Bursting through the water, Evander Claydon, pictured, will hear the upbeat melody of ‘Chiquitita’ as they begin a synchronised swimming routine while surrounded by rainbow community members.
Next week, the 19-year-old synchronised swimmer will compete at the London 2023 International LGBTQ+ Masters Aquatics Championships.
Identifying as non-binary, Evander says: “I’m just so excited about being able to combine both of these very important aspects of my life and represent New Zealand”. Keeping their performance fun, Evander will perform a solo synchro routine to ABBA’s ‘Chiquitita’.
“I kind of just wanted something that was a bit more ‘dancey’ to get everyone a bit hyped!”
e London 2023 International LGBTQ+ Masters Aquatics Championships will be held from June 25-30, where Evander will be among more than 900 competitors from around the globe, all showcasing their athleticism in their chosen water sport.
Evander says the championships aren’t just about competition but coming together as a community. Read more on page 5.
The Weekend Sun is published every Friday and distributed throughout the Western Bay of Plenty from Waihi Beach, through Katikati, Tauranga,
Pucker up the pelvic oor muscles, cos this is all about peeing. And the powder room powerhouse called S.S.S.S which could change the landscape of bathrooms or restrooms as we know them.
It’s also about the growing phenomenon of sitzpinklers who unashamedly sitzpinkle.
A wonderful German word and delightfully onomatopoeiac. A sitzpinkler is a man who sits down to pee.
Once upon a time, a Kiwi bloke would have been deeply o ended to have been labelled a sitzpinkler. It would have been a real attack on his masculinity.
“I bet he sits down to pee...” Sco , sco , chuckle, fall about!
Imagine Colin Meads or Richie McCaw excusing themselves for a slash and then hearing a gentle tinkle, tinkle and the unravelling of three-ply from the second cubicle. It wouldn’t have happened. Kiwi blokes don’t sitzpinkle…or do they?
“S.S.S.S?” asked e Doe.
“Signing over Sovereignty of the Stalls to the Sisters. It’s a ourishing political movement of one. Just me at the moment.
“Let me explain.”
Across the land, at bars, restaurants, sporting venues, cinemas, theatres, airports, you name it, there are equal numbers of men’s and women’s toilets. Equal but inequitable – because the needs of women are quite di erent of course.
ey spend longer in toilets – about twice as long apparently, 90 seconds for women to 40 seconds for men. Nothing to do with preening but everything to do with wardrobe constraints and biological functions. Do we need to explain?
e upshot for women is queues –long, leg-crossing, muscle-contracting, face-scrunching, cold sweat-inducing, incident-promoting queues. More numbers – 60 per cent of women have to queue for a pee at a public facility, while it’s just 11 per cent for men.
I can’t remember ever having to queue.
Most of the time I have had a pee, a pie and a pint and am back in my seat for the second half by the time some women in the queue have even got through the door towards the loo.
So… and it’s a big so, they need more dunnies, many, MANY more.
It’s calculated they need more than twice as many as men. And until that need is factored into plans for future ablution facilities, why don’t men just throw open the ‘Men’s’ doors?
Sign over access and control of the underutilised cubicles in men’s loos to the ladies? Cos we don’t need most of them most of the time. Simple as that. S.S.S.S in action.
matter. Anecdotally he’s one of the majority – all men I spoke to were unequivocal. All were standers. But Lionel Messi isn’t – he’s a sitter. Does one soccer player, albeit a good one, make a di erence?
And does ‘sitzpinking’ matter? Maybe it does, because it can be healthier. e Guardian newspaper reported German research found sitting has a more ‘favourable urodynamic pro le’ allowing the bladder to empty faster and more completely.
For some men with lower urinary tract symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate, the ‘sitting position is preferable to the standing’. Fascinating, mind-numbing stu .
And what about the collateral damage that comes with a standing slash? e mate claims sniper-like precision with his aim.
Bunkum, cried a colleague. She’s lived with three males in the house for years. “A woman just has to lift the toilet seat to see the carnage men leave.
“ en there’s peripheral damage on the oor, my bathroom scales, the walls.”
Yukky pups. Rub their noses.
A mate winced, sputtered and shifted uncomfortably from one leg to the other at the thought. “But we still have to use the urinal…and….????” And what?
ey want to go to the loo, they have an urge; they need a cubicle.
ey won’t be stopping to gaze upon a gallery of todgers. ey just won’t. All this on the back of a Stu story that reported the brazen behaviour of a woman who, confronted with a queue and an urge, simply crashed the men’s dunny. Love her style. Another blow for female emancipation in the dunny. Move over guys. Eyes front.
It was then I tested my mate about ‘sitzpinkling’ – men sitting while peeing. Was he a stander or a sitter? He was outraged – I was assaulting his manhood. ere was much harrumphing. He didn’t want to talk about it. He stands, women sit, it’s always been that way, end of
Science also disproves my ‘sniper’ mate. Apparently the stream breaks up into droplets at 15cm, the droplets then crash into one another causing even smaller droplets to y o every which way. His ‘sniper-like precision’ is a nonsense. Swab the oor and see.
Forty per cent of German men are sitters, the French, Swedes and Danes all about 20 per cent and believe it or not, 25 per cent of Australian men.
Although they’d deny it. Red-blooded, best in the world at everything ‘Ocker’ blokes sitting down to pee? ey would go on national TV, cry and deny it.
Anyhow it all points to a change in habits and attitudes.
Perhaps single-sex toilets and urinals are obsolete? Perhaps we should be building masses of uni-sex cubicles. No queues, no mess, no discomfort, better health, happy women. Or is that pee-ing into the wind? I must away and wash my hands. Your thoughts? Email: hunter@thesun.co.nz
A Tauranga-based primary school principal is speaking out, saying she’s horri ed by how many vape stores are in proximity to their school in Greerton.
Earlier this week, e Weekend Sun was approached with concerns from the community about the number of vape stores in the Greerton area.
Greerton Village School’s principal Kimberley Henderson-Ginns is making her stance clear on this situation. “It’s absolutely horri c.
“We take children in a walking school bus so we can walk our children through the community safely in the afternoon.
“Our walking school bus walks out of our school gate, across the crossing, up to where we drop students o – there are ve [vape stores] and that’s not including dairies – this is just vape stores.”
Last week the Government announced tighter restrictions on vaping in New Zealand. Among the new rules, disposable vapes are being banned from this coming August and new vape stores will not be permitted within 300 metres of schools.
“We’ve got really young and impressionable students and I’m totally on board with them being banned from around schools. It’s crazy.”
Kimberley says she thinks the number of vape stores in the Greerton community is “disgraceful”.
“Primary school-aged children are vaping and it’s just too readily available. I think it’s disgusting.
“We haven’t had vaping at our school but they’re [the students] just exposed to it, so parents smoking, older teenaged children, intermediateaged school kids – they’re all vaping.”
She says that the vape stores in Greerton are inviting to look at for kids. “ ey’re new, they’ve got di erent colours, they’re appealing and they’re appealing to children who walk past them.
“I just think [vapes are] too readily available and I think the names of them and the colours are designed to appeal to young people.
“When you’ve got this many shops around a school, which has got 366 kids, it’s becoming normalised…I’m really anti them.”
For wider community views on the number of vape stores in Greerton, turn to page 4 of this edition. Georgia
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ere’s been an increased police presence in Ōpōtiki this week to watch for “any unlawful behaviour” due to a gang member’s tangi. ere have been reports of an increase in gang members in the town since the death of Steven Rota Taiatini, 45, of Ōpōtiki, who died after a disorder-related incident shortly after 11pm on Friday, June 8.
Since then two house res there are being treated as suspicious. Local schools have also closed their doors during this week due to safety concerns around the rising gang tensions.
e much-awaited winter Fieldays is back captivating visitors this week with a remarkable showcase of agricultural trade, entertainment, education and innovation.
e event’s opening day on Wednesday was a “perfect blend” of Waikato winter weather, and breathtaking views with sunrise streaming through bouts of low-lying fog, and an overwhelming sense of excitement.
e 55th Fieldays commenced with a pōwhiri and raising of the NZ National Fieldays Society and New Zealand ags, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by society chair Jenni Vernon.
Bus fares in the Bay of Plenty will be free for anyone aged 18 or under from July 1. Currently, buses are free for children aged ve and under and free for those six-18 only between 7am-9am and 3pm-5pm weekdays in Tauranga, Whakatāne, and Rotorua.
e decision to change the fare structure was made at an Extraordinary Bay of Plenty Regional Council meeting last Friday. It was in response to the Government’s budget announcement in May to provide funding for free public transport for children under 13, and half-price fares for people under 25.
Following strong community support, TECT’s trustees have signed o on the Trust’s key plans to create better outcomes for current and future generations in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty.
e Trustees have con rmed a funding budget of $19.5 million for the Funding Plan for 2023-2024, which ows from the Strategic Plan.
TECT will continue to fund the many community organisations and initiatives as it has done previously with responsive funding, but the community also supported the majority of funding being dedicated to strategic, transformational projects and initiatives that will provide intergenerational bene t.
Five vape shops in Greerton is a cause for concern for some in the township as it is seen as “not a good look” for the community.
Greerton’s Mainstreet manager Mahia Martelli has noticed the increasing number of vape retailers popping up in their area, and says it’s led to negative community feedback.
“ ree [vape shops] are right across the road from each other basically. So there’s one on one side of the road, and then there’s two opposite it, and there’s two up by the Greerton shopping centre.
“ e general public seem to think that a Mainstreet manager or the Greerton Village Association has a lot more power than we actually do. ere’s been some comments on Facebook about ‘why hasn’t Mainstreet Greerton done anything about it?’
“Well we can’t because we don’t own any of the buildings here. It’s the landlords who are in charge of putting tenants in their properties – not us.”
Earlier this month Government announced new vape restrictions including banning disposable vapes from August and banning new shops being within 300 metres of schools.
Mahia says the latest two vape shops have popped up in Greerton in the past two weeks. “It’s not a good look for our community and especially because one of the vape shops is right next to Greerton Village School, and one of the vape shops is in a government-owned building, which is the old New Zealand Post building, and I don’t think that’s a very good look either.
“I’m in a di cult position because I need to support my business community but I also need to think of the community as a whole.” As a mum to teenagers and primary school-aged children, Mahia says: “I just feel really passionate about not letting our young people get dragged into vaping or smoking, or drinking or anything like that”.
Shosha at Greerton has been open for a couple of years, according to the store’s
Bay of Plenty Regional manager Pranav Malhotra. e Weekend Sun asked if he thinks there are too many vape stores in Greerton. Pranav says: “I’m not sure what to comment on this one right now because we’ve already been there for a long time and recently we have also noticed that there are a couple of new vape shops opened over there”.
“We are doing our job to be honest, so we just want to make sure that our customers always get Shosha as a convenience and have the easiest spot to come to.”
What about dairies?
Pranav says their customer base are in the 30s age range. “We do only have loyal and regular customers over there and we don’t approach the young market, under 18s, or anything because that’s how I was trained and that’s how I train everyone.”
e latest vape store to open this week, Just Vape was approved for business prior to the Government’s new laws and is within 300 metres of Greerton Village School.
e store’s owner Raman Singh has been a vape retailer for ve years and says: “I’m looking at being a good professional vape retailer not an ordinary retailer.”
Raman says he thinks there are too many
stores that sell vapes in Greerton such as dairies. “Every dairy shop in Tauranga has the little vape stalls. ey’re selling disposables. Disposables are not good.”
Mahia thinks vape shops in Greerton should have distance between them. “If there was a bylaw that had them a bit more spread out with a speci c number only allowed in regards to how many people are in a community, but three jammed in one area is not okay in my opinion.[And] I would like [vape shops] monitored or enforced in exactly the same way as a liquor licensing certi cate or process be put through which is extremely intense.”
e Weekend Sun approached Tauranga City Council with multiple questions asking whether council thinks there needs to be bylaws limiting the number of vape stores in a community and whether tougher processes for selling vapes should be in place.
TCC’s strategy and corporate planning manager Jeremy Boase responded: “Under current legislation, councils can’t pass bylaws that would restrict the location of vaping stores. New central government regulation will be coming into force in August”.
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As they break through the water’s surface, they will enter an inclusive athletic space where they can fully be themselves.
Tauranga synchronised swimmer Evander Claydon will head to the London 2023 International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics LGBTQ+ Masters Championships later this month.
ey’ll be one of 900-plus competitors from around the world to enter the championships and showcase their athleticism while celebrating inclusivity in sport. e championships are from June 25-30, with LGBTQ+ athletes making a splash in in their chosen water sports from water polo, synchro and more. For 19 year-old Evander Claydon, who identi es as non-binary, they will compete in synchronised swimming. “I’m just so excited about being able to combine both of these very important aspects of my life and represent New Zealand.
“Tauranga Synchro have just been so supportive and great with me coming out as non-binary… but to be surrounded by people who have experienced similar things who are all part of our [rainbow] community –I think it’s going to be something that’s really special.” Bringing the energy in the synchro scene, Evander will perform a solo routine to Abba’s ‘Chiquitita’.
“I kind of just wanted something that was a bit more light hearted and fun but still has a story.
“I think with a lot of senior athletes we tend to pick very serious pieces and they can be very beautiful…but I kind of just wanted something that was a bit more ‘dancey’ to get everyone a bit hyped.”
Evander says they are looking forward to soaking up the environment that IGLA provides. “ ere’s lots of talks and events, and it’s more than just a competition.
“It’s like a big celebration of the [rainbow] community, and on the last day they walk in the London pride parade – which I think is really cool.” e championships will also feature the fabulous Pink Flamingo – a drag/aqua follies/synchro show in water. Evander, who has been doing synchronised swimming for nine years, hopes that events such as IGLA will one day make their way to Aotearoa.
ey say the more inclusivity in all sport, the better this space will be. “Even just things like what language is used or stu like that to make sport more accessible and supportive of the LGBT community. I’ve been really lucky with how supportive the [Tauranga Synchro] Swimming Club has been but I also know many people in the community don’t feel like they can participate in sport because it is so binary at the moment, and they don’t feel comfortable in that space.
“In the future hopefully we’ll be able to create an environment that is more supportive and welcoming of everyone, and everyone feels like they can be a part of a sport.”
e Incubator Creative Hub will launch their Matariki celebrations this Saturday, June 17, with a special Whānau Day.
“ ere’s so many things that excite me,” says Incubator Creative Hub director Simone Anderson. Saturday’s Whānau Day will feature food, market stalls, Maori performance, exhibitions and more! “ ere’s two new kaupapa māori boutiques opening on the [launch] day like harakeke workshops happening in the cinema.
“ ere’s an opportunity for people to remember their loved ones, and lots of the villagers are participating this year so we’re making it more of an inclusive village-wide event.”
Simone says this year’s Matariki’s celebrations are
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set to be even greater than last year too.
“We were overwhelmed with the response to our 2022 celebrations,” says Simone.
“ e size of the crowds and the level of interest and engagement was beyond our expectations and was tting way to celebrate our country embracing and celebrating Matariki as a recognised signi cant month to celebrate, learn and re ect on the principles of Matariki. We want to continue that tradition and make it bigger and better every year, so this year is going to be great!
“I’m really looking forward to the fact that the village has all come together, united in this occasion. at’s really exciting for us.”
e Whānau Day is 9am-2pm tomorrow, June 17, at e Historic Village. Check out the Incubator Creative Hub’s full Matariki programme at: www.theincubator.co.nz/matariki-2023-1
Georgia Minkhorst
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Our spacious two-bedroom apartments will feel like a private oasis, as you entertain friends and family.
contemporary apartments selling now. To learn more, call Trudi on 0800 333 688 today. 159 Waihi Road, Judea, Tauranga oceaniahealthcare.co.nz For residents
It’s the roadworks that have had Western Bay of Plenty motorists frustrated and delayed for weeks on end – and Waka Kotahi know it. So when will the roadworks be completely over and done with for State Highway 2 motorists?
Waka Kotahi’s regional manager of maintenance and operations Rob Campbell says the projects underway on SH2 between Waihī and Tauranga are to make this stretch of road safer, improve access and to provide more reliable travel times for people. “By creating a safer corridor we not only make sure people get home safely but also lower the risk and frequency of accidents that can close the highway for many hours.”
But for the people on the road to get there –they are fed up. Motorist Cheryl Southorn, who travels into Tauranga City from Whakamārama, is frustrated by the project’s tra c delays. “I mean you just crawl. I come out of Barret Rd and that’s when you start crawling onto the highway… people let me in to go. It’s just so frustrating. “You’re barely moving, and you know to put up with it twice-a-day is just ridiculous.”
One part of the SH2 works is the Wairoa River Bridge resurfacing and cycleway project.
Rob says NZTA was due to complete resurfacing on SH2 at Wairoa River Bridge on June 14 –weather dependent – with work taking place between 8pm and 5am each night. “Stop/Go tra c management and temporary speed limits in place.”
e Wairoa Cycleway itself is expected to be complete a few months later, according to a Tauranga City Council spokesperson: “Weather
dependent, works on the cycleway will be nished in August.”
e Weekend Sun also asked Waka Kotahi whether more roadworks are being done on stretches of SH2 between Waihi and Tauranga, and what date all the resurfacing works will be complete.
“
ere is a lot to do across this stretch of SH2.
“ e safety improvements between Waihi and Ōmokoroa are estimated to be completed in 2026.
“ e Takitimu North Link Stage One project, which will help provide a solution for part of this route by catering for growing demand and improving safety and reliability, is estimated to be completed mid-2027.”
For now, it seems the waiting game and tra c back-ups will continue for SH2 motorists. Rob says Waka
Kotahi appreciates no-one likes to be delayed by tra c congestion.
“Any work on or near this heavilytra cked road impacts tra c ow but our team works hard to reduce the impact on tra c as much as possible, for example by completing works at night and ensuring work is communicated in good time enabling people to make decisions about their travel.”
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a rental investment, or downsize to free up cashflow.Georgia Minkhorst Full completion of SH2 roadworks is years away, according to Waka Kotahi.
A rare chance to watch the All Blacks train in public in Tauranga is happening next Friday, June 23.
e All Blacks return to the Bay of Plenty as part of their preparations for this year’s Lipovitan-D Rugby Championship.
As they did in 2022, the team will hold a public training session at Blake Park during what will be the rst squad gathering of the year.
“ is is a massive year for the
team,” said All Blacks coach Ian Foster. “It is a privilege to be able to take part of our build-up to Mount Maunganui where we enjoyed our time last year.
“I look forward to catching up with fans there again.”
All Blacks players selected for the 2023 Lipovitan-D Rugby Championship will be present, minus those in the DHL Super Rugby nal on June 24.
e All Blacks take to the pitch from 9am-10.30am Friday, June 23, at Blake Park.
FutureFit o ers a chance to discover your personal carbon footprint by answering a few quick questions on your everyday decisions around food, transport, shopping, and home energy use.
Bay Venues Ltd asset and project manager Steve Edgecombe recently tried FutureFit and was able to see the gures behind his biggest carbon outputs.
“Personally, I’m a numbers person and it’s really good to see where I can easily make changes without negatively impacting my lifestyle,” says Steve.
“I knew my travel emissions were going to be high because of my vehicle type and distance I live from work. Being more disciplined in working from home one or two days a week will help signi cantly.”
With a set of actions to work towards, Steve says the challenge is now on.
“In the next two years, I plan to replace my diesel ute with a plug-in hybrid SUV, and we are installing 9kW of solar PV on our roof.
“I have also started planting 60 of 300 native trees on our section and we are installing a 30,000 litre rainwater roof catchment tank.
“I’m looking forward to seeing my next results when these have been completed.”
Steve says FutureFit is user-friendly and it encouraged him to commit to these changes.
“FutureFit was great for ease of use and simple questions. I think everyone should do this and work on making changes, both easy and di cult.”
Visit: www.future t.nz to nd out your carbon footprint, discover actions, and set goals to assist you in making small changes for a better future.
It’s a hole, a strategic hole, a $3.2 million strategic hole that will help make the city waterfront a more fun place to be.
And it’s been carved through the railway embankment at the city end of the Matapihi rail bridge near the Harbourside restaurant.
e hole is an underpass beneath the railway line at the southern end of e Strand Extension –and it is one step closer to Tauranga City Council’s construction of a waterfront boardwalk into the city centre.
“ e underpass and boardwalk form part of several exciting projects underway to upgrade our city centre waterfront,” says TCC city development general manager
Gareth Wallis. “ e upgrades will create more fun things for people to do.”
A big task
e railway embankment excavation wasn’t without its challenges. Teams installing the underpass had a tight deadline to align with KiwiRail tra c and avoid disrupting rail services. ere was just a three-day window of opportunity to do the job.
Teams spent one day digging the cutting through the railway line. e second day the 85-tonne culvert was lifted into place.
Back lling completed that part of the project, then there was the handover back to KiwiRail to reinstate the railway lines.
e wing walls on either side of the underpass have been installed
and now landscaping is underway. What’s next
e next part of the project is to construct the new section of boardwalk, which will run along the southern end of e Strand on the harbour-side of the railway line. When the project is complete, the underpass will link e Strand with an area known as Tunks Reserve at the top of Elizabeth St.
It’s a work in progress and is all aimed at providing better access from the city to the waterfront.
It’s anticipated that by early next year people will be able to walk through the underpass and along the water’s edge.
A total of $94.8 million has been allocated to the transformation and development of the city centre waterfront. Hunter Wells
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Mount Maunganui
Intermediate student Haru
Marsden will make his AIMS debut this September playing football, but next year will swap to sur ng in the weeklong competition in 2024.
“I’m really excited about having sur ng at AIMS – there should be a lot of people there and it will be a really fun atmosphere,” says Haru, who has been sur ng since the age of eight.
e 11-year-old’s excitement comes on the back of the Zespri AIMS Games announcing it will expand its o erings even further by adding sur ng and orienteering in 2024.
Monthly Bay of Plenty Electorate Constituents’ Drop-in Clinic:
Third Monday of the Month (Feb-Sept)
9-11: Te Puna Hall
e annual intermediate-aged sporting tournament, which has attracted nearly 12,000 entries for the 2023 edition this September, has recognised the large growth in both sur ng and orienteering, as well as the complementary roles they play in numerous other sports.
12-2: Welcome Bay Community Centre
Welcome Bay Community Centre Todd.MullerMP@parliament.govt.nz
Orienteering Bay of Plenty president Erin Swanson says her club is seeing huge growth in orienteering, both in schools and nationally “so getting it into the Zespri AIMS Games and having it celebrated and recognised as something of a mainstream sport is awesome”. “Orienteering has the physical side of it but it’s also got the mental side – it feels exciting navigating with a map and nding controls.
“ e sense of satisfaction in completing a course is huge, and wider bene ts include building greater resilience, con dence and problem-solving. “You can also do it at all ages and it crosses into a whole lot of other sports – most of the world’s best adventure racers have had some orienteering background.”
On the back of leading Kiwi surfers Billy Stairmand and Sa e Vette recently qualifying for the Paris Olympics in El Salvador, the addition of sur ng to AIMS 2024 is a further boost for the sport.
Bay Boardriders president James Jacobs says with the Zespri AIMS Games hosted in Tauranga, the inclusion of sur ng just makes sense. “We have such a long and proud history of sur ng here in our moana –hosting the rst-ever New Zealand nationals back in 1963 – and we’re surrounded by coastline, with a lot of people who surf. “It’s a great thing the next generation are going to get the opportunity to surf at AIMS Games and represent their school and get a taste for competitive sur ng but there are also a whole lot of great life skills on o er.
“
ings like resilience, determination and selfbelief are all skills you need for competitive sur ng, and with surfers literally eye-level with the water, they become really aware and in tune with the environment.”
AIMS Games Trust chair Henk Popping says codes put forward compelling cases for inclusion and the tournament is delighted to include them from 2024. “Above all, we want to foster inclusion and participation in all the great sporting options we have out there. We want to stay relevant and re ect the codes our rangitahi are choosing to engage in and sur ng and orienteering will really add to the avour of a magni cent festival of sports.”
We’re proposing to invest in a Housing Equity Fund with the funds acquired from selling elder housing villages. Seven elder housing villages were sold to Kāinga Ora in 2022, and two remaining villages previously used for elder housing, Pitau Road village and Hinau Street village in Mount Maunganui, are being sold for private redevelopment.
Housing supply is a priority to us, and we want to know what you think about our proposal to invest the sale proceeds into a Housing Equity Fund to deliver affordable housing in Tauranga.
For more information and to share your thoughts visit: letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/housing-proceeds
Consultation closes 5pm, Wednesday 21 June
Big changes are proposed for the Ōtūmoetai Peninsula to make it safer and easier for people to walk, cycle and bus around their neighbourhoods and into the city. New tra c lights at key intersections, separated cycleways for all ages and abilities, bus priority measures and improved infrastructure are all included in a new design unveiled by Tauranga City Council’s Accessible Streets for Ōtūmoetai project on the back of
community consultation last year.
e changes will a ect people living in Bureta, Ōtūmoetai, Matua, Cherrywood, Brook eld, Bellevue and Judea, plus Waihi Rd, Chapel St and Cameron Rd towards Harington St, with residents now invited to provide feedback on the early design.
Public consultation is open to July 12, 2023. Community drop-in sessions are July 4-5. Have your say at: letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/ accessiblestreetsotumoetai
Michelle Topham has turned her miscarriage journey into positive support for fellow mothers that su er the tragedy.
“We lost on Mother’s Day, the week of… I struggle with Mother’s Day still.”
Michelle Topham’s eyes begin to water as she describes her experience of losing her second child to miscarriage.
After the loss, Michelle was gifted a massage voucher. “ e massage therapist had owers for me when I arrived, and I felt so special. I thought: ‘I can’t be the only one feeling this way after a miscarriage’.”
e Tauranga mother cites this as her “encouragement” to start Massage after Miscarriage – she knew other mums could feel the same relief she did. ree years later, the group has supported more than 200 mums.
Michelle and her husband live in Tauranga with daughter Olivia, aged ve, and their ‘rainbow boy’ John – born healthy after her the loss of their second child.
Back in May 2020 Michelle believed she was nine weeks pregnant when she went to a routine scan to nd out she had miscarried. “I’d been spotting for a week before I told my midwife about it. I tried to tell myself it can be normal but I knew inside that it wasn’t to be…”
Massage after Miscarriage helps mums at any gestation. “We send them for massages, facials, nails, hair treatments.” e emotional wellbeing of these mums is at the forefront of Michelle’s mind, and she hopes the pampering will help that. “We just want to support them through such a rough time.”
Women are referred to Massage after Miscarriage by a midwife after their loss.
For Michelle, who runs the non-pro t charity, this opportunity to support mothers through such a
tough time is payment enough. “I get a message of thanks and it just boosts me because I know what we’re doing is so important. ey feel seen, they feel cared for. It’s the fact that they don’t have to think about it, you just turn up and relax. It’s really nice to give back.”
Michelle’s impact has grown to reach Hamilton, Queenstown and Auckland’s North Shore in three years.
is growth is physically represented by the care packages. “It’s funny, the care packages started o with maybe three small items, now you’re getting that much more love in them. It’s so cool. ese are really heavy and full now.”
After the massage, mums are sent home with a care package made by Michelle, and owers donated by local orists Myrrh & Co, Cherrywood Florist and Bethlehem Floral Studio. “ e care packages are lled with products donated by New Zealand businesses such as Mia Belle NZ, Amalie’s Room, Koa’s candles, Malsea Body Co, Favoured.NZ.”
A community of sorts has been created by Michelle, as Massage after Miscarriage fosters a safe space to discuss these experiences of loss, which she says is so important. “It just makes me so proud that I’ve turned something so awful for myself into something beautiful for other people.” Massage after Miscarriage is holding a high tea fundraiser at Matua Hall at 3pm, Saturday, June 24, to continue supporting mums.
e event is now sold-out. Michelle is grateful to All Occasions Party Hire in Hamilton, which has donated the cups and saucers for the high tea Support can be gifted to Massage after Miscarriage at: www.massageaftermiscarriage.com
Chloe Davison
Western Bay of Plenty District Council is hosting a community information session to answer questions on Waihī Beach’s stormwater system and plans to protect Two Mile Creek from further erosion.
In the aftermath of the recent oods, the council invites everyone to come and kōrero with their team about stormwater system in Waihī Beach this Monday, June 19, from 3pm-6pm at the Waihī Beach Community Centre.
WBOPDC deputy CEO and general
manager infrastructure group Gary Allis says it’s natural for people to have questions following the May 29 ash ooding. “ is event will take a lot of time to recover from, but now the immediate danger has passed, we’d like to use this opportunity to address people’s concerns and talk about the causes of ooding and the e ects it has on your community.”
e council will also show its plans to protect Two Mile Creek from further erosion.
A Katikati resident is encouraging people who care about climate change to try Seed Dating this Saturday, June 17 at the Gallery Room at Te Puna Quarry Gardens.
“It’s sort of like networking – kind of like speed dating – but you’re talking with people about climate change and how they can contribute to a sustainable future,” says Anna Greenwood. e keen gardener, who has studied permaculture and works in a nursery part-time, got the idea from a recent Climathon roadshow in Paeroa. “I’m into gardening and interested in the environment – more recently climate issues –and a friend invited me to this Climathon.
“ e event brought attention to climate issues and what the council was doing on this – and asked us to break into partners and share what we were doing.
“It wasn’t until after the event I thought: ‘Wow! “ at was actually really cool!’ It was a real buzz, and I thought I also have ideas about climate change and making an impact...”
So Anna’s Seed Dating concept was sown. e Saturday, June 17, event is from 2pm4pm. Guest will network, learn about making ferments at home, and hear from speakers. Bay of Plenty Regional councillor Kat
Macmillan will talk climate leadership, Anna will o er climate-friendly gardening tips, and Pāpāmoa-based Emma La Rocca – a zero waste fashion designer – will make a presentation. So why create this event?
“I got really into gardening for food, then I started seeing these issues come up, such as pest control and how to deal with copious amounts of rain we’ve had this year.”
As a result, Anna went from gardening to grow food, to climate-friendly gardening.
Loosely de ned, climate-friendly gardening is aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in gardens and encouraging absorption of carbon dioxide by soils and plants in order to aid the reduction of global warming.
“It’s basically about getting more diversity in the garden so you’re getting more habitats for indigenous birds and animals – and knowing how to create a carbon sink in your garden.
“It’s not being afraid of weeds and having more wild lawns to reduce the energy and pollution that activities like mowing lawns cause.
“So it’s about creating a template to grow food from – which does so in a way that’s kind to the environment.”
To attend the event, visit: seeddating.co.nz or call: 022 420 3741.
On this particular Tuesday, Reece started her day with a quick breakfast of peanut butter and banana on toast. She then had two school classes, fried eggs on toast for morning tea, another two classes, a bacon salad for lunch, another two classes, and then gymnastics – for four hours. She will get back to her Mount Maunganui home sometime after 8pm, have
dinner – steak and salad is her favourite – a massage-gun and ice her tired muscles, shower, and then head to bed.
“And then repeat the next day,” says Reece, with a laugh. “I like to have the same routine, especially before competitions. I like to eat the same food as well, because I know that it helps me.”
Last year Reece took part in international competitions in
Germany, Qatar, Australia, and England.
She recently nished second overall at the 2023 Artistic Oceania Championships on the Gold Coast in Australia, where she earned a spot to compete at the 2023 Artistic World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium later this year. If she does well in Belgium, Reece could qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics – a
lifelong dream of hers. She started gymnastics at age ve and has been working with the same coach at Impact Gymsport Academy in Mount Maunganui from the very beginning.
“When we rst opened the gym, we held a trial to get into our competitive programme,” says Impact head coach Ebony Matenga.
A ve-year-old Reece turned up to that trial. Ebony says she had her initial doubts but decided to test her strength anyway.
“I put her up on the bar and she just whacked out all these chin ups and I was like: ‘Right, you’re in!’” says Ebony.
Reece says she can thank her mum for getting her into gymnastics. “Mum said I was a bit crazy at home. So, she kind of just had to put me in because I was just jumping everywhere.”
Reece and Ebony have been working together ever since and have a close bond.
“It’s like having your own kid,” says Ebony, with a laugh.
Reece briefly moved to Wellington two-and-a-half years ago to train with other New Zealand senior international gymnasts and work with coach Tracy Sharp.
She moved back home to Mount Maunganui at the start of this year.
Reece and Ebony train Monday to Saturday every single week, including public holidays.
ey do a lot of strength and conditioning work, including at the University of Waikato Adams Centre for High Performance in Mount Maunganui. ey also work closely with a physiotherapy clinic.
e focus most of the time, however, is on the four apparatuses used in women’s
artistic gymnastics – vault, bars, beam, and oor.
Reece and Ebony recently travelled to Auckland ve Saturdays-in-a-row, leaving Tauranga at 5.30am, to train in a specialist foam pit and test more di cult skills.
Reece says Ebony knows how to get the best out of her.
“She knows how to push me because she wants me to be the best. She pushes me because she knows I can do well. And so, if I’m not doing something correct, she pushes me because she knows I can do it better.”
Ebony says Reece has “always been quite ery”. “She works in a di erent way. She’s just determined, she always has been. You don’t even have to be the most talented, but you have to have grit and determination. You either have it or you don’t. And the people that do have it usually are the ones that make it further.”
Ebony says Reece also has the ability to bounce back from disappointments and keep focused on her long-term goals.
“She only won her rst ever nationals last year. She went to her rst nationals when she was nine. To come back every year and not give up…most kids would probably not be able to handle that. I mean, I probably wouldn’t.”
at’s why Ebony rmly believes Reece
Get reminded when it’s time to put out your bins with the Tauranga kerbside collections app.
You can download it for free from the App Store or Google Play, or visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/binsapp
Or, if you prefer a paper calendar, check the address label on your bins to see if you’re Week 1 or 2 and cut out your updated calendar here.
can achieve her dream and go all the way to the Olympics.
“I feel like she has a good chance. If she wants to train hard enough, she can get there. I think if you want something so bad, you’ll do whatever you can to get it. But it’s also important to have balance because she’s 16.”
Reece is also aware of the importance of having balance in her life and says she’s still, in many ways, a “normal teenager”. She likes to hang out with friends, go to the beach, shopping, swimming, or to Pilates.
She’s made plenty of sacri ces over the years for her gymnastics.
Reece does her schooling remotely online so she can focus on her training
schedule and routine, and says she misses seeing friends in between classes.
“But then I also think, ‘why? Why am I doing this? Because I want to achieve my goals. It’s worth it’. And I can hang out with them after gym.”
Reece says gymnastics is a hard sport and she likes having that challenge in her everyday life, as well as all opportunities it provides her with.
Ebony says gymnastics prepares people for a lot more than just a life of competition.
“You not only learn gymnastics, but you learn valuable life lessons – self-discipline, self-motivation, self-accountability, doing things for yourself. at’s what gymnastics is, because it’s you against yourself.” you
Should a child ever be taken out of a safe, loving foster home? What if the Government did it because the child’s foster parents were the ‘wrong’ race? Could this really happen in New Zealand? Sadly, it’s happening right now.
Section 7AA was introduced into the Oranga Tamariki Act to honour the Treaty of Waitangi. It has meant taking a Māori child out of a safe and loving Pakeha foster
home where they’ve lived for years is encouraged; that is at odds with the agency’s primary purpose to support the wellbeing of our most vulnerable and at-risk children. I’m campaigning to change this. My petition to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has hit 11,600 signatures. If you haven’t seen it, nd it at: www.colourblindcare.nz
My Member’s Bill, which is due to be debated in Parliament, seeks to repeal section 7AA and ensure the wellbeing of the
child is the paramount consideration of Oranga Tamariki. I hope Parliament, as a whole, can see that there shouldn’t be a con ict between protecting the best interests of the child and race-based factors. is con ict has the potential to cause real harm to our children. As someone who grew up dealing with Child, Youth and Family, I have deep appreciation of what children need. Each child, regardless of race, has their own individual circumstances and family
background – this means we should never take a blanket race-based approach. Every child should be seen as an individual and their wellbeing must come rst.
Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its Act should be colour-blind, utterly child-centric and open to whatever solution will ensure a child’s wellbeing. My Member’s Bill would ensure this happens, placing more value on the best interests of the child rather than the Treaty. If you agree with me on this, I encourage you to support my campaign.
One of the more common complaints I hear in the Bay of Plenty electorate is about our city’s lack of infrastructure and snarled up tra c. State Highway 2 should have been four lanes to Omokoroa by now. Pāpāmoa East residents still have to travel at 50km/hr along Papamoa Beach Rd to access the Tauranga Eastern Link while work continues on the interchange connection to the TEL. And if you travel through Tauriko regularly, you know how desperately we need an overhaul of the Tauriko-SH29 access.
Having high-quality, modern and resilient infrastructure drives economic growth, boosts productivity, and enhances our way of life. Yet New Zealand has a signi cant de cit. In the past six years, the Labour Government has failed to start and nish one major infrastructure
project. We’ve seen endless working groups, pages of press releases and a reduced state highway budget which has destroyed a pipeline of worthy projects. Delivering infrastructure will be a high priority for the next National government.
National Party leader Chris Luxon recently announced a ve-point Infrastructure For e Future plan that will: create a National Infrastructure Agency; make use of innovative funding and nancing tools to boost investment; develop national, city and regional deals with central and local government; create a fast-track consents process; and build a 30-year infrastructure pipeline to deliver longterm certainty. Building infrastructure is a key to growing the economy. at matters because it’s only with a strong economy that NZ can reduce living costs and interest rates, lift incomes and fund the public services our country needs.
New home building rules for Western Bay of Plenty’s two fastest growing towns is back on the agenda with an independent panel appointed.
e new housing density rules were introduced to Te Puke and Ōmokoroa to enable growth and create a wider range of housing options.
Western Bay of Plenty
District Council has appointed Commissioner Panel chair Greg Carlyon, and commissioners
Alan Withy, Lisa Mein and Pia Bennett to hear and provide recommendations on the new rules and the supporting rule changes. is new independent
panel will hear from up to 60 submitters in September, and make recommendations on the two relevant planning processes known as Plan Change 92 Ōmokoroa and Te Puke Enabling Housing Supply and other supporting matters, and the Notice of Requirement for Active Reserve, Ōmokoroa.
Council’s environmental planning manager Natalie Rutland says by taking their time to understand the challenges submitters face, they were able to resolve matters before the independent hearings.
“While that approach is more time consuming, we’re con dent that we’ll end up with a more robust plan change because of it.” e process from here will see a hearing date set and submitters will
be invited to present in September. When all submissions have been heard the panel will release their recommendations for council to consider. Adoption of nalised rules won’t be before December this year. For more information, visit: westernbay.govt.nz/housing-rules
Peaches is a con dent, friendly girl, aged about seven months old. She’s very curious and always wants to know what you are up to!
She enjoys gentle pats and loves to be hand-fed her favourite treats. Sit down and Peaches will hop up to you – and sometimes on you – to say ‘hello’ and get some attention.
Peaches is a laid-back, calm bunny which loves to spend time lounging in a sunny spot, munching on hay and playing with toys – she loves her tunnel! e only thing missing is some bunny
company, Peaches is looking to be bonded with a de-sexed male rabbit. Do you have a lonely male bunny looking for love? Would you be open to nding Peaches a ‘husbun’ once she’s settled? Apply today! Peaches is a big bunny and will need a roomy accommodation to be a happy, healthy bunny. An SPCA minimum housing requirement is 2m by 1.5m but the bigger, the better! Ask to meet this gorgeous girl today. Call the Tauranga centre on: 07 578 0245. Ref: 577787.
Katikati resident Helen Ware reckons she can hear things she’s never heard before since having cochlear implant surgery 10 months ago. “Not until I got the cochlear did I hear what my nches sound like. ey do little ‘peeps’.
“So not only am I getting new sounds, I’m getting them at a volume I’ve never had before. It’s like a whole new world has opened up.”
But the 56-year-old doesn’t want readers to think a cochlear implant is an instant x for those who are deaf or hearing impaired.
“ ere’s this public perception that you turn on the cochlear – you can hear! e number of times I’ve had to tell people – that is not how it works.”
When Helen’s cochlear was turned on, there was only static. She’s spent 10 months trying to retrain her brain to identify and listen for sounds. “I’ve meet some incredible people at Hearing House – they do amazing work. So does Hearing Support BOP.”
Helen’s hearing journey began at age six. She’d fallen onto a concrete-based playground, landed on her back and hit her head. “I saw a hearing specialist and, yes, I had a hearing problem – much to my horror I got a hearing aid at age six.”
At that stage her right ear was her good ear. Her left ear was
her bad ear. In the Christmas holidays, aged 11, Helen saw specialist Bill Baber – a cochlear implant specialist – after showing a sharp drop in hearing ability. “He put me in hospital on bed rest in a general ward.
“It was a horrible experience. MRIs weren’t a thing back then but they ran all the tests they could. After that when I got up I was dizzy and kept telling mum: ‘My hearing aid is not working’.
“A week later Mr Baber realised my good ear had gone deaf – no warning, just gone!” She received a hearing aid for her left ear –to amplify the hearing she had left. “With a hearing aid I had 70 per cent of hearing in one ear. Without it, I had about Amazingly, Helen was mainstream-schooled, she did ballet and even played sports such as netball. “Imagine playing netball where there’s 30 courts and whistles going everywhere and I have no directional
a thing back then but they ran all the tests I 30-40 per cent.” as sound!” that
All of her jobs were initially frontline, customer service roles. “At that point I was very much ‘I do for myself...’ I didn’t consider myself deaf. I identi ed as hearing impaired.” She got married, had children, separated, worked full-time. Life went on. But in 2011
she applied for a hearing dog. “As part of that I became a guest speaker – and spoke at a Cochlear Support group in Auckland. Talking to them I realised I met the criteria and could apply for a cochlear.”
What stopped her? “As soon as you take off the processor, you’re deaf. I could still function without a hearing aid back then – and I was worried I’d lose what hearing I did have.”
What changed? “It was October 2021 –two weeks after I’d lost my job of 3.5 years, I’m sitting here with Sarah, my daughter. I’m talking to Sarah – gone! Nothing? No hearing!”
An urgent ear-nose-throat specialist visit resulted in a short course of steroids. It was too late. Her tinnitus went from a faded hum to a jet-plane overhead, and she was diagnosed with hyperacusis – extreme sensitivity to sound. When hearing dog Meg barked, she got a stab of pain.
“I went from some hearing to nothing. So I started researching why I’d gone deaf, what my options were, and I got involved with Your Way - Kia Roha Hearing Therapy Tauranga. Therapist Angeline Slade tested me and said I could apply for a cochlear implant. She showed me one, and how they worked.”
Part of the on-boarding process is meeting someone with a cochlear. Helen met Linda Giltrap, who was about to get a hearing dog. “She told me about cochlears, I told her about hearing dogs.”
Helen says it was a scary time for her. “Everyone was still wearing masks [due to the Covid-19 pandemic] out in public. Everyone you contact – Spark, Work & Income NZ – want to talk over the phone. I had to appoint Sarah as my WINZ agent as it got ridiculous
every time I tried to contact them.” Helen kept busy with voluntary groups such as Katikati Lions. But a Covid-plagued world was tough for a lady relying on lip reading as her communication tool. “You can imagine people wearing masks was a real challenge for me. Here in Katikati, with Meg in her bright yellow coat – and a badge saying: ‘I have a hearing impairment can you please drop your mask’ most people would. If I wasn’t sure I’d take Sarah and she’d drop her mask and repeat to me what they were saying – because we don’t know sign language. I was brought up in a hearing world.
“Meanwhile I’m trying to sort my finances because I’ve been laid off. My anxiety and depression became quite bad... I’m very lucky I have Meg, Sarah, my son Jaden and my parents in Katikati. They became my support network.”
In February 2022, Helen had a test and met the criteria for a cochlear. With allocation prioritised, she faced an 18-month wait. She got in during August 2022.
A magnet implant now sits underneath Helen’s skin above her left ear. The speech processor – outside the body – converts speech and environmental sound into a digital signal and sends it across skin to the implant. The implant’s electrodes stimulate the cochlea’s auditory (hearing) nerve fibres, which carries the signal to the brain. The brain then interprets the signal as sound. “When I woke up – no tinnitus, no hyperacusis.” Once switched on – what did she hear? “Static. It’s not an instant fix!. Slowly you begin to hear 'bzzz, bzzz.bbbz.bbbzzzzz'. Luckily they warn you about this and give you homework to learn how to identify sounds, especially words.” Helen’s had
several mapping appointments to adjust the speech processor, and rehabilitation sessions. “They work with you and make sure you’re doing okay. They are magic, wonderful people at Hearing House. They constantly monitor you, adjust your settings and give you tasks to keep improving your hearing.”
Helen, now a Cochlear Implant Consumer Group volunteer, emphasises she’s still very much on her journey to retrain her brain to identify and hear sounds – without relying on lip reading But she doesn’t regret her cochlear implant. “I had nothing to lose.”
Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu – National Volunteer Week honours the collective energies and mana of volunteers in Aotearoa. ey grow our people, open minds, open hearts and create joy.
Running from June 18-24, National Volunteer Week is a great way to get out there and volunteer your time to a plethora of great causes. e theme this year is ‘he wā pīataata –time to shine’.
Tūao Aotearoa Volunteering New
Zealand – which leads the national event – has put together some resources for those interested in volunteering their time to a local cause, which can be found at: nationalvolunteerweek.nz/volunteer
Tūao Aotearoa Volunteering New Zealand is encouraging people to celebrate how our
communities are stronger when we all work together. Post your volunteer celebrations and activities to social media with the hashtag #NVW2023 to share!
For more information about National Volunteer Week and additional resources, visit: nationalvolunteerweek.nz
Across the rohe (region) thousands of dedicated volunteers give their time freely to care for the environment.
Last year 57,105 native dune plants were planted along the Bay of Plenty coast thanks to 3107 local volunteers as part of the Coast Care restoration programme alone.
“While the work of community organised care groups transforming nearby reserves, rivers, estuaries, and bush is vital for local biodiversity and ecosystems. It’s also a wonderful way to make friends while making a di erence,” says Coastal Catchments team leader Charles Harley.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council works with more than 70 care groups across the region, providing support, technical advice, and funding.
Last year $500,000 was awarded to care groups to deliver on environmental projects, recognising the enthusiasm, knowledge and diverse skill sets of locals to create real change.
Last year 57,105 native dune plants were planted along the coast thanks to 3107 local volunteers as part of the Coast Care programme.
Volunteer groups start with a few passionate people putting their environmental concerns into action, from trapping pests to planting native trees, and grow to become established care groups. While they often y under the radar, we all get to enjoy the bene ts of their work. is National Volunteer Week
thank a volunteer; or better still join a care group near you. Learn more about volunteer opportunities in our region by visiting: www.boprc.govt.nz
Want to start a new care group or join an existing one?
Call: 0800 884 880 or email: caregroups@boprc.govt.nz
‘Thank
Volunteers ensure safe and licensed youth on roads
Sometimes, it’s the little things that bring the greatest satisfaction – like knowing you made a di erence.
“It feels great when you get a text from your young driver to let you know they have nally passed their test,” says Blue Light driver navigator Graham Young, commenting on the bene ts of volunteering for Blue Light.
“I’m always willing and happy to help those who need the assistance and practice.”
Blue Light’s driver licensing programme relies on the assistance of volunteers, such as Graham, to help young people gain the valuable time and experience required to become safe drivers on our roads and to pass their restricted licence.
“As the young driver gains more con dence and improves, we will drive further; and as they are nearing ready to sit their restricted test I have taken some young people as far as the Kaimai Range and to Te Puke, so they gain more experience on open roads,” says Graham.
Blue Light, a not-for-pro t charity, relies on the generous time and dedication of
volunteers across New Zealand to deliver its programmes and activities to ensure all young people receive the opportunities and support they need to be the best they can be.
If you’re looking to volunteer your time for a good cause this weekend, Coast Care has a planting day out in Pukehina on Sunday, June 18.
Join the team from 10am-12pm at the Motunau Reserve, 491 Pukehina Parade, and look out for the Coast Care ag.
Get loud and give a Big Shout-Out!
New Zealand is a nation of volunteers – more than one million of us volunteer, giving our time and energy to make a
di erence in our communities. Our vision is for volunteering to be valued and celebrated as a vital part of society. is month take time recognise and thank volunteers – give them a shoutout on social media or shout them morning tea! # eBigShoutOut.
To nd out more about Blue Light’s driver licensing programme, or how to become a Blue Light volunteer navigator, call: 0800 Blue Light or email: support@bluelight.co.nz
No fancy gear is needed – just bring yourself, some gardening gloves, and covered shoes. Coast Care restores and protects the sand dunes along Bay of Plenty Beaches. ey’re eager for volunteers to ensure that these vital bu ers between the land and sea are safeguarded. For more information, email: chris.pronk@coastcare.co.nz
At Alzheimers Tauranga our ability to support those affected depends on people like you who are dedicated to helping fellow community members living with dementia.
At Alzheimers Tauranga our ability to support those affected depends on people like you who are dedicated to helping fellow community members living with dementia.
FACT: Every 3 seconds, someone in the world develops dementia.
Share your time and unique talents to make a meaningful impact, while connecting with others who share your passion.
Interested?
Want to find out more? Contact Adelle
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Volunteer support is vital to assist in changing these youths lives - one licence at a time
The Blue Light Youth Driver Navigator programme is a Community Driver Education & Licensing programme that helps young people aged 16 to 20 without the finances or adult support required to gain their full NZ Drivers licence.
All you need to be a volunteer is:
•1 to 2 hours per week
•A full, clean driver’s licence
We provide modern, safe vehicles and the systems to take young people from Learner to Full Licence. Become part of the transforming change in their lives! Visit
www.bluelight.co.nz @ BLDYN
Within the Waipuna Hospice charity shops, in-patient unit, hospice, and wider community, a tapestry of sel ess individuals dedicate their time and energy to serve others through their e orts.
is National Volunteer Week, Waipuna Hospice is taking a moment to express their heartfelt gratitude to all their incredible volunteers. “ ese remarkable volunteers dedicate endless hours to support the work of Waipuna Hospice every day,” says Waipuna Hospice volunteer services manager Shelley Atkinson.
“Volunteers just like Jackie McEwan, who helps in our Te Puke Shop and by visiting our patients and their families.”
“I initially became a Waipuna Hospice volunteer because I felt it was my time to give back to the
community. “Nine years later and I still love it,” says Jackie. “ e other volunteers I work with in the shop have become like a family and I love being able to help by visiting hospice patients so their carers can have a break. It feels so good to be able to give back and help people who need it. Not only am I helping my community, but I get so much joy out of the experience.”
of the experience.” immeasurable contributions play
Shelley says: “To all our volunteers, thank you for your unwavering commitment, compassionate hearts, and tireless e orts in making a real di erence at Waipuna Hospice”.
“Your sel essness and
immeasurable contributions play an impactful and memorable role in the lives of our patients and the loved ones they leave behind.”
To learn more about volunteering for Waipuna Hospice and to join their volunteer team, visit: www. waipunahospice.org.nz/volunteer
e Graeme Dingle Foundation Western Bay of Plenty reaches more than 3800 youth each week through their proven programmes Kiwi Can, Stars, Career Navigator and Project K – helping young people to build con dence, tackle life’s challenges and build bright futures.
Mentoring is a vital part of their rangatahi programmes and this represents a rewarding experience for both the students and mentors.
Full training and support is given to all mentors.
“Our mentors come from all walks of life, but the thing they have in common is passion to make a real di erence in the challenging world our rangatahi face,” says Graeme Dingle Foundation Western Bay of Plenty regional manager Dan Allen-Gordon.
“Every one of us that overcame major obstacles as a young person has had a signi cant adult help them succeed.”
Mentors meet up with their rangatahi fortnightly and group activities are also arranged periodically throughout the year for students and their mentors – from bowling and rock climbing to skydiving and
mud runs! Mentors also help young people work towards and achieve their goals.
“Seeing students grow and being beside them as they overcome challenges and accomplish their goals is just amazing –and it isn’t di cult, it’s just about being a friend, a listening ear and a sounding board,” says Helen Fraser, a four-time mentor for the foundation.
“ e chance to help, to give opportunities and be a positive role model and inspire young people is amazing. I love it.”
To nd out more about becoming a mentor, email: dan.allen-gordon@ dinglefoundation.org.nz
On Saturday, June 24, Classic Flyers NZ is holding a volunteer meeting and will share what it’s like to be one of the crew!
“We’re always on the hunt for new volunteers to help out,” says Classic Flyers sales and marketing manager Cory Tyler. Whether you’re an aviation history bu or just want to give back to your community –absolutely anyone can become a volunteer at Classic Flyers NZ.
“ ere’s no age limit as well; like we’ve got people in their 90s here doing stu . It’s quite amazing actually!”
Cory says they need volunteers helping with kids’ parties/ school visits, building/grounds maintenance, engineering/ mechanical, aircraft handling, museum guides and archives/
library. He adds that being able to “adapt to everything” makes a good volunteer.
With plenty of events and projects always happening at Classic Flyers, there’s never a shortage of things that can be
stuck into. “A current project we’re doing is putting an ex-RNZAF Vampire into the kids playground, so that’s called our Torpedo Park. We’ve got the Sword Fish in their currently, which is coming out and then
the vampire is going on a stand… so that will be quite cool.” e volunteer meeting will run
from 10am-12pm on Saturday, June 24, at 9 Jean Batten Drive, Mount Maunganui.
Georgia MinkhorstEnglish Language Partners would like to acknowledge all of their 90 volunteer home tutors for the valuable work they do supporting the migrant community, on this National Volunteer Week.
“We are now welcoming new volunteers to train to become ESOL tutors and help our new New Zealanders to settle into life in this new country,” says English Language Partners BOP manager Philippa Cairns.
Training starts on July 21. No prior teaching experience is needed, and full support and resourcing is given. is NZQA-approved certi cate course is followed by matching up with a suitable learner, and meeting once-a-week for up to two hours in the learner’s home. is is a great opportunity to learn about new cultures in-depth and help someone settle e ectively in the community.
English Language Partners is the largest settlement agency in New Zealand for refugees and migrants, with 22 centres around the country, with nearly 2000 volunteers.
For more information, phone: 07 571 4181 or email them at: philippa.cairns@englishlanguage.org.nz
Do you have 1-2 hours a week to help former refugee or migrant learn English?
Do you have 1-2 hours a week to help a former refugee or migrant learn English?
Do you have 1-2 hours a week to help a former refugee or migrant learn English?
Get in touch about our next training course –starting 28 January 2021
Get in touch about our next training course –starting 28 January 2021
Get in touch about our next training course –starting 28 January 2021
Please contact us Phone 07 5714181
bayofplenty@englishlanguage.org.nz
Chadwick Road, Greerton, Web www.englishlanguage.org.nz
Please contact us
Phone 07 5714181
Please contact us
Email bayofplenty@englishlanguage.org.nz 212 Chadwick Road, Greerton, Tauranga Web www.englishlanguage.org.nz
Phone 07 5714181
Email bayofplenty@englishlanguage.org.nz 212 Chadwick Road, Greerton, Tauranga Web www.englishlanguage.org.nz
Please contact us Phone 07 5714181 Email bayofplenty@englishlanguage.org.nz 212 Chadwick Road, Greerton, Tauranga Web www.englishlanguage.org.nz
We are exploring what changes need to happen to ensure our moana is protected and improved for future generations.
Like other regional councils across the country, we are working to set new objectives, policies, and rules to protect the health of our region’s lakes, rivers, streams and estuaries.
Many land uses and land use practices, such as agriculture, horticulture, urban development, and land drainage, contribute to some big problems in some of the region’s lakes, rivers, streams and estuaries.
This year, Coast Care welcomed a new team member. Chris Pronk, from A1 Environmental, took over as the Kaituna Restoration Coordinator from Chris and Jayne Ward following their retirement after 30+ years of service!
Chris is passionate about conservation and the community, having worked in ecological restoration, environmental management, and biosecurity since 2009. He’s also a regular volunteer for regional parks and DOC reserves and is currently one of the trapping coordinators at the Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust. Coast Care is gearing up for a busy planting season but can’t do it without local volunteers. Join us at an event near you. Just bring covered shoes, gardening clothes and a keen attitude!
Sunday June 18, 10am - 12pm Pukehina Beach. Meet at Motunau Reserve, 491 Pukehina Parade.
Sunday July 9, 9:30 - 11:00am Newdicks Beach, Maketū. Look for the Coast Care flag.
Sunday July 16, 9:30 - 11:00am Tuati Street, Ōhope. Meet opposite Tuati Street, Ōhope.
Sunday August 20, 9:30 - 11:00am Port Ōhope. Meet in front of 462 Harbour Road, Ōhope.
Sunday August 20, 1.00 - 2:30pm Tirohanga. Meet at Hikuwai Beach carpark, opposite Beach Road, Tirohanga.
Dama wallabies were first released near Lake Ōkāreka in 1912 and have been steadily expanding their distribution since. If no control is done, a third of the North Island - including most of the Bay of Plenty region - could be impacted by the spread of them within 50 years.
Wallabies eat many of the seedlings that become our native bush and they love eating grass and young forestry seedlings, which means they compete with livestock for food and can damage new plantations.
We all have a part to play – please report any sightings of wallabies or signs of one (dead, alive, paw prints or poo) at:
A list of upcoming drop-in sessions is below. For more information, head to boprc.govt.nz/ freshwater or provide feedback online here: participate.boprc.govt.nz/Essential-Freshwater
Upcoming events in your area:
Rotorua: Friday 23 June, 12-5pm, Te Rūnanga Tea House, Queens Drive, Rotorua
Waihī Estuary: Saturday 24 June, 10am-2pm, Pongakawa
Hall, 952 Old Coach Road, Pongakawa
Kaituna: Thursday 29 June, 2-7pm, Whakaue Marae, 721
Maketu Road, Maketu
Tauranga Moana: Tuesday 4 July, 2-7pm, location TBC
Rotorua: Saturday 8 July, 10am-12pm, location TBC
Waiōtahe: Tuesday 18 July, 2-7pm, location TBC
Waioeka-Otara: Wednesday 19 July, 2-7pm, location TBC
Budding artists can join illustrator Debbie Tipuna at Make Your Mark – and learn how to draw hands and heads, learn fun art tips and building skills. Older children from 11-14 years also have the choice of attending several sessions.
In ‘Bone Broth’ international award-winning writer Lee Murray shares tips and tricks for infusing emotion into the bones of your story using ‘show-not-tell’ and point
of view techniques, while Carol Garden will be sharing Ten Tips for Writing a great Zombie Story and guiding students as they put their new zombie writing skills to the test.
e Pen Warriors writing workshops are open to children aged ve-14 at Toi Ohomai on July 4. Registration is open, and spaces are limited. To secure a spot for your child, email: bookraptnz@gmail.com or phone” 021 024 88981.
With an exciting line-up of award-winning authors and experienced librarians, expectations are high that some upcoming literary workshops will ignite children’s creativity and foster a love for writing.
e Bay of Plenty Children's Literature Association, Bookrapt, is ready to stage the second major event of its 40th Anniversary celebrations.
Pen Warriors writing workshops for children aged ve-14 will take place at Toi Ohomai Library on July 4.
Junior writers from four to six years old will join children’s librarians Penny Guy and Julia Edgecombe for a fun session of collaborative story creation and illustration, with no writing required.
“ is session runs for about 30 minutes but children who stay longer can enjoy listening to stories while the book is photocopied so everyone can have their own copy,” says Bookrapt chair Penny Guy.
“We are incredibly excited to o er these workshops to young writers in our community.
“ e Pen Warriors writing workshops provide a supportive and inspiring environment for children guided by top writers.”
Seven to 10-year-olds can choose either one or both of the workshops o ered.
ese include Present a Traditional Tale with a Twist with Maketu writer Angie Belcher, and Fact Finding Fun - learning how to be a fact detective for great storytelling with local junior non- ction authors Debbie McCauley and Rachel Weston.
Angie Belcher showing a pui pui before reading her book ‘ e Girls in the kapahaka’.Photo: supplied.
– Buddha
Resistance can prevent us from being open to the possibility of new opportunities. An interesting example comes from electrical resistance. e less space provided, the more the resistance grows; when the temperature increases, resistance increases. When power is dissipated in a resistor it goes into heating the resistor – this is known as Joule heating. In many cases, Joule heating is wasted energy, however, materials with no resistance produce no energy loss when currents pass through them. is analogy can be applied to us! When we’re given no space to explore options we feel hot, or crowded or manipulated. We may
then resist any forward movement and build up energy to hold to that resistance. However, when we’re given space to be open and curious we reduce resistance and in doing so more easily explore the opportunities that may be available to us.
How much energy are you dissipating on unproductive resistance? What steps could you take to become aware of when this resistance is unhelpful to you?
To learn more about coaching, recognise your potential, deal with stress or con ict, or another issue, phone Mary Parker, e Fast Track Coach, on: 021 258 2145, or visit: www.thefasttrackcoach.co.nz
Winter is coming and Hato Hone St John is encouraging Kiwis to focus on prioritising winter wellness to avoid becoming seriously ill during colder months.
Hato Hone St John deputy chief executive clinical services Dr Damian Tomic says everyone can do their bit to stay on top of their physical and mental wellbeing to keep themselves and their whānau well throughout the year.
winter by doing all you can to remain healthy throughout the year, says Damian.
“Preventing serious illness this winter can start by getting your u vaccination and Covid19 boosters on time, keeping on top of other medications, eating healthy, exercising and getting enough sleep.”
Dr Tomic says practising the healthy habits we learnt during the pandemic, like staying home and taking a Covid-19 test if you do become unwell, regular handwashing, sneezing and coughing into your elbow and social distancing will also go a long way towards staying well and protecting those around you.
“It’s also a good idea to wear a face mask when using public transport, when in indoor settings such as shops and supermarkets or when it is hard to physically distance from other people. “ ese practical and simple steps play a big part in limiting the spread of infection.”
With reduced sun exposure, winter is the ideal time for skin peels.
Here at Jamele, we love Environ’s Cool Peels; they are non-invasive, safe, and highly e ective, with minimalto-no downtime.
Unlike aggressive peels that harm the skin barrier, our Cool Peels maintain skin integrity while addressing various skin concerns. Cool Peels o er several bene ts, including brightening skin tone, hydrating and softening skin texture, and providing antibacterial and anti-aging properties.
ey repair and promote exfoliation, revealing fresh and youthful-looking skin. Rough texture, wrinkles, ne lines, uneven skin tone, rosacea, and acne can all bene t from our Cool Peel treatments.
To introduce you to our Cool Peels, we have a special o er: the Winter Renew Facial. is luxurious 75-minute experience utilises Environ Skincare to revitalise your skin. e facial begins with a four-step cleansing routine, followed by the gentle yet e ective application of our lactic acid peel gel to renew and brighten your complexion.
After the peel, a nourishing treatment gel mask replenishes and hydrates your skin while our skilled therapist provides a soothing massage for relaxation and enhanced rejuvenation. We then apply a moisturiser tailored to your skin’s needs for optimal hydration, along with a protective SPF to shield your renewed skin from harmful UV rays.
As an added bonus, we o er a free lash tint and brow tidy! Treat yourself to our Winter Renew Facial – a 75-minute escape into pure bliss for just $160.
Book with Jamele today and experience the radiant and youthful skin you deserve.
“Change is not painful, only the resistance to change is painful”
Damian says taking charge of keeping well will also help ease pressure on the wider health system.
“Hospitals, GPs, the ambulance sector and other community health providers continue to face ongoing prolonged increased demand for services, which are only expected to increase as the cold and u season takes hold.
“Our incredible health workforce is under pressure and limiting the spread of infection will make a real di erence in making sure that the health system can provide the right care, in the right place, to those that need it this winter.”
Damian says Hato Hone St John has initiatives in place to reduce pressure on the ambulance and wider health system and is working collaboratively with Te Whatu Ora to raise public awareness of the range of medical care options for common winter illnesses.
“While we’re taking steps to help the communities who need us this winter, it’s also important for whānau to have a plan in place for when there is sickness in the household.
“ inking about things like do you have people you can rely upon for support. Creating a winter wellness kete can help get you through.
“ is might include paracetamol and ibuprofen, a thermometer, tissues, cold and u medications, enough food
and household items for a few days, and a good stock of the regular medicines you or your whānau will need.”
Damian says should you or your whānau become unwell, most people should be able to manage at home by resting, keeping up their uids and taking paracetamol or ibuprofen.
Keeping your home warm and dry is also important for staying well. e Healthy Homes webpage has good tips and information about insulation funding through the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme.
“And don’t forget that winter can also a ect our moods and for some it can become quite debilitating – this is known as Seasonal A ective Disorder.
“For people a ected by recent weather events this year, your moods are probably already low, so make sure you seek help early if it’s getting all a bit too much.”
Get help online at: SPARX.org.nz or: depression.org.nz
If you need health advice, call Healthline for free 24/7 on: 0800 611116 to speak with a registered nurse or call your general practice.
If you’re struggling to breathe or it’s an emergency, call 111.
If you take a multi-type supplement, you should carefully read the mineral contents on the label. Minerals are critical for the health and development of every cell in our body. Insu cient trace minerals can weaken immune response and leave people feeling tired and run down. is is my ‘go to’ for those who are tired with no medical cause.
e major minerals are calcium, magnesium and potassium. Of these, usually it’s magnesium that’s insu cient in many diets. Low magnesium can cause many health problems including cramp, restless legs and heart rhythm problems.
is should be included in meaningful mounts.
Our focus here though is on the trace
minerals especially zinc, copper, iron, selenium and manganese.
ese minerals are absolutely critical.
If they are missing or de cient in our diet, our health will su er.
We use these to make a group of antioxidant enzymes. e two most important are superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx).
We make SOD from zinc, copper, iron and manganese. We make GPx from selenium.
While these may sound like obscure chemicals they are the front-line of our cell defences against free radical damage.
Low levels of SOD
and GPx have been linked to pretty much any disease you pick from osteoarthritis to cancer. NZ soils are low on selenium; unless the food producer adds this to soils, the produce will have insu cient selenium and other trace minerals. While people often respond quickly to antioxidants and vitamins, the bene ts of these minerals can be signi cant over time. is is why any good multinutritional will have these minerals at the right levels and in a form our body can absorb. Over the years I’ve seen profound health improvements by adding a multi that is a true multi-mineral.
For more information, give me a call or email: john@ abundant.co.nz Read my newsletter at: www.abundant.co.nz
John Arts is a quali ed nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health. Contact John on 0800 423 559. To read more go to www.sunlive.co.nz
Here at the Watusi Country Club we tend to avoid politics; but sometimes, all you can say is ‘Wow!’
It has been possibly the weirdest 10 days I can remember in my lifetime for politicians around the globe. Consider the following...
America’s ex-leader, a man with a unique relationship to the truth, has been indicted on 37 federal charges; Britain’s ex-leader, a man with a unique relationship to the truth, resigned from politics under a cloud of scandal; Italy’s ex-leader, a man once charged over holding ‘bunga bunga parties’ with teenage
prostitutes, died; and Scotland’s ex-leader was arrested. Just a bad week for politicians I guess. Sliding sideways from that, I wanted to follow up on last week’s column which – like half the media these days – had a sideways glance at the misnamed but pervasively possible threat that is AI.
I had a couple of enquiries as to one source I was quoting, investigative journalist David Farrier. I am a great admirer of his and by complete coincidence he originally hails from right here in li’l ol’ Tauranga.
You may have come across him before. I believe Net ix has his TV documentary series, ‘Dark Tourism’, which explores some of the wilder and weirder vacational activities one can pursue. He has also made two very good full-length documentaries: ‘Tickled’, about the strange underground “phenomena” of competitive tickling (yes, unbelievably, it really is “a thing”); and ‘Mr Organ’, about a New Zealand underworld gure, which is still relatively new and so alarming that it really should be essential viewing.
Last week – you can still nd the column on the Sunlive.co.nz website – I was speci cally quoting from his weekly newsletter ‘Webworm’ (only a Google away), which won a Voyager Media Award last month for Best Team Investigation. Also tying in with last week’s column is a gig this weekend. As regular readers will no doubt know I try and avoid writing about things happening immediately but this week that policy is out the window. Just because.
I mentioned two music videos resplendent on
YouTube, proudly made with AI by local punks Stunt Clown, ‘Home Is Where e Hate Is’ and ‘ is Statistician’. Tomorrow night, Saturday, June 17, they are playing at a giant-sized Totara Street bash called Dark Hearts, “a raw mix of punk, rock and metal styles featuring some of the country’s best kept secrets”.
What that translates to is “it’ll be really heavy and you haven’t heard of any of the bands”.
For the record, they are: one from Auckland, Warm Leather; one from Hamilton, Static; and three of Tauranga’s nest, Hoick, Six Twos, and the aforementioned Stunt Clown, a four-piece including members of several veteran local bands, with in uences as varied as UK Subs, Killing Joke and Jesus Lizard. ey released a full-length debut album at the end of last year, which is available on Bandcamp or at their shows.
Doors open 7pm; tickets are $20 via the Totara St website.
Also on June 17 as part of Matariki at e Village, the Historic Village hosts Whanau Day from 9am-2pm. It will include art exhibitions, market stalls, Kaupapa Maori performers, creative workshops, food stalls, Maumahara, remembrance tributes, and a bunch of music, including JENNA (previously known as BROWN-E), Asher McMahon, Tūmanako Farrell, DJ Ayesha, Bex Strickland and Lacey (aka Wildanes).
ey’ll be singing and playing from 9am onwards on both the Creative Campus Stage and the Taniwha Street Stage.
ere’ll be heaps going on, entry is free – what’s not to like? A great way to start Matariki.
Western Bay of Plenty car enthusiasts are gearing up to host hot rods and classic cars rolling in from around the country for the annual Winter Blast event, this weekend.
“We’ll have more than 40 cars from as far away as Wellington and Whangarei,” says Bay Rodders president Keith Sawyer.
e local club has organised various activities leading up to the main event –which is a car display at the Elizabeth St carpark building, beside Farmers, in Tauranga City, this Sunday, June 18.
“We have a great variety
of cars ranging from hot rods dating from the 1930s and 1940s right through to 1960s classics,” says Keith. “ en we have muscle cars, drag cars and rally cars. It’s a real range and the owners all love chatting to people about their vehicles and the work they’ve done on them.
one of the bigger indoor events, and the swap meet would easily be Tauranga’s biggest,” says Keith.
Sunday’s car show and swap meet is open from 7am to 10am for those parking the car show entries and swappers. e public is welcome from 9am to 1pm, when entrants spot prizes and a prize draw will be announced. For more information, go to: www.bayrodders.co.nz
“
ere’s even a 1940 Coca Cola truck painted red and yellow with its original engine that comes all the way from Whangarei.
“It’s really cool.”
Keith say Sunday’s event is also a chance for car-owners to nd parts for their beloved beauties.
“ e display is
Tauranga Musica proudly presents the Menzies/Endres Duo in partnership with Chamber Music New Zealand and sponsored by Bay Radiology.
Internationally-acclaimed violinist and violist Mark Menzies and celebrated pianist Michael Endres bring their monumental programme to Tauranga on Sunday, June 25, at 4pm.
Power and virtuosity de ne the ery duo. Both renowned soloists, Menzies and Endres come together to tackle cornerstone works of the violin and piano repertoire with fresh and thrilling interpretations. From their rst performance together, playing Beethoven’s ‘Kreutzer’ sonata, the two shared an instant connection – a discovery that inevitably led to further collaboration and this ambitious programme.
e duo’s artistic force is apparent from the opener, Schubert’s
sparked their initial connection: Beethoven’s ‘Violin Sonata No 9, Op 47’. With the illustrious ‘Kreutzer’, Beethoven has both instruments playing daring, highly virtuosic, concerto-style music.
Ultimately, the duo’s terri c level of skill and intensity are sure to keep concertgoers on the edge of their seat from beginning to end.
e duo will perform at the
Graham Young Youth eatre, Tauranga Boys’ College, on June 25 at 4pm. Tickets at: www.tgamusica.co.nz e Weekend Sun has one double pass to give away to one lucky reader who can tell us two pieces the duo will play in their concert for Tauranga Musica. Enter online at: www.sunlive.co.nz under the Competitions tab. Entries close Tuesday, June 20.
taking audiences on an exhilarating ride.
Salina Fisher’s ‘Mono no aware’ follows the bold Schnittke, o ering a welcome moment of delicate contemplation.
e Menzies/ Endres Duo close their colossal programme with the piece that
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Churches Active In Our Community
Strengthening interfaith connections
voice on religious issues and are a conduit of information on faithbased events and issues within the wider community. Like many organisations, we have seen participation and energy drop post-Covid.
By undertaking this planning process, we are hoping to develop strategies which will create new and stronger bonds amongst faith groups. We will evaluate what is working well, look at how to reignite our connections with existing faith groups, and explore ways to engage with a wider range of people interested in interfaith activities. e process will include three phases. Phase 1 is running an online survey. Phase 2 is participation in a community hui. Phase 3 is holding a strategy workshop. If you are interested
in being involved in this process, email: tmifc2014@gmail.com
Shona Woodhead, Tauranga Moana Interfaith Council secretary
Microchip
and bell all pet cats!
cat’ explained. If it is a group of strays being fed by some catlover, then that tends to worsen the situation because the whole colony would need to be sterile.
I see no point in neutering trapped cats and releasing them, I don’t believe the vacuum e ect works judging by the number of feral cats I see.
To mitigate this problem it should be compulsory to microchip all pet cats, and preferably bell them. Anyone caught dumping should be heavily ned. Euthanise all those which are handed in to groups such as the WWT if they don’t home them within 10 days.
Ann Mark, Te Puke.
Are we committed to climate change? What the...?
One wonders whether the Government, among others, is really committed to climate change problems.
I have written to the leader of every party informing them of a way to stop sheep and cattle from making methane in the rumen and spoken to the Tauranga MP about it. I also wrote to the head of Federated Farmers. Not a peep from one of them. is is not some crackpot idea it’s a scienti c fact. An investment of about $12,000 in a unit to hydrogenate the water of an entire farm would start a research programme on the system.
David Levi, Aongatete.
One nice roundabout!
I wanted to write in to share something positive about roadworks for a change.
- EL la tyb
- EL la tyb
worship with us each
Bible Study
You FURTHER NOTICE Maunganui 10:45am you! S2214cbMount
•
welcome The Weekend Sun Friday 16 June 2023
I live in Katikati and work in Greerton after dropping my husband o at work in the Avenues, meaning I drive about an hour to get to and from work along State highway 2 – which we all know is notorious for terrible roadworks.
If the Government can toss millions at so many undeserving causes, surely they could look into this? We could become the rst country in the world to have herds and ocks that do not produce methane and save the farmers millions of dollars in taxes.
Alastair Bourne, Bethlehem.
However, the roadworks team that did the Rea/ Tetley Rd roundabout have done a great job.
SABBATH 10AM OTUMOETAI PRIMARY
SABBATH 10AM OTUMOETAI PRIMARY
Joel & Sharon van Ameringen
Joel & Sharon van Ameringen
021 768 043
ALL WELCOME SHALOM info@bethel.org.nz
Messianic Family bethel.org.nz
ALL WELCOME SHALOM info@bethel.org.nz
Strict rules needed for driving Rules with rugby games have to be strictly adhered to for the game to function properly.Strict rules are also very much needed for safe driving.
When we pass our driving test, we must recite every rule to the examiner before we are allowed to drive alone on the road.
Yet when we are driving alone, some folk become selective to which rules they choose to ignore.Especially speed limits. Every rule is there because it is needed. Like ‘rungs’ on a ladder. You can’t miss some of them out. ey are all needed.
Rugby is a game played for fun only but still requires strict rules to function properly. Safe driving on the roads can only be accomplished if ‘all’ the rules are obeyed by everybody.
Ken Jones, Katikati.
It took a while but that patch is now such a nice bit of road to drive on.I know roadworks aren’t much fun (trust me, I drive through several every day!) but they are necessary to keep our roads functional and future-proof.
Lynley McGra , Katikati.
The Govt should fund St John ambulancesWhy does New Zealand need to steal charity money for Hato Hone St John ambulance to operate? e public are being asked to pay for what is a government-seen essential service and certainly not a charity. Why don’t we make the Army, and the Police a charity perhaps? Or make the MPs volunteer in Parliament? It is said that no government should ever use any charity for funding. NZ has nearly 30,000 charities for about ve million people?
Ron Chamberlain, Otūmoetai.
bible digest
REMEMBER the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. Isaiah 46:9
curriculum vitae
CVs THAT STAND OUT. A C.V. For
You can help you look great on paper. Targeted or generic cover letters also available. Samples to view on facebook www.facebook.com/ acvforyou or Ph/text 021 27 27 912
gardening
ABLE GARDENER, experienced, e cient, knowledgeable, highly quali ed. Maintenance, pruning, hedges, shrubs, roses; disease/pest control, lifestyle blocks, garden renovations; design & plant. Ph Tita 027 654 8781 or a/h 542 0120
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SERVICES tree pruning, weeding, hedges, water blasting, home maintenance, fence painting at a ordable rates Ph Philip 027 655 4265
livestock
AC PETFOODS collect injured & unwanted cows & horses.
Ph 0800 369 6269 lost & found
FOUND KITTENS & PUPPIES various places, colours and sex.
Ph SPCA 07 578 0245
FOUND Cat, Grey Tabby, Male, approximately 3 years old, Matatmata. Ref 581794
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Ph SPCA 07 578 0245
trades & services
BRYCE DECORATING interior and exterior painting, wallpapering. Have your powdercoated windows faded? Can be cleaned and restored like new! Plastic car bumpers faded? Can be restored too! Quality work. Showroom nish. Ph Wayne 021 162 7052
HANDYMAN, section maintenance, lawns, decks, fencing, pergolas, painting, water blasting and odd jobs. Free quotes. Ph Rossco 027 270 3313 or 021 544 5911
ROOF REPAIRS Free quotes for all maintenance of leaking roofs, gutter cleaning & repairs. Chimney maintenance & repairs. Registered roofer, 30yrs exp. Ph Peter 542 4291 or 027 436 7740
TREE, SHRUB and hedges trimming, topping, rubbish, palm pruning or removal, satisfaction guaranteed free quote. Ph Steve Hockly 027 498 1857
travel & tours
NO 8 TOURS Join our Club today to receive all our VIP Members Bene ts exclusive to No 8 Tours. Our Brand-New Catalogue jampacked ll of tours is now available, don’t miss out. These include Extended Tours, Day Trips and Shows with a FREE Door to Door Service. Wearable Arts Wellington & Martinborough 1st trip sold out -2nd selling Fast -28th Sept-1st Oct 2023 - 4 Days. Hawkes Bays Vineyards & Historic Homes 10th -15th Oct 2023 – 6 Days. Taranaki Rhodendron & Garden Festival 27th -30th Oct 2023 – 4 Days.
Tranz Alpine & Coastal Paci c Train Kaikoura 11th -16th Oct 2023 – 6 Days. Christchurch Stay & Play 18th-24th Jan 2024 – 7
Days. BOOK NOW: Ph. No8 Tours team on 579 3981 Or Email admin@no8tours.co.nz Or visit www.no8tours.co.nz to view and book all our tours.
ZEALANDIER TOURS – Thursday
22nd June – Lunch at Prince Albert – the old English Pub in Cambridge- “The Town of Trees & Champions”. Only 2 seats left - Call us to book your seats today. Ph 572 4118
ZEALANDIER TOURS – Tuesday
11th July – Celebrating Matarikiwe will visit Tauranga Astronomical Society, learn a little bit more about Matariki, followed by a beautiful bu et lunch - Call us to book your seats today. Ph 572 4118
ZEALANDIER TOURS –Wednesday 26th July - Mid-Winter Xmas Dinner – 3 course festive lunch. Set menu including roast lamb, ham on the bone & all the trimmings. Be quick only 2 seats left – Call us to book your seats today. Ph 572 4118
