The Weekend Sun - 24 May 2024

dilemma Dog rescue dilemma

Meet ‘Troy’ and his fosterer Siobhan Mikaere. ‘Troy’ is staying with Siobhan while he nds a forever home thanks to Rescue, Revive, Rehome Bay of Plenty.

But other dogs like him might not be so lucky. RRR BOP’s dog adoption rates have fallen to an all-time low, which has forced the organisation’s to temporary close its doors to more dogs.

RRR BOP collects dogs from pounds across the country, which are on death row after there is no interest by potential adoptees during their timelimited stays. RRR BOP spokesperson

Ronnie McAllum says the rescue has 33 dogs and limited fosterers. “ is [closure] highlights the issue we’re facing with availability.” And its older dogs like ‘Troy’ which are harder to foster. “We have 10 mature dogs, aged nine months-plus. en we have another 10 dogs aged between foureight months. ey are the hardest to rehome because they’ve gone past the cute puppy stage but they still behave like puppies.”

Read more about RRR BOP, its work, and what you can do to help their plight on page 4.

Photo: John Borren

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Bury your face in a Fuyū

“Persimmon and cherries, say the bells of St Mary’s.”

Originally a popular nursery rhyme abut London churches. But we’ve tinkered with it for convenience, and to point to two outrageous acts of environmental vandalism. Sort of. One a myth, the other quite true and right here in our own backyard. Let us rst deal with the cherries St Mary.

George W was just six when he was gifted a hatchet.

Yeah… a six-year-old with an axe. Lovely! en to show his gratitude George W went and chopped down his old man’s cherry tree. Brat!

e backyard tree wasn’t a protected specimen. But nothing is protected when an environmental terrorist is loose with an axe. And in this case there’s no regret.

If George Washington Jnr had been in modern-day New Zealand, he would have gone through restorative justice and got sentence concessions for an early guilty plea. Remember George’s immortal line, “I cannot tell a lie…” en he would have got “home D” – at the family’s antebellum mansion in Virginia.

And there would have been Letters to the Editor –bus ticket, wet, slap! I made that bit up.

Anyhow, Dad reckons George’s honesty was worth a thousand trees.

And the axe-wielding hooligan goes on to be a founding father and the rst president of the US. Nauseating!

Bollocks

Before we segue to persimmons, we now know the cherry tree story is bollocks. And how it came about is more interesting than the myth itself. It was contrived by a nomadic evangelist called Mason Weems peddling something called “great virtues” in the fth edition of his bestseller, e Life of Washington.

He just made it up to sell his book.

Now... enter stage left, our own modern-day incarnation of George W.

And the tree is a persimmon – was a persimmon.

“Of course I chopped the bloody thing down. I hate persimmons.”

“It’s the only tree I have chopped down and never had a qualm about it.

“Persimmons are disgusting things!”

She had “God’s food”, growing in her backyard and she chopped the tree down. Heretic! Apparently the tree would fruit at this time of year, the persimmons would ripen, fall and then rot on the ground. None was eaten.

“Slimy, horrible, stinking things.”

But no one was encouraged to eat them. Because the terrorist was standing beneath the tree, axe raised, nostrils ared, eyebrows scrunched, lips tightened and muttering expletives that would make a whar e blush.

Forgettable

Why do persimmons get such a bad rap? ose stunning, vivid red-orange baubles of deliciousness just plead with me: “Pick me, eat me!”

New Zealand produces 2600 tonnes of persimmon each season and half go o shore. David Seymour should be slicing them and popping them in the nation’s school lunchboxes. But I bet dollars to digestives persimmons would be “woke” tucker.

I thought I’d test the market from the comfort of my workstation. What do people think of persimmons?

I got this rousing endorsement. “I nd I can live my life without persimmons.” e persimmon marketers have work to do. en “mushy and weird”.

And this sni y, curled-lip response.

“What do I think? I don’t think. ey’re forgettable.” Forgettable? Apart from being a visual and delectable feast, they’re a good source of vitamins A and C as well as manganese, which helps the blood to clot. If you nd yourself unexpectedly bleeding out somewhere and no tourniquets handy, you might regret not eating more persimmons. ey’re also

chocka with antioxidants, so what’s not to like? Am I alone here?

I am not. Because somewhere in the US of A there’s a dog sitting under a persimmon tree. He stares up willing one to fall. When it does, he sco s it. He hankers for half-rotten, half-birdeaten persimmons.

Dog and I are almost at one.

Forget all that blather about astringency and tannins because we have a newfangled “fuyū” for you.

Hard to type let alone say.

Fuyū

Fuyūs should be eaten when rm and crisp, just a “blush of ripeness” on the brink of softening, and eaten like an apple – skin included. As a foodie eloquently put it: “… he texture of a rm heirloom tomato and a funky, heady, semi-sweet taste as though infused with a tiny drop of honey”.

Once upon a time I’d drive by a persimmon tree in Auckland’s Williamson Ave. And we’d stop and gaze upon one of nature’s novelties – a Christmas tree that comes already decorated. A shade tree during summer, and when the seasons changed it rewarded with those luscious orange-red fruit. It got us all hooked. Now I’m o to sharpen up the axe to go deal to a few feijoa trees – while we are talking of truly disgusting things.

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WBOP community urged to address meth ‘pandemic’

With concerns mounting over an escalating methamphetamine crisis in the Western Bay of Plenty, health advocates are rallying the community for a crucial discussion this Sunday.

Community connector Tommy Wilson is spearheading e orts to establish a residential rehabilitation unit in the Western BOP, aiming to shift the narrative around meth addiction from a criminal issue to a medical one. Highlighting alarming statistics derived from wastewater testing, Tommy underscores the urgent need for action is what he says is a “meth pandemic”.

e meeting at 4pm on May 26 at Tutereinga Marae seeks to galvanise community support and explore sustainable solutions to combat the pervasive impact of methamphetamine addiction.

“We’re trying to help families who have children and grandchildren a ected by methamphetamine addiction,” says Tommy.

He says Sunday’s meeting will provide opportunity for families a ected by methamphetamine to ask questions of a panel.

“Hamner Clinic’s CEO Sue Hancock, Hamner Clinic founder David Benton, Dr Tony Farrell, ex-addicts, police and iwi leaders will form the panel.”

Dr Farrell, a Mount Maunganui GP specialising in addiction medicine, emphasises the ripple e ects of addiction on families and the strain it places on existing healthcare services. With 30 years’

Support, not scorn

GP experience, and a Fellowship of Addiction Medicine since 2003, he brings a great deal of knowledge to the meeting.

“It goes way back to when I was a young GP and thought taking a history of someone’s drug taking would be helpful to their ongoing care,” says Tony. “You start to see that this is a chronic disease and that it can be manageable. People need support, not scorn.”

On becoming a trustee of Hamner Clinic, Tony has worked closely with clinic founder David on developing a responsive service for people with addiction problems. “People would present and I could sort out the medical side and refer them to David who could help with other areas of depression, and provide social support for people, such as with WINZ. Hamner could get in

behind them and support them so they could function.”

Triage centre

He welcomes Tommy’s idea to set up a triage centre for families a ected by loved ones addicted to meth. “A lot of meth addicts don’t need hospitalisation but need a period of support to calm them down. Somewhere they can get sleep, help for staying o drugs, and have stresses taken o them like unsavoury characters wanting money o them,” says Tony. Tommy says the families are on their own “and this crisis is much more widespread than they might realise”. “ e hui is about working together on solutions. We can’t keep leaving it to police and hospitals.” e hui is at Tutereinga Marae at 4pm, Sunday May 26. *Read this story in full at: www.sunlive.co.nz

Left: Mount Maunganui GP Dr Tony Farrell will be a panel member at a hui on Sunday, May 26, targeting methamphetamine solutions for Western Bay of Plenty. Right: Tommy Wilson. Photo: John Borren.

Rosalie Liddle Crawford

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Oil slick on Tauranga Harbour

Rescue struggling to adopt dogs

A Bay of Plenty organisation that rehomes dogs it collects on death row from pounds around the country has had to temporarily close its doors due to adoptions being so slow.

RRR Bay of

Maritime teams actively responded to a diesel and oil spill in Tauranga Harbour on Monday after council sta received several calls about oil on the water in Tauranga Harbour, north of Sulphur Point and around Waikorire Pilot Bay. e clean-up involves monitoring absorbent booms that were deployed, and raking, shovelling and removing contaminated sand and material from along the shoreline.

An investigation into the source of the oil spill is continuing.

Tauranga woman wins $1 million

A Tauranga woman is feeling every emotion after scoring herself $1 million with Lotto First Division on Saturday night. e woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, decided to treat herself to a Triple Dip for the Mother’s Day promotion with the hope of winning one of the 75 extra prizes of $10,000 on o er.

“I waited up past my usual bedtime to check how much I had won! When I saw I was the only winner, I went into shock. A million dollars is just incredible… it’s life-changing for me!” she says.

People trapped near Katikati

Flooding at Walford Rd Aongatete in the Western Bay of Plenty near Katikati trapped people at home as the oods covered the oneway bridge on Monday.

“We are all stuck at home as we have a oneway bridge as our only way out,” says SunLive reader Monique Wellington, who sent in photographs of the water that morning. e ooding was the result of heavy overnight rain which hit the region.

Man taken to hospital

A man was been taken to hospital in a serious condition after he ran into Tauranga Harbour, allegedly in an attempt to evade police.

Western Bay of Plenty Police area commander Inspector Cli ord Paxton says police saw a person of interest driving on Devonport Rd around 10.30am on May 16 and signalled for him to stop. Once the vehicle had pulled over, he says police arrested a 36-year-old – and allegedly suspended – driver but he was able to ee on foot. Cli ord says a member of the public provided the man with a life jacket and he stayed a oat until police search-and-rescue and Coastguard Tauranga volunteers helped him out of the water.

Kiwifruit to be destroyed

More than one million trays of New Zealand kiwifruit that were on-board a ship with a mice problem will be destroyed.

Mice were found on Zespri’s rst shipment to Europe for the season last month. Based on a combination of factors, Zespri has decided to dispose of the fruit. It will be turned into biofuel. e fruit exporter released their decision to dispose of the fruit on May 16.

Along with other dumped, abandoned and surrendered puppies and dogs, Rescue, Revive, Rehome Bay of Plenty collects dogs that haven’t been shown any interest during their limited time allowed in a pound and places them with foster families until they can be adopted.

But in 2023 and this year, dog adoptions at RRR Bay of Plenty have fallen to an alltime low, which impacts the organisation’s ability to take in more dogs.

“No – we can’t take in any more dogs at the moment – but it’s de nitely a temporary measure until we can clear some dogs out through adoption,” says RRR BOP spokesperson Ronnie McAllum. In 2021 and 2022, RRR BOP averaged 30 dog adoptions per month.

“ is year monthly adoption numbers have more than halved. We’re now adopting between 10 and 15 dogs per month.”

Adoption days

To combat this, RRR BOP has taken to hosting one adoption event per month to try move more dogs into

permanent homes – at gyms, pet stores, outside cafes, home realty rms, and last weekend a garden centre.

“ is year we’ve ramped it up because adoptions are so so slow. And because we don’t have a facility [to house dogs] it’s otherwise impossible for people to view all of our dogs up for adoption in one place.

“ e animals are in foster homes all around the place, so these adoption days are really important for people who don’t know which animals, personalities, breeds, sex etc they want to go for.”

And while last Saturday’s dog adoption event in Te Puna was successful, with three dogs nding new homes, it wasn’t enough to stop them from temporarily closing the doors.

“We’re at a point where we’re struggling to nd fosterers for the dogs we already have.

“Some fosterers can’t take dogs aged above 12 weeks because they don’t have the

space, or they have other commitments, so we have to move the pups around.”

Limited fosterers

Ronnie says the rescue has 33 dogs and limited fosterers.

“ is [closure] highlights the issue we’re facing with availability. e longer the dogs are in the rescue the more burnout you get from the fosterers.”

Ronnie admits the drop in adoptions is “absolutely heartbreaking”. She believes it’s due to today’s families facing so many pressures. “So all of the things a ecting people in their everyday lives are impacting on their ability to adopt. And the rental situation is massive – particularly the reluctance of landlords to allow people to have pets.”

Ronnie says puppies are easier to rehome than older dogs, and don’t hang around as long. “Puppies are more appealing but once a dog

reaches four months it’s adoptability decreases by the day until they’re about ve or six years old. en as long as they’re well-behaved they become a desirable again.

“We have 10 mature dogs, aged nine months-plus. en we have another 10 dogs aged between four-eight months.

“So we’ve got dogs staying with us a lot longer.”

Ronnie says dogs that come into RRR care have been rescued from council pounds across the motu. “Basically we take dogs from the pound when they’re on death row. “Dogs have limited time in the pound and if they are good dogs council sta don’t want to put to sleep, but they haven’t had interest during their limited time in the pound, they reach out to us.

To become an RRR fosterer, or to adopt a dog, email: info@rrr.org.nz visit: www. facebook.com/RRRCanine or: www.rrr.org.nz

Plenty Fosterer Siobhan Mikaere with ‘Troy’ – who needs a forever home. Photo: John Borren.

Merle Cave

Commission pushes on for taller buildings in Mount Maunganui

Medium-Density Residential Standards that allow for greater intensi cation in urban areas.

City planning team leader Janine Speedy said, in Monday’s meeting, it is a signi cant plan change for the city in terms of housing intensi cation. e MDRS allowed three dwellings to be built on a site as well as buildings up to three storeys without resource consent.

e plan change was also to give e ect to the Government’s National Policy Statement on Urban Development, said Janine.

Six-storey buildings could be permitted in downtown Mount Maunganui after Tauranga City Commission rejected the recommendations of an independent hearing panel.

Tauranga City Council is proposing to raise the allowable building heights in Mount Maunganui North as part of Plan Change 33. Heights of six storeys are proposed in the shopping area and within 400 metres of it, then four storeys between 400-800m of the shops. Based on submissions, a four-person independent hearing panel recommended retaining the current building heights of three storeys. It was one of six of the panel’s recommendations that did not align with the council’s recommendations under the plan change. Submissions on the increased heights in the Mount raised concerns around tra c congestion, air pollution and a lack of infrastructure.

Greater building heights and intensi cation would also impact the “unique character” of the area, submissions said. e commission rejected two of the panel’s recommendations at a council meeting on Monday. ese will now be referred to the Minister for Housing for a decision.

capacity, the report said.

Reasons

e commission was required to give its reasons to the minister for rejecting the panel’s recommendations. Higher building heights in Mount Maunganui North would create more development opportunities, which would improve housing a ordability, the report highlighting the reasons said. It would also contribute to the city’s development capacity requirements, which is how much land a council must have available for housing and commercial activity to meet demand. While taller buildings may not be built in the short term, if the greater heights were not permitted the council risked being unable to meet its long-term development

Tauranga developer Peter Cooney previously told Local Democracy Reporting that apartments wouldn’t create a ordable homes. “You will not create a ordability, especially in Mount North, just because the cost of the land is so expensive and to go vertical is extremely expensive. As soon as you go above three levels, the construction changes and it’s horrendously expensive,” the director of Classic Group said.

Tauranga CBD

e commission also rejected the panel’s recommendation around removing a height limit in Tauranga’s city centre. ey wanted to keep the 16m height limit on the block of land from McLean St to Spring St between Willow St and e Strand. is was to ensure amenity of the waterfront and prevent shading from buildings. e site is in front of the $306 million civic precinct Te Manawataki o Te Papa which is under development. Plan Change 33 is in response to the Government’s

For Tauranga, this meant allowing as much height as possible in the city centre and greater heights and density around the commercial centres within other suburbs of Tauranga, she said. Building heights between four and six storeys would be enabled in areas within ve to

10 minutes’ walk of some of the city’s commercial centres including Bayfair in Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa Plaza. Building heights of eight storeys would be allowed along Cameron Rd in the Te Papa peninsula. In the city centre, buildings up to 13 storeys could be built and eight-storey buildings would be permitted within 1500m of the CBD. Commissioner Bill Wasley said there were qualifying matters for the plan change that would mean resource consents would be needed if buildings didn’t meet the urban design and impact requirements or exceeded the number of permissible dwellings on a site.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

Six storey buildings could be allowed around the Mount Maunganui shopping area.

Photo: Med Norton/NZME.

New hub coming for Merivale community

e Merivale Community Centre is much more than just a building – it provides the community with a safe space they feel at home, somewhere they know they are always welcome.

With Tauranga City Council set to begin construction for a brand-new t-for-purpose community centre in September, the community is buzzing. Merivale Community Centre manager Dave Merton believes the much-needed new centre will create a positive feeling within the community. “ e purpose of the Merivale Community Centre is to achieve a thriving, vibrant community realising its potential where people are safe, connected, and making healthy choices for themselves, their whānau and their community,” says Dave.

e Merivale Community Centre

was founded in 1993 as a grassroots, community-led organisation and provides a range of services including a free after-school programme. e centre also runs co ee groups and exercise classes, provides food bags for those in need, and is home to social services including counselling, GP clinics, access to social workers and budgeting advice. e new 630m2 building will be able to accommodate 175 people. It will include a reception area, kitchen, multifunctional community space, o ces, private consultation rooms, a youth studio/music room, toilets and storage facilities plus an outdoor recreation area and landscaped gardens. Funding for the new facility is being provided by TCC, and grants from TECT, BayTrust and the Lottery Grants Board.

drop-in

Drop in at Tauranga RSA for support

A space to support veterans and service personnel will be up and running the start of June at Tauranga RSA.

On Tuesday, June 4, Tauranga RSA will open a support drop-in centre in one of their clubrooms which will be open to all that enlisted in the military – not just those who served overseas.

“ e main reason we want to do it is so they [veterans and service personnel] have got somewhere they can come and talk to somebody,” says Tauranga RSA’s Support Trust chairperson Fred Milligan.

Fred says military veterans do not get looked after extremely well, especially in their later years of life; or younger veterans and their families when they leave the military.

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“So what we’re trying to do is have a home base for them.”

Fred notes however that the drop-in service won’t only be about assisting the elderly, but will be for all veterans – young or old – facing nancial hardship or su ering from physical or psychological e ects due to their service. “A lot of them need help,” says Fred.

“We know under the current conditions, there’s a lot of people out there who are su ering but don’t know how, where or what to do.”

e new drop-in space will o er support in a range of areas including – advice on assistance available under the Veteran’s Support Act, advice on work and income pensions and bene ts, work and life after service, connecting with government

agencies for health, wellbeing and service entitlements, and much more. You can even just visit for a co ee, biscuit and a chit chat with a friendly face!

e Tauranga RSA support drop-in centre opens Tuesday, June 4 and will be open weekly thereafter on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with a support advisor available. All enquiries and information will be kept con dential when speaking with support advisors,” says Fred. “You do not need to be a RSA member to receive assistance for yourself or family.”

Contact the club if you would like to attend, or would like a support advisor to contact you.

Phone: 07 578 9654 or visit www.tgarsa.co.nz or search ‘Tauranga RSA’ on Facebook.

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Tauranga RSA president Morton Anderson and Fred Milligan in the space that will be the support

centre. Photo: John Borren.

Tauranga boy receives yacht

A Tauranga boy who sustained severe neck injuries in a diving accident has received a signi cant boost in his recovery journey.

Te Mero Elder, 12, has been presented with a Mackay-built Starling yacht, thanks to the generosity of Hillsdene Trust, o ering a strong symbol of hope and continuity for his passion of sailing.

In February this year Te Mero was swimming at Waimapu Stream in Oropi with his 14-year-old brother, Stormy-Jaye, when he dived o a bank and hit the shallow bottom.

Stormy-Jaye saved Te Mero after realising he was not moving, grabbing him out of the water, and pulling him up onto a sandbank.

e accident left Te Mero with shattered bones in his neck, requiring intensive medical interventions including bone graft and spinal fusion surgeries.

Loves sports

e Tauranga Intermediate School student loves sports, including sailing – which he’d been doing every second weekend – as well as rugby and jiu-jitsu.

Last year Te Mero received a sailing scholarship through the Bay of Plenty Sailing Academy Trust to cover the cost of sailing. is year he’d been looking forward to going to the South Island for a sailing competition at Easter.

Tommy Wilson, who had read about Te Mero’s accident, was contacted by the chair of Hillsdene Trust, who as a child also used to jump into the same river and wanted to help. It wasn’t long before the community connector linked him up with Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club, which directed him to the BOP Sailing Academy Trust.

“ e Hillsdene Trust came to us and said: ‘We will buy a boat for Te Mero’,” says BOPSAT chairman Roger Clark. “We exist to make sailing attainable by young people who would not normally have that opportunity. We run a school sailing programme

that introduces kids to sailing, and when appropriate we make a pathway for kids who love it and want to continue. Te Mero was one such kid and has been with us now for about two years.”

Strength of character

At a special ceremony at the club this month, Tommy, representing the Hillsdene Trust, presented the 12-year-old with the yacht, which is aptly named ‘Te Mero’. “BOPSAT has become the steward of this very generous gift of a Starling class sailing dinghy,” says Roger.

“ e Hillsdene Trust have put it into the BOP Sailing Academy for Te Mero’s use for as long as he needs it, then when he grows out of it the boat can be passed down to another young person who can best bene t from it.

“Te Mero is a young man of few words. I’ve been very impressed by his strength of character and everyone who has spent time with him is impressed by his lovely nature. It is with great pleasure we name the boat ‘Te Mero’.”

Te Mero Elder with his newly-gifted Starling yacht.

Photo: supplied.

Rosalie Liddle Crawford

‘Tour de Fern’ to hype up Tauranga ahead of Olympics

Bay of Plenty residents are invited to polish that winning spirit ahead of the Olympics with a dynamic nationwide event Tour de Fern – Sprint for the Fern, coming to town this weekend.

e Tour de Fern is a public cycling simulation, presented by Cycling NZ, that will visit Tauranga Crossing this Sunday, May 26, with two Kiwi Olympians to add to the excitement.

Attendees can jump on a stationary bike and embrace some friendly competition with their peers and some Olympians. Using state-of-theart Technogym Ride smart bikes, riders will experience a simulation of what it’s like to race 300 metres along the Champs-Élysées.

In an immersive digital zone, the famous Parisian avenue will be shown on screens in front of riders and displayed on larger screens for those cheering them on from behind.

A taste

All participants will be entered on a nationwide leaderboard to see who can sprint the course the fastest, being ranked against the Olympic cyclists’ times.

Leaderboard scores can be accessed via the easyto-use Technogym app, and there will be spot prizes up for grabs at each location. Plus, selected current and past Olympians will attend each

activation, allowing the public to mingle with and cycle beside them. Sunday’s event in Tauranga will have star speed climber Julian David on-site 9am and 1pm and Rugby Sevens player Shiray Kaka present from 1pm-5pm.

Nigel Avery, chef de mission of the New Zealand Olympic team, says he is thrilled to be giving New Zealanders a taste of the Olympics – which is fewer than 100 days away – through the Tour de Fern – Sprint for the Fern.

“It’s going to be a fantastic event and we’re encouraging communities up and down the country to come along, show their support for our team and have a bit of fun in the process.

“We’re going to have Olympians popping in as we take the event on tour, so it’s a great opportunity to connect with them and see how you stack up against our elite athletes on the bike.” Tour de Fern kicked o in Auckland, and will nish in Invercargill on June 24.

185 Kiwi athletes

About 185 New Zealand athletes are heading to the Paris Olympics, to compete in sports from rowing to rugby sevens, swimming, canoe sprint, sailing, athletics, cycling and more.

e Games will take place from July 26 to August 11 at iconic landmarks including the Palace of Versailles, the Ei el Tower and along the Seine.

Olympic cyclists Sam Dakin and Ellesse Andrews at ‘Tour de Fern’ at Auckland’sWest eld St Lukes. Photo: supplied.

Two always better than one!

Olly, a male tabby, and Jewel, a female black and white cat, are siblings and just can’t bear to be apart! Both aged ve months, Olly is con dent, young, smoochy and loves attention while Jewel is a reserved girl. Once settled Jewel enjoys gentle pats. She also loves to be close to her protective big brother.

Olly loves to chat and will meow to say ‘Hello’ and ask for a cuddle. As Jewel can be a little shy, they’re looking for a quiet home – cat-savvy teens may suit. Do you have room for two adorable felines? Apply to meet them today! Phone the SPCA: 07 578 0245. Ref: 600625.

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Dodge, hit, win!

“Watch out... !” yells your teammate as a whirl of red comes hurtling towards you. In a blink of an eye you sidestep just in time. You’re still in the game… for now.

Dodgeball Bay of Plenty players are sharing their love of the game’s fun, honesty, and challenges of accuracy and quick reactions with our region.

Every Monday at 6pm DBOP hosts free drop-in nights at Te Puke High School gym – and now the group will throw a new Social Dodgeball League in Mount Maunganui come the end of June.

Dion Chamberlin started the social dodgeball nights last year after going to a one-o night in Auckland with friend James Treweek from Dodgeball New Zealand.

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“We got to talking about starting [a league] down here and then I bought some balls o [James], started advertising on social media pages and got a group of my friends coming along,” says Dion.

Fun!

He reckons dodgeball o ers a great alternative to the usual social sports like rugby, netball and basketball. “ ere’s a very mild edge of competition in it. It’s very focused around just having fun.

“You’re just there with your mates and you’re throwing balls at each other – there’s not much to be taken too seriously.”

Doesn’t hurt

And don’t worry – the game doesn’t hurt as it only uses foam balls, not rubber ones.

“It’s not about pain. It’s about whether you have the skill to hit and dodge. at’s the game,” says James.

“One of the reasons I started playing is because it’s not as harsh on your body,” says Dion.

He used to play sports that were more high-impact.

“[With dodgeball] you are more or less stationary and you just have to move quickly out of the way and then ready yourself again. I’d probably liken it to

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table tennis – quick hop on the spot and ready to move.”

Honesty

When you don’t dodge in time, the game is about being straight up. “ e sport itself is based a lot on honesty because the referee can’t be watching everything at all times. It kind of just asks for the players to be honest and truthful about what’s going on, on the court,” says Dion.

Try it for yourself at Dodgeball BOP’s free drop-in nights every Monday at Te Puke High School gym. DBOP will begin the new Social Dodgeball League at the Mount Sports Centre on Monday, June 24. Registrations are open now. Visit: www.dodgeballbop.com/home

Georgia Minkhorst

e Bay of Plenty ‘Kraken’ dodgeball team.

Dodgeball requires the skills of dodging and hitting opponents with foam balls. Photos: supplied.

Still satisfied 70 years on!

After 70 years of marriage together, Brits Ray and Liz Bates wish “everybody could be as happy”.

It was back in England in the 1950s when Ray and Liz’s lives became irrevocably intertwined. Ray was aged 19 and in the Royal Air Force when he rst laid eyes on Liz. “I would see her in the cinema,” says Ray. “I would see her straight away

and that was it. I’ve seen her ever since.”

“I was 15 which was naughty,” says Liz. “My dad gave him permission to see me.”

And their rst impressions of one another? “He was a bit of all right,” says Liz.

“I was satis ed,” says Ray.

Simple and to the point!

Both Liz and Ray came from big families – with each of them growing up with seven siblings.

With money tight, Ray and Liz had a double wedding with her sister and groom two years after they met on May 22, 1954. “We were all right with it because we thought of Mum and Dad, and they couldn’t a ord anything in them days. “You had to more or less pay for your own,” says Liz.

Getting married at a church on the same road where they lived in Wickham, Liz says: “Dad was

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Ray and Liz Bates celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary on Wednesday. Photo: John Borren.

so proud. He had one girl on each arm.”

During their working days, Ray worked at a paper mill after leaving the Air Force, and Liz worked most of her career at the Wickham District Council.

“I enjoyed all my jobs,” says Liz. And among those ‘jobs’ came parenthood.

Starting their own family together, Liz and Ray raised two sons, Michael and Kerry.

Now Ray, aged 91, and Liz, 87, share three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren too.

Within all that is a whole lot of love. “I love him to bits,” says Liz.

“I’ll always love him.”

“I’ll never go without her –well unless I die,” says Ray.

“Oh stop it. Suck it up,” interjects Liz.

“We’ll have to put up with it when it happens.”

The couple do admit they haven’t got through 70 years of marriage without quarrels either, but Liz says it’s all about how you deal with your tiffs.

“We do have our own little arguments – don’t worry, but we never carry it on. We say we make it up within that day and say we’re sorry –whoever’s to blame for what or both.”

Ray adds: “You must kiss one another.”

On Wednesday, May 22, Ray and Liz celebrated their 70 married years together with friends and family in Pāpāmoa, where they’ve lived since 2002 when they came to New Zealand.

“We’re very lucky, and we just wish everybody could be as happy,” says Liz.

New denture cleaning service!

Leave it to the professionals for a smile that is sparkly, clean and fresh!

Dentures Tauranga in Bethlehem is excited to announce their new professional denture cleaning service.

In just 45 minutes, your dentures will be looking brand new again after an expert clean.

“Dentures are just like natural teeth so they accumulate plaque and bacteria,” says clinical dental technician Michael van Vliet.

Michael says dentures undergo a “rigorous clean” in their denture surgery.

“It’s similar to going to the dental hygienist and how they really get in there and clean all the nooks and crannies.

“It’s a way to make sure

patient’s dentures are looking fresh and shiny. If they have any denture concerns we can discuss at the same time.”

Based at 213 State Highway

2, Bethlehem, Dentures Tauranga has plenty of on-site parking for patients. Make an appointment today!

Georgia Minkhorst

Locations in: Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Rotorua, Christchurch, and Waihi Beach

Georgia Minkhorst

Ray and Liz Bates on their wedding day on May 22, 1954.

Dentures Tauranga’s denture assistant Stacey Mahoney and clinical dental technician Michael van Vliet. Photo: John Borren.

A hardcore finale for Music Month

Okay. Into the nal straight of New Zealand Music Month.

Being a month with ve weekends I have two columns left: just as well as things are happening apace.

I’ve received two more albums from the Bay, the latest o ering from Irish band e Whittakers, and a sophomore album by singer-songwriter Ben Lloyd. More next week ... is week I want to look at a couple of gigs at the Mount on the very nal day of NZMM, both promising to be a deluge of alternative music.

Very di erent scene

rubbed shoulders with veteran jazz players; at jam sessions musicians of every stripe would attend, and usually nd common ground. It’s not like that now. ese days there are di erent genre scenes that rarely interact with each other. And the jam nights and open mic nights seem to have di erent ecosystems depending on which your local is; be it Jack Dustys or e Rising Tide or Mount Mellick or e Matua.

reat.Meet.Protocol.

Alloy (5)

Reef (NI) (7)

Glacier (SI) (6)

Revolve (6) 12. Black (5) 14. Sideways (5) 18. Screech (6) 20. Fruit (6) 23. Implicate (7) 24. Majestic (5)

Drink (7)

Bird (7) 16. Slumbering (6) 17. Flopped (6) 19. Love (Maori) (5) 21. Disagree (5) 22. Insult (4)

Glancing rearwards for a moment, the Tauranga music scene is very di erent now than it was 20 years ago when I started writing this column. Back then it was pretty much all one large – well, small actually – interconnected scene. Young rock musicians

In terms of what’s thriving, the blues scene continues to ourish, and the jazz scene seems to be picking up, with regular spots at e Barrel Room, e Mount Social Club and now Jais Aben on e Strand with jazz piano from John Key. e folk and country

scenes also tick along in slightly insular fashion.

Few people appear to cross over from scene to scene, though I did see indie-pop singer-songwriter Frances Ellen singing ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ on International Jazz Day with the Jazz Society cats.

Flourishing

e one music scene that’s de nitely ourishing, and I have several theories as to why, is what you could broadly call the ‘alternative’ scene, with that word ‘alternative’ doing a lot of heavy lifting since this ranges from weird instrumental duos to hardcore thrash metal bands. Little really unites them, with styles that run from melodic experimental electronica to hardcore puck, except that word: ‘alternative’.

Two factors in this success?

Firstly an enthusiastic, smart, long-term promoter. I’m talking here about Austin Cunningham, the man behind Tauranga Music Sux who now

Frankie Stevens hits the road with NZ Highwaymen

With deep regret, legendary singer Eddie Low has decided to withdraw from the NZ Highwaymen 2024 Tour due to ongoing health concerns.

But fans can rejoice – his long-time friend and fellow Kiwi musician Frankie Stevens is joining the band to ensure their 2024 tour goes ahead.

goes under the name Your

goes under the name Your Enabler Presents, organiser of the annual Loserpalooza festivals and 1000 other gigs. Secondly, no one seems in it for money. ere is a certain purity of motivation. And it’s much easier to put on gigs if you don’t expect to be paid. Moving on, those gigs... May 31 at the Mount from 7.30pm at Totara St is Dark Hearts 2, a veritable feast of Tauranga hardcore featuring reat.Meet.Protocol (Austin’s band), Nuggiez, Stunt Clown, Rapairs, Hemordroid and Torana. Meanwhile, just down the road at e Voodoo Lounge, Talismer bring their blend of stoner and doom metal to life with the assistance of anthemic alt-rockers Dead Empire and hard rock trio Somacaine. Not a bad way to farewell NZMM.

*************

Hear Winston’s latest playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/ 6UtUu9ZIy35k3zkBw2mI3H?si=4 1 ebf123064da7

Eddie was determined to hit the road again with the NZ Highwaymen – with Tauranga’s show on June 20 – but has since realised touring will be too demanding.

Eddie has been battling di use gastric cancer since late-2023. “I truly hoped to be strong enough for the tour, but it’s just not possible right now,” says Eddie.

“Frankie is an entertainment veteran and a great showman, and I want the fans to support him and the rest of the band.”

Promoter Aly Cook says fellow NZ Highwaymen Brendan Dugan, Gray Bartlett and Dennis Marsh are saddened by Eddie’s withdrawal but very “grateful the wonderful Frankie Stevens has stepped up to ll some very big shoes on this tour”.

“We know the audiences will absolutely love Frankie’s performances with the NZ Highwaymen and the show will be its usual fabulous entertaining night loved by the audiences that attend.”

To book tickets, see their advert on this page.

Frankie Stevens, bottom left, joins the NZ Highwaymen for their 2024 tour. Photo: supplied.

Talismer.

Photo: Synzphoto.

Photo: Synzphoto.

Free YouthFest hits town

An inspiring, free-entry festival designed by and for young people in the Bay of Plenty –to align with Youth Week – is on in Tauranga this Saturday, May 25.

YouthFest will feature an electrifying line-up of local youth bands – such as Requiem, Blah Blah Uh Huh Boo Hoo and the dynamic duo e Mochaccinos with their live looping performance, along with Quann – from 1pm4pm at the Historic Village.

e festival will also highlight the extraordinary talents of Mount Maunganui 11-year-old Nina Smith. “Performing live makes me feel really good, and I’m excited to bring joy to everyone at YouthFest,” says Nina.

Tauranga Youth Development Team – a not-for-pro t group

dedicated to empowering young people in the Bay of Plenty –recently rebranded to Youth Voices Action.

To celebrate the transformation to Youth Voices Action, which includes a new logo, new initiatives and new internal youth panel, the organisation is hosting YouthFest.

YVA general manager Erika Harvey says: “Our rebranding signi es a renewed dedication to the young people we serve”.

e beginning

“YouthFest marks the beginning of what we anticipate will be a transformative journey.”

As such Erika says YouthFest is a fantastic opportunity “to showcase all of the young talent we have in the BOP and enjoy a fun afternoon together celebrating Youth Week”.

e 2024 Youth Week theme is

“Māwherangi a tama roto ka taka, kāpuia ake ka pūrangiaho” – in English: ‘We may not have it all together, but together we have it all’ – which YVA believes perfectly captures the spirit of the festival.

“YouthFest is proof of the hard work and creative input by our youth panel,” says youth panel member Ara Robinson. “Even though we’ve had to work with a tight budget, we are learning a lot –especially how much work goes into organising something like this.”

Erika says: “We’d love to see the community join us this Saturday, May 25, from 1pm-4pm at the Historic Village to enjoy the hard work our organisation and our panel have done in bringing this event to life”.

Free tickets for YouthFest are available online at: www.youthvoicesaction.org.nz

Last fair end of a Waihī Beach era!

e Waihī Beach Art & Craft Fair has been running for 20 years this year and organiser Colleen Low says it’s time to say farewell.

“Twenty years ago my friend and neighbour Trish Coates and I decided we would have a go at organising an art and craft fair, given nothing like this existed at the time.

“We booked the Waihī Beach Community Centre and ran the fair for 20 years. After so many very successful fairs, this year will sadly be our last one,” says Colleen.

e fair began as predominantly art-based but has shifted over the years to mostly New Zealandmade crafts. Colleen says it has always had a “must be NZ-made” criterion and this has led to some amazing local products.

“We have been amazed at the variety of skills and beautiful products that have packed out our fairs. “ is year is no exception with a completely full hall again and so many new stallholders.”

So, this King’s Birthday weekend, head to the Waihī Beach Community Centre to see some of the amazing New Zealand-made wares for yourself.

Cross country in Welcome Bay

Welcome Bay’s Waipuna Park will be a blur of legs this Saturday, May 25, as the Tauranga Open Cross Country event gets underway.

e event – which is Athletics NZ-sanctioned and approved by Atheltics Western Bay of Plenty – o ers placing prizes, spot prizes, and school prizes to children aged under 16 who enter.

e cross country events will be suitable for all ages, from around ve years old up to 80-plus. Distances range from 1km up to 8km. All kids get points in the school competition with some great prizes to be won, while Mum and Dad have a good opportunity to set a good example and take part too! So come for a run around the beautiful Waipuna Park in Welcome Bay this Saturday.

e event is 12.30pm-3.30pm. Entry costs $10 for under-16s and $20 per adult. Entry on the day costs an extra $5. For more information, see: www.athleticstauranga.co.nz

is last, not-to-be-missed Waihī Beach Art & Craft Fair is on Sunday, June 2, from 10am-3pm. It will be held entirely indoors, so there’s no need to worry about the weather. “Grab the family or some friends and come down for a bite to eat at the on-site cafe and browse the amazing goods on o er,” Colleen says.

Entry is $4 per adult and children are free. Eftpos is limited, so people are encouraged to bring cash.

SUDOKU

Youth panel members Adam Mclean, Amber Harvey and Nikau Parkinson can’t wait for YouthFest. Photo: Nick Charles.

Waihi Beach Art & Craft Fair will o er plenty of NZ-made crafts – teddy bears included. Photo: supplied.

The brightness of the future ahead...

e number of cranes at work in our CBD is a clear sign of a city that has some con dence in its future; it shows developers and investors are backing growth prospects with their capital and energy.

While this is a visible sign of progress, there are a few other areas that have equal signi cance that are

less prominent. ey are also very deserving of the spotlight.

Tauriko Business Estate has grown at a rapid rate in the past few years, moving from either bare sections or undeveloped ground to an industrial estate where nearly

all sections are spoken for or built on. While Tauranga’s great location and environment mean there have been some large relocations such as the Winstone Wallboards plant, it has also provided growth capacity for many local businesses as they expand or outgrow their existing premises. Helped by a proactive developer, TBE has gone from strength to strength and now houses a number of great companies, from locally produced kombucha to robotic equipment to companies servicing the construction industry. Several thousand employees work in the estate.

Enabling works

To cater for this and future growth, we can now see progression on the enabling works for the roading projects that will service the industrial estate, future housing and our route to Hamilton. I’d expect this estate to keep growing strongly in future, with demand

from companies moving out of Auckland and locals seeking to upgrade their facilities. Further east, the commercial and industrial developments in Pāpāmoa East and Rangiuru are also very important for our region. ey will provide additional capacity for local businesses which need to be on that side of the city, and allow for expansion of local industry. It’s critical businesses have choice in terms of where they are located so they can be close to customers, suppliers or to talent.

In both cases, we’re helped by having large amounts of current

and planned residential land next to where jobs are created, reducing need for across-town travel for employees.

Industrial land

While focus tends to rightly be on housing for the future, all cities need good supply and development of industrial land to help service the population; to allow locals to expand and provide jobs for our community. e growth of these areas in our city is another proof point of the momentum our area has at the moment, and the brightness of the future ahead.

A business aligned to values key to success

Susan Northey and Janet O’Shea have a combined 28 years of experience working in real estate in Tauranga City.

As business owners for Tall Poppy, they are turning the tide on the sector and reimagining the real estate experience for all – championing fairness and transparency for their clients and their growing team.

Janet launched the Tall Poppy Tauranga South agency in 2017, while Susan bought the Tauranga Central agency in 2018.

Having worked with other agencies, Janet says she was impressed with Tall Poppy’s genuine commitment to a consumer-driven approach.

“For me, real estate has always been about the connections you build with the people you are working with, from your clients to your fellow team members.”

e brand had been

relatively unknown in the area when Janet and Susan rst came on board as franchise owners; and they say the growth they have seen in recent years speaks volumes about the business model’s dedication to fairness and customer satisfaction.

Last year Tall Poppy was awarded Canstar Blue’s Best Rated Real Estate Agents of 2023 – the only independently-reviewed award as voted for by real Kiwi consumers.

Susan says it was important for her to work within a dynamic environment that could support real change and progress. Tall Poppy was one of the rst agencies to implement a digital-led approach, bucking many of the trends within the sector – things Susan says have seen their sustained growth.

“ e traditional agencies often can’t and won’t move as quickly, and now de nitely have more competition from a bespoke agency like ours.”

Susan Northey & Janet O’Shea.

Cranes at work in Tauranga City’s skyline. Photo: John Borren.

On 20 May 2024

Tauranga City Council publicly notified a Summary of Submissions (Decisions Requested) in submissions on Proposed Plan Change 35 (Tauriko Business Estate Stage 4) and called for further submissions. The Tauranga City Council has since become aware of submission points omitted from the Summary of Submissions (Decisions Requested).

Tauranga City Council gives notice of the availability of an Addendum to the Summary of Decisions Requested for Plan Change 35 and calls for further submissions on the submission points contained in the Addendum only.

Further submissions to the Addendum to the Summary of Decisions Requested must be received by Tauranga City Council by 5:00pm Monday 10 June 2024

A copy of the Addendum to the Summary of Decisions Requested and full copies of the original submissions may be inspected on the Tauranga City Council website: www.tauranga.govt.nz/planchanges or during office hours at the following locations:

• Customer Service Centre, He Puna Manawa, 21 Devonport Road, Tauranga

• Tauranga libraries (Greerton and He Puna Manawa)

Further submissions can be made either via the online submission form on Council’s website (open from Monday 27 May 2024), via email to or PlanChange35@tauranga.govt.nz or via post addressed to:

Manager: City Planning and Growth

Tauranga City Council

Freepost Authority Number 370

Private Bag 12022

Tauranga 3143

Further Submissions should be in the format of Form 6 of the Resource Management (Forms, Fees and Procedure) Regulations 2003. Further Submission forms are available from the Customer Service Centre or those other centres listed above and the Council’s website.

Further Submissions – Statutory Limitations and Requirements:

(a) A further submission must be limited to a matter in support of or in opposition to the original submission.

(b) Further submissions may only be made by the following persons:

• any person representing a relevant aspect of the public interest;

• any person who has an interest in the proposed Plan Change that is greater than the interest of the general public; and

• Tauranga City Council.

Your submission should identify which of these categories you consider you fall within and the reasons why.

(c) If you make a further submission you must send a copy of it to the person who made the original submission not later than 5 working days after the day you have sent your further submission to the Council.

At the close of further submissions, the Council will then arrange the hearing of all submissions and further submissions received and will publicly notify the dates, times and places of the hearing.

OPERATIVE TAURANGA CITY PLAN – VARIATION 1 TO PLAN CHANGE 33 (TAURIKO WEST URBAN GROWTH AREA)

SUMMARY OF SUBMISSIONS AND CALL FOR FURTHER SUBMISSIONS

Submissions have now closed for Variation 1 to Plan Change 33 to the Operative Tauranga City Plan. A summary of submissions received has been prepared and the period for further submissions is open from Monday 27 May 2024

The further submission period will close at 5:00pm Monday 10 June 2024

The summary of submissions and copies of the full submissions may be inspected on the Tauranga City Council website: www.tauranga.govt.nz/variation1-pc33 or during office hours at the following locations:

• Customer Service Centre, He Puna Manawa, 21 Devonport Road, Tauranga

• Greerton Library, 139 Greerton Road, Gate Pa

Further submissions can be made either via the online submission form on Council’s website (open from Monday 27 May 2024), via email to variation1@tauranga.govt.nz or via post addressed to:

Manager: City Planning and Growth

Tauranga City Council

Freepost Authority Number 370 Private Bag 12022

Tauranga 3143

Further Submissions should be in the format of Form 6 of the Resource Management (Forms, Fees and Procedure) Regulations 2003. Further Submission forms are available from the Customer Service Centre or those other centres listed above and the Council’s website.

Further Submissions – Statutory Limitations and Requirements:

(a) A further submission must be limited to a matter in support of or in opposition to the original submission.

(b) Further submissions may only be made by the following persons:

• any person representing a relevant aspect of the public interest; and/or

• any person who has an interest in the proposed Plan Change that is greater than the interest of the general public;

Your submission should identify which of these categories you consider you fall within and the reasons why.

(c) If you make a further submission you must send a copy of it to the person who made the original submission not later than 5 working days after the day you have sent your further submission to the Council.

At the close of further submissions, the Council will then arrange the hearing of all submissions and further submissions received and will publicly notify the dates, times and places of the hearing.

Tauranga City Council, 21 Devonport Road Private Bag 12022, Tauranga, Telephone 07 577 7000 www.tauranga.govt.nz

bible digest

JESUS ANSWERED “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. John 3:5

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Faith involves coming and seeing. In the Christian faith we have an invitation to come and see the One who loves us and who gave His life for us that we may live.

Last year my family and I made our way up from the Deep South to Tauranga, where I’ve been called to be the minister at Bethlehem Community Church.

It was a process of invitation and investigation to see if this was the place that God was calling us to. Finally, we are settled and loving the place, the people, and of course the warmer climate!

Coming to faith is a bit like that. In John 1:35-39 we see that the rst disciples are introduced by John the Baptist to this person called Jesus, who he calls “the Lamb of God”. He asks them what they are seeking, and they say to him: “Where are you staying?” So he invites them over: “Come and you will see”. ey get to know him by following him and spending time in his company. Moving somewhere new or getting to know God’s Son, Jesus, have this in common: you can only understand what a di erent place is like or a relationship with Jesus is like by coming and seeing and spending time with him – and also with others that know and love him too.

May God bless you as you “come and see” for yourself. It’s worth it!

Hoult Funeral Director