Ōtaki Mail, October 2022

Te Horo firefighters awarded medals

BY FRANK NEILL

Te Horo firefighters Bryan Sutton and Steve Borrell have been awarded the Australian National Emergency Medal for their role in helping battle the massive bush fires that swept Australia in late 2019 and early 2020.

Mr Sutton and Mr Borrell were presented their medals at the Australian High Commission in Wellington on 14 September.

Bush fires of unprecedented scale and intensity raged across Australia between July 2019 and February 2020.

More than 33 people were killed, including four firefighters, in the fires which burned over 17 million hectares in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.

The Australian Government declared a state of emergency and accepted international assistance with the catastrophe.

This included 340 people from New Zealand, with firefighters, Defence Force personnel and private forestry contractors crossing the Tasman Sea.

Mr Sutton and Mr Borrell answered the call, with Mr Sutton travelling to Queensland and Mr Borrell to New South Wales in December 2019. They both spent 14 days in total, with two stints of five days each battling the blazes. They each had one day off between the two stints.

“It was pretty challenging,” Mr Sutton told the Ōtaki Mail.

“It was very hot and humid and very smoky.

“The whole scale of the fires was overwhelming compared

with what we see in New Zealand.

“It’s pretty hard to portray … unless you were actually there.”

Despite that, he would do it again if he were asked, he said.

“When towns were threatened, we set up and defended them.”

Much of the defence involved bulldozing fire breaks and then backburning towards the fire as it moved towards the towns.

“Backburning at night was the big thing. We backburned at night because the fire behaviour is less then and so it is more manageable.”

The emphasis on battling bush blazes is different to the way bush fires are fought in New Zealand.

Rather than seeing helicopters with monsoon buckets dropping water on the fires, the emphasis in Australia was on managing rather than extinguishing, Mr Sutton said.

“That involved bulldozing fire breaks well ahead of the main fire, and then backburning towards the fires.”

Te Horo’s Chief Fire Officer, Mr Sutton has been a volunteer firefighter for 35 years.

Mr Borrell is also a longserving firefighter, with 21 years’ service.

'The whole scale of the fires was overwhelming compared with what we see in New Zealand.'

Steve Borrell (left) and Bryan Sutton with their Australian National Emergency Medals just after they were presented them on 14 September.

Horo

Rob Bigwood Civic Award

Horo School

Māoriland movie

The benefits and risks of guarantees

BY FLEUR HOBSON

One of your children and their partner come to you – the well-known “bank of mum and dad” – saying their bank has told them they will need a “guarantor” before they will approve a mortgage.

Many people are approached by family, friends, business partners or associates to become their guarantor because they are taking out a loan or a mortgage. Guarantees can also cover such things as credit card debt, an overdraft and any future loans.

Being a guarantor means that you are providing the lender with a “guarantee” that you will pay all or some of the money the borrower owes if the borrower defaults on making their payment.

While guarantees have their advantages, they also have their risks.

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One of the big advantages of a guarantee is that it allows borrowers to obtain loans they are unable to get otherwise. This is particularly relevant for young people with no credit history, or for people with a poor credit profile.

One of the biggest risks of providing a guarantee is that you may have to pay the lender money. This can include not only the money the borrower owes, but also fees and interest (including default interest).

If you don’t have enough money, you may also face the prospect of having an asset or assets (such as your car or your house) repossessed and sold to pay the debt.

If you are asked to provide a guarantee there are five things you should do to prepare yourself.

Enliven scoops top prize at Excellence in Care Awards

Enliven’s commitment to its staff and residents has been recognised with two awards at the prestigious New Zealand Aged Care Association Excellence in Care Awards. Enliven, the organisation behind Levin War Veterans Home and Village and Reevedon Home and Village in Levin, won awards for Overall Excellence in Aged Care and Training and Staff Development.

Enliven clinical director Joy Tlapi says it felt good to get some external recognition of the excellent work Enliven is doing, particularly in staff development.

“The challenges with recruitment of staff, especially nurses, are very apparent across the aged care sector, but at Enliven we take pride in taking the time to invest in our people and bring out the best in them, so they feel good about themselves and deliver the best care to our residents.”

Enliven general manager Nicola Turner says Enliven’s commitment to staff succession planning, which has seen many graduate nurses progress into senior positions, was recognised by the awards.

“When we make a difference in the lives of the staff, that flows through to the residents as well.”

Enliven’s training and development programmes include support for postgraduate study, a Competency Assessment Programme (CAP) for internationally qualified and return to practice nurses, and a First Year of Practice Programme (FYOP) where graduate nurses are mentored by trained preceptors.

Another Enliven Central initiative to make it to the finals of the awards was Cashmere Home’s garden to plate programme which sees residents involved from growing food right through to cooking it.

Joy says programmes like this make a difference in the residents’ lives and wellbeing, and are a part of Enliven’s philosophy of care, which is based on the internationally recognised Eden Alternative.

“It gives elders meaning, it gives them purpose, and helps them live fulfilling lives."

Reevedon Home and Levin War Veterans Home have roles available for nurses, kitchen hands and healthcare assistants. If you, or someone you know is looking for a fun and rewarding role, visit www.enlivencentral.org.nz/jobs or email: recruitment@psc.org.nz.

The first is to see a good lawyer who has a good understanding of the laws and operation of guarantee schemes.

The second is to check the terms and conditions of the guarantee. Check that you are comfortable with what you might have to do. Ideally you should check the terms and conditions with your lawyer.

The third is to make sure the lender does an affordability test on you as well as the borrower. Government regulations require that lenders make specific enquiries to determine that loan repayments do not create substantial hardship for a borrower.

The regulations cover checking on borrowers, but guarantors are advised to ensure they have an affordability test done also.

The fourth thing to check, and this is a

very important check to do, is to make sure you avoid using assets worth more than the amount owed as security. Because assets can be repossessed and sold by the lender to pay the debt, it is important that you minimize this risk.

“Do you want your home or car sold because you have guaranteed a debt?” is a good question to ask yourself.

The fifth check is seeing if the guarantee is an “all obligations” guarantee. This means that you promise to cover all the borrower’s debts with that lender, now and in the future.

Guarantors can ask for the guarantee to be limited to a particular loan, or that the liability is up to a certain cap. The lender may or may not agree to your request, however.

Enliven staff Linda Lankshear, Joe Asghar, Nicola Turner, Joy Tlapi, and Peter Newman celebrate Enliven’s success

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Civic Award for Life Saver

BY FRANK NEILL

Ōtaki resident Rob Bigwood was presented a Civic Award for his services to surf lifesaving and search and rescue by Kāpiti Coast Mayor Gurunathan on 31 August.

In his 25 years with Land Search and Rescue New Zealand and 28 years with a number of surf lifesaving clubs around New Zealand, including the last 15 years with the Ōtaki Surf Lifesaving Club, Mr Bigwood has saved the lives of numerous people and helped numerous people who were in distress.

He does not know just how many lives he has saved, however. “I’ve never kept count and I’ve never taken any photographs.” When you see people in distress, “you never want to take photos”.

“I was very, very humbled [to receive the Civic Award] because surf lifesaving and search and rescue is not individual, it is a team act,” Mr Bigwood says.

As well as the teams that actually carry out the rescues and lifesaving, there is also the teamwork his family provides.

“Every time I get called away, instantly my wife becomes a solo mum, so there’s a real gift [to the community] there.

“She never knows when I am going to be home again.

“As well as family, there’s a whole raft of volunteers involved [in the action] as well as involved in support,” Mr Bigwood says.

As well as participating in rescues and

lifesaving, Mr Bigwood is also the co-ordinator for the surf lifesaving and the search and rescue squads for the Kāpiti, Manawatu and Tararua area, which is also a volunteer role.

The highlight of his time in surf lifesaving has been training young people to become surf lifesavers.

“I really, really enjoy training new people and introducing them to surf lifesaving,” he says.

This was highlighted recently when a team Mr Bigwood was part of recovered three of the four people who had drowned in the Manawatu River.

“It was nice to be able to take these people back to their families. So while it was very sad, there were some good outcomes.”

During that recovery, two lifeguards Mr Bigwood had trained were among the volunteers.

“I had a real sense of pride seeing people I had trained as 15-year-olds doing incredible things as senior lifeguards.”

Travelling to Christchurch to help following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake “was a massive highlight of my career. I was really proud to contribute to that,” he says.

“While helping people is a major role, a lot of the action is also enjoyable.

“For example, you can be driving a rescue boat in conditions you otherwise wouldn’t. It’s a great experience doing

things ordinary people would not do. “So it’s not all altruistic. It’s development of yourself as well.”

A good example of a really enjoyable activity came courtesy of the New Zealand Air Force.

“It was a real privilege to be among the group of people the Air Force used when they got their new helicopters.”

After the new NH90 helicopters arrived, the Air Force organised an exercise involving volunteer rescuers.

The exercise involved two pilots, two crew and 16 searchers and their gear.

“It was pretty impressive. It was really cool to be trusted enough to get us to learn their skills.

“That was a big highlight of my career too, actually,” Mr Bigwood says.

Rob Bigwood and his wife Jaime volunteering as event safety/Search and Rescue support for the Dirt Duathlon Adventure Race at Battle Hill Park in July.

BY VIVIENNE BAILEY

Paddy’s Mart “smashed it”

Te Horo School event organiser Angela Gadsby said the atmosphere at the recent Paddy’s Mart was electric, “the sun shone, everyone had a great time, we smashed it.”

This Paddy’s Mart marked the first Te Horo School Country Fair since Covid restrictions forced a hiatus of two years (the event is usually an annual fundraiser).

Home & School committee chairperson, Sarah Ferguson said the event had always been the main fundraiser for the school.

“The pandemic legislations impacted on the committee’s ability to support the needs of the school,” she explained. “In the past, raised funds were used for new playground devices, for class resources and many other things that benefited teachers, students and their families.”

But the local (and school) community were out in force to remedy the downfall.

Within the first hour of opening the Mystery Bottles and Mystery Jars were sold out and the sweet stall had run out of fudge.

At lunchtime there were queues for lamb-on-a-spit and BBQ while the school bands and choir entertained fair goers.

The High Tea Café also provided a special treat for visitors – tea in a real porcelain cup – while kids entertained themselves at Pony Rides, Petting Zoo,

Commando Course, Bouncy Castle and LEGO racing.

The success of the fair owed much to the support of sponsors, parents, volunteers and teachers, but in particular the principal sponsor, the team from Kelly & Co. A record-breaking $40,415.80 was raised, which will go towards STEM education products, resources and equipment. STEM is an educational approach to learning focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an integrated way.

Te Horo Country Market

The monthly community market is on Sunday 2 October, 10.00am to 1.00pm, wet or fine at Te Horo Hall. There are more than 30 stalls (including the veggie and fruit-laden seasonal surplus stall), selling a wide variety of locally produced goods and products such as honey, award-winning extra virgin olive oil, preserves, natural skincare, arts and crafts (mosaic mirrors, quilt work, driftwood sculptures, bird feeders, linens and knits) and heaps more.

Drinks and Nibbles

The evenings are lighter with daylight saving, a good idea to catch up with old friends and make new ones at the BYO Drinks and Nibbles at Te Horo Hall, Friday 7 October, 5.30pm.

Bring a plate of nibbles to share and something to drink. All welcome.

Ō

taki ‘good sorts’

BY VIVIENNE BAILEY

Karen and David Higgie are the driving force behind Ōtaki Free Food Pantry. Different to Foodbank and governmentbased initiatives, the Pantry supplies rescued food stuffs for those in financial hardship, but who do not qualify for food grants or for Foodbank assistance.

“Our clients are those who have hit a financial hiccup,” Karen explains. “We only ask that they replace what they take with what they can spare, when they can spare it.”

Established in December 2019, with a fridge and a Facebook page, the initial response was one of curiosity and surprisingly, a certain level of animosity, “we don’t need this in Ōtaki.” However, current numbers show a different story, usually around 60 people a month, many paying a return visit.

The 2020 Covid-19 panic changed the way the couple offered their service, with the outside ‘help yourself’ fridge being replaced by boxed food stuffs on a picnic table in their driveway (at the time health officials and the New Zealand Government believed transmission was spread by contact).

“It was easier using the banana boxes than having the fridge outside,” Karen says. “We load them with food items, guaranteeing every person gets one item of everything we have on hand.”

The contents of the boxes are geared to specific needs, “how many are you feeding?” and at times, donations of cat and dog food to share.

Ōtaki Free Food Pantry has supporters in

Ōtaki, Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki, and Paraparaumu, Kaibosh Food Rescue, a voluntary organisation who rescue quality surplus food and get it to those who are struggling.

“People have a choice of pumpkin, silverbeet, beetroot or cauliflower to put with their basic potatoes and kumaras. We usually have apples, pears, and mandarins as well.” Karen adds, laughing, “I’ve had a lady say she’s eating fruit for the first time, loving it and feeling heaps better.”

Kāpiti Kindness Trust donated a supply of hot water bottles recently, “a wonderful gift,” and Karen has included a bottle in her supply box for the homeless. These are smaller food amounts, “often about two-or three-days’ worth, things like sugar, milk and canned food, stuff they can heat on a BBQ at a camping site.”

Client numbers are increasing as more “fall through the loops” and the Ōtaki Free Food Pantry becomes more recognised in the local community, often through the efforts of support workers.

“We don’t judge, we don’t disrespect,” Karen says. “We want everyone to leave with a smile.”

Ōtaki Free Food Pantry is at 22 County Road, Ōtaki. You can also find them on their Facebook page. For further information contact Karen: shedog@gmail.com or text (no phone calls) 027 357 5686

Shingles risk post COVID-19

BY ANN CHAPMAN

A new study shows COVID-19 has been associated with an increased risk of shingles for people aged 50+.

The study of almost 2 million US patient cases found people aged 50+ who had contracted COVID-19 are 15% more likely to develop shingles, and the risk is elevated to 21% for those who had been hospitalised with COVID-19.

Shingles (herpes zoster), is a viral infection caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), also known as chickenpox. Symptoms caused by the disease can be debilitating and may see antidepressants and opioids prescribed to manage intense levels of pain.

Almost all adults aged over 50 already have the virus that causes shingles in their body due to an initial chickenpox infection. Around a third of these will develop shingles in their lifetime when the virus reactivates.

When damaged nerve fibres send confused and exaggerated messages of pain from skin to brain, patients can be impacted by long term pain - known as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Around a third of people with shingles may develop PHN, which can last for months or years. The condition is more likely to occur in older patients and can be associated with depression, anxiety and weight loss.

Dr Helen Petousis-Harris, Associate Professor, Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care at the University of Auckland says shingles can be

debilitating even for patients who are generally healthy.

“Everyone who has had chickenpox has a one-in-three risk of developing shingles at some stage in the future. This is because the virus remains in the body, kept at bay by the immune system. As we age it can reactivate and manifest as shingles.

“My advice to Kiwis aged 50 and over, who have previously had chickenpox, is to check with their HCP on how they can prevent the development of shingles,” she says.

“The newly published COVID-19 and shingles study shows that unvaccinated patients in the study who contracted COVID-19 have a heightened risk of developing shingles. Although the NZ population is highly vaccinated, more than 100,000 Kiwis aged 50+ have reported being infected with COVID-19 which potentially puts these people at increased risk of reactivating the herpes zoster virus,” she says.

Brett Marett, medical director at GSK NZ says that the introduction of a new shingles vaccine can help protect potentially hundreds of thousands of Kiwis who may be at risk of developing the disease.

“The introduction of a new shingles vaccine to New Zealand that can offer a high level of protection against this virus is timely given the result of the recent study which highlights the importance of preventative measures, such as

He kai kei aku ringa

BY MOKO MORRIS

Learning more about the whakapapa of the kumara was the start of one of many workshops planned in Ōtaki.

Brian Climie, Pūkenga Matua from Te Wānanga o Raukawa began our day by reminding us the place of pou whenua and their significance in our pūrākau, we learned that the pou whenua is tuakana of all our traditional weapons and of its purpose within our modern-day times. This gave us more respect for the place of pou whenua in Te Ao Māori and our place in looking after our whenua. "It is a forgotten weapon," says Brian, "as everyone talks about the taiaha, the tewhawha, but it was the first weapon carried by Tūmatauenga and we must remember this.”

Through whanaungatanga we imagined what kai sovereignty might look like and the day contributed to what might be possible together.

Led by Nick Roskruge, Chairperson of Tahuri Whenua, we made parekereke together – the bedding in which the kumara tipu are encouraged and nourished. Eventually they will be ready for sharing with our Ōtaki whānau and ensuring we are supporting one another by sharing knowledge, identifying resources and learning together.

Tahuri whenua are the Māori National Growers Collective whose aims are to:

• Ensure Māori have access to relevant resources in the horticulture industry

• Promote an awareness of the Treaty of Waitangi

• Facilitate Māori participation in research and development in the horticulture sector

• Support Māori Business Development in the horticulture sector through provision of advice and information. We will wait patiently for our tipu, and start getting the planting beds ready. Ngā mihi to Letisha Simon for sharing her space, Waitohu Harvest, with us and showing us what is possible. Letisha grows food for Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki that Is used in the Ka ako, Ka ora schools in lunches as well as weekly frozen meal deliveries. Email us at mauriora@ tepunaoranga-otaki. nz to join us on our maara kai journey.

vaccination, to protect the health and wellbeing of this age group who are at risk of both COVID-19 and shingles,” he says.

New Zealand is the 20th country to offer a new vaccine from GSK, Shingrix. Shingrix is a new vaccine for the prevention of shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia in adults 50 years of age and older and is now available in New Zealand through a prescription from a doctor. Shingrix is the first approved shingles vaccine to combine a non-live antigen with a specifically designed adjuvant to trigger a targeted, strong and sustained immune response.

Lucy Feltham Physiotherapist General physiotherapy no ACC surcharge direct referral for ACC & private consultations shoulder courses manual & sports physio post-op rehab hand therapy 16 Dunstan Street Ōtaki feltham@xtra.co.nz ph / fax 06 364 7027 9am - 6pm Monday-Friday

Old School Beauty & Electrolysis

tel 06 364 7075

'Make Time

Ōtaki Community Expo

BY MARGARET ANDREWS

It returned. The Ōtaki Promotions Group’s (ŌPG) Community Expo 2022, held in the Memorial Hall last Saturday October 24, included many new exhibits among the well-known community groups of Ōtaki.

The hall was lined with tables, many laden with products, pamphlets and items of the different organisations.

The Ōtaki Bridge Club was there with members playing demonstration games for people to watch, maybe learn the basics of the game to join the club.

Energise Ōtaki’s Seasonal Surplus stall people had fresh produce available and the Zero Waste Ōtaki telling about their projects – wood recycling, bicycle upgrade and donating out among other initiatives – and the Sustainability Trust

information about the winter warm-up programme with curtains, insulation and heat pumps.

Order of St John members were there to advise about ambulance service and medical alarms, while the Health shuttle people were there, too, also hoping for some new volunteer drivers.

The Ōtaki Heritage Museum Trust, Support the Ōtaki Rotunda, Ōtaki Community Patrol were all present with information – and a plea for more members – while the Menzshed, Scouts, Genealogy Group and Amicus Club were all telling about their activities and programmes.The more energetic ones from the Zumba Gold exercise group demonstrated their talents on stage.

There were many other groups and

organisations speaking about programmes, or demonstrating products.

The ŌPG were also promoting next year’s Kite Festival in February and had kites for sale.

On entering the foyer people were offered a free raffle ticket for a hamper of groceries purchased with the funds for the hall-hire that KCDC didn’t charge ŌPG this year. Thank you, councillors!

Our town’s coming to life again, our events have started returning and people are getting out to them.

Vote Marilyn Stevens Ōtaki Community Board

MARILYN STEVENS has demonstrated her commitment to our Ōtaki Community over three trienniums on the Ōtaki Community Board, two of those as Deputy Chair; Chair of the Ōtaki Community Network Group; Deputy Chair of the Foodbank; committee member of Ōtaki Health & Wellbeing Group; member of the LGNZ National Executive of Community Boards and has also been very involved with the PP2O project, as an affected landowner she has attended as many meetings as possible ensuring the peoples voices get heard and is an advocate for an interchange at Peka Peka. She has been a Rotarian for almost 30 years, working in her local communities and has now been inducted as District Governor for Rotary District 9940, which spans from Taranaki to Dannevirke and down to Wellington (47 clubs) local and global community commitment is always at the forefront of her mind.

Authorised by Marylin Stevens – marilynandwayne@yahoo.com

Ōtaki Repair Café

The ‘sun fund’ for local energy projects is back, with around $20,000 of revenue from Rau Kūmara solar farm to be distributed.

Last year’s Whakahiko Ōtaki–Energise Ōtaki funded projects included a student-lead solar trolley design and build; stream restoration and ngahere kai/ food forest support; investigating the feasibility of a power pack made from recycled batteries …even a compostable toilet. This year, applications for study support are also encouraged.

Anyone from anywhere is welcome to apply, including individuals, businesses, schools and kura, marae, and community organisations.

There is no set number of projects to receive funding, and no set format. Projects could (for example) be artworks, inventions, events, educational content, kit, even energy audits. They could be ongoing projects or bright new ideas. All winning projects will directly benefit Ōtaki and/ or Te Horo and reflect Energise Ōtaki’s focus areas by

● contributing to reducing Ōtaki/ Te Horo’s climate emissions, or

● contributing to reducing Ōtaki/ Te Horo’s energy consumption, or

● turning local ‘waste’ into energy, or

●

xploring renewable energy systems,

● encouraging interest in energy subjects or issues, particularly for young people, or

● supporting our people by ‘doing good’ in the Ōtaki/ Te Horo community.

Energise Ōtaki is hosting two project consultation sessions (27th September, slots between 6:30-8:30pm and 8th October, between 10:30am-1pm), at the Gertrude Atmore Supper Room. Advance booking is preferred, but everyone’s welcome to turn up to talk about their project application.

Applications close on Friday, 21st October. Details and application forms are at energise.otaki.net.nz/whakahikootaki

In other news - we’re delighted to have won Kāpiti’s overall Supreme award at the Wellington Airport Community Awards.

And to be hosting Ōtaki Bike Space’s Heal the Wheels Community Fix-it Day, on Saturday, 29th October 10am-2pm. Bring your (mildly) broken bike: Bike Space volunteers will work on it!

There’ll be giveaways and a sausage sizzle too.

The 2022 fund round is now open.

Do you have an ‘energising’ idea that could do with a financial boost?

Ōtaki College’s Sam Georgetti and William Fogden build their 2021 Whakahiko Ōtaki–Energise Ōtaki funded solar-powered caretaker’s vehicle.

Zero Waste Ōtaki Update

BY JAMIE BULL

The longer days and warmer weather is seeing a significant increase in our visitor numbers on site which we welcome, especially as many of them are coming for the first time and are really delighted with what they find.

We were saddened to discover some vandalism of our site recently. This was a first and we would welcome the eyes and ears of the community to keep an eye out for after hours entry to the site.

The “Thursday Boys” have renamed themselves “Waste Worriers!” They recently completed converting a steel structure we inherited on site to a dry storage space for firewood. It has been an issue keeping wood for firewood dry during the very wet weather, so this is a great development. And there is still a significant demand for firewood. They have also built a Noggin box , which is at the back of the site so if you after those ( 10c each), don't hesitate to ask a

volunteer who are obvious in their pink safety vests piece

The next intake of Te Hunga Rangatahi ki Ōtaki started with us recently and have displayed enthusiasm and energy, particularly for the “ demolition “ tasks. We really value this partnership.

At this stage we continue to open every Wednesday morning 9.30-10.30 am and the last Sunday of the month 9.30- 12 noon. We are considering how we can implement some summer hours so watch this space. Please wear shoes when coming on site. Cash and internet banking only. We are located on Riverbank Road next to the transfer station. Come and have a look, or better still come and join our happy band of volunteers.

Keep up to date with our activities via our Facebook page; or email zerowaste.otaki@gmail.com to go on our mailing list; or visit zerowasteotaki.nz

The Rongoā Space

BY JOANNE HAKARAIA

Rongoā of the Month

KŌWHAI

I love this period of time. It’s a time where we can feel ourselves coming to life with a renewed sense of adventure. The stirrings of vitality rise within us as we transition from the wānanga filled days of winter and into the lightness of spring. What was gestated in wānanga will now begin to germinate and it’s up to you which seedlings you will allow to take root and bring to a full life cycle as a rākau rangatira. It’s impossible to germinate every seed, every idea, even though we may want to. The key is to keep weeding and preparing the soil, creating space in the maara and the hinengaro. You will know what to nurture when the time comes.

About Kōwhai:

There are 8 endemic species of Kōwhai. They are found throughout Aotearoa, growing along river banks, lake shores, on the outskirts of forest and in open places in the lowland. Kōwhai is part of a larger family of Fabaceae, a pea/pod producing family in which kaka beak, our native broom and introduced gorse belong to. Kōwhai is a nitrogen-fixing plant, which is essential to plant growth, and are hugely beneficial in any ecosystem, especially when soils are lacking in this nutrient. Nitrogen is so vital because it is a major component of chlorophyll, the compound by which plants convert sunlight energy into chemical energy that can later be released

to fuel the plants activities (photosynthesis).

Kōwhai is the hardest native timber and the dry wood burns hotter than coal.

Tohu

She is one of the few natives that are semi deciduous, losing most of her leaves over winter. Her stunning bright yellow flowers erupt from barren branches at the end of winter leading us into spring. They were a sign of the last frosts of winter and that it was time to plant kumara and seek out kina.

If the kōwhai tree blossoms from the lower branches up then it will be a warm and fruitful season, but if the blossoms appear from the top down on the tree then it will be a cold wet season to follow.

Rongoā

Kōwhai was traditionally used as a healer of skin and tissue, a knitter of bones. She is a deep cleanser of toxins that are drawn out of the body, through poultices and baths.

Bark was collected from the northeastern side of the plant, where sunlight is able to restore the plant and made into an infusion. This could be used to treat a variety of conditions including;

Bruises and broken limbs (by bathing in the waikowhai)

Internal pains

Poultice for wounds and tumours

Skin diseases, itchy skin, scabies, dandruff

The flowers, seed pods, twigs and bark were also used to create a yellow dye.

For me, the bright yellow blooms of

Kōwhai is a tohu for expansion. The vibrant colour has the mana to lift us from the sleepiness of winter and bring us into a sense of renewal with a shift in perspective, and a shift in mauri. When we slow down and truly look at the yellow hue of Kōwhai we can feel its mauri. When we feel the mauri we feel a shift, like a light igniting deep within our puku.

We only have a small window of opportunity to observe the beauty of our flowering natives. The most potent rongoā is outside in nature.

Ōtaki Titan strikes gold

BY FRANK NEILL

Ōtaki Titan Rebecca Moynihan is a New Zealand swimming champion.

Rebecca struck gold in the 50 metres freestyle at the New Zealand Short Course Swimming Championship, held at the Sir Owen G Glenn Aquatic Centre, Auckland, from 23 to 27 August.

In winning the event, Rebecca set a new Wellington record, and has now been selected to represent New Zealand.

As well as winning the gold medal, she also won a silver medal in the 100 metres freestyle.

Phoebe Nelson also placed highly, finishing fifth in both the 50 metres and 100 metres freestyle.

Four Ōtaki Titans competed in the championships, with all four setting new personal best times.

Kokoro Frost set four new personal best times, in the 50 metres and 100 metres butterfly, 50 metres backstroke and 100 metres individual medley, including breaking the Samoan record in one of his events.

Imogen Waite’s two personal best times came in the 50 metres backstroke and 50

metres freestyle.

The Ōtaki Titans also gained a first at the Gold Coast Zone meeting, held at the Tawa Pool on 14 August.

The Titans and the Tawa Swimming Club tied for first place to share the Personal Best Trophy for the event.

All nine Titans either set new times or recorded their personal best times.

Chelsea Holland clocked personal best times in all three events she entered – the 100 metres individual medley and the 50 metres and 200 metres breaststroke.

Carys Watkins also swam personal best times in all her races – the 50 metres breaststroke, 50 metres freestyle and 50 metres butterfly.

Bowling club opens season

BY FRANK NEILL

Sorcha Hipkins and Imogen Waite recorded their personal best times in the 100 metres individual medley.

The other personal best times were

recorded by Ruby Rasmussen in the 50 metres backstroke, Henry Waite in the 50 metres freestyle, Samantha Baillie in the 200 metres backstroke, Lucy Rasmussen in the 50 metres backstroke and Deryn

The Ōtaki Bowling Club opened its season on 17 September with the club’s patron, Fae Fagan, having the first bowl when she delivered the jack for the first game.

The club president, Hugh Daubney, then played a bowl and the opening day friendly games were under way. Club members participated in a drawn pairs series of games, where each pairing is selected by a draw.

The club will be looking to at least emulate last season’s champion of champion performances.

In 2021 the Ōtaki women’s fours team won the Sarah Conlon Trophy for the first time in 38 years when they won the Kāpiti Centre champion of champions fours. The winning team was Doreen Moselen, Pat Montgomery, Clare Hack and Pat Bloxham.

With the champion of champions open to both men’s and women’s singles, pairs and fours, the Ōtaki Bowling Club will be looking to add more silverware to its collection of trophies in the 2022-23 season.

The Ōtaki Bowling and Pétanque Club’s executive (from left): Roger Pappas (secretary), Hugh Daubney (president), Jane Selby-Paterson (vice-chairperson), Gary Brunton (Pétanque Club captain), Pat Bloxham (treasurer) and Paul Selby (Bowling Club captain).

The Ōtaki Bowling Club’s patron, Fae Fagan, gets the new season under way by bowling the first jack.

Top four football finish

BY FRANK NEILL

Ōtaki Purutaitama recorded its second top four finish to complete its 2022 football season.

After finishing fourth in Horowhenua Kāpiti Football division one, Ōtaki Purutaitama made the semi-finals of the Kāpiti Cup competition.

The Ōtaki team defeated Manakau Hui Mai 7-2 in the Kāpiti Cup quarter final, played at Haruātai Park on 27 August.

Unlike the close encounters of previous local derbies, Ōtaki Purutaitama dominated this match.

One feature of the game was that three generations of players featured for the home team –Wakahuia Porter, his sons Hape and Wakahuia Porter, and his grandson Te Hau Porter.

Hape scored one of the seven goals Ōtaki netted, while Travis Robertson scored four goals, and Tom Hill and Dubbs Reynalds one goal each.

Unsurprisingly Travis was awarded three MVP points, Isaac Cant two points and Wakahuia Porter one point.

Atain Halley scored both Manakau Hui Mai’s goals, while Sam Ward scored three MVP points, Sam Whitt two points and Marty Yaxley one point.

Ōtaki Purutaitama lost its semi-final encounter when Waikanae Jets beat them 4-2 on 3 September.

Travis Robertson was again on the score card with one goal, while Devon Young also found the back of the net.

Matthew Braddock was awarded three MVP points, Hape Porter two points and Josh Furze one point.

The heavy rains that fell this year meant that Manakau’s two teams were unable to contest the finals of the Kāpiti Shield and Kāpiti Plate competitions.

The season was delayed by so many rainy days that the club was away on its

end-of-season trip the weekend of the finals.

After losing to Ōtaki Purutaitama on 27 August, Manakau Hui Mai qualified for the 3 September Plate semi-final, which they won when Waikanae Strollers defaulted.

Manakau Tuakana Teina won its Shield semi-final with a comprehensive 7-0

victory over Waikanae Wolves at Manakau Domain on 3 September. Theo McHugo socred two goals and was awarded three MVP points. Robert Wylie, Jeremy Crowe, Caleb Smith, Fintan McHugo and Trent Thompson also scored for Manakau. Chris Henry was awarded two MVP points and Jeremy Crowe one point.

Ōtaki triathlon returns

BY FRANK NEILL

The Ōtaki triathlon returns to Haruātai Park this year after an eight year absence from the town’s event calendar.

The resurrected sprint distance triathlon will take place on 27 November.

This is thanks to the new Ōtaki Pool Manager Andrew Adeane, who has led the charge resurrecting the triathlon.

“The Ōtaki Triathlon, or the ŌT as we’ve renamed it, is a sprint distance triathlon for anyone keen to build their fitness levels and have a blast doing it,” Mr Adeane says.

“We want to celebrate Ōtaki, our quality pool complex and create a safe, fun and supportive environment for our community to give a multisport race a go.

“I can’t think of a better location than Haruātai Park or a better facility than Ōtaki Pool to host an event like this.

“For more experienced triathletes, the ŌT is an awesome way to gently kickstart your 2022-23 season with some of the best terrain and views that the Kāpiti Coast has to offer.”

Following a 400m swim, ŌT participants will take on a 20km bike ride through the back streets of the Ōtaki township to the beach front, twice, before finishing with a 5km run around the Haruātai Park trail – a mixture of flat grounds and slight inclines, surrounded by thriving native bush.

“You can enter as an individual or as a team and there are seven different categories to choose from including aqua bike, aqua run and e-bike options. We want people to give it a go, no matter their level of experience or ability,” Mr Adeane says.

In the lead up to the event, Ōtaki Pool is offering group running and swimming training sessions to support entrants to build their fitness and connect with others in the community.

“To get you race-ready, our 0-5km running programme will help you go from the couch to running 5km in 10 weeks, and our coached swimming lessons are a great way to improve your form. We will also offer sessions on transition training and bike skills closer to the event,” says Mr Adeane.

“Ultimately, we want to run an event that supports the wellbeing of our people – in the lead up to the race and beyond. All profits from the ŌT will be used to fund swim lessons for at-risk tamariki.”

Up until 2014 the Ōtaki triathlon was organised by the Kāpiti Running and Tri Club. However what had been a popular event lost momentum, leading to the decision to halt it.

Mathew Braddock brings the ball forward for Ōtaki Purutaitama, under some pressure from Manakau’s Allan Johns.

Sam Ward makes a run for Manakau Hui Mai in its match against Ōtaki Purutaitama.

Flower garden

Gardening with

Garden tasks for October

Check your roses for aphids – they often congregate on young shoots and buds. Hose off or spray with pyrethrum.

Feed roses and spray with a fungicide to prevent diseases. Alternatively, use an organic spray, one part milk/ ten parts water (I find this really effective, though you have to use a couple of times).

October is the main start of the spring-flowering clematis hybrids. Train new shoots sideways and keep up with snail bait, such as animal-friendly Quash.

Prune spring-flowering shrubs after flowering, and deadhead rhododendrons.

Feed acid-loving plants, such as camellias and azaleas, after flowering with acid fertiliser.

Prune tender shrubs such as irisenes, dombeya and hibiscus if you haven’t already done so.

There’s still time to lift and divide any perennials that you want to rejuvenate. Replant with plenty of compost and fertiliser.

Sow seeds of flowering annuals directly into ground –alyssum, Californian poppy, statice, marigolds, nasturtium and sunflowers.

Sow in trays ready for transplanting later – carnations, dahlia, livingstone daisy, petunia, salvia and gerberas.

Plant perennial and summer flowering bulbs like dahlia, begonia, gladioli and calla lily.

Fruit and vegetable garden

Prepare the soil for a pumpkin patch, and for planting sweet corn, by working in blood and bone, and aged sheep manure.

Sow seeds of tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, aubergines, capsicums, and chillies in trays for planting out later.

Sow seeds of carrots, beetroot, radish, parsley and silverbeet directly into the ground, or plant out seedlings.

Trees grown for their autumn foliage and fruit, such as persimmons, will benefit from a weekly application of liquid fertiliser right through spring and early summer.

Water the ground first, apply fertiliser and water in.

Mulch strawberries with leaves, sawdust or straw – this prevents fruit from being ruined by the soil.

Plant out passionfruit, rhubarb and tamarillos.

Sprinkle blood and bone, and potash, around the base of passionfruit plants to stimulate fruit formation – water in well.

Watch out for scale insect on citrus and spray with a horticultural oil.

Also check for woolly aphids on apple trees. Paint the aphids (they look like bits of cotton wool) with methylated spirits.

Lawns

Fertilise lawn, and spray for broad leaf and Onehunga weed to prevent summer prickles.

Second thoughts

Start watering before the soil dries out, particularly roses.

Mulch all plants to conserve moisture and make sure your watering systems are working.

Plant your hanging baskets and containers with flowers for summer colour.

Focus on growing brambles

Brambles are blackberry-type plants, excluding raspberries, and can be sprawling or erect. They usually come with prickly stems, although numerous varieties are now available without thorns. Happy in most soils, except waterlogged conditions, they are easily grown apart from regular watering over summer.

Many of us have fond childhood memories of picking wild blackberries from the side of the road, coming away with red-stained mouths and hands – and a few prickles to dig out later!

The berries are rich in vitamin C and dietary fibre, and also contain calcium, phosphorus and potassium.

Brambles grow best in areas with cool winters (a period of winter chilling is required) and mild summers (they will need maximum sunlight to ripen fruit). The berries are hardy to around -20 degrees Celsius but late frosts can damage new spring growth (boysenberries are the most heat-tolerant variety).

When planting your blackberry, provide an easterly aspect, shaded from afternoon sun and with protection from hot, dry winds. Add plenty of compost to soil and apply a mulch and well-balanced fertiliser in early spring.

Plants can be trained on trellis to create an edible screen, beside a deck or on a fence, or you could try a pillar rose frame as a focal point in the garden.

In winter when the plant is dormant, gather up canes and train along trellis. Cut out weak, fruited and old canes – blackberries are a sprawling plant so keep canes off the

ground as they will root themselves at a node.

You might need to apply several copper sprays during winter for fungal disease-control (botrytis is usually only a problem when wet weather coincides with the ripening period), and bird netting will probably be required during fruiting times – mid-summer around February and March. Extra water at this time will improve fruit quality, but apply to base of plant to avoid wetting the fruit.

You could be putting your home-grown loganberries into your Christmas fruit salad – they produce their dusky, purple-red fruit during December and January (canes fruit in their second year). The berry is a hybrid- cross between raspberries and blackberries, and contains vitamins C, A and E – the fruit also provides a good source of essential fatty acids.

Loganberries like a sunny position with some afternoon shade – they do not tolerate wind and salty marine conditions. They prefer a free draining, slightly acidic soil, and like blackberries, an application of general fertiliser in spring with compost mulch is all that is required.

As with blackberries, prune in winter, removing canes to the base. Tie up young, trailing canes to a trellis system – they will fruit in the second year. Remove tips so canes do not become too long and encourage fruiting laterals.

Try ‘Waimate,’ a trailing variety without thorns, which produces excellent, aromatic-flavoured fruit in midsummer or the sweet-tasting ‘Black Satin,’ a blackberry with large, glossy, black conical fruit.

the Ō taki Mail

BY VIVIENNE BAILEY viv.bailey@xtra.co.nz

The prickly Japanese flowering quince

In late winter or early spring the bare branches of Chaenomeles, the Japanese flowering quince, break into a riot of spectacular colour. They are among the first spring shrubs to bloom – buds may even start to show colour as early as June.

Picturesque and practically indestructible, their bare, brown twiggy branches give the plant a strong, oriental appearance. Some grow high with a broad spread, others are compact and low, but all have vicious, spiny thorns and usually bear large hard fruit – green and yellow japonica apples, much like small quinces, which provide winter interest in the garden (they are related to Cydonia, the edible quince). Although astringent and unpleasant to eat raw (the skin is waxy and strongly perfumed), the fruit can be used to make fine jams and jelly, and to add extra flavour to apple pies.

The deciduous shrubs are native to Eastern Asia, Japan, China and Korea. They come in a wide range of colours (flowers appear in stalk-less clusters on previous year’s wood) from bright orange red to white, and are frosthardy, adapting to a wide range of garden conditions.

While easy to grow, the plants prefer full sun but will tolerate dry, cold, and even windy locations. Full sun is needed for the best ornamental display.

Although sparse growing (they reach a height of 1-3m) these versatile shrubs can be trained over trellis and arbour, and are excellent for espalier work against a wall or along wires. They also look great as hedges (those nasty, spiky bits keep burglars away), in mass plantings, shrub borders, cottage gardens and pots.

The Chaenomeles x superba varieties, such as ‘Pink Lady’ (which has dark pink, bowl-shaped flowers) are generally more compact in their growing habit, and

therefore more suitable for the general garden border.

‘Green Ice’ has a low, spreading habit (1 x1m) and produces white-tinged, semi-double, green blossom from chartreuse buds, while ‘Cameo’ has soft apricotpink, double flowers, delicately shaded and borne in profusion on a compact, bushy shrub (1.2x1m).

‘Cardinal’ is a strong, vigorous grower (2 x 1.5m) with large, brilliant, deep-red, single blossoms over a long, profuse flowering period.

‘Sunset Gold’ (2 x 1.5m) produces single, rose-pink flowers which completely cover every branch – it also bears fruit heavily.

For a delightful novelty you could try ‘Toyo Nishiki’ (2 x 1.5m), which comes with single white, pink and rose flowers on the same bush – great for floral work.

To preserve the shape and vigour of your shrub, you can prune virtually at any time, perhaps best when the pretty, flowering stems can be picked and taken indoors.

Her Majesty's favourite: Lily-of-the-Valley

Renowned for its beautiful perfume, the lily-of-thevalley, Convallaria majalis, was reputedly Queen Elizabeth II's favourite flower. She carried them in her bouquet of orchids when she married Prince Philip in 1947, and six years later they featured in her 1953 Coronation bouquet. It seems a fitting time to highlight this dainty, white bell-shaped bloom.

Lily-of-the-valley is thought to symbolise motherhood, purity and good luck, and in the language of flowers represents sweetness, tears of the Virgin Mary and humility.

A true woodland plant, lily-of-the-valley prefers shade or semi-shade (it thrives under the dappled shade of trees and large shrubs) and requires moist (although not waterlogged) ground throughout the growing season – it is unwise to let your plants dry out, they are unlikely to recover. Although happy in all soil types, from clay to sandy, dig in lots of well-rotted compost if your ground conditions are heavy or not free draining.

The plants are famed for being easy to grow and can become quite invasive if left to their own devices. However, they are easily kept in check by simply removing any plants which have spread too far –propagation is by division.

Lily-of-the-valley grow from pips (rhizomes) and can be planted at any time of the year (although autumn is the ideal time when soil is not too dry). Soak the pips in lukewarm water for several hours before planting, until they swell and become hard.

The plants grow to roughly 30cm high, with dark green, glossy leaves first appearing in spring followed by

arching stalks carrying the elegant, delicate flowers (6-12mm across). Bright orange (toxic) berries are produced later – all parts of lily-of-the-valley are poisonous if ingested. The plant contains more than 30 cardiac glycosides which can inhibit the pumping activity of the heart. The poisonous toxins act as a defence mechanism, the properties helping to prevent animals feeding on plant seeds and damaging the plant.

Feeding requirements are minimal, in their natural surroundings they thrive amongst the fallen leaves of overhanging trees. Nitrogen-rich fertilisers will only encourage leaf growth at the expense of flowers.

Leave foliage after flowering as leaves need to continue feeding for next five or six months in preparation for flowering the next year (yellowed leaves can be removed if you want to tidy up).

Strong growing plants are rarely attacked by pests, however sprinkle a slug deterrent after planting. Occasionally they may suffer from leaf spot, but this is usually due to too much dampness.

You can grow plants successfully in containers, but you will need to give them a constant supply of water throughout summer – choose a deep pot as their root system is quite extensive.

If you are not a white flower lover, pink-flowered variants are sometimes available and there are several cultivars with variegated or gold foliage.

Ōtaki – Education Town

Te Horo School: Growing great learners

BY FRANK NEILL

Te Horo School’s great success is built on two main factors – ensuring that learning is fun and building strong relationships.

What the school is doing is “growing great learners for today and tomorrow,” the Principal, Allie McHugo says.

One of the school’s key values is that the students and teachers are having fun.

“If we have that, we have a really good foundation for academic growth,” Ms McHugo says.

“We are in a unique position because we are partly rural and we are partly suburban.”

As a result, Te Horo School has “a really good, relaxed rural feel about it and with a real focus on community and family.

“Relationships are key,” Ms McHugo says. “All the kids have good relationships.

“People are the heart of everything and people are the heart of Te Horo.”

The school, in fact, “is almost the hub of the community. This is where people come and connect.”

The school also has a very supportive Board of Trustees, led by the presiding member, Steve Gadsby, and a very supportive Home and School Committee.

Parents have a strong voice and strong involvement with the school. The student voice is also really strong, Ms McHugo says.

A good example of the community involvement came in May when tornadoes tore down trees and damaged properties in Te Horo.

“The [school] grounds were a mess. Ninety parents came and helped clean up. They cut up trees for firewood and sold it to raise money for the school.

“It was beautiful,” Ms McHugo says.

Another example of community involvement is the annual Te Horo School paddy’s market. This year’s market was organised by Angela Gadsby of the Home and School Committee with significant community involvement.

More than 2,000 people attended this year’s event, which raised $40,000, with the principal sponsor Kelly and Co providing $10,000 of this.

“The rest is driven by parents who give their valuable time.

“After two years of absence due to Covid … it was lovely to see,” Ms McHugo says.

Four students – Lachie Roddick, Eliza Vincent, Finn Butler and Emily Cottle –spoke with the Ōtaki Mail about life at Te Horo School.

They particularly noted one of the initiatives the school has for relationship building, the school’s buddy groups.

“Years five and six buddy up with year one and two, and year seven buddy up with years three and four. They are buddies until they leave,” Finn said, noting that the buddy group initiative was excellent and worked really well for building relationships.

Te Horo School also has five heart values, being a communicator, being a good citizen, being capable, having resilience, and being a team player.

“In the assembly every two weeks, if you display the heart values you get a paper medal.”

The school also has a hui every Monday, Wednesday and Friday first thing in the morning.

“We sing Happy Birthday for those who have birthdays and we celebrate achievements,” Finn said.

What had happened in the week and what was about to happen were also covered in the hui.

Year eight students have a leadership group where people can also choose to take the leadership challenge, Emily said.

An example of a leadership challenge activity was organising fund-raising for a camp or for the school.

“This enables you to do things for yourself, to do thing for the school and to do things for the community.

“People who complete it get a certificate at the end of the year,” Emily said. One of the learning areas the students particularly commented on was the technology programme.

“The tech at the school is really fun,” Finn said. “The cooking is delicious.”

“Tech is a highlight throughout the senior years, particularly robotics,” Eliza added.

Te Horo School also has a swimming pool operating, unlike many schools these days.

“The pool is amazing,” Lachie said. “The pool being open in summer is almost a relief.”

Sport and cultural activities are also strong at the school.

As well as a list of sports the students

play, including hockey, netball, football, rugby, tennis, horse riding, dressage, swimming, triathlon and athletics, the school also runs its annual swimming competition at the Ōtaki Pool for a week.

“A lot of the kids are in bands,” Finn noted, “and they perform outside school too,” Eliza added.

“Our garden is gong really well too,” Finn said.

“You can take food home and excess garden stuff goes in the sharing shed for adults to collect.

“The school does well for people who want to continue their education,” Finn said, adding that there were extra learning programmes, a literary extension programme and teacher aids to help students needing extra assistance.

Te Horo School caters for students in years one to eight. The intermediate school years were added to the school in 2009.

The school’s roll was 216 on 20 September, and growing.

“When I started here in 2007 we had 99 students,” Ms McHugo says.

Just two terms ago the roll was 188. “We are flying.”

Even more is planned for next year, with the school currently investigating building capability for Te Reo Māori.

This dragon was one of the features of Te Horo School’s wearable arts event.

Te Horo School’s Principal Allie McHugo

Te Horo School students in one of their community service initiatives – cleaning fire engines for the Te Horo Volunteer Rural Fire Brigade.

The pile of firewood chopped up by parents after tornadoes swept through the school, tearing down trees, in May.

Ōtaki College News

October 2022 www.otakicollege.school.nz

From the Principal Andy Fraser

Nau mai, haere mai, welcome to the new Ōtaki College Board of Trustees

I would very much like to welcome our new Board who will undertake the task of governance over the next three years. Congratulations to elected parent representatives Pania Barrett, Dennis Crib, Penny Gaylor, Katera RikihanaTukerangi and Sarah Ropata; Co-opted representative Jo Andrews; Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki representative Maewa Kaihau; Student representative Forest Glanville Hall; and Staff representative Natasha Simpson. Penny Gaylor is our Board Chair and can be contacted on penny. gaylor@hotmail.com should you wish to discuss any Board issues.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all of the time and effort that the outgoing Board of Trustees members have put into their roles over the last triennium. The development of the Strategic Plan was a significant piece of work that will act as a powerful driver around our future focused direction for the next 5 years. I have appreciated the professionalism of all the Trustees and this has certainly allowed the College to continue to navigate through difficult COVID times without major disruption.

Early Finishes

During the latter part of this Term we have implemented early finishes for the school day in an effort to maintain the wellbeing of staff and provide planning time in acknowledgement of the fact that our teachers are spending much of their release time undertaking internal relief. We continue to operate with only a small number of relievers available so it is envisaged that these early finishes will continue until the end of Week 3, Term 4. This will be reviewed when Seniors leave for exams. Until then students will continue to finish College at 2.25 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Senior Prizegiving – Thursday 3 November

Our Senior Prizegiving will take place on Thursday 3 November at 7.00pm in the College Hall. Ōtaki College whānau and community are warmly invited. As COVID restrictions have not allowed us to undertake many of our school-wide competitions such as Athletics and Swimming, this means that the number of trophies and citations we would normally award at Sports Prizegiving have markedly diminished in number. Based on this we have decided to include the sports presentations as part of the Senior and Junior Prizegivings respectively.

Fortunately this does tie in nicely with our guest speaker at the Senior Prizegiving who has been confirmed as past student, Keeley O'Hagan, who recently came 6th in the High Jump event at the Manchester Commonwealth Games.

Andy Fraser , Principal

Exciting News – Performances of The Battalion Commence 19 October

The students of Ōtaki College and Te Kura-a-Iwi O Whakatupuranga Rua Mano have been working together under the direction of Jim Moriarty and his theatre company, Te Rākau, on a production of The Battalion.

The Battalion is a powerful story about loss of innocence, comradeship, whānau, adventure, loyalty, sacrifice, love, and ultimately, healing set during WWII.

Many members of the Māori Battalion were just kids, as young as 15, when they left for WWII and there are whānau in Ōtaki who have direct links to the Māori Battalion.

Performances of The Battalion will be taking place during Week 1 of Term 4.

The performances will run from Wednesday 19 October to Saturday 22 October at 10.30am and 6.00pm each day.

There is a door fee of $5.00 for children and senior citizens and $10.00 for adults. There is also a koha box if you wish to contribute further. There are limited seats at each performance and booking is recommended.

To book – email booking@otakicollege. school.nz with your name, contact details and the number of tickets required –please let us know if any tickets are for students or senior citizens or if you have any special needs eg accessibility requirements. Payment will be on the day at the door.

We look forward to your support and hope you enjoy the show!

Enchanted Garden Ball

This year the Ōtaki College Ball was held on Saturday 3 September at the Ōtaki Māori Racing Club.

From 7.00pm a vast variety of vehicles transported guests to the "Enchanted Garden" themed ball. As usual, the welcome by parents and staff was fantastic as students arrived at the venue.

Honours on the night went to:

Queen (Yr13) Tia Brown

King (Yr13) Lewis Case

Princess (Yr12) Elliot Yaxley

Prince (Yr12) Regan Crighton

Best Dressed Girl Paris Karl-Fields

Best Dressed Boy Archie O’Sullivan

Best Ride The Bus Group

The College would like to thank the student organising committee for their hard work and dedication, resulting in a beautifully themed and thoroughly enjoyable evening. Also the parents and staff who helped out on the night.

A special thanks goes to Karen and Stephen from Talisman Nursery for providing all the lovely shrubs and plants for the garden theme and for their boundless energy both in setting up and packing away at the end of the night.

Otaki Women's Market flourishing

Māoriland releases animated film TAMA KAIĀTEA (Astro Kid) in te reo Māori

E whakahīhī ana a Māoriland ki te tuku i a Tama Kaiātea , he kiriata paki waituhi kua whakamāorihia mō Mahuru Māori.

Māoriland is proud to announce the release of Tama Kaiāte a, an animated feature film that’s been reversioned into the Māori language in time for Mahuru Māori.

Originally a popular French animated feature film called Astro Kid , the hero of Tama Kaiāte a is a boy called Wiremu. Wiremu gets separated from his parents when their space ship is destroyed, and he ends up on a strange planet. While he awaits rescue he is protected by his survival robot Paki. Together they encounter dangers and make friendships as they explore their new home.

This is a thoughtful and fun-filled movie. It's an engaging film for small children, but will charm the whole family.

Tama Kaiātea was produced by Māoriland Productions at their He Paki Taketake studio in Ōtaki. The script was translated into Māori by local teachers and linguists Clayton Cook, Te Kiwa Goddard and Hēni Jacob. Libby Hakaraia produced the film, and Tainui Stephens cast and directed the voice actors.

Tainui Stephens says the recent success of Lion King Reo Māori shows a demand for screen stories in the Māori language – for children as much as for adults.

Stephens was clear about the types of voices the team wanted for Tama Kaiātea

'The actors needed to feel comfortable in the

Māori language and be able to respond to direction.The sound of each individual voice also had to evoke the personality of the character.'

He Paki Taketake studios are staffed by rangatahi who have been trained by the Māoriland Charitable Trust as part of its rangatahi development strategy. The aim is to upskill young Māori and get them entry into the film and digital creative industries. The sound engineer for the film is Maaka GairHouia, and the production assistant is Ōriwa Hakaraia.

The production of Tama Kaiātea was supported with Innovation Funding from Te Mangai Pāho. The focus of He Paki Taketake is to reversion films in te reo by using the Māori language skills of the local community. Ōtaki is the home of Te Wānanga o Raukawa, NZ’s first Māori university.

The Wānanga is a result of a long-term vision set in place by the elders of the Āti Awa, Raukawa and Toa Rangatira iwi (known as the ART Confederation) to revitalise te reo Māori amongst their people.

Although most of the voice actors for the film were found in Ōtaki, the hero Wiremu is performed by 9-year-old William Lockwood (Ngāti Pikiao), a student at Rotorua Primary School.

Te Puaheiri Snowden (Te Māhurehure, Ngāti Kuta-Patukeha) plays Wiremu's father. He lives in the Waikato and is a host for the popular reo Māori podcast 'Taringa'.

Ōtaki provided all the other voices including Te Ākauroa Jacob who plays the super capable robot Paki, and Ariah Kapa who plays Wiremu's Mum. Local musicians and staunch reo advocates Angie Stretch and Turanga Mahutonga provided the reo Māori waiata that feature in the soundtrack.

He Paki Taketake was proud to once again make use of Kiwa Digital’s VoiceQ software for the reversioning into the Māori language. This internationally acclaimed software package enables translations to be done on-line and immediately available in-studio for the voice artist to record.

Tainui Stephens says to expect many more projects to come out of He Paki Taketake studios.

'When the Māori language is used well in any form of storytelling, an attractive and welcoming indigenous personality shines through. Tama Kaiātea has given a playful Māori character to a film that will keep the little ones glued to the screen. It's a fun filled entertaining story for any lovers of te reo Māori.'

It's NZ Bookshop Day on Saturday 8 October! This is a great day to visit your local independent bookshop and see what we are all about; plus, we will have special offers on the day and in the week leading up to it. In celebration of NZ Bookshop Day 2022, Booksellers Aotearoa is hosting a nationwide bookmark treasure hunt, from 1–8 October. There are great book voucher prizes to be won.

It's WOW time: the World of WearableArt Awards Show is back on again. Come and look at our shop-window display, as we are participating in the regional promotion of this event (another chance to shop and win!). Suzanne, one of our very creative staff members, put together our book-themed costume!

School holidays do inspire us to focus on books and activities for children. We have a huge range of activity books covering topics from outdoor adventure skills and crafts to colouring, sticker books, create your own stories, puzzle solving, origami and more. There are also jigsaw puzzles for all ages and some great bingo games. We also stock environmental card game, Cloak of Protection, created by local JiL Hemming.

A couple of new books for children we can recommend this month are:

The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street | Ngā Kuia o te Tiriti o Pikitea , by Renisa Maki. This is a lovely picture book where Māori, Ethiopian, Samoan, NZ European, Indian and Chinese grandmothers share traditional recipes and stories with their grandkids as they get ready for bed. It's sumptuously illustrated and with a fine te reo translation.

Annual 3: A Miscellany from Aotearoa New Zealand , by Kate de Goldi and Susan Paris. This book is the perfect gift for a 9 to13 year old and features new work from some of New Zealand's best writers and illustrators. Annual 3 features a dictionary of crazy words that come in handy on car trips; a sophisticated 'spot the similarity'; a 'found' poem from school newsletters; a mathsnerd's memoir full of tricky logic puzzles; comics that embrace other worlds; a very unlucky zebra; and top-class fiction that spans Christchurch Botanic Gardens in the 19th century, the loss of a brother, a Kiwi beach holiday and a Fontanian boarding school. This is a book for readers who are hungry for sophisticated, wide-ranging, and challenging content. It aims to revitalise the reading experience for this age group and create life-long readers.

Dare we mention the word Christmas?! Well, it is getting closer, especially for those of you wanting to take or send gifts overseas. We do already have Christmas cards and children's Christmas books in store; 2023 calendars and diaries are also arriving. And – thinking ahead – if you want a special book for a Christmas gift, we do recommend buying or ordering it early so you can be sure to have it in time.

Happy reading, from Jacqui, Tracey & team

ABC: Author's Book Corner

BY ANN CHAPMAN

Te Horo writer Patricia Donovan has released her third novel, The Collections

The Ōtaki Mail first wrote about Patricia and her debut novel The Remarkable Miss Digby two years ago. That book was followed by The Madison Gap ,released in August last year. And, like most writers, Patricia didn’t stop there. The Collections – a dystopian story, is set in New Zealand in the year 2041 – was launched this month at our Ōtaki bookshop, Books & Co.

Patricia says The Collections is the tale of a last-ditch desperate attempt to save our species, by managing population growth in a rather draconian way. In her speech at the launch Patricia said her book was a cautionary tale. ‘It is,’ she says, ‘dystopian and very different from my previous books.’ In the face of exploding population numbers, with the climate rapidly changing for the worse, an attempt is made by the government to avert disaster by enacting extreme measures to save the planet and the human species. The government has legalised Collections, the compulsory euthanising of everyone when they turn 70 years old.

The novel takes the form of a narrator, Claris Millar, who works for the government in the Collections Department. She finds her job increasingly abhorrent after her husband is taken there to die. He goes willingly, understanding the need to reduce population pressure. She becomes uneasy and indecisive, unable to reconcile her job with her morals. With the death of her husband her own reality is turned upside

down. And then Claris came upon a message, ‘If you want to avoid collection, call this number...’ Does she avoid it, or is she also trapped by a government attempting to limit population growth?

Patricia started thinking about this story while the debate on our euthanasia laws was happening. What were the pros and cons of a person’s right to choose the moment of their death. Our debate coincided with worldwide alarm at the rate of population growth, the vulnerability of our planet and the need to protect and sustain it. The optimum population for the planet is one and half billion, two billion at most, yet there are now nearly eight billion of us. What is to be done? She began musing, about

possible answers, on whether the End-of-Life Choice Act was or wasn’t too strict. ‘I imagined entrusting superannuates, when they receive their first pension payment, with a suicide pill to use if and when they see fit. This idea led me down a dystopian path of exploring how far a distressed humanity, at the end of its tether, might go to resolve both the global population crisis and the consequent degradation of the planet.’ Then there came the thoughts of a moral dilemma about how to protect what we have for future generations. ‘The planet is telling us it can no longer cope. Something has to give. I enjoyed exploring just how far we might be pushed to address over-population, while at the same time meeting the urgent need

to restore the planet’s health through reafforestation.

'It’s a morbid thought, but the choice may come down to allocating resources to support and enhance the lives of the young, or to prop up and prolong the lives of the old. It looks increasingly as if we cannot do both. And whatever measures we take are likely to be draconian, and raise a lot of moral issues. My novel explores this.’

Writing is a lonely business, but she really enjoyed writing this book. It was cathartic. It allowed her to vent her frustration and dismay at the degradation of the planet and our failure to address it.

Patricia is fortunate to be part of a small group of clever, committed writers. They are brave enough to both give and take criticism, and meet once a month to share and discuss their work. ‘And having fellow writers pull you up on your weaknesses is gold .’

'The government has legalised The Collections, the compulsory euthanising of everyone when they turn 70 years old.'

The Collections, by Patricia Donovan Mary Egan Publishing, Aug 2022 rrp$35

Media Muse

The End Times, as seen on television, are going pretty much as expected: viz, floods, earthquakes, plague, pestilence, fires, drought, war, famine and, as you may have already heard, the Queen died. It was in all the papers.

Television, though, was the preferred medium for its global audience, said to be in the billions.

The whole world watched as the British buried one monarch and embraced the next without pause, the constitutional monarchy’s autorenewal mechanism that avoids the need for potentially divisive elections and the risk of coming under the thumb of a Putin or Trump.

The extraordinary relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and her subjects, established over her 70 years as their sovereign, was evident in the huge crowds that stood and queued for hours for a glimpse of her coffin. They had to be there in person in order to have a memory of being there, as opposed to a memory of seeing the same scene on television. Many captured the moment on their phones. But they had to be there to do that, too. Over and over, people said they were there to say goodbye, to say thank you, to show respect.

Queen Elizabeth II, dubbed “Elizabeth The Great” by her 14th prime minister, Boris Johnson, in the moving and impassioned eulogy he delivered in Parliament (look for it on YouTube) leaves a legacy in which her greatest achievement, I believe, will be her leadership in guiding the transition from an empire built on conquest to the Commonwealth, or family of nations, based on peaceful co-existence and co-operation.

Funerals are all about the living, starting with immediate family and radiating out to include those professional mourners there for a free cuppa and sandwiches at the wake. As with any funeral service, pews nearest to the coffin are taken by the deceased’s closest living relatives.

In state funerals, premium seating is then

By Manakau’s Tom Frewen

allocated according to strict protocols that recognise rank and seniority.

With the Queen being the head of the commonwealth, a family of nations, a distant but long-standing family membery, like New Zealand, finds itself up there with the big boys, Canada and Australia, as happened during the last world war, giving us an enduring false sense of our importance in world affairs.

Reporting on the funeral service in Westminster Abbey for the NZ Herald, Adam Pearse noted how well the seating arrangements had turned out for our prime minister.

“Ardern was seated in the nave next to Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, and her partner Clarke Gayford. They were in the third row, a prime viewing spot, given New Zealand’s position as a realm country. They had direct sight of the coffin, and the royal family.”

The Governor-General was across the aisle and, way back, “Biden was in the 14th row.” That’s Joe Biden, US President and No 1 global leader. He refused to take a bus to the abby, then had to wait at the entrance while a procession of assorted dignatories were seated.

Along with an hereditary monarch as head of state, colonial New Zealand inherited Britain’s Westminster Parliamentary system, with elections at regular intervals producing parliaments incorporating both an elected House of Representatives and government ministers appointed by the party(ies) with the majority of seats. In a few short years, beginning with the election of Trevor Mallard as an assistant speaker, the corporate-style rebranding of Parliament as a benign institution has resulted in its primary function as a legislature and debating chamber all but disappearing from view in the mainstream media.

After a lacklustre debate to acknowledge the

death of the Queen and the accession of the new King, in which all the highlights came from the Opposition, notably their leader, Christopher Luxon, and ACT leader, David Seymour, our elected representatives took the rest of the week off to mourn from home.

When they came back on Tuesday 20 September, Parliament revved up its venture into the hospitality industry. “Fancy a tour of Parliament with a side of three-course dinner at Bellamy’s?” ran the spiel from Parliamentary Service. “Experience Parliament after dark with a Twilight Tour” — an exclusive opportunity to explore the heart of New Zealand's democracy with a three-course meal included in the ticket price ($75.48).

The use of a taxpayer-owned public facility, eg Parliament, to compete with privately-owned businesses, eg restaurants, is a hangover from Rogernomics in the 1980s, the last time that the Labour Party had an outright majority of seats in the House. At thet time, while retaining the blueprint of the Westminster parliamentary system, Labour rejected the chance to copy that other great British institution, the BBC, in favour of limiting taxpayer-funded public broadcasting to radio and making television reliant on revenue from advertising. As a result, some 30 years on, New Zealand has a British political system and American television, which operates like a private museum run through its gift shop.

Broadcast to a global audience by BBC World Television, available in New Zealand only to subscribers of the SKY pay-televsion service, the Queen’s funeral was the greatest spectacle ever seen on television. The Royal Family’s century-old tradition of service in the armed forces was reflected in fabulous uniforms and stirring marches. Their other pillar of authority, the Church, provided the stage. Both were captured by 213 remote and manually-operated cameras, controlled from 14 outside broadcast trucks, ten locations and two studios. Planning of the BBC’s coverage, as for the funeral itself, began about 20 years ago. The raw video was available for use by other broadcasters

including ITN, the BBC’s main commercial rival, and fronted by their own presenters.

Following the tradition established on Tuesday 13 November 1990 when TVNZ’s Paul Holmes travelled to Aramoana at the entrance to Otago Harbour to present his current affairs show from the hill above the small seaside town where David Gray shot 14 people including himself, New Zealand’s two television networks despatched their top news anchors to stand in front of famous buildings such as Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.

Radio New Zealand despatched their Morning Report co-presenter, Corin Dann, with a cameraman to shoot video for Checkpoint listeners to check out when they got home. Today FM sent Tova O’Brien who reported on arrival “I had a double espresso and a hot dog for breakfast. But it still felt incredibly still and sorrowful.”

Andrea Vance, reporting from inside Westminster Abbey for Stuff, said her eyes burned with tears as she recalled the Queen sitting alone at the funeral service for her husband, Prince Philip. “They are now together again,” she added, “laid to rest in the same private chapel at Windsor Castle.”

Sometimes a picture is worth a great deal more than a thousand words.

'New Zealand finds itself up there with the big boys, Canada and Australia, as happened during the last world war, giving us an enduring false sense of our importance in world affairs.'

Volume 43 of the Otaki Historical Journal launched The latest volume of the longrunning Otaki Historical Journal was launched in Ōtaki on 18 September.

This year we focused on the significant contributions made by individuals, families and organisations, from people who came here as early settlers to those who have served our community more recently. There is new research from original sources along with stories about efforts to preserve things from our past and articles about history expressed through art. We present the stories of our elders and the people who have gone before us because they are so interesting in their own right, while also reflecting historical events and trends in Ōtaki and all over the world. The story of our area is a microcosm of Aotearoa

New Zealand’s history as a whole.

With history becoming increasingly valued, in the school curriculum and in the community, we know there’s something for

everyone in the journal.

The new journals will be on sale at these local outlets: Ōtaki Museum, Otaki Bookshop, Ōtaki Post Shop, RiverStone Café and Books & Co. They’re also

available through our website: www.otakihistoricalsociety.org.nz

Price: $20 (plus $5 postage within New Zealand). Earlier journals are also available at varying prices.

Girl Gone Missing

by Marcie R. Rendon

This thriller from an award-winning Ojibwe writer and activist features an unlikely detective – Cash Blackbear. She is an indigenous teenager who drives a truck by night and attends college by day. Tough and distrustful after a grim upbringing with white foster families, Cash mostly likes to be left alone. But the disappearance of a girl in her class sets her on a quest across Minnesota and North Dakota looking for answers.There’s more to Marcie Rendon than an engrossing, well written mystery. Like her heroine, she was born on the reservation and has a proud Native American heritage. Along with writers like Louise Erdrich and Sherman Alexie (whose novels and stories are also available from our libraries) Marcie Rendon offers authentic insights and perspectives on indigenous issues that will interest many New Zealand readers. Girl Gone Missing is the second novel featuring Cash Blackbear. The first, also available from Kapiti Libraries, was Murder on the Red River. Keep an eye out for the third in this series, Sinister Graves , due for publication soon.

Puppy Pre School

Why should you attend:

Puppy Pre School is an essential start for all pups & their parents and helps to develop happy, well balanced and behaved adult dogs. Of equal importance, is to help owners improve their relationship with their pups and give them the best possible start through learning to understand and responsibly manage their behaviour.

What can you expect from the classes:

Socialisation and puppy play

Classes are made up of up of 4–8 puppies and their owners so your puppy will be exposed to different people and dog breeds within a safe environment, all while not being over-crowded. Puppy play is supervised closely to ensure a fun and positive experience.

Basic training

A wide variety of basic cues are taught using positive reinforcement training techniques such as walking on a lead, recall, leaving articles etc. Puppy parents will also receive guidance on managing their pups jumping up, mouthing/biting, destructive behaviour etc.

Dolphin Junction by Mick Herron

If you’re already a fan of this witty, prolific writer of crime and espionage thrillers, you’ll welcome this recent collection of his short stories. And if you haven’t yet discovered Mick Herron, Dolphin Junction is a great place to start. You’ll meet two of his most memorable characters: Zoe Boehm, the no-nonsense Oxford private investigator plagued by tax problems and a dopey husband; and Jackson Lamb, the grumpy, slovenly boss of Slough House , where has-beens and misfits of the British intelligence community are posted – partly as punishment, partly as damage control. There’s a whole series of books devoted to each of these highly original characters. In addition to the Boehm and Lamb stories, there are other stand-alone stories in this collection, all demonstrating Herron’s originality, imagination and wry sense of humour. With the suspenseful tautness of his writing and the twists and turns of his plots, you’ll be hungry for more Mick Herron. No worries – all his books are available from your library.

Introduction to the vet clinic

As the classes are so much fun, puppies develop good memories of the vet clinic which makes future visits more enjoyable.

Information on puppy care

You’ll receive comprehensive information about nutrition, wellness care, toilet training and much more.

The classes are fun and interactive and suitable for pups between 8-18 weeks.

When and where are classes held?

Classes are held at the Ōtaki Vet branch on a Thursday evening, running from 6-7pm. The classes are an hour in length.

The course lasts four weeks and costs $100.

The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer

Set in 1934 after WWII, Sofie Rhodes, an aristocratic wife of a scientist, sees her fortunes change for the better, so she thinks. Her husband is recruited for Hitler’s new rocket project. They realise too late the Nazi plan to weaponise Jurgen’s technology. In 1950 Jurgen is one of many Nazi scientists offered a pardon and taken to the U.S. to work for the CIA's space programme. Sofie, mother of four, along with her children, struggles to fit in with the other NASA wives.

When news about the Rhodes’ affiliation with the Nazi party spreads, an act of violence tears the community and a family apart. Is it murder, revenge or justice? This historical novel is inspired by true events. An unforgettable, gripping story of ordinary people fighting for survival in the darkest times.

Wild by Kristin Hannah

This novel is set in the rugged Olympic National forest in the North West of the U.S. From deep within this woodland, a six year old girl appears. Speechless and alone, there is no clue to her identity or past. After a scandal that has left her career in ruins, child psychiatrist Dr Julia Cates, who has returned to her hometown, begins working with the girl she names Alice. Julia is determined to free Alice from her fear and isolation. The shocking facts of Alice's life tests the limit of Julia's faith and strength. A riveting and gritty novel. An emotional story of love, family and survival.

Kia ora from the Ōtaki Public Library – Te Wharepukapuka o Ōtaki

Handy folk to know

Auto

Central Auto Services 368 2037

Collision Repairs 364 7495

SRS Auto Engineering 364 3322

Electrician

Sparky Tom 027 699 3743

Helplines

Mental

021

1026

0800

0800

0800

0800

0800

0800

0800

0800

Concrete Work

Estate Agents

First

0800 427522

0274 443 041

027 554 0003

364 8350

364 5284

364 7720

Poppy 0274 792 772

Funeral Directors

ŌTAKI Secure Storage

ŌTAKI Secure Storage

06 920 2001

368 2954

368 8108

5168

293 6844

364 0042

362

021

Community Patrol 027

Amicus 364

Pottery 364

Inpro 364 6123

100&1 364 7084

Marriage

• Secure storage

ŌTAKI Secure Storage

• Secure storage

• long or short-term

• Secure storage

• long or short-term

• smoke alarms and security cameras

• long or short-term

• smoke alarms and security cameras

• smoke alarms and security cameras

• any size, from garden shed to house-lots

• any size, from garden shed to house-lots

• any size, from garden shed to house-lots

13 & 19 Riverbank Road 0800 364 632 www.otakisecurestorage.co.nz

13 & 19 Riverbank Road 0800 364 632 www.otakisecurestorage.co.nz

13 & 19 Riverbank Road 0800 364 632

www.otakisecurestorage.co.nz

Ōtaki Churches welcome you

Church Services

37 Te Rauparaha St, Sunday Eucharist: 9am

Church viewing hours, school terms: Mon–Fri 9.30am–1.30pm 364 6838 email: rangiatea.church@xtra.co.nz

Shannon no service

Whakarongotai marae, Waikanae 2nd Sunday, 11.30

Levin Ngatokowaru Marae Hokio Beach Road, 4th Sunday, 11am

CATHOLIC

Ōtaki St Mary’s “Pukekaraka”

4 Convent Road

Weekend Mass Sunday Mass, 10am Christmas Eve Mass is 7pm and Christmas Day is 9am, vaccine pass required.

Kuku St Stephens No Mass until further notice.

Cafe Church: 2nd

Acts Churches The HUB 157 Tasman Rd, Ōtaki, Tel: 364 6911 10.15am Family service, 10.15am Big Wednesday

Ōtaki assists at fatal Levin fire

BY FRANK NEILL

Ōtaki firefighters helped battle a fire at a Levin house that resulted in a man’s death on 7 September.

The house was well ablaze when emergency services were called at around 8am.

As well as crews from Levin and Waitārere Beach, one truck from the Ōtaki Volunteer Fire Brigade responded.

The fire was extinguished by 9am and firefighters left the house, located on Queenswood Road, at around 10am.

Following the fire Police arrested a 25-year-old man and charged him with murder and arson.

Less than a week later the Ōtaki Volunteer Fire Brigade was also involved in another major blaze in Levin.

The fire broke out at a recycling centre in a lane off Oxford Street early on 11 September and firefighters were called to the scene around 6.22am.

No one was injured in the fire, although it kept fire fighters busy for most of the day. Nearby residents were also warned that smoke from the fire may be toxic.

Although daylight saving – the date the Fire Service recommends people check their smoke alarms – has passed, Ōtaki’s Chief Fire Officer Ian King is recommending that people who have not yet done so should check their alarms.

August was a quitter month for the Ōtaki Volunteer Fire Brigade. The brigade attended 17 call outs, compared with 22 during July.

Two of the calls came as a result of motor vehicle accidents.

There were two calls to properties in August and one call to a rubbish, grass or scrub fire. Private fire alarms activating resulted in three call outs.

The brigade attended two medical emergencies, assisted other stations twice and covered at other stations twice.

There were also three special service calls, which includes events not fitting the above categories, such as helicopter landings and lines down.

New investigative tool for Ōtaki Police

BY FRANK NEILL

A “gold standard investigative tool” that the Ōtaki Police don’t currently have is likely to soon be in place.

The initiative involves members of the Horowhenua Camera Community Trust reviewing CCTV footage and providing the Police with information.

“They can watch cameras live to report anything suspicious to the Police, and they can also search for footage of value to Police investigations,” says Sergeant Phil Grimstone, the Police officer in charge of Ōtaki.

Seaward extension bank needed

BY FRANK NEILL

The Ōtaki Community Board, at its 13 September meeting, accepted a petition signed by 35 people asking Greater Wellington Council to expedite construction of a seaward extension bank where Marine Parade ends.

On accepting the petition, the community board decided to table it for the incoming community board that will be elected in October to consider.

“What we want is for the community board to support us in our petition to the Greater Wellington Regional Council to build a seaward extension bank,” Mr Steve Lang said in a presentation to the community board on behalf of the Rangiuru Beach community.

The seaward extension bank was around 100 metres, running from where the tarmac ends at the south end of Marine Parade down to the Ōtaki River mouth.

With “thousands of vehicle movements over it” the land had eroded over many years and had dropped down.

During heavy river flows “water floods properties” in the area, Mr Lang said.

“In the 90s Greater Wellington Regional Council planned to build a bank that reinstates the land and would tie into the dunes at each end.”

Two years ago, it was number six on the council list of to dos.

“We’ve been agitating for it … to get it over the line and funded,” Mr Lang said.

At its September meeting, the last of the current triennium, the community board approved two sets of grants.

It received and approved five applications for community and sporting activity grants. The board approved grants to:

• Ōtaki Anglican Church – $500 to assist with the costs of a light party disco;

• Ōtaki Sports Club – $500 to assist with the cost of tennis balls for junior interclub tennis, and $500 to assist with the cost of equipment for junior football;

• Atareti Adams – $500 to assist with the costs of attending a rugby tournament in Auckland; and

• Kim Tahiwi – $500 to assist with the costs of buying college sweatshirts for the Ōtaki College A netball team.

The community board also approved five of the 18 applications it received for community initiatives grants. The board approved grants to:

• The Ōtaki Promotions Group – $2,000 to assist with the costs of Light Up Ōtaki 2022;

• Energise Ōtaki – $2,800 to assist with the costs of Community Bike Repair Day on 29 October;

• Kāpiti Light Orchestra – $900 to assist with the costs of an interactive family concert in Ōtaki in December;

• Māoriland Charitable Trust – $5,000 to assist with the costs of running workshops, the Kai Collective and the Kaibosh Free Kai Project; and

• Ōtaki College and Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki $10,000 to assist with the costs of a Kaiarahi Matauranga Whānau/Whāanau Education Navigator role.

“It would also enable us to manually search camera footage for a particular vehicle registration.”

That is particularly relevant when vehicles or number plates have been stolen or when Police are seeking information on vehicles of interest.

While the Police can currently access CCTV footage, having members of the Horowhenua Camera Community Trust access it frees up Police time to respond to incidents and to interact with the community.

This new initiative follows ongoing work with the CCTV system in Ōtaki, which has included upgrades, improvements and more cameras.

The Police, Kāpiti Coast District Council and the Horowhenua Camera Community Trust have already met to discuss what is needed to implement coverage for Ōtaki, Sergeant Grimstone says.

“I am confident that we will get it up and running” although he did not yet have a time line.

When it is implemented, “it will provide another tool for our investigations.

“A picture paints a thousand words evidentially,” Sergeant Grimstone says.

Based at the Levin Police Station, the Horowhenua Camera Community Trust currently has access to both council CCTV and private camera coverage in Levin, Foxton and Waitarere Beach “and we are now looking to include Ōtaki”.

Two grants for Ōtaki

BY FRANK NEILL

The Ōtaki Surf Lifesaving Club and the Ōtaki Titans Swimming Club have both received grants from the New Zealand Community Trust.

The trust announced grants totaling more than $500,000 to organisations in the Wellington region on 12 September.

The Ōtaki Surf Lifesaving Club received $15,000 for equipment and the Ōtaki Titans Swimming Club received $20,000 toward the salary of the head coach and for swmming lane hire.

One Ōtaki gaming venue – the Family Hotel on 30 Main Street – contributed to the grants.