the brand new workshop with his fellow resident and new friend, Terry. The individually named and meticulously finished carved wooden carriers are a huge hit with the bowlers, with ‘the boys’ even making two styles to suit different players’ needs.
The Bayview’s warm and welcoming community is what makes it such a special place to live, and it’s residents like Gary who truly bring that spirit to life.
Retail card spending rose 1.4 per cent in September 2022, when adjusted for seasonal effects, Stats NZ has released.
Spending rose across a majority of retail industries, with the largest contribution coming from consumables, up $20 million (0.8 per cent).
Consumables include items
such as groceries (supermarkets) and liquor.
"People continued to spend more on items such as food and liquor. This is the third consecutive monthly increase for consumables," business performance manager Ricky Ho says.
"We’ve seen food prices going up in the past few months, which can impact card spending on groceries."
It has been a very busy week in Tauranga.
I’ve been out meeting local businesses in Bethlehem, Greerton, Fraser Cove and Mount Maunganui and the support for National in the community is tremendous.
I plan to get around to the rest of the businesses in our city over the rest of this year.
National will support the engine of our economy by addressing issues holding businesses back: reducing immigration constraints, eliminating red tape and easing the cost of living crisis.
As you would have seen from the recent local body elections, New Zealanders are disenchanted with the current direction our country is taking and there is a strong desire for change. National will deliver that change in 2023.
Thank you Charlie and Donna at Ngāti Ranginui for hosting me at the Kapa Haka event in Tauranga last weekend; I greatly enjoyed it! The Tauranga STEM Festival was an excellent event. Durham Street was taken over by science, technology, engineering and maths exhibits and it was fantastic to see the community getting involved. These are the subjects we need our children to master in order to develop into a high
There was plenty to keep all attendees entertained at this year’s STEMFest.
wage, high skill economy.
I hope to see Tauranga lead the way as New Zealand’s tech capital! The Hot Pink Walk also occurred last week and there was astounding community turnout in support of breast cancer support services.
We have a great city here and I’m proud to be your Member of Parliament. With your support we will make it even better.
For me, this time of year is always filled with optimism – the clock moves forward as we turn towards summer, and the days start to feel warmer and longer.
The latest figures show that this optimism has extended to our economy too, and I wanted to share what this means for Rotorua families and businesses.
Together, we’ve ensured that our economy came through the pandemic better than the Global Financial Crisis. Debt is low, GDP is up, the budget deficit is lower than expected, unemployment is at a near record low and incomes are growing at the highest rate since records began.
To get ahead, we’ve also focused on building economic advantages that are unique to New Zealand. This includes our work to secure the country’s clean, green brand, and the latest figures show that New Zealand is in demand. That focus on sustainability has also helped to get free trade agreements with the UK and EU over the line, and that’s what is underpinning our $53 billion dollar record in agricultural exports.
We’re attracting the skills and people that Rotorua needs from overseas with practical
changes to our immigration settings. We’ve already supported more than 200,000 Kiwis to upskill with free trades training and apprenticeships.
In fact, apprenticeships are more than 50 per cent higher than when we took office.
And tourism is coming back! The recent long weekend was very busy for Rotorua and business owners say that bookings for summer are looking very good.
All of this is really positive news and it will help to boost Rotorua’s economy, create better jobs, and lead to a better future.
Start untangling your Christmas lights, because now is the time to register for The Weekend Sun’s Christmas Lights Drive, published on Friday 9 December.
The Weekend Sun’s coverage of Tauranga City Council’s recent parking plan changes was headlined ‘Free parking kicked to the curb’.
That’s fair enough, but as we all know, few things are actually ‘free’.
The free parking trial introduced in 2020 has helped retailers get back on their feet after the COVID-19 lockdowns, but it was never intended to be a permanent solution, and with increasing evidence that CBD workers
are using on-street spaces for all-day parking, it was time to revisit this policy.
The intent of on-street parks in the city centre is to provide parking for people close to the shops they want to visit.
For that to work, there has to be a regular turnover of short-term users and that’s obviously not going to happen if a lot of the spaces are being used all day. To discourage all-day parking, the Commission has
After 17 years of dedicated service to the volunteering sector and local communities, Volunteering Bay of Plenty has passed the baton to SociaLink, acting chair Berenice Langson says.
“I am pleased to announce that SociaLink, the umbrella organisation for the Western Bay of Plenty social agencies and charities, will be taking over volunteering services for the Bay of Plenty in Volbop’s stead.
“Both our organisations believe in the vital importance of volunteering and its contribution to society and our economy and are committed to ensuring that volunteering is supported in the Bay of Plenty.”
The two organisations have successfully negotiated a formal agreement which came into effect earlier this month.
SociaLink general manager Liz Davies says she is saddened that as a result of Covid and increasing financial constraints, Volbop was no longer in a position to deliver volunteer services.
“Volunteers are critical to the running of the majority of not-for-profit organisations, many of which entirely rely on volunteers. When Volbop approached SociaLink we thought it was a good fit with SociaLink’s other services and wanted, if possible, to make sure that volunteering services were not lost to the Western Bay of Plenty,” says Liz.
Berenice thanks Volbop’s CEO Vanessa Lister for her efforts and dedication to the organisation and the volunteering sector.
Volbop can still be contacted at: admin@volbop.org.nz or: 07 571 3714.
approved a staged return to paid parking. As from December 1, the cost of an on-street parking space will be charged at $1 an hour for the first two hours and $5 an hour thereafter. From February 1, 2023, the charge for the first two hours will increase to $2 an hour. Even with those changes, the Council’s parking activity faces a loss of close to $2 million this year, which will have to be repaid from future parking revenue.
We think creating opportunities for shoppers to park close to their shopping destination will be welcomed by most people, with the low short-term parking cost being an acceptable trade-off.
Other changes in the city’s parking plan will kick-in from November next year.
The Carboniferous Period, about 290-360 million years ago, saw early wood-producing plants grow, multiply, spread and die, taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in great quantities. That plant material did not decompose, and over millions of years dead and unrotted plants stored so much carbon the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels reduced and the planet entered a cooking period, into the Ice Age of the Permian Period. This is historic fact! Easy to verify, simple to check.
How does one check the ‘modern
scientific studies’ theory of ‘carbon capture’ and ‘global warming’ based on academic theory, with no practical measurements? And, contrary to history?
The Glasgow conference on Climate Change was held earlier this year during the coldest weather since 2007 – so 15 years of no change? Were the Thames to freeze, as in Samuel Pepys day, would that prove or disprove the theory? In whose opinion?
David Hardie, Parkvale.
It was good to receive a ‘Thank You’ note from Tauranga City Council about “nearly halving the household waste going to landfill”.
But I have to ask – what is happening to food scrap collection?
I notice less than five per cent of the households are leaving their food scrap bin on a refuse collection day. This is not only in our street but also something I noticed on Te Ranga Memorial Drive and also down Cameron Rd. Is this the general state of affairs in Tauranga?
When the scheme started I used to notice about 95 per cent of households leaving their food scrap bins out.
Two reasons I don’t like the food scrap collection (even though I have not given up on this) are: One is the stench and smell coming from the bin; two is the ‘yuk’ factor arising from the slime and muck.
I thought I will do something about this and ordered compostable bags from Auckland, thinking that would appease TCC and the same time help me deal with the muck, yuk and stench. How wrong I was! TCC refused to collect my food scraps. Apparently council is waiting for the ‘correct standard’ to be released by the Government for the compostable bags. Without this standard they are unable to accept any compostable bags in the food scrap bins.
I am not sure why the council cannot agree this standard with the recycler Hampton Downs Resource Recovery Centre, who recycles the food scraps. Surely if they can agree on the standards for the bags, council do not need to wait for the
Government to come up with the standard. Or am I wrong, again?
J Joseph, Pyes Pa.
Our food scrap service is back in full swing after we were forced to suspend the service due to the Omicron outbreak. Like the letter writer says, we have noticed less residents putting out their food waste bins than before (about five per cent less) and as part of our ‘Thanks Tauranga’ campaign and upcoming summer waste campaign, we are letting our community know that we are back out collecting, and reminding them of the benefits of using the food waste bin rather than sending this waste component to landfill. Those benefits include eliminating the methane food waste produces in landfill, creating more space in our general waste bins and ensuring this odorous material doesn’t sit in a general waste bin for up to a fortnight, waiting for collection.
To address the smell issue, we suggest people line their food scraps bin with newspaper or a paper bag or simply wash it out. People can also reduce their bin’s odour by freezing smelly food scraps (like meat or fish) until collection day.
While the letter writer makes a great point about agreeing on a compostable bag standard, the real issue is that it is very difficult on collection and during processing to differentiate between compostable or non-compostable bags.
To some extent, the use of thousands of extra bags would also defeat the purpose of trying to reduce waste, as well as creating an extra cost those using them.
supported by
The world’s population is slowly killing itself by its own greed. By taking fossil fuels out of the earth, that at times, we don’t always need.
The earth’s atmosphere is turning sour. And we all think it can only be halted by those in power.
But everyone of us must look to the earth and our own personal
demands. Perhaps the saving of the earth is in everyone’s hands.
Maybe mother earth might not come to her knees? If we humble ourselves and take lessons from the humble Aboriginals.
The Aboriginals only take out of mother earth what they really need. And see taking double of anything as pure greed.
Ken Jones, Katikati.
Another Rogers Rabbits in The Weekend Sun. Just great, and please keep them coming!
You know, for me this is the best way for me to keep remembering Brian. I always feel good after reading his column.
Noel Silver, Tauranga City.
Breast Cancer Support Service Tauranga
Trust is all about giving support to those newly diagnosed with cancer from those who have survived it.
Established in 1991, Breast Cancer Support Service Tauranga is a local charity that provides a broad range of emotional and practical support services. “It was started by a couple of women who had been through breast cancer themselves and they had a fantastic experience in terms of medical services, but had really felt the gap in terms of support,” says service manager Helen Alice. “So they started that model which is people who have gone through it, supporting those going through it.
“What we’re all about is reducing social isolation and helping people going through that to remain connected in their communities,” says Helen.
BCSST has two support workers that provide emotional support including face to face, texts, phone calls and emails. “Support workers also run a range of groups, on a range of topics – some are focused around providing peer support and some are more educative,” says Helen.
The charity also provides practical support too.
“We provide oncology massage and we provide frozen meals,” says Helen. She also says that they have just started providing frozen juices that are packed with nutrients.
“Some of our client going through chemotherapy lose their appetite, so not only do they not have the energy to make a meal but eating can be a
problem.” Juices are a good alternative for those “who can’t face a meal”.
Dedicated volunteers of the charity also knit, sew and create a range of comforting practical items for those going through breast cancer. “We have volunteers who knit prosthesis – we called them knitted knockers,” says Helen. The volunteers visit the chemo wards, providing morning and afternoon tea and distribute mastectomy cushions to the charity’s clients. “We also have a stock of scarves and hats that clients can have a look at and take what suits them for if and when they lose their hair if they’re having chemo.”
Helen says that support looks like different things, to different people. “Someone might engage with us just because they need some financial support and that’s fine, or they might just want to come along to a group of other young women who are going through what they’re going through.” She adds it’s important that clients use their services to best suit their needs.
Each year in the Western Bay of Plenty, 160 people will be newly diagnosed with breast cancer.
Helen says awareness of their charity is extremely important. “The worst thing for us is when someone’s been through it and says: ‘I didn’t know you were there’. So the more we can get the word out, the better.”
If you, or someone you know is going through breast cancer visit: www.breastcancerbop.org.nz to get connected.
Georgia Minkhorst
Power Farming Bay of Plenty has been operating for just over two years in the BOP (Formally Capital Tractors) and the team are here to help with all your machinery needs.
As part of the Power Farming Global group, the local BOP branch is well supported with extensive knowledge and resources on hand to support customers with their products they need.
“We offer agricultural and construction machinery… from little tractors to big tractors through to implements and specialized orchardist equipment,” says branch manager Owen Jessop.
The products Power Farming BOP offers aligns with a wide range of customers to suit lifestyle owners, orchardists, agriculture, civil, earthworks, forestry, municipal, and more.
Power Farming BOP also service all makes and models.
“We look after all the mechanical aspects of the machinery so anything from just a minor repair, servicing, through to major repairs,” says Owen. Machinery can be serviced at Power Farming BOP’s premises at 1 Pyes Pa Rd or Owen says: “The service team also does field service so we can come to your property”.
The professional parts team can source all sorts of parts.
“Even if we don’t normally sell it we can source parts from other suppliers.”
Power Farming BOP is also proud to have recently brought on JCB construction equipment products.
“We’re 100 per cent behind it.”
With some new faces in the new sales team, the team is energetic and talented. “We’ve got an amazing team,” says Owen who is confident the team will be able to support customer needs with a high level of service. For more information, see their ad on this page.
Immigration Minister Michael Wood has announced measures targeted to support the hospitality and tourism sectors and have adjusted the requirement to recruit chefs as requested by industry.
Support is also being provided to the wider tourism and hospitality sector, by extending their exemption to the median wage threshold to give them more time to transition.
“As the world recovers from Covid-19, labour shortages
continue to be a persistent ongoing global symptom,” says Wood.
“We are listening closely to the concerns of the hospitality and tourism sectors, and working with them to take practical steps to support them with these challenges where we can, as businesses work towards more productive and resilient ways of operating.”
Wood says this will take effect from October 18. Read this story in full at: www.sunlive.co.nz
Owen Jessop - 027 337 6963
In 2019 I joined the Power Farming BOP team as Sales Manager and more recently I have taken on the BOP Branch Manager position, I have always had a passion for agriculture, my career kicked off in my earlier years as an Ag technician, from there I moved into Ag Sales through to Sales Management and various Branch Management roles. My ultimate goal has always been to prosper and nurture my team with a clear focus on the customer satisfaction and empowering the staff to make decisions that if something isn’t right, we make it right. After living in the bay for over 12 years we call it home, I’m married with two children enjoy family time, running, fishing, tennis and when I have spare time I tinker with the family project car.
Dave Horgan - 027 555 2308
Dave joined the team here Power Farming 5yrs ago He quickly earned the trust of orchardists, farmers, contractors and life-stylers in the area with his good service and integrity. In the past couple of years he has focussed in the area between Te Puna and Waihi and is currently working out of Katikati, from a site shared with Phil Robin’s AgriTech Machinery Workshop. Dave would like to help you get the right machine for the job and within your budget. Please don’t hesitate to ring him for advice about the large range of agricultural, horticultural and now construction machinery available from Power Farming.
Area: Te Puna / Whakamarama / Aongatete / Katikati / Waihi
Cameron MacNiven 027 217 3652
I have been living in Tauranga for the past 12 years and have come from a career back ground in Glazing. I grew up on farms so farming was in my blood and have recently taken on the change with my career into sales. I have a passion for hunting, especially ducks and support the local western bay of plenty fish and game club as the Vice president. I’m married with two children and a black lab as the family pet and shooting companion. I love the bay and look forward to meeting you all.
Area: Kaimai / Welcome Bay / Oropi / Omanawa / Tauranga
Hayden Riddell - 027 336 2193
Born and raised on a diary/dry stock farm on the out shirts of Papamoa, over the past 20 years I have been servicing the greater western bay of plenty in after sales service. Having grown up on a diary/dry stock farm and the working with orchardist’s I understand the needs and pressures that can be presented to owners and operators in the area. I pride myself in helping customer’s make the right decision’s and find solutions to help minimize any Interference to their operations. I’m an easy-going guy who loves spending time with friends and family, watching local rugby, fishing and playing a round of golf at the Te Puke golf club.
Area: Te Puke / Paengaroa / Pongakawa / Pukehina / Matata
A new product developed with help from the Ministry for Primary Industries will offer an alternative to the estimated 350 million plastic trays and pots used by New Zealand nurseries and gardeners each year.
"We’ve supported Pinehurst Associates Ltd to develop a proof of concept for biodegradable garden pots," says MPI director of investment programmes Steve Penno.
"The pots can last 12 months above ground before biodegrading, with the biodegrading process starting as soon as soil is added.
“They can be planted directly into the ground, with the pot providing fertiliser for the plant as the pot biodegrades.
"Taking commonly used plastic pots out of landfills will also help the environment."
MPI contributed more than $41,000 to the project through the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund. This has enabled Pinehurst Associates to refine its research and development, and work through manufacturing issues.
Pinehurst Associates director Peter Wilson says the new product, PolBionix, is made from biopolymers and a bio-filler. The bio-polymers are made from sustainably grown sugarcane, cassava and corn. The bio-filler is from waste organic matter that contains naturally occurring chemicals and nutrients that are attractive to microbes to eat.
"As a result, PolBionix biodegrades in mild environments, like in soil and under home composting conditions," he says.
The product is currently being tested in three commercial nurseries.
"The advantage of our product over other biodegradable pots in the market is its long shelf life," says Peter.
"Our product can withstand the regular
watering and handling that takes place in commercial nurseries."
Peter says the pots can be manufactured using existing plastic injection mould manufacturing processes. The product can also be manufactured with thermoforming and film blown processes.
"Raw material costs for PolBionix are higher than for traditional fossil-based plastic pots, so the PolBionix pots will be more expensive. However, once you factor in not having to add fertiliser, and costs saved from not having to then dispose of the traditional pots - such as reduced labour, landfill and environmental costs - I think our PolBionix pots are a clear winner."
Peter says that PolBionixis the result of four years of research in collaboration with Crown research institute Scion, and funding support from Callaghan Innovation and Auckland Council’s Waste Minimisation Fund.
"The scientific breakthrough that Scion’s scientists achieved has resulted in the filing of two international patents. The potential for the development of additional products that help mitigate the damage fossil-based plastic does to the environment is exciting.”
Steve says the project aligns with the sustainability goal of the Government and food and fibre sector’s Fit for a Better World roadmap.
"This sustainable solution has the potential to make a difference globally - not just in New Zealand. While the pots may cost a bit more financially, they won’t cost the earth."
Pinehurst Associates has received $85,500 from the Ministry for the Environment’s Plastics Innovation Fund, announced by Minister David Parker on September 23. This will assist the company in continuing to research additional formulations and fast-track the commercialisation of the PolBionix pots.
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Now is the year’s optimum planting time for flower and vegetable seeds and seedlings and the garden centres are full of the promise of spring.
Don't forget that plants are like people - they need feeding so include compost and sheep pellets in your purchases.
While out buying my garden supplies, I spotted an eyecatching display of Lavender Major and Osteospermum Blue Eyed Beauty and with the forecast of a hot late spring and summer ahead, gardeners could do well to plant a few of each of this sun-loving pair.
Now is a great time to plant up hanging baskets and containers to brighten up your porches and patios. You will need different combinations for hot and dry or cooler and shady, so ask for advice if you are not sure. Just remember that you will
be responsible for their watering and feeding requirements so be prepared for this regular little task.
Plants more at home in the semishaded areas and grown primarily for their attractive foliage, are the Heuchera family. Three to make note of are Dark Secret, with deep plum leaves - Berry Smoothie, green and pink tones and Marmalade, a lovely fresh lime green. If finance allows, plant three of one variety together for maximum impact.
Make a note on your calendar of the local Garden and Art Fest on November 17-20.
Get a car full of friends together to enjoy a horticultural overload. There is no better way of discovering what does well in our coastal, subtropical gardens. Tickets can be purchased at Pacifica Home & Garden on Tara Rd, Papamoa.
The call is out to stop treating soil like dirt and start giving it some love this National Gardening Week, running October 17-24.
Entomologist, naturalist and conservationist, Ruud Kleinpaste, says we need to respect soil.
"We’re not standing on dirt, we’re standing on an incredibly diverse ecosystem. It cleans our water, it grows plants and trees - which provide us with oxygen and sequester carbon - and it provides us with food.
"Healthy soil is not only at the very foundation of gardening success… but life, itself.”
Soil is a complex ecosystem of microbes, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae, nematodes and single-celled animals. One teaspoon of soil contains up to one billion bacteria, several yards of fungal hyphae (threads or strands), several thousand
protozoa and a few dozen nematodes.
"If you could count all the micro-organisms in one teaspoon, it is more than the number of people on Earth.
Scientists are yet to discover all the functions of soil microbes.
Generally, they decompose organic matter, creating nutrient-rich soil resulting in excellent compost," says Ruud.
Most seasoned gardeners have learned and appreciate the value of quality soil. It will make the difference between a successful gardening experience over plant failure. The easiest way to improve the quality of soil is to apply compost.
Fiona Arthur from Yates says creating healthy soil is as easy as feeding your soil with compost which contains organic matter.
"Add to all those food scraps that shouldn’t be going into the rubbish bin, grass clippings, leaves, sheep or horse poo and seaweed and you have a fantastic
compost. Then add blood and bone to your garden to fertilise, improve soil structure and provide natural organic nutrients and lime encourages decomposition of organic matter and earthworm activity.
"You’ll not only have great growing conditions for your plants but you’ll be helping nature and reducing your carbon footprint as healthy soil banks carbon,” says Fiona.
To solve the confusion around what food scraps you can use to make compost, Ruud says anything that once lived can be put in the compost bin.
National Gardening Week aims to foster a love of gardening with a focus on growing not only plants but friendships, good health, strong communities and closer connections with nature. Whether it’s a few pots on the balcony, a small patch or an extensive garden, everyone can experience the joy of gardening.
Spurred on by a letter in The Weekend Sun, Tauranga Rotary has come to the rescue and acted as busy bees.
The letter – published in The Weekend Sun on November 5, 2021 – expressed the writer’s dismay
that the ‘Bee Friendly Garden’ in her local park was totally bare. “Not a leaf or flower in sight,” she lamented.
Now, nearly a year later, Tauranga Rotary has started a project to ‘feed the bees’ and belatedly celebrate ‘A hundred years of Rotary in New Zealand’ at the same time.
With the aid of Tauranga City Council and Citycare, the site was given a new border, the soil prepared and the bee-friendly plants purchased by the club.
A working bee saw the garden planted, and to everyone’s delight the bees started visiting straight away.
Lots of mulch was added and the new sign erected just in time for spring.
But not all is as positive as it might seem. Tauranga Rotarian Sheena Spittles says two of the new beefriendly plants have been stolen already, and has asked for the park to not be named.
and want to meet people, Tauranga Rotary are always looking for members.
“Our club members are dedicated people who share a passion for community service and friendship,” says Sheena.
“Becoming a Rotarian connects you with a diverse group who share your drive to give back.”
I was walking in a park andcame across this sign and abarren bit of so-called ‘BeeFriendly Garden’.
I think not! Not a leaf orflower in sight.
Is it worth you promptingthe guardians of this space torestore this area to what itis purported to be?
Tauranga Rotarians working hard to get new beefriendly plants in place.
If making a difference in your local community sounds like your cup of tea, or if you’re new to the area
EnidTheBirtwistle, Avenues.
The Pool Shop (which used to be located on 9th Avenue) is located around the corner on St John
Avenue. “We’ve got accessibility is easy,”
little plunge, come and make splash at The Pool Shop!”
The Pool Shop retail store has a huge range of pool and spa chemicals, parts, accessories and more. “If we don’t have something, we can source it and just having that knowledge… it’s invaluable to our customers.”
monthly promotions.
them with in-store loyalty discounts and free water testing. “We test your pool water and tell you what chemicals to add to get your pool sparkling clean and safe for swimming.”
“Come and take a little look, come and take a
There is, as is often noted, a lot of music out there. Exactly how much is open to speculation...
For a while now people have been touting figures from Spotify which suggest that 60,000 new tracks are uploaded daily to the “service”. It obviously doesn't take an expert of my experience to point out to y'all that them there's a lot of songs.
Yep, about half of them are American.
Consequently, people lament that it is virtually impossible to “break through” on Spotify, simply because of the sheer number of releases.
But, wait! Controversy has raised its argumentative head.
Bill Werde, the director of the Bandier music business program at Syracuse University, and former editorial director of “Billboard”, has put a rhinoplasty clinics-worth of noses out of joint by analysing the numbers and declaring them false.
I won't go into details – which are long and complicated –but the number he eventually arrived at was 23,000.
Which is still a very large number. But it does suggest that it is actually a smidgen easier for a serious artist to break thorough than had been previously thought. By “serious” artists, I'm talking about the likes of L.A.B. and other chartoriented acts. But even that number is iffy...
One reason for that is the figure also includes classical music, podcasts, reissues, remixes, and a bunch of things that are not chart competition.
And you need to factor in one more thing: 80 per cent of artists on Spotify today have a monthly audience of fewer than 50 people. So if you assume those 23,000 downloads are split evenly between 23 thousand artists, you can thus ignore about eighty per cent of them, which means probably only 5000 come from “serious” chart-chasing artists. If each artist actually uploads five songs in a day that means “serious” uploads represent fewer than 1000 acts which, in the worldwide scheme of things, isn't nearly as bad as one might expect, especially when broken down even further into musical genres.
Not unsurprisingly, for financial and other reasons Spotify want the upload number to be as big as
possible, so we'll probably never really know. And, of course, there's still no money in it...
Amongst those many thousands of songs, three local singles caught my ear this week.
First up the latest instrumental from local guitar wiz Sean Bodley. “The Dark Infinity” opens with heavy percussive industrial sounds before the arrival of Sean's trademark harmony guitars. There is, as usual, much to make guitarists' jaws drop.
Secondly, Wellington-based Deva Mahal, soul-singing daughter of Taj, has released “Run Me Through”, complete with a very striking “western” video. This is the first offering from her upcoming uncompromisinglytitled EP “Future Classic: Volume 1 – Classic”. She's also touring at the beginning of November, though not visiting Tauranga. And, a little closer to home, 20 year-old Hamilton singer/ songwriter Erin Myers has just released a new single, “Bad Reception”, a follow up to “Loser” from earlier this year and her self-produced 2019 EP “Slow Motion”. She sings well and it's a catchy piece of meditative pop led by retro 80s keyboards.
Finally, a gig. This'll be a good one, something special.
On Thursday (October 27) Kim Salmon, THE Kim Salmon, from legendary Australian bands the Scientists, the Beasts of Bourbon, the Surrealists and more, is coming to the Jam Factory. This will mean little to ninety nine per cent of Tauranga but for the other per cent it is as big a coup as Eric Bogle playing in Katikati two days later (more on that next week...). I saw him with band back in 1996 when the Surrealists played with the Cramps at Auckland's Powerstation and can I suggest this: if you like punk and its surrounding scene and don't know him, have a look on-line since even half a dozen articles from me would barely scratch the surface.
Here's a self-description: “Some singers are thought of as entertainers and some are thought of as artists. Kim veers towards artist but the entertainment is there. His songwriting is sometimes expressionistic, sometimes humorous, sometimes narrative driven, sometimes plain bizarre and Surreal.” Expect the unexpected.
pole usually
the message: ‘May Peace
on Earth’ in several languages, including
one of the country where the pole has been placed. This message is sometimes called a peace prayer.”
Encouraged by the local Quaker community, St George's decided to place a pole on the church land which is the site of the significant Battle of Gate Pā.
“It will be visible to thousands of people travelling on Cameron Road each day,” says Cliff.
poles are quite plain but St George's commissioned local artist Sam Allen to paint the pole in colourful lettering and designs.”
The four sides of the pole represent the four languages used in worship at St George's - English, Te Reo Māori, Korean and Malayalam – the language used by the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church.
idea of
was thought up by Masahisa Goi in 1955 in Japan,”
Simons. “Since then, more than 200,000
been placed
there are several peace poles
Tauranga.
The pole will be unveiled at a short ceremony at 11.30am on Saturday, October 15, on the corner of Cameron Road and Church Street, Gate Pā.
There will be a shared lunch including food from the Korean and Jacobite Syrian Orthodox congregations afterwards.
Tauranga Moana Biosecurity Capital is in its final weeks of a fun quiz campaign to get the community clued up on the biggest biosecurity threats to New Zealand.
seabed and just eat anything in their path, so that includes muscles, pipis and native shells.
“Fortunately, we haven’t had any incursion so far into New Zealand,” says Chris, however, he is concerned as they have become a big problem in Australian waters. Careful surveillance of this threat will continue in New Zealand ports.
The quiz runs until Monday, October 24, with epic local adventures and weekly prizes to be won. To play the quiz visit: www.greatbiosecurityquiz.co.nz
A bio-invader of the sea is the Northern Pacific Seastar. “It reproduces fanatically… it can reproduce for most of the year and if it’s damaged they can heal themselves,” says marine ecologist professor Chris Battershill.
Chris says NPS consumes everything like a plague. “They’ll form a swarm, come across the
Get your exteriors clean and looking brand new again with The House Wash Guy.
A one-man band, Richard Nicholson is proud his business is locally owned and operated, serving the Bay of Plenty for nearly 10 years.
“I visit the customer, undertake the work myself and have a good rapport with customers,” says Richard.
The House Wash Guy offers a range of pressure washing and cleaning treatment services to give the outside of your home a fresh look. Richards’s speciality is revitalising roofs and uses a biodegradable, New Zealand product. “It’s a non-aggressive way to clean moss, mould and lichen off roofs,” says Richard, who adds that his cleaning method won’t cause leaks or remove roof paint.
“There’s no water blasting and no-one walking on your roof.”
If you live anywhere between Waihi and Pukehina, The House Wash Guy will come to you.
For more information and a free, no-obligation quote, visit: www.thehouswashguy.co.nz
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open every Friday from 5pm & Sunday from 4.30pm, kids under 12 years dine free with every paying adult. Tauranga Fish & Dive Club, 60 Cross Rd, Sulphur Point.
571
Astra and Hanee have been in Rescue, Revive, Rehome’s care for more than 150 days and are ready to find their new families.
The animal rescue organisation, RRR, has been baffled by how long these pups have been in their care. “There’s no particular reason why these dogs remain in the rescue,” says canine team leader Ronnie McAllum. “On average, dogs would be here 40-60 days… some of them are even in our care for 10 days before they’re adopted out.
“The older the puppies get the harder they are to adopt as people want the cute puppies,” says Ronnie who adds that the “younger and cuter” puppies reduce adopting opportunity for older pups.
“Many of the ‘teenage’ pups are high energy and need mental stimulation as well as plenty of physical exercise and many people aren’t committed to the exercise and training requirements or have too busy lifestyles for hour long walks every day.
“Some people want dogs that are two-yearsold plus after they’ve gone through their teenage rebellion but we don’t want to hold these dogs
until they’re two years old.”
Ronnie describes Hanee as a social dog once given time to feel comfortable in a new environment.
“Hanee has been in rescue basically her whole life…she has been adopted out twice and been sent back to us through no fault of her own.”
She describes Astra as an amazing dog.
“I would keep her myself if I didn’t already have three dogs,” says Ronnie, who adds that Astra has developed separation anxiety from being fostered so many times.
“The ideal adopters should be willing to take it slow and be patient and have an understanding of the process for these dogs – especially for the ones who have been passed between adopters and fosterers.” She says it takes a minimum of three months for older dogs to settle into their new homes. “Once they settle and realise its home now, they will be the best bubbas!”
RRR are having an adoption day this Saturday, October 15, at Waipuna Park Pavillion, Kaitemako Road, Welcome Bay. The day will run from 11am – 3pm where you can meet your potential new furry friend. For more information visit: rrr.org.nz
Georgia MinkhorstThe Freedoms and Rights Coalition - a self-described ‘people's movement’ raises some very important questions for me as a Christian.
While I respect the individual’s right to protest, I’m also mindful that Christian’s have been entrusted with the Gospel of Reconciliation and that Jesus taught that ‘peacemakers shall be called the children of God’ (Matthew 5:9). So how does this fit with Jesus’ own aggressive protests: against the money changers whom he drove out from the Temple?
The balance between ‘turning the other cheek’ (Matthew 5:39) and challenging injustice can only be found when we consider whose rights are being violated.
Jesus’ protest, both word and
actions, were only ever in defence of either the honour of God’s name or the rights of the oppressed.
Some of his strongest words of condemnation were used against the Pharisees. However, when it came to defending himself or his rights: “He never said a word’ but ‘trusted in Him who judges justly’” (Isaiah 53:7 and 1 Peter 2:23)
‘Freedom and rights’ can sometimes sound like a protest against my loss of freedom and my rights. However, if “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” Galations 2.20. ‘My rights’ died with me and in its place, Christ calls me to a ministry of reconciliation to actively seek the peace and unity of my community even when it costs me to do so.
Family
Family
ALL WELCOME SHALOM
WELCOME SHALOM
SABBATH 10AM OTUMOETAI PRIMARY
SABBATH 10AM
PRIMARY
