The Weekend Sun - 30 June 2023

Western Bay of Plenty residents have front seats to watch the best Kiwi gymnasts tumble, dance, jump, twist their bodies and master apparatus at 2023’s New Zealand Gymnastics Championships next week.

e championships will showcase NZ’s best gymnasts across the ve codes – aerobics, men’s and women’s artistic,

rhythmic, and trampoline gymnastics – all under one roof at Mercury Baypark from July 5-8.

Among Tauranga-based gymnasts to compete is Adelle King, pictured, with Provincial National’s Committee member Jana Bennett saying having the event return to Tauranga for the rst time since 2018 has got Bay

** Turn to pages 8-9 for commemorative event details for the 60th anniversary of New Zealand’s worst domestic air accident, plus how another part of the DC-3 has been brought ‘home’ this week, and a witness account of the wreckage of Flight 441 in the Kaimai Range six decades ago.

of Plenty’s 52 competitors red up and very excited to participate in front of family and the community at home. However, with only four weeks to prepare, it also brings more pressure to perform. Find out more and, how you can get along with watch the breath-taking spectacle that is competitive gymnastics, on page 17.

Photo: John Borren.

Egos, abundant masculinity and utes

What’s the gestation period for a ute?

Because I am sure they were procreating all night long Friday, and by mid-morning Saturday, the supermarket carpark was littered with their progeny.

Close to three dozen of them.

Five of them side-by-side. Looked like a car yard. Just needed a car salesman –greasy as a butcher’s chopping block.

So why were all the utes at the supermarket? Why weren’t they out doing what they were born to do? Blokey stu – shooting, shing, hunting, propping up egos, showing o ?

Which segues to this witticism, or uteicism, doing the rounds.

“As a ute driver, what size rims and tyres have you upgraded to so you can go get your groceries?”

Academic studies

Isn’t as silly as it sounds. Because according to Auckland academic studies, 66 per cent of ute trips around town aren’t purpose-speci c…that is, utes are mostly used in ways they’re not designed for, like taking the little darlings to school and supermarket shopping.

Ute-icism: “Is a ute capable of being driven o -road or in gravel?

Maybe, but it seems its natural habitat is around cafes, supermarkets and malls. My point exactly.

Ute-icism: “Do you ever put your groceries in your ute? Nuh, the tray is for my ego, and the cab is for my bountiful masculinity. And pies and six packs of course.” Funny, but not funny. Because I watched a person pack one-and-a-half trollies of New World purchases in the tonneau or whatever it’s called. e back seat compartment. e tray was empty.

Ute-icism: As a ute driver, what’s the maximum number of carparks you’ve taken up in a busy supermarket carpark? Bonus points for more than three.”

Just some ‘ute’ bravado I thought.

“It would be a giggle if it wasn’t true,” remarked a car end friend. “Aggressive, intimidating, arrogant self-entitled *#+!s.” at’s the attitude, he said, then there’s the behaviour. “Bloody tailgating, high beaming, just dangerous. Small cowboys

with small schlongs on big horses.”

Let it all out, I told him. Vent your ‘ute’ anger. It’ll help you cope with your compact car syndrome.

Mind you I have been on the receiving end of some feral ute behaviour myself. But I drive ‘grandad’ – within the speed limit, and I stop for amber lights and people on crossings.

Why have ute drivers got a reputation?

Is it deserved? I ran it past a real, live, swaggering, baseball cap-and-sunnies wearing ute driver in the supermarket carpark.

behalf of its farmer mates, and the tradies –unfair! Unfair! Unfair! But if you can a ord $80,000 plus for a ash family truck, you can probably a ord to pay the taxes and feed the beast.

Ute-icism: How do you, as a ute driver with superior driving skills, express yourself when you see an EV subsidised with money the Government stole from you through its ute tax? “I don’t see EVs, I only see targets.”

It probably means you don’t really want to be driving a Tesla down Takitimu Drive on a dark night and accidentally get sandwiched by a couple of angry utes.

Driver behaviour

“P ft!” he snorted. “It’s truck envy. People who don’t own a ute but would love to.”

Ute-icism: “What’s the top speed you have reached in your ute while towing a boat or trailer? “I have no idea cos I usually have my mobile over the speedo while driving so I can watch hunting videos.”

at Auckland study concluded there’s a lot of under-utilised ute capacity. And they’re ine cient, hazardous and damaging for the environment.

Probably why the Government’s clean car scheme taxes polluting vehicles like utes and uses that money to o er rebates on EVs.

Ute-icism: “I paid a lot of money for this ute and I think it’s highly disrespectful when someone in an EV tries to overtake me. en I have to waste a lot of gas tailgating and high beaming them.”

And…

“Ute drivers are never overtaken. Next time someone tries to pass, give them a middle nger and put your damned foot down.”

Of course the opposition’s bleating on

Studies suggest driver behaviour changes when people get behind the wheel of a large vehicle. ey tend to drive faster, more aggressively and take more risks. ey’re more detached from their environment because they’re higher up. And they don’t necessarily respond in the same way if they were more intimately connected to the space and people around them.

Ute-icisms: Every intersection becomes who dares wins for ute drivers.

And ….

Are you allowed to call yourself a ute driver if you haven’t done 150km/hr on the wrong side of the road while towing a full trailer?

A friend went from chipper to snippy in a second when I mentioned utes. “My Dad’s got one and he’s an a***hole driver.”

Perhaps he’s always been that way or did it come with the ute?

“I just know if he wasn’t my father, I wouldn’t love him.”

en another ute captain just about ruins this narrative. It’s sale day at the Briscoes on Chapel St. It’s man eats man. I am on a give way, but the ute captain, with his family aboard, slows and, with a friendly smile, waves me into the tra c. What the hell was I to do? ey haven’t yet written protocols for responding to courteous ute drivers. oughts? Email: hunter@thesun.co.nz

Beard dispute continues to grow

either until I had proof [my beard] was cultural or I had shaved.”

Hailing from Brazil, Victor and his father’s petition states that imposing rules related to facial hair is “contrary to equality and inclusive learning, discriminates against students, erodes belonging, and disregards cultural practices and religious beliefs associated with facial hair”. e pair believe that current school bans relating to facial hair is contrary to the NZ Bill of Rights 1990 and the Human Rights Act 1993.

A 17-year-old Pāpāmoa College student and his father have launched a petition after the student and his school remain in a dispute over his beard.

e petition to Parliament launched by Victor Rosa and his father requests that the “House of Representatives ban school boards from prohibiting students from having facial hair in state schools”. e petition went live on the New Zealand Parliament website on Monday, June 26, and at time of publication had received more than 140 signatures.

New rules

is comes after Pāpāmoa College introduced new rules at the start of the school year – including a ban of facial hair with cultural exemptions applying. With this new rule imposed, Victor’s father says his son was stood down for a total of eight days this school term. According to the college’s principal Iva Ropati, Victor was “stood down for an unrelated matter” to facial hair. Victor says he was initially stood down for three days and then for another school week. “ ey said I wasn’t allowed back until

Pāpāmoa College school policy requires students donning facial hair provide cultural evidence. “Our process is for him to provide evidence. It’s not for us to change his appearance if he has grounds to remain unshaven. We just need to understand whether or not there is a valid cultural or religious reason for him to be unshaven,” says principal Iva Ropati.

Victor’s father has provided a cultural letter from Brazil requesting Victor be exempt from the facial hair ban on cultural grounds. e letter was not accepted by the school as it does not meet the Board of Pāpāmoa College’s criteria. However, Victor’s father notes: “He’s been give an interim exemption until the end of this term”.

Mediation

Approaching the Human Rights Commission, Victor, his father and the school will have a mediation meeting to work through the dispute. Iva says the school is looking forward to resolving the matter at mediation. “We’re happy to use that opportunity to clarify, but our advice is still that there’s been no breach [of Human Rights].’ e mediation date is yet to be set by the Human Rights Commission.

In the meantime, Victor’s petition will remain open until Wednesday, July 26, and is accessible at: https:// petitions.parliament.nz/23507734-4bb2-415e-ed5a08db75be6aa2 Georgia Minkhorst

Victor Rosa, aged 17, has started a petition with his father to prevent his school board’s banning of facial hair. Photo: John Borren.

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Toll road increases

Toll road prices will be increasing this weekend. A Waka Kotahi spokesperson says although roadside signage may be changed before July 1, the pricing will not change until 12.01am on July 1.

An increase of 20 cents will be made for cars, motorcycles and light commercial vehicles on Tauranga Eastern Link, SH2; and Tauranga Takitimu Drive, SH29; and Auckland’s Northern Gateway, SH1. Trucks, buses and other heavy vehicles will be met with a 40 cent increase.

e changes, coming into e ect on July 1, are the rst increases to tolls in over four years, with the last adjustments made in March 2019.

Tauriko business case endorsed Western Bay councils and the SmartGrowth leadership group are endorsing the submission of the Tauriko Network Connections business case to the Waka Kotahi Board.

e business case sets-out the evidence supporting the development of a new alignment and other improvements for SH29, and an upgrade of SH29a, which would see the construction of:

e existing section of SH29a between Barkes Corner and the Takitimu Drive/SH29/SH36 intersection widened to six-lanes – including two dedicated bus lanes – to address existing tra c ‘pinch points’; and a new, four-lane highway running largely parallel to the existing SH29 alignment between a new Redwood Lane interchange and a new Takitimu North Link interchange.

Roll change

Time is running out for Māori voters to choose which electoral roll they want to be on for this year’s general election – the Māori roll or the general roll.

Voters of Māori descent choose the Māori roll or general roll when they rst enrol to vote and can change rolls at any time except in the three months before an election.

“Māori who want to change the roll they are on before the 2023 General Election need to do it by midnight July 13. You can’t switch rolls between July 14 and Election Day on October 14. You will be able to switch rolls again after the election,” says chief electoral o cer Karl Le Quesne.

Chilly days for school holidays

Weather experts are predicting a cold and windy start to the school holidays next week. A warm and wet few days ahead is forecast by MetService as a complex area of low pressure a ects the country but a change in regime is coming at the end of the week as the persistent mild northerlies give way to cold southerlies.

Temperatures are forecast to drop as cold air spreads up the country, and there is the possibility of snow, especially for those higher elevations in the south.

WBOP councils want SH29 upgraded within a decade

e Western Bay of Plenty’s “heavy hitters” have joined forces to urge the Government to upgrade a “critical” highway for the region, but there’s no guarantee it will actually be funded.

e potential $2.8 billion upgrade to State Highway 29/29a could unlock land for 30,000 more homes and 11,500 jobs.

e culmination of seven years’ work by Waka Kotahi, the Tauriko SH29 Network Connections Detailed Business Case, was endorsed by the sub region’s three council’s and SmartGrowth on Tuesday, June 27.

e business case will go to the Waka Kotahi board in August for endorsement and the Government will make the nal decision about whether to include it in the National Land Transport Programme.

Really crucial

Waka Kotahi regional manager system design Jess Andrew says the councils’ and SmartGrowth’s unanimous support is “really crucial” and a “step in the process”.

Waka Kotahi is proposing the upgrades be rolled out in four stages with a potential completion date of 2050.

But, Tauranga City Council, WBOP District Council and the BOP Regional Council want the full upgrade completed within a decade because the region is already constrained by a lack of infrastructure.

e upgrades include six-laning SH29a between Barkes Corner and Takitimu Drive including two dedicated bus lanes. Replacing the Omanawa Bridge on SH29, Waka Kotahi have suggested a two-lane bridge but the councils’ have stated their preference for four lanes.

Also widening of SH36 between Lakes Boulevard and SH29A including bus lanes and a new SH29 corridor for inter-regional tra c and freight between Redwood Lane and Takitimu Drive. e existing highway between Redwood Lane and Takitimu Drive would then become a local road.

Andrews says the reason for staging allows Waka Kotahi to “minimise disruption to road users, reduces rework and manages costs”. “It ensures that we can deliver improvements that are proportion to what's needed at the particular time.”

e estimated cost for the project was $2.2b to $2.7b if delivered as a single stage or between $2.3b and $2.8b if delivered in four stages.

e Omanawa bridge replacement, upgrading of SH29a and adding bus lanes to SH29 and SH3 was proposed to take place between 2026 and 2031.

e projected start date for the interregional corridor is 2041 – but

Andrews says Waka Kotahi will use an “adaptive management approach”. ey could start it earlier if the project is funded and the need is proven through data monitoring, she says.

How responsive?

Tauranga City commissioner Stephen Selwood questions how responsive the approach will be. “ e reality is that even if you have an adaptive management approach, unless there is funding for the next stage of the project, it will be delayed.”

He says the availability of infrastructure is a “key constraint” for the region and has been a “major contributor” to escalated house prices.

e cost-to-bene t ratio from the business case of 1.5 is “signi cant” and compares “very favourably” against most of the Roads of National Signi cance previous governments had put through, says Selwood.

SH29 upgrade 2046 002: e Western Bay of Plenty’s three councils unanimously endorsed the business case. Photos: John Borren.

Commission chair Anne Tolley says the business case and staging sounds “very logical and good in theory”. “ e reality is you won’t be able to build any of those houses until the roading is there. You won’t build the roading until the houses are there. It’s not going to work in practice. We need it faster. We need it committed.”

WBOP District Council also wants the importance of State Highway 2 to be recognised and prioritised. Successive governments had planned and failed to deliver Takitimu Northern Link, a four-lane highway between Ōmokoroa and Tauranga.

WBOPDC deputy chief executive and infrastructure general manager Gary Allis says initially the completion date for the TNL was 2015. Users of the current highway are facing travel times of up to two hours and are nding this “unacceptable”, he says.

Stage one between Tauranga and Te Puna is currently under construction with an estimated completion of 2025. Allis says stage two is needed because Ōmokoroa was designated a high growth area in the early-2000s and is still growing. Katikati Waihī Beach councillor Anne Henry says: “It seems like the political environment or whoever’s in at the day is holding us by the strings”.

Not aspirational enough

Tolley agrees. “ ere’s no doubt that central government policies have done this sub-region in the eye and we have not had the investment in infrastructure that we not only deserve, but that we actually need.”

e Government’s 2018 Policy Statement on Land Transport objectives included safety, access, environment and value for money. is saw the TNL abandoned then brought back on in 2021 and a ected timing of the SH29 business case.

BOP Regional Council chairman Doug Leeder says the business case “wasn’t aspirational enough” in terms of delivery and funding.“SH29 is not just about the Western Bay, this is about New Zealand Inc.”

Western BOP mayor James Denyer adds: “Investment in SH29 is vital for the future prosperity of both the Western BOP District and Tauranga City and is of national importance beyond that.

“Many of our residents travel to work in the city, and our horticultural exports need e cient transport to the port. is investment will help safeguard our economic wellbeing.”

Infrastructure crisis

WBOP infrastructure forum chair Nigel Tutt warns there could be trucks backed up over the Kaimai Range if the full upgrade isn’t delivered and infrastructure is needed to service the country’s largest port. He says the sub region is in an “infrastructure crisis”, “desperately short of housing” and unlocking industrial land is “really, really important”.

“Most signi cantly for NZ is freight, and protecting the Port of Tauranga and its supply routes is critical.”

“It [the upgrade] simply needs to be done quickly, 2050 will not cut the mustard.”

e sub-region’s leaders, described by Tolley as the “heavy hitters”, would now lobby the Government for the project’s delivery. “Only central government can make the changes and they could do it in the next budget.”

Responding to the concerns raised, a spokesperson for newly-appointed Transport Minister David Parker says: “ e Government recognises the signi cance of investment in transport upgrades in Tauranga and in this corridor in particular”.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air. Alisha Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

SH29/29A could be widened for bus lanes if the business case is funded by the Government. Photo: John Borren.

Special welcome home for Bay Olympians

As Western Bay of Plenty’s three Special Olympians arrive at Tauranga Airport today, fresh from the 2023 World Summer Games in Berlin, they’ll be met by some very proud supporters.

A big group of family, friends, trainers and volunteers are set to welcome home Tauranga bowler Len Just, runner Hayley Little and Katikati powerlifter Caroline Tangitau at 10.30am.

Len brings home a gold medal and two bronzes from his rst international competition in ten pin bowling, and Caroline will have four silvers around

her neck. Hayley, who nearly clinched a medal, will bring back the experience of a lifetime from her overseas debut.

“Absolutely amazing – it’s probably the biggest things these guys will do in their life competition-wise,” says Pat Wakelin from Tauranga’s Special Olympics Committee.

Pat says Hayley placed third in the 800m track event – and achieved a Personal Best by 28 seconds “but unfortunately got disquali ed on a technicality”. “ at’s a shame but Hayley being Hayley – she just handled it. A few days later she ran the 200m event and placed fth, also a PB.”

e committee and whole community of Special Olympics sta , volunteers,

coaches and trainers – which number 50-odd and give 160-odd athletes under their guidance hundreds of hours of tuition and support – are over the moon for the trio. e athletes and bowling coach Raewyn Judson were among 7000 athletes with an intellectual disability competing from 190 countries worldwide.

Icing on the cake

“For us an as an organisation, it’s the icing on the cake for all the work that goes into these athletes. is event only comes around every four years – and these three competitors are the most amazing athletes.”

Pat, who manages the committee’s Facebook page, has been posting news as she’s received it daily from NZ’s head of delegation Rowena Massey, and from contact with coordinators. How do the athletes back home feel about the trio’s success? “Oh, they are overwhelmed – they’re so happy for them. ese three athletes are very well-known in our club.”

Pats says Caroline is a Speical Olympics swimmer, basketballer and now a powerlifter. “She’s been swimming with us for 20 years, Len’s been ten pin bowling with us for 30 years, and Hayley is a newcomer. She’s been involved for three years. ey’ve all got personality.”

Pat says Caroline is Tauranga’s only female powerlifter, and has been a Special Olympian for about 25 years and shifted to Tauranga 15 years ago. “She went to the World Games in North Carolina as a reserve with the swimming team 22 years ago and represented NZ at the Australian National Games in swimming in 2006.”

International debut

But for Len and Hayley, this was their international debut. “Each athletes had to personally raise $3000 to get to the games, plus the community worked hard to gain sponsorship and fundraising from as far away as Auckland.”

Pat says this year’s games is a great result.

“What we’ve notice is this time the athletes have got a lot more publicity. Each World Games, Special Olympics is getting more well-known – because many still don’t know what it is, and what it involves.”

Lastly, Pat believes the trio’s accomplishment shows fellow BOP athletes that they can set and achieve goals on the world stage. “Caroline, Len and Hayley will be great role models for our club. ey’re the sort of people that will encourage others to go for it!”

Caroline Tangitau, bowling coach Raewyn Judson, Hayley Little and Len Just at the games. Photos: supplied.

Powerlifter Caroline Tangitau won two silver medals at the 2023 World Summer Games in Berlin.

Bowler Len Just won a gold medal and two bronzes in his international debut.

Merle Cave

Beautifying or stupefying?

e path to a more functional and beauti ed Cameron Rd may not be so simple, with city residents starting to notice hitches in council’s “upgrades”.

Tauranga City centre worker Shayne Spicer was walking along Cameron Rd recently when he noticed what he believes to be a footpath fail in the new paving outside St Mary’s Catholic Church & Centre.

e presumed error is a mismatch in the middle of the curbing line within the footpath.

“Obviously one [contractor] started at one end and one started at the other end – over di erent production periods I presume – but I wouldn’t of thought it’d be too hard to actually make them meet up in the middle,” says Shayne.

“ ey had one job you know, which was to lay a nice piece of curbing and they mucked it up.

“I can’t help but shake my head in wonder at

the amount of money, we the tax/rate-payers are spending, and yet the contractors can’t seem to get the basics right.”

e kerbing glitch has got Shayne stumped.

“I’ve got no explanation or no logical reason to see why that would have to happen like that unless someone had made a mistake.”

Others have their theories, however. “One comment I had from somebody was that it could be a pot plant or a grass passing lane because it’s got wider at that [mid] point and the grasses can over take each other!”

So what does council have to say for this concreted gem? “ e area shown on the photograph of the stepped kerbing is an error that will be xed at the cost of the contractor,” says Tauranga City Council’s director of transport Brendan Bisley. “Council is focused on completing all remaining works on Cameron Rd and will come back to complete any defects once the overall contract is complete.”

Georgia Minkhorst

e footpath fail that Shayne Spicer noticed, showing the curbing line meeting at a mismatch.

Photo: John Borren

Sixty years after the Kaimai tragedy

He was a nine-year-old at his school desk. Class had just started, 9am Wednesday, July 3, 1963. Dave Hooper remembers it well.

“Our school was only a kilometre from the foothills of the Kaimais. But you couldn’t see them that day. That’s how closed in the weather was.” There was the noise. The sound of an aircraft, muffled by the wind and rain. Suddenly the engine roared, then a bang…..and nothing. “We just looked at one another,” recalls Dave. The

quarry across the road would sometimes blast rock, but never on a bad day. And this was a bad day. Something was very wrong. Moments later a Tauranga air traffic controller muttered despairingly: “I’ve lost an aircraft”.

Lost aeroplane

Dave’s class wasn’t to know New Zealand’s worst domestic air disaster was going on around them. NAC Flight 441 had slammed into a vertical rock face, all 23 people aboard dead. Soon there would be army vehicles up and down Old Te Aroha Rd at Gordon near Matamata. And Dave and his classmates

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would be told they were looking for a lost aeroplane. “We were sent home early because they needed the school for search and rescue.”

Then on Wednesday just gone – June 28, 2023 –and almost 60 years to the day after the crash, the unpredictable and unforgiving Kaimai Range was having a rare vulnerable moment. A chopper on a salvage mission slipped in beneath a low canopy of cloud and fog and wrested the NAC Flight 441’s starboard engine from the range’s grasp. It didn’t surrender it easily. “Wind is swirling like

a bastard,” radioed in the pilot. It was Classic Flyers Museum’s second attempt to retrieve the engine. “A feeling of trepidation,” says CEO Andrew Gormlie. “You got it, nervous.”

Then the chopper appears on the skyline above a ravine with the engine, the prize, slung beneath on a long line. “We’ve got it,” calls the pilot. And 4km way in a paddock by the Old Te Aroha Rd, Gormlie and a raft of aviation enthusiasts and locals are anxiously waiting and watching.

“I can see it, bloody exciting,” says Andrew.

A nine-year-old Dave Hooper amongst the devastation. The angle of the image relates to the steep terrain and an uncle taking photographs while standing on a cliff face. Photo: supplied.

“Outstanding. e engine is heading home.” Home to Classic Flyers at Tauranga Airport, the aircraft’s original destination.

To most, the engine would appear a piece of tortured, broken and burnt metal. But for the salvage team, it’s a gem, an artefact, a piece of aviation history. “It’s still recognisable and su ciently intact for people to understand what it is.”

Museum icon

And there’s a reverence amongst the salvage team –because that piece of wreckage on the trailer is now a museum icon. People are standing around looking, admiring and re ecting on a disaster 60 years ago.

Grant Horn, the man who conceived the salvage, is happy. “I decided it was going home to Tauranga or it was going nowhere. It would be staying right here.”

“We believe that with the engine, Classic Flyers can tell the story of the crash very respectfully,” says Andrew. And they don’t believe they have violated the

sanctity of the crash site because the engine and wheel had rolled well clear.

“It’s a wreck, not a tomb. And it’s important for us to respectfully recover the engine so there is some tangible reminder for people. And the engine ful ls the museum objective – to promote and preserve aviation history.” Andrew says they tested the feeling of people. “ ose a ected by the tragedy were certainly comfortable with it.”

Special service

e starboard engine sheered o when ZK-AYZ hit a craggy, verticle cli , and along with the starboard wheel assembly, eventually tumbled into a ravine.

e engine and the wheel assembly will be housed in a ‘remembrance room’ at the museum, part of a permanent commemorative display. It’ll be dedicated at a special 60th anniversary service at the museum at 1.30pm Monday, July 3. e public is invited.

Among those attending the service is likely to be

86-year-old Mrs Sandy Saussey – the wife of Captain Len Enchmarch, who was killed in the crash. “It’ll likely be the nal time for relatives of those lost, and others with direct involvement by way of search and recovery e orts, to gather together to pay their respects,” says the Rev Dr Richard Waugh, a aviation historian and writer on the disaster.

Flyover & roadside service

Classic Flyers archivist Peter Layne had a very personal attachment to the DC-3.

“CZK-AYZ was the rst plane I ew in without my parents – Whenuapai to Hamilton just two years before the accident.” And through his NAC operations o cer Dad, the seven-oreight-year-old Peter met and chatted with First O cer Peter Kissel, who was killed in the crash.

Shortly after 9am on Monday, July

3, people will pause and re ect on the nal moments of Flight 441 as another DC-3 – the ZK-DAK out of Ardmore – thunders over a commemoration service, this time a roadside service at the Kaimai crash memorial plaque on the Old Te Aroha Rd at Gordon.

e half-hour service will conducted by Rev Waugh and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, Steve Lowe, himself an aviation historian. Back in 1963, Dave Hooper and his uncle tramped into the crash site, as many people did. e uncle took a couple of raw, confronting photographs, which Dave has shared with e Weekend Sun. ey graphically show the devastation. It left an enduring impression on a young boy. “It was the smell, a distinctive smell– fuel, burning...yes, and death.”

Above: Sixty years after the crash, Flight 441’s engine is nally headed home. From left: Adventure Helicopters pilot Will Dolman, Classic Flyers CEO Andrew Gormlie, Adventure Helicopters pilot Shamus Howar, and Grant Horn, the man behind the plan to recover the engine.

Left: Hammered by the impact of the crash, but today still recognisable as Flight 441’s engine. Photos: Bob Tulloch.

Hunter Wells

Rico determined to dominate!

Meet Rico Ryan, a remarkable 11-year-old who’s taking the world of BMX racing by storm. At the age of six, Rico crafted his own licence plate bearing the inscription ‘W1’ – cementing his ambition to become the number one rider in the world.

“He was talented straight away,” recalls dad Matt Ryan. “He started at a relatively late age but he’s calculated and smart about racing.”

e Tauranga youngster needs to be strategic. He’s one of only a handful of riders who ‘dual compete’ in two di erent racing classes.

“He has twice as many races on two di erent bikes so it’s a long, tiring day that needs to be planned out. He needs to conserve his energy in certain events to race harder in others.”

Up to four hours of track training six times per week and gym workouts thanks to a scholarship for the Youth

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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.

Academy at Mount Maunganui’s Athlete Factory, are paying o . is season Rico is the North Island Champion and has won the New Zealand Championships in both the premier and cruiser class, as well as winning the Oceania Championship premier class and placing second in cruiser class.

“He used to get quite upset about coming second,” says Matt. “It was never good enough.

“He’s a really competitive guy but he’s quiet natured and humble as well. His teacher has told us she had no idea Rico is the New Zealand and Oceania Number One. He doesn’t show o about it.”

Next month Rico will represent New Zealand against the best BMX riders from Australia.

“ e BMXNZ Mighty 11s test team is the ve fastest boys and ve

fastest girls in their age category racing, this year, in Sydney,” says Matt. “We’re home for 16 days and then we head to the World Championships in Glasgow.”

Matt says they couldn’t have made it to Scotland without sponsorship from companies including Buckley Systems Ltd, Team Stone Racing, MB Electrical, Hi-Spec Plumbing and Gas as well as support from St Mary’s School and Tauranga BMX Club.

“Rico’s aiming for a top eight nish, but the dream is still ‘World Number 1’ just as it was ve years ago, when he rst started racing.”

For racing updates, follow Rico’s Instagram page: www. instagram.com/ricoryan660

Tauranga’s Rico Ryan is o overseas to take on the BMZ racing world. Photo: John Borren.

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Broken or unwanted jewellery, watch cases, Gold trophies, medals and badges, chains, bangles, earrings and dental gold.

Buying bullion Gold, Silver or Platinum coins & bars including Sovereigns, Maples & Krugerrands. Any amounts large or small. Alluvial flake or nuggets too.

Silver jewellery, coins, trophies, medals, badges, watches. Sterling flatware and antiques.

0800 MR GOLD

Watches

Mechanical pocket or wristwatches.

Quality brands from Seiko and Citizen to Omega and Rolex. Good watches in poor condition can still be wanted for parts!

Medals

Any military medals and badges considered along with any supporting documents and other named items. Sporting medals, agriculture medals, lodge medals all considered.

Coins/Banknotes

World coins & notes pre-S0's. NZ silver pre-1947, Aus silver pre-1964. Collections welcome. Trading bank notes and anything else old or interesting!

Hon Jan Tinetti

e largest women’s sporting event in the world is now less than a month away from hitting New Zealand shores.

I’m excited for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 to kick o July 20.

e FIFA Women’s World Cup is a massive event, attracting a global audience of more than one billion people. Running from July 20-August 20, it’s an incredible opportunity that will put New Zealand and our co-hosts Australia front and centre on the world stage, showcase our unique culture and landscape, bene t local communities and leave a lasting legacy for women’s sport in this country.

e tournament is expected to attract tens of thousands of fans from around the world. at’s exciting news for NZ,

as it presents another opportunity to enhance our reputation as a great place to visit, work, do business and host world-class events. Communities across the country will also bene t from upgraded sporting facilities. We’ve seen massive momentum build behind women’s sport around the world in recent years.

Last year’s Women’s Euros nal between England and Germany drew a record-breaking crowd of 87,192 spectators, an increase of 18,321 from the opening match of the tournament.

Now it’s our turn, with an opportunity for NZ to show our support for women’s sport on a global scale. Co-hosting this tournament will see us continue to pave the way for current and future women athletes – raising the value and visibility of women’s sport, inspiring our young people to play and creating new sporting leaders. Find out everything about the FIFA Women’s World Cup, including the tournament schedule, at: www.eyeson.nz

FIFA Women’s World Cup nearly here! It is time for real consequences for crime

Like every region of New Zealand, here in the Bay of Plenty we are fed up with rising crime. We live in a country where gangs are growing faster than the Police.

Labour’s ‘soft on crime’ narrative has seen violent crime skyrocket 33 per cent in the past ve years, while criminals are con dent there are few consequences for their reign of terror. National is putting a stop to that. At the weekend, National announced a raft of changes that are designed to strengthen sentences, give more support to victims, and give real help to remand prisoners to rehabilitate.

And the ree Strikes legislation will return.

O enders who have twice been convicted for a serious o ence will get the maximum sentence with no possibility of parole. Yes, there will be exceptions,

but they will be few and far between. ere will be a limit that judges can reduce a sentence by; and gang membership will be an aggravating factor in sentencing.

So-called ‘cultural reports’ have turned into a thriving industry. e $20 million Labour has spent on these reports will be redirected to support victims with counselling, mental health support, or transport to and from court.

And National will pump up rehabilitation programmes for prisoners on remand. Rehabilitation will be worthwhile by directing it to the skills they need to avoid coming back to prison, particularly around addressing violent behaviour.

A National government is putting public safety back at the top of the priority list, along with xing the economy and addressing the cost-of-living crisis. It is time to get this country back on track.

ToddMullerMP

Quiet but bold

is week I had the opportunity to step inside Honda’s all new ZR-V Hybrid, which has completely blown me away!

is sporty modern mid-sized SUV o ers an extremely smooth ride that is unbelievably quiet, even when cruising at 100km/hr on the highway. It’s also got a great sound system, comfortable interior, and every bell and whistle you could dream of in a modern vehicle.

Cuts fuel cost

e ZR-V Hybrid is packed with features, substantially cuts down on the cost of fuel, and comes with no compromises in terms of performance.

Picking one up is a win-win, and an absolute steal for what it comes with.

‘ is is what dreams are made of’ is the

tagline of the all-new vehicle, which I can absolutely attest to after taking it for a spin around Tauranga. Honda has packed an unbelievable amount of room into this car, with excellent head and legroom for all occupants front and rear, and has an amazing boot capacity of 370L – extending to a cavernous 1302L with the rear seats folded down. Occupant comfort is very high with supportive seats and all touch points nished to a high standard.

e driver’s 10.2” digital display is also worth a special mention, as it is cleverly designed to only be visible to the driver, making backseat driving a much more complicated task.

Safety systems

ZR-V is equipped with all the latest high quality safety systems available on the market. Adaptive cruise control, low speed follow, collision mitigation braking, forward collision

e all new Honda ZR-V Hybrid is a modern SUV, which cuts down on petrol and has a sporty feel.

warning, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, and auto high-beam support system to name a few. ZR-V carries Honda’s full Sensing Suite of safety features and is well prepared to help the driver and passengers get to their destination as safely as possible.

Impressive feature

Another impressive feature is the 360-degree bird’s eye view camera, which can be switched on while at low driving speeds. It makes parking extremely easy and is fantastic for maneuvering in tight spaces.

ZR-V also debuts Honda Connect, a phone app that allows you to remotely turn the lights on and o , lock the doors, adjust the climate control, geo-locate your car and even check your fuel level.

I found ZR-V to be an extremely versatile car, which I thoroughly enjoyed driving. It’s sporty, has plenty of room for the whole

family, is safe and reliable, and provides exceptional performance. On top of that, ZR-V Hybrid sips just 5.5L of fuel per 100km (WLTP gure standardised) and delivers a maximum torque of 182Nm@4500rpm.

Test drive

If you’re like me and like the idea of driving a truly modern SUV, I recommend giving the team at Honda Store Tauranga a call and asking for a test drive.

Phone: 07 578 9083 or visit 326 Cameron Rd, seven days a week.

Honda ZR-V available from $47,000+ORC (ZR-V 1.5L Turbo). Model tested was ZR-V 2.0L Hybrid priced at $55,000+ORC Taylor Rice

Photos: John Borren.

The need for speed: Bay athletes race at the worlds

e New Zealand Speed Climbing team is wrapping up training in the Bay of Plenty and heading to Europe – to ght to retain its place among the world’s fastest.

Eighteen-year-olds Flynn Chisholm, Julian David and Abby Gerbert and 23-year-old Sarah Tetzla are competing at World Cup events. Twenty-year-old Jorja Rangi will join the team for the World Champs in Switzerland.

“It’s safe to say that BOP is home to

some of the fastest speed climbers in the world. We’re currently around the top 30,” says head coach Rob Moore.

“At the World Cup in Seoul in April, Julian broke the NZ National Men’s record and the Oceania Men’s record, running 6.43 seconds. Sarah broke the NZ National Women’s record running 9.56 seconds.”

Hours training

It’s taken a lot of dedication by the squad. “All the athletes train twice-a-day.

“ ey have a weights programme three times a week, as well as stretching and mobility, and work with a mental coach.

“ en they also spend hours on the climbing wall,” says Rob. “ ey consistently amaze me. ey have their individual goals and together we’re all hitting targets as well. I couldn’t be more proud of them.” e inclusion of speed climbing as a separate competition in the Paris 2024 Olympics has intensi ed the sport, says Rob.

Moving goal posts

“We are day-by-day implementing our plan to be amongst the best in the world,” says Rob. “But at the top level, the goal posts are moving very fast.

“Becoming an Olympic sport has brought a lot of countries into the game that weren’t previously putting in the e ort or funding.”

Rob has seen substantial growth and development in the sport of speed climbing.

“We are having to push really hard to keep on track,” says Rob.

“For example, between 2017 and 2021 the world record was 5.48 seconds.

“Since 2021, the world record has been broken nine times in competition and is currently 4.90 seconds. e world record of 5.48 that was held for four years is no longer even fast enough to make a quarter nal!”

First Olympic spots

In Europe, the BOP team will spend a month in the French Alps, competing in two world cups in Villars, Switzerland, on July 2; and Chamonix, France, on July 8. en the team will relocate to Grenoble for training, culminating in the World Championships in

Bern, Switzerland, on August 10. “ is is a one-o world championship event – a big one that happens every two years,” says Rob. “At this event the rst Olympic spots will be up for grabs, so all the best in the world will be there.”

Massive commitment

e athletes’ programme is supported by High Performance Sport NZ and sponsors Rab and Madrock provide gear, but the majority is self-funded.

“ e athletes pay for their travel, accommodation, food, transport, overseas gym facilities and everything in between,” says Rob. “Most of the parents on the programme have taken second jobs to support the athletes on the world stage. It’s a massive commitment. It de nitely takes a whole community to create champions!”

Debbie Griffiths

Jorja Rangi, Sarah Tetzla , Abby Gerbert, Julian David, Flynn Chisholm and Ned Johnston.

Photo: John Borren.

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NZ Squash Championships hit town

New Zealand’s top male and female squash athletes are preparing for a huge weekend of competition at the New Zealand Squash Championships in Tauranga.

Women’s world number four Joelle King and men’s number ve Paul Coll

Working for Real Change act.org.nz

are home to headline the event, fresh o the back of the PSA World Tour Finals. e championships will also feature a host of rising stars and emerging pros, with 62 athletes to play around 160 matches from Friday, June 30 through to Sunday, July 2 at the Devoy Squash and Fitness Centre.

e event is doubling as the NZ Racketball

Invitational, which will be contested by eight men and eight women. It’s the rst time the event has been run in conjunction with the Squash Championships, recognising the growing popularity of racketball.

e championships is free entry and Squash NZ chief executive Martin Dowson encourages the community to enjoy some

quality squash. “ is is a chance to see some of the best squash players in the world for free, in your own backyard,” says Martin.

Athletes and o cials will be welcomed today, June 30, at 11am, then competition starts midday.

e action begins about 9am Saturday and Sunday.

e event programme is at: www.squashnz.co.nz

A reset of the immigration reset is needed

e immigration system continues to go through signi cant changes and looks nothing like it did just a year or so ago.

e Government basically tipped the system on its head and made it impossible to get workers into NZ, now we’re dealing with constant incremental change as they realise they made a mistake. Employers trying to get migrant workers have had to grapple with astronomical processing times, closed borders, losing accreditation; then having to reapply under a new scheme.

e Government calls this experiment its immigration reset. Basically – hiring locals good; hiring migrants bad.

e actual evidence, as collated by the Productivity Commission, shows this makes no sense. It has sent businesses to the wall as they haven’t been able to nd enough sta to keep going.

ACT says a reset of the immigration reset is needed. Immigration is a make or break policy area for NZ. If NZ doesn’t have processes at least as good as those in major competitor countries like Australia and Canada, businesses will struggle to grow, social services will fail to deliver, and a spiral will take hold where it’s even more di cult to attract and retain talent than in competitor countries.

ACT is con dent employers know best when it comes to who they need to hire, and how many. ey don’t need to be micromanaged by politicians nor bureaucrats in Wellington.

e work visa scheme and its wage rules needs to be tossed out, and open work rights for workers restored, which will help employers and employees and signi cantly reduce risk of migrant exploitation by enabling simple movement between jobs and roles within organisations.

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

Do you take water from a river, lake or groundwater for drinking or irrigation? ?

Do you farm, grow kiwifruit, avocados or other crops? ?

Are some of our rivers, lakes or wetlands culturally or traditionally important to you?

Authorised by David Seymour MP, ACT Party leader, Parliament Buildings, Wellington.

World men’s number ve, Kiwi Paul Coll, will headline the NZ Squash Championships. Photo: supplied.

Nation’s best to compete in the Bay

A grand spectacle of the nation’s top gymnasts returns to Tauranga for the rst time in ve years as the 2023 New Zealand Gymnastics Championships gets underway in town next week.

From July 5-8 the country’s best gymnasts will compete for national glory across the ve gymnastics codes – aerobics, men’s and women’s artistic, rhythmic, and trampoline gymnastics at Mercury Baypark.

e nationals were last held in Tauranga in 2018. Provincial

National’s Committee member Jana Bennett says: “Having it local, it’s just more exciting and everyone is having more time to train”.

Yet Jana also notes “it’s more pressure for locals because more friends from school can actually come and watch – but it’s exciting!”

Jana says gymnasts selected for nationals only found out in the rst week of June. “ ey only have four weeks to train just for nationals and hit it hard. It’s not easy to get into, so it’s a huge achievement for the kids just to be there. It’s huge for New Zealand and to represent the Bay of Plenty.”

Leading up to the event all BOP

What’s happened to Barry?

Western Bay of Plenty residents have been issued an artistic challenge in the wake of Katikati’s town icon ‘disappearing’.

Townsfolk woke Monday morning, June 26, to nd Barry and his seat had vanished into thin air, leaving behind a bereft Jack, his doggie companion.

Katikati Open Air Art, the steward group of Katikati’s murals and sculptures, posted the disappearance on their Facebook Page and invited the community’s input into what could have possibly happened to Barry via an artwork competition.

Locals have suggested Barry got tired of sitting in the rain and had escaped to the sunny islands; or got stuck in tra c; others conjected he’d been stolen and

held for ransom. KOAA reassures the community they’re unfazed about Barry’s disappearance and instead urge the community to create a ‘what’s happened to Barry scenario’ in any art medium – it can be a drawing, photo, poem, sculpture etc – and send a photo of your entry to: info@KatikatiOpenAirArt.co.nz or drop it into e Arts Junction by 5pm July 9.

Entries will appear on KOAA’s Facebook Page for public voting from July 10-16, with the three most popular by public vote receiving a Barry T-Shirt.

codes – totalling 52 athletes – will come together for a meet up, which will be the rst time in three years.

“It’s a big deal on the Saturday for us to get together, and make it o cial and make the gymnasts feel like we are one. We are one team of BOP and not being separate with each code. We’re hoping it’s a di erent feel at nationals this year,” says Jana.

e 2023 NZ Gymnastics Championships is at Mercury Baypark July 5-8. For spectator tickets and further details, visit: https:// www.iticket.co.nz/events/2023/jul/ gymnastics-nz#/buy-tickets

Only ‘Jack’ remains at the spot next to e Arts Junction on Katikati’s Main St. Photo: Supplied.

Georgia Minkhorst

BOP gymnasts Ava Ellison, Andrejka Bennett, Nikita Lal and Mila Watherston get in some last-minute training. Photo: John Borren.

House of Science celebrates 10th anniversary

House of Science, a unique notfor-pro t organisation that was established to build con dence and capability in science education, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Re ecting on the last 10 years, House of Science founder and chief executive

Chris Duggan, says: “I can’t quite believe we’re 10 years old!”

“What started as a rather random idea has grown into a multi award-winning organisation that directly impacts more than 100,000 children every year.”

To celebrate this momentous milestone, House of Science hosted an event on June 20 in Tauranga, which was an opportunity to acknowledge and thank

the many people who have been involved in their remarkable journey of growth.

“None of this would have been possible without the generous support of so many people,” says Chris.

“Sta , volunteers, directors, and nancial supporters collectively empowering New Zealand teachers to deliver great science lessons.”

e celebration at Classic Flyers had a distinctly science feel with a range of interactive displays and spot prizes donated by generous sponsors.

ere are currently 20 House of Science branches servicing a growing number of regions across New Zealand. Each branch has their own library of

bilingual science resource kits with everything a teacher needs, which are maintained and distributed by volunteers on behalf of the local community.

Each fortnight, hundreds of these kits are delivered to primary schools and tens of thousands of children partake in engaging, hands-on science lessons as a result.

To help this charity reach more schools, or nd out more information, visit: houseofscience.nz

Guests enjoy an augmented reality sandpit. Photo: supplied.

To donate to the cause, visit: givealittle.co.nz/org/house-of-science-nz

House of Science team members celebrate.

OUTKASTS bringing new moves to worlds

OUTKASTS are taking on the Hip Hop International Worlds in USA again and they need your help to get them there!

e dance crew from Space Studios Tauranga – OUTKASTS secured their spot at the world championships last year, and will return to the international once more this August.

OUTKASTS placed 12th in the world with their impressive hip hop moves at the last comp. “We were pretty stoked because that was our rst time being over there, so I’m pretty happy with the result

we got,” says OUTKASTS’ Connor Settle-Smith. is Saturday, July 1, the dance crew is holding a fundraising event to help them make it to the world stage again. “We’re changing it around a bit [this year], just something new, something fresh and I just hope we get to that nals arena and place higher than we did last year!”

e fundraiser on Saturday, July 1, will run from 6.30pm-10pm at the University of Waikato, 101 Durham St. A few tickets are left and include an art lesson, drinks, food and ra e entry! Tickets are $65, to secure yours email: michlagerberg@yahoo.co.nz

LAW &

ORDER

Photo: supplied.

givealittle.co.nz/org/house-of-science-nz

Doesn’t anyone care anymore? It’s NOT council’s job... Have your say – now!

Businesses on Cameron Road tell me that their patronage has fallen o drastically because there is no longer anywhere for customers to park for a quick nip in to buy something or collect a meal, or to pick up the purchase they have made by phone or online. e chaotic “development” of Cameron Rd is simply destroying the many businesses, large and small, which depend on access to short-term parking.

e Tauranga Commissioners should try and visit any shop to know what harm the lack of parking is doing.

Arguably even worse, there are so many bulky bright red large frames blocking o shops that the whole road is a mess. Why wasn’t one section done at a time?

Outside one shop the pavement has been dug up ve times; outside another, work started last September is still not nished 10 months later.

To add insult to injury, there are not nearly enough pedestrians or cyclists to justify the expensive changes being dumped upon the city.

How businesses can survive this council nonsense is a mystery, and many will not. Closing the central city down is not the answer.

Margaret Murray-Benge, Bethlehem.

TCC replies: Our city is growing fast, and we need a transport network that supports this growth and keeps people safe when moving around.

e Cameron Rd Stage 1 upgrade project was due to be completed October 2023. We still anticipate completion by the end of this year, which is a positive outcome considering the impact of Covid-19 on resourcing and the record rainfall we’ve had throughout construction, and this year in particular. Council is very aware of the impact that construction sites have on the local businesses and community, and we work hard to make sure that this impact is reduced as much as possible.

ere are many elements to construction. e below-the-ground stormwater and wastewater work needs to be completed before the team can return to sections to work on the streetscape and cycleway facilities. To reduce the overall time taken for construction, there are multiple work sites along Cameron Rd. Council continues to work closely with the Cameron Rd Joint Venture contractors to complete sections as quickly as is achievable and reduce the impacts as much as possible.

Tauranga City Council’s answer to improving infrastructure is by creating Tra c Light Tauranga and Round About Mount, along with reducing two-lane roads to one lane, including in-lane bus stops, to make way for bus queue jumps and dangerous two-way cycle lanes.

Supposedly, this is all in improving safety for everyone and ensuring our empty buses run on time and are frequent. ese changes will certainly slow down tra c and bring it to a standstill at peak times, frustrate drivers and make it harder for emergency vehicles. TCC, along with the help of SunLive, have been very proactive in giving ratepayers and residents the opportunity to have their say in particular around ‘Making Otumoetai Peninsula Accessible’. So come on everyone get on board and have your say – it’s important! It’s no good moaning about it after it’s happened! Kim Bailey, Bureta.

Ready to take on rural living

Get the lifestyle of your dreams through real estate agents that “live and breathe” the rural property market!

Robyn Mangos, the newest addition to the Bayley’s Tauranga Country Team, is immersing herself in the industry – gumboots and all. Working alongside her husband, Phil Mangos, the award-winning team is committed to delivering the best outcomes for their clients.

Robyn says: “It’s all about great relationships and

combined with our team’s exceptional track record, extensive experience and dedication, we provide the con dence and assurance needed to achieve

Covering the Western Bay of Plenty, the team specialises in lifestyle properties, grazing, horticulture, subdivisions and larger rural blocks. “My upbringing on a Tauranga dairy farm-turned-kiwifruit orchard gives me invaluable rst-hand understanding of the rural property market. Phil and I both live lifestyle ourselves, so we embrace it and have a passion for this way of living.”

Why is Tauranga City Council wasting ratepayers’ money on full page advertisement in the daily newspaper promoting seat belts and vehicle restraints? I do not believe it is the city council’s job to promote vehicle safety requirements. ere are government-funded organisations to do that. Or is it the city council has so much money?

Like they have demonstrated by placing tra c signals just for cyclist on Ninth Ave intersection with Cameron Rd. e council still have never reported as to why they cut done the magni cent oak tree in that roundabout. Was it because it was not a native tree?

Jim Sherlock, Parkvale.

TCC replies: Tauranga City Council receives funding from Waka Kotahi to support road safety promotion in our local area, so these messages are done in partnership through the Travel Safe team. Unfortunately when attending serious crashes, adults are still regularly not wearing seatbelts, and children are not safely secured in car seats. Distraction continues to be a high focus area, and within our city, we don’t need to look far to see someone driving while talking on their phones. Within Tauranga City, our local Road Policing unit has been regularly ticketing about 30 drivers in the mornings and again in the afternoons talking on their phones while driving.

We are installing new ‘smart’ tra c lights along Cameron Rd that have di erent buttons for pedestrians and cyclists to help with tra c ow. Because cyclists take less time to cross the road than pedestrians, the bicycle button will provide less time to cross the road, meaning drivers will get a green light faster (if there are no pedestrians).

Sadly, an elderly woman on a mobility scooter was killed while trying to cross Ninth Ave in 2018. e tree at the Ninth Ave roundabout was cut down in preparation for replacement of the roundabout with new tra c lights, which will make it safer for people to cross here.

Work is scheduled to begin this weekend, Sunday, July 2, on the Ninth Ave intersection in preparation for this.

Phil Mangos and Robyn Mangos are Bayley’s country team.

Photo: Matt Hunt.

Fun on the menu –rain, hail or shine!

Playing sports outdoors is going to be a totally di erent – and dry – experience for Ōtūmoetai Primary School’s 554 students next term.

A new 35m by 35m Covered Outdoor Learning Area has been built over the top of the school’s turf courts. is will put a stop to students being drenched by rain and wind when engaging in outdoor activities.

Ōtūmoetai Primary school Principal Zara McIndoe says that in the past many of the school’s sports and outdoor activities and events have been cancelled or postponed due to lack of a weather-proof venue.

“Our school hall is not a suitable size, shape or space for indoor sport,” says Zara. “[And] Given the majority of our children are barefoot most of the year, the current surface is too hot in the summer terms, and is often too wet and slippery in the winter terms.”

Shade Systems was the primary contractor for the project, and it took four weeks to install the COLA. Zara says the project has been in discussion and planning for several years, eventually costing the school $580,000. As such, she expresses her gratitude for receiving an $115,000 donation from TECT. “We would not have been able to proceed with this project without the nancial support of TECT, and we are truly grateful for their generous contribution towards this project.

not have been able to proceed with this project take place during Term

“ ank you TECT.” e grand opening of the COLA Canopy will take place during Term 3’s rst week, on Friday, July 21.

“Ngāi Tamarāwaho will be naming, opening and blessing the COLA. And TECT trustees Kate Barry-Piceno and Mark Arundel will be in attendance.” Zara says the COLA is set to make a huge di erence for Ōtūmoetai Primary school students. “We will be making great use of this new multi-purpose, all-weather area.”

Ella McConnell

Ōtūmoetai Primary School principal Zara McIndoe and deputy principal Marcus Hughes can’t wait for children to enjoy the covered turf next term.

Photo: John Borren.

e COLA under construction. Photo: Juan Cortes.

Style up your heating!

If you are renovating, updating your heating system might already be in your plans.

Installing a heat pump is a worthwhile investment, providing energy e cient heating during winter and cooling comfort throughout summer, says Energy Services Tauranga’s HVAC sales manager Andrew Stockman.

“ e Designer Series High Wall Heat Pump Range from Mitsubishi Electric lets you truly re ect your design style, whether you want a bold statement or a sleek unassuming look.

“Available in a range of contemporary colours including

black, silver and white, a heat pump no longer needs to be a bulky appliance on the wall, but a sleek component of your room.”

Andrew says underneath the award-winning slimline casing, a host of advanced features make this range cutting-edge with exceptional energy e ciency.

“ e range features Advanced Filtration, whisper quiet operation and built-in Wi-Fi Control so you’ll always arrive home to perfect comfort.”

Up until July 31, Energy Services Tauranga is o ering a free upgrade from the Mitsubishi Electric EcoCore AP Plus Range to the Designer Series range. To book a free in-home consultation or to get in touch to discuss a heating, cooling or ventilation solution for your home, call the team on: 07 578 4334 or visit: www.energyservices.co.nz

New build to house Katikati groups

Construction of a purpose-built community building is about to get underway in Katikati.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is turning the partially-vacant land at 33 Middlebrook Drive into a shared community space.

Once completed, the modern facilities will be home to the Katikati MenzShed, Katikati Community Patrol and Katikati Community Van. e trio were selected by council to occupy the new space, following expressions of interest in 2021.

WBOPDC operations manager Kerrie Little is excited to get the build underway and to give the community groups a new home. “We’ve been

working extensively with the groups to understand their requirements, and the nal design is a collaboration of this fantastic kōrero.

“We’re looking forward to developing this land into a great asset and creating lasting bene ts to the wider Katikati community,” says Kerrie.

e building will be owned by council and leased by the community groups. Council has owned the section since 2013, with New Zealand Red Cross currently occupying a portion of the section.

e project is being funded by insurance money from a shed that burned down at 26 Middlebrook Drive, plus a generous $100,000 grant from TECT.

Construction will start end of June and is expected to be nished by September 30, 2023, but is weather-dependant.

Western Bay’s latest property valuations are in

If you own property in the Western Bay of Plenty, you’ll receive important information on your updated property revaluation this week.

Every three years Western Bay of Plenty District Council must undertake property revaluations to gain a district-wide appraisal of property values to accurately assess the value of a property at a given time.

e rating valuations are being completed by independent valuation company Quotable Value, following council’s last revaluation in 2019.

e valuation process is audited by the O ce of the Valuer-General.

Council’s group manager corporate services Adele Henderson says these valuations are important as they provide a snapshot of the district and are used for the sole purpose of rating. ey do not re ect the value of your property on the open market, nor

do they re ect the sale price of any property.

e valuations are used by council as a guide for setting your rates. “One thing we want to stress is an increase in your property value may not mean you pay more in rates. Any rates increase is determined by your property value increase compared with the average increase across the Western Bay of Plenty District,” says Adele. “Some valuations will go up, others will go down – some won’t change.”

e District Valuation Rolls will be also available, free of charge, at WBOPDC library and service centres, and: www.westernbay.govt.nz/revaluation

Bay of Plenty’s leading manufacturer and retailer of high-pressure laminate (Formica) and acrylic solid surface benchtops and splashbacks can create a fresh new look that will help transform your home for many years to come.

Energy Services Tauranga’s HVAC sales manager Andrew Stockman in the showroom. Photo: John Borren.

One thousand columns!

Yes. From the headline I suspect you’ve guessed that this week’s column will contain a certain amount of self-re ection; I’ll try not to be too indulgent.

It’s heartening to mark these little milestones; lessons may be learnt. I’m frankly at a loss as to what those might be... but let’s press ahead in case some occur. Mainly I'm reminded that if you keep

SUDOKU

doing something small for long enough it will add up to something bigger.

For much of my time writing for e Sun I lived on top of the Minden hill in Te Puna, just around from the lookout in a tiny cottage. It was freezing in winter, what with most of the windows having fallen out and with wooden surrounds too rotten to replace.

and with wooden surrounds

Eventually it was only held together by industrial quantities of polythene sheeting and ga er tape.

Fill the grid so that every row and every 3x3 square contains the digits 1

I lived there as the house fell down around me, braving the cold and lack of rst-world comforts for two reasons: it had pretty much the best view in all of Tauranga; and I had an agreement with the landlord that if I didn’t bother him he wouldn’t put up the rent. For 20 years I paid $80 a week.

Every day I’d drive down the hill and back again. Well, most days. It’s 3km down to the bottle store – and now also to the wonderful Te Puna Deli – and three back. Which meant driving 6km on that hill roughly, I would guess, 300 times a year. Obviously I often travelled further, but let’s just consider the hill.

London

It’s not a long drive but, as I mention, things add up. Six kilometres 300 times a year is 1800km. After 20 years that 1800km becomes 36,000km. Which means I drove the distance, just on that small road, to London. And back. As I said at the

start: if you keep doing something long enough – however small – it adds up. I write 700 words each week. A thousand columns at seven hundred words a pop makes 700,000 words. To place that in context, it’s the same count as the entire ‘Lord of e Rings’ trilogy, plus ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ and half of ‘Wuthering

After all that can I o er any advice? Here’s a little for those thinking about writing a column, and let’s face it, with blogs, vlogs and every other damn thing there are many many places you can do it, whether you create a space yourself or nd a pre-existing one. Stay interested. If you lose interest in your subject matter, stop. Tauranga, and its music and cultural scene are actively in my mind most days; I try and listen to everything released locally; I keep my eyes and ears open.

Writing

I reckon it also helps to be a “student of the game” as far as writing itself goes. I’m currently reading a book about grammar and another on punctuation; I realise what a sad dork that makes me sound. But I’m actively enjoying both of them: check out these groovy colons and semi-colons! I reread Chuck Palahniuk’s ‘Consider is’ and other books on writing by authors I admire.

I may be a slow learner but I try to

be always learning. Here’s another thing. If you’re o ering opinions in public, be prepared to expose yourself.

Some may be good at standing back objectively but writers I most enjoy reading, whether Hunter ompson or Bill Bryson, are not afraid to brave possible opprobrium by revealing their genuine selves through thoughts, words or actions.

at’s how I approach it. Cool indi erence and ironic disdain may be safer but I reckon you’ve got to show yourself and let it hang out a bit. If that means receiving occasional insulting letters or emails, so be it. Let me nish by thanking everyone who has been in touch over the years, even with the rudest of thoughts. More please! If I neglected to answer, my apologies for being a lousy correspondent. Most of all though, thank you all for reading.

It is a pleasure and a privilege and an unpredictable ride – thank you for joining me.

Books by American novelist Chuck Palahniuk, pictured, are a source of inspiration for Winston Watusi.

Boxing champs back

History in the ring from 1991 hopes to repeat itself here in Tauranga next week as the Boxing New Zealand National Championships get underway.

It was this time 32 years ago that the championship was last held in the city – for the rst and only time.

Claiming the national title at age 17 in 1991 was

Tauranga Boxing Academy coach and Central North Island Boxing Association vice president Michael Owen.

Now – more than 30 years later – the 111th Boxing NZ National Championships in Tauranga will be an opportunity for Michael’s own boxers to take the national title too. “It’s nice nostalgic-wise –particularly if one of my three boys can win a NZ title this time round in Tauranga as well. at would be pretty cool.”

e championship is being hosted by the CNI Boxing Association and staged at Tauranga Boys’ College from July 5-8 – with Aotearoa’s best boxers aged 12-17 to jump in the ring and try to punch their way to the top!

Boxers buzzing

Michael says the boxing community here are “absolutely buzzing” to see the championships held locally again. Speaking of his own three boxers who will take to the ring, Michael says: “None of them were alive when the last champs

were here...to have it in their home town – they’re just buzzing”. “It’s your pinnacle tournament for boxers...that standard of tournament gives us an opportunity to showcase our sport with the view of dispelling any myths boxing has.”

Michael says the art of boxing is very technical and skilful. “Not everyone is there to knock people out.”

In for the win

Among Michael’s boxers competing is 17-year-old Cyrus Dohnt, who says he’s been training more hours than he can count.

“It’s a commitment. “Work, come home, chill for a bit and then boxing, gym. So it takes up half the day really, each day of the week.” With eight ght wins under his belt, Cyrus hopes to follow in his coach’s gloves next week. “My coach fought that [national champs] and won the title 32 years ago,” says Cyrus. “I’m in it to win it.

“It’s been my goal since the start of the year.”

Michael says there will be NZ and Commonwealth Games representatives stage-side, scouting the talent. “Boxers this year are vying for the Olympic spots, so the quality of boxing that’s going to be on display is going to be absolutely outstanding.”

Cyrus is looking forward to putting on a show for his friends and family. “I’ve just put everything into it this year and yeah, no excuses really...I’m just excited to see what I can do.”

Georgia Minkhorst

Talk lights up power station history

Ben Pick is turning attention on our region’s history this weekend by hosting a talk on the Omanawa Falls Power Station. is Sunday, July 2, the former archaeologist and Heritage NZ Pouhere Taonga Lower Northern area manager will share the station’s history. Operating for more than 80 years last century, the Omanawa Falls Power Station was the rst underground hydro-electric power station in the Southern Hemisphere. Ben’s free talk will take place from 2pm-3pm at Brain-Watkins House Museum hall.

“It’s quite an interesting power station built just after 1900. It has interesting ties to the Tauranga Electric Power Board,” says Ben. e station was o cially

Free ice skating at Fraser Cove!

A Tauranga City shopping centre is o ering a free ice skater’s heaven for the rst week of the school holidays.

Ice Skate Tour is bringing their state-of-the-art, arti cial ice rink to Fraser Cove Shopping Centre from July 1-9 from 10am-5pm daily.

ere’s no minimum age or skill level required. is means everyone is encouraged to have a go –

children and adults alike. And there’s no bookings required – just pop down to Fraser Cove Shopping Centre and enjoy 30 minutes of joy, with helmets, gloves and ice skates provided for free. e rink will be located between Crackerjack and Kiwipetz. Find out more at:

www.mytauranga.co.nz/whats-on

completed on August 28, 1915, and a few months later on October 2, 1915, electrical street lighting was switched on – which meant that electricity replaced the city’s gas lamps.

Lloyd Mandeno was in charge of the station, says Ben. “He’s very famous and went on to be one of the pioneers of hydroelectric power for NZ. e Omanawa Falls Power Station is a listed category two historic place – it obviously has signi cant value to be listed.”

Ben will talk about the work going into this historic site, alongside TCC and plans to open the site to the public. e talk is at Brain-Watkins House Museum hall, 233 Cameron Rd, Tauranga City.

Georgia Minkhorst

Tauranga Boxing Academy’s Suliasi Lolohea-Kaifa, Cyrus Dohnt and Kaitiaki O’Neill will ght in the Boxing NZ National Championships. Photo: supplied

bible digest

I KEEP MY EYES always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalms 16:8

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ZEALANDIER TOURS – Tuesday 11th July – Celebrating Matariki – A visit to Tauranga Astronomical Society, to learn a bit more about Matariki, followed by a bu et lunch - Call us to book your seats today. Ph 572 4118

garage sales

Churches Active In Our Community

Finding your true north

e writing of sociologist

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motors

Zygmunt Bauman develops the idea that we have moved from hardware to software, from commitments to choices, from a solid world to a ‘liquid world’. Our lives are now lived to avoid being tied down, our relationships are for as long as we feel we bene t, our plans increasingly short-term and open-ended. Perhaps our lives are no longer an epic movie with a plot, they are a series of disconnected episodes. Life is mere fragments. is now liquid world o ers us few certainties. We must decide on our identity, create our own story/narrative and navigate a complex world – this is an overwhelming challenge. We must come up with everything! It is no wonder that many are increasingly anxious, despairing, overwhelmed. I suggest that living adventurously, freely, involves having less choices. A steady rhythm of life, as opposed to a chaotic life, involves a

choosing of essential elements that give health and life – daily prayer, eating with others, reading, exercise, being part of a formed community.

A week needs a shape that we lean into – pre-decided commitments. And then we must decide on what is our true north – what we live towards. You could choose wealth or fame as true north – you just have to decide whether what is really worth gives your whole life to.

I have chosen God as my true north with rhythms that centre around the God who loves me.

So what is your true north?

We look forward to seeing you!

mtmaunganui.adventist.org.nz

Tauranga

S2214cbMount

Nigel Dixon, vicar, Holy Trinity Tauranga