The Weekend Sun - 22 June 2023

disaster on Monday, July 3. Just a week ago, the rear wheel was lifted from the crash site by helicopter, and the museum salvage team plans to return soon to the crash scene to recover one of the DC-3’s

two engines, which has lain there for six decades. Classic Flyers volunteer Ian Swainson and the CEO Andrew Gormlie are pictured with the prize. Read the full story is on pages 6-7. Composite photo: Bob Tulloch.

Tauranga left on the sideline

“O jogo bonito” exclaimed e Doe.

Pardon? “Futbol, le foot, football – o jogo bonito! e beautiful game.”

What the hell?

“Pele – his words – football, the beautiful game. e world’s greatest sport.”

Really? Beautiful I take to mean aesthetically pleasing, delighting the senses or mind. So I am not sure how 90 minutes of lacklustre, low intensity scoreless-ness, followed by an added 30 minutes of scoreless-ness, constitutes a thing of beauty? en all the diving, feigned injury, timewasting, player histrionics...Not really beautiful.

“Regardless,” exhorted e Doe. “ e kittens and I want to go see the FIFA Women’s World Cup. It’s the biggest show in town, the biggest sporting event ever in New Zealand. A beautiful thing.”

Already, I’m accepting my voice is probably a lone voice in a football universe of an estimated 3.5 billion fans watching 250,000,000 players in 200 football-mad countries.

“Just a minute Dear,” I replied patronisingly, as you do when you feel you might be losing an argument.

Beauty in sport

Beauty in sport is something like rugby’s ‘try from the end of the world’ at Eden Park in 1994. Philippe Saint-Andre gathers the ball 80 metres out, it passes through nine sets of hands and a ruck, and after a medley of draw-and-pass rugby and angled running lines Jean-Luc Sadourny scores to beat the All Blacks right on time. Better than beautiful – sublime! It was like a symphony – played out in slow motion with a full orchestra backing. One of rugby’s best tries ever. “Zambia plays Japan in the rst FIFA match in Kirikiriroa,” chimes in e Doe.

I don’t think she was listening to me. “And if we enjoy that ‘beautiful game’, which I am sure we will, we can go back and see another ‘beautiful game’; Switzerland playing Norway.” I sense this argument is slipping away from me.

And Doe, if we are discussing beauty in sport, then of course Sugar Ray Leonard was a thing of primal beauty – without question one of the greatest boxers in history. Blinding hand speed, dazzling foot work, toughness and an eye for the kill. All the basics with a unique dash of air…truly beautiful!

“Or..,” says the Doe, “we could go to Wellington to see the world champions USA”. “ at would be a buzz!”

When you are on the ropes, play dirty. Of course the most recent celebrated example of a beautiful game was pretender to the throne Chris Luxton, slipping and sliding his way out of a sales deal for a taxpayerfunded Tesler.

And only surpassed by his jab and right cross combo that New Zealand is “very negative, wet, and whiny” before retreating with his Italian shoes wedged in his mouth. In itself the comment was ‘whiny’, so watching him shimmy his way out of that mess was verbal athleticism, beautiful to watch.

Magnetism

However, I concede football’s penalty shootout is a thing of beauty...and, a sport in its own right. e penalty shootout could be to football what T20 is to cricket. Quick and dirty and wonderful – hit or miss, triumph or humiliation. e stands would be packed with people baying for someone to miss from the penalty spot, and in the process pare millions from his value on the transfer market. Football’s answer to a blood sport. Let’s all go to a shoot-out!

“ ere’s no ‘set universal explanation’ why football is considered a beautiful game. It just is,” says e Doe. “It’s magnetism lies in its unpredictability. And besides, won’t it be a nice change from men with cauli ower ears burying their heads between other men’s buttocks?”

Who said if you can change your mind, change your opinion, you can change your life. So I set all my prejudices aside and look at the numbers.

irty-two teams will contest the FIFI Women’s World Cup – 12 more than the men’s Rugby World Cup. Twenty-nine of the 64 matches will be played in New Zealand with an estimated $200 million pumped into the Aotearoa and Australian economies with an international audience of 1.5 billion people. It’s big.

No cake

And so why aren’t we talking about it more? Probably because Tauranga doesn’t get a decent slice of the cake. Yes, we are a ‘team base camp’ – we’re hosting Netherlands at Baypark. “Welkom in Nieuw-zeeland. Je bent onder vrienden.” We’re already emotionally attached. ere’s also a $240,000 government sweetener to ‘celebrate and empower women’ alongside the cup’. But it’s sad the city and its bars and restaurants, hotels and motels, and our international image, won’t have window seats on this gravy train, won’t bene t from games being played in town and a full in ux of fans and their wallets.

Wouldn’t our girl footballers want to see the world’s best playing their game in their own backyard? Wouldn’t it be a ‘I wanna do that’ moment for them?

Figure this. Games will be played in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Dunedin. I can already feel the hype in those centres.

But New Zealand’s second and fth biggest cities, Christchurch and Tauranga, don’t get a look in. Not one FIFA Women’s World Cup game between them. Dunedin, the country’s seventh biggest city and just a snowball’s throw from Antarctica, gets six. I wonder why?

“Don’t you dare use the ‘S’ word,” warns e Doe. “We are on the brink of something ‘beautiful’ and we don’t want to upset the naysayers.” Futbol, le foot, football – o jogo bonito! Go the beautiful game! Email: hunter@thesun.co.nz

Speer,

Papamoa and Te Puke and available to collect at many stand locations throughout the area. For a full list of stand locations see https://theweekendsun.co.nz/stand-locations.html Produced by Sun Media Ltd, an independent and locally owned company based at 1 The Strand, Tauranga.

Mini golf hopes it won’t putt out

After more than 40 years in the heart of the city, Tauranga Mini Golf may have to say goodbye to its greens in coming years.

Tauranga Mini Golf’s owner Mike Head says the time has nally come for the land that his course resides on to be reclaimed by council.

Based at Memorial Park, the mini golf course was built by the local Rotary Club more than 40 years ago as a legacy to Tauranga. Now, the golf course may have to clear the decks to make way for new aquatics and recreation facilities for the city, says Mike, who has owned the business for ve years.

He reckons this means it’s up to the people of Tauranga to speak up on whether they’d like to see a mini golf course reinstated if the current one has to go.

“We want to know what the public and customers have to say,” says Mike.

Tauranga Mini Golf has launched a platform for people to cast their votes on the matter. “We’ve had more than 600 submissions and the numbers of votes are literally in their thousands with ‘Yes’...so there’s a resounding ‘yes’ that everybody wants a mini golf down here, like why wouldn’t you? It’s been here for 40 years so probably every single family in the place has been through here. You know ve or six times since it’s been open...there’s probably a good half a million people that have been through here.”

Tauranga City

Council haven’t con rmed whether Tauranga Mini Golf will be impacted by a new aquatics facilities. “ e project is still in the early stages so it’s too soon to say what impact the upgraded facilities may have on any existing users such as the mini golf,” says TCC general manager of city development and partnerships, Gareth Wallis. While uncon rmed, Mike says TCC has established his lease won’t be renewed at the year’s end.

However Mike says: “ ey won’t kick me out of here…they have agreed I’ll be here month-to-month and that could go on for a year or so”.

And Mike welcomes the prospect of creating a new golf course. “If you’d have asked me three years ago I would’ve said: ‘Oh no I hope it never happens’, but now I’m actually quite enjoying the process of budgeting…the process of design. I’ve got some pretty good plans that will be the rst in New Zealand. It will be a state-of-the-art course and nothing like it in NZ.”

Gareth says TCC will work towards completion of a concept design for the Memorial Park aquatic and recreation facilities in the next four months.

“We’re also planning for the future of the wider area, so we can make the best use of space and ensure a range of activities are on o er for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy.” e concept plan, alongside a business case, costs and timings, will be brought to the Commission for consideration later this year. Visit: https://minigolf.co.nz/ to have your say.

Georgia Minkhorst

Mike Head is inviting the community to have their say on whether they want another mini golf course if the current one has to go. Photo: John Borren.

Celebrating a ‘remarkable’ leader

A former Western Bay of Plenty health boss is being remembered as innovative, patient-centric, and for his commitment to Māori Health outcomes.

Robin Milne started at Tauranga Hospital as chief operating o cer in the early-1990s and became chief executive in 1993 when the government reformed the health system.

Four Regional Health Authorities were established – Northern, Midland, Central and Southern.

e Area Health Boards were recon gured into 23 Crown Health Enterprises.

e CHE Western Bay of Plenty

Health was formed and Robin was placed at its head. Members of his executive team, known as the “tight ve”, have shared their experiences.

“He was a great support for the advancement of Māori health,”

says Janice Kuka. e community and iwi were “dissatis ed about the revolving door that was happening with Māori health” so lobbied hospital management for a kaupapa Māori unit to be established, says Janice.

Robin, Janice, and the rest of the executive team supported Māori to establish Te Puna Hauora which led to a kaupapa Māori ward being set up at the hospital.

e ward, which still runs today, was a rst for Aotearoa and has not been replicated anywhere else in the country, says Janice. “Our nurses were trained to look after the whole person. It’s been really successful both for Māori and non-Māori,” says Janice.

“He was highly respected by us [Māori] because he was courageous in supporting us. We think that was a big part of the structural change in addressing Māori health.”

Now the managing director of Nga Mataapuna Oranga, Janice says Robin continued working for Māori Health right up until he died. He died suddenly at home on April 28 this year, aged 75.

Former WBOP Health customer services manager Alyson Howell says Robin was the “right man for the times” because he was able to balance the business approach required with empathy for patients.

“He was quite a remarkable leader, very insightful, very dedicated to making the health service that he ran as inclusive and as fair as possible.” Geo Smith, former human resources manager for WBOP Health, gets emotional when asked his thoughts on Robin. “[He was] very rare and very special”.

After leaving WBOP Health in 1997 Robin became a consultant, but the “tight ve” remained friends.

In his later years, Robin took up painting and

set up a gallery at one of his favourite cafés in Te Puna.

He called Ōmokoroa home and loved it almost as much as his three “treasured” grandchildren, says his daughter Georgie Milne.

One of the “tight ve”, Sue Lewer has organised a remembrance gathering at Alma Eatery in Ōmokoroa from 2-4pm on June 30. “We’re hoping people will take that opportunity to come and talk about the person that they knew, because Robin was di erent things for di erent people,” says Sue.

Please rsvp by emailing: sue.

lewer01@gmail.com

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.

Read the full story on www.sunlive.co.nz

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Fresh faces for Bay of Plenty electorate

here for a while, and people are really keen now to have some local voices around that table, and getting back to having some local body elections.”

Taikato says the top three issues facing the BOP are infrastructure, housing and health. She says the region’s problems with infrastructure are not only related to roads, but include “a ordable water services, power and all the things needed to stand up housing development”.

“ ere is still a lot of focus on the Takitimu Northern Link however, this is a commuter residential issue. It is not a trade or freight in and out of the

Fresh faces are on the way for the Bay of Plenty electorate at the upcoming General Election – and they’re both eager to take the reins as an MP this October.

National Party candidate Tom Rutherford and Labour Party candidate Pare Taikato are both Tauranga-born and bred, and are passionate about helping those in the community. ey are lling the boots of current MPs Todd Muller and Angie WarrenClark, with Muller resigning at the end of this term and Warren-Clark making the move to Whangārei.

Rutherford has been a Mount Maunganui volunteer re ghter, a NZ Hockey umpire, a BOP rugby referee and has captained the Greerton Cricket Club. His previous role was the executive of communications for Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell.

Taikato has spent time at the Port of Tauranga and in horticulture at a number of Māori land-owning trusts,

and currently works as an MP support to Education Minister Jan Tinetti. Sh’es also spent time overseas teaching English second language classes in Japan.

Important issues

When asked about the BOP’s most important issues, Rutherford says the cost of living crisis, transport and local democracy would make the top of the list.

“ e cost for people to go to the supermarket, the price at the petrol tank, mortgages with exponentially rising interest rates are really expensive for a lot of people living in our BOP community.

“We’ve also got some major challenges with transport, particularly with State Highway 29 over the Kaimai Range and State Highway 2 through Te Puna and Ōmokoroa, where there’s some big issues there connecting our local community.

“ ere’s also the issue of local democracy, which is an issue for a lot of people. We’ve had the comissioners

port issue. My position is to continue to support the work the Government is doing in those spaces, and to ask for more of it, and faster.”

In Taikato’s current job providing MP support, she says many locals come to Jan Tinetti’s o ce in Greerton asking for more work to be done with housing.

“Yes in the BOP [the issue] is the roads. But we also need the infrastructure for housing to be advanced and set up.”

To read the full pro les on both candidates, visit: www.sunlive.co.nz

Taylor Rice

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

Need bin day reminders? My bin dashboard 1 Kerbside Drive, Tauranga Your next collection is:

EDIT Recycling bin Tuesday 25 October Food scraps bin Tuesday 25 October Glass bin Tuesday 25 October Rubbish bin Tuesday 1 November Home Track ContactFAQs My Bin

JULY 2023 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 SEPTEMBER 2023 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

AUGUST 2023 M T W T F S S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 OCTOBER 2023 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 NOVEMBER 2023 M T W T F S S 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

JANUARY 2024 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 MARCH 2024 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

DECEMBER 2023 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 FEBRUARY 2024 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 APRIL 2024 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Fortnightly collection 4-weekly collection Fortnightly collection 4-weekly collection APRIL 2024 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Collections will take place one day later all week from Monday 25 December due to Christmas Day falling on a Monday. No changes to collections on all other public holidays. Collections will take place one day later all week from Monday 1 January due to New Year’s Day falling on a Monday. No collection on Friday 29 March (Good Friday). Collection will occur on Saturday 30 March instead. No changes to collections on all other public holidays.

www.tauranga.govt.nz/kerbsidecollections kerbside@tauranga.govt.nz 07 577 7000

National Party candidate for the Bay of Plenty Tom Rutherford.

Labour Party candidate for the Bay of Plenty Pare Taikato.

We may be emailing you soon to verify your email address.

finally makes finally makes it home Flight 441

“Tauranga, this is AYZ. We’re two minutes out.”

e fateful nal radio communication from an NAC DC3 Skyliner en route from Auckland to Tauranga at 9.06am on July 3, 1963. “Request descent to 4100.”

Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand, Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty will soon start to use safe and secure email to communicate some appointment dates or health information with our patients. This is an optional service designed to make life easier for patients who wish to use it.

We are in the process of sending a verification email, which is safe and secure, to all patients who have been in contact with Tauranga and/or Whakatāne Hospitals within the past two years who have an email address in our patient management system. You will be asked to confirm that the email address we have on file is correct, and that you are happy for us to communicate health information with you in this way.

The safe and secure verification email will come from the following email address:

Te Whatu Ora Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty – Patient Verification (donotreply@ emailverification.bopdhb.health.nz)

This email is genuine and we ask you to please select your choice of the 3 options in the email. Thanks for your help!

For more info, visit our website: https://www.bopdhb.health.nz/patientsand-visitors/for-our-patients/patientemail-verification/

It was a lousy day – cloud was down, winds were up and it was raining a storm. Five-thousand feet below a Gordon schoolteacher heard an aircraft, followed by a dull crash – “like a door slamming”. en eerie silence.

Flight 441 disintegrated when it ploughed into a vertical rock-face high on the Kaimai Range. ree crew and 20 passengers perished in what would still be New Zealand’s worst ever internal air disaster.

“Two minutes out” became 60 years. And then this week, it was as if Flight 441 had nally arrived in Tauranga, she had come home, reached her destination. “It’s mangled piece of steel as you would expect. But it’s important. It’s the heart of an aeroplane,” says Andrew Gormlie, CEO of Classic Flyers, and the man whose volunteer team last week brought part of Flight 441 home.

Waiting 60 years

e mangled piece of steel is the remains of a cowled 1100hp Pratt & Whitney radial piston engine in a ravine on the Kaimai Range. e engine, one of two that powered the DC-3, had fallen clear of the accident site on impact, and over

time rolled down the steep slope before wedging between rocks.

“It still represents an engine, you can see the cylinders and the crank case. But it’s certainly weathered; looks like it’s been waiting 60 years in the bush.” A solemn and shattered reminder of a dark and tragic episode in our aviation history. And the engine will be given dignity – housed in a commemorative display area, a shrine, in the main hanger of Classic Flyers, with photographs of the victims, video images and the story of the crash told carefully and accurately.

“We have to be mindful and respectful. It will be treated with reverence,” says Andrew.

Probably because the salvage has been a sensitive issue for 20 years – it’s often been talked about but never acted on. ere have been those who have said ‘leave well alone’, that the crash site is hallowed ground, ‘let’s remember without interfering’.

“We certainly don’t want to o end,” says Andrew. “But time always heals and it’s now less of a raw wound.”

And the museum believes it’s imperative the DC-3 wreckage be salvaged now. “It won’t be a decade or two before the crash will have passed from the national consciousness, and bits and pieces still scattered on the ridge, will be gone,” says Andrew. ”It won’t matter to new generations. I sense that already.”

Now there will be something tangible to keep the memory alive. “A lest we forget factor,” says

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Above: e artefact, the prize – the rear wheel from the NAC DC-3.

Photo: Bob Tulloch.

Andrew. e day of the salvage last week, and the Kaimai Range was a picture – raw and rugged, bathed in sunshine, but still bloody minded. Because it refuses to surrender the engine.

e ground crew at the crash site have the engine in a strop but it’s rmly lodged – the chopper can’t lift it.

‘Bugger’ factor

“A bit of the ‘bugger’ factor,” says Andrew. “A bit disappointing.” Cheated but not beaten –they’ll regroup and bring in some more muscle, a bigger chopper when the weather improves and they can access the site.

In the meantime ground crew at the crash site secured another prize – the museum salvage team won’t go home empty-handed. It’s the DC-3’s rear wheel assembly – lifted out of the ravine and now sitting on a trailer for the trip to the museum. “A marvelous prize – still whole and in comparatively good order considering what it’s been through.”

ere’s a signi cant rupture in the tyre.

“Accident damage,” says Andrew. “Impact damage.” Classic Flyer’s memorial to the Kaimai air crash is slowly coming together.

Take extra care on the roads this winter

Motorists are urged to take extra care on the roads as we head into winter months. “With temperatures dropping we’re seeing an increase in ice on our roads, low visibility, rain, and shorter days causing sunstrike,” says Bay of Plenty road policing supervisor Sergeant Russell Owen.

“ ese conditions increase the risk of crashes if motorists fail to adapt to the driving conditions. Police ask motorists

to slow down and expect your travels to take longer.” Russell also warns to watch for tiredness and fatigue – and plan journeys accordingly. “Please also be cautious of other motorists and road users – especially around peak tra c times. We want everyone travelling to get where they’re going safely, and to arrive alive.” Report poor driving behaviour on 111 for emergencies, or 105 for non-life threatening matters.

What caused the crash? Insu cient altitude, navigational problems and ferocious winds were crucial factors. e 70-80 knot winds, much stronger than forecast, caused the plane to drift west of the planned route.

Inquiry

A court of inquiry would nd the pilot probably thought he had cleared the ridge, that he was on the eastern side or Tauranga side of the Kaimai Ranges and had begun his descent to Tauranga from the wrong position.

ere was also the possibility radio compasses were not operating reliably in the ugly weather, and that DME or Distance Measuring Equipment couldn’t assist the crew as there was no equivalent equipment in Tauranga. It was installed shortly after the crash.

e Kaimai Range was also notorious for its down current – and on this day probably 2000 feet a minute. In his book, ‘Kaimai Crash’ author and aviation historian Rev Dr Richard Waugh wrote: “Captain Len Enchmarch and First O cer Peter kissel applied additional power to arrest the descent and gain more height but to no avail. Just as quickly as the DC-3 plunged downward in dense cloud and driving rain, severe turbulence of the worst kind hit the aircraft”.

Too turbulent to climb out of and Flight 441 slammed into the ravine.

Now here in Tauranga will be a permanent, accessible and poignant reminder of the crash. At 1.30pm on Monday, July 3, the rear wheel will become part of a commemorative display that will be dedicated at Classic Flyers Museum at Tauranga Airport. “A tribute to those who died, and those who did all they could to assist after the disaster,” says Andrew. Flight 441’s engine will follow.

Hunter Wells

e national memorial for Flight 441 disaster. Stand here on Old Te Aroha Rd, and on a good day gaze 4km north-east, and there, high on the ridge, is the crash site. Photo: Bob Tulloch.

Above: e NAC (forerunner to Air New Zealand) DC-3 Skyliner ZK-AYZ - photographed only a few months before the accident.

Photo: Mannering & Associates via Richard Waugh.

Tauranga loses ‘a graceful lady’

It was sad but serendipitous at the same time. A Bay of Islands family, beset by tragedy, needed a big strong boat.

Another family, a Tauranga family, beset by their own sad story, just happened to have one.

All the stars were aligned. e sale was made.

But it does mean Tauranga will lose a presence, a graceful lady? ‘Te Kuia’ – an iconic 16m charter shing boat has been plodding these waters and rewarding those paying to dangle a line with chilly bins of snapper, blue nose and hapuku for decades.

“It’s an amazing shing boat,” says Raewyn Ensor, who for 34 years ran Te Kuia as part of Blue Ocean Charters with her late husband Hugh. “It’s departure is a huge loss for Tauranga. People will be gutted.”

Other plans

But after all Tauranga had its chance – Te Kuia had been for sale for 10 years.

Now the time is right. “I want to retire,” says Raewyn. “I have other plans.” Like a European adventure, and a couple of weddings in Italy.

Tauranga’s loss, but on

the other hand, a big score for the Bay of Islands –which lost its ferry ‘Waitere’ when it was busted and sunk in a collision recently.

Waitere also had its roots in Tauranga – a preharbour bridge ferry, which plied between the CBD and Mount Maunganui.

Now Te Kuia will be pressed into service, replacing the ‘Waitere’ on the Paihia-Russell tourist run –15 minutes and 3.8km across the bay. Sixty-odd passengers there, another 60-odd back again. Several times a day, three months every summer during the tourist season.

Te Kuia – purpose-built for charter shing, so a workhorse, and a “comfortable” workhorse apparently.

And when she was pulled onto the hardstand for an annual titivation recently she drew some Facebook tra c. “A big beamy girl when you see her out of water,” said one observer. “A big strong ship alrite” said another. “Big propeller” said yet another.

But Te Kuia means graceful lady – elegant, stylish, sophisticated.

“Absolutely a graceful lady,” says Raewyn. And of course she

e end of a 34-year family connection – the Ensor’s last hurrah aboard Te Kuia. From left: Jono Fletcher, Raewyn, Ella, Sarah and Scott. e other son Russell, skipper of Te Kuia these last few years, was overseas at the time. Photo: John Borren.

baton is passed from one family to another –

skipper and owner Jack Elliott

would think that – she’s had 34 years growing an emotional attachment to Te Kuia, as boat owners do. “A total family attachment,” admits Raewyn. Her three kids grew up on Te Kuia, learned to walk on those decks, learned to sh from her; got their skippers’ tickets. ey lived, loved and laughed aboard her. And in between times, Te Kuia was working, keeping the shing punters happy, and putting food on the family table.

Of course it’s sad she going. “But it’s even sadder what happened up north,” says Raewyn.

e BOI’s accident in late-April left the 77-yearold skipper Bill Elliott with critical head and spinal injuries. He’s only just come home from hospital.

“So if this helps them over that terrible accident, and at the same time allows me to retire, then it’s win-win.” Te Kuia goes from one family business to another.

e Ensor’s bought their rst charter boat called Ratahi o a ‘hard-case’ Tauranga boatie called Jerry Williams in 1988. He was probably Tauranga’s rst charter shing boat operator.

“Ten minutes before our rst trip out of Whakatane, just three people were waiting. Hugh, my husband, said: ‘No point going’.” Scuttled before they started. But ve minutes later 15 people were waiting. And a year later they bought another boat called Te Kuia. Business boomed.

Eulogy to Hugh

e story becomes, in part, a eulogy to Hugh Ensor, from all accounts another character, who died ve years ago. “An amazing sherman who would get onto the snapper, blue nose and hapuku every time,” says son Scott Ensor.

He also charmed his way into expanding the eet. “He saw a boat in Auckland in 1994 and he really liked it. ‘Darling, can I please buy it?’” Raewyn says she couldn’t refuse the man. “After all it had twin 770hp V12 Mercedes.”

It was the ‘Ohorere’. “It means get up and y,” chuckles Raewyn. Does 30 knots or 55km/hr. ose twin Mercs are parked up right there – right next to Te Kuia down at B54 at the Bridge Marina. It’ll be the fun boat, the holiday boat.

Hugh was working on Ohorere three weeks before his death. “He was a ghter,” says Raewyn. He shot a 16 point red stag three weeks before he died, then bought a Harley-Davidson. He didn’t slow down until he stopped.

“ e rst shing trip on Te Kuia after Dad passed away and seven or eight dolphins turn up when we hit the 100m line,” Scott recalls. “ ey stayed with us all night and all next day. ey knew something had happened, they knew Dad was gone. Something spiritual going on there.”

So a little of the memory, a little of the spirit sailed out of Tauranga when Te Kuia headed north to the Bay of Islands last week.

Happy

e man at the helm for the ve-day voyage to the BOI was Jack Elliott, son of the man seriously injured in the Bay of Islands crash.

e ferry business up north is a family business and they’re grateful to have found Te Kuia.

“She looks as solid as a brick s*** house – and she needs to be strong for the constant whar ng.” Day in, day out during the three-month tourist season. “Lot of

newer boats couldn’t stand that, not as strong.” e Ensor’s took the seasoned sailor Jack out for a ‘test run’ on Te Kuia – the boat was comfortable, Jack wasn’t.

“Good trip but I was seasick most of the time – I won’t be throwing up at

work. It’s only when I get out in the deep stu .”

So Te Kuia goes from one family business to another. “Very cool.”

Raewyn is happy with that.

Hunter Wells

e

Raewyn Ensor in Te Kuia’s wheelhouse with the new

from the Bay of Islands. Photo: John Borren.

Blindzone demo for cyclists

Cyclists are invited to drop in to a Blindzone demonstration at Mount Maunganui this Sunday, June 25, hosted by Travel Safe and Share the Road.

e free event is 10am-2pm this Sunday at Tauranga Hockey Club carpark, Kawaka St..

Share the Road campaign manager Richard Barter says the demonstration will allow cyclists to experience several blind spots rsthand that prevent truck drivers from seeing people on bikes – because few people have any idea of what a driver can and can’t see from the

seat of their truck. “ is is a unique opportunity to sit in the driver’s seat of a big truck to learn just where you can and can't be seen on a bike. We mark out the blind zones with cones and tape and position vehicles and bicycles in the blind zone areas then ask participants to nd them when they are in the driver’s seat!”

Travel Safe team leader Sonia Lynds wants riders of all abilities to attend, saying it’s often more con dent and faster cyclists that are more reluctant to use separated cycle paths. “We’d love to see some regular commuters, cycling groups, road cycling clubs and triathlon clubs join us...”

Peninsula safer for everyone

Residents can now provide feedback on the early design of the Ōtūmoetai project. Photo: supplied.

Big changes are being proposed for the Ōtūmoetai Peninsula to make it safer and easier for people to walk, cycle, catch a bus, as well as drive around their neighbourhoods and into the city centre.

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.

Accessible Streets

Big changes are being proposed to make it safer and easier to cycle, catch a bus, or walk to key places on the Ōtūmoetai Peninsula as well as into the city centre. We also want to improve safety for people driving.

See the early design and have your say before 12 July 2023: letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz

Reduced speed limits around schools during school hours are also proposed, as well as a new one-way system on Windsor Rd in Bellevue in front of Ōtūmoetai College and Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School. e project aims to make roads safer for everyone and provide a variety of transport choices. By 2050 the Western Bay of Plenty will be home to an estimated 258,000 residents, which will create one million extra trips on our transport network every year. To support this growth, council will need to provide safe, healthy and environmentally-friendly transport options that also help manage future congestion.

e proposed changes will a ect people living in Bureta, Ōtūmoetai, Matua, Cherrywood, Brook eld, Bellevue and Judea, as well as Waihi Rd, Chapel St and Cameron Rd towards Harington St.

Residents are now invited to provide feedback on the early design at: www. letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/ accessiblestreetsotumoetai Community drop-in sessions will also be held on Tuesday, July 4, and Wednesday, July 5, at Atrium Café on Ōtūmoetai Rd (12pm-2pm and 4pm-6.30pm) so people can view the design in person and chat to the project team.

Community drop-in sessions

Atrium Café and conference centre, 252 Ōtūmoetai Road, Tauranga

Tuesday, 4 July, 12pm to 2pm and 4pm to 6.30pm

Wednesday, 5 July, 12pm to 2pm and 4pm to 6.30pm

Nothing ‘Fawlty’ about Basil... Scientist to talk degrowth

Basil is smoochy, friendly and very a ectionate approximately twoyear-old male cat. He will rush over with a chirp to say ‘Hello’ and smooch around you to ask for pats. He loves human company and would love a home where he can get lots of attention. Basil likes to stand up at

your shoulders to give you a ‘hug’ and to cuddle up-close.

Basil is a lovely cat with so much love to give. is gorgeous boy deserves a home where he will be spoiled and loved for his whole life. Do you have room in your heart for Basil?

Enquire today to meet Basil. Call the Tauranga centre on: 07 5780245. Ref: 581070.

A well-known Kiwi scientist is visiting Tauranga on June 28, to explain the concept of degrowth, and why we can’t become a sustainable region without addressing the problems caused by rapid growth.

Prominent freshwater ecologist and science communicator Dr Mike Joy is being hosted by the Sustainable Bay of Plenty Trust to talk on Degrowth & Climate Change at Holy Trinity in Tauranga City, from 7pm Wednesday, June 28.

Dr Mike Joy was a top researcher role at Victoria University of Wellington until recently; today he’s part of Degrowth Aotearoa New Zealand, which formed by a small group of individuals passionately dedicated to raising awareness about the urgent need to nd ways of living within biophysical limits.

Mike has previously received Forest & Bird’s Old Blue award, the Ecology in Action award from the NZ Ecological Society, and the Royal Society of NZs Charles Fleming Award for Environmental Achievement. e Tauranga event on June 28 is free to the public, with Sustainable BOP executive director Glen Crowther hoping Western Bay of Plenty residents will take advantage of the opportunity to hear Dr Mike speak, and to facilitate open discussion on the topic.

Black growth

Mike will talk about how economic growth driven by fossil fuels (black growth) has resulted in massive ecological devastation. He believes ‘green growth’ just replaces fossil fuels with renewable energy and traps us in this spiral of environmental damage.

“All growth requires more consumption, which requires mining more non-renewable materials and more energy, which is unsustainable. To decarbonise,

managed degrowth is our only good option.”

Mike says only 13 per cent of global energy consumption comes from renewables. “Renewables could soon overtake coal generated electricity, but electricity is only 20 per cent of total energy use.

“Replacing fossil energy with renewable energy requires much more land to produce the same amount of energy. For example, the UK would require its entire landmass and Singapore would need an area of 60 Singapores. What’s more, global energy consumption is increasing faster than we are adding renewable generation. “So, if we xate on replacing fossil fuels with renewables, and don’t reduce consumption and waste, we’ll simply swap one race to destruction with another.

Mike says maintaining industrial civilisation is the real cause of our climate crisis and all other environmental problems. “‘Green growth’ –attempting to maintain life as usual – will destroy the lifesupporting capacity of our planet.”

Stop obsession

Traditionally, environmentalists tried to protect water, rainforests, and endangered animals –however today environmentalism usually means reducing carbon emissions and the goal is to reach net zero carbon by 2050 at any cost, says Mike.

“ e word ‘net’ is based on a delusion and avoids the need to reduce our energy consumption and protect our environment. We must somehow stop this obsession with growth and instead consume less and waste less, or we will destroy our life-sustaining systems. True environmentalism protects those systems — rather than just maintaining our industrial way of life, but without carbon emissions.”

Hear Mike talk on June 28, at Holy Trinity in Tauranga City from 7pm. Free entry, donations welcome.

Dr Mike Joy. Photo: Victoria University.

Rubbing the lamp in Te Puke

From the bright lights of Broadway, now the panto-musical version, ‘Aladdin Trouble’ is being brought to the stage of Te Puke.

With 11 catchy songs, large personalities and colourful costumes welcomes family and friends of all ages to be transported into the musical world and a new take on

the original script of a street urchin who stumbles upon a magical lamp, and unleashing a larger-than-life genie.

e competitive tussle of auditions led to 60 students taking part in the production, alongside main characters Tyler Karl and Molly McGowan.

Main character Tyler, aged 12, is described as a sporty, athletic student lled with con dence and

a determination for hardwork falling into the perfect character role as Aladdin.

Come support a local school production running on June 28-29 from 7pm9pm located in the Te Puke Intermediate Performing Arts Centre.

Tickets are available from the Te Puke Intermediate o ce alongside door sales. Tickets cost $5 per adult and $3 per child. Ella McConnell

New medical imaging facility in Papamoa

Papamoa and Te Puke communities are witnessing a signi cant improvement in their access to medical imaging services with Bay Radiology opening its new state-of-the-art clinic in Tara Rd. is purpose-built facility brings the latest medical imaging technology within reach of the community, transforming healthcare accessibility for residents along the coastal strip.

Bay Radiology regional manager Nicola Daisley says the new clinic marks a signi cant milestone in healthcare provision, o ering a comprehensive range of advanced equipment. e comprehensive range of services available includes MRI, CT, general, obstetric, and musculoskeletal ultrasound, mammography, x-ray imaging, and specialised interventional services such as musculoskeletal injections.

“ ese o erings will prove particularly bene cial in injury recovery management plans, delivering holistic care for patients in need,” says Nicola.

New more services LOCATION

Committed to breaking down barriers to healthcare, Bay Radiology aims to minimise the need for patients in Papamoa and Te Puke to travel for essential imaging services.

“With 18 consultant radiologists based locally to support BOP communities, patients can rest assured that highly specialised expertise is readily available right on their doorstep,” says Nicola. “ is state-of-the-art facility will ensure that patients receive timely and accurate diagnoses, leading to more e ective treatment plans.”

Bay Radiology has been providing medical imaging services to the Bay of Plenty for more than 30 years – and is part of the RHCNZ Medical Imaging Group, which is a leading provider of radiology services, o ering state-ofthe-art diagnostic imaging technology and expert radiologists. “With a commitment to patientcentred care, Bay Radiology strives to enhance accessibility and improve healthcare outcomes for communities of New Zealand.”

Continuing our commitment to providing the very best medical imaging services in the Bay of Plenty, Bay Radiology have opened new premises at 1 Tara Road, expanding the range of high quality imaging services available in the Papamoa area.

Our team of specialist consultant radiologists, sonographers and medical imaging technologists are on-site every day, providing medical imaging services of a consistently high standard to our community, because this is when your image matters most.

Radiographer Dallen Lee with a CT scan machine.

Photo: John Borren.

Year 8 student Tyler Karl, who plays Aladdin, in Te Puke Intermediate’s upcoming production, enjoys a dress rehearsal with fellow cast members. Photo: John Borren.

Book buddies’ paradise!

e Te Puke KiwiCoast Lions Club volunteers who donate their time to collect books from the drop-o depots and take them up to the book shed ready to be sorted.

the shelves into the hands of the eager community, Maxine hopes people of all ages “come down and grab a bargain”.

annual book fair.

Club president Maxine Shanks and her team of ladies have called on the muscles of the Te Puke High School 1st XV Rugby Team for the lifting power of the job. “Without the help of these young men we could not run our book fair as we are an all ladies club and don’t have the strength for the heavy lifting anymore,” says Maxine.

With thousands of books set to y o

Delivering on infrastructure needs

Getting our city’s transport network right is crucial to unlocking our future. I am committed, as your local MP, to ensuring Tauranga gets the investment in infrastructure it desperately needs.

and our freight moving and developing a functioning spine through Tauranga.

e hustle from Maxine and her team of 32 Te Puke Kiwi Coast Lions Club members has seen them work tirelessly since January collecting all di erent shapes, sizes and kinds of books to sell. anks to the generosity of the Te Puke Kiwi Coast Lions Club, all funds raised will go back into the community throughout the year.

e book fair is at Te Puke Memorial Hall, Jellicoe St, from June 23-25.

Ella McConnell

A community-driven process

ere’s been some media coverage in recent weeks of views for and against the proposed community multi-use boutique stadium proposed for Tauranga Domain.

e preliminary business case for the stadium has been received by the Tauranga City Council Commission, but before we decide whether to take this forward for full community consultation, via council’s 2024-2034 draft Long Term Plan process, we need additional information on the level of support for the proposal and how the estimated cost of up to $220 million would be funded.

Community-driven process

Work is underway to gather this information and we expect that will be brought back to council for consideration in August. Meanwhile, it’s important we remember this is a community-driven process, led by Priority One. Much like the development of the Millennium Track at the domain some years ago, a group of people and organisations have seen a need for the development of a multi-use

stadium and is investigating how that need could be met and funded; and the project governed and managed, if a decision is made to proceed.

Key things

Key things to keep in mind are: e Commission will need to be convinced the proposal is a ordable for ratepayers. is means there will need to be a reasonable assurance that much of the capital cost would need to come from other sources, and re ect the subregional bene ts the stadium would provide.

If it does proceed, organisations whose activities at the domain are impacted will be supported through changes involved and relocation costs will be included in the up-front cost.

e preliminary business case for the stadium indicates it would generate up to $778 million in social and economic bene ts during its lifetime, and that it would make an operating pro t, although this would not cover all debt repayment and depreciation costs, requiring an annual contribution of around $15 million.

Read this column in full at: www.sunlive.co.nz

ere is only one party that delivers on infrastructure, and that’s National. National’s Roads of Signi cance programme, including the Waikato Expressway, the Christchurch Motorways Projects, the Kapiti Expressway and Tauranga Eastern Link have not only improved safety, reduced travel times, and boosted growth but they have

also made New Zealanders’ lives better. We also electri ed the Auckland rail network, expanded the Wellington commuter network, and started Auckland’s City Rail Link. Under National, we would have started stage 2 of the Takitimu Northern Link and under a new National government, work on stage 2 will begin in our rst term. We understand the importance of SH29 and the key role this will play in getting our people

We would also get rid of the ideology that has laboured the current government. Cycleways are nice, but they don’t move us from A to B. Cars and buses require a functional roading network and we will support both when we develop Tauranga going forward. is is a tremendous city and we need your support. National is committed to making your lives easier and I will be relentlessly focussed on ensuring we get NZ back on track and the people of Tauranga receive the investment in infrastructure we need.

Positioning NZ’s economy for the future

ere’s no question that our economy has taken a knock following the extreme weather events

But New Zeland is in a good position to get through these challenging times and come out stronger.

Record numbers of people are in work and wages are rising faster than in ation. Tourists are returning in greater numbers, overseas workers are lling job vacancies, we’re upskilling more Kiwis, and our debt levels are among the lowest in the world.

As part of our plan to build for the future, we’re making investments in areas that are critical to growing our economy – skills, science and technology, and infrastructure. We’re also positioning NZ to take on opportunities ahead. For example, we’re backing new industries, like the video game sector, to diversify our economy and create high-wage jobs.

We’re also focused on locking in NZ’s high value export potential.

We recently announced the food and bre sector is on track to set a new record high, with export earnings to hit $56.2 billion by June 30, 2023. is is great

Hon Jan Tinetti

news for places like Bay of Plenty and it’s a testament to the hard work of famers and growers.

It also re ects our strong record on trade, which has seen us unlock access to some of the world’s biggest and most lucrative markets. Since taking o ce, we’ve secured four new free trade agreements, including with the United Kingdom – which is expected to boost our GDP by up to $1 billion, supporting businesses and jobs right across the economy.

We will continue to support people with the cost of living today and build towards a better future.

Te Puke High School’s shed has been a urry of activity in the lead-up to this weekend’s KiwiCoast Lions Club’s

Photo: supplied.

Love the life you choose!

Old schoolmates Jim Smith and Clive Duthie are both turning 91 next birthday, but they’re not ready for the quiet life just yet.

Moving to Summerset has not only enabled them to reconnect as friends but has given them a whole new lease on life.

Clive and his wife Ene were living at a retirement village in Orewa, but when Ene passed away Clive says he found himself lonely and struggling. When

Think more time for quality time

he had a stroke and ended up in hospital for a spell, it was time to decide what next. A Summerset serviced apartment was the perfect new chapter for Clive. It meant he could stay living independently but get extra support with things like his medication and cleaning.

Jim was still working well into his 80s before he started to think about retiring. “When Clive moved to Summerset, I decided to make the move too,” says Jim. “Now I like having my laundry done and my meals taken care of.

“It leaves more time for catching up with friends and the things I would rather do.”

For livewires Clive and Jim, the move has been hugely positive. Every afternoon they meet up with a group of friends for a co ee and a chat. “It can be hard to stay connected to people when you’re older. At the village, it’s easy to make friends and feel part of the community.” Ask Clive, and he’ll tell you that: “It’s a great life!” Love the life you choose. For more information, visit: www.summerset.co.nz

With help always on hand, Summerset serviced apartments provide the perfect balance of independent living for loved ones, and peace of mind for you. We can even take care of the cleaning, washing, medication and meals, so you can focus on the important stuff, like making lasting memories together. Think this sounds like you or someone you love?

Our brand-new serviced apartments are pre-selling now.* Pop along to Summerset by the Dunes to view our serviced apartment show homes today.

07 542 9082 summerset.co.nz/papamoa

Think

Jim Smith and Clive Duthie.

Photo: supplied.

Modern techniques for faster recovery

Although the rain is making this winter seem more miserable than usual, winter is often a happier time for people with varicose veins.

As a specialist ‘phlebologist’, Cosmetic and Veins Clinic medical director Dr Anuya Deshpande has many patients tell her that they usually wore long trousers to hide their veins in summer months. “Being able to wear shorts or swimsuits in summer comes up surprisingly often as a bene t of getting varicose veins treated, as well as the medical bene ts.”

As well as self-consciousness about those ropey leg veins that indicate the presence of incompetent valves, there may be signs of the disease even before these appear. Legs may ache, and feel ‘restless’, which can disturb sleep as well

as being uncomfortable during the day. ere may be discolouration, itching and even ulcers that don’t heal due to compromised blood ow in the area.

Last month Dr Anuya ew to Adelaide to receive her fellowship with the Australasian College of Phlebology – the culmination of more than a decade of study and treatment of more than 2000 legs.

She’s now quali ed to train other doctors in modern ultrasound-guided laser and radio frequency techniques for vein treatments.

Unlike previous methods of surgical vein stripping, these modern techniques are done under local anaesthetic and don’t require a hospital stay. Patients walk out of the clinic, and can get back to work the following day.

Australasian College of Phlebology chancellor Professor Andre Rij presents Dr Anuya Deshpande with her fellowship to the college. Photo: supplied.

news and views for the over 55s

Is home care for older people adequate?

A new group has been formed in Tauranga to address concerns about the level of care provision for older people living in their own homes.

e newly-formed Home Support Services Advocacy Group is made up of nine representatives from long-established local organisations, and it’s chairperson is Angela Scott.

“Age Concern Tauranga, Rural Women NZ Tauranga branch, Grey Power WBOP, and Tauranga National Council of Women are all involved,” says Angela.

She says the group believe it may be di cult for the fast-growing older generation of the Western Bay of Plenty to receive the help and support they need to stay well and supported in their own homes. “ is group [of older Kiwis aged 65-plus] is expanding at an unprecedented pace and is expected to accelerate,” says Angela.

“Strong home support services to keep people well and happy and out of the overburdened hospital system is essential. We want the best possible delivery and monitoring of home-based support services for older persons in the WBOP.”

More planning

As such, Angela says the group believes more planning is needed for the increased ageing population – particularly for those aged 65-plus.

“Our group is working towards an ongoing and timely engagement between the community,

Maori and the relevant Te Whatu Ora local leaders with mutual respect and trust.”

Angela points to the United Nations’ ‘Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030)’ – a global collaboration, aligned with the last 10 years of the Sustainable Development Goals, to improve the lives of older people, their families, and the communities in which they live.

“[In regard to funding models] Planning and action is needed now to ensure a constant and sustainable stream of skilled support sta can provide short or long term care for people at home.

“Health, iwi, and social service providers need to be courageous with innovative decisionmaking about funding models for local communities and ways to improve and increase services to older and more vulnerable people in their own homes,” says Angela.

Valuable resource

“As the United Nations has said, a long life is an incredibly valuable resource – particularly if extra years of life are spent in good health and social participation. Further, an ageing population is a ecting our community and society in areas such as housing, long-term care, transport and communication.

“Family structures and ties between generations have also changed – and by 2030 the number of people aged above 60 will be 34 per cent higher than it was in 2020 – particularly in countries such as NZ.” If you’d like to know more, email Angela at: ageconcerntga@xtra.co.nz

WAIHI BEACH

Home Support Services Advocacy Group’s chair Angela Scott.

Photo: John Borren.

What’s it like to have dementia?

People will often say that it’s like walking through thick fog. Most of the time, the fog is too dense to be able to make sense of what you can see or hear. But occasionally the fog lifts and understanding things becomes easier. en a short time later, the fog surrounds the person and it becomes hard to understand things again.

It can be like trying to function in a vaguely familiar, but also completely unfamiliar, environment. We all know how annoying and confusing it is when we go to our usual supermarket and they’ve recon gured the layout and changed the location of products you normally buy. You turn down an aisle expecting to see biscuits but instead, you nd toilet paper. e next aisle should have cleaning products, but

it’s got chocolate and lollies – a nice surprise this time, but where on earth is the soap? It’s disorienting, and familiar, yet unfamiliar. is unsettling feeling is described by many people with dementia and gives us a glimpse into the way they experience the world. For us, this unsettling and frustrating feeling is short-lived, but for those with dementia this experience is common, distressing and will get worse.

When the fog lifts in those more lucid times, we need to listen carefully to what the person with dementia says – as it will help us to support them when the fog surrounds them once more.

Ruth omas is lead specialist care manager at EnlivenPlus, phone: 07 547 4349. EnlivenPlus provides specialist dementia care from $60.

Losing hair with age? SRS can help you

It’s a dreaded feeling – seeing clumps of hair in the shower, your bathroom oor, the pillowcase.

Hair loss with aging is very common, and nearly everyone – both men and women – will have some form of hair loss nearing retirement years. During this time the body undergoes changes, and visible e ects can include a reduction in hair volume, thickness and overall quality.

e good news is you don’t have to put up with this. SRS Hair Clinic has more than 30 years’ experience in providing natural hair loss solutions – and the best part is, they’re free of side e ects.

People of retirement age have typically reached a point where they’re able to take time out and nally put their own needs

rst – but they still care about presenting a good image.

e old adage ‘when you look good, you feel good’ that’s still true. It does wonders for our self-esteem and con dence, and our hair is often hugely important to us in terms of self-image. SRS conducts their original, one-of-a-kind microscopic hair analysis and advises you on ways to protect, nourish and grow hair using 100 per cent natural solutions. Strict safety and dermatological tests carried out in Germany found SRS hair loss products are very safe and harmless even for sensitive skin or allergies. SRS has clinics in Tauranga at 73 Sixteenth Ave, Auckland at 15 St. Benedicts St, and Hamilton at the Anglesea Clinic.

Phone:

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm.

Closed Saturday & public holidays

Pharmacy cares for 70 years

Bongard’s Pharmacy was rst opened in Greerton by

still serving some of its original customers and descendants,” says

business for about 30 years before selling it to Derek Tingey. Derek sold the business to Peter in late2006, and Peter is still the current

“Bill died in 2010 and was an avid supporter of Bongard’s up until his death,” says Peter.

Bongard’s Pharmacy is a friendly community-based, customer-focused, dispensing and retail pharmacy. With a great range of products and services on o er, the friendly team can help with anything you might need.

e Bongard’s Pharmacy team of Karen Wilson, owner-operator Peter Bennet, Glenis Farrington and Janene Hockly are ready to celebrate. Photo: John Borren.

is June, the local pharmacy will see its 70th anniversary – all while carrying its original name! “Bongard’s is a family-owned and run community pharmacy

come here’. We currently have one family that I know of that’s now in its fourth generation of being served by Bongard’s Pharmacy.”

Peter says Bill operated the

Peter adds that their ranges and services have expanded to cover such items as Scholl footwear, a toenail cutting service, gifts and clothing “and we still operate a free local delivery service”.

To celebrate 70 years of Bongard’s Pharmacy, the team will be o ering a range of specials, an in-store draw for a gift basket, and free chocolates for customers from June 26-30.

Threading colour through Greerton

reads of aqua hues will wind their way through the heart of Greerton, bringing life and joy while raising support for worthy causes this winter.

On July 2, amazing yarn creations will be installed on Greerton Village’s cherry trees as part of ‘Yarn bombing for a Cause’. Individuals and groups, have been furiously knitting and crocheting their work to lighten up the town and gain donations for their chosen charities.

“Really, it’s just for fun. To add colour and joy in the winter to the Greerton trees, and hopefully raise some money for a cause

as well,” says yarn bomber Chrissy St Amant. is year’s theme is ‘Waterways of the World’. Chrissy has been working on her own piece but is also coordinating other projects – including putting projects made from previous instalments back into use. “ is particular piece is a true community project with two new crocheters involved, as well as elements sent up from a Blenheim yarn-bomber.”

Visitors will be able to vote for their favourite creations, with two set to win $500 each for their charity. “We have a couple of rst-timer teams –one is Our Yarny Friends.

“ ey’ve been working for everal months in support of Alzheimers Tauranga and I am Hope Foundation. e crafty Ninja knits group has been working passionately for their cause, e Incubator Hub.”

Visit: https://givealittle. co.nz/event/greerton-yarnbomb-2023

100% naturalorganic organic &

Yarn bomber Chrissy St Amant with her threaded creation to be installed on July 2. Photo: John Borren. Georgia Minkhorst

Bringing a little joy to the world

Little in the world right now seems to bring unadulterated joy; so we must rejoice when something does.

I felt that way last week as I watched YouTube, which is not something I ever imagined saying. Pure joy. And I found myself questioning the often curmudgeonly aspersions I frequently harbour about other people’s behaviour. Did I get old and grumpy without

noticing?

di erent: a three-hour show from the recovering brain aneurysm su erer whom most thought would never perform again.

And since she hasn’t played live in two decades, Joni hadn’t seen the “cellphone show”, a concert arena lit by the glow of cellphones held aloft. No problems for her. “You’re stardust, and golden,” she told the 20,000-crowd, a call-back to 1969 and another live event, and pretty much the perfect

thing to say.

about is the prevalence of phones and other suchlike mini-cameras at gigs. Go to a decent-sized show and sometimes all you can see of the crowd is a wall of hoisted iPhones.

One thing I’ve sounded o It does bug me.

Not that it causes me any harm, but

I sat at home and watched a lot of the show, Joni regally mounted on what looks like a huge throne with a coterie of women surrounding her. In recent years she has hosted loose wine-fuelled sessions in her home and the set, complete with couches and rugs and friends, was there to replicate that. Joni sang for everyone and her friends – Sarah McLachlan, Annie Lennox, Brandi Carlile and others – sang for her. Magic.

Uno cial

I haven’t seen the whole show. It wasn’t o cially lmed. What I’ve seen is videos from a dozen, or a hundred, fans at the concert – some from close up, some from the back of the amphitheatre, some shaky, some so intimate that you feel like you could touch her.

something about it irritates me. “Just watch the show,” I want to say. “Enjoy the moment.”

I’m not alone in this. More than a few big touring acts are now objecting to the practice. While Bob Dylan tours Europe – which he is currently doing – you are not allowed phones at the gigs. ere are ‘drop-bags’ when you enter the venue; deposit your phone and you can pick it up again on the way out.

I get that. Perhaps Bob doesn’t like looking at a sea of cameras, or perhaps he’s just vain about being old and wrinkly; perhaps he makes weird faces when he sings and feels self-conscious. Whatever the reason, it chimed with my own prejudices so I was fully on-board.

Joni en I sat down last weekend and watched Joni Mitchell on YouTube. Joni Mitchell played at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington on June 10, her rst full live performance in more than 20 years. She played a few songs as a guest at the Newport Folk Festival last year but this was

So I o er an apology now. To all of you who hold up cellphones at concerts and lm (possibly unwilling) performers. Sorry. I am a grumpy old bastard, living in the dark ages. And thank you for bringing a little joy into my life. Joy should never be underestimated.

Now, before I go, a quick studio update. e cold of winter is a perfect time for the recording studio.

At the Boatshed in Whakamarama Irish band

e Whittakers is about to start on a new album, husband-and-wife team of Richard Grautstuck and Mitz Amores along with multi-instrumentalist Robbie Laven and bass player Dave Williams.

ey’ve previously recorded two albums at Welcome Bay’s Colour eld Studio, most recently ‘A Slice of the Whittakers’ which mixed Richard’s originals with well-chosen covers and a couple of kicking instrumentals.

Meanwhile, at Colour eld, Grant Haua’s trio has returned to the album which moved to the back-burner when Grant was signed as a solo artist by French music label Dixie Frog. e band has recorded an extra song, Tim Julian has been adding keyboards, and it’s now about nished. If the original recordings from a couple of years back are anything to go by, it will be Da Bomb.

Joni Mitchell.

A fascination for flying

It was a disaster…. “Because I put in three or four months of hard work building that plane and it crashed, and was destroyed in about 10 seconds flat.”

Oh, the disappointment and humiliation. A 2.5 metre glider launched with a bungee and great hope, and reduced to smithereens in no time.

But it wasn’t a gamechanger, it was a minor setback that further fuelled Dean Hill’s curiosity and fascination for aeronautics.

“There I was, building a model aeroplane and thinking I could fly it. Then I suddenly realised I needed someone who knew what they were doing to teach me.” He found that ‘someone’ at the Tauranga Model Aircraft Club.

Dean was just 17. Now, 38 years later, he’s still buying, building and bartering bits of model aeroplanes. He loves it, it’s his passion. In his blood

“Flying is in the blood. Dad was in the RAF and repaired Hurricanes and an uncle was in the RNZAF and flew a fighter escort for American bombers during World War II in the Pacific.”

Dean hankered to be a pilot. “Looking back I would have loved to have done that.”

But life conspired against him. So instead of flying things, he just flies things. Big boys’ toys. Model aeroplanes at the 77-year-old club’s airstrip at TECT All Terrain Park, just 30 minutes out of town.

Dean’s story is really a pitch for the Tauranga Model Aircraft Club’s auction at Classic Flyers this Sunday, June 25. There will be model aircraft amongst retired aircraft.

It’s an opportunity for model flyers to upgrade, or sell down, their equipment including aircraft, engines, radio controls, something called servos,

ground support, tools and more. It’s also a chance for like-minded people to gather, swap stories and enjoy things aeronautic.

Dean will be there, not that he needs to be. He already has a considerable investment in model

That’s a bit like asking a woman

He has 10 model aircraft, “I’d hate to think how much it’s all worth.”

But what value do you put on passion

And after Dean’s inauspicious start 38 years ago, he’s now flying aerobatic aircraft like a 1.7m Extra NG. “But I have got my eye on a Hawker worked on. That would be a few grand.” It can be expensive. Some guys are flying turbine jets worth $30,000.

“But that shouldn’t scare people toying with the idea of getting into aero-modelling,” says Dean. “You can start out very economically – you can get into flying second-hand for under $1000, all ready to go.

“A brand new glider could cost less than $1000, but a powered aircraft could cost twice that. You just grow as you get competent and confident.”

The club’s auction begins at Classic Flyers at 10am, Sunday, June 25. But if you want to pick over what’s on offer, be there by 8.30am.

Dads and lads invited

The club is encouraging Dads and their lads. “If Dads get into model aircraft, then their sons pick up on it. Several guys are flying internationally because they followed their fathers. It’s a world stage when you get good.”

Which reminds us of Paul MacCready, one of the hobby’s famous fathers, who once uttered that anyone not interested in model airplanes must have a screw loose somewhere.

Hunter Wells

Wed 28th Open Mic Night 7pm

LATITUDE 37

Fri 23rd Louie Campbell

Dean Hill has 10 model aircraft but wants a Hawker Hurricane like his Dad worked on. Photo: John Borren.

Embracing culture through art

With each sketch, colour and brush stroke, Tauranga youngsters will re ect on what it means to embrace diversity in our community.

For the fourth year, Multicultural Tauranga is holding an art competition for Year 5-6 students to create awareness among youth about the range of ethnicities and cultures around us.

e theme for this year’s competition is ‘Awhihia Te Rito - Nuture e Young’.

Multicultural Tauranga’s creative o cer Alessandra Tilby says: “[Students] goal is to draw an example of how we can embrace the diversity that we have, that we live with and think about what our community may look like and feel like if we treated everyone with respect and dignity”.

Alessandra says in New Zealand we now have 25 per cent of the population born overseas and 160 languages spoken here “and it’s time that we learn about other cultures so that we can better appreciate diversity”.

Alessandra says the competition is about respecting di erent cultures, art, language and clothing that people bring to our community. “It’s all about teaching our young and enabling them with the knowledge and giving them the hands-on experience. ey have a goal, there’s a prize at the end of it but they take the theme and they have to think about it, and then they have to draw it.”

e competition is being run to line up with the ‘Treaty based Multicultural Day’ on August 24, where there will be results and a prizegiving ceremony. For schools interested in registering for the competition, email: creativeo cer@trmc.co.nz to request an art pack. e competition will run July 1-August 14.

Georgia Minkhorst

Get your council enquiries sorted at Pāpāmoa and Greerton libraries

If you need some assistance with a council-related question or service, Tauranga City Council is available to help at the Pāpāmoa and Greerton libraries.

e customer service desk at Pāpāmoa Library is now open with extended hours, from Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm.

e new customer service desk at the Greerton Library is also open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm.

Whether you have questions, payments to make, or details to update, you don’t need to travel far to get it sorted. It’s all part of council’s work to keep things local for communities, fostering connected neighbourhoods and enhancing accessibility.

For those in the community who have already stopped by for assistance, feedback has highlighted customers’ appreciation for the added convenience, with comments such as: “it’s wonderful and so handy for all of us here on this side of town” and “it’s a lot more accessible to me as I do not drive”.

Drop in for a chat with one of the team – no bookings required.

Customers can visit Pāpāmoa and Greerton libraries to speak to one of the friendly and professional customer service advisors.

Photo: supplied.

Multicultural Tauranga’s creative o cer Alessandra Tilby with last year’s competition artwork. Photo: John Borren.

wanted

public notices

Summary of Public Notice of Resource Consent Application RC13924L

Public Notification – s2AB and s95A Resource Management Act 1991

public notices

funeral services

The Western Bay of Plenty District Council has received an application from Tinex Group Limited for resource consent (landuse) to:

Continue to operate Non-Complying industrial activities located on a site at 245 Te Puna Station Road, Te Puna, Tauranga. The industrial activities include four business depots and associated outdoor storage areas. The activities are already located in the eastern portion of the site and are accessed via the site entrance at No. 205 Te Puna Station Road. The site is within the Te Puna Business Park Structure Plan Area.

The application includes an assessment of environmental effects. You can view this application online at www.westernbay. govt.nz located under Resource Consents - Current Resource Consent Applications, Publicly Notified Resource Consents – Tinex Group Limited (RC13924L) or any Western Bay of Plenty District Council office.

Submissions:

Any person may make a submission on the application, but a person who is a trade competitor of the applicant may do so only if that person is directly affected by an effect of the activity to which the application relates that –

(a) adversely affects the environment; and

(b) does not relate to trade competition or the effects of trade competition.

You may make a submission by sending a written or electronic submission to Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Private Bag 12803, Tauranga Mail Centre, 3143 or rcsubmissions@westernbay. govt.nz. The submission must be in Form 13. Copies of this form are available from www.westernbay.govt.nz or any Western Bay of Plenty District Council office.

A copy of your submission must also be sent to: Stratum Consultants Limited

PO Box 13651

Tauranga Mail Centre, Tauranga 3141

Attn: Shae Crossan or email shae.crossan@stratum.nz

Timeframes:

Submissions close on Monday 24th of July 2023. If you have any queries, please contact the Council’s Customer Service Planner on 0800 926 732 or via email to csplanner@westernbay.govt.nz

John Holyoake Chief Executive Officer

deceased

public notices

situations vacant

Kim Winiata Funeral Dire ctor

With a Legacy Funneraal , thhe story lives on.

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ZEALANDIER TOURS – Tuesday 11th July – Celebrating Matariki - we 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.

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e question of what true love really looks and sounds like has been the topic of many sermons, books, articles and conversations.

I have seen what I believe to be love, and I have experienced what I believe to be the complete opposite. We know that the opposite of love is not hatred but fear. ere is no place for fear where love reigns. I believe we often struggle to truly love our neighbour because we fear that we would have to sacri ce something or some part of ourselves.

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We live in a very self-centred society where everything is about the ‘Me’. What I want is more important than the need of my neighbour. We focus so much on meeting our own needs that we have forgotten true love compels us to put the needs of others in front of our own wants.

e fear that is brought upon by needing to sacri ce ‘my’ time and ‘my’ comfort to meet the need of those starving for some recognition, food, drink, time, a hug, or a chat is what inhibits us from truly loving our neighbour as Jesus loved those who’s paths He crossed. Jesus was afraid of dying, but he knew that what He wanted was not as important as what we needed. If we truly want to love and live as Christ did, we ought to heed the words of Paul in Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing out of sel sh ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others”.

Tauranga

photographer

Philipp Potgieter, St. James Union Church.

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