ŌT KI KITE FESTIVAL 2019
See feature pages 15-18
SATURDAY-SUNDAY FEBRUARY 16-17
FEBRUARY 2019
otakitoday.com
BIGGER AND BETTER! It’s 32 pages this issue, we’ve printed 6000 copies, we have 6 news stands and we’re still keen to make it a better issue every time. Only five months ago, Ōtaki Today published 5000 copies of 24 pages in the first issue, and had four news stands. We quickly went to 28 pages, added 500 copies to the print run and another news stand to cope with demand, but after letterbox distribution we still ran out of top-ups for the stands. So we’ve upped our print to 6000 copies and even put a new stand at the beach dairy. Plus our better local news coverage and advertising support mean we can boost the page numbers to 32 this issue. We’re here for good!
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Interchange hope raised A public meeting called by NZTA failed to appease more than 120 residents who packed the Te Horo community hall on January 31, but there was some hope that a Peka Peka interchange would not be a dead duck. Ōtaki ward councillor James Cootes told the meeting a working group could look at shortcomings in the Transport Agency’s business plan on which the decision was made to not build an interchange. He received support for the suggestion from Mayor K Gurunathan, who also attended the meeting. “The decision by NZTA is a disappointing outcome for our community,” he said later. “Even more disappointing is the fact that we don’t believe the decision was based on an accurate business case. That’s why I have committed to supporting a group of residents to compile a list of key points of concerns in the information – and at times absence of information – contained in the business case.” He says NZTA has agreed to review those concerns. James also thought there was merit in the KCDC roading team looking at a cheaper alternative
Councillor James Cootes, far right, suggests a working group look at NZTA’s business case for the Peka Peka interchange. NZTA’s Kevin Reid and Emma Speight look on.
to the $29 million NZTA has said a full interchange will cost. “The mayor, CE, Waikanae ward councillor Michael Scott, KCDC staff and myself are all committed to assisting in having this matter reassessed by NZTA.” James’s proposal came towards the end of a meeting in which fired-up local residents gave little quarter to NZTA’s representatives, who sought to clarify the interchange decision.
It just didn’t stack up against the Government’s criteria to justify building it, they said. The meeting was having none of it. NZTA rolled out its big guns, with regional relationship director Emma Speight, and senior manager of operational policy, planning and performance Kevin Reid fronting the meeting. They were bombarded with questions, and at times had no opportunity to respond as further
comments and questions were fired their way. Matters were not helped when people at the back of hall said they couldn’t hear because there was no microphone and speaker system. NZTA said the Government set the standards against which any decision needed to be made. “The business case is flawed,” many speakers noted. “You are just talking rubbish,” said another. n Key questions answered by NZTA, page 4
Lone voice happy with agency’s Peka Peka decision Not everyone at the Te Horo meeting clamoured for NZTA’s head. Derek Hewitt (pictured at right) was a lone voice who said he bought in Peka Peka nearly 20 years ago for its lifestyle and he didn’t want to see it change. “I like it here, and I think the [NZTA] decision was the right one,” he told the meeting. Explaining his stance later, he told
Otaki
Ōtaki Today that an interchange had the potential to alter the relaxed lifestyle of his family and neighbours. He also said that the expressway’s purpose was to get traffic safely and quickly through Kāpiti. “The consequence of moving throughtraffic off local roads is that those roads will be less busy and more suited to local traffic. That will suit me because 20,000
fewer cars are going to be on the local roads. We end up with hassle-free local roads.” Derek said that people had approached him after the meeting and supported his “gutsy” stance. “I’ve also talked to a lot of people in the area since, and there’s certainly not universal support for an interchange. Most people I speak to don’t want it.”
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NEWS I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
LOCAL EVENTS KĀPITI GRAVEL GRAB Ōtaki River. Saturday March 16, 10am–2pm. Just turn up. TAI CHI IN THE PARK Haruātai Park, Mill Rd, Monday February 18, 6-7pm. Join KCDC for a free session learning the art of tai chi in one our beautiful parks. Suitable for all abilities. No bookings, just turn up. ACTIVE IN THE PARK Haruātai Park, Mill Rd. Wednesday February 20, 6.30-7.30pm. Get fit and active in the fresh air at your local park at one of KCDC’s free active sessions. Bring the whanau and get active together. Free. ŌTAKI-MĀORI RACING CLUB HAUNUI FARM WFA CLASSIC GROUP 1 DAY Ōtaki Racecourse, Te Roto Rd. Saturday February 23, 11am. $10, Gates open at 11.30am. Adults $10 entry. No BYO. GET UP AND BOOGIE, AND FUNDRAISE, TOO Join Whiti Te Rā’s supporters at the Telegraph Hotel on Saturday February 23 to have fun and fundraise for the Gold Coast Masters’ League in September this year. 1970s theme, and prize for best dressed. Entertainers Lady Soul, Winnie, Blamche and Lee, on from 9pm-1am. Pre-sale tickets for $20 from The Tele or Dulcie on 022 135 3978. Door sales $25 per person. TE HORO COUNTRY MARKET Te Horo Hall, 54 School Road, Sunday March 3, 10am–12:30pm. 30-40 stalls selling food, plants and crafts, much of which is grown and produced locally. ANDREW LONDON TRIO AT EDIBLE BACKYARD 268 Florida Rd, Muhunoa East, Ohau. March 9, 4-7pm. BYO picnic; wander the summer gardens and enjoy some swinging sounds. Woodfired pizza for sale. Grown-ups even: please leave your littlies and dogs at home for this one. No EFTPOS. Eventfinda.co.nz for tickets: $30pp. THE WITCH PROJECT Ngā Purapura, 144 Tasman Rd. Sunday March 10, 3-4pm. Crows Feet Dance Collective, Wellington region’s unique community dance company for mature women, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with The Witch Project (see page 21) MĀORILAND FILM FESTIVAL 68 Main St. The sixth annual festival returns March 20-24. Full programme on page 19. Updates: Facebook or maorilandfilm.co.nz OTAKI COLLEGE 6Oth REUNION Otaki College, Mill Rd. April 26-27. www.otakicollege. school.nz/60th-reunion (see page 13) ŌTAKI WOMEN’S COMMUNITY CLUB CRAFT MARKET: opposite New World, every Sunday. Ph Georgie 027 234-1090. ŌTAKI GARAGE SALE third Saturday of the month, 9-11.30am, rain or shine, Presbyterian Church, 249 Mill Rd. 364-6449. ŌTAKI MUSEUM 49 Main St, Ōtaki Village. Open Thursday-Saturday 10am-2pm. SEASONAL SURPLUS STALL Thursdays, buying from 10.30am, selling from 11am-noon, or until sold out. In front of Memorial Hall, Main St. Bring in surplus fruit, vegetables and eggs. Contact 06 364-7762 for details. WAITOHU STREAM AND DUNE CARE GROUP north Ōtaki Beach. Mondays, 9-11am. Join the friendly group and learn about growing eco-sourced plants from local seed. Planting and weeding in the dunes or nursery, followed by a cuppa. Phone Lyndsay, 06 364-6283. To list your community event, contact debbi@idmedia.co.nz or phone 06 364-6543
Page 2
CARTOON OF THE MONTH
By Jared Carson
Container art and school music in OCB grants
Running again
Four grants of $500 and one for $444 were approved at the first Ōtaki Community Board meeting of the year on February 5. The Māoriland Charitable Trust received $500 to pay for a mural installation to be painted on its 40ft container at the Māoriland Hub. The trust said the grant would engage and celebrate the art of young Kāpiti artist Theo Arraj. Te Korowai Manaaki Trust received a grant to help with the costs of advertising the fourth annual Whakaaro Whakairo sculpture symposium (see page 18). Coastella Community Music Initiative was successful in its application for a grant to help with the costs of a music programme in Ōtaki schools; the Kāpiti-Horowhenua under-16 boys touch rugby team received assistance to get its Ōtaki players to the 2019 Touch NZ junior nationals tournament; and the Ōtaki Health & Wellbeing Advisory Group successfully applied for $444 to help with the costs of room hire for its meetings.
Ōtaki Today is produced monthly by publisher ID Media Ltd, 13 Te Manuao Rd, Ōtaki. ISSN 2624-3067 For editorial enquiries or news tips, please contact editor Ian Carson 06 364-6543 or ian@idmedia.co.nz For advertising enquiries, please contact general manager Debbi Carson at 06 364-6543 or debbi@idmedia.co.nz PHOTOGRAPHER Simon Neale • CARTOONS Jared Carson CONTRIBUTORS Fraser Carson (Media & Community) Kath Irvine (Edible Backyards) • Ken Geenty (Farming) • Daniel Duxfield (Fitness) • Rex Kerr (History) • Design by ID Media Ltd. Printed by Beacon Print, Whakatane. To view Ōtaki Today online: otakitoday.com ISSN 2624-3067 • Next copy and advertising deadline March 5.
Two Ōtaki Community Board members have indicated they will stand again at the local government elections later this year. Chair Chris Papps says she’s enjoying the role and wants to at least see through to the end of the PP2Ō expressway project. The chair is elected by other community board representatives. Marilyn Stevens says she will also stand again, while Shelly Warwick and Kerry Bevan say they are undecided. Ōtaki ward councillor James Cootes, who is council representative on the board, says he will make a decision closer to the time about running for council, but he had no interest in running for the mayoralty.
Playground opened The generosity of sponsors and former students was recognised at the opening of a new play and exercise area at Ōtaki College on Thursday February 7. TransPower donated $50,000 towards the project through its CommunityCare Fund, with former student David Pritchard and his wife, Jacquie (through the XŌtaki College Alumni Trust) and the college’s Home & School Association providing the rest for the $90,000 project. The area is mainly for Year 7 and 8 students, but will used by older students as part of the physical education programme. At the opening were (pictured from left), former teacher Eddie Bisdee, XŌtaki College Alumni Trust chair Max Lutz, Jake Togher of Transpower, college principal Andy Fraser, Sam Pritchard representing his parents, and Year 7/8 dean Megan Nelson-Latu.
Ōtaki River entrance tides February 14 to March 13, 2019 metservice.com/marine-surf/tides/otaki-river-entrance Tue 14 Jan Fri 15 Feb Sat 16 Feb Sun 17 Feb Mon 18 Feb Tue 19 Feb Wed 20 Feb Thu 21 Feb Fri 22 Feb Sat 23 Feb
HIGH 04:43 05:58 00:06 00:51
LOW 11:04 12:19 00:50 02:00 03:01 03:54 04:43 05:30 06:16 07:01
HIGH 17:11 18:24 07:14 08:20 09:16 10:07 10:55 11:42 12:27 13:13
LOW 23:35 13:31 14:35 15:31 16:22 17:11 17:58 18:44 19:30
HIGH 19:36 20:41 21:39 22:31 23:19 -
Sun 24 Feb Mon 25 Feb Tue 26 Feb Wed 27 Feb Thu 28 Feb Fri 1 Mar Sat 2 Mar Sun 3 Mar Mon 4 Mar Tue 5 Mar
HIGH 01:37 02:23 03:13 04:10 05:19 -
LOW 07:47 08:36 09:29 10:31 11:44 00:12 01:24 02:23 03:10 03:50
HIGH 14:00 14:49 15:42 16:43 17:53 06:37 07:47 08:39 09:22 09:58
LOW 20:16 21:05 21:58 22:59 12:59 14:03 14:53 15:34 16:12
HIGH 19:07 20:10 21:01 21:42 22:19
Wed 6 Mar Thu 7 Mar Fri 8 Mar Sat 9 Mar Sun 10 Mar Mon 11 Mar Tue 12 Mar Wed 13 Mar
HIGH 00:25 00:58 01:33 02:15
LOW 04:25 04:58 05:30 06:01 06:33 07:07 07:46 08:32
HIGH 10:31 11:03 11:34 12:04 12:36 13:11 13:50 14:37
LOW 16:46 17:18 17:50 18:22 18:55 19:30 20:10 20:58
HIGH 22:52 23:24 23:54 -
Please note: The actual timing of high and low tide may differ from that provided here by LINZ. Times are extrapolated from the nearest primary port for this location, so please take care.
NEWS I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 3
Pulse, Wānanga partnership ‘special’ Te Wānaanga o Raukawa Pulse rolled into town last week – along with the other teams in the ANZ netball premiership competition – all being greeted with a pōwhiri at the Wānanga. The teams played each other in a pre-season tournament hosted at Ngā Purapura last weekend. The pōwhiri was not unusual for special visitors, but it meant a lot to the Pulse and their coach, Yvette McCausland-Durie. As a major sponsor of the team, the Wānanga plays a big part in the team culture. “It’s a very special partnership,” Yvette says. “The Wānanga is not just a financial sponsor, there’s so much more to it than that. “They play a huge role in developing our team culture. Their values encouraging a healthy lifestyle, particularly for young women, and believing that you can achieve whatever you want to achieve, are very important to us as a team and a franchise. “They’ve made a big difference in our connection with each other and across the whole organisation, including our Netball Central management and staff.” Part of the connection with the Wānanga includes waiata and haka that the players have been performing at team sessions. They were specially created for the Pulse by the Wānanga’s Tipi Weihipehana and Tanera Cooper. The ideals of a higher learning institution also help the franchise encourage study for the players so they have an education to take them
past their playing days. Anything can happen in high performance sport – including careerending injuries and sudden loss of form. When the game is gone, there needs to be something around which players can build a new career. Two team members are fluent in te reo Māori, and several others are taking Te Wānanga courses in te reo and other subjects. The Pulse have been coming to Ngā Purapura for several years for pre-season warm-up games and to establish a solid team spirit. Yvette says
it’s an ideal way to prepare for the season ahead. “We love it at Ngā Purapura. Sure, there are bigger venues, but this place is special for us. We enjoy bringing the game to the community here in Ōtaki.” – See more page 32 ABOVE: The Pulse team at Te Wānanga o Raukawa. RIGHT: Pulse coach Yvette McCausland-Durie – “It’s a very special partnership [with Te Wānanga]. They play a huge role in our team culture.”
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NEWS I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 4
NZTA: Response to key questions Several key questions were asked at NZTA’s Te Horo meeting on January 31. Ōtaki Today put some of these questions to NZTA. The following response came from the agency’s director of regional relationships, Emma Speight. What comment do you have on complaints that the business case used flawed information, especially traffic and population growth? The business case considers demand from traffic modelling and land use projections, including the estimated growth of dwellings within Peka Peka and Te Horo. Both regional and local traffic modelling were used to assess the effects of the proposal, including forecast traffic growth from land use and population change. The business case also considered land use and growth projections when assessing the project’s alignment to the current Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). The base data underlying this modelling and information includes regional population growth forecasts and Kapiti Coast District Council (KCDC) district plans. When comparing land use projections and growth forecasts against other areas on a national basis, Peka Peka and Te Horo are not currently recognised as high growth areas. Cr James Cootes has suggested establishing a working party so NZTA could be presented with new information. Any information presented would need to demonstrate it was material to the National Land Transport Fund Investment Assessment Framework used to consider the proposed project’s alignment with the GPS.
The projected cost of $22-29 million is presumably for a full interchange at Peka Peka. Is there a cheaper option of slip roads on and off north and south, using existing roads? The business case examined lower cost options which are outlined in the business case. These options were not favoured by the majority of our stakeholders. Lower cost options would require southbound drivers to first head north, which is counter-intuitive and would take longer than the preferred option. They also presented significant safety concerns. An earlier cost estimate was $10 million. How did NZTA arrive at the latest $22-29 million? A range of cost estimates were quoted and the $10 million figure was based on a lower cost option. As outlined above, this option presented some significant travel time and safety concerns. The preferred option addresses these concerns but is more expensive. The estimated $22-29 million cost for this option includes the cost of operations and maintenance. There were complaints about appendices to the business case being available online too late for the meeting, or incomplete. The business case was available online three days in advance on the community meeting on Thursday January 31. The key appendices were made available online two days before the community meeting. The remaining appendices require reformatting and are expected to be online in the near future. Can NZTA change its mind? The review of the business case against
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the GPS presented a low score for the Peka Peka Interchange, showing that it does not strongly align with the priorities of the GPS. There would need to be a significant change in circumstances, such as significant rezoning of rural land to residential land in either Peka Peka or Te Horo, or the Customer Level of Service (the agency’s measure of road user experience) for the expressway or adjoining local roads falling below the "fit for purpose" outcomes limits as defined in the agency’s One Network Road Classification system. Further, KCDC would need to actively seek the proposed project’s inclusion in the Regional Land Transport Programme. What avenues are available for appeal? It was suggested that letters/emails should go to the Minister, NZTA board chair and NZTA chief executive. The agency has taken into consideration the community’s views, but the agency would need very significant new information for the resulting decision to change. To discuss the decision, the public can also contact the agency on the project’s email address: ConnectingPekaPeka@NZTA.govt.nz Is NZTA satisfied with the level of community consultation before arriving at the decision? The agency worked with well-established stakeholder groups to identify options. The stakeholder groups included KCDC, community liaison boards, iwi and residents. The agency also held two community information sharing sessions that enabled
residents to provide feedback on the issues and impacts, and identify options and a preferred solution. The information gathered from this consultation and engagement activity informed the preferred solution that was presented within the business case and subsequently reviewed against the GPS. The agency was clear throughout all consultation and engagement activity that, as with all project business cases, the decision to proceed with the preferred solution would be confirmed as part of a review against the relevant GPS. It was suggested that NZTA had promised that in late November it would convene a public meeting to discuss and listen to concerns solely about the Peka Peka interchange. If correct, why did that not happen? It was hoped that the agency would be in a position to convene a public meeting regarding the outcome of the Peka Peka Interchange decision in December. However, as we were still completing a review of the business case against the GPS, it was decided that it would not be appropriate to convene a public meeting at that time. How do you respond to claims that the business case is flawed? The agency stands behind the business case that was done here and the decision made. The process and decision are robust, and unfortunately the proposed interchange does not currently align with the investment framework and the GPS. We recognise the community is disappointed with the outcome.
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Pae, but no haggis on Scot scholarship The 2018 Sander Scholar, Paeone (Pae) Thatcher had the opportunity to visit historic castles and enjoy the hospitality of Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen on her trip to Scotland last month. From January 5-22, Pae had what she called “lovely hosts” and plenty of questions about Ōtaki and Ōtaki College. On one occasion she even tried a vegetarian version of the Scottish haggis. Pae is vegan, so the traditional meal of minced animal organs with oatmeal, onions, suet and seasoning, usually wrapped in a sheep’s stomach, was never going to be on her plate. However, her gracious hosts understood and the vegetarian haggis was sampled. “Not really what I’d try again, but it was worth the experience,” Pae says. Pae was hosted by an Aberdeen family during her time in Scotland, and spent several days at Robert Gordon’s College. She was impressed by the centuries-old stone buildings and long history of the college, which local students took for granted. She shadowed the prefects, who gave her guided tours and helped her familiarise with the college grounds. She made several presentations to students and staff, from the juniors through to the prefects. The school has the full range of age groups, including a nursery programme for toddlers. “It’s a big college, almost like a university,” she says. “But I loved going into the junior school. They had some interesting questions about New Zealand, including whether New Zealand was
MOVING ON: Paeone Thatcher, 18, who is moving on from Ōtaki College and her part-time job at RiverStone Cafe to study at Otago University.
like in Lord of the Rings, were Hobbits real, and could I do the haka.” As a much larger college than Ōtaki, Robert Gordon’s had a wider curriculum, including subjects such as psychology. But it was Pae’s knowledge of Māori customs, the culture and values of Ōtaki College and the town in which she lives that most interested
participants in the more formal meetings. “They were genuinely interested in how we did things back home. They certainly knew about Ōtaki through the Ōtaki Scholar, which is a strong tradition at the college. They were very familiar with the SS Otaki story. But they probably thought Ōtaki itself was a much bigger place than it really is.”
With a population of more than 200,000, Aberdeen is so much bigger than Ōtaki, but still relatively small in Scotland compared to 600,000 and 500,000 for Glasgow and Edinburgh respectively. While based in Aberdeen, Pae managed to see other Scottish cities and had some time on the Isle of Skye. She was impressed with the organisation of her visit. A strong alumni tradition ensured that former heads of school stayed connected with the college. They, and former Ōtaki Scholars, were involved in organising visits, meetings and Gordonian dinners for her, even though some had left college many years before. A student from Robert Gordon’s, the Ōtaki Scholar, has been visiting New Zealand since 1937. The Sander Scholar, sponsored by Ōtaki’s Sander Ties, visits Robert Gordon’s College annually. As the sixth recipient of the Sander scholarship, Pae says she’s appreciated the support of Sanders’ Shelly Macrae – whose initiative created the scholarship – and that of Ōtaki College. Pae begins at Otago University at the end of the month, where she will study law, political science, gender studies and Māori. She was awarded a financial scholarship from Otago Scholarship at the 2018 college awards, along with an Ōtaki Women’s Community Club scholarship.
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NEWS I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 6
First expressway bridges open to traffic
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NEWS I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 7
IN BRIEF Football starting soon Preparations are under way for the 2019 junior football season. An information afternoon will be held on Sunday February 24 at Haruātai Park at 2pm. Club socks and a selection of secondhand boots will be for sale. Ōtaki Junior Football registrations are opening soon. Registrations must be done via the COMET website. For information about registering, come to Haruātai Park on February 24 or contact Liz Crighton. Anyone who would like to offer themselves as a coach for a junior football team should contact Jamie Prentice. Free training is provided and Capital Football has resources available to help coaches. The club is also keen to hear from anyone interested in helping out in Ōtaki. Contact Jamie Prentice (027 738-7111), Liz Crighton (027 4194-932 or osc.juniorfootballafc@gmail.com), or if interested in playing senior football, Brendon Heenan (027 479-2772).
Brigade attends 21
Photo: Simon Neale
Te reo proves popular for swimming learners New learn-to-swim courses in te reo Māori are filling up quickly at Ōtaki pool. The classes are being taken by lifeguard Charmaine Rewi (pictured above), who uses te reo Māori (she’s studying at Te Wānanga o Raukawa) to communicate with her students. She’s also being trained as a swim instructor, so she’s accompanied meantime by a fully trained instructor. With several full immersion Māori classes
at Ōtaki schools, the swim courses are proving popular. Pool co-ordinator Kim Butler says, however, that as more students enrol, more classes will be made available. “We’re filling up what we have already, and if we get more demand, we’ll put on more classes,” she says. At present there are two half-hour Wednesday afternoon courses for preschoolers at 2.30pm and 3pm, and three half-
hour classes for children aged 5-7 at 3.30pm, 4pm and 4.30pm. Kim says the only reason swim lessons in te reo have not been run for a long time is because the pool has not had an instructor fluent enough. “Now we’ve got Charmaine, and even a back-up staff member, we’re hoping it will be a permanent option.” Ōtaki is currently the only Kāpiti pool offering lessons in te reo Māori.
Ōtaki Volunteer Fire Brigade had 21 call-outs in January. Eight were to attend motor vehicle accidents, six for scrub or rubbish fires, five special services (medical etc), and two false alarms to building alarm systems.
Corrections
In our last issue we credited our fitness column to Daniel Duxford. It is, in fact, Daniel Duxfield of Ōtaki’s Duxfit Functional Fitness. Our apologies to Daniel. In our November issue, we said the parents of Arthur Allan Bright, Frederic and Mary, built Bright’s Theatre after his death in 1918. The theatre was built in 1913.
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NEWS I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Sarah the Scientist wows the kids Sarah the Scientist had the kids enthralled during a recent hands-on session at Ōtaki Library. The local children were treated to all kinds of scientific experiments and learning activities that showed how science can be fun. “They were amazing scientists,” Sarah said. “I really enjoyed sharing my loved of science with them. We had a lot of fun and I got asked plenty of great questions. It really showed the children were thinking like scientists.” Dr Sarah Kenworthy is a scientist based in Waikanae. She says she loves sharing her passion for science. “I’ve found that all children are fantastic scientists and I want to help them foster that creativity as they grow up.” Apart from public appearances such as at the libraries, Sarah offers specialist science teaching and professional development for teachers, has science kits for sale and does special science birthday parties – even dinosaur-themed parties.
Page 8
HUHA ANIMALS
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Ninja ready for new adventure
Dr Sarah Kenworthy, aka Sarah the Scientist, with a group of enthusiastic children at Ōtaki Library.
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paddocks on a summer evening (who wouldn’t). She bonds strongly and is absolutely gorgeous as a happy loving girl by your side and a soft head under your hand as you walk along. She needs reassurance, a calm person to let her know everything is fine and someone to cuddle with under the duvet. Ninja has come a long way with HUHA, who would love to see her loved and settled, living her best life with her forever person. HUHA is not sure what she would be like around cats. Feisty cats that stand their ground would probably scare her to death, but she would possibly chase a cat that was timid and would run away from her. It would be a game for her. She may be a bit of a ratbag, but she is a gentle ratbag. n Ninja is a 3-year-old heading dog and is currently at Club HUHA in Otaki. Call (04) 392-3232 if you can help.
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NEWS I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 9
Store closes, but Marlan stays One of Ōtaki retailing’s institutions closes its doors soon after more than 30 years of trading at the main highway shops. Marlan Trading Co Ltd is not disappearing altogether, however. It’s remaining upstairs to continue marketing its corporate wear and uniforms, while the New Zealand Natural Clothing shop is moving from next door to lease the former Marlan store. From March 31, NZ Natural Clothing will begin extending the store to take up the entire ground floor, giving it substantially more space than its current site. Marlan’s Roger Lanham started his business in 1979, working from home at first and then moving to premises in the Aotaki Street industrial area. In 1986 Marlan built new premises on the highway, where it is today. Marlan was a New Zealand-based clothing manufacturer working with up to a dozen contract manufacturing units in the southern North Island and employing about 150 people. Some of its main clients that were familiar names at the time – and some still today – were Farmers Trading, Hallensteins, Warnocks, K Mart, Willie Weavers, Hugh Wrights, Glassons, Postie Plus, EziBuy, Woolworths, Ballantyynes, James Smiths, Warehouse Clothing, Kirks, Smith and Caughey, DIC, PGG, Wrightsons, Rendells, George Courts and many more. Government departments were also clients. “There have been a lot of changes in the 40 years we’ve been operating,” Roger says. “One of biggest was the inevitable influx of imports from
lower-cost countries. “Marlan has always imported cloth, but we were also forced by government policy in the 1990s to start importing made-up clothing. It made retailing increasingly difficult.” While Marlan is now down-sizing, the retail shop is the only part of the business closing. Roger and his staff are continuing to operate their service upstairs for corporate wear, teamwear, school uniforms, branding and customisation, and, under Safety Plus Ltd, all aspects of safety apparel and PPE (personal protective equipment) gear. END OF AN ERA: Roger Lanham outside the Marlan Trading retail store he’s run for more than 30 years. Meantime, Marlan is clearing its stock at up to “Teams and clubs are welcome to come and the Marlan shop will be closed, its wholesale, 80 percent off, including shop garments, men’s get a bargain.” corporate, teamwear, school uniform and Logan brand, overseas and local designer label Sample department sewing machines are also safety business will still operate as normal and samples, KokoTree women’s wear samples, sport for sale and in the final week, display stands, customers can call in through the side door. wear, children’s clothing and much more. clothing racks etc. “There’s a lot of stock to clear so we’ll be If time permits there will also be fabrics and n Contact Kirsten 06 364-8183 or 0274 663317 or email putting out stock as space becomes available in clothing accessories for clearance. sales@marlantrading.co.nz or come visit us, entrance will be the shop,” Roger says. Roger says that after April 1, even though from the side door.
MARLAN TRADING CO LTD opposite Mobil on State Highway 1, Ōtaki
RETAIL STORE CLOSING NOTE THAT THIS IS THE RETAIL SHOP ONLY, THE WHOLESALE, UNIFORM AND BRANDING SUPPLY ARE STILL OPERATING AS NORMAL. CONTACT: KIRSTEN HOUSIAUX 06 364 8183 or 027 466 3317 FOR ALL YOUR REQUIREMENTS.
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Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 10
COMMENT GURU’S VIEW: K GURUNATHAN
Kāpiti under pressure in continuing national housing crisis I write this over a Saturday morning coffee. I’ve just read the DomPost story where I have given Housing New Zealand a serve for failing in their duty of care. The story juxtaposed two issues. One, that council, in selling off one of its surplus properties, had been looking at helping the tenant transition into a local Housing New Zealand unit. The other, my discovery that a $700,000 Waikanae house HNZ had bought in 2017 had been left vacant for 22 months. On the same morning, I received a desperate email. The Paraparaumu couple with three children had been given notice. In a week they will be homeless, but they can’t get on the
social housing register for another 20 working days. Having heard other anecdotal stories, I have no reasons for disbelieving this one. Their appeal is to the local mayor to help. Across the country, councils (the coal face of governance at the grassroots community level) are facing pressure caused by this national housing crisis. Housing is not our core activity and we do not have funding avenues. Access to low interest loans from
government was terminated in 1991. We are excluded from being a community housing provider enabling access to income-related rents. There’s a lack of clarity about councils’ role in social housing. Kāpiti Coast District Council’s total stock of social housing is 118 pensioner units. They were built back in the 1960s using cheap government loans. Of that total, 66 are located in Ōtaki. There are 54 registered applicants awaiting. There are 13 other properties held by council that were bought for operational purposes, such as making way for future roading and stormwater projects. These are not part of our social housing.
As part of our fiduciary responsibility, rather than leaving them vacant, they are rented out under standard market tenancy terms and conditions until needed for the intended works. While I understand HNZ is under huge catch-up pressure given the neglect by previous governments, councils are not equipped nor funded to exercise social housing responsibilities. HNZ is the country’s biggest landlord with 64,000 properties worth $26.7 billion. The occupancy rate is 98.2 percent, so there is a lack of capacity to meet demand. Kāpiti has 220 HNZ units, with 56 of them in Otaki and 130 in Paraparaumu. Last year, I welcomed HNZ’s
investment announcement of new purpose-built units in Kāpiti, especially in Paraparaumu where demand was highest. I questioned their then estimate of 65 on their waiting list. It’s now 94. But building the new ones on the existing land would mean putting their current tenants into temporary accommodation in a situation where there’s already increasing pressure. HNZ has warned of this temporary consequence. Across the country HNZ is building 4000 homes to deliver a net 1980 new state houses in this financial year. Kāpiti needs its share and we need it yesterday. n K Gurunathan is the Mayor of Kāpiti Coast and is an Ōtaki resident.
ŌTAKI OUTLOOK: CHRIS PAPPS
LOCAL LENS: IAN CARSON
Pae restores faith in future
Taking up the cudgels to fight for a just cause
Interviewing a young woman such as Paeone Thatcher (page 5) serves to reinforce the belief that the future might just be in good hands. Articulate and bright, Paeone was one of the stars at the Ōtaki College prizegiving last year. Her scholarships awarded then are allowing to study law, politics, gender studies and Māori at Otago University. She was also chosen as the Sander Scholar to take a lifechanging trip to Scotland, where she ably represented the college, Ōtaki, New Zealand and her Māori people. At only 18, Pae has a great future ahead of her. She will mature with experience, her study will give her new insights into how the world around her works, and she will develop her own sense of justice and wisdom. With any luck, Ōtaki will get to benefit from her skills – perhaps not soon, but this town has a way of drawing people home. Who knows where it all might take her. And that’s the beauty of youth. There’s so much potential. One gets the impression Pae’s potential won’t be wasted.
Whoever coined the term “community involvement” must have had Ōtaki in mind. Whatever or whenever an issue affects Ōtaki in some way, shape or form, people are prepared to take up the cudgels to fight for or against. There are obvious very current ones such as the Peka Peka interchange. Those directly affected will continue to fight to the end, even though the so-called GPS, or Government Policy Statement, has been interpreted by NZTA as placing the interchange lower on the list of priorities than it was for the previous government. Apparently a cycleway in Auckland and other Auckland priorities figure higher than the future development of the Peka Peka/Te Horo area. But there are less obvious issues. The preservation and rehabilitation of the sole remaining rotunda at the former Ōtaki Children’s Health Camp is one such
issue. This unique piece of construction was originally transported to Ōtaki from Rotorua. It has a history and it is a heritage listed building. Once there were two. In less enlightened times one was sold off as timber for a shed in Ōhāriu. Local author and historian, Di Buchan wrote the definitive book on the Ōtaki Children’s Health Camp called “Sun, Sea and Sustenance – The story of the Ōtaki Children’s Health Camp”. She interviewed many who benefited from the camp and she went to a great deal of effort to ensure she got the history of the land and
buildings right as well. In the process she developed a contact list of people in Ōtaki, and others spread around the world, who had been involved in nursing and looking after the children, as well as children who reaped the benefits of the Sun, Sea and Sustenance. Di’s fear is that the remaining iconic rotunda will be lost unless people take up the issue. On Wednesday February 27 at 7pm in the Rotary Lounge, Aōtaki Street, there will be a meeting which Di has invited me to chair. She’s invited the people on her contact list and extended the invitation to anyone who is interested and would like to be involved in the preservation and restoration of the building. This is a significant piece of history for Ōtaki. Saving the rotunda and saving that history is an issue I’m sure many in Ōtaki and further afield can and will support. n Chris Papps is chair of the Ōtaki Community Board.
FORWARD FOCUS: JAMES COOTES
Any decision should be based on accurate information Local government, central government and its agencies have an unusual relationship and one that’s often at odds with each other. You would think they would work harmoniously together, but that’s not always the case. Recently I attended a public meeting at Te Horo hall after NZTA announced it would not be funding a Peka Peka interchange. I’ve said previously the decision came as no surprise to me given the new Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport and the Government’s recent budget announcements around spending in this area, and notably its omissions. Ōtaki MP Nathan Guy has come out saying that KCDC hasn’t done
enough. I find that ironic, given that it was he I had to meet in February 2017 to convince him to support a shared pathway and a Peka Peka interchange. Both were NOT included by his Government at the time in the expressway projects. To be fair Nathan did tell me that KCDC needed to support the interchange. So naturally I spoke to the mayor of the time, Ross Church, and CE Pat Dougherty about getting agreement that the council would support the interchange if the Government decided to build it. After some time Nathan announced “. . . we will be building an interchange at Peka Peka”, but no contract was signed and it’s been shelved. So I’d argue, “Nathan, you didn’t do enough”.
So back to our public meeting with NZTA.Members of the community have continued to raise concerns over the information used to form the business case upon which the decision was made. I don’t think anyone would disagree that any decision should be based on accurate information. Concerns about the growth forecasts, safety concerns, impact on local roads, connectivity, and comments about the area being void of business and employment, are
the types of things being challenged. Another key area is the estimated costs which are now stated to be as much as $29 million! On the night, I committed (with the mayor’s and CE’s agreement) to supporting a residents group (who have been active for some time) to collate the points of concern raised in the NZTA business case. They would then work with KCDC to prepare a response with the concerns and supporting information for NZTA to consider and respond to. NZTA agreed to review the specific items raised by the group. That’s step 1. Step 2 is to ensure that the land is secured for the future and not sold by NZTA. Step 3 is to see whether our KCDC roading staff can come
up with an alternative “interchange” solution at a much lower cost for NZTA to consider. Step 4 is for council to consider a review of the Community Outcomes for Peka Peka and Te Horo, given they are now more than 10 years old and the construction of M2PP/PP2Ō has had a big impact on that area. So, there’s a lot to do but I will continue to advocate for my community, even though I’ve publicly stated that I can’t see it changing NZTA’s decision. It will, however, ensure that if any future government reviews the decision, it will do so with accurate information. Hei konā rā. n James Cootes is the Ōtaki Ward councillor on Kāpiti Coast District Council.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: If you have something to say and you want it published, write to us. Please include your full name, address and contact phone number. Only letters that include these details will be published, unless there is good reason to withhold a name. Maximum 200 words. Note your letter may be edited for grammar and accuracy. Not all letters received will be published and the publisher reserves the right to reject any letter. Write to Ōtaki Today, 13 Te Manuao Rd, Ōtaki or email Letters@idmedia.co.nz
COMMENT I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 11
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT ŌTAKI: GUEST COLUMN
Lucky to enjoy small-town life with whānau and friends By Barb Rudd
I returned home to Ōtaki in 2003 from Fiji, after leaving here in 1967, newly married to live up the road in Levin among my husband’s people. My married life took me to numerous places in New Zealand and overseas, but my heart always remained in Ōtaki. I was born at the Ōtaki Maternity Hospital, as were my three siblings, as sixth-generation member s of the wider Tahiwi family (whanau) into this little town of close families, strong characters and a connected community. As a child I spent the first years of my life with my older brother, my parents, our kui, her sister and daughter who were my aunties, at the principal Tahiwi home in Rangatira Street, on our papakainga, where singing and music was ever present. This “papakainga settlement” took in Iti Street, Rangatira Street and Mill Road. We grew up among aunties, uncles, cousins and extended whānau. It was here that we were taught the values of family, of sharing and caring, of the responsibility we had to our marae, our church, the wider community, and our full participation in all these things. Ours was one, like several other local whānau living on their papakainga, on their family land in and around Ōtaki. Some of the families still reside on those lands today.
The needs of a growing family meant a move around the corner to Matene Place, a new community, first homers, young families. It was here among a close community of predominantly Māori and European families that lifelong friendships and childhood memories were made. My mother was a DevonshireBroughton, one of a family of 11 children, born and raised in a similar small community just “up the line,” not far away, in Foxton. Her Devonshire grandparents lived in Ōtaki in the early 1900s; they owned a drapery shop at the Ōtaki Railway on the corner that is now home to a Subway food outlet. They are both buried in the Ōtaki cemetery. My mother’s cousins still live in Ōtaki and we often catch up. How “small town” is that? I love that Ōtaki has rich family history. We were blessed to have a community that looked out for each other, where you were greeted on the street with a smile and a chat. Growing up, it was accepted and understood that aunties and uncles looked out for you in the wider community; they would praise you or growl you, depending on the circumstances at that time. How lucky are we that our children and grandchildren still enjoy and experience the small-town way of life in Ōtaki, communal, caring, sharing and supporting one another. The value of small communities and intergenerational history is that it has included Māori, European, Italian
HOME: Barb Rudd, with the iwi farm on Tasman Road in the background.
and Chinese influences that are still evident today. Who will ever forget those families, their names and those personalities, whose children we grew up with and called our friends? Ōtaki has always shown itself to be a caring, supportive and friendly place to live in. A reason many families have remained in this town, or returned here to live, and others who have chosen to make this their new home. Ōtaki is often referred to as the “centre of the Universe”. I love that I still meet up with, on a regular basis, people I grew up
– Photo: Simon Neale
alongside, spent my entire school life with from a five-year-old entering Ōtaki State School, until I left Ōtaki College almost 12 years later. I love that in a fast-paced and rapidly evolving world, Ōtaki retains the old familiarity of the small town and community that I grew up in. New arrivals bring new expectations, but also new interests and skills that can add to the richness of our little town. Ōtaki has grown and will continue to grow. The new expressway will bring about the biggest change to Ōtaki I have witnessed in my lifetime.
It is important that those of us who remember the gala days, street markets, family days, community concerts and larger special events, ensure that they remain. With the emergence of Māoriland Film Festival, the annual kite festival, kapahaka concerts at Ngā Purapura, elite sports events, citizenship ceremonies, and passionate young community leaders, we can be confident that the continuation of “all that is the best of life” will be a constant marker in the sand for this town of ours we call home – Ōtaki.
Classic cars rumble in for show at racing club Classic cars, trucks, tractors, and even fire engines will be on display on Sunday March 3 at the Ōtaki-Māori Racing Club. More than 200 vehicles are expected at the show, which is organised by the KāpitiHorowhenua Zephyr Zodiac Car Club. All kinds of makes and models of classics and collectibles will be available for the public to view.
Entry is by gold coin donation, with the funds going to St John Ambulance. Other community groups will also be at the show, including the Ōtaki Volunteer Fire Brigade, which will have some of its engines there.The meet is the first the club has held in Ōtaki. “For the past 30 years, we’ve had the shows at Paraparaumu,” says show coordinator Trevor Hosking.
“It’s usually been on Wellington Anniversary Day, at Southwards Car Museum and before that at Kāpiti Primary School. “But the new expressway has actually worked against us. We found that visitors and our car owners didn’t have easy access to and from the show area.” The show will be in the main parking area just off the Te Roto Road entrance.
RIGHT: Trevor Hosking of the Kāpiti Horowhenua Zephyr Zodiac Car Club with his classic Mk3 Zephyr.
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COMMENT I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 12
An opinion on opinionated opinions There’s helium-filled self-satisfaction in became the default of the opinionated, there’s having a damned good opinion. Like most no stopping the heights – or depths – that an people I consider my own opinions to be earnestly held opinion can have. world class, gold plated. I Take New Zealand’s MEDIA & COMMUNITY favourite opinion topic, have a PHD in Opinions on any subject. rugby. “What the hell does There’s really nothing Hansen know anyway. Can’t better than leaning back, he see that McKenzie is a with a drink in hand and eyes liability and that Kieran Read shut – to avoid any smirking is past his best. Bring Back distractions – while loudly Buck and, of course, the ref is holding forth on a topic obviously blind.” that one knows bugger-all But seriously. Opinions about. And it’s even better go with being human. It’s if we blokes are allowed to in-built and displayed from mansplain endlessly without birth, as every new-born interruption or question. baby demands attention for a Without opinions, where mother’s milk. FRASER CARSON would we be? Honed in But have we all become the shower or garden shed, where no one can just a little too opinionated for our own good, argue, and unleashed when others least expect and is it getting worse? I think so. it, opinions have shaped history and made bad We now live in a complex and disorientating friends and good enemies in equal measure. world where people yearn for instant and simple Opinions are a filter on who you wish to answers. That’s leading millions of people to be with. If one likes a good argument, then it follow completely fact-free pseudoscience flushes out the nay-sayers. If you hope everyone “experts” like the opinionated Gwyneth agrees with your opinions, find those people Paltrow and her Goop website that dangerously and make sure you always shout at the bar to promotes things such as coffee colonics and compensate for their silent misery. vaginal steaming. Goop is now branching out Of course, I’m not alone. Ever since that onto Netflix, which will no doubt get many quaint expression, “I’m entitled to my opinion”, thinking it is real science.
No matter that a Google search might have thrown out some dodgy information or that a theory expressed on social media is not based on a shred of evidence, the answer is good to go, and it’ll do. It’s gone viral after all, which means lots of people must agree. It’s probably the reason why real expertise or the wisdom of an elder seems to be less compelling and respected by some. When instant answers are accepted, even if unreliable, the casualties become trust and respect in the correct answers and the people with those answers. I have seen five-minute meetings where a large group of people, with no experience or skill, are asked to express an opinion (vote) and completely ignore the advice of a respected expert with a lifetime’s experience. Politicians are elected to be leaders and make hard decisions on our behalf. Instead, we’re moving to citizen referenda, such as was used in the flag design debacle. The British vote for CROSSWORD SOLUTION (see page 30)
Brexit is likely to end in tears, not least because elected politicians are now forced to carry out the uninformed and manipulated “will of the people”, even when those politicians disagree and know, from the facts, it will be a disaster. But here’s the thing. Democracy is important, in things like electing representatives and holding them to account. But it should never replace the need to respect skill, expertise and acquired wisdom. Why have a referendum on a new flag for New Zealand when there wasn’t one design expert on the panel? The point is, why do we need experts when all it takes to get an answer is ask enough people with no expertise? But notice how we seem to refrain from expressing an opinion when the opinionated might suffer the consequences personally. Imagine passengers on an aircraft storming the cockpit because they disagree with the pilot’s decisions or don’t trust her to land safely. Could technology and a lack of trust in experts allow you to stay awake during heart surgery so you could supervise the operation? But, as some would say, everyone knows better than teachers about teaching and selecting the All Blacks really should be a referendum. Back in Renaissance Italy, Pope Sixtus IV commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. He did it without asking the citizens of Rome to supervise, or by expecting a better result from a team of 200 house painters. While it’s the easiest thing to blather on with an opinion and expect good outcomes from populist urges, perhaps we should just shut up and listen a little more. William Shakespeare put it this way. “He goes through life, his mouth open, and his mind closed.” And, “Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice; Take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment.” n Fraser Carson is a member of the XŌtaki College Alumni Trust and the founding partner of Flightdec.com. Flightdec’s kaupapa is to challenge the status quo of the internet to give access to more reliable and valuable citizen generated content, and to improve connectivity and collaboration. He can be contacted at fraser@flightdec.com
Nau mai, haere mai, welcome to
OTAKI MONTESSORI PRE-SCHOOL
www.otakimontessori.co.nz
Otaki Montessori is back in action for 2019 and ready for another great year! We bid farewell to our Centre Manager and Head Teacher of two years, Lynda, who has moved north to take up a different educational role. We wish her all the best in her new position and thank her for all her hard work here over the past two years. Good luck Lynda! We now have Charlotte and Veronique at the helm of the Tui Room and we know they will make a great teaching team for our older tamariki. The 2–3.5 year old class has been renamed the Kereru Class (after the pair of cheeky kereru we see every day in our playground), and Jo, Nancy and Angela continue their awesome work with our little ones. The ever-amazing Tracy, as always, continues to provide support for teachers and children wherever and whenever needed! This year started HOT and we have already made a trip across to the splash pad, been on a bushwalk through the shady trees we are lucky
enough to have across the park from us, and a lovely parent has even brought in a splash pool for us to use in the hot and sticky afternoons – it’s going to be so much fun! We had a visit from Mel, a St John educator. She took us through all the things that St John do for our community, and how they help save lives and keep us safe. She showed us the oxygen tanks and masks they use when we have trouble breathing, and how they can also administer medication through the mask with the oxygen. Spaces are already filling up fast and there is now a waiting list for prospective families. If you are interested in Otaki Montessori for your child please get in touch with our Centre Manager Roselle, via email: om_ admin@otakimontessori. co.nz or phone 06 364 7500 to organise a time
to drop in, have a quick look around and pick up an enrolment form. Our team will be in touch as soon as a suitable place becomes available. We are planning loads of great things at Otaki Montessori this year and we look forward to sharing them with you over the coming year. Have a great 2019 everyone! Remember you can follow the goings-on at our unique, special character pre-school by checking us out on Facebook at www.facebook. com/Otaki-Montessori-Pre-School-Incorporated CENTRE TITBITS:
February 26: INFORMATION EVENING, 7pm at Montessori. All you need to know about Montessori from experienced teachers. Plus parent Jared Carson will be here with his new book More Animals in Vehicles. March 6: NGA MANU VISIT March 19: PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS
REUNION I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 13
How did we get this old so quickly? By Debbi Carson
Another 10 years has passed since many of us caught up to celebrate Ōtaki College’s 50 years. It seems to have rolled around so fast. Forty-five years ago we were so young and naive, with not a care in the world. Life was just around the corner, and many of us couldn’t wait to get out there and be adults! We knew little about setting budgets and paying bills, or taking on the responsibilities of an adult. We soon learnt that you couldn’t keep on spending when there was rent to pay and food required for the week. Thankfully we didn’t have cellphones, Sky TV or the internet back then. Life was simple. School life was fun or miserable depending on your hormones or school subjects. I loved geography, particularly because Ross MacPherson was my teacher and a favourite. He epitomised what a good teacher should be – understanding, thoughtful, tough when he needed to be, but always kind. That’s how I remembered him. And he never rolled me and Paul Atmore smoking in the hall toilets at lunchtime, even though his class was directly across from the hall. I’m sure all that waving to ensure the smoke trail didn’t float out the window never really worked, but we were
never caught! Paul fancied Eugenie Gray back then, and his favourite song, Jean Genie by David Bowie, was always playing. I can’t hear that song today without remebering Paul or Eugenie! Jack Jones was another wonderful teacher. He’d engage with you as if you were already an adult, encouraging good debate and conversations. On the other hand I really couldn’t get into physics, so sat with the rest of the class up the back while he taught the two brainies, Patrick English and Neil Ivamy. Physics really was lost on us, or could we have been engaged differently? I will never know. My maths teacher, Mr (Arthur) Haley, seemed grumpy most of the time. He had taught my mother at Horowhenua College so he probably needed to retire after all those years putting up with wilful children. He had the habit of throwing student, desk and chair out in the hallway if he’d had enough of you. Most of the time he was very nice to me, and I was the recipient only once of said throwing-out. My love of textile design and art originated in Wendy Saunders’ embroidery classes. I loved the subject and went on to run an original handknits business for a time. I still love to knit for my grandkids, and enjoy needlepoint as well.
WHO DO YOU RECOGNISE?
CLASS OF 1967: Teacher Snow Burnett. Let us know if you can identify anyone in any of these photos.
1970 SOFTBALL TEAM: Back row L-R: Hoani Carkeek, unidentified, Mike Hakaraia, Nigel Pritchard, Tim Raika. Front row: unidentified, ? Cassidy, Rupene Waaka, unidentified.
I did make it a regular practice to sit outside Peanut’s office (our fond nickname for headmaster John Saunders). I have no idea how that happened now, I thought I was a good girl. You can imagine my surprise then, when many decades later he couldn’t remember me, even though he eventaully lived behind my house in Lemon Street! I can’t have been too bad after all. We all have our stories to tell about our memories and escapades at school. If you didn’t get to the 50th reunion, make sure you get to the 60th. Attendees from 2009 will tell you what a great time we had, catching up with old mates we sometimes hadn’t see for decades, hearing where their lives had taken them, how many gorgeous kids and grandkids had, and remembering all those we had lost along the way. The Americans would have us think reunions were all gossip and bitching. Not Ōtaki. We felt welcomed, we were happy to see and be seen, and I expect the 60th will be the same. We can be very proud of our little town. It’s come a long way, and we’d love to see you in April. It might be our last chance to catch up with old mates. We aren’t getting any younger. So get your registrations in now! n Debbi Carson is co-owner of Ōtaki Today.
Otaki College 60th Reunion PROGRAMME APRIL 26-27, 2019 Friday April 26 12pm: Open school Powhiri Registration packs available 3pm: Afternoon tea 6.30pm: Giggle and Gossip Saturday April 27 9am: Parade in decades from Domain Road 10am: Photos and morning tea 7pm: Dance, continuous supper and entertainment Register at: otakicollege.school.nz/60th-reunion Enquiries to: reunion@otakicollege.school.nz
3M CLASS OF 1972: Back row L-R: ??, Reggie Royal, others unidentified. Row 2: unidentified. Row 3 L-R: Donna Ferreti, ??, Pat van der Velden, rest unidentified. Front row L-R: Jeanette Carson, Nina Rauhihi, ??, ??, ??,Sandra Dorne, Angela Johns, rest of front row unidentified.
CLASS OF 1971, 41: Back row L-R: Clive Durand, Wayne Smith, Noel Turnbull, Neil Ivamy, unidentified, Larry Morgan, Franco Dal Din, John Rice. Row 2: Brian Young, unidentified, Patrick English, Karen Townrow, Shirley Searanke, Craig Jones, unidentified, Graham Moffatt, Peter Tse. Row 3: Teacher Gary Girvan, Gillian Gray, Gwen Gallagher, unidentified, Joanne Gimblett, Phillipa Vincent, Susan Lumley, Pauline Bennett, Denise Tapp, Debra Bird. Front row: Christine Tait, Sandra Dorne, Elizabeth Cook, Alice Te Oka, Anne Crombie, Anna Tambour, Vicky Fowler, Pauline Mudge, Betty Chung.
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Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 15
OTAKI KITE FESTIVAL 2019
Flyers return for kite fest spectacular K
ite flyers from Australia and throughout New Zealand converge on Ōtaki Beach this weekend (February 16-17) for the seventh annual Ōtaki Kite Festival spectacular. Popular last year were the flyers from the Phoenix Flight Collective of Brisbane. Organisers have booked them again so they can show off their co-ordinated stunt kite flying skills. Several slots in the weekend are allocated to the collective, who are always happy to tak to the crowds about their flying, and how even novices can get a kite to fly. The Aussie flyers are also managing the Rokkaku business house challenge, a competition among local businesses to see whose kite is left flying. Brisbane flyer Tony Rice, who has attended every festival since its inception in 2013, will be back in Ōtaki. He and fellow artist and kitemaker Yvonne de Mille of Ōtaki, will not only be flying their unique kites, but also runing workshops running up to the festival. Tony will have a kite-making workshop at 9am on Saturday morning at the surf club. Many other flyers – mostly members of the New Zealand Kite
Fliers Association – attend the festival. For some, it’s an opportunity to fly new kites they have made throughout the year. Peter Lynn Kites of Ashburton also returns with its huge show kites – previous arrivals have been giant whales, a pegasus, squids and crabs. These kites require a “pilot” kite above them to lift them into the sky and keep them stable. Look for them several metres above the big kites. Festival co-ordinator Kirsty Doyle says that with fine weather forecast for the weekend, the crowds could exceed the 18,000 people who were at the last all-fine weekend, in 2016. “The weather’s looking good, we’ve got lots happening with stalls, entertainment, kite buggy rides and a Big Dig each day for the kids, so we’re ready for a big weekend. We hope people will come down to the beach and just enjoy the weekend.” The festival is organised by the Ōtaki Promotions Group.. It has become one of the biggest festivals on the Kāpiti Coast. Along with the Māoriland Film Festival and the Festival of Pots and Garden Art, it is putting Ōtaki squarely on the event map.
READY TO FLY: Ōtaki artist and kite-maker Yvonne de Mille with The Valkyrie, a new kite she has made for the 2019 Ōtaki Kite Festival.
RiverStone Café has been proud to support the Ōtaki Promotions Group and Ōtaki Kite Festival since 2013.
s r u o y t e g – Kites for sale year round! Owners Jeanine Cornelius and Brent Havis
State Highway 1, next to Kathmandu 06 364-6742 • riverstonecafe.co.nz OPEN EVERY DAY from 6.30am till late afternoon, including public holidays – NO SURCHARGE. RiverStone Coffee Cart open from 6am.
‘Locals looking after locals.’
ŌTAKI KITE FESTIVAL I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Festival began with
Grant Robertson and Derek Kelly welcome manuhiri (our visitors) to Ōtaki for the seventh OTAKI KITE FESTIVAL. This event showcases both our magnificent natural resources of wide open beaches and clean rivers, AND our human resources, with our vibrant progressive green and cohesive community, and its high level of voluntarism! ENJOY THE DAY, ENJOY YOUR STAY. To buy into this magnificent lifestyle, talk to the local Real Estate Champions, Grant and Derek. GBR REALTY LTD MREINZ licensed agent REAA (2008) 238 Main Highway, Ōtaki
For all enquiries, call 06 364 8350 or email admin@fnotaki.co.nz
The fisrt Ōtaki Kite Festival was organised in about two months. The Ōtaki Promotions Group had been formed only in 2012, and had put on a hugely successful mid-winter lantern parade and street party in Main Street. That event inspired the group to look at other events, along with other activities aimed at boosting the image and attraction of Ōtaki, especially the township. In late November, artist Yvonne de Mille rang OPG chair Ian Carson. “I’ve got an idea,” she said. “We could do a kite festival, but we need to get an application in for funding from Creative Communities – tomorrow!” Not knowing what a kite festival even looked like, Ian agreed and the first event went ahead in February 2013. It was organised with a core group of volunteers, a very limited budget, and the support of Kāpiti Coast District Council, NZ Community Trust and Wellington Community Trust, New Zealand flyers and a kite artist friend of Yvonne’s, Australian Tony Rice. Tony has attended every event since, enjoying not only the flying and hospitality, but doing workshops with local schools. Thousands of people – mostly locals – attended the first festival, wowed by the display of fantastic kites flying over the beach. Word spread, KCDC recognised the event as having big potential to attract
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FEBRUARY 16-17 ŌTAKI from 10am s n o i t o m o r Pp GROUP ŌTAKI BEACH
many more visitors to the Kāpiti Coast, and the OPG put more resources into the event organisation. By 2016, the festival had tapped into the council’s Major Events Fund, which gave it three years of funding. A part-time co-ordinator, Kirsty Doyle, was also employed in 2017 to help with the organisation, which is still otherwise done by OPG volunteers. A big group of local volunteers also helps out on the weekend. By 2016, the Ōtaki Kite Festival was firmly on calendars throughout the Wellington region and beyond. Visitors saw it as a fun weekend for the whole family – one in which they didn’t have to spend a penny if they didn’t want to, or couldn’t afford to. It was simply an opportunity in which they could go the beach with friends and family, let the kids play and be inspired by the spectacular display. For the locals it’s also become a regular event where people can reconnect with each other. Ian says it’s an important aspect of the festival. “There aren’t many chances where people get together – not like the old days of dances, meeting at the pub or loading veges at the railway station. I see people chatting with friends and old neighbours at the kite festival who they haven’t seen for years. Because the event is casual, people are under no pressure. It’s very relaxed.”
The Ōtaki Kite Festiva attracting kite flyers a
NOT JUS
The appeal of the Ō Kite Festival is not kites, as any visito attest. Along with the b display in New Zea
Pages 16-17
h a phone call
THE WEEKEND’S PROGRAMME SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FEBRUARY 16-17
TIME
WHAT’S ON
WHERE
10-10.30am
Karakia
Stage
10.30-11am (Saturday only)
Taiko Drummers
In front of stage
11am-12 noon
Harcourts Big Dig
On beach, in front of surf club
11.30am-12 noon
Phoenix Kite Collective
Kite arena
11.45am-12 noon (Sunday only)
Ōtaki Surf Life Saving Club demonstration
In the water
12 noon -12.30pm
We Came to Play guests On stage
12.30-1.30pm
Rokkaku Challenge
In kite arena
1-1.30pm (Saturday only)
Taiko Drummers
In front of stage
1.30-2pm
Phoenix Kite Collective
In kite arena
2-3pm
Andrew London and Friends (Saturday)
On stage
We Came to Play and guests (Sunday)
On stage
3-3.30pm
We Came to Play
On stage
3.30-4pm
Phoenix Kite Collective
In kite arena
4-5pm
Mischievous Mix
On stage
5pm
Close
al has grown from a small community event in 2013 to one of the biggest events on the Kāpiti Coast, and kite artists from around the world..
ST KITES AT FREE FAMILY WEEKEND
Ōtaki t just the or will
best kite aland are:
• One of the best beaches in the country • Free entry – you can even bring a picnic and deckchair • Entertainment – the best local talent on stage
• Food and craft stalls • Kite buggy rides along the beach • The Rokkaku business house kite challenge • Harcourts Big Dig
• Talk to the international and NZ flyers • Fly your own kite or buy one at the info tent • Stunt kite displays • Ōtaki hospitality.
Note that the programme applies for both day unless noted, and may change depending on weather conditions.
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ŌTAKI KITE FESTIVAL I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 18
aaro Whakairo Whakaaro Whakairo ptural Symposium
Whakaaro Whakairo Sculptural Ōtaki 4 - 17 February, 2019 Symposium
Whakaaro Whakairo Sculptural Symposium Ōtaki 4 17 February, Sculptural Symposium 2019 Ōtaki 4 - 17 February, 2019
Ōtaki 4 17 February, 2019 "Thought becomes reality" "Thought becomes reality" "Thought becomes reality"
AUCTION SUNDAY Ōtaki Kite Festival, Ōtaki Beach Ōtaki Kite Festival, Ōtaki Beach Festival, Ōtaki Beach The Telegraph Hotel, Ōtaki FEBRUARY 17, 3.30pm TheŌtaki Telegraph Hotel, Ōtaki aph Mob: Hotel, 021307327 Mob: 021307327 whakaarowhakairo@gmail.com 07327 ŌTAKI BEACH whakaarowhakairo@gmail.com Facebook: @whakaarowhakairo
"Thought becomes reality"
hakairo@gmail.com Facebook: @whakaarowhakairo KITE FESTIVAL @whakaarowhakairo
ARTISTWORK: From left, The Tele publican Duane Watt, and artists Dave Hegglin, Albert McCarthy and Richard Bevan with some of their artworks that will be at the kite festival.
AMC
AMC
Ōtaki Kite Festival, Ōtaki Beach The Telegraph Hotel, Ōtaki Mob: 021307327 whakaarowhakairo@gmail.com Facebook: @whakaarowhakairo
Sculptural symposium joins kite weekend
AMC
The sculptural symposium Whakaaro Whakairo is joining the kite festival in 2019. Carvers and other artists will be working on their artworks near the roadside under the big Norfolk pines throughout the weekend. Their works will not only include stone, timber and other carving media, but also paintings and weaving. Most items will be for sale, and an auction will be held at 3pm on the Sunday of the kite festival. The artists, from throughout the country, have been based at The Telegraph Hotel in Ōtaki. Publican Duane Watt has sponsored the symposium and supported the event with workshop and outdoor space at the historic hotel. The symposium will continue in Memorial Park during the Māoriland Film Festival from March 20-24.
AMC
Proud sponsors of the Otaki Kite Festival
Sarah Lange M 022 3177 613 E sarah@dwre.co.nz
Jenny Rogers M 021 244 9796 E jennyr@dwre.co.nz
06 364 7720 I 207 State Highway 1, Otaki otaki@dwre.co.nz
MAORILAND I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 19
Māoriland programme full of indigenous movies The sixth annual Māoriland Film Festival from March 20-24 will bring more than 138 films and 62 events from 94 indigenous nations to Ōtaki next month. The 2019 programme will feature a strong line-up of films from Te Moananui a Kiwa (the Pacific), including the Southern Hemisphere premiere of Vai. Made by the producers of the critically acclaimed Waru, Vai is a portmanteau feature film directed by eight female Pacific Island filmmakers and filmed in seven Pacific countries: Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Kuki Aīrani (Cook Islands), Samoa, Niue and Aotearoa. Another seven Pacific features and 41 short films from Aotearoa, Hawai’i, Papua New Guinea, Rapanui, Guam, Haida Gwaii, Vanuatu and more are in the 2019 programme, including Southern Hemisphere premieres of Moananuiākea: One Ocean. One Canoe. One People and SGaawaay K’uuna (Edge of the Knife). Moananuiākea celebrates the epic voyage of the Hōkūle’a around the
globe. Launched in 1976, the Hōkūle’a has travelled more than 470,000 nautical miles to 85 ports and 26 nations. Sgaawaay K’uuna is the first feature film in the Haida language. Nearly lost to the consequences of smallpox, residential schools, church and government intervention, there are fewer than 60 fluent speakers of Haida, many over the age of 70. Made to be a catalyst for language revitalisation and economic development, it tells the classic Haida story of the traumatised and stranded man transformed to Gaagiixiid, the wildman. “Indigenous stories help us make sense of our world, of our connections and our shared humanity,” says Māoriland Film Festival director Libby Hakaraia. “Our sixth festival includes stories from the polar regions, from the deserts, from the mountains of Iran and Nepal, and from nations who dwell upon and beside the planet’s vast oceans, including the Pacific.” Indigenous films from the United States, Canada, Northern Europe, Iran and more will feature over the five-day festival as indigenous cinema
Vai, directed by eight female Pacific Island film-makers, tells the story of a pioneering canoe that sparked a cultural revival throughout Polynesia, breathing new life into ancient myth and legend.
gains more recognition and wins more awards at some of the world’s largest film festivals. More than 50 percent of programmed directors are female, celebrating a diversity that Hollywood is often criticised for lacking.
in the lower North Island, presenting films created by young people from around the world. In 2018 the Māoriland Film Festival attracted more than 12,000 visitors and added $1.3 million to the local economy.
With many of these film-makers travelling to Ōtaki to present their films, festival attendees will be able to meet and mingle with the storytellers and hear about their experiences directly. The Māoriland Rangatahi Film Festival (MRFF) also promises to again be a major drawcard for schools
CIVIC THEATRE - Main St RANGIĀTEA CHURCH - Te Rauparaha St
NGA PURAPURA - 145 Tasman Rd MĀORILAND HUB - 68 Main Street
TE ARA TAWHAKI - 144 Tasman Rd RAUKAWA MARAE - Main Street
DAY 1 RĀAPA / WEDNESDAY 20 MARCH 9:30
10:00
10:30
11:00
11.30
12:00
12:30
13:00
13:30
14:00
14:30
15:00
Māoriland Filmmakers Residency Launch
PŌWHIRI
15:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
Speed Dating (INDUSTRY)
18:30
19:00
19:30
20:00
MFF KEYNOTE MERATA MITA
20:30
21:00
21:30
22:00
22:30
OPENING NIGHT VAI NZ PREMIERE
DAY 2 RĀPARE / THURSDAY 21 MARCH 9:30
10:00
10:30
11:00
11.30
12:00
Whenua Shorts
12:30
13:00
13:30
14:00
14:30
Whānau Shorts
E Tū Whānau Rangatahi Film Awards
15:00
15:30
16:00
Wairua Shorts
Ngā Raurēkau Shorts
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00
19:30
20:00
Whakapapa Shorts
1:15 - 2:15 pm Ngā Pūtake Shorts
20:30
21:00
21:30
22:00
22:30
22:00
22:30
Angelique’s Isle (Canada)
Bingo Shorts
Moananuiākea: One Ocean. One Canoe. One People. (Hawai’i)
Filmmaker Masterclass (INDUSTRY)
DAY 3 RĀMERE / FRIDAY 22 MARCH 9:30
10:00
10:30
11:00
11.30
12:00
Eating Up Easter (Rapanui) Ngā Kahukura Shorts
12:30
13:00
13:30
14:00
Ohiyesa: The Soul of an Indian (USA) Through Our Lens II
MATCH LAUNCH
14:30
15:00
15:30
16:00
Connection to Country (Australia)
17:00
17:30
18:00
Aotearoa Shorts (R16)
Ngā Matauranga Shorts
Cross Nation collaboration (INDUSTRY)
16:30
18:30
19:00
20:00
20:30
21:00
MERATA - How Mum Decolonised The Screen (Aotearoa)
Impact Shorts (M)
Trouble in the Garden (USA)
19:30
21:30
Akornatsinniittut Tarratta Nunaanni (Greenland) Toyon Kyyl (Sakha)
Mystery Screening
Māoriland PITCH (INDUSTRY)
DAY 4 RĀHOROI / SATURDAY 23 MARCH 9:30
10:00
10:30
11:00
11.30
Whenua Shorts (repeat)
12:00
12:30
13:30
Leitis in Waiting (Tonga)
14:00
14:30
15:00
15:30
Kauae Raro Shorts
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00
19:30
In My Own Words (Australia)
Whānau Shorts (repeat) NATIVE Minds: Indigenous Solidarity
NATIVE Minds: He Oranga Pumau
16:00
Australia Retrospective Shorts
Tōku Kāinga Tōku Manawa (Australia + Inuit)
Mana Motuhake Shorts NATIVE Minds: Exploring Ancestral Connections
13:00
Black Divaz (Australia)
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30
22:00
22:30
21:00
21:30
22:00
00:00
Anori (Greenland) SGaawaay K’uuna (Edge of The Knife) (Haida)
NATIVE Minds: Joy Culture
DAY 5 RĀTAPU / SUNDAY 24 MARCH 9:30
10:00
10:30
11:00
11.30
Aliko & Ambai (Papua New Guinea) (16+) Whakapapa Shorts (repeat)
12:00
12:30
13:00
13:30
Tia and Piujuq (Canada) Dawnland (USA)
14:00
14:30
15:00
15:30
16:00
Angelique’s Isle (Canada) Wairua Shorts (repeat)
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00
19:30
20:00
SGaawaay K’uuna (Edge of The Knife) (Canada) Aotearoa Shorts (R16) (repeat)
20:30
RED CARPET PARTY (18+) PREMIERE OF NATIVE SLAM IV
Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 20
IN THE GARDEN THE EDIBLE GARDEN
KATH IRVINE
I’m Kath Irvine. I’ve been growing all the vegetables to feed my family of six for 20 good years. Spray-free, natural, low-input food gardens are my thing. I believe in smart design – it saves time, and money, and the planet, and makes a garden hum. I recycle, reuse and forage, and use as little plastic as possible. I believe in a daily serve of freshly picked organic greens for a happy mind and strong body, and it’s my dream that every New Zealander has this. So I aim to provide the best organic gardening advice through my articles, writing books, workshops and garden consultations.
Hot and dry, but winter around the corner Aside from keeping everything alive with regular watering and feeding, our most pressing job now is sowing and planting the winter food garden. No mean feat when it’s hot and dry. Planting tips for hot days • Use the evening for all of your planting and pricking on. • Soak seedlings before planting out. • Water the soil well before and after planting – where the moisture is, the roots will follow. • Mulch generously. • Use older crops or shadecloth to shade newly planted seedlings. • Keep up with your weeding to ensure the water and nutrients go to your food plants, not the weeds! The difference that shade makes In the shade means either on the shady side of tall plants or inside a simple shade house of your own making. What a difference a bit of shade makes to your seedlings when the sun beats down. It means crops can grow steadily onwards, as opposed to constantly recovering from dehydration. Simply drape shadecloth or hessian over cloche hoops or stakes, letting some breeze flow through. Secure the ends with rocks or tent pegs. Winter staples A few brassicas planted out every fortnight brings a steady supply to your dinner table from autumn on. Leeks planted this month grace your table in spring. Carrots and parsnips sown this month provide root crops when you want them most – autumn and winter. Parsley, silverbeet and celery need to go in soon – they’re winter kitchen essentials.
Grow mighty brassica The trick to good brassica heads is fertile soils – a lupin green crop before planting is a cracker of a beginning. Give each plant their own pool of nutrient by getting your spacings right – 3045cm depending on variety. Plant seedlings deep so the leaves are just above soil level and they’ll put out extra roots. Mulch well and check soil moisture once a week if there has been no rain. Brassicas love rotten manure, so use it in bed preps and again when the plants are 30cm. Manage cabbage whites Derris Dust alert! Let’s stop with the Derris Dust. I know it’s easy to use. I know Grandma used it. But it’s super toxic! Rotenone, the active ingredient in Derris Dust, is a neurotoxin and fatal to many of our important beneficial insects – parasitic wasps, ladybirds and dragonflies to name a few. Two tips: 1. BT (Bacillus Thuringiensis) is your friend in the war on cabbage whites. It’s the active ingredient in Kiwicare organic caterpillar killer. For bigger gardens, Farmlands sells big containers of Dipel. Mix it up and spray it all over your brassicas (fortnightly to keep up with the egg hatchings). BT affects only those that eat the leaves (which is what makes it safe for bees, ladybugs and all our other friends). Keep this job on your radar until the heat subsides and the cabbage whites disappear late autumn. 2. Use insect mesh. The same fine mesh that keeps psyllids out will keep the butterfly from laying eggs on your precious cabbages, thereby preventing the caterpillars in the first place.
IN THE GARDEN I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
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Greenery more than a garden centre It’s hard to dispute the figures and there’s no denying the commitment when the team at The Greenery say they’re the leading garden centre and nursery on the Kāpiti Coast. Located on 11 hectares a few kilometres north of Ōtaki on the highway just before Manakau, The Greenery is an independent family-run business that boasts an impressive array of plants unlikely to be found anywhere else. In total, The Greenery has more than 250,000 plants in stock at any time, including more than 300 plant species, 200 exotic and 100 native. There are what any green-fingered shopper might expect – vegetables, fruit trees, flowers, bulbs, trees, ferns and shrubs – but there’s more to it than that. The on-site nursery not only grows plants for the every-day garden, but also stocks many eco-sourced plants that are unique to the region. “We believe in growing the regional eco-system’s natural capital
by encouraging the plants that have been here for centuries,” says Grant Irving, who co-owns the business with partner Tina Mullins. “They’re also adapted to survive local conditions. So we’re really careful about where we source them and where we plant them, which is from special scenic reserve areas approved for taking seeds.” The plants are available to the general public from The Greenery and others go to Greenery contracts, landowners, contractors and councils for recreational reserves. About 150,000 of these plants come through the business every year. The expansive garden centre has garden equipment, gifts and an impressive array of specialist pots from The Balcony Garden. Plus there’s The Green Bean coffee cart to satisfy customers who can relax with a fresh Mojo brew and award-winning gelato. While the garden centre is a key part of the business, Grant and Tina point out that The Greenery is much more than that.
There are also busy landscape design and consultancy arms. Specialist teams at The Greenery will not only design a garden or other outdoor space – commercial or residential – but also install it from start to finish, and then ensure it’s maintained to a high standard. And through the team’s collective horticulture skills and experience, The Greenery also offers consultancy and management for environmental projects of all sizes. Plus every customer to the garden centre can talk to expert staff about the challenges of gardening – soils, climate, garden selection, cultivation and more. The Greenery celebrates its 10th year in 2019; five years as a retail garden centre. No matter what sort of outdoor project people are planning, big or small, The Greenery is a great place to start.
Present your SuperGold Card on Mondays at
The Greenery
to receive a 10% discount off all purchases 1198 State Highway 1, Manakau, 5573 • 06 362 6977 • 022 059 9559 thegreenery.co.nz • info@thegreenery.co.nz
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HEALTH I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
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Lifting heavy things regularly is great for your health. Great for your wellbeing and even better for fat loss. The basic science behind lifting heavy things regularly is that the muscles used quickly adapt to the new environment. Much like when you start a physical job, your body gets used to the movements and functions you do every day. We exercise professionals call this progressive overload, because when you overload your muscles regularly they get stronger. So when you’re in the gym doing an exercise, you’ll lift a heavy weight (relative to what you can manage). Very quickly your muscles will get to a point where they can not move the weight anymore. This is called muscle fatigue. While you will have the fuel for the muscles, the individual fibers which make up the muscles will just ‘run out of pep’ and become damaged through the overload of weight. When you stop lifting and rest for a few days, your muscle fibers will heal, but they will also grow new fibers. This is essentially how we get stronger. Imagine the difference between a thin
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HELPLINES AND LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES It’s OK to reach out for help – never hesitate if you are concerned about yourself or someone else.
IN A CRISIS OR EMERGENCY
If someone has attempted suicide or you’re worried about their immediate safety, do the following: • Call your local mental health crisis assessment team 0800 745 477 or go with them to the emergency department (ED) of your nearest hospital • If they are in immediate physical danger to themselves or others, call 111 • Stay with them until support arrives • Remove any obvious means of suicide they might use (eg ropes, pills, guns, car keys, knives) • Try to stay calm, take some deep breaths • Let them know you care • Keep them talking: listen and ask questions without judging • Make sure you are safe. For more information and support, talk to your local doctor, medical centre, hauora, community mental health team, school counsellor or counselling service. If you don’t get the help you need the first time, keep trying.
Services offering support and information: • Lifeline 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) • Samaritans 0800 726 666 - for confidential support for anyone who is lonely or in emotional distress • Depression Helpline 0800 111 757 or free text 4202 - to talk to a trained counsellor about how you are feeling or to ask any questions • Healthline 0800 611 116 - for advice from trained registered nurses • www.depression.org.nz – includes The Journal free online self-help. For children and young people • Youthline 0800 376 633, free text 234, email talk@ youthline.co.nz or webchat at www.youthline.co.nz (webchat available 7-11pm) – for young people and their parents, whānau and friends • What’s Up 0800 942 8787 (0800 WHATSUP) or webchat at www.whatsup.co.nz from 5-10pm for ages 5-18. • Kidsline 0800 543 754 (0800 KIDSLINE) – up to 18 yrs. For more options: www.mentalhealth.org.nz
are not prone to osteoporosis and lifting rope and a thick rope. The more fibers, the greater the strength of the rope. The heavy things at least once a week can same can be said for muscles. prevent and lower your risk of getting To get stronger, you need to challenge osteoporosis as you age. your muscles regularly. This can be Strong, lean muscles also require once, twice or more times each week, more energy to function, so if fat loss but having said that they do need that is your goal, then go lift heavy things important resting period to grow more regularly. It’s also a great way to give fibers. So that simply is how your heart a boost as it GETTING FIT you get stronger. pumps fuel around your Unfortunately there is also body to enable your a thing called sarcopenia. muscles to function. Without challenging your Also there are distinct muscles through progressive hormonal differences overload weekly, sarcopenia between men and women, will, over time, reduce your those being testosterone muscle mass by 2-3 percent and estrogen. Because a year. This why the elderly women don’t have the high become frail as they get older. levels of testosterone in However, this can be their system that men do, counteracted by lifting heavy DANIEL DUXFIELD they won’t get big muscles. things regularly with the guidance of a This is one of the things testosterone qualified exercise professional, such as a is responsible for. So ladies, unless you personal trainer. manage to gain an additional set of You should have strong muscles to organs, you’ll not start looking like a big prevent osteoporosis, stop sarcopenia, muscle man. and get greater fat loss and improved
heart health. Strong, lean muscles pull on your bones more than weak ones, which causes the bones to become denser. Dense bones
n Daniel Duxfield is an exercise professional who operates DuxFit Functional Fitness from a private studio in Ōtaki. Contact 022 1099 442 or danielduxfield@gmail.com and see https://www. facebook.com/duxfitfunctionalfitness/
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ŌTAKI COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE 186 Mill Road Ōtaki
06 364 6367 Rooms available for rent: short or long term. For information on services phone: Janet ot Michelle
n Otaki Women’s Health Centre Sexual health clinics Cervical screening clinics Counselling Total moblity agent Health information n Mid-Central DHB Alcohol and other drugs service Child, adolescent and family mental health Health service (CAFS) Adult mental health
n District Nurse wound clinic n The MenzShed n The Hearing Company n SkinTech Kapiti n Yoga: Tuesday nights, Thurday mornings n Social work practitioner: Ann-Marie Stapp n Narcotics Anonymous
STRESSED OUT? Free councelling available for parents and caregivers with children 0-17 years. Otaki Women’s Health Centre offers free counselling on Tuesdays by appointment. 06 364 6367
Ōtaki Today, February 2019
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ARTS Crows Feet dance to witch’s tune at Ngā Purapura Crows Feet Dance Collective is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with a performance of The Witch Project at Ngā Purapura, Ōtaki, on March 10. The community dance company for mature women was founded by Jan Bolwell in 1999, starting with just four dancers. It has now expanded to more than 40 dancers in four separate companies – in Wellington, Lower Hutt, Kāpiti Coast and Palmerston North. “It began from adversity when at age 48 in 1998, I was twice struck down with breast cancer,” Jan says. “As part of my recovery I started dancing again with fellow dance educators. “Then film-maker Dame Gaylene Preston saw my dance, Off My Chest, and included it in her film about breast cancer, Titless Wonders. On seeing that film, women of my age approached me and said, ‘We want to dance like that, will you teach us’?” And so Crows Feet was born. Crows Feet Dance Collective pioneered the creation of dance opportunities for mature performers in New Zealand. Now there are many similar groups throughout the country. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Crows Feet Dance Collective is also presenting The Witch
Project at Te Papa in Wellington on March 23 and 24. So why choose Ngā Purapura for one its anniversary performances? “The Crows Feet dancers first performed at Ngā Purapura two years ago with their show Hakari,” Jan told Ōtaki Today. “We so enjoyed the experience of performing in that lovely space and meeting the locals we decided it would be great to come back with The Witch Project.” The performance is an exploration through dance of how and why women have been depicted as witches throughout the ages, and even today. A witch transgresses the norms of female power. Punishing witches makes others afraid to follow in the unruly woman’s footsteps. Many of the women accused of witchcraft were so-called “wise women”, older figures, with experience as midwives and herbalists. The fascination with witches continues today through film, television and books. Demonising women as witches has a long history that still occurs, especially with powerful women. Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott saw fit to stand in front of a poster about Julia Gillard that screamed “Ditch the Witch”.
The Speaker of the American House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has been depicted by Republicans as “The Wicked Witch of the West”, and Hillary Clinton was accused of having demonic qualities in the last US presidential election. Theresa May is now subject to similar tactics. As Madeline Miller said: “The misogyny of all this is obvious. Debating and defeating these leaders politically isn’t enough – as women who show ambition, they are abominations who must be deemed evil and cast out.” In The Witch Project, the Crows Feet dancers canvass this long history in a series of dances that are provocative, serious, amusing and ultimately a celebration of female strength. n The Witch Project, Ngā Purapura, 3pm March 10. Tickets $20/$15 through eventfinda.co.nz and at the door (cash only).
RIGHT: Lorae Parry as The Queen of Mean in Crows Feet Dance Collective’s The Witch Project.
– Photo: Penny Evans
Wedding dresses pique interest at library A request for old wedding dresses drew a more-than-hoped for response that delighted Ōtaki Library team leader Tiriata Carkeek. Tiriata (pictured at left with some of the dresses) curated a recent exhibition of the dresses at the library – all provided by local women who had either worn their dresses on their wedding day, or had inherited them. Most were made by the owners themselves or by friends, but one was made for Debbi Carson’s wedding in 1977 by Eunice Sharp, renowned in Ōtaki for her dress-making. The oldest outfit included elements of a dress made in 1910 for a 2015 wedding. Bev Stanley’s wedding dress from 1957 was on display, along with that of her daughter, Robyn Lindsay, from 1978. A total of 22 dresses attracted plenty of interest for visitors to the library. The display ends on Monday (February 18).
Funds available for artists
Budding artists with inspiring ideas for community arts activities are being urged to apply for funding from the Creative Communities Scheme. Administered by Kāpiti Coast District Council, the fund supports arts activities that celebrate Kāpiti culture and community involvement. “We’ll consider applications for funding for a wide range of activities, particularly if they involve communities, engage young people, and promote cultural diversity and Māori culture,” says KCDC’s acting corporate services group manager, Sharon Foss. Successful applicants last year included jazz and classical concerts, workshops, interactive theatre, art projects on whakapapa for children and young people, film-making and others. “So if you have an idea for an exciting creative activity, visit our website [kapiticoast.govt.nz] to read more about the Creative Communities Scheme and how to apply.” Applications close on Friday February 22.
Endres plays at Raumati Internationally acclaimed German pianist Michael Endres is performing Haydn, Shubert, Ravel and Gershwin at Raumati South Memorial Hall at 2.30pm on Sunday, March 10. Leading US critic Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe called him ”one of the most interesting pianists recording today”, and the New York Times wrote: ”the performances with pianist Michael Endres were revelatory”. Michael plays at festivals and concert venues throughout the world. Tickets (until Friday, March 8) $25, students $15, door sales $30. Email marygow@gmail.com or phone 04 902-2283 or 021 101-6909. The performance is part of five in the 2019 series of Mulled Wine Concerts (tickets $100 for all five concerts).
AGRICULTURE I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
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Beware the dreaded disease facial eczema With warm and humid weather, the disease Ruakura scientist Dr Margaret Di Menna FARM FOCUS facial eczema (FE) can seriously affect farm recently predicted average season FE risk animals. Ruminants grazing grass-based pasture areas – estimated to be about 20 percent of are at risk when ground temperatures are above available grazing land – would increase to 12C and humidity is high. 70 percent with 3C global climate warming. Animals affected include sheep, cattle, deer and Comments from FE experts are that the bad alpacas. Horses are not susceptible. FE year of 2016 surpassed this prediction, The threat is greatest when rain follows a dry spell with wider areas affected, including around and there is dead litter at the base of the pasture. Lake Taupo. Conditions ideal for mushrooms also favour the The impact of FE is predicted to get worse fungus pithomyces chartarum, which causes FE. in coming decades. As the predicted FE areas Farming areas most affected are generally north map shows, farms around Ōtaki won’t be of Taupo and the east coast north from Hawke’s immune. Bay. However, there is wide variation between DR KEN GEENTY The toxic fungal spores containing years depending on climate. The most recent severe sporidesmin are eaten by grazing animals, outbreak in 2016 included the Kāpiti Coast and large parts of the causing damage to their liver and bile ducts. Because they South Island. can’t release bile and waste products, they become highly
The vast majority of animals in an affected herd or flock have unseen sub-clinical FE.
photosensitive. Distressing symptoms include frequent urination, restlessness and rubbing of heads against posts and gates, and seeking shade to avoid sunlight. In severe clinical cases, animals break out in weeping dermatitis and scabby rashes around the face and legs. The vast majority of animals in an affected herd or flock have unseen sub-clinical FE. Importantly, animals showing these external clinical symptoms are only the tip of the iceberg. For every affected animal seen, there will be five or 10 others with unseen sub-clinical FE. In a flock or herd with up to 20 percent clinical cases, it’s very likely 100 percent of the animals have FE. Animal deaths often occur with clinical FE. Many farmers will have sub-clinical FE not visible, causing lost production and income. Farmers should be vigilant, in most years between January and May, to detect rising spore counts on their farms. Most veterinary practices have spore counting services and can advise of looming risk periods and treatments.
There are several options for preventing FE, including: • Early treatment of animals with zinc, which lessens the toxin’s impact • Spraying pastures with fungicide to kill the fungus • Removing animals from grass-based pastures to safer crops • Breeding for FE tolerance using the sporidesmin challenge test. The costs in lost production to farmers and the nation are huge. Losses in lambing percentage in FE affected flocks on average cost $30,000 per flock. A recent estimate by the FE Working Group was that FE nationally costs our combined livestock export industries more than $500 million a year. What is being done to ensure prevention? Our producer industry groups – Beef + Lamb NZ, DairyNZ and Deer Industry NZ – are all working to combat the potentially worsening FE problem. The farmer-initiated FE Working Group chaired by King Country sheep breeder Robert Carter, with the producer organisations, is helping to facilitate clear and consistent messages to farmers on effective FE prevention. And the search is on for new and improved solutions to combat FE.
n Dr Ken Geenty has had a 30-year research and development career in the New Zealand sheep and beef cattle industry, including pioneering research in sheep dairy production. He now lives in Ōtaki.
Historical FE areas
Predicted FE areas
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COMMUNITY I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
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Mickey’s love songs make a connection for Buttercup By Ian Carson
There are many tear-jerking posts on social media, and while they make good stories, they’re often simply not true.
So it was a delight to find a real heartwarmer right here in Ōtaki – a genuine story from a genuinely nice guy. I bumped into Mickey Carkeek recently on a hot summer’s day. Well dressed, perhaps overly on such a day, he was relieved when I offered him a lift home. He’d been to Levin to see Buttercup. Without a car, Mickey hitch-hikes three times every week from Ōtaki and back. Does he have any trouble getting a lift? “No, people are really nice,” he says. “I make sure I dress properly, sometimes I wear my suit during the winter. And I carry a cardboard sign that says ‘Levin please’, or ‘Ōtaki please’ – I like to say ‘please’, people appreciate it.” So who or what is Buttercup? Buttercup is Colleen Kauri, the love of SWEETHEART: Mickey Carkeek with a photo of himself and Collen “Buttercup” Kauri in younger days.
Coming from a big family where singing was a part of life, it’s effortless This column recognises for Mickey to croon away quietly the people who do good in while Buttercup nods and smiles our community or otherwise in appreciation. It clearly makes a help their fellow citizens connection that’s not possible through other means of communication. MICKEY CARKEEK “The nursing staff sometimes hear Mickey’s life. They lived happily together me and they like it, too. They’ve asked me if I would come out and sing for the for nearly 20 years until alzheimers residents, but I say ‘no, these songs are for took hold a couple of years ago. As the Buttercup’. I do it for her.” disease progressed, Mickey looked after Sometimes Buttercup doesn’t even her as long as he could, but even his recognise Mickey until he leans over to undying love couldn’t keep her safe and give her a kiss. But that’s OK. She’s still comfortable. She went to Te Whānau Care Home in the one he fell in love with, and that’s all that matters. You get the feeling it’s as Levin It was a tough time for them both, important for him to see her as it is for but since then, Mickey has been seeing her without fail on his visits three times a her to see him. So if you see Mickey on the road week. “She doesn’t recognise a lot of people or between Ōtaki and Levin, give him a remember too many things from the past,” lift and help him keep in touch with his sweetheart. he says. “So I sing to her. I sing the songs she remembers, Englebert Humperdink, n If you know of someone who deserves a “Good on ya!” please let us know at Ōtaki Today, 06 364-6543, or Tom Jones, that sort of stuff. She enjoys otakitoday@idmedia.co.nz that.”
GOOD ON YA!
62 Riverbank Road, Otaki • 06 364 5767 • www.soapbox.nz
CELEBRATe 10 years of
NEIGHBOURS DAY aotearoa! Together we can build happier, stronger communities. Invite your neighbours for an
OVER THE FENCE CUPPA: 22-31 march 2019 Hold a get-together with your neighbours and we’ll help out with ideas, support and a goodie pack to help create a fun event.
Register by 13 March at www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/neighboursday Kia ora neighbour You’re invited!
For more info email: neighboursday@kapiticoast.govt.nz
Ōtaki Today, February 2019
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HISTORY Help solve a mystery in the Ngā Taonga archives By David Klein
The role of an audiovisual archive is to collect, care for and share a nation’s memory, but how can we make sure that memory is correctly recorded? Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision’s catalogue provides the information that makes the archive’s audiovisual collection accessible and understandable. Ensuring this information is as accurate as possible is the job of Ngā Taonga principal cataloguer Malcom Duff y. “Names, places, people and events are big ones to get right,” says Malcom. “It’s important to not only be accurate, but also to make sure the notes aren’t ambiguous.” How do you remove this ambiguity? “We investigate what we catalogue, cross reference with other sources and verify as much as possible. Historical resources such as Papers Past and photos from the Alexander Turnbull Library are invaluable.” The age of items in the collection can also provide challenges. Film reels go missing, they degrade or get put in backwards. Audio discs can break or be copied many times. In the early 20th century, there could be years and thousands of kilometres between shoots as film crews slowly made their way around the country. The very old footage might then be re-edited or re-cut, resulting in a totally different
item to the original. Which bring us to a mystery Malcom is keen to solve. The film, The Land We Live In (1919) has caused plenty of discussion among Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision staff. Produced as an educational item, the film showcases the variety of New Zealand life 100 years ago. Of its original two-hour runtime, only 21 minutes remain and there, among scenes of Wellington, an unknown bowling and tennis club suddenly appears. Are you able to help us identify the club and solve our mystery? We suspect it’s in the Wellington region since Te Aro Baths and the Wellington Botanic Gardens also feature, but no Wellington-based archive staff have been able to identify the club. Of course, towns and cities undergo huge changes in 100 years, and it’s possible that the scene was not filmed in Wellington itself. If it is a scene from another part of the region or even the country, where? The Land We Live In can be viewed on the Ngā Taonga website at www.bit.ly/ntsvbowling with
WHERE IS IT?: A screenshot from the 1919 piece of film showing the mystery bowling club.
the mystery bowling club scene at 9min 57sec. Ngā Taonga is hoping that “crowdsourcing” the collective brain power and memories of the Ōtaki region will turn up some answers. “It’s really helpful when people get in touch to tell us what they know,” Malcom says. “The memory of an individual can provide a key piece of information. Have a look at the footage
In our September issue, film-maker Heperi Mita talked about his very personal journey making a documentary celebrating the work of his mother, pioneer Māori film-maker Merata Mita. Since then, MERATA: How Mum Decolonised the Screen has enjoyed great success, being selected for both the Sundance and Berlin film festivals – an extraordinary achievement for a first-time director. At Sundance, immediately after the first of four screenings, MERATA was snapped up for international distribution by director, writer and producing powerhouse Ava Duvernay’s company ARRAY. MERATA had two screenings at Berlinale – the Berlin Film Festival as a part of the NATIVe: Indigenous Cinema programme.
Te Rauparaha’s trek south
Local historian Rex Kerr explores Ōtaki’s early beginnings in Part 2 of an ongoing heritage series. Part 3 next month: An invitation to Ngati Raukawa.
Enter Te Rauparaha and Ngāti Toa Rangatira
Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama and Te Ati Awa, also under attack from Tainui iwi. The second stage was known as Te Heke Tataramoa (the bramble bush migration), so By REX KERR named because of the many obstacles in their In 1819 the relative peace that Mua-ūpoko way. They finally reached Waikawa after a enjoyed in the Horowhenua was rudely perilous journey and rested. broken with the arrival of a Ngā Puhi taua While at Waikawa, Te Rauparaha and (war party) led by the great chiefs Roroa, his family were invited to a hakari (feast) at Tahoa, Patuone and Tamati Waka Nene. Papaitonga by the Mua-ūpoko chief, Toheriri, Armed with muskets they swept all before who acted treacherously and attempted to them. murder them in their sleep. Te Rauparaha Accompanying the taua was a party of Ngāti escaped, but his son, Rangihoungariri, and Toarangatira, commonly referred to as Ngāti daughter Te Uira, were killed. Toa, led by Te Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata. REX KERR As a result, what was intended as a peaceful Te Rauparaha was quick to see the resett lement turned into a war of conquest and weakness of Mua-ūpoko, the richness of the land and the strategic annihilation for Mua-ūpoko. importance of Kāpiti Island. Kāpiti Island was captured and a combined assault on the island On his return to Kawhia, Te Rauparaha persuaded his people – by a taua of Mua-ūpoko, Rangitane, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Kuhungunu, already under pressure from their more numerous and powerful Ngati Kuia, and Ngāti Tumatakokori was repulsed at Waiorua Bay. Tainui kin – to occupy the rich Kāpiti-Horowhenua coastlands to Ngāti Toa now held sway over all the land from the Whanganui the south. River to Te Whanganui A Tara (Wellington). Elements of Ngāti In 1821, with great sorrow, they left their ancestral lands and Toa sett led at Kāpiti Island, Mana Island, Porirua and Ōtaki, and Te headed south in the migration known as Te Heke Mai i Roto (the Atiawa at Waikanae. migration south). In Ōtaki, pā were built at Pākatutu, Rangiuru and Waitohu, and The heke took place in two stages. The first was known as Te south of the river, Ōtaki pā, Katihiku and later, Wairarapa. Heke Hautahuahi (the migrants who lit many fires), so named after
DESTINATION OTAKI
a ruse by Te Rauparaha to make the party look much stronger than it was, as they were harassed regularly by their enemies. On the way they rested at Pukewhakamaru Pā of Ngāti Mutunga. They grew in number as they went south, picking up elements of
n References: Burns P. Te Rauparaha A New Perspective. A.H. & A.W. Reed Ltd. Whitcoulls Ltd. Christchurch. 1980. Collins H. Ka Mate Ka Ora – The Spirit of Te Rauparaha. Steele Roberts Wellington. 2010.
and let us know if you think you have any information. “You might hold the key to our solving this mystery – we’d love to hear from you.” Malcom can be contacted at information@ ngataonga.org.nz n To search the online catalogue and discover these items visit www.ngataonga.org.nz
100 YEARS AGO Otaki peace thanksgiving service booklet Sunday 20 July 1919 – the day of thanksgiving Several communities swapped the days on which they celebrated Soldiers’ and Children’s Day. But where the Day of Thanksgiving was celebrated, it was almost without exception on Sunday 20 July. Most had already held a day of thanksgiving on Sunday 6 July, in accordance with the King’s proclamation following the signing of peace on 28 June. But this didn’t stop the majority going ahead with plans for another day of thanksgiving on the 20th. The format was fairly similar for both the 6th and 20th. Special services were held at all churches and many communities also held large combined services. On the 6th these services were often preceded or followed by a military procession. These did not feature on the 20th, probably because of the large processions held on the other days of celebration. The combined services on the 20th were well attended in all the main centres, with 7000 people filling the Kensington Drill Hall in Dunedin. Christchurch appears to have had the biggest crowd, with an estimated 15,000 people attending a ‘peace thanksgiving service’ at the King Edward Barracks. Those present included the city’s Mayor and Mayoress, Dr and Mrs Thacker, Minister of Internal Affairs George Russell, returned soldiers and their relatives. The service was led by the Anglican Bishop of Christchurch, Churchill Julius. An 80-strong orchestra played and a 500-voice choir led the singing of the national anthem, Kiplings Recessional and Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. n ‘Otaki peace thanksgiving service booklet’, URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/ media/interactive/otaki-peace-celebrations-booklet, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 21-Oct-2014
HISTORY I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
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Te Manuao Rd – gravel road, ditch and corner dairy It was 1948. Te Manuao Road was gravelled, with a ditch running along its southern flank to carry the runoff from Sugarloaf Hill. Freemans Road was accessible only from Rāhui Road, cut off from Te Manuao Road by bramble bushes. Dittmer Street was still nearly 20 years away, the area being occupied by rambunctious bulls roaming the paddock. Local kids used the paddock for their Guy Fawkes bonfires, pilfering timber from garden sheds and adding to the blaze with kerosene tins of old engine oil from Fyson’s garage at the bottom of the Ramp. It was into that kind of street that newly married Jean and Bob Whetren came. They were keen on a block of what was farm land at the eastern end of the road. The farmer, a Mr Lawrie, was clearly also a canny businessman and builder. He sold the section to the Whetrens for £100 on the basis that he and a building partner, a Mr Maberley, build the house. And so the land was bought and the modest house built. It was to be a family home – and a base for Bob’s business – until Bob died in 1992, and until Jean finally moved out late last year to go to a rest home in Waikanae. Together they had five children – Catherine (now living in Waikanae), Pam (Brisbane), John (Blenheim), Margaret (Ōhau) and Barbara (Hawera). Bob was born in Wellington in 1922 to newly arrived immigrants Percy an Minnie. He moved with his family to a farm in Carterton. When the Depression of the late 1920s and
OUR OLDER PEOPLE The older people of Ōtaki always have stories to tell about what it was like growing up, raising a family, working, and ultimately growing old in and around the district. In the first of a series of features, we talk to Jean Whetren.
By IAN CARSON 30s hit, the family had to leave the farm. The family came to Ōtaki, and lived for a time at the house still standing at 11 Te Manuao Road. Bob served in Egypt and Italy during WW2. Jean was from the prominent Taylor family of Ōtaki. She was born November 20, 1927 at the Moutere Hospital, about where Mowbray’s Stamps is now. Her parents, Kenneth and Kathleen (Mackie) had a farm north of Ōtaki in the area now known as Taylors Road. Jean had a sister, Elaine (Meads) and brother Ray. Te Manuao Road then had only a smattering of houses among the market gardens and farm paddocks. But about 1950, Bert and Pat Edwards established a dairy on the highway corner. Jean remembers the trek down the gravel road to the railway shops or the dairy, pushing one of the children in a pram. The dairy had most essential items for the household, and was from where bread and other groceries were bought. “Bert was the typical grocer,” Jean recalls. “He always had a white apron on, and he and Pat were always happy
HOME The house and family car not long after the house was built in the late 1940s in Te Manuao Road. – Photo: Whetren family collection
LEFT: Jean Whetren, 92, walks out of the back door of her home of the past 70 years, happy to be in a Waikanae rest home. – Photo: Cathy Davies ABOVE: Husband Bob Whetren. – Photo: Whetren family collection
“
Bert [Edwards] was the typical grocer. He always had a white apron on, and he and Pat were always happy for a chat. I remember them cutting the slices of bacon themselves for customers.
”
for a chat. I remember them cutting the slices of bacon themselves for customers.” It was how things were in those days. Other residents remember everything bought going down in a hand-written ledger, the bill to be settled at the end of the month. Often there would be surprise items such as aniseed balls (five or six a penny) that local kids had told the dairy owners were to go “on tick”. Other shopping was at Gimblett’s, Cockrell’s and Bills Bros, veges from Terry Ahern on Convent Road, meat from the McBeth butchery, and clothing and haberdashery from Edhouse’s or Dowsett’s. Bob completed an apprenticeship with Dan Pacey at Pacey’s Engineering in Dunstan Street. He went on to
build his own workshop at the back of the Te Manuao Road property, where he did general engineering work. He built milking shed gear, fixed and made machinery for farmers and market gardeners, made whitebait nets, and he made the wrought-iron sign for the local Plunket rooms. Bob became well-known as a borough councillor and Ōtaki deputy mayor before amalgamation in 1989, a president of Ōtaki Golf Club, a Jaycee, Lions and Rotary member, and was one of the first members of the Waitohu School board. Jean had an active life bringing up her children and on the playcentre and Plunket committees. Before her marriage Jean worked at Lowry’s bookstore, where Chairs is now. The eccentric Jimmy Sievers had his store next door. She also worked at Gimblett’s hardware when the family were older. She enjoyed a morning tea group, established in the 1950s, with many of her contemporaries. She remembers names such as Val Willis, Noeline Gimblett, Aileen Lumley, Molly Oborn, Dulcie Jorey, Val Ashley, Joan Moffatt, Val Taylor, Coralie Yates and Olive Parkin. Many others came and went and some of the group still get together more than 60 years later. “We enjoyed those get-togethers. We had some great times.”
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TAMARIKI FUN PAGE Animal Sounds
Page 28
TAMARIKI I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Fill in the name of the animal that makes the sound given in each clue.
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Animal Sounds
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Fill in Sounds the name of the animal that makes the sound Animal
given in each clue. ANIMAL SOUNDS CROSSWORD
Fill in the name of the animal that makes Fill in the name of the animal that makes the sound 3 theinsound given in each clue. given each clue. 4
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Down: 1. Buzz, buzz 5. Squeak, squeak 2. Hee-haw, hee-haw 6. Roar!!! 3. Neigh! 7. Baaa, baaa 13 4. Cock-a-doodle-do! 10. Meow, meow 8. Oink, oink! 11. Woof, woof! Gobble, gobble 9. 12. Cluck, cluck 11. Quack, quack 13. Moooo, mooo Down: 1. Buzz, buzz 2. Hee-haw, hee-haw 3. Neigh! Kyuss, aged 2, and his hot water bottle Nico the cat keeping him warm. 4. Cock-a-doodle-do! 8. Oink, oink! Kia ora, weAll Rights hopeReserved. you are enjoying school life once again. It’s not www.word-game-world.com EclipseCrossword.com Across:
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EclipseCrossword.com 12 Across: 13 1. Chirp, chirp 5. Squeak, squeak 6. Roar!!! 7. Baaa, baaa EclipseCrossword.com Across: 10. Meow, meow Down: 1. Chirp, chirp Buzz, buzz 11. Woof, woof! 1. 9. Gobble, gobble 5. Squeak, squeak 12. Cluck, cluck 2. Hee-haw, hee-haw 11. Quack, quack 6. Roar!!! 3. Neigh! 13. Moooo, mooo
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Festival, so colour your entry to go in the draw at RiverStone Café. Drop it into the box BE at RiverStone on SH1. Entries must be in by 4pm, March 10. Cock-a-doodle-do! Oink, oink! GET COLOURING NOW! The winner is the first drawn. Last IN TO WIN A Gobble, gobble month’s winner was Hannah Wells, 9. VOUCHER Quack, quack Congratulations, Hannah! All Rights Reserved. Moooo, mooo TO SPEND AT We’d love to see photos of you and your pet! Email them to RIVERSTONE debbi@idmedia.co.nz or drop them into RiverStone Cafe.
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COMMUNITY I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 29
COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS
Thousands at lavender fair The Lavender Farm Fair in Te Horo last weekend (February 9-10) drew thousands of people from throughout the district and raised some seed money for the Mirek Smisek Trust. The newly established trust is raising funds to restore the Smisek kilns nearby and build an arts centre on the site. Visitors to the fair were able to try their hand at pottery, talk to artists on site, see some of the farm animals, browse the artisan stalls and buy lavender products. The fair was hosted by Susi and Vaughan White at Lavender Creek Farm in Settlement Road.
DAB HAND: Kāpiti Mayor K Gurunathan tries his hand making a pot at the Lavender Farm Fair last Saturday (February 9). From left, Ōtaki MP Nathan Guy, John Draper (member of the the kilns working group), Jenny Shearer and Hine Tahuparae (both working group members), Lavender Creek Farm owner Susi White, working group member Paul Greenaway and chair Tony Hartevelt. BELOW: Just some of the farm machinery from Rod Clifton Motors on display.
CHURCHES Rangiātea 33 Te Rauparaha St, ŌTAKI • 364 6838 Sunday Eucharist: 9am Church viewing hours, school terms: Mon-Fri 9.30am- 1.30pm St Mary’s Pukekaraka 4 Convent Rd, ŌTAKI Fr Alan Robert • 364 8543 or 021 0822 8926 otakiandlevincatholicparish.nz, for other masses Sunday mass: 11am, 5pm. Miha Maori Mass, first Sunday: 9.30am
All Saint’s 47 Te Rauparaha St, ŌTAKI Rev Ian Campbell • 364 7099 • wn.anglican.org.nz Sunday services: 9.30am
Ōtaki Baptist cnr SH1 & Te Manuao Rd, ŌTAKI Pastor Roger Blakemore • 364 8540 or 027 672 7865 • otakibaptist.weebly.com Sunday service: 10am The Hub 157 Tasman Rd, ŌTAKI Leader Richard Brons • 364-6911 www.actschurches.com/church-directory/horowhenua/hub-church/ Sunday service and Big Wednesday service: 10.15am Ōtaki Presbyterian 249 Mill Rd, ŌTAKI Rev Peter Jackson • 364 8759 or 021 207 9455 www.otakiwaikanaechurch.nz Sunday service: 11am St Margaret’s Te Horo School Rd, TE HORO Sunday service: 9am St Andrew’s Mokena Kohere St, MANAKAU Sunday service: 9am (except first Sunday of month)
Jehovah’s Witness 265 Mill Road, ŌTAKI 364 6419 • www.jw.org Sunday meeting: 10am
AMICUS CLUB OF ŌTAKI 364 6464 FOREST & BIRD PROTECTION SOCIETY Joan Leckie 368 1277 FRIENDS OF THE ŌTAKI RIVER (Fotor) Trevor Wylie 364 8918 GENEALOGY SOCIETY Len Nicholls 364 7638 KĀPITI COAST GREY POWER JUNE SIMPSON 021 109 2583 KEEP ŌTAKI BEAUTIFUL Margaret Bayston/Lloyd Chapman LIONS CLUB OF ŌTAKI Peter 364 5354 MORRIS CAR CLUB Chris Torr 323 7753 ŌTAKI BRIDGE CLUB Lyn Edwards 364 7771 ŌTAKI COMMUNITY PATROL Errol Maffey 027 230 8836 ŌTAKI & DISTRICTS SENIOR CITIZENS’ GROUP Vaevae 027 447 7864 ŌTAKI FLORAL ART & GARDEN CLUB Maureen Jensen 364 8614 ŌTAKI FOODBANK 43 Main St, Lucy Tahere 364 0051 ŌTAKI HERITAGE BANK MUSEUM TRUST 364 6886 ŌTAKI HISTORICAL SOCIETY Sarah Maclean 364 2497 ŌTAKI PLAYERS SOCIETY Roger Thorpe 364 8848 or 021 259 2683 ŌTAKI POTTERY CLUB Rod Graham 027 445 7545 ŌTAKI PROMOTIONS GROUP Ian Carson 364 6543 ŌTAKI RAILWAY BOWLING CLUB Maureen Beaver 364 0640 ŌTAKI SPINNERS & KNITTERS’ GROUP, Barbara Austin 364 8381 ŌTAKI WOMEN’S NETWORK GROUP Carol Ward 06 364 7732 ŌTAKI WOMEN’S COMMUNITY CLUB/SUNDAY MARKETS Kirsten Housiaux 027 466 3317 ŌTAKI WOMEN’S INSTITUTE Rema Clark remaclark@xtra.co.nz RESOURCE RECOVERY CENTRE Jamie 027 444 9995 or Drew 021 288 7021 ROTARY CLUB OF OTAKI Michael 021 294 3039 TIMEBANK Suzanne Fahey 021 1275 074 TRANSITION TOWNS Fiona Luhrs 364 6405 WAITOHU STREAM CARE GROUP Lyndsay Knowles 364 6283
CHILDREN
MEDICAL CARE Ōtaki Medical Centre 2 Aotaki Street, Ōtaki • 06 364 8555 Monday-Friday: 8.15am-5pm • Saturday: 9am-noon. After hours, including weekend and public holidays 06 364 8555 Emergencies: 111 Team Medical, Paraparaumu: After hours: 04 297 3000 Coastlands Shopping Mall. 8am-10pm every day. Palmerston North Hospital emergency department, 50 Ruahine St, Palmerston North • 06 356 9169 Healthline for free 24-hour health advice 0800 611 116. St John Health Shuttle 06 364 5603 Ōtaki Women’s Health Group 186 Mill Road, 364 6367
P-pull walk-in Drug advice and support, Birthright Centre, every 2nd Thursday 6-8pm.
COMMUNITY ŌTAKI POLICE 06 364 7366, cnr Iti and Matene Sts. CITIZEN’S ADVICE BUREAU ŌTAKI 06 364 8664, 0800 367 222. 65a Main Street, Ōtaki. otaki@cab.org.nz AROHANUI HOSPICE SHOP 11 Main St. 06 929 6603
BIRTHRIGHT OTAKI OPPORTUNITY SHOP 23 Matene Street, Ōtaki. 06 364 5558
COBWEBS OPPORTUNITY SHOP TRUST Main St. HUHA OP SHOP 208 SH 1, Ōtaki. 06 364 7062. OCEAN VIEW RESIDENTIAL CARE 06 364 7399 ST JOHN’S SHOP 4 Arthur St. 06 364 5981 THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ANIMALS OP SHOP 236 SH1. 06 364 2241
ŌTAKI TOY LIBRARY 027 621 8855 every Saturday 10.30am12noon at the Memorial Hall, Main St. KIDZOWN O.S.C.A.R. 0800 543 9696 LITTLE GIGGLERS PLAYGROUP Baptist Church Hall, Te Manuao Rd. 10am-12noon Friday each fortnight (next session Feb 15). Denise 027 276 0983 MAINLY MUSIC, Hadfield Hall, Te Rauparaha St. 021 189 6510 ŌTAKI KINDERGARTEN 68a Waerenga Rd. 364 8553. ŌTAKI MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL Haruatai Park, 200 Mill Rd, Roselle 364 7500. ŌTAKI PLAYCENTRE Mill Rd. 364 5787. Open 9.30am-12 noon Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. ŌTAKI PLAYGROUP Fiona Bowler otakiplaygroup@hotmail.com ŌTAKI SCOUTS, CUBS AND KEAS Brent Bythell 364 8949. PLUNKET MANAKAU PLAYGROUP Honi Taipua St, Tuesday and Thursday 9.30am-12noon. TE KŌHANGA REO O TE KĀKANO O TE KURA Te Rauparaha St, 06 364 5599 TE KŌHANGA REO O RAUKAWA 5 Convent Rd, 06 364 5364
SPORTS CLUBS
EASY-CISE/WALKING GROUP (BODY & SOUL) Joseph 364 6191 EQUESTRIAN HORSE CLUB 364 6181, Horse Trekking club Debbie 364 6571, Ōtaki Pony Club Paul Pettengell 364 5781 GAZBOS GOLDEN OLDIES Doug Garrity 364 5886 HAWAIKINUI TUA RUA KI OTAKI (WAKA AMA) DeNeen Baker -Underhill 027 404 4697 ŌTAKI ATHLETIC CLUB Kerry Bevan 027 405 6635 ŌTAKI BOATING CLUB Trevor Hosking 364 8424 ŌTAKI BOWLING CLUB Paul Selby 927 9015 ŌTAKI CANOE CLUB Jane Bertelsen 364 5302 ŌTAKI DANCE GROUP Barbara Francis 364 7383 ŌTAKI GOLF CLUB 364 8260 ŌTAKI GYMNASTICS CLUB Nancy 027 778 6902 ŌTAKI INDOOR BOWLING Jane Selby-Paterson 927 9015 ŌTAKI MASTERS SWIMMING CLUB Sonia Coom 04 292 7676 ŌTAKI PETANQUE CLUB Val Clarke 364 5213 ŌTAKI SPORTS CLUB: TENNIS, SQUASH & SOCCER Adrian Mourie 364 3032 ŌTAKI SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB Kirsty Doyle 021 102 0058 RĀHUI FOOTBALL AND SPORTS CLUB Slade Sturmey 021 191 4780. Rahui Netball Kylie Gardner 0275 490 985. Junior Rugby Megan Qaranivalu 022 165 7649 TAE KWON DO Rachael or Jim 06 364 511 TAI CHI Gillian Sutherland 04 904 8190 WHITI TE RA LEAGUE CLUB Kelly Anne Ngatai 027 256 7391 WILD GOOSE QIGONG & CHUN YUEN (SHAOLIN) QUAN Sifu Cynthia Shaw 021 613 081.
To list your group here, or update contact details, email debbi@idmedia.co.nz
SUMMER LEISURE I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 30
We have our own unique words and phrases in New Zealand, but do you know what these Kiwi slang words all mean?
1. TU MEKE A. A type of food. B. A boat. C. Too much. D. The pub. 2. RELLIES A. A car race. B. Real lies. C. Relatives. D. A train driver. 3. JAFA A. A lolly. B. A tourist. C. A type of rock. D. An Aucklander.
4. SHOUT A. A trick on the ski slope. B. To yell. C. Buy someone something. D. Where the river meets the ocean. 5. SHOT A. An expression of gratitude. B. Kitchenware. C. A greeting. D. An injury. 6. FULL TIT
A. The cow needs to be milked. B. Beautiful. C. Breastfeeding mother. D. Very fast. 7. CHOCCA A. Full. B. A chicken. C. Chocolate. D. A chef. 8. MUNTED A. A car crash. B. Broken. C. A camping trip.
© Lovatts Puzzles CROSSWORD #5450 February 2019
D. A term for duck shooting season. 9. CHUR A. A cup of tea. B. A chair. C. Agreement or approval. D. A church. 10. SWEET AS A. A dessert. B. No thanks. C. A lolly. D. Yes, awesome.
QUIZ ANSWERS 1. TU MEKE C. Too much. 2. RELLIES C. Relatives. 3. JAFA D. An Aucklander 4. SHOUT C. Buy someone something. 5. SHOT A. An expression of gratitude. 6. FULL TIT D. Very fast. 7. CHOCCA A. Full. 8. MUNTED B. Broken. 9. CHUR C. Agreement, approval. 10. SWEET AS D. Yes, awesome. Use logic and process of elimination to fill in the blank cells using the numbers 1 through 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and 3x3 block.
DIABOLICAL #11
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
EASY #12
SUDOKU ANSWERS EASY #12
www.sudokupuzzler.com by Ian Riensche
DIABOLICAL #11
SUDOKU PUZZLER
Proverbs 19:20 “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.”
CLASSIFIEDS MORNING TEA KAPITI GREY POWER OTAKI & TE HORO MEMBERS You are invited to a Morning Tea on Wednesday March 6, 2019 10am–12pm, Otaki Memorial Hall, Supper Room – next to the Otaki Library. You will have the opportunity to meet your Grey Power Committee and friends. Bring along a friend or a family member and enjoy a lovely morning tea. You will also be able to renew your subscription for the 2019/2020 year. RSVP to June Simpson 06 364 7673 or 021 109 2583 or email the Grey Power Office: kapitigreypower@ outlook.com We look forward to meeting you all. HOUSE SHARE ARE YOU STUDYING AT TE WĀNANGA O RAUKAWA IN 2019? Interested in a house share in Ōtaki? Contact Tere to make a joint approach to a rental firm. Must be sensible, mature, no pets, and a reference is required. Phone 021 523 588.
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SPORT I Ōtaki Today, February 2019
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Patrick aims for top tier tennis By Ian Carson
He remembers his first tournament in Lower Hutt, aged only 8. Patrick Joss. Remember the name “I think I lost every game,” he says. because this young man could just It didn’t put him off. In further reach the heights of other New tournaments he started winning a Zealand – and world – tennis greats. few, and then more, which increased Having attended Te Horo the enjoyment and desire to strive for School and now at Paraparaumu better skills. College, Patrick has stormed up the By 10 he was playing in national tennis rankings and is hoping to tournaments, which he has continued gain a scholarship at an American to do through the age grades since. university within a couple of years. Training every day is a tough That would not only give him some regime for any youngster, but Patrick tough competition to lift his game, relishes it, knowing that the effort will but also lift him into a league where eventually pay off. professionalism is a distinct possibility. He’s a member of the Waikanae Having turned 16 only last Beach Tennis Club, and trains under November, Patrick is a young player coach Francis Glover at the Tennis brimming with promise. He’s currently Inc Academy based at the Tawaranked No 2 for his age in New Zealand, Lyndhurst tennis club. Francis says and 1027 in the world under-19 Patrick has a bright future. ranking. The world ranking on the face “He’s focused and disciplined and of it seems low, but it’s remarkable given trains well,” Francis says. “He has big the lack of local competition that counts dreams and goals, and he’s stepping up in the ranking system. already in junior tennis. He’s certainly Regular competition in the United a force to be reckoned with, especially States and other countries could bring in the doubles game.” him close to making it worthwhile SIGHTS ON SCHOLARSHIP: Patrick Joss, who’s hoping for a US university scholarship, which would develop his game and With maturity that belies his age, joining the professional circuit. give him world-class competition. he looks as if he will go as far as his “I’d like to get into the top 200,” Patrick says. “There are lots of players determination takes him. Rating his He was last year the Paraparaumu College package with Head that pays for his racquets in the top 800 that obviously will never make top player as Rafael Nadal, he’s level headed and sportsperson of the year, achieving the feat and other gear. it, but you need to be in that top tier to know not so confident to think he knows it all. while still in Year 11. Patrick began playing tennis aged 7. It you’ve got a chance of real success.” At one early stage in his tennis career, he was Success has already taken him to tournaments wasn’t a game with which he felt any particular The success is already starting to happen. Last away from New Zealand – to places such known to lose his temper and throw a racquet. afffinity to begin with, but his father played month he won the national U17 doubles title That was drummed out of him with $10 fines as Brisbane, New Caledonia, Vietnam and and he was willing to give it a go, too. It soon in Auckland with playing partner Anton Shepp, imposed by his father. Singapore. In 2017, he received an Ōtaki became apparent that he had some skill, which and he’s been consistently getting through to “I learnt that lesson fairly quickly,” he says Community Board grant to help him get to the developed over time time to be formidable in the finals in the many tournaments he attends. with a smile. Brisbane competition, and he has a sponsorship local tennis circles, then nationally.
Grant puts Whiti te Rā clubrooms back on track
PETANQUERS: From left, Ann Hogg, Dave Gatchell and Shirley Macdonald.
Locals in Oz petanque clash Three Ōtaki Petanque Club members are in the New Zealand team for the annual transTasman clash against Australia. Ann Hogg and Shirley Macdonald, who are full members of the Ōtaki club, and Dave Gatchell of the Horowhenua Petanque Club (and an associate member of the Ōtaki club) have been selected in the 2019 team. Ann has been playing for only four years, and this is already her third trans-Tasman tournament. Shirley has been playing for 13 years, and in her eighth year of national representation. Dave has been playing for six years; this is his third time as a New Zealand representative. The competition is in Newcastle on March 16-17. The national teams is comprised of 24 players, 12 in the open competition and 12 senior (aged 60 and over). Twelve of the 24 players are from the Wellington region this year. Ann and Shirley competed in the Oceania tournament at Christchurch in October 2017. It comprised teams from Tahiti, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna Islands, Australia and New Zealand. Petanque is a popular sport throughout the Islands – with a French connection – very strong in the Asian countries, in Europe and North America. Petanque has also been recognised as an Olympic sport, and is to be included in the 2024 Games. It’s estimated that 10-12 million players in 160 countries participate worldwide.
l Poppy
n If you’re keen to try petanque, contact Val Clark at the Ōtaki club, 364-5213, or Carleen Fitzgerald at Horowhenua 368-0312.
A $150,000 grant from the New Zealand Community Trust will see long-awaited completion of clubrooms at Ōtaki Domain for the Whiti te Rā league club. Whiti has for 20 years made do with incomplete and unusable clubrooms. Visiting clubs have been hosted in a gazebo on the side of the car park. Now the club has funding to complete their home. Supporters have worked hard to renovate the clubrooms, and club members have fundraised with donations and the sale of club apparel. A casino night is also planned for later in the year. However, the lack of major funding has made progress difficult. “The time is right for our club to do a big push,” says club chair Kelly-Anne Ngatai.
“We have the manpower and the enthusiastic people behind the scenes. “The support from NZCT is extremely important. Without their funding, a project like our clubrooms wouldn’t come to fruition.” Whiti Te Rā will not be the only beneficiary of the new clubrooms. The renovated facilities will be available to the wider Ōtaki community and provide further access to changing rooms, toilets and hosting facilities for visiting sports and other groups to the Domain. “Whiti Te Rā is a community club. It will be rewarding to be able to give back to our community,” Kelly-Anne says. The club has about 160 members and has an enviable record of championship wins in both the Wellington and Manawatū leagues. It also has a strong contingent of junior players that is increasing year by year.
Annual squash open on again in Ōtaki The annual Tall Poppy Ōtaki Summer Open squash tournament is on again February 21-23. This year 92 entrants from around the lower North Island have registered to play, including 10 Otaki club players. Organiser Hannah Grimmett says, “It’s our biggest event of the year. Play starts on Friday 21, from 6-10pm, and
continues through the weekend from 8am-9pm. If the public wants to come down and watch games, or join the club, they are most welcome.” The Otaki Squash Club is a part of Squash Wellington and interclub teams travel within the Wellington Region for Interclub Competitions. Contact Chairperson/Squash Club Captain Hannah Grimmett on 027 327 1179.
Ōtaki Today, February 2019
Page 32
SPORT
Crowds out to see top netball The crowds came out to support their teams, with locals more than happy to cheer for Te Wānanaga o Raukawa Pulse last weekend. The Pulse had the perfect result in the pre-season netball tournament, winning comfortably 59-52 against the Southern Steel in the final match on Sunday. Both teams were unbeaten coming into the final, reliving their rivalry when they met in the 2018 season grand final. On that occasion, the Steel won the clash. The other teams in Ōtaki were the Northern Mystics, the Northern Stars, the Magic and the Tactix. They were in town for the series of preseason games at Ngā Purapura. Te Wānanaga o Raukawa is the Pulse’s major sponsor. The games are a precursor to the ANZ premiership competition. The championship season starts in earnest on Sunday February 24 in Hamilton, when the Pulse will play the Northern Mystics.
RIGHT: Action on Saturday at Ngā Purapura between the Pulse and the Northern Stars. (See also story page 3.) – Photo: Simon Neale
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