Hutt City Council says selling two Sunshine Bay properties for significantly less than their QV (quotable value) saved both time and money due to the risks and costs involved.
Sections at 507, 509 and 510 Marine Drive were bought by the council between 2006 and 2008, after a major landslide caused by fallen pine trees during a storm destroyed nearby homes. The council purchased the land as part of a settlement with the Earthquake Commission (EQC) and demolished the damaged homes.
While 507 Marine Drive was later sold by the councilowned company Urban Plus and redeveloped, 509 was more problematic. EQC placed a Section 28 notice on the property, which removes natural hazard insurance cover until proof of land remediation is provided. Remediating the site was estimated to cost $300,000, with no guarantee the notice would be lifted.
HCC Strategic Advisor Bruce Hodgins said an adjacent landowner had expressed interest in buying the sites, but withdrew after 12 months of due diligence, citing high risk. The sections were eventually sold together by HCC for $135,000 in June 2024, despite the council having originally paid $490,000 for 509 and $350,000 for 510. HCC says these settlements were partially offset by insurance payments.
Hodgins explained that the land's low sale price reflected expert valuations, which factored in the cost and complexity of making the land safe to build on. “There was too much risk for the council to undertake remediation ourselves. The properties were only ever going to be sold once they no longer posed a danger,” he said.
Council officers advised against selling the land on the open market due to the complexities and likely lack of interest.
“We might have got more money by listing it publicly,” Hodgins acknowledged, “but we would still have had to sell it 'as is, where is,' and provide extensive information to potential buyers.”
Sergeant Lisiate Koaneti and his daughter, Lexi - now a regular as her dad raises the flag for the ANZAC Day service in Eastbourne. Now 105, Nancy (Pat) Moore has been involved with the RSA ever since she arrived in Eastbourne in 1987, when she and her husband moved back to his home town. As a Wren (Women's Royal Naval Service) in WWII Pat was stationed at Waiouru, “up a mountain somewhere, at a radio station Naval base”, according to daughter Jo McKenzie.
PARKSIDE
What did we catch in our forest last year?
In the 2024/25 year MIRO caught 247 possums, 606 rats, 19 stoats and weasels, 55 hedgehogs and 2 feral cats in the Northern Forest. These are actually very similar numbers to the previous year, whereas often we see quite a bit of natural variability or more significant changes due to mast years when there is heavy seed-fall, especially from beech trees.
All this was achieved through the use of nearly 450 possum traps, 236 DOC200 stoat traps (which mainly catch rats), a further 136 simple rat traps, and 30 SA2 feral cat traps, the latter being set well back from urban areas. The trap network covers most of the forest and, as you can imagine, takes quite a lot of effort to keep well-serviced. About 50 dedicated volunteers are involved in this work, undertaking monthly checks and re-baiting all the traps.
And what do we use for bait? Well, possums really like apple, so we often use that, but we always use a cereal lure (supplied by Greater Wellington, along with most of our other bait) which stays effective for longer than the apple. In addition, we spread some flour on the tree trunks to attract possums towards the traps. Possums are quite inquisitive, but do not have a particularly strong sense of smell, so the flour brings them in close where they can smell the bait. Stoats and weasels are hunters, so for them we use small blocks of dried rabbit in the DOC200 traps, while for the simple rat traps we mainly use peanut butter, but are experimenting with long-life lures. For the feral cat traps we generally use the same dried rabbit as the DOC200s, but from time to time we try fresh meat— which happened to be the bait that caught the two feral cats in the past year.
Eastbourne and Bays residents have a relatively long history of possum trapping, dating back to the ‘Possum Busters’ in the late 1990s. Thousands of possums were removed in those early years and for the past 20 years the annual catch has always been less than 400, and has now averaged about 240 for the past 10 years. Over that latter period, OSPRI’s TBfree Programme has also been involved here in trying to get possum numbers even lower, aiming to eradicate bovine TB in order to protect our dairy herds. Their tests now indicate that there is no TB in East Harbour Regional Park, so we are unlikely to have their help with possum control in future. Given that we have a fairly extensive trap network in the forest, this should not be a problem, but if catch rates rose significantly we would need to re-think our control methods.
While we believe that possums are reasonably well-controlled in the forest, we are getting more frequent enquiries from local
residents about possums near their gardens, especially for properties adjacent to the forest edge. Many wild animals like to live near a boundary where the vegetation changes as this gives more options of what to have for dinner! So, if you are troubled with possums at your place, MIRO is happy to advise on what type of trap to buy and how to use it (contact info@miro.org.nz). If we could achieve a line of possum traps on properties at 100m spacing along the forest edge that would hopefully reduce the number invading our urban area.
- Terry Webb, MIRO Chair Interested in helping MIRO? Email info@miro.org.nz.
The next public Eastbourne Community Board meeting is at 7.15pm on Tuesday, 10 June, at East Harbour Women’s Club, 145 Muritai Rd. Everyone is welcome.
ECB members will be available from 6.45pm to discuss issues and answer questions.
Youth Group
Eastbourne is fortunate to have a Friday night Youth Group, ‘The Loft’, which provides a safe and welcoming space for year 7 to 10 students from 6.30 to 8.30pm. Search for The Loft Eastbourne NZ for more information.
Farewell to Jo
East Harbour ranger, Jo Greenman (pictured), is leaving GWRC. We will miss Jo’s terrific work ethic, her impact on the Northern Forest and Parangarahu Lakes, and her informative updates at the ECB meetings.
Recent weather events
The ECB has formally thanked the Council contractors who maintained safety through the storm in early May, restored access afterwards and cleaned up the storm debris.
Local Body elections in October
If you are interested in being elected to the ECB to represent your community and would like to know more about the election process and what’s involved, get in touch with any ECB member. Or come along to a public meeting – there are two more before October.
Belinda Moss (Chair) 029 494 1615
belinda.moss@huttcity.govt.nz
Murray Gibbons (Deputy Chair) 04 562 8567
Emily Keddell 021 188 5106
Bruce Spedding 021 029 74741
Frank Vickers 027 406 1419
Tui Lewis (Ward Councillor) 021 271 6249
Ranger Jo is Outward Bound
by Ann Packer
East Harbour Regional Park ranger Jo Greenman has resigned after seven years’ service on our side of the water. But it’s not because of any dissatisfaction with the job. As part of “a step towards eventual retirement”, she’s moving to Anakiwa in Queen Charlotte Sound at the end of July to take up a job with Outward Bound, in a role that takes her back to her teaching roots, overlaid with a love of the outdoors. And it’s a welcome return to the sea for this long time boatie.
Mind you, Greater Wellington Regional Council’s recent acquisition of land at Gollans Valley, due in part to the generosity of a private donor, saw the former science teacher almost change her mind – she says there are not many regional parks where the entire catchment is protected, as this will be, from its water source on the Wainuiomata Hill to the Parangarahu Lakes by the sea.
“The mana of the lakes and the biodiversity will only improve,” she says. “But I did think twice. Mind you, it will take time, ten years plus, but the long term forecast for the park is marvellous.”
Having moved to EHRP in the first place after developing strong ties to the local communities – iwi, Forest and Bird, Miro and the now defunct Eastbourne Forest Rangers – she was also pleased not to be living on the job. “Mātiu Somes was a bit like a fish bowl in summer,” she says.
Childfree by choice, Ms Greenman says she could not have worked as a ranger, first of all for DOC – living on Mātiu Somes Island in one of two rangers’ cottages for eight years – then for GWRC in East Harbour, had she chosen to have children. Nor, going forward, at Outward Bound.
“My career and that decision were very much intertwined,” says Ms Greenman, who has a degree in biology and environmental science. “As a ranger, you’re working weekends and evenings, responding to storm events and other emergencies. It would be very difficult for a working mum to do this job.”
She says, following huge societal pressure in her twenties and thirties, it was a revelation to discover the word “childfree” and to change her own language to remove “childless” from her vocabulary. “You feel you’ve made a positive decision for yourself.”
The development of Baring Head/Ōruapouanui in association with iwi and the Friends of Baring Head/Ōrua-pouanui has been a major part of her job, along with looking after the two other key native ecosystems, the Northern Forest and the Lakes.
She is excited that the restoration of the second keeper’s cottage at Baring Head is almost complete – this one with a seventies rather than thirties vibe, and with better accessibility – for those wanting to stay a night or two in close proximity to a working lighthouse.
She’s also looking forward to coming back in ten years and walking all the way from Butterfly Creek to Parangarahu lakes.
And yes, the interface between urban and rural does throw up some unusual challenges. Since last year’s feral pig visits, the most recent has been explaining to those certain they heard chainsaws up in the bush that, no, they were simply rutting stags.
The assistant lighthouse keeper’s cottage at Baring Head/Ōrua-pouanui, opened in December 2023, has three bedrooms, sleeping six people. There is a short walk from the carpark to the cottages and only two vehicles are permitted per booking. Subject to cancellations during fire season, January – April. Bookings through AirBnB.
Jo Greenman was DOC’s resident ranger on Mātiu Somes for eight years.
The Plot Thickens: A Battle of Book Smarts
by Ann Packer
Welcome to the sport of reading! Wellesley College’s hall was packed with over 200 students last week for the regional final of the Kids’ Lit Quiz, including two teams each from Muritai and Wellesley.
Run for more than 34 years by Quizmaster Wayne Mills – now retired from Auckland University – he set up the 100-question quiz for Yrs 5 - 8 to keep kids engaged at a time when many stop reading for pleasure.
The competition, which has cash spot prizes, is held annually in New Zealand, Australia, China, Canada, USA, Singapore, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Thailand, Indonesia and South Africa, where the Quizmaster will take this year’s national winners, Palmerston North Normal Intermediate, for the international final in August.
The most famous New Zealand grad is Ella Yelich-O’Connor, aka Lorde, whose team from Belmont Intermediate School in Auckland were World runners-up in 2009.
She credits her love of reading with influencing her lyrics.
Faith in the Community
Francis
Pope Francis, the first from Latin America, died on Easter Monday. He endeared himself to the whole world with his humility, his concern for the poor and marginalised, commitment to social justice, to protection of the environment, and to interfaith dialogue.
He was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires. When elected Pope in 2013 he took the name Francis, after Saint Francis of Assisi. He was the first Pope to choose this name.
Pope Francis shared many similarities with Saint Francis, who was known for his ministry to the poor and underprivileged, and his care for nature and animals.
In today’s world, troubled by wars and violence, Saint Francis’ prayer calls us to be instruments of Christ’s peace and love.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, where there is hatred, let me bring love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is sadness, joy; O Divine Master grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; It is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
St Alban’s + St Ronan’s: 1st Sundays 9:30am monthly Shared Communion Services (alternating venues, leaders and preachers). 1 June at St Ronan’s church, 6 July at San Antonio church.
St Ronan’s: 1st Sundays shared with St Alban’s (see above). 2nd and 4th Sundays 9:30am informal, 3rd Sundays 9:30am traditional, 5th Sundays 12:00pm fellowship meal. E:office@ stronans.org.nz W:www.stronans.org.nz
St Alban’s: 1st Sundays shared with St Ronan’s (see above). Other Sunday services at San Antonio church at 9:30am. 1st Thursdays, communion at 10:30am at St Ronan’s church. Details www.facebook.com/StAlbansNZ E:office@ stalbanschurch.nz W:www.stalbanschurch.nz
San Antonio: Vigil Mass, Sat 5.30pm. Sacred Heart, Petone: Mass, Sun 9.30am and 5.30pm. E:holyspiritparish41@gmail.com W:www.holyspirit.nz
Authorised by Chris Bishop, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.
Photos: The Muritai School Lit Quiz team, pictured top. Wellesley College entered two teams.
Change is coming
by Ann Packer
It’s not just a personal issue, it’s economic: one in 12 women are thought to leave the workforce because of menopause. And they’re often from the service industries – you can't work from home if you’re a teacher, a nurse or a care worker, no matter how rotten you’re feeling during what used to be euphemistically called “the change”.
New Zealand women who are part of an informal group advancing the awareness and treatment of menopause took their case to Parliament this month.
At a cross-party event in the Legislative Chamber hosted by MP Catherine Wedd –chair of Parliament’s Group on Population and Development – six women from the Aotearoa New Zealand Menopause Collective presented their case to an audience including a dozen MPs, three of them from the Health Select Committee.
Eastbourne academic Sola Freeman convened the event for the Aotearoa Menopause Forum, to which all female MPs, all male MPs with significant roles involving women, and ministry officials were invited.
“Some women are hugely impacted by symptoms, which can include anxiety, joint pain, sleeplessness, sweats and hot flushes,” says Dr Freeman. “Yet only 30 to 40 percent go to
their doctor.”
That doctor may not even know much about the process affecting half the population at some time in their lives, let alone how to treat symptoms – menopause is only an elective in medical school.
Dr Freeman says the lack of awareness –64% of NZ women don’t know their symptoms are due to menopause – and a significant knowledge gap in the medical profession means many women are misdiagnosed, not diagnosed or don’t receive treatment, and suffer unnecessarily.
A Women’s Health Initiative study in 2002 claiming a link between HRT and breast cancer has since been proven wrong – subsequent studies show for most women, the benefits of transdermal estrogen far outweigh the risks.
Dr Freeman says the reduction in estrogen, progesterone and testosterone due to menopause, means ALL women will risk cardiovascular issues, a drop in bone density (risking osteoporosis), brain health issues (women are twice as likely to suffer from dementia) and be more susceptible to UTIs (easily prevented with vaginal estrogen, which is funded).
The most effective treatment for all menopause symptoms is menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), also known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT). When started before the age of 60, this treatment also lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and reduces all-cause mortality too.
The Australian senate recently passed 25 recommendations and allocated $793 million for women’s health, the majority towards perimenopause and menopause awareness and care.
The event at Parliament prompted meetings with two Ministers: Hon Nicola Grigg (Minister for Women) and Hon Casey Costello (Assoc Minister for Health). Along with menopause educator Sarah Conner and Dr Sylvia Rosevear (President of the Australasian Menopause society), Dr Freeman gave the Ministers four key funding and policy recommendations:
• A public, nationwide, awareness campaign about perimenopause and menopause
• Funding for the upskilling of GPs, specialists and allied health professionals
• An information package or funded GP visit for women in midlife
• Education about menopause, alongside puberty and pregnancy in school curriculum
And the Aotearoa Menopause Forum’s 2023 petition to the Health Select Committee will now be presented to that committee, thanks to Chair Sam Uffindel being at the parliamentary event.
Dr Freeman says in each of the 1000 GP practices around the country, upskilling just one person would make a huge difference. “It’s low-hanging fruit, it’s not hard. We’d like all parties to include it in their manifesto.”
Exhibition exceeds expectations
The Historical Society of Eastbourne’s exhibition at Hutt Art Centre’s gallery in Lower Hutt exceeded all expectations.
A total of 807 people visited Picture Perfect in 11 days, the catalogue was reprinted and they still ran out, and they had to print more membership forms.
A two year project to create a detailed inventory of the Society’s art collection, research often little-known artists, and recommend works for restoration resulted in a comprehensive exhibition of original artworks and rare historical photographs from the collection and the community. And it set a record for the venue, with staff saying it was
one of the best-attended exhibitions they’d had in the last two years.
Many current and former Eastbourne residents attended, along with some of the featured artists and the surviving relatives of others.
In June we’ll feature a couple of artworks from the exhibition along with catalogue notes about the artists.
Transport changes to reflect growth
A new strategy aligning public transport improvements with urban development is a key feature of the Regional Public Transport Plan 2025–35, recommended by the Greater Wellington Transport Committee.
The strategy aims to support population growth by expanding Metlink services in highgrowth areas, improving service frequency, and investigating new funding options such as development levies and congestion charging. It also includes plans to extend bus routes into areas like Aotea and Grenada, increase bus frequency to Hutt Hospital from Wainuiomata, and enhance inter-regional bus services to Levin. Additionally, it proposes studying the feasibility of new railway stations and infrastructure upgrades in Kāpiti, Horowhenua, and the Hutt Valley.
GWRC Councillor Quentin Duthie says aligning housing and transport development is a smart move that helps avoid costly retrofitting later.
“It means people can more easily live near where they work and study, giving them real options to save time and money by leaving the car at home.”
The regional council will consider the committee’s recommendations on 26 June 2025.
APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS
Closing date: 15 June 2025
Applications from EastbourneBays groups are invited. Application forms are available on the website (see below).
Please refer to the following website for information on the Trust: www.ebct.org.nz
Contact: Gaby Brown 021 179 5311 or email: trustees@ebct.org.nz
Garden Stuff with Sandy Lang DORMANCY
May/June: Late autumn/early winter. Leaves on deciduous trees have senesced, been shed, now lurk in gutters and quiet corners. Plant growth is temperature sensitive, so has slowed. There’s little growth when average daily temperature is below 10°C. (see www.mulchpile.org/5).
Dormancy: In autumn, most plants go ‘dormant’. Growth shuts right down. Why...? Dormancy is key to survival. In shut-down mode, a plant can survive long periods of cold that would otherwise kill it. In some species, dormancy is triggered by reducing daylength (a time-of-year signal), in others by increasing cold (a weather signal).
Breaking dormancy: Next spring, it warms up, plants reawaken and growth restarts. But many temperate plants must have experienced a certain amount of ‘winter chill’ if they are to fully waken from dormancy. If they don’t get it, they don’t fully reawaken, they don’t grow well, no flowers, no fruit. Winter chill is measured in ‘chill units’ (CU) where 1 CU is the amount of ‘chill’ accumulated in 1 hour, at a temperature between 0°C and 7°C. So, on a chilly winter’s night, a plant might accumulate, say, 10 CU.
Species: Different species have different CU needs. The CU needs of some familiar foodplant species are: avocado (0 CU); grape (100 CU); peach (200 CU); blackberry (350 CU); kiwifruit (700 CU) and apple (1000 CU). But the CU needs of most NZ native species are unknown.
Regions: A low CU plant in a high CU place risks a too-early start and frost damage. A high CU plant in a low CU place won’t flower or fruit well. So, a match is required between the CU needs of a plant and the climate in the place where it is growing. Because the CU value of a particular place depends on latitude (warmer north, cooler south). So, the CU determines the latitudinal range of each species. Cherries (e.g.,) need about 1000 CU, so do well in Roxburgh (1700 CU), well in Blenheim (1500 CU), are OK in the Hastings (1200 CU), are erratic in Hamilton (725 CU), are hopeless further north. The winters are just too warm <500 CU.
Climate change: Global warming will force each chill-sensitive species to drift southwards at a speed (I calculate) of 6 km/year. Our horticulture should be able to cope with this drift speed by replanting. But can our forest ecosystems? With their complex makeup, of long lived, self-sown, native species...
slang@xtra.co.nz www.mulchpile.org
Eastbourne author and editor Anne Manchester officially declares the Picture Perfect exhibition open.
Film features local actors and producer
by Ann Packer
A feature film produced by Eastbourne’s Verity Mackintosh, the opening night film at the 2025 Māoriland Film Festival in Ōtaki, includes a clutch of Eastbourne actors. Russell Smith, Emily Keddell, Nathan Grant and Eleanor Wilkie, plus Eastbourne-raised Tane Rolfe, in a brief but touching role as Haare, are part of a cast of around 150, and a crew of 150, in the debut feature film from Kath Akuhata Brown (Ngāti Porou).
Kōkā, which tells of an emotionally charged road trip home to the East Coast territory of Ngāti Porou, screened to a sold-out audience of over 750 on the festival’s opening night and received a standing ovation, and later the Totara - People’s Choice, award for Best Drama.
Kuia, Hamo is making her way from the South Island to her tribal home in the North when she accidentally hits a young Mā ori woman, Jo, with her car. The pair form an unlikely bond as they confront past traumas and face their demons, and their shared path becomes a journey of healing, community and reconciliation.
Kōkā was inspired by a tribal story, written by Kath Akuhata Brown, and the film’s development and Māori language were supported by Te Runanga o Ng āti Porou, and Ng āti Porou language experts Karepe McDonald and Erana Reedy. Mrs Mackintosh
says the film – which follows in the footsteps of other great Aotearoa films including Tinā, Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua – Two Worlds, The Convert and Ka Whawhai Tonu – is the first to use the Ngāti Porou dialect, beginning with its title. Derived from the full name for the Waiapu river, kōkā translates as “Matriarch” or “Mother of us all” and is also the name by which local children address their classroom teachers, rather than Whaea.
Kōkā will have its nationwide premiere at the Embassy in Wellington on 29 May and then be screened to heartland audiences in regional cinemas in Gisborne, Rotorua, Hamilton and Kerikeri before it goes onto general release 19 June. It’s also hoped the film will be accepted for several film festivals internationally.
Mrs Mackintosh, whose previous films have included Washday & Purea – set, like Kōkā, in Ngāti Porou territory – also saw her documentary about children’s writer
Featherston Booktown earlier this month. Threaded through with an animated version of Days Bay illustrator Kimberly Andrews’ illustrations for the beloved author’s Song of the River, we’ll feature a story about this documentary in June’s Eastbourne Herald.
Learn more about studying at Marsden in 2026 at our information evening on 4 June :
5.30pm
Actors Emily Keddell and Russell Smith with producer Verity Macintosh.
Weathervane installed in honour of local man
by Emma Kelly
People strolling through HW Shortt Rec. recently may have noticed a new addition above the clubrooms: a weathervane installed in honour of Conrad Kelly – long-time player, supporter, and life member of Eastbourne Cricket Club.
The weathervane is modelled after Father Time at Lord’s Cricket Ground, a well-known symbol among cricket fans. It’s a nod to Conrad’s lifelong love of the game and a lasting tribute from the club and his mates.
Conrad played for Eastbourne from childhood, starting in the junior club and continuing through to the senior team. He later helped establish the Eastbourne Village Green team, a side for older players, alongside his fellow “founding fathers”, Steve Girvan and Rowan Swain.
Cricket was a big part of family life, and all three of Conrad’s children – Matt, Simon, and Emma – played for Eastbourne as juniors. Conrad also helped coach their teams, where he emphasised a strong sense of sportsmanship and fairness. That said, it seemed to be an unspoken rule that none of his kids ever won Player of the Day when he was handing out the prizes.
Off the field, Conrad remained a familiar face at the clubrooms for decades. He was committed to supporting the next generation of players and helped set up a relationship between Eastbourne and Taita Cricket Club – where his son Matt plays senior cricket, along with several other former Eastbourne juniors. This connection created new training and playing opportunities, and is now marked by the Kelly Family Cup, an annual fixture
Bottom right: The original weathervanw at Lord's Cricket Ground, on which the Eastbourne one, installed to honour Conrad Kelly, is modelled.
between senior teams.
The Kelly family are grateful to all who contributed to the memorial, and are looking forward to spending time at the Razza, and watching many more games at HW Shortt in Conrad’s memory.
days? No worries!
Our tamariki are having an absolute blast this term at cosy Days Bay Playcentre. There’s plenty of fun to be had—rain or shine—especially at our exciting new woodworking table! With real kids’ saws, drills, and hammers, our little builders are busy creating all sorts of amazing projects.
Come and join the fun!
Everyone is welcome at our sessions: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday 9:30am – 12pm.
Email daysbay@playcentre.org.nz if you have any
Above: Matt and Conrad Kelly, both keen cricketers. Top right: The weathervane now atop the ESSC clubrooms.
Motorcyclist rekindles youth with birthday ride
Ray Smith (rear right), a keen motorcyclist in his youth, was “utterly gobsmacked” at the surprise outing arranged by family friend Nathan Sanders to celebrate his 96th birthday recently. His sworn-to-secrecy family was waiting at Whiorau reserve with this TRIKNTOURS three-wheeler, one of which Ray had spotted in Port Douglas some years ago. “We did a tour around Petone, Avalon, and the CBD including a very fast but perfectly legal burst on the motorway. Great fun!”
Above: A photo of Ray, taken in about 1945.
Jay McJorrow
On 31st December 2024 long time resident Jay McJorrow passed away peacefully surrounded by his family and Luna their dog after 71 laps around the sun.
Jay lived an idyllic life growing up in Lowry Bay. He was the oldest of 3 children and his younger brother Scott still lives in Lowry Bay. He went to primary school at Wellesley College and his teenage years were spent as a boarder at Rathkeale College in Masterton.
Apart from being caned occasionally he had mostly fond memories of the school and forged many lifelong friendships.
When Jay finished school he trained as a chef and worked around NZ at various tourist spots before heading overseas to work as a roughneck on oil rigs in the North Sea. After a few years he ended up in the States and enjoyed a decade of hedonistic living that the 70’s Golden Years had to offer a good looking Kiwi boy!
After a brief marriage and stint in real estate Jay got homesick and decided to come back home. I met Jay shortly after he returned at a Tupperware party, can you believe. He wasn’t there for the plastic - it was at my sister's house and her husband Victor had gone to Rathkeale with Jay and they were good friends. Jay was dressed in full cowboy regalia including alligator skin boots, now I have always had a thing for cowboys and I was smitten...but unlike a real cowboy turns out Jay had never ridden a horse!
As well as pretending he was a cowboy, Jay further tried to impress me by taking me back to ‘his’ pad in Lowry Bay. Turns out, it wasn't Jay’s house, he was living with his parents and they were away for the weekend!
Jay started working with his Dad in the family earth moving business, eventually taking over. His Dad John was a pioneer in the NZ contracting business and Jay was very proud of him.
The business went through hard times, almost going into receivership, and the Wellington weather made it a stressful business to run. But it provided a great income and lifestyle for our family and we always enjoyed yearly ski trips to Ohakune and summer trips to the Gold Coast.
When we got married we lived in Point Howard for a bit then moved to Hinau Street before landing at 410 Muritai Road where we brought our family up. 410 was a magical paradise, as the backyard extended to Greenwood Park and had views of Ward Island. Later, after Jay retired and got a KTM motorbike he could often be seen taking the grandies Jayah and Soul for rides around the park.
Jay's weekends were his favourite time spent at the Muritai Yacht Club with his fellow sailors.
OBITUARY
I spent 7 seasons sailing on a Sunburst with Jay, he was very competitive on the water and there was great rivalry between Pete Collier and himself. Jay absolutely loved sailing and was always canvassing newcomers to join the club. He was a Junior Bosun at Muritai Yacht Club and it gave him so much pleasure coaching the young sailors, especially his grandkids.
I remember one day there were three generations of McJorrows out on the water; he was literally bursting at the seams, he was so chuffed.
In his early 60’s Jay was diagnosed with a blood cancer that would see him have a shortened life span. To his great relief he sold the contracting business and firstly bought himself a KTM motorbike, missioning with his other bikie mates all over NZ and the States. He then upgraded to his dream yacht Oui Ca Va, a 43’ Benetau. The last chapter of his life was spent living on board Oui Ca Va. Taking family and friends on exciting adventures around Australia were some of the happiest days of his life. Because we knew Jay wouldn't be with us long, we documented his final life journey with hundreds of photos and videos. Jay is literally glowing in every photo, looking every bit the sailor of the sea with long hair that we couldn't quite make him tie into a ponytail. Jay had saltwater flowing through his veins, he was most at peace and at one with himself on the water.
As his disease progressed he had to sell his beloved yacht and spent his last couple of years in Margaret River, Western Australia. He loved the endless summers and no wind. We were lucky as a family to all be able to spend these
final years with Jay and had lots of laughs and good times. Jay was the model patient, never complained about any of the treatments he had to endure, and his sense of humour never waned, right til the end.
He definitely didn’t want to die but he was always saying he had had a great life and felt very blessed. Our world shines less brightly without Jay but how he lived life and faced death is a legacy that he has gifted us. We will be holding a memorial to honour Jay's life at Wellesley College on Saturday 18 October (details to be confirmed nearer the time – please email me if you will be attending gailmcjorrow@gmail.com)
“Fair winds & following seas”
Always loved,
Never forgotten
Gail, Brodie, Shilo, Rachel, Jayah & Soul
Footnote: Jay knew Rachel was having a baby before he passed, he nicknamed it ‘Henry’.......we're pretty sure it’s a girl.
- by Gail McJorrow
Pete Carter: ‘Community Carter’
Pete Carter, Lowry Bay writer, photographer and owner of The Art Library, died suddenly on 20 April of a heart attack. He was on a walk in Ōhope with his wife, Jacqueline, and great friends Al and Robyn.
Pete was born in 1961 in Devon, England, to Philip and Mary Carter, and he had four siblings: Sue, Wendy, Tim and Jill. He wrote about his family life: ‘We were always walking. It’s what we did. We all had our own little rucksacks and walking boots …’ Pete graduated from Canterbury University (UK) in 1982, with an economics and accounting degree, and spent a lot of his 20s travelling all parts of the globe on a bicycle.
In India Pete had a chance meeting with a Kiwi called Stu Henderson, who encouraged him to meet his sister. So in 1988, biking across New Zealand, Pete met Jacs. They moved to London the next year and married in 1990. They had two children (us), Tom in 1992 and Lulu in 1995, and then in 1997 Pete and Jacs left London and moved to Lowry Bay, where they have lived ever since. One of Dad’s greatest
APPLICATIONS FOR EASTBOURNE FREEMASONS’ SCHOLARSHIP
Closing date 15 June 2025
This $5,500 scholarship is available to students who have distinguished themselves during a minimum of three years tertiary study and who have lived in Eastbourne for a minimum of five years during their life.
Application forms available to download from https://www.eastbourne-bayscommunity-trust.org.nz/ Applications to be emailed to trustees@ebct.org.nz (only electronic applications will be accepted).
Contact Gaby Brown : 021 179 5311
OBITUARY
joys in moving to New Zealand was becoming involved in his nieces and nephews’ lives.
Pete was an enormous part of the Eastbourne community – at the celebration of his life, Kenny Campbell called him ‘Community Carter’. Pete was an avid member of the Muritai Tennis Club and, for many years, the Rowges writing group. You could often spot him in the sand dunes, helping with conservation projects, or off to take our dog, Fred, to the penguin aversion course.
He loved going to the RSA and having 2-for-1 dumplings, enjoying quiz nights with friends, talking to anybody and everybody. Pete’s favourite walk was up Mount Lowry with his beloved dogs over the years: Benji, Tui and Fred.
Pete was proud to have his poems featured in Eastbourne: an anthology. He also published two books of poetry and photographs: It’s Your Dad and Buddy’s Brother; a children’s picture book Our Dog Benji, illustrated by his nephew; and two books interviewing Kiwis about their lives.
He was an exceptional father – our greatest cheerleader who never missed a beat in our childhood. He could be found on the sidelines of a Muritai soccer match or on a cross-country course at Wellesley. When Tom joined the Petone Rugby Club, Pete would be at every game, cheering the loudest. Friends would laugh that his LinkedIn page was a fan page for Lulu.
He loved us so openly, with such pride and conviction. He supported us in every direction of life, big or small.
When Tom married Julia early this year, Pete spent hours writing a speech that reflected his love for Tom and Julia and how much joining with the Hoffman Walls family meant
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to him. He loved being a grandad to Beau (18 months) and Raffie (8), and we will continue to tell them stories about the person their grandad was.
The pain of losing our dad far too early is indescribable, but it’s also recognition of the kind of person he was. He was fundamental to our existence. We don’t know how there is an ‘us’ without him. The writer Martin Amis sums it up well: ‘So this is where we really go when we die, into the hearts and minds of those who love us.’
- by Tom and Lulu Carter
On 9 June 2025 from 5:30–7pm the Rowges will host an evening in honour of Pete at the Eastbourne Library. Everyone is welcome.
Mondays
• Retired Persons’ Assn meet 4th Mon, 10am St Ronan's Church hall for morning tea followed by a speaker - $2 entry.Transport can be arranged for these meetings on request, ph 562 7365 or 562 8387.
• “Baby Bounce & Rhyme” at the library 10.00am.
• Toy Library - 7.30-8.30pm. EastbourneToyLibrary on Facebook. Kathy 0273551950.
•DB Playcentre Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings, from 9:30am to 12 noon. Drop in anytime to visit a session or email daysbay@playcentre.org.nz to arrange a visit.
• Pt Howard Playcentre. Mon 9.15 -11.45am. pcpointhoward@gmail.com
• The Historical Society’s Eastbourne History Room above the library is open 2-4 pm every Monday.
• Eastbourne Volunteer Fire Brigade training every Monday 7-9pm. Ph 562 7001 for more info.
• Mindful Mummas group for Mums and preschool children. Childminder onsite. 1011.30. Text Emily 027 552 6119 to join or go to bemoreyou.co.nz for more info.
•DB Playcentre Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings, from 9:30am to 12 noon. Drop in anytime to visit a session or email daysbay@playcentre.org.nz to arrange a visit.
• Muritai Tennis Club 9.30–noon. Merryn 562 0236.
• Eastbourne Homebirth Group 1st Tuesday of the month. Phone Kate 562-7096.
• East Harbour Women’s Club Morning Tea & Chat Group 10am. Contact Glendyr 0210303480.
• Indoor Bowls Club 1.30pm, at the croquet club, Oroua Street. Rosemary 562 7365
• Menzshed 9 till 12 , Williams Park, Barrie barrielittlefair@gmail.com 0204 1234511. Women welcome.
• 9.30am Nia Dance Fitness Class (low impactteens to 70+) Music Movement Magic - Muritai Yacht Club - call Amanda 021 316692 www. niainwellington.com
• Toy Library - 9.30am-10.30am.
Wednesdays
• Cubs: 5.30pm - 7.00pm, Ed 021 738 699.
• Venturers - 7:15pm - 9pm - Ed 021 738 699.
• Library preschool story time 10.00 am.
• Pt Howard Playcentre Wed 9.15 -11.45am. pcpointhoward@gmail.com
• Scottish Country Dance. Merryn 562 0236.
• Bridge Club 7-10pm. Shona 562 7073.
•DB Playcentre Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings, from 9:30am to 12 noon. Drop in anytime to visit a session or email daysbay@playcentre.org.nz to arrange a visit.
WHAT'S ON
• “Steady as You Go” Age Concern sponsored Falls Prevention and Exercise Programme. Held 12 noon each Wednesday at Eastbourne Community Hall. Classes are held for 1 hour and costs only $2. Improve your strength and balance to reduce falls and injuries. Falls are preventable. Please join us!
• EHock - Fun Stick and Ball game Girls and Boys 7- 13.Eastbourne Community Hall. Wednesdays 6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. Derek Wilshere 0274303596.
• Tai Chi 9.40am Muritai Yacht Club Lyn 021 1428915
Thursdays
• Menzshed 9 till 12 , Williams Park, Barrie barrielittlefair@gmail.com 0204 1234511. Women welcome.
• St Ronan’s Mainly Music, 9.15am-11.15am, during school terms. Contact Cathy 027 213 9342.
• SPACE at Days Bay Playcentre. Michelle 971 8598.
•Lions meet 2nd Thursday of the month at the Eastbourne Sports and Services Club, Tuatoru St 6.30 pm. New members and visitors are welcome. Graham 562 8819.
• Scouts 6pm-8pm - Ed 021 738 699
• Eastbourne Bowling Club casual summer bowls 5.30pm for an hour or so. Make up a mixed team of three. Contact Keith Turner ph 04 934 4142.
• Sing Eastbourne: 8pm, San Antonio.
Fridays
• Pop in and Play playgroup at St Ronan's Church Hall, 9am-11.30am during school terms. All preschoolers (0-4 years) welcome. Cath 027 213 9342.
• Pt Howard Playcentre Fri 9.15 -11.45am pcpointhoward@gmail.com
• AA Plunket Rooms 7.30pm. Mark 566 6444/ Pauline 562 7833
•Senior Residents: Lighthouse Movies - last Friday of every month. Pick up from 10am. Contact Celeste on 021 206 5713 for more information. Okiwi Services (Eastbourne Community Trust).
Saturdays
• Justice of the Peace at the Eastbourne Community Library, first Saturday of each month 12pm-1pm.
• Croquet from 10am Muritai Croquet Club. Lyn 562 8722 or Val 562 8181.
• Lions' Bin - cost effective rubbish and e-waste disposal. Last Saturday of the month (except December) by Bus Barns. Gavin 027 488 5602.
Sundays
• AA Plunket Rooms 10am. Karen 021 440 705.
• Days Bay Touch Rugby, by arrangement on Whatsapp group, text Xavier 027 249 3645 to join.
LETTER
Concerns expressed to Mayor
I read with interest your front page in the latest edition. I copy a letter I wrote to Councillor Brady Dyer (aspiring mayor) and copied to Chris Bishop. No reply.
You are welcome to publish it as I believe we as ratepayers have been seriously let down by the process
I refer to the designated areas of significance (to Maori) as proposed by your council. I note that you were chair of the relevant committee.
Like most residents in our district this proposal was surprising in that it was unexpected and seemingly without an appropriate level of consultation.
Some points arise. In respect to this Legislation I would submit that you have acted outside your electoral authority.
This has major ramifications for your ratepayers and as such should have been subject to an equivalent scrutiny. I would suggest a referendum, or at the very least to be a stated platform in the electoral process.
Those properties, so designated, will undoubtedly see a reduction in their capital values which I have no doubt will not be reflected in their rates bill??
There are likely to be downstream effects relating to insurance, possible banking and loan implications. There is also likely to be an inevitable cost of doing business associated with any future improvements, or indeed maintenance, especially in the commercial areas?
If a subsequent loss of value can be quantified will the council be responsible for said loss? If not where can it be recuperated?
My complaints therefore revolve around due process and consultative feedback. I believe your council has fallen well short in these responsibilities. To do so in a proposal of this magnitude is an abrogation of your responsibilities and is outside your duties under the Act?
John McCarthy Eastbourne
St. Alban’s Church is planning a kite flying festival for Matariki on Sunday, 15 June, 12.303pm. In te ao Māori, kites have traditionally been flown at Matariki, to communicate with those who have passed away, connecting heaven and earth. There’ll be a ‘guaranteed to fly’ kite kit for each whānau to make and fly, and kai to share. Koha if you like. Keep an eye on the St. Alban’s and Eastbourne Community Facebook pages for final info about venue and
BRIEFS
bad weather updates.
Richard Dalziel is hosting a Badminton and Table Tennis exhibition at Muritai School Hall on Saturday, July 26, from 7pm-11pm. The hall opens at 7pm and the first badminton match starts at 7.30pm, followed by table tennis games. Mr Dalziel says the event will be family friendly and will include refreshments. Gold coin donation.
Lorraine Shorter of Eastbourne Lions says the club is pleased to be able to assist three charities supporting people with disabilities after raising just over $5000 from their recent Book Sale. Sailability, Riding for the Disabled and Conductive Education will each receive $2000
Eastbourne historian Rudiger (Rudi) Mack (right) and Professor Emeritus Dr Konrad Kuiper, with whom he discussed his new book about Abel Tasman at a session during Featherston Booktown earlier in the month. First
Encounters: Abel Tasman’s 1642 Voyage “offers a new and different view of the beginnings of our shared Māori-Pākehā history” by examining previously undervalued text, artworks and oral histories to solve some of the mysteries surrounding events during Tasman’s voyage.
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