Lizard News October 2022

Lizard News OCTOBER 2022

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Te Puna • Whakamārama • Matakana Is • Ōmokoroa • Pahoia • Apata • Aongatete • Katikati • Tahāwai • Bowentown • Athenree • Waihī Beach

Waihī Beach aiming to be the most sustainable beachside community in NZ ormer Prime Minister – and Waihī Beach local – Rt Hon Helen Clark, officially launched Sustainable Waihī Beach as its ambassador on Saturday 10th September.

“Waihī Beach can be the most sustainable beachside community in Aotearoa,” Helen says.

That bold statement articulated the aspiration of Sustainable Waihī Beach (SWB) to work towards that enviable goal.

The SWB team has been working to complete its first project – seven water stations where people can refill their reusable water bottles, helping to create a plastic-free community. Clark officially opened the station beside the Waihī Beach Surf Lifesaving Club as part of the launch event. That station is an accessible one, designed for use by people in wheelchairs as well as those without mobility issues.

“Our oceans are under pressure. It’s estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish. Sustainability is a journey, so I’d love to see, as a result of this initiative, no plastic bottles littering our beaches. In fact, no rubbish on our beaches,” Helen says.

SWB founder Pippa Coomes says she’d looked at Packaging Forum statistics, which meant she was able to estimate that permanent Waihī Beach residents and visitors to the town contribute approximately 1 million plastic bottles annually.

“All our ecosystems globally are under pressure. Our oceans are under pressure. The quality of

F

Helen Clark opens the water refill station.

our oceans is so important not only for the habitat and the species that live there but also for climate regulation,” Helen says.

“Our forest ecosystems are under tremendous pressure. In this country, we have a third of its land in its natural habitat, but it’s degraded because of possums and deer and other predator species. But predator-free isn’t just about the feral

Dave MacCalman at the accessible water refill station.

cats. It’s also about domestic cats – making sure they’re chipped, desexed and kept in at night so our birds – including the dotterel – have a chance.

“The more you look at it through a sustainability lens, the more you see that humans have had a terrible impact on our beach environment. Every little step that you take at a community level to be cleaner, better, more sustainable…it all adds up,” Helen says.

The event was attended by other dignitaries, including Rt Hon Dame Silvia Cartwright, who has owned a home in the beachside town for 30 years, and outgoing Western Bay of Plenty District Mayor Garry Webber.

Waihī Beach School students performed rousing waiata and karakia.

Te Whānau a Tauwhao representative and MC for the event, Reon Tuanau, says it was the young people in the room that the initiative was really all about. “This is about the next generation who will carry this kaupapa on.”

SWB’s work will focus on four key pillars: community, regenerative tourism, sustainable business, and the environment. Reon says the group had aspirations to make the Bowentown Heads area,

at the southern end of Waihī Beach, predator-free. There are several other initiatives in the pipeline.

“This is very much a community initiative, and we believe the water refill stations are just the start of a movement here to take exceptionally good care of our environment and the people who enjoy it, not just for this generation but for others to come,” Helen says.

Sustainable Waihī Beach partnered with Halberg Disability Support Foundation to understand how and where an accessible water station could be installed as part of the refill station project.

Foundation senior advisor and longtime Waihī Beach resident Dave MacCalman says he was impressed with the open and accepting way the community had taken on this access project.

“What we’ve got are enablers here now.

The Live Well team and now Sustainable Waihī Beach have got beach wheelchairs, a beach mat, the accessible water foundation and picnic table. The next stage we’re hoping for is an accessible changing room underneath the surf club. For me, this is a dream come true.

“Goodness knows what Waihī Beach will look like in 10 years’ time, but if it’s anything like this start, it will be spectacular.”

Dave says people who have mobility issues tend to look to holiday destinations that are accessible. “Now we can promote Waihī Beach as a place to visit. I’ve already seen friends who are also wheelchair users come here over summer thanks to the beach wheelchairs and the beach mat that are available.”

The water stations have been installed at the Trig, Brighton Reserve, Coronation Park and Albacore Ave, and the North End near the Surf Club. Two other units will be installed in the town centre next to the Information Centre and at Waihī Beach School’s community playground.

To get in touch with SWB or to find out more, visit www.sustainablewaihibeach .co.nz.

Article and photos supplied.

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ELECT MATThEw FArrELL for Kaimai ward Community engagement; common sense

Looking ahead for the next generation

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Crime and incident report

By Senior Sergeant Steve Hindmarsh and Senior Constable James Muir

Burglaries A burglary was reported to a house under construction on Mural Drive. 5 x 10-litre paint containers were stolen.

In the early hours of 17th September, a female was disturbed attempting to steal packages from the NZ Post depot on Marshall Road, Katikati. She was with two males in an older-style Japanese ute with an old trailer attached. Unfortunately, no registration number was obtained.

Theft Several cars were broken into in the Ōmokoroa area. The scene was examined by our scene of crime officers, and hopefully, we can get a positive line of inquiry.

A 45kg LPG gas bottle was stolen from Main Road, Katikati.

An 11-year-old was spoken to by Police after taking energy drinks from a local dairy.

Clothing was stolen from a laundromat in Ōmokoroa. No suspects for this theft.

Unlawful taking of Motor Vehicles A Mazda Bounty Ute was stolen from a residential address in Ōmokoroa.

A Ford Ranger was stolen from a rural address in Whakamārama.

An attempt was made to steal a vehicle parked on Heron Crescent, Katikati. Two young males were observed leaving the area.

An attempt was made to unlawfully take a car from a Munro Road address, the car was searched, but nothing was taken.

On 6th September, a Nissan Wingroad was stolen from a Barrett Road, Whakamārama address.

Overnight on 8th September, a Mazda Atenza motor vehicle was stolen from an Ōmokoroa Road address and was later located abandoned on Cooney Reserve in Ōmokoroa.

An attempt was made to unlawfully take a Mitsubishi Gallant motor vehicle from a Lynley Park, Ōmokoroa address.

The ignition barrel was badly damaged by the offenders.

An attempt was made to unlawfully take a Mitsubishi Lancer from the car park at the Ōmokoroa Boat Club. Another vehicle also parked at the Boat Club was also broken into.

A car parked on Bramley Drive, Ōmokoroa had its quarter light smashed to gain entry and the vehicle was searched.

Currently, we are following up on a positive line of enquiry for some of the above offending.

We identified four suspects for the ve-

hicle crime in Ōmokoroa last week. We are continuing inquiries to identify the two females involved.

Found Property Two wallets were handed in at the station, and both have been returned to their owners.

Arrests and apprehensions A female was arrested for assaulting a Police officer.

A 17-year-old Ōmokoroa youth was arrested on 12th September for removing his electronic monitoring bracelet and breaching his bail conditions over the weekend. He was kept in custody to appear in the Tauranga DC on the 13th of September.

A female was processed for driving with excess breath alcohol after leaving a local bar.

A driver was stopped at 8.32 am on 11th September and processed for driving with excess breath alcohol.

A 24-year-old Waihī driver has been summoned to appear in court after he was stopped by Police and did not have his alcohol interlock device fitted.

A 60-year-old disqualified driver was stopped on Esdaile Road, and his car impounded. He has been summoned to appear in court.

A 68-year-old Tahāwai man was stopped on State Highway 2 at 2.30pm on the 8th of September and blew over 1000 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath.

His reading was over four times the legal limit. He has been summoned to appear in the Tauranga DC. On the evening of 16th September, a Katikati man was processed for driving with excess breath alcohol after being stopped in Katikati. His reading was three times the legal limit.

On the evening of 17th September, Police attempted to stop a vehicle at the Te Puna roundabout. The driver failed to stop and abandoned the vehicle on the beach at Te Puna. He was located a short time later by a Police dog handler. A 27year-old Te Puna man will appear in the Tauranga DC charged with failing to stop for the Police and driving whilst disqualified.

An 18-year-old Te Puna man has been charged with assault with a weapon after an incident at a Te Puna address on 14th September. He was to appear in the Tauranga DC on 20th September.

General Police attended a two-car head-on crash on State Highway 2 just north of Katikati. No injuries but both cars were badly damaged.

Police received another report of scammers at work. They claimed to be from

Spark but were calling from an overseas number.

A vehicle left parked on State Highway 2 near Te Puna was broken into and had various items stolen.

A vehicle failed to stop for Police. Inquiries identified the vehicle, and it was located in Tauranga and impounded.

A male was summonsed to appear in the Tauranga District Court for driving while disqualified.

A male driver will appear in the Tauranga District Court after driving his car without an alcohol interlock device.

A 19-year-old driver was processed for driving with excess breath alcohol.

A driver was processed for driving with excess breath alcohol and was nearly twice the legal limit.

A young female stole energy drinks from a local superette, reported to Youth Aid. A disqualified driver was stopped on Barrett Road, and his vehicle impounded.

A suspended driver was stopped in Katikati and was also driving with excess breath alcohol.

Police attended a two-car nose-to-tail accident on Te Puna Station Road.

A scam was reported to Police where a Visa card was scanned and used by an unknown person to purchase a prepay card.

Another scam was reported where a message was received via Facebook messenger asking for money to be deposited into an account.

A single-vehicle motor vehicle accident was reported after a vehicle slid into a ditch on Wairoa Road. No injuries to the persons involved.

The Tauranga Search and Rescue team were deployed to the Whakamārama area to assist with a search for a male with intellectual disabilities who had gone missing from his home. Located in Ōmokoroa, he was safe and did not require any medical attention.

A vehicle was damaged while parked on Noble Johnston Drive.

A scam was reported where an item was purchased via Facebook messenger and was not delivered.

A scam was reported where a fake debt collection agency sent an account on behalf of Spark. Do not give out personal information to anybody without verifying the identity of the person.

A driver was processed for driving with excess breath alcohol after being stopped in Katikati. His reading was three times the legal limit.

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| Lizard News | October 2022

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If you are interested in this role, please feel free to call Trevor Deane - Practice Manager for an informal chat on 075480169 or send your CV with a covering letter to manager@bethdocs.co.nz

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Ōmokoroa roundabout “better than nothing”

By Alisha Evans Local Democracy Reporter alisha@thesun.co.nz he planned roundabout at the intersection of Ōmokoroa Road and State Highway 2 is a “good step forward”, but locals would like a more permanent solution. A new interim roundabout will be built at the intersection, Ōmokoroa Road will be four-laned from SH2 to Prole Road, and a second roundabout at the future Francis Road intersection will also be built to service the industrial area.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council secured $38 million from Kāinga Ora and $5 million from Waka Kotahi NZ Trans-

T

tersection to the depot on Ōmokoroa Road. “The congestion trying to get out onto the highway is horrendous. From 6.30am or 6.45am until 9am it’s hard to get out of Ōmokoroa Road onto the State Highway.” He says it’s worse turning right towards Katikati. “A lot of people turn left and do a U turn down by Youngson Road, which is dangerous as buggery.”

Leek was in the Ōmokoroa Volunteer Fire Brigade for 40 years and had been

A draft design of the intersection. IMAGE: WBoPDC.

The current intersection has been described as horrible by one Ōmokoroa resident.

PHOTO: Sun Media.

port Agency for the upgrade. Ōmokoroa General Carriers director John Leek says the roundabout was a good step forward, but he thought the money should go towards completing the full Tākitimu North Link that would see the road fourlaned from Ōmokoroa to Tauranga. “I don’t know why they don’t just finish the road properly,” says Leek.

Construction has started on stage one of the TNL, a 6.8km four-lane expressway from Te Puna to Tauranga. In June last year the Government announced stage two from Te Puna to Ōmokoroa would not happen within the next three years, with work said to be unlikely within the next 10 years. Leek says the traffic at that intersection affected his business by “eating into the drivers’ days” and it could take him up to 15 minutes to turn right between 7am and 8am.

The transport service has a fleet of 35 trucks and does up to 100 vehicles movements per day through the SH2 in-

to “a lot of accidents at that intersection”.

He says the roundabout would “definitely help” with safety getting in and out of Ōmokoroa.

Dan Hesson started a petition calling for a roundabout at the “horrible” intersection a year ago out of frustration at the number of accidents happening there. “I’m sick and tired of pulling out of there and risking our lives,” says Dan. “It sounds a bit dramatic, but it is a really hard place to turn out of and it is dangerous.” Dan has lived in Ōmokoroa for five years and was “stoked” the roundabout was happening. However, he was also sceptical if it would go ahead due to the number of times governments had changed their mind about the TNL. He’d like to see the full TNL constructed and says the roundabout “may not be the ideal thing, but it’s better than nothing”.

“It’s about keeping things safer and I just don’t want a family or anyone to be wiped out because of how bad

this road is at the moment. Ōmokoroa Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Ian Blunt says it was great that construction of the roundabout is programmed to commence this financial year. “Any works to improve traffic flows and make the Ōmokoroa Road/SH2 a safer intersection to negotiate is a bonus for emergency service workers, both paid staff, volunteers and commuters alike.”

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Garry Webber says, “Being pragmatic, anything is better than what we’ve got at the moment. Whilst we ideally want the interchange, the roundabout will be a big roundabout, where traffic is going have to slow down significantly, and that will make it a lot safer leaving Ōmokoroa.”

Webber, who is also an Ōmokoroa resident, says it went “hand in glove” with stage one of the TNL and once that and the roundabout are complete, there should be “significant improvement” in travel times into Tauranga. “Once they’re both done, which will be about 2026/2027, that should make life in Ōmokoroa a lot easier than it is today.”

The roundabout would be a minimum 10-year interim solution to address the immediate needs of the intersection, until funding becomes available to build a full interchange. Construction on the first stage of the roundabout may begin during the 2022/2023 construction season, with completion expected in 2025.

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Kaimai Views clean up

By Hazel Howie

am so incredibly grateful to those Ōmokoroa neighbours that came to help with the Kaimai Views clean-up on Saturday 24th September. It was hot and hard work, and I was definitely feeling it that night.

Thank you to those that volunteered their time (they all worked hella hard), and thanks to Dominos Pizza Bethlehem for supplying us with tasty pizza.

We got at least 25 rubbish bags, got rid of a bunch of pest weeds, a number of wooden posts and waratahs, plenty of plastic tubing and much, much more.

Cheers to Western Bay of Plenty District Council for coming to the party with a mega skip bin to fill.

A lot of this had the potential to have made its way downstream and out into the Tauranga Harbour, and we all know what that does for our wildlife.

I saw three ducks in the ponds when I

I

OMOKOROA

SNAPSHOT How do I position my property for a successful sale?

A key element is partnering with the right salesperson who will harness the power of marketing to find the right buyer for your property, not just the first buyer. Each property, vendor and purchaser are unique, so it is important to generate fresh marketing ideas rather than working on a pre-determined formula.

was doing a walk-through, and they looked pretty content with their clean playground.

From my personal observation, the most common items were plastic food wrappers, polystyrene pieces and pieces of plastic piping - which I think must have been from when it was an orchard as there were hundreds of small pieces, some half buried.

There was a big contrast to some mini clean-ups I did along Ōmokoroa Road (alcohol bottles and chip packets) and Te Puna Station Road Reserve (alcohol bottles, fish bait bags).

Picking up rubbish on walks is kind of addicting. It’s so satisfying knowing that picking up a few bits of rubbish can prevent wildlife deaths, especially marine animals.

I can’t reiterate enough that it really was a team effort, and it was fantastic having people show an interest and put in the mahi. Thanks, heaps.

Creating demand for a property requires two fundamental elements of marketing – 1. Get the message right 2. Making sure the right people see it The more powerful your message is, the more prospects you reach, the greater the demand you can create for your property. The strategy is to then concentrate the demand into a defined time period, and by reaching the right buyers you can generate competition to maximise the value of your asset.

Did you know 41% of people purchasing in Omokoroa are currently residing in other areas of New Zealand? You can’t sell a secret so it’s important to let those people actively looking to purchase a new home know that your property is for sale and what the benefits and features are, that make it so special.

A huge amount of rubbish was collected from Kaimai Views. PHOTO: Supplied.

Finding the right buyer and obtaining the best price, and terms of sale for your property comes from planning, preparation and execution.

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Warm regards, Sarah

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4

| Lizard News | October 2022

By Matthew Farrell arly investigation work began last month for the $43 million upgrade of the State Highway 2 intersection for Ōmokoroa.

For the next couple of months, contractors will be working intermittently along Ōmokoroa Road, between Prole Road and SH2.

Shoulder closures and temporary speed reductions may be in place at various times and locations to allow investigations to be completed safely.

Topography surveying, service location and geotechnical testing will provide Council with the information needed to complete detailed designs and work towards consenting.

While it is hoped the design of the work will mean minimal impact on motorists, there may be some minor delays.

In July 2022, Council secured $38.292 million from the Kāinga Ora-managed Infrastructure Acceleration Fund. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency will also contribute $5 million to the upgrade project, and supply land worth $1.49 million.

Council says the funding unlocks critical housing supply potential for the region by solving the existing safety and capacity issues at the intersection.

The upgrade will include a 10 to 15-

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Investigations for Ōmokoroa roundabout year interim roundabout to address the immediate needs of the SH2 intersection, along with four-laning Ōmokoroa Road from SH2 to Prole Road, and another roundabout servicing the industrial area at the future Francis Road intersection.

Council says the interim solution will be constructed in a way that supports a future grade-separated interchange overbridge, which is currently not funded.

The Francis Road roundabout will be built in the location required for the future interchange, and a lot of the initial works required for the interchange will be completed as part of the interim process.

The District Council says the current intersection is a barrier to critical development required across the Peninsula to support population growth in Ōmokoroa and the wider region.

With the upgrade complete, more than 900 new homes will be built by 2029 including a mix of standalone homes, affordable homes and medium-density housing.

Construction on the first stage may begin as early as the 22/23 construction season, with completion in 2025. With this announcement, developers are confident that the first houses in Stage 3 will be under construction by the end of 2023.

lizardnews.net

Ferry trial pushes the boat out

By Matthew Farrell new Wednesday ferry service is being trialled to link Ōmokoroa with Tauranga CBD, and Tauranga waterfront with Salisbury Wharf at the Mount.

The Wednesday Challenge initiative is aimed at changing travel habits for more environmentally friendly options and takes advantage of having the harbour on our doorstep.

The trial, which launched on Wednesday 28th September, is a partnership between Tauranga Water Transport and Tourism Bay of Plenty.

Project director Heidi Hughes says it’s a unique way to commute and get to meetings, or lunches and leisure activities each Wednesday.

“It’s taken a few weeks to get all of our ducks in a row, but we’re now ready for this six-week trial. You can beat the traffic between Ōmokoroa and Tauranga and back if you live out this way, or catch a

ferry between Tauranga waterfront and Mount Maunganui.

“It takes a long time to drive behavioural change, so we are keen to push the boat out and come up with better solutions that people want to use.

“People love ferries, but it’s hard to get a service up and running. However, the growing traffic and expense of running a car mean it probably stacks up better,” says Heidi.

“This one workday per week trial is an opportunity to demonstrate what a good ferry service looks like and prove the need by using existing facilities.

“It will hopefully show the Regional and City Councils and the community that it is worthwhile to plan to get a ferry service off the ground in terms of upgrading wharf infrastructure.

“A small flexible service like this may be more suitable than a large ferry service which would cost a lot more upfront,” she says.

If the trial proves popular and cost-effective, it will then be decided whether to extend it for another four weeks.

Heidi Hughes says people were booking journeys both ways two weeks in advance, and it was encouraging to have some early presales.

Rachel Millard of Your Real Estate purchased 20 tickets to support the trial by running a giveaway via the community email service, Cyberlink.

“I fully support the idea of a trial, and I want to get behind it. But if One of the Tauranga Water Transport vessels, Waipapa. the trial proves successful, parking PHOTO: Supplied. is a serious long-term concern,

A

particularly for nearby residents and boaties.

“Park and ride provision with a shuttle bus in Ōmokoroa would be important,” says Rachel.

There are now more than 15,000 people taking part in the Wednesday Chal-

lenge, including 135 businesses and organisations, and thousands of schoolchildren.

Participants have logged 148,000 journeys since March.

You can check the ferry trial timetable at wednesdaychallenge.co.nz

Angie’s aspect

By Angie Warren-Clark Labour list MP

uring her 70 years of service, over an extraordinary period of change in the world, Queen Elizabeth II visited 46 New Zealand cities and towns. I remember her visiting New Zealand while I was still at school and thinking how little she was in real life but how large her presence. I know there are many thoughts and feelings about her passing. Nevertheless, her reign of dignity is admirable, and Her Majesty was an inspiration to generations of women.

A one-off public holiday for New Zealand’s State Memorial Service, including a national minute of silence, was fitting.

How awesome is it that we can now catch a ferry between Ōmokoroa and Tauranga? Thanks to Tauranga Water Transport teaming up with Tourism Bay of Plenty, we have a cost-effective, sustainable way to travel. Bonus: you get to enjoy being on the water. If you haven’t signed up for the Wednesday Challenge, head to wednesdaychallenge.co.nz and make sure you log your trips to be in to win.

Recently, I attended the International

D

HIV conference in Montreal as Chair of the New Zealand Parliamentarians’ Group on Population and Development.

While there, New Zealand’s Government announced our plan to eliminate HIV transmission. Fellow attendees were impressed by this, and by New Zealand legislation in general, especially our Prostitution Reform Act 2003. It’s great to be out in the world again, sharing with other parliamentarians.

Another important initiative is the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set out by the UN - the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. My work in and passion for food rescue and redistribution feeds into many of these 17 goals (as well as feeding families!). I was honoured to attend a Malaysian SDG conference as a panellist, to discuss “The SDGs: Development and Challenges and the Role of Political Parties.” So refreshing to again look beyond New Zealand’s borders, understand where we sit globally and answer the call for global partnership to take on these crucial challenges.

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Success for championship pennants team

The Ōmokoroa pennants team retained top division status. PHOTO: Supplied.

By Marcus Niles Club Manager mokoroa Golf Club is proud to have a team in the top division for pennants in the Bay. Having a team in this competition not only provides a sense of pride in our club but also can help to attract top golfers to the club.

It also provides a pathway for our young players to aspire to.

This year our team faced the daunting prospect of having to play a relegation match in order to maintain our position in the top flight for next year. The lads stepped out on our beautifully repaired home track to stave off a strong challenge from our mates at Lakeview GC 63 to stay in the big dance next season.

The opening round foursomes (played in pairs where each player plays alternative shots) saw some very tight battles.

Things were looking tough for Ōmokoroa when Neil Howard and Richy Apanui were three down with six to play. But the pair turned up the heat and fought back to claim a crucial point.

The team took two of the three points on offer in the morning, and the feeling

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in the camp at halftime was that it was anyone’s match.

In the afternoon matchplay singles, in front of a number of faithful club supporters, our lads kept their nerve in some very close matches, taking the afternoon spoils 4-2. Tyler King and Bryan Pirani won 2&1, Neil Howard was 1 up, and Hayden Nganeko dominated his match 5&4.

Captain of the team, Neil Howard, felt that “all six players contributed to the win.” He also acknowledged the support the team has received; “Thanks for the support of Don Howard all season and Ravi Shearman and John Paton on the day caddying. Also, a huge thanks to the team sponsor, Ben Taylor and the generosity of Ben van den Borst. See you next season.”

Sunday’s team was: Neil Howard, Richy Apanui, Hayden Nganeko, Bryan Pirani, Tyler King, and Ben Taylor. Other core members of the team this year were Denne Stewart and Ben van den Borst.

When you see these guys around the club, make sure you give them a pat on the back for a job well done.

Early postal history and the history of local post offices

By Chris Wright

rian Ducker was the guest speaker at the August meeting of the Ōmokoroa History Group, held at TOLO on Sunday 14th August. From being a stamp collector since age five, his interest has widened into finding postmarks for the many different post offices within the Tauranga postal district.

Some of these were very short-lived; for example, they existed for less than a year, with interesting questions raised about why they were established in the first place and why they didn’t last.

Brian’s round-up of postmarks for these small postal services throughout the wider Bay from Katikati to Ōtamarākau, including Atuakahae, Aongatete, Ōmokoroa and Whakamārama, were shown in his PowerPoint presentation.

Matakana Island acquired telegraph services in 1952. When a post office was set up there the following year, the telegraph services were shifted to the mill,

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and the office was renamed Hunter’s Creek. This office was closed in 1972, while the Matakana Island service did not cease until 1989. Brian has cancellations from all of these offices.

In retirement, this interest has widened still further, with Brian collecting postcards and envelopes which had been through these post offices. He showed a whole variety - from a young Tauranga teenager to the movie idol Cary Grant, another a Tauranga letter to Zane Grey’s brother. The stories behind these - or the imagined stories - made for a very interesting talk.

The history group secretary, Jo Cameron, worked as postmistress here for a year when she looked after the Ōmokoroa Beach Store and Post Office when her aunt, Myrtle Crapp, was unwell. The topic was therefore certainly of local interest.

Brian was delighted with the interest shown in his many folders of collected postal history, which he made available over afternoon tea.

October 2022 | Lizard News |

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Annual art expo

One of the artists, Hanneke de Graaf, at work in the small hall during the 2021 expo. PHOTO: Liz Farrell.

By Jackie Knotts

oming soon to the Settlers Hall is the Ōmokoroa Artists’ annual art expo.

Every year, the Ōmokoroa Artists group showcase their work in an exhibition over Labour Weekend in the large hall at the Settlers’ Hall.

In the small hall, artists will be working in different media and happy to answer any questions you have about technique, media etc. There will be activities for kids so their caregivers can take time to look at the artwork next door.

Carole Hebberd will have two of her spectacular wearable art entries displayed on mannequins.

As in previous years, there will be a big variety of work displayed in size, media and subject matter. If you think you simply cannot squeeze another artwork on the walls in your home, there will be tiny art of $50 and under on display which you could find a place for, even if it’s in the loo.

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All the new houses in Ōmokoroa must need new artwork. We change our furniture, decor, and clothes but not pictures.

They become fixtures. However, change can be good. It can be cheaper than making other changes to our living spaces, and during the pandemic and winter months, haven’t you got a bit tired of looking at the same thing? Also, a reproduction is never quite the same thing as an original piece of artwork.

There will also be cards for sale and two paintings to win in a raffle The exhibition is an incentive for artists in the Ōmokoroa Artists group to work towards. For some, it might be the first time they have exhibited. Personally, I do not rate the success of an exhibition only by the number of pictures sold, but by the number of people who came and got pleasure and enjoyment from looking at the work displayed and showed community support.

The expo is open 10am-4pm Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Labour Weekend, 22nd-24th October.

Tree removal will close SH2 Te Puna early October he need to swiftly remove a tree next to the road means Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency needed to close a section of State Highway 2 for two days early this month.

The closure between the SH2/Te Puna Road/Minden Road roundabout and SH2/Te Puna Station Road intersection was to be in place between 5am and 4pm, on both Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd October.

The ‘root’ cause of the issue lies with a separate tree that fell previously, disturbing the embankment and putting this tree at risk, explains Roger Brady, Bay of Plenty System Manager at Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

“Specialist arborists have been monitoring the tree recently and have concluded that it needs to be removed before it poses an immediate hazard to the road and the travelling public.

“We are closing the road to ensure the safety of road users and our crews during the removal operation. If the process takes less time than expected, the clo-

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sure period will be ‘truncated’.

“We acknowledge that the timing is not tre(e)mendous, given this weekend is the start of the school holidays. With daylight savings the weekend before, we expect that a significant number of people are keen to head away to enjoy the extra daylight hours, which hopefully coincides with some sunny weather.

We ask that you either travel on Friday or consider your travel time on the weekend to reduce the potential for ‘logjams’ on the busy Waihī to Tauranga corridor.

The detour for all southbound vehicles, including heavy vehicles, is via Te Puna Road and Te Puna Station Road, and the northbound route is the same, in reverse order. Under normal circumstances, this will add less than five minutes to travel time.

If the weather conditions are not suitable (high winds mean we won’t be able to do this work safely), then the work will need to be postponed to the following weekend.

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Parting thoughts from the Mayor

By Matthew Farrell t’s 14 years since Garry Webber was encouraged into the old library at Ōmokoroa to make up the numbers for the Community Board - now he’s reflecting after stepping down following two terms as Mayor of the Western Bay. Back then, Kiwirail wanted to establish a shunting line in Ōmokoroa, before Garry dug in his heels, and it ended up in Apata. He then stood for Council, and the rest is history.

There are thanks to elected members of yesteryear, including Glenn Whittaker and Jo Gravit, and staff such as Alison Badger - who Garry regards as incredibly fortunate to have had as administrative support, pointing him in the right direction for reports and information.

“It was a steep learning curve. I look back at the 2008/09 Ōmokoroa Community Plan, then fast forward to today. The majority of the planned cycleways and walkways are done. It’s more accessible and liveable with wider paths for mobility scooters and pushchairs.

“Locally, we’ve worked with education and transport bureaucrats to get a school and roads planned. There’s the playground at Ōmokoroa Domain, the potential at Precious Reserve, and the golf club walkway.

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“And district-wide, after Ōmokoroa and Waihī Beach, Don Thwaites and I campaigned to fund Maketū, Ōngare Point and Te Puna West water schemes using the whole ratepayer base to spread costs and debt, while keeping Te Puke and Katikati compliant and getting resource consents renewed.”

But aside from wins with amenity value and water projects, it’s clear the outgoing Mayor is frustrated with the snail’s pace of long-term transport infrastructure investment.

“People don’t realise the work behind the scenes with the Regional Land Transport Plan. Ōmokoroa sits on a list. Nothing happens, and you have to get over it, because you understand other Councils across the Bay of Plenty have their own priorities too.

“There’s a lot of frustration in the roading space. Many decisions of the past 12 years have been parked because they haven’t been based on accidents, traffic volume or safety.

“Look at the Ōmokoroa intersection, Moffat and Cambridge Roads, Belk Road, Tauriko, Hewletts Road. Some of the most critical issues for the Bay of Plenty and New Zealand don’t rate highly on a regional list, where every other Council has one vote, and the Regional Council has two votes. People make democratic

New green as good as any in NZ

Rolling out the green carpet for a special open day. PHOTO: Eddie Boschat.

By Matthew Farrell

mokoroa Bowling Club officially opened its new $286,000 green on Saturday 3rd September with President Mike Mail keen to thank funders TECT, One Foundation, the District Council and Community Board, and The Centre op shop.

The balance was made up by club funds and generous members.

“It’s been a long time in the planning; now it’s finally a reality,” says Mike.

A past club secretary Rodger Broomhall says it’s about eight years since the idea of a new green was initially mooted and investigations began.

“About three years ago, the work really started with a subcommittee, contacting suppliers. A Country Estate resident Bob Jones came on as project manager, and we had tender documents from three companies before choosing Tiger Turf,” he says.

Subsequently, there were big logistical problems with Covid when it came to having a specialist carpet woven and then shipped from Portugal.

It’s the latest and one of the best sur-

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faces; as good as any in New Zealand, they say.

One of the fundraisers, Dave Rolfe, says they’ve already had teams from other clubs in the region commenting favourably.

Rodger says it drains and dries so quickly after rain that it’s possible to bowl straight away, unlike traditional grass surfaces, which become too soft to play.

A ceremonial jack was bowled by Janet Burmeister, wife of the late life member Willie Burmeister before Mike Mail released the first bowl.

Also enjoying the day was the President of Bowls Bay of Plenty, Bill Murphy, himself a bit of a club legend. “I’m very proud to sit here with my club top on to congratulate you all.”

Bill says of 38 greens from Tūrangi to Ōpōtiki and Katikati, 19 are now artificial.

The day was then celebrated with an exhibition match involving a host of established and up-and-coming stars of the local and regional game, who between them, lay claim to more than 100 centre titles and a number of national titles.

Garry Webber says time will now allow him to look at coming to play bowls in Ōmokoroa after cutting the ribbon for one of his final public engagements as Mayor. PHOTO: Eddie Boschat.

decisions, but they are doing deals.

“The Regional Land Transport Plan committee isn’t a long-term strategically focused group. The legislation needs more technical and industrial input, as well as politicians who recognise the criticality of the Port to the nation’s economy, our population growth, our State Highway road arteries, and the need for a good rail network servicing inland ports.”

Garry says Council debt was exacerbated by the Global Financial Crisis of 2007/08, but Council has since worked hard to pay down debt while providing community services.

“We are one of the few Councils to have improved our debt and balance sheet.

Rates have been high; loud voices regularly tell us. But many Councils have caught up to us. In the next six years, many will go past us as they remedy their non-compliance with 3 Waters, which has been a real strength of

Western Bay.” Garry says his biggest fear is that ‘squeaky wheels will screw the scrum’, taking the district backwards rather than investing and building for future generations in a changing world.

The hot topic of this election has been 3 Waters. Garry is unapologetic.

“Everybody wants compliant drinking water, and the naysayers have lost the plot. We want to be able to export dairy and meat, horticulture, wine and tourism. We have to tidy up our environmental performance in waterways. Parts of France and the USA can’t irrigate.

“When people campaign on tax cuts and rates freezes, you are voting for a freeze on service levels and a lack of investment in future water compliance, for example,” he says.

Garry will be taking a break of at least two years to go woodturning, carving and crafting with jade - partly because they don’t argue or answer back.

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Assistance Dogs Annual Appeal

By Liz Farrell

ssistance Dogs NZ Trust’s Annual Appeal focused on two days this year: Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th September. The first volunteer on duty at Ōmokoroa Fresh Choice was mum Melanie Newman whose first-hand experience of these life-changing dogs is just a few months underway.

Mel’s son Callum was diagnosed at three months old with a range of neurodisabilities, including Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy, both of which present several associated behaviours and challenges for the solo mum of two. Life revolved around Callum’s schedule; leaving the house became stressful as Mel wasn’t sure if he would have seizures and need a nap, his mood would escalate quickly

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Callum has found his best friend in ADNZT Jack.

and result in meltdowns, and they would have to head home urgently. For Callum’s older sister Mariana, going out as a family and enjoying time at the park or with friends was limited by the constant need to take Callum away; socialising simply wasn’t accessible.

Mel came across Assistance Dogs while researching various therapies that might help her son. Whilst there were choices of service dog organisations for his individual disabilities, Assistance Dogs was able to tailor train a dog to meet the wider needs of his multiple disabilities, as well as their family.

In June 2022, ADNZT’s Jack was matched with Callum and delivered to his family home in Katikati to begin his placement programme with the team.

When Jack arrived – Callum’s reaction was one of immediate adoration. Callum is extremely genuine in displaying his emotions and has no filter, and you could see the joy on his face the moment he locked eyes with Jack. He also struggles with transitions and new people, but Jack provided a welcome distraction, and he immediately went up to give him a cuddle. The more the pair played together, the more Jack’s tail wagged, and the happier Callum became.

During the 2-week training programme with ADNZT staff – Mel learnt how to become Jack’s primary handler, with Callum at his side. During this time, they headed out into places they would regularly need to go in their community and simulated scenarios with Callum, such as hospital visits, school assemblies and trips. At home, they fine-tuned his training to ensure Jack could perform all

the tasks that Mel and Callum would need to make life a little easier.

Jack’s purpose and training will continue to develop as he settles into life as a qualified working dog with his new family. They both enjoy playing together and lots of touch, and it’s clear that both Callum and Jack are having as much fun as each other wrestling and cuddling around the home.

Jack has become another member of the Newman family – primarily caring for Callum but also providing new opportunities for the family to go out and enjoy their time together, something that was often too stressful to enjoy before.

Jack has been a life-changing addition to the Newman household, allowing the family to return to some level of ‘normality’. As the pair develop and Callum grows, Mel hopes Jack will continue to support his seizures through the night and learn new tasks to support Callum’s future development and behaviour. For now, it’s clear that her son has found a best friend, and life has become a lot happier.

Thanks to Mel for using her precious downtime to help collect vital funds for Assistance Dogs NZ Trust and to our other volunteers who gave an hour or two from their day as well as helped to set up and take down the collection point. There was an amazing $843.60 in the bucket at the end of the collection.

Thanks also to Fresh Choice, who raised $76.50 through the collection boxes at the checkouts, which brought us to $920.10.

As we were absent for the whole weekend at a family wedding, Lizard

News is happy to top up that total so that we can send a nice, round $1000 to the charity.

If you would like to donate to Assistance Dogs NZ Trust, visit www.assistancedogstrust.org.nz and click on ‘donate now’.

ADNZT Jack with his new family Callum, Mariana, and mum Melanie. PHOTOS: Supplied.

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New ideas to solve housing crisis

By Matthew Farrell

he community-led development organisation Katikati Taiao held a local housing hui on Tuesday 20th September at its Henry Road innovation hub.

Participants first heard from David Marshall, who spoke about some of the key findings from Grey Power research carried out in June among more than 2,833 pensioners managing on NZ Super.

David says 42% of those aged over 70 say they’d like to downsize from a mortgage-free home, but more than half of those can’t find suitable accommodation to stay locally, near friends and support networks. They also have limited cash reserves.

2018 Census data shows 39% of private dwellings in Katikati are owned by retirees; among those, the single occupancy rate is 68% - which means 444 pensioners live home alone.

A Katikati Taiao survey in 2021 received 76 questionnaires. 20% rented while 80% were owned occupied. Of the 3+ bedroom homes, 60% were single oc-

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cupancy. 70% expressed a desire to downsize, and 80% said financial stress was a major concern.

Katikati’s retired population is twice the size of the national average, and the last Census shows the average income per household is under $60k, against the average of $102k.

Sarah-Kay Coulter provided insight from Waihī Beach. She says some people with a roof over their heads mistakenly believe that housing is someone else’s problem and that we don’t have that problem here.

From a Māori perspective, she says, ancestral land is often in fragmented blocks or landlocked after historic dispossession, or locked behind current red tape processes.

“Lack of housing options leads to instability, impacts on well-being, then people move out of their home area because there are no affordable rentals year-round in a place with a summer season,” says Sarah-Kay. “We should all have a fundamental human right to be housed without fear and worry.”

Sarah-Kay believes policy changes around minor dwellings could play a role in intergenerational housing scenarios to create permanence instead of transience.

Another idea to be explored is bamboo construction methods used in Indonesia, she says.

Taiao’s Alan Maxwell says making it easier for pensioners to downsize in their community could free up homes for working families, reduce the costs and environmental impact of their commuting, and reduce the need for new large houses on horticultural land.

Alan says since 2010, the Smart Growth Action Plan shows house prices in the sub-region are up 107% while rents are up 75%.

Participants then took part in breakout sessions, leading to inspiring ideas that it’s hoped could motivate real change around the local housing shortage.

My personal contribution was to suggest equity-based lending to construct 1 and 2-bedroom units under a not-forprofit model, possibly with some angel investment.

Others suggested rent-to-buy schemes, leases under a lifetime right where capital gains were invested back into maintenance and growth, and shared ownership models.

A pilot scheme under a Community Housing Trust sounded like a solid action plan.

Findoutmoreat www.katikatitaiao.org

Ōmokoroa Volunteer Fire Brigade

By Ian Blunt Chief Fire Officer

A car rollover on State Highway 2 with four young persons in the vehicle could have ended as a major. Thankfully only one person was taken by ambulance to hospital. Firefighters had traffic control in place but were very concerned with the number of vehicle drivers speeding past the accident site. Please have some consideration for those who are trying to keep everybody safe.

Our First Responders have had a quiet month, responding twelve times. One cardiac arrest and a number of chest pain patients along with some with breathing problems, and two patients whosufferedstrokes were attended to.

ust four callouts for Ōmokoroa Volunteer Firefighters in September, and again no major incidents. A letter box on fire on Whakamārama Road was easily extinguished on the 3rd followed by a lift assist helping St John with a patient on the 7th.

A controlled burn after the hours of darkness was called in by a passerby.

Please, if you are burning whatever, make sure the fire is extinguished by sunset. The rule is all fires must be out by nightfall.

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Katikati Taiao’s Alan Maxwell. PHOTO: Supplied.

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Holyoake prepared for changes

By Matthew Farrell The chief executive of Western Bay of Plenty District Council has been in the job since July 2021. He’s about to have a new boss himself, post-election. John Holyoake recently caught up with Lizard News to tell us about his background, and his lens on the landscape for local government change.

What were you previously doing for Tāmaki Regeneration Company?

TRC is owned by the government and Auckland Council. It’s the only example in NZ of that shareholding. It was set up

by Bill English to achieve housing assets with a well-being approach, to leverage spending for social and economic outcomes, and education to employment.

I’m a true believer that everyone deserves security of tenure. People need to know where they’re going to wake up in a safe and healthy home, with a social network, a doctor, and a school - or it falls apart. That’s my anchor.

How do you see changes shaping up?

There’s so much going on with government mandated change that provides the plank or lever for that change. 3 Waters is transnational. For me, it’s more about what does the future of local government look like?

Internally, we’re looking at Crown Councils taking a kaitiaki (guardianship) role around community-led outcomes.

We own the frameworks and facilitate the co-design and lead some of the implementation across agencies with mana whenua and the community.

To start some of those conversations has been easy. It’s never all good and fluffy. People react to change differently.

Some take longer, that’s human nature.

Others embrace change more quickly, but generally people are supportive.

We’ve adopted some new priorities: community-led outcomes, a more active role in housing delivery, and genuine partnership with tangata whenua. A lot of people at Council were almost waiting for someone to say it’s ok to go ahead with these things.

We are just people that live and work in the community.

What is the landscape for local government challenges?

I’ve worked around central government most of my life, and I have great relationships in Wellington useful for progressing things. I have been around politics long enough to know when to influence, and when you know you can.

With Minister Mahuta, she’s very determined about what she wants to achieve with 3 Waters. So how much energy do you want to use? We’ll try to influence as much as we can within the framework of it happening. We care about people and what is happening to them, but it will happen. Let it. All I see is a phenomenal opportunity to work a lot closer and in a different way with our community.

What possible problems do you see coming from government?

Don’t tell us how to manage a relationship with tangata whenua. Tell us it’s important we have a relationship with tangata whenua, but don’t tell us how to

Council CEO John Holyoake.

follow your process and system. Western Bay is already doing the things that Crown are going to suggest we do. We’ll stay within the realms of policy settings, and we are going to do it well, so don’t interfere with us too much. Let us take a place-based approach and we are going to be successful.

How do you see Council’s sites?

We need a civic presence in Ōmokoroa, as we do in Te Puke and Katikati. The Ōmokoroa library was never supposed to be a long-term solution. There is another solution coming. I think Jace (404 Ōmokoroa Road) is probably where we could end up.

From a staff office perspective, we have our main space in Barkes Corner. We’d be lucky if we are using more than 50% of that. A lot of people live this way; a lot work on the road. There’s an ability for people to stop somewhere more centrally to where they live.

We are on a big piece of land in central Tauranga. Regardless of what we want to do, there are probably better uses for that land. Are we better off having a presence in the three towns? With a shop front model, does it matter where that is? Are we better off having a small accessible centre in Tauriko shopping centre for example?

What would you like to achieve?

We’ve reset priorities with a few changes in the organisation. Everyone is talking differently about who we are and our strategic priorities. That’s a really good platform.

Getting over the next while of the elections is going to be an incredibly important period. Who are we going to get? I’m going to get a new boss. What is their view on these priorities and diversity going to be?

It’s interesting. A new school year with fresh books and a fresh start. Things are happening in central government. We’ll have new local elected officials to induct and a real launch forward into the “let’s go” period.

October 2022 | Lizard News |

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5 top tips for returning to exercise postpartum

By Nicole Dixon Mind Your Movement Pilates elcoming home a newborn baby is an exciting experience for mums but can not always be an easy one. Sometimes exercise can be the last thing you are thinking about between juggling sleep, your baby, family commitments or even work.

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Or you may be ready to begin your exercise journey but have no idea where to start.

It’s important to return to exercise on your own terms and remember everyone’s situation is different.

Your ability to return can be affected by how much sleep you are getting, the help and support you have, how settled your baby is, your labour experience and what level of exercise you were doing pre-birth.

My 5 top tips for returning to exercise postpartum are:

Looking after your physical and mental wellbeing after childbirth.

PHOTO: Supplied.

1. Gain clearance to exercise from your GP if you are returning soon after your baby is born.

2. See a specialised Pelvic Health Physiotherapist if you are concerned about your pelvic floor. Your

pelvic floor, whether you have had a natural birth or C-section, has undergone a fair amount of stress; please take good care of it.

3. Choose a practical day/time that is going to suit you and your family to exercise. There’s nothing worse than struggling to fit a routine into your life. It must work for you!

4. When it comes to exercise, know yourself and what you enjoy. Whether it’s the style of exercise or the environment you are in, it’s important to know what drives your motivation. Is it a lighter style of exercise, a competitive environment, being out in nature or one on one socializing with a friend?

5. Don’t expect to be back to your pre-pregnancy fitness levels. Remember, it took nine months of changes in your body to grow a baby; things just don’t go back into place straight away.

There are many benefits to returning to exercise postnatally, not just for your physical health but sometimes, more importantly, your mental wellbeing.

There are so many great ways to exercise in our beautiful community of Ōmokoroa, whether it’s a walk, bike ride, boot camp, gym, yoga, or Pilates, the options are endless.

Mobile recycling service to kick off

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really keen – it’s great to see.”

Like with any recycling service, contamination can be a problem, so Ilze says, “Please rinse your recyclables, flatten your cardboard, and remove lids.

And if you’re not sure, you can ask our Council team member who will be with the trailers at all times.”

The trailers are also limited by their capacity, so please only bring in as much recycling as would fit in a kerbside recycling service (240-litre yellow lid wheelie bin and 45-litre glass crate).

Large stored-up amounts of glass and large items like fridge boxes will still need to be taken to our recycling centres.

The first month of the service will roll out and repeat each fortnight. Saturday 1st and 15th October, 9am-1pm, it will be at Omanawa Hall.

The mobile recycling trailers can take clean glass beverage and food jars -

green, clear, brown - lids removed; plastics - numbers 1, 2, 5 only - lids removed; tins and aluminium drink cans; and flattened cardboard and paper.

The mobile recycling trailers have been named Recyclosaurus Rex and Sustainabox, through a community naming competition.

The custom-built mobile trailers were funded through the Waste Minimisation Fund with support from the Glass Packaging Forum.

For more information and key dates visit westernbay.govt.nz/mobilerecycling. Or you can download the free Antenno app and get reminder notifications straight to your mobile each fortnight.

Antenno can be downloaded for free from Google Play or the App Store.

Printed versions of the roster can also be picked up from any Council Library or Service Centre. Article supplied.

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(thoughts) on how the new service should run.

Feedback showed people preferred a Saturday morning drop-off time, on a fortnightly roster, and at the same locations as the trial. The only site that hasn’t been included in the roster is Whakamārama, as most of the community have recently been added to the kerbside service.

Council’s Resource Recovery and Waste Team Leader, Ilze Kruis, says she received positive feedback on the new service.

“People said, ‘Please continue the service’, ‘we just love the service’, ‘this service covers everything I need’ and ‘brilliant set up – keep this going’.

“People from each community gave us valuable feedback that helped shape the mobile recycling roster going forward.

This service is for them, and they’re

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obile recycling trailers are ready to hit rural roads around the rohe from Saturday 1st October.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s new mobile recycling service will be visiting BP Pongakawa, Omanawa Hall and Te Ranga School on Saturdays from 9am-1pm on a fortnightly rotation that starts from 1st October.

The new mobile recycling service is part of Council’s commitment to make recycling more accessible for rural residents of the Western Bay who can’t use Council’s kerbside recycling, and who live a long drive away from the nearest recycling centre.

The service was trialled in July – August when the two new recycling trailers visited Pongakawa, Omanawa, Te Ranga and Whakamārama communities.

Residents were encouraged to bring in their recycling and share their whakaaro

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| Lizard News | October 2022

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Exciting original art exhibition

By Kinsa Hays Katikati has a wealth it doesn’t suspect.

Our local artists have had two years since the last exhibition to create work.

You’ll be surprised and delighted with their imaginative efforts. These can be seen during their exhibition at the Memorial Hall from Friday 30th September to Monday 3rd October 10am-4pm.

Entry is by gold coin donation.

The artists have been issued with a challenge: to imitate an Old Master. Be prepared to recognise some works you’ve only seen in books or world-class museums and art galleries and guess which ones you know. The public is invited to vote for the one they like best so come and make your choice.

There’s a wide variety of subjects from traditional to contemporary and abstract. You’ll wonder how they’ve been created in such different mediums such

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as oil, watercolour and acrylic using palette knife, ink and modern techniques. Discover what you like in style and colour. All original art is for sale at affordable prices.

Guest artist Bob Drake has lived in Katikati since 2015, having returned to New Zealand after living in England and France from 1988. Drake has painted and drawn all his life, but it was not until he went abroad that he painted full time.

He produces abstract works based on the principles of sacred geometry. He often works in series or groups to develop his ideas on a theme. Drake exhibited regularly while abroad and in Auckland. His works are in many countries world-wide.

Bridging the Gap by Bob Drake

Digital Hub welcomes ground-breaking virtual reality experience his October school holidays, the Antarctic Heritage Trust is bringing its popular virtual reality roadshow to Katikati’s Digital Hub. What could be cooler?

From Tuesday 11th to Thursday 13th October, Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s Digital Hub, located at The Centre - Pātuki Manawa, will play host to the Hillary’s Hut Antarctica Virtual Reality (VR) Experience – a large-scale digital project which transports people to Antarctica in a way never seen before.

Through VR, you’ll get to step inside Sir Edmund Hillary’s hut, discover what it took to be an Antarctic explorer, and see what life was like living in the coldest place on Earth back in 1957.

This free event will be open 10am4pm for three days only and is best suited for those aged 9 years and older.

Places are limited, so bookings are essential - head to eventbrite.co.nz to book your session.

Council’s Team Leader Libraries Western, Julia Edgecombe, says it’s exciting to be part of the nationwide roadshow and bringing Antarctica to Katikati.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Western Bay rangatahi and their whānau to come and learn more about Sir Edmund Hillary and New Zealand’s first presence in Antarctica in a fun, interactive and fully immersive way,” says Julia.

To celebrate this awesome event coming to the Western Bay, our libraries

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teams around the District will also be putting on some fun activities for tamariki during the October school holidays.

“We’ll be going all out with the Antarctic theme – crafts, colouring competitions, movies, LEGO®, and cool activity booklets – so keep an eye on the Western Bay Libraries Facebook page to find out more.”

The Katikati Digital Hub opened in 2020 after receiving a $400,000 boost from the Provincial Growth Fund. Its purpose is to provide residents of Katikati and surrounding areas with access to the digital technologies needed to adopt digital tools and learn new skills.

“Having the Hub equipped with all the latest digital technologies, meeting rooms and resources is providing us with the ability to host amazing events such as the Antarctic Experience right here in Katikati, as well as providing locals with everyday digital connectivity.

“We’re really proud of our Digital Hub, and we’re very lucky to be able to offer such a wonderful space to our community,” says Julia.

To book your free tickets for the Hillary’s Hut VR Experience, head to eventbrite.co.nz To find out more about the Pātuki Manawa Digital Hub, check out pmdh.nz For more information on the Antarctic Heritage Trust, see their website: nzaht.org

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Scott says

By Hon Scott Simpson MP For Coromandel ike most people, I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty has been a prominent figure in our lives for so long and has come to symbolise stability. It is difficult to imagine a world without her wisdom. We all knew the day would arrive, but for me, the intensity of her passing was much greater than I had expected.

So many people have told me they have been reflecting on her remarkable life of service, dedication, and commitment to her role as our Monarch and Head of the Commonwealth and Realm Countries.

It’s a bit overwhelming when you consider the world leaders she has met, the number of issues she has confronted, and the changes that have occurred over her lifetime. Through all these changes, Her Majesty was a stable influence in our lives. She was our rock. Many of us felt we knew her well even though we may not have ever actually met her. She was, in a way, a personal presence in our lives.

As a child, I remember my mother taking me and my siblings to sit on a footpath outside the Mercury Theatre in

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Auckland, where the Queen was due to attend a performance. It seemed as though we had to wait for an eternity for the fleeting moment we saw her, but I still remember her arriving, getting out of the car, and giving everyone a quick wave as she made her way into the theatre.

Many New Zealanders will have their own similar stories and recollections of the Queen and what she has meant to them. For many, especially younger generations, she will be remembered as a constant presence in their households over Christmas, as they tuned in to hear her annual address. She provided great clarity, and strength, and had an ability to bring people together.

My condolences to her family and all those who loved her. I am sure that in time they will take solace in knowing that she made a positive impact on so many people.

We now face a future unfamiliar to many of us as we pledge ourselves to our new Head of State, King Charles III. A few years ago, I briefly met the King, and I rest assured knowing that he shares his mother’s dedication to service.

Long Live The King.

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Waihī Beach Community Centre

By The Committee Waihī Beach Community Centre Society Inc. he Waihī Beach Community Centre is situated at 106 Beach Road, opposite the Waihī Beach RSA. It contains a large hall with a stage, a supper room, kitchen, Waihī Beach Library, two offices and toilet facilities.

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The ratepayers of Waihī Beach own the Centre; after fundraising efforts by locals in the eighties, the building commenced in 1992 with completion in 1993, on Council-owned land.

The Centre is the only local Community Centre not under the ownership of the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

The Centre is run by the Waihī Beach Community Centre Society Inc., which has a membership of nine people who oversee that the Centre is maintained to standards required by the Building Act, as the building is leased out to the public and Waihī Beach School.

Until 2020, the Society was tasked with maintaining the facility with income from leasing and renting space within the building. The balance of the costs was from fundraising events, such as the Antique Fair at New Year, plus other small fundraising activities.

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The Council also had a small charge on

ratepayers to cover the cost of the building insurance.

Since 2020, the Council has raised the ratepayers’ contributions to $15 per Waihī Beach ratepayer to assist with the ongoing maintenance costs and improvements required of a 30-year-old building, thus reducing the financial risk that the Society has been burdened with over the past few years.

Looking to the future, the Council has recommended that the new Waihī Beach Library is located alongside the Centre and still maintain its presence within the Community Centre.

This will enhance their ambition to establish a Hub for Waihī Beach, which will include the Library, A Friends Place, Menz Shed and Waihī Beach School in close proximity to each other, along with the skating facility.

To maintain this forward motion, The Waihī Beach Community Centre Society Inc. is looking for new ‘blood’ to assist them in running the Centre and wishes to invite all ratepayers to attend their AGM on 31st October 2022 at 5 pm in the Supper Room of the Community Centre.

If you are unable to attend the AGM but wish to assist, please contact Heather Christini, Secretary, Waihī Beach Community Centre Society Inc. P.O.Box 52, Waihī Beach, 3642. or email wbh.bookings@gmail.com

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Celebrating the life of Gordon Burr

Todd’s take

his week we are going to celebrate the life of the best neighbour Te Puna Community Kindergarten has had. This past weekend at the age of 92, Gorgon Burr passed away and has joined his wife Avis, who passed away seven years ago.

Gordon and Avis Burr donated the land in 1985 that the old kindergarten sat on up past his house on Minden Road, and for the past 11 years, Farmer Burr has been a part of our curriculum.

Through playing in his orchard, learning to grow potatoes, peas, kūmara and any other vegetables that were chosen to grow. Farmer Burr treated the children to rides on tarps behind the ride-on

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Business networking: It’s been really informative for me to spend time with constituents in the business sector lately. We had a good night at Papa Mo’s with Pāpāmoa East businesses and then Te Puna at Nourish Café for afternoon tea with local business owners. It’s tough for employers at present, and I appreciated the honest views they shared. PHOTOS: Supplied.

By Todd Muller Bay of Plenty MP t has been a remarkable period for New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth as billions of us have reacted to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on the 8th of September.

While it was inevitable we’d one day have to farewell Her Majesty, the enormity of the loss of our monarch has been felt widely.

Personally, I’ve felt a strong sense of loss. Queen Elizabeth has always been a major influence on me and for my family.

Growing up, we were very aware of the Queen and her own family. Her values of determination, hard work and public service were reinforced to me by my grandparents, of the same generation, who were the Mayor and Mayoress of Te Aroha.

Queen Elizabeth visited New Zealand on a number of occasions, and she clearly had great affection for our country and our people. When I worked at

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Parliament in 1995, I was involved in Queen Elizabeth’s State Visit, and it was a great honour to meet Her Majesty at Government House. It was a brief conversation, but it was a special moment that I hold dear and that I’ve reflected upon over the last few weeks.

For many of us, Her Majesty The Queen was the only monarch we’ve ever known, and it’s going to take some considerable time to get used to having a King as our Head of State. We’ll now sing God Save The King, refer to King’s Counsels, rename holidays and create new honours. Eventually, we’ll see changes to our currency, our passports and our coat of arms.

I am looking forward to welcoming King Charles III on his first visit to New Zealand as our Head of State. In the meantime, I’m sure you will join me in wishing him well as he takes over his new role while also dealing with his own personal grieving process.

God Save The King.

mower, pushes on the trolley carts down the hills and offered tasty treats from the vast orchard of fruit that Gordon meticulously maintained.

Recently while Farmer Burr has not been at home, the children have been going up to his orchard and helping maintain the order by picking up the eaten fruit skins left by the pukekos and rotting fruit on the ground, leaving it just like he would.

Our children have been so blessed to be welcomed onto his property all these years and have Gordon give us his time, patience and love. He is a taonga that will be forever treasured and remembered.

Kia hinga he tōtara I te wao nui a Tāne.

A tōtara has fallen in the forest of Tāne.

Farmer Burr opened his life and his land to the tamariki of Te Puna Kindergarten. PHOTOS: Supplied.

TODD MULLER TODD MULLER

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Te Puna Constituent Clinics: Meet with Todd or his team

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Regular Clinics: 3rd Monday of the month Feb-Nov 10.00am — 12.00pm at Te Puna Hall Next Clinic Dates: 17 Oct, 21 Nov

Jacques, who is our trust specialist, advises on: The use of Family Trusts after introduction of the new Trust Act in 2021.

“Much has changed in this field of law.

Let me show you how to be a prudent Trustee and prepare yourself for the challenges.”

Please get in touch with me for alternative appointment times:

Call Jacques at his office to book in a complimentary interview in Tauranga or at your home or business. You can also call us to set up a new Trust, or to have a Review of your existing Family Trust.

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Time tight but you can still vote f you didn’t receive your local election voting pack in the mail by Wednesday 21st September, you can request a special voting pack.

This can be done at Council’s library and service centres, or by calling Council on 0800 926 732, or contacting Election Services on 0800 922 822.

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Remember to complete and seal your voting papers.

Voting closes at noon on Saturday 8th October, and if you’re posting your vote, you’ll need to do this by 5pm Tuesday 4th October to ensure it’s received in time.

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Katikati and Waihī Beach residents were out in force to hear from Ward candidates at Katikati Primary School on Monday 29th August.

A minute’s silence was observed for the Queen, before the Mayoral debate at Te Puna Memorial Hall on Monday 19th September.

One of the last public meetings with candidates was held at Ōmokoroa Pavilion on Tuesday 20th September. PHOTOS: Matthew Farrell.

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If you eat unseasonally, you will pay unreasonably

By John Collier Ōmokoroa Community Garden t’s been a strange year, more so when I chanced upon a programme called ‘News’ which was letting us know that tomatoes and capsicums were outrageously overpriced and might be leading to inflation.

In these energy-expensive times, I was puzzled why no one questions how we get offered tomatoes and capsicums and aubergines in mid-winter and how much it might cost to grow them, let alone nurture, tend and protect them from what we used to call winter. They taste of nothing much and have no feeling or sense of connection to the land.

We were sitting in the polytunnel last week, and the temperature inside is now over 30 degrees, and the energy cost of heating it is exactly nil with no added GST, thanks to the ever-present sun.

Look around, and all the real plants are spurting,

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sprouting and rising to the warmth. We even have a sheltered tomato who survived winter under our picnic table.

But the real joy of real seasonal vegetables starts now.

It’s called a nursery for a good reason, and once the wee things are big enough, we put them to bed outdoors when we know there will be no more frosts. Then we nurture, protect and feed.

One thing I like about the new King is his reputation for talking to plants and trees, and when he’s been king for six months, we should be able to harvest our babies and eat them! Each mouthful in autumn is a sensory reminder of sowing, feeding, supporting and weathering everything that the climate throws at us. I love them so much I could eat them! Come along to Ōmokoroa Community Garden, Hamurana Road, on Thursday and Saturday mornings to share gardening joys and losses with lovers of tasty vegetables.

We feel like proud parents! PHOTO: Supplied.

Ōmokoroa Neighbourhood Support

By Rachel Millard Coordinator s we head into Spring and hopefully the sun begins to shine more, we look forward to those lighter spring evenings. We do hope the lighter evenings will deter any suspicious activity.

Snr Constable James Muir reports an incident on Friday 16th September at Vista Close at around 7.30pm.

Two young girls were knocking on doors, running away and hiding in gardens. When confronted, the girls were verbally abusive and then dropped off a vile letter at the victim’s house the following day. This incident has been reported to the police, who now have a copy of the letter. Please be sure to call 105 and log such events.

The more we report, the more it supports our need for a more frequent police presence in the community or

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even a permanent presence.

A Safer Plates event will be run by Ōmokoroa Community Patrols. It is run to help with vehicle-related crime. Patrollers replace the regular screws on the number plates of cars with tamper-resistant screws.

The aim of this event is to reduce the number of stolen registration plates that can be used to commit crime.

Weather permitting it will take place on the 15th of October in the Prole Road car park. There will be a sausage sizzle available whilst you wait with a gold coin donation to our local fire and first responders.

Our community is better when we get to know our neighbours. One of the best ways we can prevent crime is through our capable and observant local community.

It is important for our community to look out and look after each other. Being visible and attentive in our

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neighbourhood makes it less attractive to those less honest.

The Community Patrol is also looking for more younger people to join some of the patrols. We are needing to add in some later evening patrols, and we could do with some new blood to help. The patrollers have a police radio and can be in touch as soon as they see or hear of something. Being a patroller is about seeing what is happening but not physically responding. The police need information, times, dates, cars, and descriptions.

If you are keen to help in any way, please contact nsomokoroa@gmail.com

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Hand Therapist on the Ōmokoroa Peninsula

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ichelle Caspersonn and Jill Edwards have over 25 years of experience between them as Hand Therapists, and five-and-a-half years ago started All About Hands in Ōtūmoetai.

They both have strong ties to Ōmokoroa, with Michelle’s parents living there and Jill’s first job on a milk truck there in her teenage years.

With a growing number of clients travelling in from the north, they started to look for options for siting a clinic on the peninsula. With the availability of a skilled therapist moving to the area and a collaboration with Sally Bosselmann at Ōmokoroa Physiotherapy, this has now been realised.

Kaylee Towers will be the face of All About Hands in Ōmokoroa and will be working two days a week from Sally’s rooms. Kaylee has returned from maternity leave for this role and is excited about working in the community in which she now lives.

Kaylee previously worked for All About Hands and also for Tauranga and Waikato Hand Therapy departments, bringing a wealth of experience in managing hand injuries, rehabilitation following surgery and managing arthritis.

Hand Therapy is a specialty area of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, and therapists undertake further study and accumulation of experience before becoming Registered Hand Therapists. Our therapists have in-depth knowledge and experience of anatomy and conditions from the elbow to the fingertips.

In a session of hand therapy, your therapist will assess the problem, discuss options for treatment and come up with a treatment plan that suits you.

Treatment can include customised or off-the-shelf splinting, warm paraffin wax and stretching, manipulation, strengthening and modification of tasks whilst the hand is not functioning as it normally would. You don’t need a referral for Hand Therapy, and Kaylee can help you with lodging an ACC claim if you’ve had an injury.

Hand Therapy now available at:

Kaylee Towers

Physiotherapist Registered Hand Therapist BPhty, PGCertHS (Rehab), RNZHT

07 570 2506 No referral needed

Therapists work closely with surgeons, other therapists involved and your GP. Being located within a physio practice and next to a GP is ideal for a wrap-around service and fits our All About Hands ethos of being experts who ensure therapy is customised to the individual and their life and of being an integrated part of the community.

Bookings can be made online at www. allabouthands.co.nz or through the Ōtūmoetai office 07 570 2506.

Article supplied.

Right: Michelle Caspersonn, Kaylee Towers and Jill Edwards. PHOTO: Supplied.

Waterside stepping-stone to Waihī Beach hose looking for a stepping-stone to a beach-front lifestyle need look no further than the hidden gem of Athenree, located on the shores of the Tauranga Harbour, says the area’s leading real estate agency LJ Hooker Waihī Beach. In its latest report on the local property market, LJ Hooker Waihī Beach shines a light on the coastal village of Athenree, “which has experienced a surge of interest from house buyers seeking close proximity to Waihī Beach, but without the multimillion-dollar price tag”, says Steve Bowen, LJ Hooker Waihī Beach’s leading real estate specialist for Athenree.

“The latest figures from the REINZ (Real Estate Institute of New Zealand) show that for the year August 2021 to August 2022, 42 properties were sold in and around Athenree with a total combined value near to $50 million. Of that, 24 properties sold for more than $1 million,” says Mr Bowen.

“Of the 42 properties sold in and around Athenree, prices ranged from $440,000 for a 454m2 section up to

T

$2.39 million for a 4-bedroom house on 1.16 ha of land.

The number of days these properties stayed on the market ranged from a lengthy 620 days down to one property being sold within 2 days of being listed.

“As summer nears, we are again starting to see renewed buyer interest and enquiry from people in Tauranga, Hamilton, and Auckland who want to escape the metropolitan bustle, and Athenree continues to be a sought-after peaceful location,” says Mr Bowen, adding that “there’s currently six new listings live in Athenree further boosting the area’s attractiveness to new buyers.”

“Athenree is no longer being viewed as the poor cousin to Waihī Beach, as buyers quickly realise, they’re getting significant upsides in terms of lifestyle, including views of the Pacific, rural surrounds, eco-wetland sunsets and access to the Athenree’s natural spring water hot pools and estuary,” Mr Bowen says.

Article supplied.

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22

| Lizard news | October 2022

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Inaugural Godwit Festival

By Chrissie Cleaver and Chris Cole Ōmokoroa Bird Group hese amazing birds have just arrived back in New Zealand with their brand-new babies that were hatched up in their Arctic nesting grounds only a few months ago. They and their young have flown 12,000 kms nonstop – which is an awful long way without a stop. How is that possible? Many thousands of them roost at high tide on the sand bars just offshore from our own Cooney Reserve.

To celebrate their return, a festival has been organised to commence at 11.30am on Saturday 29th October down in Cooney Reserve. After a couple of welcoming speeches, we will all process down the boardwalk to view the godwits.

Upon our return, families are welcome to have a picnic lunch and enjoy a free sausage from the sausage sizzle.

Do pop into the tent and view the wonderful Godwit drawings and models created by our industrious students at Point Primary School. Also available will be booklets featuring Birds of the Ōmokoroa Peninsula and brochures from Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre.

In the meantime, a Godwit colouringin competition is being held for children during the school holidays in the Ōmokoroa library on Western Avenue.

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The migratory path of the godwits.

As Godwits will be resident here for the next six months, the Ōmokoroa Public Group plan to organise a competition for local primary school/intermediate age children, inviting them to create an artwork which celebrates the Godwit; for example, in the form of a sculpture, diorama, mobile, model, or original painting.

This is the first time this festival has been held. It is intended that it will become an annual event. Make sure you come down early to grab your picnic spot. See you there!

Godwits at the sandbar off Cooney Reserve. PHOTO: Jeff Martin.

Children’s art competition to celebrate the arrival of the Godwits/ngā Kuaka

By Alie Henderson

mokoroa Public Art Group is delighted to celebrate the arrival of the Godwits/ngā Kuaka in Ōmokoroa and to support the Festival Day on Saturday, 29th October, planned by the Ōmokoroa Bird Group.

We invite children (5-14 years) to create an original artwork inspired by these amazing little birds who fly such long distances to spend the summer in Aotearoa.

Create a sculpture, a diorama, a mobile, a model, a painting – or an original artwork of your choice!

Ō

Entry forms can be collected from the Ōmokoroa Library in Western Avenue or from The Old Library on McDonnell Street from Saturday 15th October, and the beautiful works of art can be handed into either Library until the closing date on Saturday 12th November.

The entries will be exhibited in the Gallery space at The Old Library, with a small prize for the most outstanding creation in each of the two age groups (5-9 years, and 10-14 years).

For more information, please contact Alie Henderson, on 021 248 0173, or email alie.henderson@gmail.com

Ōmokoroa Peninsula Club

By Fred Hartley Secretary embers and guests at the regular meeting of The Peninsula Club on Thursday 6th October can look forward to hearing from guest speaker Andrew Vincent about the commercial development project now underway in Ōmokoroa.

Known as ‘The Village’, developers Foster Develop Ltd have had lots of weather challenges this year, but Development Manager Andrew Vincent is satisfied that

M

the programme for occupation can reasonably be maintained.

The project will comprise a mixture of retail, office and food outlets, as well as apartment-style living units. It is aimed at creating a family-friendly community hub in Ōmokoroa.

The Peninsula Club meets on the 1st Thursday of each month at the Community Church, Ōmokoroa, commencing at 9.30am. For further information, contact Geoff Gripton (548 1027) or Fred Hartley (548 1939).

October 2022 | Lizard News |

23

lizardnews.net

Receive NOT 1, BUT 2 springtime makeovers!*

*Terms of Conditions: 1. Listing must be for 90 days. 2. The listing agent will provide you with a voucher once all signatories have signed the listing form and AML completed. 3. Property cannot be withdrawn in this time. 4. Once a successful unconditional sale has been completed, the 2nd voucher will be provided by your listing agent. 5. Cleaning will be provided by King of Clean Ltd, any additional cleaning that is requested above what is being completed

by Tremains Real Estate Ltd by the vendor will be paid for by the vendor. 6. This voucher cannot be redeemed for cash. 7. Cleaning is only redeemable for the specified property listed by Tremains Real Estate Ltd. 8. Offer is subject to availability. 9. First cleaning can be booked anytime from when the listing agreement has been signed. Offer ends 31st October 2022. Tremain Real Estate BOP Limited Licensed REAA 2008.

24

| Lizard News | October 2022

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List & sell your property with Tremains and let us take the hassle out of selling your home!

A clean, fresh, well presented home will help you to achieve the best price.

On listing, you will receive a voucher for a comprehensive pre-clean of your home before your marketing starts.

When your home successfully sells, you will also receive a voucher for a pre-settlement clean.

Talk to us today about how we can get your home looking spick and span, in preparation for sale and settlement.

Sean Dercksen

Karen Matheson

Angela Fowler

Janine Parker

Noel Benstead

Sales Consultant Katikati

Sales Consultant Omokoroa

Sales Consultant Katikati

Sales Consultant Omokoroa

Sales Consultant Omokoroa

021 567 947

027 331 1171

027 220 8992

021 383 700

027 525 3380

seand@tremains.co.nz

karen.matheson@tremains.co.nz

angela.fowler@tremains.co.nz

janine.parker@tremains.co.nz

noel.benstead@tremains.co.nz

Katikati & Omokoroa 07 549 3102 | tremains.co.nz

October 2022 | Lizard News |

25

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY – WEEKLY EVENTS

lizardnews.net

Here are some of the groups and activities which happen regularly in the area. If you have a regular group you’d like to add to the list, please email liz@lizardnews.net or call 548 1200.

This is presented as a guide.

We recommend you check with organisers.

The Old Library Ōmokoroa (TOLO), McDonnell Street 10am-4pm Tuesday-Sunday.

Local history, community information and art for sale. Contact Alison on 021 294 9294.

Dave Hume swimming pool in Katikati is open for the summer season. Check times/sessions at www.davehumepoolkk.com or contact 549 1069.

MONDAYS

Homewood Park Tennis Club 9am start. 30A Park Road, Katikati. New members welcome.

Email katikati.tennis@outlook.com. Ōmokoroa Playcentre Behind Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 9am-12.30pm. omokoroa@playcentre.org.nz Pilates Ōmokoroa Sports Pavilion. 9.1510.15am. Contact Claudia 021 192 7706.

Katikati Bowling Club Combined Roll Up 9.30am. Names in before 9.15am. 2x4x2 format. Coaching available. 8 Park Road, Katikati. 07 549 0103.

Fitness Fun Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 9.3010.30am. Contact Gloria on 021 139 2448.

Scrabble at both Ōmokoroa Library and Pātuki Manawa. 10am. Refreshments provided. Free.

Postnatal Support Group 10am-12pm.

Bethlehem Birthing Centre. All parents and caregivers of children under two are welcome.

Starts back 10th Feb. Phone 549 4522.

Keep On Your Feet Strength and balance classes for older adults. 11am-noon Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall. Sharnie 021 1118617.

Western Bay Museum Guided Tour 11am.

WBOP residents and ratepayers FREE. 32 Main Rd, Katikati. Ph 07 549 0651 Justice of the Peace clinic 11am-1pm at Waihī Library, 40 Rosemont Street. Ōmokoroa Indoor Bowls 1pm for 1.30pm play Ōmokoroa Settler’s Hall. Contact Ruth Hamilton 571 1564.

Scottish Country Dancing 1-3 pm. St Peter’s Anglican Church, Beach Road. $4. All ages, no partner required. Call Douglas 021 0244 6099.

Bolivia Katikati Christian Centre, Henry Road.

1-4pm. Some knowledge of canasta useful but

not essential. Contact Christine Sherriff 549 5601 or 027 434 9842.

Movie Matinee 1.30pm at the Arts Junction, Katikati. Tickets $10. Limited seats. 549 5250.

Bridge Club Ōmokoroa Sports Pavilion afternoons. Call Lyn Chaston 022 165 0820 lynchaston@btinternet.com IGIRLZ Fun adventure and learning for girls 8 - 11. 6-7.30pm Ōmokoroa Community Church Hall. Call 548 2515.

Yoga Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 6-8pm. Contact Mollie 021 177 8018.

Table Tennis Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall. Seniors (18+) 7-9pm. $3 per single, $5 per couple. Inc supper. White-sole shoes preferred. Call Bruce Lauchlan on 548 1741.

Social indoor netball term time at 6pm. Apata Community Hall - Pahoia School. Ages 11+. $5 per night. Beginners welcome. Contact Kirsten 022 535 1530.

ITF Taekwon-do classes at Te Puna School Hall. 6-7.30pm. Self defence, self confidence, fitness. First 2 weeks free. George 022 437 4403.

Cards 500 7pm at Ōmokoroa Bowling Club. $3 incl tea and biscuits. Prizes/raffles monthly.

Carpooling from Katikati available. Call Lorraine Taylor on 548 1404.

Indoor Bowls 7pm at Waihī Beach RSA. Contact Grant on 027 475 0556.

TUESDAYS

Social Tennis Waihī Beach Tennis Club 8.30/ 9 am start. All year. Casual & new players welcome. Call Kevin 027 273 5655.

Te Puna Quarry Park clearing, planting and weed control from 8am and from 1.30pm.

Contact Shirley on 552 2707. Ōmokoroa Playcentre Behind Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 9am-noon. omokoroa@playcentre.org.nz Te Puna Playcentre 9am-1pm term times only.

225 Te Puna Road. Contact te.puna@Playcentre.org.nz Te Puna Tennis Club casual tennis. 9am start.

Casual and new players welcome. Contact Catherine tptennisclub@gmail.com or 021 506 855.

Mainly Music Ōmokoroa Pavilion 9.30am in

term times. $4 per family. Tamryn on 576 5387.

Pahoia Creative Fibre Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall. 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesdays at 10am. Learn to spin, weave, felt, knit, crochet and more.

Call Alison 022 0849 348.

Tai Chi 9.30-10.30am Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall.

Contact Marilyn on 027 630 4063 or Anne 548 0763.

Keep on your Feet strength & balance for older adults. 10.15-11.15am Catholic Church Hall, 89 Beach Road, Katikati. Sharnie 021 111 8617.

Keep on your Feet seated fitness for older adults. 11.30-noon. Catholic Church Hall, 89 Beach Road, Katikati. Sharnie 021 111 8617.

Justice of the Peace clinic at Waihī Beach Library 11am-noon.

Waihī Beach Bowls at Memorial RSA Bowling Club. Roll-up, names in by 12.30 for 1 o’clock start. All welcome. Bowls and coaching available. Contact 021 0220 4040, 027 863 1349, waihibeachbowls@gmail.com Ōmokoroa Bowling Club 12.30 to 4pm.

30 Hamurana Road. Beginners and visitors welcome. $5. Ph 021 255 6415.

Mahjong Circle 1pm at the Ōmokoroa Sports Pavilion, Western Avenue. Call Denise on 548 1385 or Margaret 548 2126.

Wise & Wonderful Arts & crafts, games and afternoon tea for seniors. Pick up and drop off available in Katikati area. 1.30-3pm at Katikati Community Centre. Gold coin. Contact 549 0399 or info@katikaticommunity.nz Teen Advisory Board Plan, promote and implement programs and events for teens.

Year 7 to 13 students. 3.30-4.30pm during the school term at Pātuki Manawa.

Gentle Yoga at Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 4–5.30pm. One free trial class. Contact: Karin 548 1787 or baysyoga@xtra.co.nz Ōmokoroa Tennis Club 6-8pm. Contact Sharon Parker on 027 261 9517. Ōmokoroa Indoor Bowls 6.30pm for 7pm play Ōmokoroa Settler’s Hall. Contact Ruth Hamilton 571 1564.

Katikati Toy Library 6.30pm-8pm at the back of the Christian Centre on Henry Rd, Katikati.

FB: ‘Katikati Toy Library’, text 027 551 5589 or E: katikatitoylibrary@gmail.com

WEDNESDAYS

Kaimai Ramblers day tramp. Good standard of fitness required, boots recommended. Call Lisa 021 044 6449, or Kevin 021 0200 6306.

Homewood Park Tennis Club 9am start.

30A Park Road, Katikati. New members welcome. Phone Cushla 027 414 2587.

Pilates Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall. 9.15-10.15.

Contact Claudia 021 192 7706.

Community Tai Chi Waihī Beach RSA 9.30am during school terms. Contact Trish 021 482 842.

Knit & Natter at both Ōmokoroa Library and Pātuki Manawa, Katikati. 10am. Free.

Stepping Up free computer classes at Katikati Library. Wednesdays/Thursdays. Book on 571 8008 or www.steppingup.nz Fitness League exercise, movement, dance, for posture, strengthening & stretching. All ages & abilities. 10am Memorial Hall, Katikati. Phone Pam 549 4799. Ōmokoroa Artists Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 10.45am-3.30pm. $5. Contact Jill 021 408 660 or Facebook page: Ōmokoroa Artists.

Adults Dance & Move 12.30pm St Peter’s Church, Beach Road, Katikati. Many styles of fun dance. Contact Gaye on gayehemsley@gmail.com, 577 1753 or 027 274 8753.

Katikati Toy Library 2.30pm-4pm at the back of the Christian Centre on Henry Rd, Katikati.

FB: ‘Katikati Toy Library’, text 027 551 5589 or E: katikatitoylibrary@gmail.com Grow On Seedlings Club Katikati Community Centre 3-4pm 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of month, term time. Intro to gardening for children aged 6-10 years. Call Janet 021 0236 7038.

Western Bay Museum Guided Tour 2pm.

WBOP residents and ratepayers FREE. 32 Main Rd, Katikati. Ph 07 549 0651 Ōmokoroa Athletics Club 4.15–5pm (3–6 years) and 5.15- 6.45pm (7–14 years) at Western Ave Sports Grounds.

Wrestling Katikati Primary age 5.30-6.30pm, College age/seniors 6.30pm-8pm. Bring a drink bottle. A&P Hall, Major Street. Text Ross 027 256 4470.

Twilight tennis at Te Puna Tennis Club. 6pm start. Contact Catherine tptennisclub@gmail.com or 021 506 855.

Gala & Agricultural Day Awesome Family Day Out! Farm Animal Showcase Art & Craft Projects On Display Food & Coffee / Bake Sale Market Stalls Carnival Games & Raffles

Saturday 29th October 2022, 10AM - 1PM

29 Esdaile Road, Tauranga

Book Fair @ ag day - in the hall 26

| Lizard News | October 2022

Fiction / non-fiction / children's books Books from $1 - bring a bag!

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY – WEEKLY EVENTS

lizardnews.net

Here are some of the groups and activities which happen regularly in the area. If you have a regular group you’d like to add to the list, please email liz@lizardnews.net or call 548 1200. Ōmokoroa Tennis Club 6-8pm. Contact Sharon Parker on 027 261 9517.

Te Puna Community Library in the School library 6.30-7.30pm.

Justice of the Peace clinic 6.30-7.30pm Te Puna School Library.

Yoga Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 7-8pm. Contact Sarah 021 022 19892.

Quiz Night Waihī Beach Hotel, 60 Wilson Road.

7-9.30pm.

Casual Soccer at 7.15pm at Western Ave Sports Grounds bottom field. Over 12 years old.

Call Hamish on 552 6427.

THURSDAYS

Katikati drop-in Community Breakfasts 7.30-8.30am. Baptist Church, 2 Wedgewood St, Katikati. Free entry. All welcome. Pick Up/Drop Off Service and shower facilities available.

549 0399.

Pickleball Waihī Beach Community Centre Starts at 8.45am on 1st and 3rd Thursdays.

Bats, balls, courts and nets provided. $3 per session. Call Phil on 021 624 908. Ōmokoroa Playcentre Behind Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 9am-noon. omokoroa@playcentre.org.nz Tai Chi 9.30-11.00am. Te Puna Memorial Hall.

Contact David 027 222 2824.

Tai Chi 9.30-10.30am Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall.

Contact Marilyn on 027 630 4063 or Anne 548 0763.

Katikati Embroidery Group 10am St Pius Church, Beach Road, Katikati. Call Edna 027 474 9946.

Adult Colouring-in at Pātuki Manawa. 10am.

Refreshments provided. Free.

Tai Chi for beginners Sports Pavillion, Western Ave, Ōmokoroa 10-11am. Call Sabine 021 1388770 or tetzlaffsabine@gmail.com.

Preschool Storytime ‘Read Sing Move’ at 10am at Katikati Library. Caregivers, please stay with your children. Free to attend. Ōmokoroa Community Garden working bee.

10-noon. Hamurana Road, south entrance to Ōmokoroa Point School. Weather permitting.

Diabetes NZ Drop-in group 10-noon 177a Fraser Street, Tauranga. 571 3422 tauranga@diabetes.org.nz

Justice of the Peace clinic 10am-12pm at Ōmokoroa Library & Service Centre.

Western Bay Museum Guided Tour 11am.

WBOP residents and ratepayers FREE. 32 Main Rd, Katikati. Ph 07 549 0651.

Pilates Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall. 11.30am12.30pm. Contact Claudia 021 192 7706.

Rummikub at Katikati Bowling Club 8 Park Rd, Katikati. 1pm start, $3 per person.

Te Puna Quarry Park clearing, planting and weed control 1-4pm. Contact Shirley 552 2707.

Scottish Country Dancing Bethlehem Hall, 1.15-3.15pm. Call Heather 021 185 5747.

Line Dancing Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall.

Beginners 1-3pm. Call Joce 021 486 265.

Brick Club Afterschool LEGO sessions in Ōmokoroa Library 2.45-4.45pm.

ITF Taekwon-do classes at Te Puna School Hall. 6-7.30pm. Self defence, self confidence, fitness. First 2 weeks free. George 022 437 4403.

Social Dancing Ballroom, Latin, Rock n Roll, Salsa. 7pm Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall. $5.

Contact Angela 027 246 1624. Ōmokoroa Songsters Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall during school terms from 7-8:30pm. Contact Jan Murray 027 286 1552, Alison Badger 548 1544.

Katikati Concert Band 7-9pm, Katikati Bowling Club. We welcome all ages and experience. Contact Eryl 021 404 163.

Bridge Club Ōmokoroa Sports Pavilion in the evening. Call Lyn Chaston 022 165 0820 lynchaston@btinternet.com Katikati Toastmasters Club Communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater selfconfidence and personal growth. 7.30pm on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Thursdays at the Community Centre, Beach Road. Contact 544 5989.

FRIDAYS

Social Tennis Waihī Beach Tennis Club 8.30/ 9 am start. All year. Casual & new players welcome. Call Kevin 027 273 5565.

Friends of the Blade direct message the Facebook: Friends of the Blade or email noelenetaylor57@gmail.com Ladies Singles Tennis 9am at Ōmokoroa Tennis Club, Western Ave, Ōmokoroa. Enjoy

some competitive but fun games.

Line Dancing Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall. General session 9am-noon. Call Shirley on 548 1633. Ōmokoroa Playcentre Behind Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 9am-12.30pm. omokoroa@playcentre.org.nz Preschool Storytime ‘Read Sing Move’ at 10am at Ōmokoroa Library. Caregivers, please stay with your children. Free to attend.

Justice of the Peace clinic 10am-noon Bethlehem Community Church, 138 Moffat Road.

Justice of the Peace clinic 10am-noon Katikati Community Centre, 45 Beach Road. Ōmokoroa Friendship Club Ōmokoroa Community Church Hall 10am-12.15pm for $4.

Morning tea and lunch provided. Drop in or call Lorraine Taylor 548 1404.

Omokoroa Singles over 60s meet for friendship, coffee, outings, etc.

Email Omokoroa.Senior.Singles@gmail.com or phone 021 627 107.

Waihī Beach Bowls at Memorial RSA Bowling Club. Roll-up, names in by 12.30 for 1 o’clock start. All welcome. Bowls and coaching available. Contact 021 0220 4040, 027 863 1349, waihibeachbowls@gmail.com Bolivia Cards Ōmokoroa Bowling Club 12.45pm. Enquires to Janet on janetandwillie@kinect.co.nz or Linley on 218 7003.

Katikati Senior Citizens Indoor Bowls 12.45pm at Katikati Memorial Hall. Contact Heather 549 1008.

Cards 500 at Katikati Bowling Club 8 Park Rd, Katikati. 1-4pm. $2 per person.

Katikati Bowling Club Combined Roll Up 2.00pm. Names in before 1.45pm. Coaching available. Social club day activities to follow.

8 Park Road, Katikati 07 549 0103.

Katikati Plant & Produce Market A&P Showgrounds 3.30-5.30pm. Contact Pauline Van Rijen 549 2449.

SATURDAYS

Junior Tennis Coaching at Ōmokoroa Tennis Club. Members and Non-members welcome.

Visit omokoroatennis.com for information and to book.

Katikati Toy Library 9-10am at the back of the Christian Centre on Henry Rd, Katikati.

FB: ‘Katikati Toy Library’, text 027 551 5589 or E: katikatitoylibrary@gmail.com Friends of Cooney Reserve 9am Bring sturdy footwear and gloves, and tools if you wish.

Contact Chris Cole (text only) 0274 545 586.

Grow On Katikati 9.30-10.30 Pick up/drop off seeds and seedlings for community food resiliency. Next to Katikati Community Centre. growonkatikati@gmail.com Ōmokoroa Toy Library 9.30-11am behind the Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall. omokoroatoylibrary@gmail.com Te Puna Community Library in the School library 10am-noon. Ōmokoroa Community Garden working bee.

10-noon. Hamurana Road, south entrance to Ōmokoroa Point School. Weather permitting.

Western Bay Museum Guided Tour Noon.

WBOP residents and ratepayers FREE. 32 Main Rd, Katikati. Ph 07 549 0651 Ōmokoroa Bowling Club 12.30 to 4pm.

30 Hamurana Road. Beginners and visitors welcome. $5. Ph 021 255 6415.

Homewood Park Tennis Club 1pm start.

30A Park Road, Katikati. New members welcome. Phone Michael 027 473 1540.

Katikati Bowling Club Combined Roll-up.

2.00pm. Names in before 1.45pm. Coaching available. Social club day activities to follow.

8 Park Rd, Katikati 07 549 0103.

Boomerang Bags Katikati Sew reusable fabric community shopping bags. Txt Robyn on 021 158 4038 to join or donate fabric. Every other Saturday from 9th April at Katikati College Fabric Tech Room from 1pm. Masks required. Ōmokoroa Tennis Club 2-4pm. Contact Sharon Parker on 027 261 9517.

SUNDAYS

Ōmokoroa Cricket 20 overs from 1pm every second Sunday at Western Ave. BYO picnic.

FB: @omokoroacricket Movie Matinee 1.30pm at the Arts Junction, Katikati. Tickets $10. Limited seats. 549 5250.

Jam session Waihī Beach Hotel, 60 Wilson Road. 4-7pm. Everyone welcome.

Country Rock

Waihī Beach Community Centre - Doors open 7pm - Tickets via Eventbrite October 2022 | Lizard News |

27

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY – OCTOBER

lizardnews.net

Monthly meetings and one-off events. Every effort has been made to be accurate, but please check information with event organisers.

Year-round swimming in Ōmokoroa interest you? Contact Russell on 021 153 0767 or mothcork@gmail.com for more information. You are welcome to join us and swim for health and well-being.

Fri 30th to Mon 3rd October Katikati Artists exhibition 10am-4pm at Katikati Memorial Hall. Gold coin entry.

Sat 1st Grow On Katikati Crop Swap Swap excess produce, seeds, seedlings, preserves, jams, baking etc. 1st Saturday of the month.

Garden shed beside Katikati Community Centre on Beach Rd, 9.30-10.30am. Call Jizzy on 549 2337 or Marie on 07 9297906.

Sat 1st October Te Puna Hall Centenary Circus, food vendors, cabaret. From 11am.

Sun 2nd October Movie ‘Elvis’ 1.30pm at the boutique Junction Theatre @The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati. Tickets $10 or $7.50 Gold Card. Ph 07 549 1658.

Sun 2nd Katikati Folk Open Mic 5pm every 1st Sunday of the month. Blackboard (open mic) session at Forta Leza, 2656 Main Highway, Aongatete.

Mon 3rd U3A Art Group 10am-noon every 1st and 3rd Monday at Waihī Bowling Club. $2. Bring your own materials. Contact Jose Jebb 027 457 0242.

Mon 3rd Bethlehem/Te Puna Lions Club at Te Puna Community Centre Hall, Tangitū Road. 1st and 3rd Monday evenings from 6.00pm. Contact Colin 576 9110.

Tue 4th Book Buzz Come and share your favourite reads with other book lovers. 10am on the 1st Tuesday at Pātuki Manawa.

Wed 5th Aongatete Forest Project working bee. Top of Wright Road. 9am-12.30pm. 1st and 3rd Wednesday morning of the month.

Visit aongateteforest.org/join.

Wed 5th Waihī Beach FOCUS Group 10am at Waihī Beach RSA. Interesting speakers, interesting conversation and of course interesting people. Every 1st Wednesday.

Wed 5th Kati Chat New to town? Join us for morning tea and invited speakers. Every 1st Wednesday, 10am The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati. Ph 549 5250.

Thu 6th Business Breakfast 7am-8am at Pātuki Manawa. Guest Speaker: Success HR. RSVP to info@KatchKatikati.org.nz.

Thu 6th Ōmokoroa Peninsula Club 9.30am.

1st Thursday of the month at the Ōmokoroa Community Church (excl Dec/Jan). Contact Geoff Gripton on 548 1027 or Fred Hartley 548 1939.

Thu 6th Café Scientifique Katikati Extra Event. 7pm. The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati. Free event. Guest Speaker Fiona Powell, Bird of the Year Campaign Manager for the weka. All welcome.

Sat 8th Katikati Moggies Market Second Saturday each month 9am to 12pm Katikati Memorial Hall. Your local monthly market.

Support local, buy local.

E: moggiesmarket21@gmail.com

Sat 8th Patchwork Quilting at Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall 9am-4.30pm second Saturday each month. Contact Christine 027 280 1344.

Sat 8th Local Election voting closes at noon.

Sat 8th Show Me Shorts Film Festival The Sampler (8 short movies - Short Film Festival) at 6.30pm. Screening at the boutique Junction Theatre @The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati. Tickets $10 or $7.50 Gold Card. Ph 07 549 1658.

Sun 9th Sunday Scribblers Working on memoirs. Fun writing exercises to warm up.

2nd Sunday of each month 11am-12.30pm Chrome Cafe, 3 Wharawhara Road, Katikati.

Contact Gaye on gayehemsley@gmail.com 577 1753 or 027 274 8753.

Sun 9th Afternoon tea with the Mayor Ōmokoroa Community Church from 3pm.

All welcome.

Sun 9th Plant Sale Te Puna Quarry Park.

2nd Sunday of even months. Contact ruthdainty@gmail.com

Mon 10th Show Me Shorts Film Festival The Sampler (8 short movies - Short Film Festival) at 1.30pm. Screening at the boutique Junction Theatre @The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati. Tickets $10 or $7.50 Gold Card.

Ph 07 549 1658.

Mon 10th Te Puna Indoor Bowls Te Puna Memorial Hall at 6.45 pm for a 7-9 pm evening of social games and coaching if you wish. 2nd Monday of the month. First two months free. Contact Jo Gravit 027 552 6063.

Tue 11th Ōmokoroa Photography Club Ōmokoroa Sports Pavilion Social Room.

All levels welcome. 7-9pm on 2nd Tuesday of the month. Contact omokoroaphotoclub@gmail.com

Wed 12th U3A Katikati monthly meeting.

10am-noon in the Digital Hub next to the Library on 2nd Wednesday each month.

Call Pam Mazoyer 021 104 2925.

Wed 12th Ōmokoroa & Districts Lions Club 6pm at Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. Contact Keith and Rosemary Searle on 548 2117.

Wed 12th Katikati Herb Society Every 2nd Wednesday at 7pm at St Paul’s church.

Contact Fiona 022 684 5178.

Thu 13th Emergency preparedness drop in sessions every 2nd Thursday at The Centre – Pātuki Manawa, Katikati 10am-noon. Visit westernbay.govt.nz/community/civil-defence Thu 13th Friends of Puketoki Trapping/checking every 2nd Thursday. Meet at Leyland Road carpark. Call John Budden 548 1180 or Terry Edwards 552 6222.

Thu 13th Ōmokoroa Business Network meeting. 9am on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. Details available at omokoroabusinessnetwork@gmail.com

Thu 13th Katikati Genealogy Group meets on the 2nd Thursday at the Presbyterian Church Hall, 1 Mulgan Street at 1.30pm. $5.

New members welcome. Contact Jeanette 027 348 3259.

Fri 14th Family Planning appointments 10-1pm and drop-in 1.30-4pm. To book call 578 8539. Katikati Midwives Rooms 14 Jocelyn Street, Katikati. Every 2nd Friday.

See familyplanning.org.nz

Fri 14th Bethlehem Night Market every 2nd Friday from 5.30-8.30pm at Bethlehem Hall.

Facebook: cnmbethlehem or contact Jen on 021 672 281 cnmbethlehem@gmail.com.

Sat 15th Katikati Artisan Market 9am-1pm Chrome Cafe, 3 Wharawhara Road, Katikati.

3rd Saturday of the month.

Sun 16th Katikati Folk Club Jam sessions 5pm 3rd Sunday of the month. Informal jam sessions at Forta Leza, 2656 SH2, Aongatete.

Sun 16th Friendship Force Ōmokoroa Setters’ Hall 3rd Sunday evening of the month.

Ph Jonathan on 572 2091.

Mon 17th U3A Art Group 10am-noon every 1st and 3rd Monday at Waihī Bowling Club. $2. Bring your own materials. Contact Jose Jebb 027 457 0242.

Mon 17th Bethlehem/Te Puna Lions Club at Te Puna Community Centre Hall, Tangitū Road, Te Puna (Behind the Tennis Courts).

1st and 3rd Monday evenings from 6pm.

Contact Colin 576 9110.

Tue 18th Book Buzz Share your favourite reads with other book lovers. 10am every 3rd Tuesday at Ōmokoroa Library.

Tue 18th Innovation Garden Club 1.30-3pm every 3rd Tuesday. Waihī Beach RSA. Contact 027 289 7674 or innovationgardenclub@gmail.com

Wed 19th Aongatete Forest Project working bee. Top of Wright Road. 9am-12.30pm.

1st and 3rd Wednesday morning of the month. Visit aongateteforest.org/join

Wed 19th Movie: Downton Abbey: A New Era 1.30pm at the boutique Junction Theatre @The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati.

Tickets $10 or $7.50 Gold Card. Ph 07 549 1658.

Wed 19th Business After Five 5.15pm.

Hosted by Project Parore, 3 Mulgan Street, Katikati. RSVP to 07 549 5250. All welcome.

Thu 20th Genealogy support Help with research into family history and DNA searches. Omokoroa Library, 3rd Thursdays 10am. One-on-one help available at other times. Contact Lyn at lynevaughan@gmail.com or 027 259 6643.

Thu 20th Fun Mixed Doubles Ōmokoroa Tennis Club Western Ave. Third Thursday of the month from 5.30-7.30pm.

Thu 20th Café Scientifique Katikati 7pm.

The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati.

Free event.

Fri 21st Death Cafe 1.30-3pm at Katikati Community Centre, every 3rd Friday of the month. We talk openly about death and dying, how we experience end of life and the fear, grief and questions that come with it.

Fri 21st Thank Whakamārama It’s Friday 3rd Friday of the month from 6-9 pm.

All welcome. Bring your dinner and meet the community. Whakamārama Hall.

Sat 22nd - Sun 23rd Ōmokoroa Artists Expo Ōmokoroa Settlers Hall from 9am.

Sat 22nd Katikati Lions Garage Sale 9amnoon at the containers behind Caltex, Main Rd. Indoor & outdoor furniture, tools & more.

4th Saturday. Call David 027 549 0168.

Sat 22nd Live Music: Kokomo The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati. 7.30pm.

Sun 23rd Show Me Shorts Film Festival The Cost of Progress (8 short movies - Short Film Festival) at 1.30pm. Screening at the boutique Junction Theatre @The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati. Tickets $10 or $7.50 Gold Card.

Ph 07 549 1658.

Mon 24th Labour Day

Wed 26th Movie: The Last Bus 1.30pm at the boutique Junction Theatre @The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati. Tickets $10 or $7.50 Gold Card. Ph 07 549 1658.

Thu 27th Ōmokoroa Business Network meeting. 9am on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. Details available at omokoroabusinessnetwork@gmail.com

Thu 27th Probus Club of Ōmokoroa 9.3011.30am at Ōmokoroa Setters’ Hall every 4th Thursday of the month. Contact Wavyne 548 1233 or Jean 548 2239.

Sat 29th Ōmokoroa Markets 9am to noon.

Last Saturday each month except Dec. Crafts, art, produce, bbq, plants, car boot and much more. E: omokoroamarket@gmail.com

Sat 29th Ōmokoroa Godwit Festival Cooney Reserve from 11.30am.

Sat 29th Live Music: Eric Bogle The Arts Junction, 36 Main Rd, Katikati. 7.30pm.

Katikati Folk Club members $20, casual $25.

Refreshments available.

Sun 30th Pest Trap Library at the container next to Whakamārama Hall 3-5pm. Last Sunday of the month.

Sun 30th Western Bay Community Awards nomination close. Visit www.tect.org.nz/community-awards-2023

Mon 31st Waihī Beach Community Centre Society Inc AGM 5pm at the supper room in the Community Centre. Contact Secretary Heather Christini on 027 342 0390.

Tue 1st Nov Ōmokoroa Settlers’ Hall AGM 7pm followed by drinks and nibbles. All welcome. Meet and get to know your Committee Members, have your say and perhaps even consider joining the Committee?

Sat 5th Nov Waihī Beach Op Shop Ball Day of the Dead 7pm at Waihī Beach Community Centre. Tickets via Eventbrite

Slotcar Club Ōmokoroa to race club class saloons. Controller and cars will be provided for all drivers. Contact Steve Wall on 021 163 2055 for dates/times.

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Sustainable Wearable Art Challenge eturning in 2022, the Envirohub Sustainable Wearable Arts Challenge will this year feature as part of the Bay of Plenty Garden and Arts Festival, with a catwalk fashion show at Bloom in the Bay at Tauranga Racecourse on Saturday 19th November 2022.

Textiles are a major global polluter, and we feel there needs to be more education and awareness around this.

Our Sustainable Art Challenge offers participants a chance to not only compete for great prizes but helps to spread the message that whilst we all need clothes, we need to make wiser choices. With participants from the ‘Under 16’ and ‘Over 16’ age groups, we

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reach out to the next generation of fashion designers and consumers to inspire future generations. It’s free to enter, and it is great fun!

Last year our U16 category was won by an entry from Kaimai School, and we are keen to see what other fabulous designers are out there in Western Bay of Plenty.

Two challenges are available with a theme of “It’s easy to be green”. Firstly, a Wearable Art Category where you create your outfit from scratch using sustainably sourced textiles and items. Think World of Wearable Arts or Tarnished Frocks and Divas. Included in the challenge is an opportunity to add a ‘hero item’ for extra marks in the judging. Our

Waihī Beach Op Shop Ball ay of the Dead altars are made as a way of remembering and honouring friends and family who have passed on. The altars help guide the spirits back to the land of the living on the night of the Day of the Dead.

This is the theme of the annual Op Shop Ball themed event that you won’t want to miss. It’s always a good time and always sells out! The idea is to dress for the ball, with Cinderella’s budget. Grab anything you can from the Op Shop and get creative.

We will have an altar at the event, and we are encouraging attendees to bring printed photos with them to attach to our altar and celebrate and honour those who would love to party with you.

Doors of Waihī Beach Community Cen-

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hero items are things that regularly feature in landfill, namely uniforms and company merchandise. The second challenge is a 48-hour second-hand fashion challenge. Collect op-shop items from us during one of our 48hour windows and return them to us as a new outfit which we will hold for the catwalk show on 19th November.

We will also be offering low-cost sewing workshops for those who are interested in taking part and need some help or don’t have access to a sewing machine. More details will be available

once your registration has been received.

Full details on the Wearable Arts and 48-hour challenge event are on our website. https://envirohub.org.nz/programmes/sustainable-art-challenge/

Sustainable Art is the challenge at this year’s event. IMAGES: Supplied.

tre open on November 5th strictly at 7pm, and the band starts at 8pm. The floor is general admission, and tables and chairs are first in, first served, or share with others and meet some new people.

Each ticket includes a $10 food voucher for the numerous food trucks that will be present at the event. These vouchers will be distributed to you on entry.

Additional food and drink will be on sale with an Eftpos and a cash bar available. Please note, this is an R18 event.

Tickets via Eventbrite in advance only.

No tickets will be sold at the door. All funds go back into community initiatives.

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lizardnews.net

Quiz night ongratulations to Alison and Caryn, who organised a fun quiz night at Whakamārama Hall on Saturday 17th September to raise funds for Hall maintenance.

There were many teams dressed up to the theme Mexican Fiesta with the

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Whakamārama Hall regular events Library Thursdays 9am – noon (during term), and every third Friday 6-8.30pm. Visit whakalibrary.librarika.com to see our great range of books. A real eclectic mix!

PrESCHOOL PLayGrOUP Thursdays 9.30-noon (during term time).This is a friendly, free group with a fantastic range of toys and great indoor and outdoor spaces.

Email Dayna, on daynarowe83@hotmail.com for more information.

Help bring back our native birds Join the Friends of The Blade volunteers and adopt a trap line.

CALL COLIN ON 07 552 6771

The end of the line for Zippy

By Noelene Taylor Friends of the Blade

TWiF Thank Whakamārama It’s Friday takes place every 3rd Friday of the month from 68.30pm. Everyone is welcome. Bring your dinner, your family and a bottle or two and enjoy a gathering with neighbours and friends.

Find out what's going on in the community and meet fellow Whakamārama locals.

WHakamārama EmaiLS Community news including lost and found animals, items for sale, excess fruit and vegetables, and rentals wanted. To receive these email Carolyn at rossroad@eol.co.nz

HaLL bOOkiNGS Whakamārama Hall bookings are now available online. To check availability and to make bookings head to spacetoco.com.

Keyword Whakamārama Community Centre.

30

| Lizard News | October 2022

Lizard News team taking out ‘best concept theme’ as the old man napping in amongst cactus ‘I thought you said siesta’. Best-dressed man was Nacho Libre, and best-dressed woman was Frida Kahlo. Thanks to Barbara-Ann Overwater for the photos.

ersistence has paid off for a predator control volunteer from Friends of the Blade care group in his effort to trap a stoat he nicknamed Zippy. The volunteer, Rolly, was determined to catch the female stoat who appeared regularly on his Whakamārama field camera footage over the course of several months. She was so fast and agile that the film of her raids on the bait in his traps seemed to be speeded up; Zippy was the perfect description of her high velocity running, climbing and jumping.

Rolly persevered, keeping his traps loaded with fresh rabbit bait, but could only watch in frustration as, time after time, Zippy carried off the bait while avoiding the business end of the traps.

Until, finally, she didn’t.

Zippy was pregnant with kits and would have continued to breed. A male stoat would have promptly impregnated her again, along with any of her female kits. She would have continued to kill the

P ª ÚÞ Å å ĥ

chicks of native birds to feed herself and her kits. Her species evolved in Europe to survive freezing winters by storing up food. Here, the food supply is available all year, but the habit of killing more than her immediate needs has stayed with her, and she will hunt relentlessly.

Sadly for Zippy, she will not be missed.

The spring breeding time for birds is approaching, and there will be one less predator to attack the eggs, chicks and nesting adults. Friends of the Blade volunteers are preparing traplines and installing new traps to be ready for the new season. Every surviving young bird, every new native seedling, and every thriving population of insects, reptiles or invertebrates will be a win for the biodiversity of the Kaimai-Mamaku.

Anyone who is interested in joining a small and enthusiastic management group or our larger pool of equally enthusiastic predator control volunteers is very welcome to contact us for more information by emailing friendsoftheblade@gmail.com

lizardnews.net

fiesta fun

Community Awards nominations open he awards that recognise the dedication of Western Bay of Plenty’s philanthropic community are back for 2023. Previously known as the TECT Community Awards, the awards return with a new name, the Western Bay Community Awards.

The Bay’s funders, Acorn Foundation, BayTrust, Tauranga City Council, and Western Bay of Plenty District Council, have joined forces with TECT to deliver the awards, further reflecting the collaboration of our region’s local funders.

The Western Bay Community Awards 2023 have been designed to bring together all those who are involved in the not-for-profit sector; to celebrate and acknowledge their incredible community work that is helping make the Western Bay of Plenty one of the greatest places to live.

The event will be hosted online over six weeks from the 30th of January on our Facebook and website, and the winners will be announced at the

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awards ceremony at Baycourt on the 16th of March.

Any not-for-profit organisation or volunteer in the Western Bay of Plenty can be nominated for the Western Bay Community Awards. Groups do not have to have received funding from any of the funders to apply. The Awards are based on activities undertaken in the previous 12 months.

Anyone can make a nomination in any of the six award categories. Nominators do not need to be directly associated with the group/person being nominated.

If in the view of the judges, an entry meets the criteria for consideration under another category, the judges reserve the right to transfer the entry to that category.

The six categories are: Event Excellence Award – recognising an event that has excelled in bringing our community together.

Sustainable Future Award – recognising a group that demonstrates

climate-related practices, either through projects that protect or improve the environment or sustainability-focused thinking and action within the organisation’s operations.

Diversity and Inclusion Award – recognising an innovative initiative which supports diversity and inclusion within our community.

Heart of the Community Award – recognising a group that has gone above and beyond business as usual to support a thriving, caring and connected community.

Youth Spirit Award – recognising an individual under 25 who embodies community spirit through their contribution to the community.

Volunteer of the Year Award – recognising an individual who has made a significant contribution to the community.

A People’s Choice Award will open in February for the general public to vote on their favourite finalist. Additionally, a

Lifetime Service Award winner will be announced on the awards show night.

A panel made up of community representatives judges the entries. The key criteria considered by judges are: Impact on community - benefit of service/project on the wider community; innovation and creativity utilises innovative ideas and new approaches. Effectiveness of activities success of service, achievement or objectives; use of resources - costeffectiveness, sustainability, and volunteering involvement and commitment; and collaboration – evidence of collaboration and partnerships.

Do you know of a not-for-profit organisation or volunteer in the Western Bay working to help the community?

Make sure to get your nominations in to celebrate the amazing mahi of these individuals and groups!

Nominations are now open at www.tect.org.nz/community-awards2023 and close Sunday 30th October

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lizardnews.net

Who do you think you are?

By Liz Farrell or Christmas last year, I bought Ancestry DNA testing kits for myself and Matthew. The results were really interesting but other than a few superficial sweeps of the Ancestry website, we haven’t really taken it further. Potentially we’ll put more time into it later on - when our children are older when we’re working less when other things become lower on the priority list. But ultimately, while I think it would be a cool thing to do, I wouldn’t really know where to start. Ōmokoroa local Lyn Vaughan started hosting genealogy support services once a month at the library, so I spoke with her about what she’s trying to achieve and how easy it might be for a ‘newbie’ to have a crack at looking back at their own history.

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What first interested you in genealogy?

I became interested in genealogy at around 14 or 15 years old when I used the “Look and Learn” children’s magazine to make contact with children in other countries. A girl called Sue, who appeared to be a relative, contacted me from England.

Her aerogramme letter arrived, but was delivered by some officials to my house who explained the letter had been in a fire on a plane and was now rather tatty. As it turned out, the letter was quite burned around the edges and inside was a family tree. Very surreal.

Ever since then, I have been fascinated by the sociological aspect of family trees and have put my own and many others

together using the library, church and Ancestry records to collate my information.

What tools would someone need to begin their own family search?

There are books available that can help you get started, but just knowing your grandparents or great-grandparents can be important if you are keen on a sociological tree. A DNA tree can be a great way to start for those wanting to establish who they really are.

Therefore, you need to have a DNA test done, and once this is complete and the results sent out, you can discover through your DNA connection who your relatives are. Researchers today use this to reinforce their connections. Many adoptive people use their DNA to connect to family members too.

A word of warning, though, unravelling the DNA connections can take many hours of work.

How much does it cost?

It is possible to work from a library for free, but then you need to have your own system for recording the information you find. It can be an expensive exercise to become involved in research, costing about $700 a year for just the access. I only ask for a koha to cover the costs of the room.

It helps if you have a laptop or computer, and joining any of the available genealogical sites will increase your ability to work from the comfort of your home. On the surface, the programmes such as Ancestry, My Heritage and Family Tree maker can look

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| Lizard News | October 2022

Lyn Vaughan is offering Genealogy research support in Ōmokoroa.

straightforward, but with more knowledge, they can become an invaluable tool for success.

Many trees are wrong as people take the superficial road and do not check their information from other sources, so you need to know how to avoid these pitfalls.

Why are you running these groups?

I love to keep busy and love to use my brain to solve mysteries. I am always very pleased for the people who I help as they are super excited about finding out more about who they are. Writing up your own life story can be very fulfilling too, and once again, there can be a process for this.

It is very time-consuming, but imagine the joy of an ancestor to read about your life and who you were 100 years or more

from now. I wish I had known more about the “dash” of my ancestors and not just the years they were born and died.

I would love to be able to use my skills to help others. Many people find their family history quite personal, and I understand that. I do have a very open attitude to all the secrets of the past, though. Some of them are better stories than the books we read!

Lyn is available for genealogy support with research into family history and DNA searches. She will be in the Matakana & Rangiwaea room (downstairs) of the Ōmokoroa Library every third Thursday of the month from 2 to 3pm. One-on-one help is also available at other times. Contact Lyn at lynevaughan@gmail.com or 027 259 6643.

Wear a mask to keep hospital patients safe lease keep wearing a mask when you’re visiting hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

That’s the message from Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty as respiratory diseases continue to place pressure on health resources.

The message comes as declining rates of Covid-19 seem to be creating complacency in our community, including our district’s hospitals.

Chief Operating Officer Bronwyn Anstis says some people are wearing a mask to the hospital entrance, then taking it off after entering.

This risks infecting staff and patients with the flu or Covid-19.

“There are still a lot of respiratory diseases in our community, and some people are carrying the flu or Covid-19 without showing any symptoms,” says Bronwyn.

“Therefore, it’s still really important for people to keep wearing masks in public settings – especially in hospitals and other health care facilities where there are a lot of vulnerable staff and patients.”

Tauranga Hospital and Whakatāne Hospital are both asking visitors to wear a properly fitted mask – and keep it on at all times while in the hospital; wash/sanitise their hands regularly, and keep their distance from other people as

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much as possible.

People who are sick with an infection that can be transmitted to others are also being asked to avoid visiting friends and whānau in hospital.

“Our highest priority is ensuring the safety of our patients and staff,” says Bronwyn.

“Please be kind to our staff if they ask you to wear a mask – they’re doing their best to keep everyone safe.”

Respiratory diseases like Covid-19, the flu and RSV can place a lot of pressure on hospitals – partly because large numbers of patients need care, and partly because staff catch the diseases and cannot work.

Some hospital departments have had more than 10% of their staff on sick leave while caring for large numbers of patients.

These situations have to be managed through measures such as redeploying staff and deferring planned care surgeries.

Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty is prioritising resources to ensure that health care is available to those people who need it most.

The Ministry of Health has published guidelines to help people stay well during the cooler months. Visit https://www.health.govt.nz/ and search ‘stay well’ to read more.

Article supplied.

lizardnews.net

Hauata Palmer; meeting history

By Matthew Farrell auata Palmer of Matakana Island is regarded by some as one of the strongest Māori elders in the Bay of Plenty. When I met this kaumātua of Ngāi Te Rangi iwi by chance last month, I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to request an interview.

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Hauata was receptive to giving me his time. When I talk to someone who I have little in common with, I try to establish trust and show respect.

I wracked my brains for an ice breaker from my handful of marae visits. I recalled when a snowstorm closed the Napier-Taupō highway a few years ago. I was sent by Radio New Zealand to report on how Ngāti Tūwharetoa opened their whare to stranded travellers, fed them and provided a safe, warm place to sleep.

Unlike other reporters, I helped with tables and chairs and washing up.

“To go in and interview people isn’t enough. But to get in among the kuia (female elders) and share the boilup; then people will have confidence in you,” Hauata understood me.

Matakana Island has five hapū, and the potential for five marae. Only two are currently operational, with others in various stages of being rebuilt.

“One is demolished, one is being revived, a third is being refurbished,” he says.

learning from the elders of the time. We had issues with the forestry; I objected to things happening on the island. Sewerage issues with the pipe from Katikati; I took a stand on that. Things like the return of Panepane back to the five hapū (in 2020/21). But I don’t measure it in those terms. You emerge, and other people will do it for you,” he says.

I asked Hauata what the issues are for the next generation.

“Our way of life. We are not the same as the rest of the country. We live as much as possible by Māori tradition. We are connected to the land. We know there is talk of bringing another community onto the island, the same size as ours.

“If you have a community the size of ours, next to ours, they will not become us, but we will become them. It’s colonisation repeating itself. That is my beef about it, and I am very clear about that.

We have been on the land too long, and we are set in our ways, I suppose, but we are also self-regulatory. We look after each other, we discuss the failings of others.

“We keep each other aligned because we are all related, for starters, in our whakapapa (ancestral) way. It is not a control mechanism; it is a regulatory mechanism,’ says Hauata.

I was curious to know how Hauata rose to being acknowledged as a leader among his people, and whether it is a practical role or more of a figurehead.

The population of Matakana Island is about 250-300 people. The economy includes forestry, dairy, kiwifruit, blueberries, avocados, an outside contractor growing maize and a medicinal cannabis growing enterprise, processing in Katikati.

“Kaumātua is a term applied to people when they get old. You are supposed to have wisdom.” There is a twinkle in his eye. “You don’t give yourself mana. It is something other people give you,” he explains.

“The ferry is important, and he (Glen Proctor and family) operates a reliable service. He’s put a lot of work into maintaining continuity. The community uses the barge for shopping, trade, milk supply and the crops I mentioned.”

“Governance is by a team. I suppose our leaders emerge as they do in any society. I don’t know that I am a leader, but I know a lot of stuff, and I stood up for what I was talking about.

Hauata says the return of Panepane Pūrākau over the past couple of years was important as a principle, as important as the land itself.

“On the paepae (a bench on which speakers sit in a meeting house) I was

“A big block was taken in 1923, and a small part was used for a long time. At the other end of the scale, it is low-lying

Local cannabis meds heading online

By Nigel Williams atikati Rotary’s guest speaker on 19th September was Brendon Ogilvy, Commercial Director at Eqalis medicinal cannabis.

Brendon gave us a detailed overview of the development of his new company, based in Marshall Road, Katikati, and showed several short videos.

Eqalis was established in 2019 to bring together everything needed to grow, manufacture and distribute highquality medicinal cannabis to those who need it. This new industry is stringently regulated by Medsafe.

The two species of the cannabis plant with the most medicinal potential are c. indica and c. sativa. The active substances that most affect therapeutic use are CBD and THC (which is well known for its psychoactive effects). The balance

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between these is very important. Other substances with therapeutic potential are turpenes.

At the Marshall Road facility, carefully selected plant clones are propagated to be planted out at secure growing facilities at Matakana Island and near Timaru.

Harvested flowers are processed at Marshall Road, and the active ingredient oils are then distilled for formulating into the final products.

Two of its main uses are to treat chronic pain and epilepsy. Other potential uses are emerging, but a lot of testing is needed before they can be approved.

A major challenge for the industry is to be able to produce effective medicines at affordable prices. To address this, Eqalis is establishing an online clinic to be called RestoreME.

Hauata Palmer arriving home. PHOTO: Matthew Farrell.

land, and global warming will probably catch up with us anyway.

“We have not been compensated for the 90 years. The land was taken for harbour development, but growing pine trees is not harbour development. We challenged that in court, and we lost. We have plans for native trees, but we need something to sustain the block because it costs money to own,” says Hauata.

In the two years since a large forestry fire on the island, it has recovered

substantially, but Hauata says the problem is going to be the continuation of people taking risks during the fire season. “It could have been a piece of glass that started it, but our forestry man is still challenging people with barbeques.”

With that, the ferry arrived at Matakana Island, so we went our separate ways. Hauata handed me an adult return walker’s pass to pay my way home. An educational trip.

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Last chance tour ric Bogle is touring NZ, possibly for the last time, with long-time musical collaborators Pete Titchener (guitar) and Emma Luker (violin). Don’t miss the opportunity to see this legendary songwriter in concert this year.

Eric is a Scottish-born Australian folk singer-songwriter. His songs cover a wide range of subjects, including bright comic songs, satires, protest songs and other serious considerations of the human condition. Some idea of the breadth of his work can be gained from the differing subject matter, ranging from The Aussie Bar-BQ to a homage to Stan Rogers, entitled Safe in the Harbour. One of his most popular songs, Katie and the Dreamtime Land, is a tribute to American folksinger Kate Wolf.

‘And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda’ is perhaps his best-known song, being a

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haunting evocation of the ANZAC experience fighting in the Battle of Gallipoli.

Eric Bogle and friends play Saturday 29th October at the Arts Junction, 35 Main Rd Katikati. Katikati Folk Club doors open at 7:00pm for a 7:30pm concert start. Come early and get a good seat. To enjoy the sounds of Eric Bogle, Peter Titchener, and Emma Luker, members pay only $20 and casual pay $25. We accept Eftpos or cash, or you can buy your ticket on our website. As always, children are free. Membership only costs $10 per person per annum.

During the break, grab yourself a complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits. Or, before the show starts, treat yourself to a wine or beer from our cash bar.

For more information, check out www.katikatifolkclub.co.nz Article supplied.

L-R: Emma Luker, Eric Bovle and Pete Titchener will pay at Katikati Folk Club on 29th October.

PHOTO: Supplied.

Celebration of the best

By Fiona Powell

he 2022 Katikati and Waihī Beach Community Business Award ceremony celebrated the best of the community on Saturday 3rd September.

The Katikati Memorial Hall hosted over 150 people in attendance to recognise the finalists Katikati Memorial Hall hosted over 150 people for the awards and winners in the var- evening. PHOTO: Supplied. ious award categories.

The two Western Bay of Plenty town- recognise those important and hardships combine forces biennially to high- working groups and individuals. The light outstanding locals, organisations theme this year has been resilience, and and businesses in the region. Waihī these two communities have shown it in Beach strives to be the best seaside vil- bucket loads.”

The Business Excellence Award and lage in New Zealand, and Katikati is overflowing with the arts and recognised the Environmental and Sustainable Excellence Award were judged by a panel as the Avocado Capital of New Zealand.

Voting for the ten People’s Choice including James Denyer, Peter HughesAward categories opened in early July, Hallett and Don Mossop, who all have along with judging for the Business Ex- backgrounds in corporate and public cellence and Environmental and Sustain- service organisations. “Celebrating busiable Excellence Judged Awards. The ness excellence is vitally important to the community voted enthusiastically this well-being of communities – it encouryear, says Vicki Lambert of Waihī Beach ages innovation and on-going improveCommunity Events & Promotions, joint ment and recognises the passion of the organisers of the event with Katch owners and the importance of local busiKatikati. “We received more votes in the nesses as employers,” says Don. “The first week of voting in 2022 than the en- standard of entries in this year’s awards tire number of votes received for the was extraordinarily high, and the finalists in each category were incredibly dif2020 awards.”

The awards ceremony was a spectacu- ficult to separate.

“A number of businesses have demonlar event with a real community flavour.

“It’s been a long, tough two years, and we strated remarkable resilience to bounce really wanted the awards ceremony to back quickly from the difficult business be a night to remember,” says Vicki. The environment of the past two years. This Katikati Memorial Hall was transformed resilience was attributable to the passion into a magical space by event organisers and drive of the owners and their willand included foliage beautifully crafted ingness to adopt business management tools to assist their decision-making.” by the Katikati Floral Art Group.

BeeNZ from Katikati took out the winAttendees enjoyed music from the Auckland-based 2 Fold duo, beverages ner of the Business Excellence Award from the Cider Factorie and catering with their key strengths being the family from Katikati College. “The collaboration values-based culture of the business, with the college gave credits to the stu- that they are a living wage employer, and dents while also giving financial support their recent B Corp certification.

Surf Shack Eatery from Waihī Beach to the school,” says Vicki. “Guests enjoyed a delicious array of canapes, fol- was the winner of the Environmental lowed by a Tuscan style dinner and and Sustainable Excellence Award with dessert; all coordinated and served by their unrivalled commitment to sustainKatikati students and overseen by Karyn able practices throughout their business, Williams, Katikati College Technology/ including their carbon-neutral status.

Ten People’s Choice awards were preHospitality Teacher.”

MC Jolene James from The Breeze sented, ranging from individual and kicked off the evening by reminding the community volunteers, sports and arts audience of the theme of the awards - re- to business retail, service and tourism, silience - and how businesses and the with each award supported by a local community have really supported each business sponsor.

Both Katch Katikati and Waihī Beach other throughout Covid. “A tremendous amount of passionate work goes in be- Events and Promotions thank sponsors hind the scenes of all our wonderful for their support of the successful event, communities and business organisa- which has received overwhelmingly postions. These awards are a chance to itive feedback from the community.

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Category winners

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE BeeNZ ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY EXCELLENCE Surf Shack Eatery People’s Choice awards

SPORTS COACH OF THE YEAR Lance Campbell SPORTS TEAM OF THE YEAR Waka Ama Crew - Whaitere Gold

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| Lizard News | October 2022

SERVICE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR The Pet Place

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Common Ground Cafe RETAIL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Beach Butchery TOURISM BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Athenree Hot Springs and Holiday Park VOLUNTEER ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR Waipuna Hospice VOLUNTEER INDIVIDUAL Michael Meade BEST ARTS INDIVIDUAL: Jess Ellis BEST SPORTS INDIVIDUAL Gemma Groenewald

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Forward thinking Fridays

By Kylie Chambers Teacher he middle school has begun a class rotation as part of their Forward Thinking Fridays at Te Puna School this term. The three classes are mixed it’s a great opportunity for the children to build friendships with peers and learn new skills.

Miss Green is showing the students how to make tracking tunnels which use peanut butter as the bait. Using ink, they can deduce what animal has walked through the tunnel by identifying their footprints. Children have placed their tracking tunnels around the school where they think there will be lots of activity. This has caused great excitement and nervousness when they discover the bait is gone.

To collect more data on the predators living around our school, the children have recently attached chew cards (once again, using peanut butter as the bait) to trees. After a week, the cards will be checked. Chew cards show evidence of predators such as rats, mice or possums, unlike the tracking tunnels, which caught everything that moved at ground level.

Mr Arthur is showing the students the science of a camera and what makes an effective photo. The first group was out last week with the cameras, taking a bunch of different types of shots. Ms Shilling is teaching students the elements of dance, dance techniques and

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Te Puna School AIMS Games team in their spectacular custom hoodies. PHOTO: Supplied.

dance vocabulary. Students are working in pairs and small groups to create dance sequences of their own.

After two years of Covid-related postponement, our students were involved in the AIMS games - participating in the sports of cross country, badminton and table tennis. This gave our students a full week of competing, improving their

Are you going down the bank soon?

skills, meeting new people and learning about managing timetables.

Most students had games from Monday through Friday and played in a range of singles, doubles and mixed doubles contests. It was great to see so many improving over the week and go into higher grades for the knockout scenarios. Lots of students made the semi-finals in their respective grades, and two children competed in the finals for badminton. These results were very pleasing, especially

when you consider that our hall has been unavailable for training.

Our children looked particularly impressive in their hoodies, donated by John Mamea Wilson of the Seki Group.

Students had input into the design and were keen to have the school values visible, which you can see on the arms and at the back of the hoodie.

This was an awesome opportunity for our Year 7 and 8 children. We look forward to next year.

EXCELLENCE BY EXPERIENCE

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climate change happens, with its increased rainfall in our own area, the soil will begin to move here again. There is likely potential for more slips along Bramley Drive and Harbour View Road, and Ōmokoroa Road, among many others in our region.

There are probably things that you and your neighbour can do to stabilise your properties to lessen the risk of their sliding down onto the road, to the water’s edge - or on top of your neighbour.

Waikato University geologists have been digging into our soils, and one of them is keen - and able - to inform you further of the practical steps that you might take to reduce the risks of your moving house – unintentionally.

Please indicate your interest in hearing more on this subject. If there are enough of us to warrant it, we will call in this geologist for a discussion and advice at a local venue in the next month or so.

Probably with a door charge to pay for their time. To log your interest, please go to: https://tinyurl.com/3rfxfv82

We have markets for most species of trees.

For an evaluation on your trees call Pete.

C2106kdbax(b)

By Stuart Reid magine a layered cake with cream between the layers. Now prop it up on one side and watch the layers start to slide sideways. This cake is made of earth, and your house is on top of it. The location is a place called Ōmokoroa. Ōmokoroa’s soils have been created in layers by the volcanic eruptions of Taupō, Rotoehu, Hamilton, Mayor Island, and Edgecumbe. The soil layers are called tephras and, in our case, contain a particularly slippery ash called halloysite that gets skiddier as its water content increases. So, our houses are built over potentially slippery layers of this material, and the Earth’s geological forces have folded and shaped them and tipped them and moved them. A geologist will tell it just like this.

In Nelson very recently, we watched houses and banks, and cliffs, all slip and slide downwards, while they didn’t even have the added lubricant of halloysite layers. They just had heavy, sustained rain, and their soils began to move. As

The slip below McDonnell Street after the 2017 event. PHOTO: Murray Grainger.

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Wonder women of Ōmokoroa

Students starstruck

by Steamers

By Todd Burton hree squad members from the Bay of Plenty (BOP) Steamers Provincial Rugby made their way to Ōmokoroa No.1 School on Friday 16th September to run a skills session with 20 or so Year 5 to 8 students.

The special event was organised by Warren Broadmore and Ollie Tarawa Bailey from McFall Fuel, a major sponsor of the BOP Steamers.

The Steamers players were Josh Bartlette (Prop), Melani Nanai (Winger), Kitiona Vai (Flanker).

Most of the students involved were Saturday rugby players so had some strong foundational skills already.

The boys and girls participated in a few drills, played a game of touch rugby and finished the physicalities with a quick game of bullrush. The afternoon

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A selection of MenzShed items on display during September. PHOTO: Supplied.

By Alison Badger he clocks have changed, which means spring is here, so can summer be far behind?

We had a great September display from the guys; now, October is when we focus on the ladies.

Our October display will again support Breast Cancer Awareness, and what better way to celebrate our womenfolk than to feature ‘Wonderful Women who have Changed the World’ and whilst we will include the obvious – Kate Sheppard, for example – we are also celebrating our very own Ōmokoroa wonder women – women who not only fulfil the traditional roles – wife, mother, sister, aunt, etc. – but contribute in other ways to the betterment of our community. These may be businesswomen who have bravely taken a leap of faith and set up shop in these uncertain times, to those women who give of their time supporting voluntary groups and helping the less privileged.

Clearly, we will not have included every-

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one who would deserve to have a place in our gallery, so come in and tell us so that we can be sure to include them next time.

We will again be supporting Project Uplift, so bring us your new and nearly new bras to be sent to those who need them. We are also collecting toiletries etc. to give to the Women’s Refuge to support their work.

Women deserve to be celebrated for their extraordinary contributions to society, remarkable triumphs and unmatched fearlessness. Despite gender inequalities across all sectors, women continue to thrive and beat the odds.

A couple of quotes from two women who would appear to be polar opposites: “Strong women don’t have attitudes, we have standards.” - Marilyn Monroe.

“If you want something said, ask a man: If you want something done, ask a woman. “ - Margaret Thatcher.

Contact Alison on 021 294 9294 for more information.

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| Lizard News | October 2022

ended with a Q&A session followed by autographs, photographs and the handing out of some posters and other Steamers merchandise.

The students left buzzing. Year 8 student Mike Graham (also known as Big Mike) summed up the afternoon: “It was awesome!”

Putting the training into practice. PHOTOS: Supplied.

Take the hard work out of your paperwork

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Squad members signed autographs for the students afterwards.

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Huge hike in Regional Council rates for some

By Diane McCarthy ore than 5000 people’s Bay of Plenty Regional Council rates will be significantly different from last year. Differences representing an increase of more than 40 percent have been calculated for some ratepayers, while the Regional Council says others will be paying less.

It says the increases are due to historical undercharging on the part of the Dis-

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trict and City Councils, which have invoiced rates on behalf of the Regional Council previously.

This huge jump in rates may surprise some ratepayers, as rate rises indicated in the Regional Council’s annual plan signalled a total average rate increase of 2.2 percent, which included a general rates increase of 5.8 percent. Recent property revaluations carried out in Tauranga City Council and Kawerau District Council Districts, it warned, would also impact the final rate.

Since it was established in 1989, the Regional Council’s rates have been invoiced and collected by the seven District and City Councils within the Bay of Plenty region. This year, it has decided to carry out its own invoicing and rates collection, so ratepayers will receive separate invoices from their District Council

Caribbean rounds off winter wins

and the Regional Council. The Regional Council says this would allow them to be more transparent and accountable for the work they did.

Letters have been sent out to ratepayers to explain the change and the Regional Council’s website provides a database on which people can search for their rates information, including total rates to be paid this year, along with a detailed breakdown of general and targeted rates, and the amount paid last year.

At least one Whakatāne resident’s Regional Council rates had increased from $262.36 in 2021-22 to $377.36 in 202223, an increase of $115. The Regional Council’s chief financial officer, Kumaren Perumal, told Local Democracy Reporting in a written statement that the discrepancies found in 5144 properties out of the 147,000 rating units throughout the region were due to incorrect application by City and District Councils to the Regional Council’s rating factors. “In setting up our new rates service, we performed a series of integrity checks to ensure that our technology system replicated the rates calculation results the territorial authorities across the region had assessed for the previous (2021/22) rating year. These checks were done to ensure that our system performed as expected, in readiness for the 2022/23 rating year.

“The process confirmed a 99.96 percent match against the rates collected by the City and District Councils. It also revealed just over 5000 properties where the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s rating factors had been incorrectly applied.

This has resulted in both over- and under-charging of regional rates for affected properties across the region for the 2021/22 rating year.”

Mr Perumal says there were three main reasons for the errors. Incorrect area limits were being used for river scheme rates, an incorrect river scheme rate was being applied, and incorrect treatment of rate charges were being applied to rating apportionments.

“The benefits for collecting our rates ourselves include greater control and consistency over the rates collection process for the region,” he says. Mr Perumal says ratepayers who had been historically undercharged could rest assured that recovery of historical rates would not be sought, however, the correct rate charge for affected properties would take effect from this rating year.

For property owners who were overcharged, legislation required rates to be reassessed for the current year and up to five rating years prior and would result in a credit being applied to the ratepayers’ rates account. “The rates team will be contacting ratepayers who are impacted before invoices are sent out. If ratepayers have questions or concerns on this matter, they should visit our website to check their rates for 2022/23 via our property search function or call our dedicated rates phone number 0800 BOP RATES (0800 267 728).”

The Regional Council were not able to provide information about the total amount of rates it had undercharged for over the past five years before this story was published. Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.

Caribbean finishes and takes both series’ honours. PHOTO: Supplied.

By John Budden Sailing Convenor t last, we had a day that resembled the forecast: relatively fine, a wind from the West, a calm sea with high tide at about 14.00 and 1.7m of water.

The course was designed to test the sailors and the breeze. Starting at D off Ōmokoroa Point, down channel to Western C off Motuhoa, turn there and sail to Western E off the Point, turn again to Pahoia 1, turn there, head towards D, then veer down the Ōmokoroa Channel to finish off at the Boat Club deck.

Five yachts signed on, Caribbean, Invincible, Loch Mara, Kōnini and Piccaninny, and we headed for the start line.

There was quite a breeze at the line. Piccaninny had an owner’s problem with a bungee over the mast track so withdrew and acted as the start boat.

At 11.44, the siren blew. Caribbean timed it well despite Invincible being close by, Loch M serenely sailed up, but Kōnini was on a scenic tour.

Down Channel they flew, looking good,

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then Caribbean hoisted the kite. On Pic we foretold problems, and then there was a majestic broach! Recovery was instant, and on they sailed. By now, Pic was back at the pontoon, so we only saw the fleet turn back up channel.

Apparently, one yacht mistook E for F, which made things interesting. The Pahoia reach was fun, and we then saw the lead yacht clear Ōmokoroa Point. It was Caribbean. The wind shadow off the point added to the incoming tide and slowed things down, but Caribbean finished first at 12.49.24.

Then came Kōnini, revelling in a strong breeze to be second at 12.56.02. A huge surprise to watchers and the crew was Loch M ripping down channel to be third at 12.56.39, and fourth was Invincible at 12.57.06. The ladies did well to recover after a wind loss off the point. Well done all.

Caribbean won the Winter series on Line and Handicap, Invincible was second on Line and third on Handicap, Kōnini was third on Line and second on Handicap and Loch Mara was fourth on both.

Roll on the summer series.

October 2022 | Lizard News |

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No. 1 School speech competition

By Sue Morgan-French fter weeks of production practice, it was over, and our children were straight into speech competitions.

Our in-school speeches were of a very high standard. These children are amaz-

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ing and they are all developing a great skill!

The results of our school competition are, Y3/4: 1st Alice Gunter - Coral Reefs; 2nd April Fergus - Tsunamis; 3rd Lucy Allport - Bones; 4th Madeline

Year 3-4 winners. PHOTOS: Supplied.

Goldsmith - Bacteria.

Y5/6: 1st Meg Hunter - Youngest Children; 2nd Nayul Kim - Emotions; 3rd Charlotte Cockerill - Sayings; 4th Annie Locke - Bullying.

Y7/8: 1st Danika Burgham - Mistakes;

Year 5-6 winners.

2nd Gem Gamble - Criminals; 3rd Scott Lawrence - Vaping; 4th Gareth Willats Gaming.

Highly Commended: Alex Cutfield Fishing.

Congratulations to all.

Year 7-8 winners.

Love Tennis a success

By Therese Temple he only dampener to this great event was the rain (excuse the pun). The courts were buzzing with mums and dads and lots of kids to the extent that people were playing tennis on the outside of the white line area of the courts.

It was great to see so many people enjoying having a

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New club shirts will soon be available.

hit. Looks like tennis in our region is well and truly alive. Bring on the new tennis courts. The day would have continued in this way, we are sure, but the rain arrived, and everyone disappeared into the mist. Even our committed coach, Peter O’Dea, had to give in after getting soaked. Thanks for hanging in there, Pete.

The day was a success, and we hope those that came to the courts enjoyed their time with us. If you signed up with the app, you will be in the draw to win a trip to the ASB Classic in Auckland.

You will soon be able to order our snazzy new club shirts on club spark. There are men’s, ladies’ and children’s t-shirts and women’s and children’s singlet tops.

Details for members will be through shortly. Ōmokoroa Community Tennis Club is growing, and we are always enthusiastic about new people joining and getting involved with their club. Lots will be happening over the next six months, so keep your eyes tuned to our club and public newsletters. Remember

The courts were buzzing during Love Tennis. PHOTOS: Supplied.

everyone, even non-members, can play by booking via our website: Omokoroatennis.com Club days are Saturday from 2pm, Tuesday and Wednesday from 6pm. Ladies’ singles is on Friday from 9am.

Enjoy the longer days and sunshine coming.

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A focus on movement

Pete Dobson

Bruce Thomson

Dick Melchelse

n the evening of Tuesday the 13th of September, members of the Ōmokoroa Photo Club came together in the usual place at the Ōmokoroa Pavilion in Western Avenue to review the images captured for this month’s theme of ‘movement’. Many great nature images were submitted with flowing water in rivers, streams, and waterfalls.

Others took the approach of photographing moving vehicles such as cars, bikes and even trains, so there was plenty of variety on the night for this topic.

As each image is shown up on the screen, there is a quick discussion about its merits and how it fits with the current theme. If any obvious improvements are noticed (which is most of the time), then these are suggested before moving on to the next image. By doing this with everyone’s images, we all learn a bit about composition, colour, angles, and the many other things that make up a good image.

One of the benefits of having a different theme each month is that it encourages everyone to try something new with their camera. These monthly themes are helping our members in two ways.

Firstly, it forces everyone to think a little bit about different topics month after month so that we each learn more about the style of photography that appeals to each of us as individuals.

The second thing is that because we need to think a bit about the theme and decide on the best way to capture such a shot, we all learn a little bit more about how our cameras work by understanding what our cameras are capable of.

Both of these points are important for growing and having fun as a photographer.

Next month’s theme is ‘architecture’, which is new to most of us. Lucky for us, though, we happen to have one professional in our midst that has had many years experience as a real estate photographer.

To kick things off on the ‘architecture’ theme - ‘Pete the Pom’ showed some of his images from both here as well as overseas and discussed each one in detail. He explained the history behind

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Jeff Martin

Christina Cleaver

Anne Tjaberings

Bevan Collings

Evelyn Hoddinott

each shot and took the time to explain how and why he ended up with his final image.

We are all now mulling over camera angles, camera height and perspective as we contemplate what ‘architecture’ images we might take for next month’s dis-

cussion to be held on the 11th of October at 7pm at the Ōmokoroa Pavilion.

If you would like to learn a bit about your camera and what it’s capable of, then why don’t you join us for a casual and fun evening.

Article and photos supplied.

PURAN BHAG SINGH For Omokoroa Community Board

Together let’s make a difference .

I am delighted to stand for the Omokoroa Community Board. I have lived in New Zealand for 30 years, of which most of the time I have lived in the Bay. My reputation of working with people and for people is extensive. I have run a vast number of businesses in the Bay across various industries and been active as a community leader advocating for strong community values. I myself have faced the challenges that have occurred during COVID-19 times.

My family and I have provided food support for people in need during these difficult years. Safety is my concern, and there is a need for a presence of police and/or police stations in Omokoroa. We need to support family and small business to keep them safe.

The development of Omokoroa is so important. I am an active member of the Omokoroa Ratepayers Association, and I want to listen and help make a positive difference. It is a privilege to be able to stand, and I seek your support.

1. I will be a strong voice to upgrade SH2 from Te Puna to Omokoroa, plus the Omokoroa intersection.

2. I will advocate for a greater Police presence in the community to support a healthier, safer Omokoroa.

3. I will be a voice to support small businesses in the community to thrive.

4. I will advocate for sporting facilities to be enhanced, including the development of the Omokoroa Tennis Club.

5. I will listen and act according to the needs of our community.

Authorised by Puran Bhag Singh 42 Silkwood Way Tauriko

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Pahoia School

By Juanita Meder hen the whole school gets involved in a fun theme, it’s always a good day, and this year’s Bad Hair Day was no exception. We were treated to an array of many and varied hair designs, including pencils sticking out of a topknot, green grass complete with insects and as well as cupcakes sprouting from the top of a head! Dressing in mufti as opposed to wearing a school uniform also added to the day’s festive feel.

Students in our Kaimai, Waipapa and Aongatete pods took part in Funky Fun Sports Days at Baypark TECT Arena and fully immersed themselves in the organised activities. With a focus on learning new skills while having fun, Funky Fun Day is always a popular trip.

Performing in front of a full house at Baycourt is a very daunting prospect, but our school choir did us proud. The Tauranga Primary Schools’ Music Festival Society’s presentation ‘Aotearoa’ brought together schools from throughout Tauranga, of which four performed alongside Pahoia School on the Friday night of the Festival. Soloists showcased their talent alongside both schools singing their chosen songs and the massed choir songs. What a fabulous night it was!

This year’s Pahoia School Agricultural and Gala Day is being held on Saturday 29th October. Calves, lambs, kid goats and chickens are being reared, edible gardens and hanging baskets are growing, and many other projects are being planned. These include floral arranging, wearable art, bug hotels, tiny landscapes,

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photography, cupcake decorating and cooking creations. Gala stalls include games with loads of prizes, a bake sale, raffles, a dunk tank and a huge secondhand book stall. Come and join in the fun.

Browse through the books, then enjoy lunch from one of the many food stalls.

Follow us on Facebook if you would like to see more of what we get up to.

The school choir on stage at Baycourt during Tauranga Primary Schools’ Music Festival. PHOTOS: Supplied

RSA welfare matters

By John Dallimore ocal RSAs provide welfare services to assist ex-services personnel, whether or not they are members of their local RSA association. The primary focus of the RSA organisation is to provide welfare support to those that have served their country through the Armed Services.

RSAs rely on donations to help support our ex- and current personnel, veterans and their respective families. It is not commonly known, but we are creating more veterans today than at any time since World War 2. Of the 41,000 veterans in New Zealand today, 30,000 have served since the end of the Vietnam War (i.e. three-quarters of our returned population). Our service population is estimated at 100,000 since the end of World War 2.

The RSA support for our younger and older RSA members and their families is

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Insects in the grass in this Bad Hair Day style.

through the provision of non-government funded support that assists individuals and families to maintain their quality of life (i.e. health and well-being).

The RSA National Office administers several trusts and funds for the purposes of supporting returned and service personnel. The guiding principle behind the granting of financial assistance is “need”.

Support is also available through Veterans Affairs.

The local RSA Poppy Trusts have the same criteria as the RNZRSA Trusts and can be used for the same purposes. Local RSA support advisors are available to assist in answering any questions service and returned personnel may have about RSA support services, and they also maintain regular contact with those who are receiving support services.

If you wish to join the local RSA, the contact details are Katikati RSA 021 0831 9481, Waihī Beach RSA 07 863 5688.

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By Fiona Powell Katch Katikati

Dreaming of Summer?

The region’s favourite summer event, the Katikati Avocado Food and Wine Festival, will be happening on Saturday, 14th January 2023, at the Uretara Domain from noon til 6pm. As well as live music from Boom Boom Deluxe, The Lady Killers and The Jordan Luck Band, there are also cooking demonstrations and food and wine vendors, plus a fun playground for the kids. Mark your diary now for a fabulous afternoon of entertainment and food suitable for the whole family. Grab your early bird tickets today for just $45 (save $10) from www.katikatiavofest.co.nz.

Focus on Katikati around New Zealand screening the Show Me Shorts Film Festival during October.

Each session includes eight short international and national movies running from four to 19 minutes long, so there’s lots of variety for the audience. Katikati’s screenings are on Saturday 8th at 6.30pm and Monday 10th at 1.30pm with ‘The Sampler’ (cinematic highlights from the festival that will make you laugh or gasp) and Sunday 23rd at 1.30pm with ‘The Cost of Progress’ (which asks what price are we willing to pay for economic and technological advancement). Tickets are available from The Arts Junction or online at www.TheArtsJunction.org.nz.

New Zealand’s biggest little film festival The boutique and stylish Junction Theatre in Katikati is one of 30 cinemas

Waihī Beach Menz Shed

By Bob Firth Secretary am continually amazed at the generosity of our shedders and our supporters keen to get on with it. Every day, someone comes forward to help us in some way. The shed is moving along fast now and looking good.

A big day we have been waiting for since before Christmas last year; we have water and sewerage connected. A big thank you to Pete Brambell for his help with this. All the mod cons now. Thanks to all the other helpers also.

Delivery was arranged for our first new workbench. Thanks, guys. The workbench is fantastic, well built and thought out. The bench was designed and built by our shed designer Devon Brooks. A big thank you to Devon and Lynn for a donation in excess of $500 to complete this important shed asset.

Lance Walker is your new coffee maker this week. He will guide you through the art of drinking coffee and having a chat at the same time, thanks Lance, for being the first to put your hand up. We also have John Course waiting in the wings to take over. This commitment is great. Our kitchen has had a spruce up and is ready to go thanks to Phil. If any shedder can donate coffee mugs, plates, tea towels, teaspoons etc. we could use some more.

Carters Contractors Waihī very generously donated free cartage for our second container of wood delivered recently. Warren Carter is the man. If any shedder needs cartage, please contact him on 863 7070. We need to support our supporters. Thanks also to Phil Bowyer for making this possible.

We have been on the lookout for a Shed tool manager. The job entails sorting through all our donated tools, discarding the inferior items and generally keeping an eye on their condition and well-being.

We have been donated steel shelving

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Craft a Christmas Tree It’s time to embrace the festive spirit and start getting creative for your entry in the Upcycled Christmas Tree Competition. Make a tree of recycled materials for display in The Arts Junction that’s interesting and engaging for visitors to enjoy during the festive season and you could win cash for your school, club, organisation or business. The tree judged the best wins $100, and the people’s choice winner receives $50. Deliver and set up your tree at The Arts Junction by Monday 14th November to be in to win.

Get Your Groove On The live music scene is certainly coming alive again after lots of cancellations due to Covid, with Katikati fortunate to be visited by three bands over three weeks at the end of October. First up is Bay of Plenty-based Kokomo, a longstanding Kiwi blues and roots group playing on Saturday the 22nd; the following weekend, the internationally known and respected songwriter Australian Eric Bogle with Emma Luker and Pete Titchener is playing on Saturday 29th. Lastly, Mike Garner’s Ragtime Washboard Kings with pre-war blues, ragtime, burlesque and original music will entertain audiences on Thursday 3rd November. All bands are playing at The Arts Junction with the same start time of 7.30pm. PHOTOS: Supplied.

J ULIAN F ITTER for BoP Regional Council Come and see the new bench; it’s a work of art.

PHOTO: Supplied.

by Pete Drummond. We need a dust extractor machine urgently, Mike TePunia has put his hand up to help us with this.

The filing cabinet is all fixed thanks to John Course. I’ll be able to fill it with papers now.

We still have some outstanding job sheets which need to be uplifted and completed. Volunteers for this work, please. Jobs include cleaning the donated BBQ and de-rust and painting the donated shelving. Not great work, I know, but someone must have spare time on their hands.

We are now taking registrations due for formal membership. Subs are $15 and can be paid into our bank account.

Subs are for half a year only, and you will be financial until 15/3/23.

You will then be permitted to use the shed and its machinery and equipment.

Lastly: jobs, projects, and work to be done. We are in business, up and running and keen to get our teeth into any jobs we can do to help you, a neighbour, friends or family. We have a wealth of talent waiting. Please contact our shed manager Michael Bonnici on 021 706 240.

The shed’s a great place to be.

Healthy wildlife Healthy rivers Healthy communities

VOTE FOR A

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Housing and roading hot topics at mayoral debate

By Alisha Evans Local Democracy Reporter alisha@thesun.co.nz ousing, roading and what councils will look like in the future are the top issues facing the Western Bay of Plenty, according to the mayoral hopefuls. The question was posed at the Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s mayoralty debate on the evening of Thursday 1st September.

The evening was held at the University of Waikato’s Tauranga campus and hosted by SKY Sport broadcaster Kirstie Stanway. She quizzed the eight candidates on the top three issues facing the Western Bay, partnership with Māori, leadership style and how to ensure all voices in the district were heard.

The candidates in the spotlight were current councillors James Denyer, Don Thwaites, and John Scrimgeour, and newcomers Suaree Borell, Mark Boyle, Paul Haimona, Rodney Joyce and Hori BOP Leaming.

To start the night, outgoing mayor Garry Webber addressed the candidates.

Webber said he and the previous mayor Ross Patterson had “put Western Bay in a strong place” and he hoped whoever took over would “continue that performance of taking us forward”.

“The process you’re going through now is politics, getting yourself elected, but the process you will walk into is governance. It is about governing a team of, some would say, disparate individuals to try and get them heading roughly in the same direction. And rest assured, democracy is not a skill test.”

Candidates were then given one minute to introduce themselves before Stanway posed the first question: “What do you see as the top three issues facing the Western Bay of Plenty district right

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The eight candidates were grilled by broadcaster Kirstie Stanway at the Western Bay mayoral debate. PHOTO: Alisha Evans/Sun Media.

now, and how do you propose we fix those?” Each person was given 90 seconds to answer each question and had the chance to be the first one to answer throughout the course of the debate.

Boyle answered the Western Bay was an “aspirational place to live” with “very strong economic drivers”.

Denyer said the top three issues were housing, transport, and government reform. “There’s obviously a housing shortage and affordability problems there.”

Haimona said his issue was “slavery” in the Kiwifruit industry where there were recognised seasonal employees who were living in buildings with 10 other people in bunks. “It’s not comfortable at their home, so it’s slavery I’m going to impact.”

Joyce listed the top three issues as rates, Three Waters and open governance and humility. “We need to balance rates and investment, there’s no doubt about that. We can’t stop investing, but we need a better balance.”

Leaming’s top three were housing and roading, communication within the community and building an events stadium in the Western Bay. “One of the most important roads to deal with at the moment is State Highway 29, to get traffic through to the Port [of Tauranga].” Scrimgeour said the biggest issues were housing, roading and jobs. “We have huge issues in terms of people sleeping on the streets, living in sub-standard accommodation, in their cars and all those things.

Thwaite’s issues were “external influences”, transport and housing. He said the external influences involved the

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Future for Local Government Review, Three Waters Reform and RMA reform. “I propose to elevate housing to a full committee of council.”

Borell rounded out this question with her issues of housing and roading and the Future for Local Government review.

“I take a view that, that [review] will involve a constitutional lens and that I will be well placed to guide this council on how we might undertake that.”

In terms of diversity, candidates were asked what they would do in their role as mayor to ensure council was catering to the diverse needs of the community. Haimona, who is Māori and of Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Mākino and Ngāti Pikiao descent, said the answer was to be inclusive. “Don’t ostracise people include them in the community,” he said. Borell said, “Diversity is about understanding the complimentary ways rather than the contradictory ways that people work to-

Is U3A for you?

By Christine Donehue o you want to know what U3A is all about? Do you want to know the wide range of small groups that are thriving in our community?

Maybe you have your own passion that you would like to share. With a small, lively group, of friends you haven’t met yet.

Come along to the next monthly meeting of the Katikati U3A. Find out

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what it’s all about.

It takes place on Wednesday 5th October at The Hub, (beside the Katikati Library,) from 9.45 to noon. A gold coin donation helps cover costs. Morning tea and a chance to mix and mingle, follows the first lively, short talk by one of our members.

Our guest, Noeline Campbell, will speak about life in Kazakhstan.

For further information, visit u3atauranga.kiwi.nz and search ‘Katikati’.

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gether” and she would bring diversity to council “just by her existence”. “I am female. I am Māori. I am currently in a relationship of 15 years with a woman. I am everything that other candidates are not.” She is the only woman standing for the mayoralty position.

The other candidates spoke of listening to the whole community and meeting them where they are. Leaming said: “You have to take the people with you, otherwise you’ve lost from the get-go”. Joyce said: “Humility comes to mind, talk with people, listen to people”.

Finishing the evening was a round of quickfire questions where the hopefuls had to answer yes or no. Each candidate was given different questions from the set.

The debate was livestreamed and is still available on the councils’ Generation change website. Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.

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Rotary Katikati recognises local businesses

By John Strongman he ongoing Rotary project of recycling old batteries, in partnership with local garages and auto-electrical shops in Katikati, was acknowledged at the Rotary Katikati Club meeting on 22nd August.

The project originated in 1995, and today, three garages and Allan Crapp’s Auto Electrical Services continue to collect old batteries, which Rotary Katikati Club stores then despatch overseas through Metalco in Tauranga, where the lead is recycled.

This project continues to be a significant income stream for our club, with the bulk of the proceeds gifted back to the Katikati Community and our Club’s International Projects combined with Rotary International Grants to the Pacific and, more recently, Ukraine.

Our Club recognised the efforts of two local businesses by awarding Michael (Mick) Dean-Freeman of Auto Super Shoppe and Allan Crapp of Auto Electrical Services a Paul Harris Fellowship award each for their outstanding contribution.

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Rotary established the Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) recognition in 1957 to show appreciation for exceptional Club or Community Service.

The honour was named after Chicago attorney Paul Harris (1868-1947), founder of Rotary, in 1905.

In the fifty-plus years of operating, the Rotary Club of Katikati has only awarded five Paul Harris Fellowships to non-Rotarians.

Patrick and Margaret Dean-Freeman, Mick’s parents, and Katikati Auto Super Shoppe’s current franchise owners, have supported the project since purchasing the business some 22 years ago.

Rotary Katikati members Hugh Morison and Rod Calver have coordinated this project and conservatively estimate that more than $250,000 has been gifted back to our community since 1995. They encourage citizens needing replacement batteries for their vehicles, boats, motorhomes, etc., to support this project by taking them to these businesses.

Recently Sheffield Street Automotive and Northern Automotive have joined this project.

The new plan for Wilson Park reserving precious pōhutukawa trees, upgrading wharepaku (toilets) and adding power for events are all part of the plan for Waihī Beach’s Wilson Park.

The new concept plan for the threehectare park was adopted by Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s Policy Committee following a rich kōrero with the community on what they use and value the park for.

Policy Committee chair, Mayor Garry Webber says the community were very open about their love for the park and what facilities should be there.

“This park is beloved by the community for all that it offers people – it’s an open canvas for them to do what they enjoy.

“So we will be protecting the open space and adding a few small amenities to ensure the space continues to serve a wide range of people.”

The ‘concept plan’ represents the community and Council’s agreement on how Wilson Park should be developed in the future. It’s based on what the community have told Council they want at the park.

Throughout our kōrero, the community mentioned the wide range of people

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Mick Dean-Freeman being presented the PHF award by our 2022/2023 Club President, John Bothwell. Mick’s father Pat proudly looks on. PHOTO: Supplied.

Tamariki and public safety to benefit from new CCTV locations

who use Wilson Park – dog walkers, slow-paced people watchers and thrillseeking kids riding bikes down the hill.

They made it clear that this space means something different to everyone in the community, and the new concept plan will protect that.

Council has also added rubbish bins, dog poo bins, a drinking water station, seating and bike racks to the plans based on the community’s requests. They will also ensure new plantings for shade don’t impact the views from surrounding properties, and improve the entranceway.

Mayor Garry says, “Many thanks to everyone who helped us shape the plan.

We received really fantastic and constructive feedback from our community, and it’s helped make this plan a real success.”

The next step to get these plans in motion will see funding sought through the 2023/24 Annual Plan. The total costings for the concept plan are $460,000 (depending on final specifications).

Read the decision story and see the final concept plan online at haveyoursay.westernbay.govt.nz/wilsonpark Article supplied.

our new locations, including two near schools, will benefit from added security thanks to the latest round of Western Bay’s CCTV fund.

For the last two years, residents have been invited to apply to Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s CCTV fund for purchasing new CCTV cameras to help secure shared spaces across the rohe. The $50,000 fund runs for three years (total $150,000), with the last year being 2023.

Council’s Operations Manager, Kerrie Little, sat on the decision-making panel.

She says the fund is designed to help keep people feel safe.

“Two of the newly approved CCTV locations are near schools in Katikati and Waitangi, so we’re putting some of this fund toward giving whānau, their tamariki and the wider school community a little more security and confidence.

“And the support allocated to the Bell Road Boat Ramp will add to a wider project to upgrade security at this site. It’s been a long-standing problem area, and we hope this mahi will make a big difference.”

The new cameras will be installed at the intersection of Beach Road and Park Road, Katikati, across from the school, Te Puke Highway and Rangiuru, Waitangi, Te Puke Highway bridge over the Kaituna River, near Rangiuru Road, Te Puke, Bell Road Boat Ramp, near the intersection of Bell Road and Tauranga Eastern Link.

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Kerrie says that the group had to make some difficult decisions about who would get funding this year. “With a small pot of money and a long list of applications, we wanted to make a big difference with every dollar spent and support the existing camera network.

“Only by combining information from the community, input from elected members and valued insight from the Police were we able to narrow it down.

“The level of applications was really impressive and is a good indicator how much the community value this fund. We hope the people who missed out will reapply in 2023.”

The CCTV fund is an outcome of Council’s most recent Long Term Plan 20212031. Community Boards have also strongly supported this initiative. The fund has grown in popularity over its short life, with applications increasing from 2021 to 2022.

Applications were considered by a panel featuring Councillors Allan Sole, Margaret Murray-Benge and Monique Gray, Council’s Operations Manager Kerrie Little and a NZ Police representative.

Applications to monitor private property/ land were not eligible.

More information on the fund, and last year’s successful applications (supplemented by operational budgets), can be found online at westernbay.govt.nz/cctv

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Exciting developments are happening in your neighbourhood...

Did you know by 2060 the Peninsula will be home to an estimated 12,000 residents? We’re working hard to ensure this significant growth happens as smoothly as possible – by making improvements now to support housing supply, and ensure your infrastructure and amenities are fit for purpose. This means more recreational opportunities, be er options for walking and cycling, safer roads, and upgraded utilities and stormwater.

Upcoming events

It’s a busy time! We’re carefully managing things to keep the impact on you to a minimum, but, as with all projects of this nature, there will be some unavoidable disruption.

Completed projects

Want to stay updated with progress and what you can expect?

Sign up to our monthly Ōmokoroa email newsle er at westernbay.govt.nz/omokoroaprojects This work is in collaboration with Tangata Whenua, Pirirākau Hapū; Ministry of Education and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

$107m

12,000

Estimated total projects cost

Residents estimated by the year 2060

i

Let’s kōrero!

Wednesday 23 November, 5pm to 7pm Ōmokoroa Pavilion, 28 Western Avenue Join us for our final public information session for 2022. These sessions are a great opportunity to chat with staff and Elected Members, hear about the different projects and developments, and ask questions.

In September we hit an exciting milestone, with the completion of the following projects:

Ōmokoroa Road Urbanisation We’ve upgraded 1.3km of Ōmokoroa Road, from Western Avenue to Tralee Street, to an improved urban standard – complete with a new shared footpath/cycle path, lighting, kerbing, drainage, utility services and landscaping.

We’ve also built new roundabouts at Tralee Street and at McKenna Lane, improved the entrances to Fresh Choice supermarket and the commercial shopping area, and partially undergrounded utility services.

Western Avenue Urbanisation We’ve also transformed Western Avenue, from Ōmokoroa Road to Gane Place, from a rural road to an urbanised road. The road is now 10 metres wide, with a new shared footpath/cycle path on Western Ave and around the nearby sports fields. We’ve made improvements to drainage, utilities, road markings and signage, and added angled parking on the Sports Pavilion side.

Visit our

Interactive Story Map

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| Lizard News | October 2022

Check out the progress here Our story map is a great interactive tool showing a satellite image view of the areas being developed. Scan the QR code to access our ‘Ōmokoroa Projects’ interactive story map.

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What’s happening?

What to expect

SH2/Ōmokoroa Intersection Upgrade

• Early investigating works, including topography surveying, service location and geotechnical testing, are underway. Contractors will be on-site until November.

• Traffic management, such as shoulder closures and temporary speed reductions, may be in place at various times and locations to allow this work to be completed safely.

About this project The State Highway 2/Ōmokoroa Road intersection is ge ing a $43 million upgrade, which includes a new roundabout at the SH2/Ōmokoroa intersection; four-laning on Ōmokoroa Road from SH2 to Prole Road; and a new roundabout, servicing the industrial area, at the future Francis Road intersection.

• This work will give Council important information required for the next big milestone: complete the detailed design of the upgrade.

In July 2022, Council secured $38.292 million from the Kāinga Ora-managed Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, for this project.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency will also contribute $5 million to the upgrade, and supply land worth $1.49 million.

This upgrade will address the longstanding safety and capacity issues. Improving capacity at the intersection means new housing development can progress across the Peninsula.

Dra design of the proposed upgrade.

Ōmokoroa Industrial Road About this project To cater for the growing need for industrial zoned land, we are constructing 360m of industrial road on the southern side of Ōmokoroa Road heading east. This will include shared footpath/ cycle paths and new utility services too.

Early construction works are expected to start in October 2022.

What to expect During the first six months, we’ll be working to clear the construction site, and completing earthworks.

You’ll also see us starting construction of the shared paths.

What’s coming up?

Prole Road Urbanisation

Kaimai Views to Tui Glen pedestrian/cycle overbridge

About this project

About this project

Similar to our completed Ōmokoroa Road and Western Avenue urbanisation projects, we are also upgrading Prole Road from a rural road to an urban road to support housing development.

Council is working with the Kaimai Views Development in the design and construction of a shared pedestrian/cycleway overbridge to link Kaimai Views to Tui Glen. This will also allow cyclists to cross over the bridge from Kaimai Views to Kayelene Place.

Prole Road will be modified to provide a safe and appropriate space for cars, cyclists and pedestrians to access the future nearby town centre, schools, sports fields and housing. The existing lighting and utilities will be upgraded at the same time.

This is a $20 million project.

What to expect We expect to start geotechnical investigation works onsite this month.

We will then complete the final design for the overbridge and the approaches, with construction expected to start in late 2023.

What to expect Construction is expected to start in November/December 2022 and be completed by June 2024. This is a significant project, so we’ll share more information with you closer to the time.

Stay up to date • Visit: westernbay.govt.nz/omokoroaprojects and sign up to our e-newsle er • Email: omokoroaprojects@westernbay.govt.nz Phone: 0800 926 732

Te Kaunihera a rohe mai i Ngā Kuri-a-Whārei ki Otamarakau ki te Uru

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2

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Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

7

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11

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Puzzles copyright The Puzzle Company

1

Sudoku

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Word t

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16 19

Across: 1. Crumple, 5. Bloom, 8. Skilled, 9. Swain, 10. Swept, 11. Nullify, 12. Feeler, 14. Ruined, 17. Against, 19. Khaki, 22. Fated, 23. Trouble, 24.

Layer, 25. Connect. Down: 1. Costs, 2. Unite, 3. Palette, 4. Ending, 5. Basil, 6. Ovation, 7. Moneyed, 12. Fearful, 13. Exactly, 15. Unknown, 16. Static, 18.

Nadir, 20. Amble, 21. Inert.

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| Lizard News | October 2022

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How many words of three or more letters, including plurals, can you make, using each letter only once? No words beginning with a capital are allowed.

There’s at least one 6-letter word.

Good 10 Very Good 13 Excellent 18+ Sudoku

RELENT 7 LETTERS SLACKEN SLENDER 8 LETTERS GORGEOUS STALWART 9 LETTERS ENLIGHTEN FIREBREAK

N O N U R U T E N

NAZI ONTO ORBS REAP SEEN SERF SNAP SPAR STAR SWIG TREE YOYO 5 LETTERS CYNIC FROWN HOPER PSALM REINS SUITS 6 LETTERS AGHAST

M E L T

WAG WON WRY ZOO 4 LETTERS ADDS AGAR ANON AREA BEET BYTE COOK DOES GLIB GOSH GURU ICON IDOL LEER LOLL MELT

L E E R

3 LETTERS ADO ATE BAA EEL EGO EYE FIB GAP ICE ILK ILL LOO NUN NUT ONE ORE RAY ROB ROE SAY

A R E A

Down 1. Expenses (5) 2. Bring together (5) 3. Art board (7) 4. Conclusion (6) 5. Herb (5) 6. Loud applause (7) 7. Wealthy (7) 12. Afraid (7) 13. Precisely (7) 15. Not identified (7) 16. Inactive (6) 18. Lowest point (5) 20. Stroll (5) 21. Motionless (5)

EFFORT, eft, fetor, foe, for, fore, fort, forte, fret, fro, off, offer, oft, ore, ref, reft, ret, roe, rot, rote, toe, toff, tor, tore.

Across 1. Fold under pressure (7) 5. Flower (5) 8. Adept (7) 9. Boyfriend (5) 10. Brushed (5) 11. Cancel out (7) 12. Insect antenna (6) 14. Destroyed (6) 17. Opposed (7) 19. Military fabric (5) 22. Destined (5) 23. Bother (7) 24. Tier (5) 25. Link (7)

MEDIUM

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N A Z I

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A G L G I G H B A A P S S T N S A LW P A R C Y A K T E E N

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SW I L O L E N L N D D S E O U R E I S T S R OO B R E B Y S E

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S A Y E GO R A Y F R OW A GO R G O N E S T A R H O P E L F I R E I C O N B E E T

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Lizard Classifieds

Katikati’s big comedy night fundraiser is back his time folks, it’s a Comedy Katikati Primary School princiHoedown with Kiwi funny pal Andrea Nicholson says this guy Ben Hurley fronting a year, funds raised will be invested night of laughs with two fellow co- in Information Communication medians – Justine Smith and Tony Technology for the school and its Lyall – on Saturday 5th November. students aged five-12.

The event was hampered in “We are very grateful to the 2021 by the Covid-19 pandemic – community for supporting this but this November, it’s back, com- fabulous event, which will benefit plete with a live band kicking the night off, plus spot prizes, raffles and a three-course meal.

Audiences – who are invited to dress up Western – will walk through the saloon doors from 6.45pm for a 7pm show start.

Tickets to the R18 event are on sale now at: www.eventbee.com with a table of 10 for $690, single tickets at $74 each – and, if you want to be up-close to the Most Wanted fun in Katikati all year, the VIP tables of 10 are $795.

Ben Hurley.

Organised by the Parents of the School (POTS), presi- our children, and to Ben Hurley dent Dannae Baker says the and POTS for making the event committee is working hard be- possible. It will be great to see our community coming together now that Covid restrictions have eased.”

Tickets to the R18 Comedy Hoedown – on Saturday 5th November at Katikati War Memorial Hall with doors opening at 6.45pm for a 7pm start – are on sale now at: www.eventbee.com by searching ‘Katikati Comedy Hoedown’.

Dannae says tickets are limited – and the event is always popular – so book your tickets now to avoid disapJustine Smith. PHOTOS: Supplied. pointment. hind the scenes to bring the night “There will be awesome raffles back this year after a 24-month on the night with prizes sponhiatus due to Covid-19 cancelling sored by a range of businesses – the event in 2021. even some as far away as Rotorua “We are so happy that we can supporting the event – plus spot host this Comedy Hoedown after prizes to be won. it was cancelled last year. This is “We have a live band ‘This is because all money raised – every How We Die’ kicking things off. single cent – goes back to our pri- It’s going to be a great night out mary school for much-needed re- for a great cause!” sources.”

Article supplied.

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SERVICES

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COMPLETE LAWNS AND GARDENING

Aaron P re p & P a i n t

KINGFISHER TRUSTLAW

Lawn mowing, green waste bags, hedging/ tree pruning, yard/garden tidy and large green waste removal. Locally owned and operated, servicing Omokoroa and surrounding areas. All enquiries welcome.

Painter & Decorator Now taking bookings for your next project.

Call Aaron on 027 441 7296 or aaronhook82@gmail.com painting . plastering . finishing

Is a small firm with experienced trust lawyers who can set up and review your Family Trust to comply with the newly enacted Trusts Act. Call for a complimentary appraisal.

Jacques Vannoort LLM Te Puna 021 830 308 kingfishertrustlaw@gmail.com

PIANO LESSONS

Just Cats Boarding Cattery 482 Esdaile Road, Pahoia Single rooms, no sharing, just $16 per day

Ph 577 1993 or 027 233 2643

Busy Beaver property care Ride on & push lawnmowing Hedges & waste removal

Piano lessons Tue - Thur Ruru Piano Studio Robyn 022 065 8421

ruruinarewarewa@gmail.com

OMOKOROA CLEANING SERVICES Homes, gardens, lawns, car valets.

Glass,tile shower rejuvenation.

Water blasting, painting.

All enquires welcome.

Leon: 577 1993 027 233 2643

Based in Omokoroa Contact Liz on omokoroaoils@gmail.com mydoterra.com/omokoroa

Give us a call/text for a free quote: 021 295 0134

Library and Service Centre Assistant

Omokoroa local area only Maintenance and small jobs Phone Jason 021 241 9843

(Part-time, fixed-term)

Sewing alterations in Omokoroa.

35 years’ experience.

Call Ann: 07 925 9004

Approximately 3 hours per week at our Ōmokoroa Library and Service Centre.

Applicants should have NZ residency.

Applications close 5.00pm, Monday 17 October 2022.

To apply for this vacancy please visit our website: https://careers. westernbay.govt.nz For further information please call Mary Forrest in our Human Resources team, 07 571 8008.

PUBLIC NOTICE Annual General Meeting

Diana Pedersen Qualified Naturopath

Essential oils and aromatherapy support for your health and wellness

for all your gardening, lawns, hedges and trees.

PLUMBER

Ph. Ludi & Andrea 548 2657 | 021 070 0021

Local with 16 years’ experience

KGN Gardening

SITUATIONS VACANT

Call Trent for a free quote: 022 333 2644

Waihi Beach Community Centre Inc. Society

Providing Professional Holistic Consultations & Treatment Plans.

• Herbal Medicine • Nutritional Supplementation • Lifestyle & dietary intervention • Homeobotanicals & more…

PH: 022 030 9209 E: dee@onestep.co.nz

Monday 31st October 5pm, supper room All welcome.

Enquiries to Heather Christini, Secretary 07 863 5751 027 3420 390 FOR SALE

Community folk who join Whakamārama Cyberlink are emailed news and events relevant to Whakamāramans, sent to more than 230 families in the area. Posts include: lost and found, free stuff, community road notices, requests for help, positions vacant, markets, WBoPDC updates, house rentals/sitters, workshops, neighbourhood watch, stray stock etc.

We also forward info from Ōmokoroa Cyberlink of general interest.

Join up by emailing: rossroad@eol.co.nz asking to be added to Whakamārama Cyberlink.

Members can share via Ōmokoroa Cyberlink community news and events to over 900 emails. Recent posts include: lost and found, free stuff, requests for help, positions vacant, new local businesses, markets, WBoPDC updates, house rentals/ sitters, workshops and much more.

To join or send a post, email cyberlinkomokoroa@gmail.com with your name, email address and message, if required. Thank you, Rick Peers.

FIREWOOD

HYDRALADA HIRE

Supply all year round

Want to safely prune and tidy trees around the house or orchard?

Use our Hydralada for easy access.

Call Grant: 021 284 7268

Casual Football Looking for a low-cost option to buy/sell/trade?

Personal notices $10 per 20 words, Business classifieds $20 per 20 words.

Maximum of 40 words per advert.

Photos extra.

Call 548 1200.

Lizard News FREE LOCAL NEWS... IN THE COMMUNITY

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is also available online at

Every Wednesday at 7.15pm, a very casual kick around is held at the floodlit bottom soccer pitch of Western Ave, Ōmokoroa. Anyone over 12 years is welcome, year round.

Call Hamish on 552 6427.

Mix $100.00 cube Gum $140.00 cube Free delivery Katikati town Phone 549 2141 or txt 027 778 7301

DRUM INCINERATORS FOR SALE 44-gallon drum incinerators $35 each.

Delivered between Katikati and Tauranga.

Phone: 548 0823 or 0274 920 223.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Justices of the Peace drop-in sessions Mon 11-1

Waihī Library

Thu

Ōmokoroa Library

Tue

11-12

Fri

10-12

Waihī Beach Library

Wed 6.30-7.30 Te Puna School Library Fri

Tony Lyall.

SERVICES

10-12

10-12

Bethlehem Community Church Katikati Community Centre

Find a JP at: www.justiceofthepeace.org.nz October 2022 | Lizard News |

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SMALL OFFICE SUITES AVAILABLE TO LEASE Tralee St, Omokoroa

Limited leasing opportunities available, contact: Rachel Millard 021 513 189

PACKAGES AVAILABLE

Ivy Shen 021 038 2128

Philip Hunt 021 378 348

now!

Contact our friendly Bay of Plenty Sales Team:

Sarah Yeates 027 271 4627 | Mike Colville 0210 382 411 Brendyn Gray 027 271 6493 | Stephen Lim-Yock 027 532 8635

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| Lizard News | October 2022