Ōtaki Mail, April 2023

Looking back on Māoriland Film Festival 2023

From March 15 to 19, the Māoriland Film Festival (MFF), the largest international Indigenous film festival in the world, celebrated its 10 year anniversary. 2023 marked Māoriland’s biggest film festival to date, with over 140 films screened from 150 Indigenous nations.

The community of Ōtaki saw the return of international guests on a never-before-seen scale; with over 100 filmmakers and industry professionals flying in from overseas.

Wednesday’s opening night events commenced with Festival Director Libby Hakaraia delivering the annual Keynote Address at Rangiātea Church, reflecting on the history of Māoriland Films in Ōtaki.

“It was an honour to stand in Rangiātea and share the story of where the name Māoriland came from as well as to talk about the past 10 years of our festival. We exist for the cultural, social and economic benefit of our community. It has been hard work to grow something from zero and at the same time remain independent.

“Culturally we are secure in our whakapapa connection to Ōtaki in that it is not a venue but a home. We know we must continue to play our role as the storytellers to contribute to the vision that has been active in our community now for close to 50 years and has supported the revitalisation of reo me ōna tikanga.

“Socially we see Indigenous film as an activator: engaging people in kōrero and spuring them to action. The stories we watch both shape the way we see the world and the radical inspiration we need to change it. “And economically the MFF has contributed over $12 million dollars into our local economy.”

Director Etienne Aurelius, producer Chelsea Winstanley and actor Mainei Kinimaka were in attendance for the opening night screening of their film Ka Pō from Hawaii. It received a huge applause, especially for the skills of Mainei Kinimaka who is currently working on Chief of War with Jason Momoa.

Many major features also had filmmakers in attendance including Madison Thomas for Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On , Jules Koostachin for ‘Broken Angel’, Gail Maurice for ROSIE, Marie Clements for Bones of Crows and Jub Clerc for Sweet As

Rangatahi (youth) presence is a key aspect of the festival that was praised by many. Māoriland rangatahi leadership group ‘Ngā

Pakiaka’ were responsible for opening and closing each screening and industry event, and facilitated Q&As with filmmakers.

“Nothing beats seeing Ngā Pakiaka develop a strong friendship in a short period of time. Even though they only had a few days to get to know each other before the festival, Ngā Pakiaka members were a seamless addition to our Māoriland whānau and completed MFF2023. You can’t help but gaze at Ngā Pakiaka, ‘the roots’, and feel proud as you watch these exceptional rangatahi leaders flourish, knowing that they are the products of seeds planted some ten years ago by Libby, Tainui and Maddy,” says Kaiwhakahau Rangatahi, Aree Kapa.

Throughout the week, the Toi Matarau Gallery at the Māoriland Hub showcased Ngā Tūmanako, a new toi Māori exhibition featuring works by Darcy Nicholas, Karl Rangikawhiti Leonard, Jacqui Broughton, Jago Collier, Natasha Keating and more. Ngā Tūmanako is available to view at the Toi Matarau Gallery until May 20.

The annual Māoriland Red Carpet Party on the Sunday night served as an opportunity to celebrate the filmmakers and collaborators at MFF2023. The Modern Māori Quartet lit up the stage with a performance of classic 80s covers.

The MFF2023 People’s Choice Awards were announced at the Red Carpet Party, recognising the films that left audiences stunned:

● ‘Tōtara’ Best Feature Film: Sweet As – Dir.

Jub Clerc

● ‘Rimu’ Best Feature Documentary: A

Boy Called Piano – The Story of Fa’amoana John Luafutu – Dir. Nina Nawalowalo

● ‘Māhuri’ Best Short Drama: E Mālama Pono, Willy Boy – Dir. Scott W. Kekama Amona

● 'Māota' Best Short Documentary: Plastic

– A Love Letter to the Estranged – Dir. Va’a Magalogo

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Your responsibilities as an attorney

BY FLEUR HOBSON

One of your family members, or someone you know really well, is about to sign an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPOA) and they have asked you to be their attorney. You are obviously their number one choice, but at the same time you may not know what this involves or exactly what your responsibilities are.

A power of attorney is a document appointing someone to make decisions on behalf of the person who has appointed the attorney, or to sign documents for them.

There are various types of power of attorney, and the most common are EPOAs. EPOAs are a common choice because they allow the attorney to continue acting even when the person who appointed them is no longer capable of making decisions.

There are two types of EPOAs – one for property, and the other for care and welfare.

When you are appointed an attorney under and EPOA – whether that is for property, for care and welfare, or both – you take on a series of responsibilities.

You must act with absolute openness and fairness for the person you are the attorney for.

You must exercise reasonable care while acting for the person and you must avoid any conflict of interest.

Consultation is another important responsibility.

You must consult about decisions with the person who has the EPOA, as far as this is practical, and also encourage them to be self-reliant. That includes helping them participate in community life as much as possible.

You also need to consult with other key

people, including people specified in the EPOA and also with any other attorney the person has appointed.

You will need to provide information to any people the EPOA says have the right to relevant information.

If you are a property attorney, you will need to keep your money and property separate from the person who has appointed you, and you will need to be able to account for it.

In general a person’s attorney should not benefit themselves or anyone other than the person. That includes not being able to recover expenses unless the EPOA specifically says that the attorney can or the Family Court allows it.

There are, however, three exceptions to this general rule.

One is if you are the attorney for your spouse or partner and you are living together and sharing incomes.

The second is that attorneys can recover reasonable out-of-pocket expenses that are not lost wages, salary or other remuneration.

The third exception is when the attorney is an accountant or a lawyer, in which case they can charge professional fees and expenses.

There is also an important point to consider about being an attorney.

While the person who has named you as an attorney has the ability to make decisions,

you can arrange with them to cease being an attorney.

If the person has been identified as lacking the capacity to make decisions you cannot step down from the role unless you go to the Family Court and receive the approval to do so.

A good step to take if you are approached to be an attorney is to get advice from a lawyer.

For expert advice, whatever your issue, contact Fleur, Susie or Freya at Hobson Mills Law, (06) 364 7190, 282 Mill Road – opposite Farmlands.

MFF2023

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The Te Aupounamu Māori Screen Excellence Award was also presented at the Red Carpet Party by Te O Kahurangi Waaka on behalf of Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga. The award recognises and celebrates members of the Māori filmmaking community who have displayed a high-level contribution and/or achievement in screen storytelling. One of the recipients of this award for 2023 is Māoriland’s very own Tainui Stephens, who has worked tirelessly in the screen industry for over 40 years. Tweedie Waititi, who is one of the producers behind the reo Māori Disney films, was also awarded a Te Aupounamu award.

Māoriland Film Review: Sweet As, by Jub Clerc

BY VIVIENNE BAILEY

The Māoriland Film Festival is a unique coming together of all things associated with film and film making, the biggest celebration of indigenous film making in the Southern Hemisphere. For the last decade, excepting the Coviddriven lockdowns, our small town of Ōtaki has played host to the concentrated, unmissable line up of film and events. This year the five-day festival incorporates the Māoriland Tech Creative Hub (M.A.T.C.H.) where animation, graphic design, game development, VR, and XR provide training and creative inspiration for rangatahi to upskill using software and digital tools.

Highlighting 148 films from 150 indigenous

nations including those from Australia, Alaska, Canada, Hawaii, Norway, Mexico, Colombia, Ireland, Iran, Finland, Russia, Fiji, Chile and New Zealand, many of the 16 feature films are being shown for the first time outside their home nation.

The opening night attraction, the wild, Aotearoa-produced Hawaiian film Ka Pō , focuses on a drug-addicted young woman on a journey of self-discovery in the wilderness of Kauai, after fleeing abuse (our own Chelsea Winstanley, Ngati Ranginui, Ngai te Rangi, of What We Do in The Shadows fame was closely involved in the making).

I managed to catch the film, Sweet As : a

coming-of-age story set in the remote and stunning Pilbara country along the coast of Western Australia. It was a little gem. Sixteen-year-old, Murra (Shantae BarnesCowan) lives with her mother, Grace (Ngaire Pigram) in a mining town. Murra must look after herself as her mum struggles with addiction relapses, all coming to a head when someone from one of Grace’s parties tries to break into Murra’s bedroom. Calling on her uncle, Dan (Mark Coles Smith) who realises there are few options left for Murra, he uses his connections as a cop to get her into a photography-safari programme for at-risk kids run by Mitch (Tasma Walton) and Fernando (Carlos Sanson Jr.). The programme is designed as a way to help, to give Murra and three other campers, Elvis (Pedrea Jackson), Kylie (Mikayla Levy) and Sean (Andrew Wallace) another chance in life.

This is a combination of heart-warming coming-ofage movie and the rebellious sensibility of a transformative road-trip film. It is rooted in the indigenous Australian understanding of the country and there is an autobiographical ambience that feels integral to the story. However, a major factor that holds the narrative on target is the cast who give it their all.

I liked how the photography was incorporated into the film, linking the theme with the narrative. There are some great close-up details, illuminating beauty in the unexpected places, such as a tanker, oil reservoirs and skateparks.

Crafting nuanced characters and taking them on an affecting ride that hits every emotion, it is hard to believe Sweet As is from a debut director, Jub Clerc.

left: MFF Pōwhiri at Raukawa Marae, Ōtaki, Image: Helen Rea

Barbara resigned as coordinator in 2020 and was ably replaced by Jan Lattie and the event continued, surviving a series of Covid lockdowns. But Jan recently announced her departure as coordinator, leaving a large gap unable to be filled.

“Throughout Jan’s years at the helm she has worked to promote the market and manage stallholder expectations,” said Sharon Hurst, Te Horo Hall Society chairperson. “Without doubt she had the worst years, managing to keep the market spirit alive during Covid and the continuous roadworks has been no easy feat.”

The seasonal surplus stall will continue however, with a barrowful of fresh local produce on offer outside the Te Horo Garden Centre, Hyde Park Village.

locals and users (including stallholders) of Te Horo Hall, regarding the possible nature of future events.

The annual Christmas Market (started in 2006) and other events will continue to be organised by the hall committee. For further information about events and the Te Horo Garden Group who support the barrow venture, ph 06 364 3624 or sharonizzy@ xtra.co.nz

Drinks and Nibbles

Te Horo’s monthly neighbourhood get together is on Friday 7 April, 5.30pm at Te Horo Hall, School Road. BYO drink. and a plate of nibbles to share. All welcome.

Mystery Money Found at Te Horo Hall

Preparing for a Civil Defence Community

BY VIVIENNE BAILEY

Te Horo food producers

An important part of a resilient community is the ability to get food to people in times of need. For families already struggling with the rising cost of living, the recent extreme weather events (and the resultant impact on the country’s major food-production regions) has inflicted pressure on the more vulnerable – the region’s charities are reporting a growing need in the community.

For food-rescue organisation Kaibosh it is time to increase connections with local growers and food businesses closer to home Their aim is to help food businesses reduce food waste and reduce emissions, in turn the business would be helping to reduce food poverty in their local community. The organisation is a vital part of our region’s local food network, and is continually looking to source quality surplus food, and to connect that kai with people who need it most in the community.

“Kaibosh is seeking to build more connections with those who could donate

quality surplus food, local growers and businesses closer to home in the KāpitiHorowhenua region,” said general manager Ben Wakefield. “We are particularly keen to talk with any Te Horo lifestyle-property owners who have surplus fruit we may be able to distribute.”

The team at Kaibosh Kāpiti-Horowhenua are based at a purpose-built site in Paraparaumu and are out on the road most days, rescuing quality surplus food across the local region.

For further information contact:

Ben Wakefield, ph 027 537 5532 ben@kaibosh.org.nz

The demise of Te Horo Country Market

The monthly Te Horo Country Market was started by Te Horo resident, Barbara Chatters in 2012 with a strong focus on locally grown and produced goods. The community market has drawn locals and those from further afield, particularly those in search of fresh, sustainably produced vegetables and fruit.

“Anyone can drop produce and anyone can pick up produce, for free,” said Helen Cook, coordinator of the stall. “We set it up to save fresh, locally grown food going to waste. It’s a fabulous way to share our surplus with the community.”

The new Peka Peka to Levin expressway has changed the demographics of Te Horo, and the hall committee is planning a consultation programme, seeking input from

Emergency Hub radio test at the Te Horo Hall late last year, local volunteers Peter Wood and Andrew Annakin made an intriguing discovery. While checking CD equipment stores, the two men lifted the lid of a bench seat storage locker at the back of the hall and discovered, half-hidden under a layer of dust and spider webs, a small white envelope addressed to Genevieve and Alex. The men gingerly retrieved the envelope; it must have somehow slipped between the lid and the back of the seat and become lost. They opened it to reveal a wedding-card for the bride and groom from their grandparents. Excitingly, the card contained two $50 notes. The Hall-hire coordinator, Peter Askwith, quickly checked the records of past events and identified it as one of the many wedding receptions held at the Hall during 2021. He contacted the hirers, and Genevieve, along with her new baby, were very pleased to collect their long-lost wedding gift as well as solving a family mystery. The grandparents were no doubt very pleased as well!

Huge response to Red Barn’s cyclone appeal

BY FRANK NEILL

Red Barn Supply Co has received a massive response to its call for people to donate items to send to Hawkes Bay people affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Red Barn decided to set up donation drop off places in Ōtaki and Ohariu Valley the first week Cyclone Gabrielle hit. The firm also offered discounts to people who bought products from their store to donate towards animals in the Hawkes Bay.

Red Barn put out a post on the Wednesday morning of that week “and the response was insane,” says Red Barn’s Nichole Rowley. “By Thursday morning we had over 200 bags of feed for all sorts of animals and by Friday it had reached to over 350 bags of feed,” she says.

People also donated crates, cages, beds, horse rugs, vet supplies and hay. As well as the donations to help animals, people donated many items to help people affected by the cyclone.

The donations came from as far south as Ashburton, as well as from people from Wellington to Foxton.

“We set off and delivered a truck load and a float load to three different areas in Hawkes Bay and we continued to have more people reach out to donate,” Nichole says.

By 27 February, Red Barn had collected enough donations to send another truck load of donated good to Hawkes Bay. A third truck load was delivered on 3 March.

“We really hope that it helped relieve some stress of having to source and buy food and vet supplies for people’s animals when it’s already such a stressful time with losing homes and livelihoods,” Nichole says.

“It was really lovely to see such generosity and the way people all around New Zealand geared up to help.

“We are now going to focus on fundraising for Hawkes Bay,” Nichole adds.

With outlets in Ōtaki and Ohariu Valley, Red Barn Supply Co sells items such as animal feed, vet products, farm yard products, animal treats, supplements, stable and grooming products.

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New Police Area Commander

BY FRANK NEILL

The Manawatū Police area, which includes Ōtaki, has a new commander – Inspector Ross Grantham [pictured below].

A Pōwhiri was held at Te Rangi Marie Marae, Rangiotu, on 2 March to mark Inspector Grantham’s appointment. Inspector Grantham has an extensive and accomplished career with the Police. He has been in uniform for more than 44 years and has worked across multiple districts and workgroups including Criminal Investigative Branch (CIB), Operations and Family Harm.

He has worked on dozens of major serious crime investigations.

Before being appointed to the Manawatū role, Inspector Grantham was relieving

as the Whanganui–Ruapehu Area Commander.

“I joined [the Police] in 1979 straight from school and, thinking back, I wanted to become a Police Officer when I was nine when my brother Gordon joined and wrote to me every week about his training and first few years in the job.

“It was all very exciting for me,” Inspector Grantham says.

He looks forward to sharing his extensive Policing knowledge, and working with the people to better understand what is needed and deliver on that.

“Policing is, and has always been, about the people,” he says.

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Hurricanes and Metlink announce ticketing partnership

Rugby fans can travel to and from Hurricanes home games at Sky Stadium for free this season on Metlink trains and buses, thanks to a recently signed ticketing partnership. By showing a match ticket or Hurricanes membership card to train crew and bus drivers on game day, passage is free on timetabled Metlink trains and buses.

“GWRC is part owner of Sky Stadium, and as our representative on the Stadium Trust I’m pleased we’re finding ways to make the Stadium more accessible to the community. The thrill of being part of a home crowd is something we hope all Hurricanes fans can experience.”

GWRC’s Kapiti Coast Councillor and rugby fan Penny Gaylor said she hoped the partnership between the Hurricanes and the regional council’s public transport wing would help more families get to the stadium.

“Metlink is a proud partner and supporter of the Hurricanes, and we’re delighted to make it more affordable for families to go to games,” said Penny.

“This partnership is a win for rugby fans and a win for the climate. Catching Metlink trains and buses means fewer cars on the road and fewer transport emissions.

The Hurricanes / Metlink ticketing partnership applies for the following regular season games:

• Hurricanes vs Chiefs

Saturday 15 April 2023

• Hurricanes vs Brumbies

Friday 28 April 2023

• Hurricanes vs Moana Pasifik

Saturday 13 May 2023

• Hurricanes vs Crusaders

Saturday 3 June 2023.

left: Red Barn staff load up a truck to send to the Hawkes Bay in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle

It's 'flu vaccine time again

BY ANN CHAPMAN

Winter is coming and so are coughs, colds and the flu.

Not to be sneezed at, the flu can be a serious illness for many people. But help is at hand in the form of the annual flu injection. Getting a flu jab helps reduce your risk of getting really sick or having to go to hospital. And getting it now before winter comes is a good idea as it takes up to two weeks to become fully effective and having a vaccination also stops the flu from spreading.

Signs and Symptoms

The flu virus affects your whole body. Symptoms come on suddenly and can include fever, chills, muscle aches, runny nose, cough, shortness of breath, and stomach upsets. It can keep you in bed for a week or more.

Being vaccinated reduces the risk of accidentally passing the flu to your whānau, friends, and your community.

Flu vaccinations are free for:

• Tamariki aged 6 months to 12 years old

• People aged 65 years and over

• Māori and Pacific people aged 55 years and over

• Pregnant people

• P eople who have a long-term medical condition like diabetes, asthma, or a heart condition (ages 6 months+)

• People with serious mental health or addiction needs.

The Medical Centre offers drive-thru flu clinics on 3 and 6 April 2023. Contact the Medical Centre to book in.

Cold showers are a bit of a trend at the moment. There's limited research proving the benefits of cold showers, but there's some evidence to suggest that they can help with short-term pain relief and wellness. Here's 6 possible benefits of a cold shower!

1. Immunity

One study in the Netherlands found that people who switched to cold showers for 30, 60, or 90 seconds for 90 days called out sick from work 29% less than people who didn’t. There's not a lot of explanation on how, but it could be something to do with the cold water stimulating blood cells that fight off infection.

2. Mood boost

In one clinical study, participants who took daily cold showers for several months reported decreased depression symptoms. Additional research suggests that cold water may boost your mood and decrease anxiety.

3. Circulation

Cold water strains your body. It goes into a “survival mode,” working hard to maintain its core temperature. This stimulates your body to increase blood flow circulation.

4. Metabolism

Your body expends energy trying to stay warm in a cold shower. The result may be a small amount of calorie burn and increased metabolism.

5. Reduce inflammation and prevent muscle soreness

Cold temperatures make your blood vessels tighten up. When that happens, blood moves to your body’s vital organs. The blood naturally becomes oxygen rich during this process.

As your body heats up again the blood vessels expand, bringing that oxygenated blood back to your tissues. As it flows back it helps to flush out inflammation (a cause of delayed-onset muscle soreness) which can occur a couple of days after exercise.

6. Relieve localized pain

Cold therapy alleviates pain by reducing inflammation. But it also interferes with your brain’s perception of the pain. It dulls the nerve transmission sent to your brain to give you temporary relief from pain. Try a cold shower today! Let us know how it goes...

image designed & shared by Lainey Te Whatu of Rocket Fuel Design Ltd.

Hospice shop closing for makeover

BY FRANK NEILL

The Arohanui Hospice Shop in Main Street, opposite the Civic Theatre, will close for a just over a week while the Ōtaki Menzshed does a makeover.

The makeover, the shops says, will make the outlet look great.

The shop will close from Monday 3 April to Tuesday 11 April and will reopen for business on Wednesday 12 April from 9:30am to 4pm.

The refresh will see the shop’s fittings updated and fresh paint. It will also improve the layout and working space to provide enhanced health and safety for both the shop’s team and for customers.

This has all been made possible by gifts and labour from a number of Ōtaki organisations and businesses.

The building, painting and labour is being co-ordinated and supplied by Ōtaki Menzshed with support from other local people.

Three businesses are also supporting the hospice shop upgrade – Erin and Connor from Hammer Hardware Ōtaki, Paul and his team at The NZ Paint Co, Ōtaki, and Mike at Ōtaki Secure Storage.

The hospice shop team will also be working during the shop refresh, as well as bringing in fresh food and drink to sustain the teams also involved with the upgrade.

The Arohanui Hospice Shop would like to pass on its “huge thanks to our local community for support with donations of good quality items for sale” and the local and wider community for its support as customers.

“Without both these areas of support our shop and the funds raised would not exist,” the shop's manager, Jennie Harris, says.

The shop would also like to pass on its huge thanks to the volunteers who gift their precious time to process the donations and engage with customers to make the sales.

The shop has dedicated staff who work extra hard, especially on days when there are insufficient volunteers.

Funds from the shop operation help support Arohanui Hospice, which provides specialist palliative care.

The care is tailored to each patient’s individual needs. This care is holistic –taking consideration of a person’s physical, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual needs – in order to optimise their quality of life.

Support is also provided for the patient’s family/whānau and carers throughout the illness and after the death of their loved one.

Arohanui Hospice is located at 1 Heretaunga Street, Palmerston North.

Raukawa ki te Tonga Basketball

BY PAXMAN TAURIMA

Raukawa ki te Tonga Basketball kicks off 2023 with the Gardner Homes Women’s League. Off the back of a very successful Māori Basketball National campaign, including a gold medal for the Women’s team in the Wāhine A grade and bronze for the U19 Wāhine team in the premier U19 grade, the Women’s League got off to a hot start with dominating performances in the early rounds from Te Rito, Bricks and Buckets, and FH Mahi Kaha. With one more round-robin game remaining in the season,

the teams look to cement their place in the upcoming semi-final games starting next week.

As Women’s League begins to wrap up at the end of term 1, Raukawa ki te Tonga Basketball will begin their Concrete Doctors Men’s League in term 2. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for team registrations.

below: Te Wairere Hapeta Millan at the free throw line

Arohanui Hospice Shop, Otaki, will close for makeover from Monday 3 April to Tuesday 11 April. The shop will open again for business Wednesday 12 April.

Mayor Holborow's report

BY JANET HOLBORROW

It’s been another busy month in Ōtaki. On March 10, I had the honour of laying a wreath at the Commemorative Wreathlaying at Ōtaki College, marking the 150-year anniversary of the founding of the New Zealand Shipping Company, and commemorating the engagement between the New Zealand Shipping Company’s SS Otaki and the German auxiliary cruiser SMS Moewe on March 10, 1917, which led to the sinking of the SS Otaki.

I had never attended this event before, and I congratulate Andy Fraser and the Student Committee for hosting an impeccably organised and dignified commemoration. Students Witana Cameron and Te Akau Epiha spoke extremely well, and representatives of the armed forces and the New Zealand Shipping Company were in attendance, alongside representatives from the British High Commission and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.

This event is one of the many ways history is celebrated and kept alive in Ōtaki. The town has such a rich history, and not only the event, but the display on the day and commemorative booklet are excellent

resources for remembering the maritime element. The commemorative monument outside the College hall serves as a permanent reminder. Another way we remember the past is through the ANZAC Day commemorations. I look forward to attending the Ōtaki service later this month. Later in the month a blessing marked the beginning of work on the safety improvements north of Ōtaki to Ohau at Forest Lakes. This project is another piece in the ongoing improvements to our major roading network, and these blessings are an important foundation for the mahi. I’d like to acknowledge Ngā Hapu o Ōtaki for their ongoing commitment to supporting our projects and work across the district. This work is ongoing and significant, and their positive and constant input is hugely appreciated.

The same day I attended the Pōwhiri for the Māoriland Film Festival. Once again this was a very special event, as film-makers and participants from across the world were welcomed onto Raukawa Marae. That evening the Festival hosted Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni, who attended

Out and about with Shell

SHELLY WARWICK – OTAKI WARD COUNCILLOR

Well, we have all had many moments since cyclone Gabrielle to ponder how lucky we are to be living in little old Sunny Ōtaki. There have been many ways that people locally and across the nation have decided to support our fellow Kiwis who have lost so much. Being a rural person, with livestock and horses, I have been interested in supporting those who have lost feed for their animals. I am pictured (below) with a donation of hay that I delivered to an address in Ōtaki to be collected by a business called Red Barn Supply Co. Red Barn decided to set up donation drop-off points the first week that the cyclone hit in Hawkes Bay, as well as offering discounts to products from their store to be donated to Hawkes Bay. They put out a post Wednesday morning and the response was insane: by Friday, donations had reached over 350 bags of feed, crates, cages, beds, horse rugs, vet supplies, hay, as well as many human necessities.

Donations came from as far as Ashburton. I know many horse owners and people in the rural sector in our district donated what they could. There were also many other fundraisers for animal-welfare needs, like raffles and horse-trek fundraisers to go towards those now struggling to pay for feed and vet bills. People have been very generous in so many ways. These events also highlight our vulnerability

and we never know what is around the corner. The Ōtaki Community Board and WREMO are in the process of updating the Ōtaki Emergency Response Plan, starting with a public meeting on Saturday 1st April 2–3pm in the Gertrude Atmore Supper Room beside the Ōtaki Library, and then an Earthquake Drill, Saturday 22nd of April. Our council has worked very hard at trying to improve our infrastructure, but we can never mitigate for all risk, so we need to practice our plan and improve it if we can. There has been a lot of talk at council about rates and, just like households, councils are not immune to cost increases. Increased costs mean we get less bang for our buck as a council. Government reforms have also put pressure on council staff resource as they must respond and submit to the reform process. The resounding query is how do we keep doing the jobs that need to be done without hitting a ceiling where rates are unaffordable to many? Council staff and councillors are committed to getting as much value for the rates dollar that we can and we are in the middle of work-shopping for the next Long-term Plan. We could increase revenue by increasing fees and charges on all things, including our pools, libraries, building consents and a large range of council charges, but that decreases affordability and access for many in our community. It is a tricky balance and a complex problem and council staff and councillors are very aware of the pressure households are under at present.

If you are on a low income you can apply for a rates rebate, a scheme run through the Department of Internal affairs. If you are on a gross household income of under $47,000, you may be eligible for this rebate.

Go to the council website https:// www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/ services/a-z-council-servicesand-facilities/rates/paying-yourrates/help-with-your-rates/ to apply; pop in to the council service desk at the Otaki library; or ring KCDC and ask for assistance or advise on 04 296 4700. Applications for the next rating year 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 need to be in by 30th June 2024.

Kia noho haumaru – stay safe Shelly

the keynote speech by Libby Hakaraia and checked out the Māoriland Hub. She wasn’t the only MP to visit the festival.

On the Sunday evening Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson spoke at the Red Carpet event, and it was good to take the opportunity to have a brief chat about some of the issues facing Ōtaki, including access to housing, the pressures of growth and the worrying opposition to the concept of co-governance. These visits by ministers help to highlight the needs of Ōtaki, which increases the chances of central government funding coming into the area.

Congratulations to the Māoriland Charitable Trust, Libby Hakaraia, Tainui Stephens and the team on another hugely successful festival and all the best to Madeleine Hakaraia de Young, who is taking over the position of Festival Director after 10 fantastic years with Libby at the helm. Thanks, Libby, for your work over the years presenting these important films which provide us with many windows into the worlds of indigenous communities, and for the ongoing kaupapa of Māoriland of providing education and opportunities for rangatahi.

Ōtaki Community Board: Emergency Preparedness

BY JACKIE ELLIOTT

The Ōtaki Community has a great opportunity to gear-up our emergency preparedness over the next six weeks with the help of Renee Corlett from Wellington Regional Emergency Management Office (WREMO) and you are invited:

Saturday 1st April, Public Emergency Response Meeting, 2–3pm, Gertrude Atmore Supper Room, Memorial Hall, Main St, Otaki

Saturday 22nd April, Earthquake Drill,

11am – 1.30pm, Gertrude Atmore Supper Room, Memorial Hall, Main St, Ōtaki. There will also be a series of districtwide emergency preparedness and skills events covering topics such as - Keeping fed in an emergency; Emergency safety for young people; and How to build your own bathroom. Your Community Board encourages you to take part in these events because every conversation we have before an emergency saves lives.

Refreshments provided

above: GWRC for Kāpiti Penny Gaylor, Ōtaki MP Terisa Ngobi, Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson and KCDC Mayor Janet Holborow at the Māoriland Red Carpet Party.

Ōtaki Update

April 2023

Tell us about your coast!

Our Takutai Kāpiti Coastal Advisory Panel want to know what you love about where you live.

If you live in Ōtaki, Te Horo or Peka Peka, you’re invited to tell us what you think about the coast and how to protect it.

We’re asking:

• What do you value most about living here?

• How important is the coastline to you and why?

• How concerned are you about coastal hazards like erosion and flooding and why?

• What do you want protected on our coast and how could it be done?

Your views will help the Panel as it looks at options for adapting to coastal erosion and inundation due to climate change for this area.

To complete our short survey by Sunday 2 April you can:

• Visit haveyoursay.kapiticoast.govt.nz/ coastal

• Drop a note in the feedback box at Ōtaki Library

• Post it: Coastal Team, Kāpiti Coast District Council, 175 Rimu Road, Paraparaumu 5032

Ki o rahi taking schools by storm

If you have a year seven or eight child at a Kāpiti school you might be hearing a lot about Ki o Rahi – the traditional Māori game based on the Purakau (legend) of Rahitutakahina and the rescue of his wife Tiarakurapakewai.

Ki o Rahi is being taught in 11 local schools to 1200 kids by Māori games experts Tū Mātau Ora as part of our School Sports programme.

Played on a circular field with at least 14 people Ki o Rahi involves running, passing, jump shots, and communication between teammates.

Ka rawe!

New reservoir coming for Ōtaki

After 20 years of planning and investigations, a new, 5.5 million litre reservoir, part-funded by the Kāinga Ora Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, will be built in Te Manuao Rd in Ōtaki. The reservoir will improve the resilience and fire-fighting capability of the Ōtaki water supply. It will also support new homes being built to address existing and future housing needs.

Currently, Ōtaki has limited water storage and is reliant on bores and pumps to supply the community.

The new reservoir will provide 24 hours of water storage.

Earthworks will begin in April and construction of the reservoir will start later in 2023. We expect construction to take 12–18 months.

Gear up for an emergency

Are you prepared for an emergency? Our friends at WREMO are holding two important events at the Ōtaki Memorial Hall this month to look at building community resilience.

Community resilience: Meet your local Emergency Management Advisor, Renee Corlett, and talk about what a ready, connected and resilient community could look like in Ōtaki.

From 3pm–4pm, Saturday 1 April 2023, Ōtaki Memorial Hall.

Emergency response: Learn about Ōtaki Community Emergency Hubs and the types of help that may be needed after an emergency. Have fun meeting others and practicing various volunteer roles with an interactive earthquake scenario.

From 11am–1.30pm, Saturday 22 April 2023, Ōtaki Memorial Hall.

 Visit wremo.nz for more information.

• Email it to coastal@kapiticoast.govt.nz kapiticoast.govt.nz

Zero Waste Ōtaki update: Just three of this month’s happy wood recyclers

BY JO LYNCH

Each month ZWŌ sells recycled wood or wooden items to around 150 people, who come along to either Wednesday mornings (9.30–10.30am), or the last Sunday mornings of the month. They come wanting timber or timber items (such as doors) for a particular project, to follow up on an item that they have seen on ZWŌ ’s Facebook page, or to browse – and catch a bargain.

Dave Murray was one of the latter. A recent arrival in Ōtaki, it was his first visit to ZWŌ: “I just came to have a look around and in the first container I found this old, broken barometer. I could see the potential of it. I’ll probably find an old brass clock to put where the barometer was, restore the wood and put a new thermometer on top. It will be a labour of love.” Dave plans to be a regular visitor to the site. He already has his eye on some old furniture. It was the same desire to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose – the four R’s of Green Living, – that brought Pam Robinson to ZWŌ. She was looking for wood to build a deck at the back of a house. “I wouldn’t be able to have the deck unless I was able to find cheap decking. There were lots of volunteers there who helped me find what I wanted. I’ll be able to clean it up quite nicely, I think.” Pam will now be bringing in a pile of really useful bits of timber that she’s been keeping. “I’m not sure when I will be able to use it, so it makes sense to bring it in.”

While Dave and Pam are new to our woodrecycling site, Lyss, from the Black Sheep Animal Sanctuary, is a regular visitor. This month ZWŌ were happy to donate the sanctuary two runs of wooden stairs, which Lyss and her team are going to paint and

install in a goat playground. “It’s a natural instinct for them to climb,” she says. ”They come from mountainous areas so they love things like ramps and stairs where they can get some elevation.” The volunteers at the sanctuary are flat-out at the moment, so it will be a while before the stairs are painted and installed. Lyss is going to send ZWŌ a picture when the job is done.

Prospective visitors please note: ZWŌ is, for the meantime, totally focused on wood recycling. We are not currently set up for anything else, so please, bring all the sound wood or wooden items you don’t need – but nothing else. The committee is very grateful to Mike Moore (Signs by Mike) for the great new “Wood Recycling Centre” signs at the entrance to the site.

Got time on a Wednesday? Please come along and join the team. No wood-working skills required. You can help sort and ‘file’ the wood into piles and, after a cuppa to finish up, leave knowing that you have done your bit for the day – for the Planet. Keep up to date with our activities via our Facebook page or visit www.zerowasteotaki.

Ōtaki Market – Kids Market, Sunday 16 April

At the Ōtaki Market – Kids Market, Sunday 16 April 2023, kids get to be stall holders. They may run their own stall, make products and sell their goods.

The Kids Market focuses on building young people's confidence, promoting wellbeing and health. Being a stall-holder means they can showcase their creative and business skills, and help them achieve their goals at a market. Local tamariki and rangatahi have the opportunity to embrace their entrepreneurial skills, be aware of their own community and have fun in the process. (And make some money!)

Our usual stall fee is $10, but for the kids at this market we ask only for a koha / donation.

We already have 20+ young people signed up to be part of the Kids Market. And businesses from across the region also want to be part of this exciting event.

What's happening:

• Ōt aki New World is helping us to encourage healthy eating habits with free fruit for kids.

• T he opportunity to join a crafting workshop with local crafter Feltic Creations

• Young people will be able to get handson with the team from Bunnings Warehouse, working through the life cycle of produce/materials – like potting plants and caring and tending for them.

• Get creative and use their crafting skills with a craft table run by local child care business Little Monkeys

• The team from Kapiti Libraries will be hosting a reading corner and providing sessions with their hands on technology

• Eleven-year-old Ōtaki College student Harrison, will be an assistant Site Manager

• The Ngati Toa Sea Scouts will be helping up set up at the Market

• Epic raffle to raise funds for the charity

The Kids Market registrations are fully booked. Stalls include:

• T welve-year-old twins Page and Scarlett running a make-your-own bracelet and necklace stall

• Fourteen-year -old Daniella with handmade candles and soaps

• n ine-year-old Audrey selling her own stories

• nine-year -old Alannah, handcrafted jewellery and cat toys

• e ight-year-old Fletcher with lucky dip bags

• six-year-old Campbell with an art stall (selling his Mum's old cartoon paintings)

• five-year-old Saeda selling t-shirts and bags with her own designs hand-drawn onto them

• nine-year-old Tahila with lip balms and air plants

• Brother-and-sister team Thomas & Marama with garden ornaments and plants

• + more!

The Rongoā Space

BY JOANNE HAKARAIA

Rongoā of the Month KARAMŪ

Coprosma robusta

Karamū ( Coprosma robusta ) is a robust little rākau that can withstand the strongest elements. Most commonly found in coastal areas and lowland forests. It grows to around 6 metres tall. It is a flowering plant in the whānau Rubiaceae and is endemic to Aotearoa. The fruit can be eaten (please make sure you can confidently identify any plant before ingesting berries or leaves).

Karamū is very similar in rongoā to its whanaunga Taupata ( Coprosma repens ). The topside of the leaf is dark green on top and glossy and light green underside. On the underside of the leaf there are small pits (or houses) at the junctions of the veins called domatia. These domatia are really interesting because they apparently house little insects like mites. These mites help to remove potential fungi on the leaves that might cause harm. It is believed that the plant has evolved to be able to produce these houses (domatia) specifically for the mites to shelter in!

Karamū has been traditionally used by Māori for kidney and bladder inflammation. It can be made into a wairākau and is quite pleasant to taste. A poultice of the leaves can also be applied to cuts and sores.

If you know the whakapapa of the area that karamū grows, harvest some leaves and make a wairākau. Make sure to say a karakia before harvesting. Karamū dries well so it can be stored in a paper bag or your favourite container. I usually dry mine in a kete or basket away from direct sunlight.

We use karamū in our product Nuku: bone and muscle support. Karamū grows alongside another rakau that is primarily used in Nuku. They support each other along the banks of the Ōtaki river drawing minerals and nutrients from deep within limestone rocks. The contrast in rongoā is remarkable considering they are allies in nature. We have combined the two rongoā because of how they support each other in their natural environment. They both dispense unique and contrasting rongoā.

To make a wairākau:

1. Place about 6 leaves (fresh or dried) in a teapot or coffee plunger.

2. Pour 250 mls of boiled water into the pot

3. Steep leaves for 5-10 mins.

4. Drink

Karamū Wairākau has a mild pleasant taste. Remember that this wonderful sturdy rākau has many minerals and nutrients that revitalises the body.

Kāpiti Concert Orchestra's Bridget Douglas and Her Magic Flute, at Te Raukura ki Kāpiti, Coastlands Theatre, Saturday 15th April, 2:30pm.

Please make sure that you can confidently identify all plants before tasting.

Forest and Bird Horowhenua Branch Annual General Meeting

Monday 17 April 2023 at 7:30pm

Light refreshments from 7:00 pm

Thompson House, 4 Kent Street, Levin

Guest Speaker: Tom Kay, F&B Freshwater Advocate: Making Room for Rivers

For further information contact: Geoff Ritchie 027 373 4576; or Barbara Littlejohns (06) 364 5063 email: horowhenua.branch@forestandbird.org.nz

Flower garden

Watson’s Garden Ltd

Autumn has arrived! We are seeing more rain and the ground is still warm, so now is the time to get trees and shrubs established. For Autumn colour we have Nandina with its striking foliage. The Ericas are in bloom and Camellias are in bud. We have a wide range of products for you to choose from and look forward to seeing you!

Gardening with

Garden tasks for April

April is a busy month in the garden – replace your tired, summer-flowering annuals with primulas, cinerarias, nemesias, Iceland poppies, calendula, stock, pansies, polyanthus, snapdragon and hollyhock.

Sow seeds of aquilegia, viola, linaria, cornflower, godetia, snapdragon, dianthus, lobelia, sweet pea, cineraria, English daisy, statice, stock and alyssum.

Biennial seedlings, like Canterbury bells and foxgloves that you want to flower next spring or summer, should be planted now.

Carry on planting your spring bulbs – the sooner you get them in the better. Start planting lilies and tulips at the end of the month.

Give straggly perennials a light prune to tidy appearance as they finish flowering, but leave their foliage to die down naturally.

Sow seeds of beetroot, broccoli, broad beans, cabbage, carrots, onions, radish, spinach, swedes and turnips. Plant out seedlings of broccoli, brusssel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, leeks, lettuce, silverbeet and spinach. Watch out for earwigs and snails on seedlings. Trap earwigs in small boxes, tubes or flowerpots filled with straw. Pick kiwifruit as soon as they soften – the riper they are when picked the sweeter the flavour.

Collect and store the last of the pears and apples – apples are ready to be harvested when, if slightly lifted, they come away from the branch.

Passionfruit vines may still be bearing – fruit can be picked as soon as it begins to turn purple.

Treat citrus trees with a copper spray.

Lawns

Happy Easter from all of us. We are closed Good Friday. Open Saturday 9am-5pm. Closed Easter Sunday and Monday. We are also closed Tuesday 25 April for Anzac Day.

Gift vouchers, giftware, tools, pots, garden and pest products available all year round

Monday - Saturday 9am - 5pm closed Sundays and public holidays.

17 Bell Street Ōtaki (06) 364 8758 www.watsonsgarden.co.nz

TE HORO GARDEN CENTRE

LEONOTIS Lions Tail

Dazzling orange/ white tubular tufts of flowers on an upright shrub. Hardy & good for coastal gardens. 1.5x1.5m

OLIVE TREE Hardy, evergreen, fastgrowing. Tolerant of poor soils, coastal areas and pots. Several varieties to choose fromextend a branch as an Easter gift!!

TIBOUCHINA

Peace Baby - Clear white dwarf form.

Ideal for pots. 1x1m

Grandiflora - Large purple flowers. 2x1m

Carolyn - Purple with white centre 1.5x1m

for INDOOR & OUTDOOR PLANTS cnr Old SH1 & Te Horo Beach Rd

TE HORO

Ph (06) 364 2142

Shopping made easier with access from old State Highway!

Plant new perennials and shrubs to fill gaps left by plants that failed to make it through the summer months. This is a good month to plant cold-hardy evergreen trees and shrubs. Soils should be moist enough for them to settle in without undue stress.

Avoid feeding plants late in the season – this will encourage soft, sappy growth that’s much more vulnerable to damage by frost and wet conditions.

Fruit and vegetable garden

Harvest late summer vegetables such as potatoes and onions, and store in a cool, dry place. Pick butternut, kumi kumi, pumpkins and squash now for winter use – pick carefully leaving at least a little stalk.

Pick tomatoes as soon as they show any sign of colour and ripen indoors.

April is the best month for sowing new lawns and rejuvenating existing ones – even tidy lawns will benefit from a dose of lawn food. Choose one designed for use in autumn – as growth slows, you need a low-nitrogen mix which encourages strong resilient roots rather than lush top growth.

Second thoughts

Clean out organic material from ponds to discourage a nutrient-rich soup that will attract algae next year. Pot up hyacinth bulbs and amaryllis. If you plant them now you’ll be able to enjoy them flowering indoors during the winter months.

Focus on growing beetroot

There’s a great deal more to beetroot than the commercial tinned product you find on supermarket shelves. Processing – boiling, slicing and submerging beetroot in a vinegar and sugar solution obliterates its natural, mellow, rather earthysweet taste.

The versatile vegetable makes wonderful soup such as rich and spicy, yummy borsch in winter, and lighter chilled versions for summer – they are also delicious roasted. You can boil or steam baby beets and serve hot or cold with a light dressing. Delectable grated raw in salads, the leaves are nice added to salads and stir-fries. If you end up with an over-supply, preserve with spices, vinegar and sugar syrup or make chutney.

Beetroot is as close to fool-proof as any home-grown crop gets, providing you attend to the basics. It’s not diseaseproof – it can get leaf-miner, mildew and leaf spotting fungi – but you still get rich red tubers.

Choose a sunny, free-draining spot, work in well-rotted compost and loosen soil before sowing (some garden centres have beetroot plants available as seedlings). Ideally sow after a green manure crop or a green leafy one such as lettuces (but not after silver-beet, a very close relative).

Beetroot likes a near neutral soil, so add lime, though well before sowing as beetroot resents fresh lime. Fresh manure, such as sheep pellets, helps plants really whizz along. Start sowing in early spring, and for best results sow where it is to grow. Sowing every three to four weeks will ensure a steady supply of fresh beetroot.

Sow seed about 12mm deep in rows or blocks. Seed germinates readily and reliably but for a quick and even start, give ground a good soaking straight after sowing, or soak seed in tepid water for an hour or two.

Firm soil well with your hand or a rake after sowing, and keep lightly moist until seedlings appear – usually in about two weeks.

Beetroot needs adequate soil moisture so water plants in dry periods to keep them growing.

Harvest by using a fork to loosen soil around the beetroot when lifting, and store in a cool dark place, leaving stalks on until you’re ready to cook.

A wide range of beetroot types are available. Round tubers, such as the popular and reliable ‘Detroit Red’ and ‘Derwent Globe’ are good for quick spring crops and harvesting as baby beets.

Long tubers, which are similar to a carrot, are best if you want crops that give even slices or are easy to grate. ‘Cylindra’ is a popular long tuber type.

For those looking for something a bit different try ‘Bulls Blood’, an heirloom variety with stunning dark red leaves and striped roots.

Beetroot comes in yellow as well, like ‘Golden Globe’, which doesn’t bleed like its red sisters, and there are also white varieties.

Different coloured alternatives are available from specialist mail order seed suppliers like Kings Seeds or in Niche Seeds’ Beetroot Gourmet Colour Selection at some garden centres.

the Ō taki Mail

Tip-top citrus

Citrus trees like warm, sunny (preferably sheltered) locations, and although most varieties tolerate light frost, fruit quality and quantity can be affected if your spot is on the coldish side. Tahitian and Mexican limes, as you can probably guess, are the least cold tolerant. ‘Meyer’ lemons can handle our winter cold, but the taller-growing, sharper-tasting ‘Yen Ben’ is better for cooking as it has fewer pips.

Plant citrus in free draining soil and mulch over the root system to conserve moisture in summer when the fruit is forming. You can grow citrus in large containers (at least 50-60cm in diameter with good drainage holes) if you stick to dwarf or small growing varieties such as ‘Clementine’ and the seedless ‘Satsuma’ mandarins. However, in my experience most citrus grown in pots fruits poorly, and eventually turns a sickly shade of yellow. I have given up but if you are determined to persevere buy the biggest glazed pot and best quality potting mix you can afford, feed twice a year with slow-release fertiliser, mulch with compost and water every few days in summer. The trees are more forgiving in the garden but for new citrus pick off the first year’s crop of fruit (usually marblesized) to give the tree a chance to get established. This can be hard to do but if you can’t really bring yourself to knock the lot off, at least endeavour to thin the crop by half.

Fertilise in spring and summer to encourage lush growth and lots of flowers.

Be careful when pruning citrus for shape or size (you can

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

get away with not pruning for years and still get a great crop). Prune in late winter when lemon tree borer isn’t around looking for fresh wood to lay eggs in. Lemon tree borer is a nasty native pest that leaves tell-tale mounds of sawdust behind as it burrows up the branches. To eradicate the grubs (most trees can live and crop for years with some borer damage) Rudd Kleinpaste (The Bugman) recommends sticking a hypodermic needle filled with insecticide right into the hole.

Thin out the odd shoot if the tree gets ultra dense. Pruning shoots back a little as you harvest fruit also helps encourage new growth the following season.

Small-growing varieties such as mandarin and kumquats can be shaped into topiary shapes and standards or espaliered against a sunny wall.

Some citrus trees are worth growing for reasons other than fruit, like chinotto, Citrus myrtifolia a compact shrub with small, pointed leaves. Slow growing, it makes an ideal container plant with marble-sized orange fruit (good used in marmalade and cooking) remaining on the plant throughout autumn and winter. Kaffir lime, Citrus hystrix is a small tree with thin branches and lumpy, seedy fruit. Freshly picked leaves can be used to flavour Asian-style cooking, soups and curries either by chopping and adding direct to food or frying lightly in olive oil until crisp, then cooling before use.

Plant now for Spring flowers

Autumn is the best time to plant and feed spring flowering bulbs. The widest (and best) selection of bulbs become available from mid-February through to May so now is a good time to get those bulbs in.

Choose a sunny spot – most spring bulbs need at least half a day of sun to flower happily. Loosen soil with a fork before planting and if you have heavy clay, dig sand or compost into the top layer of soil. As a rule, plant 2-3 times as deep as the height of the bulb. Water the ground thoroughly after planting.

Daffodils are the easiest and cheeriest bulbs to grow. The key to success with the bulbs is perfect drainage – if soil is too wet, particularly during summer when soil is warm, bulbs may rot. Daffs are not heavy feeders – mix bulb food into soil before planting and once again as leaves emerge from the soil. Avoid throwing it into the bottom of your hole as new roots can be killed by high concentrations of fertiliser.

The sweetly scented narcissus ‘Erlicheer’ with their double white flowers are long-time favourites, probably because they are the earliest to flower. I treasure the little ‘Tete a Tete’ mini daffodils. These cuties grow to 15cm tall, and each stem can carry up to three deep-yellow flowers in late winter – great in a big, wide terra-cotta bowl (if you’re planting daffs in your lawn, don’t plant in in neat rows – turn your back, biff your bulbs in the air, and plant where they land. Bury 5-7 bulbs in each clump).

Plant freesia bulbs in autumn and they will flower profusely in spring. In colder locations they can struggle, so plant in containers. Modern varieties have large, richly coloured flowers but the mild fragrance is not a patch on the small, old-fashioned, streaky cream freesias.

Early planting of anemones and ranunculi will produce winter flowers, later planting will give spring blooms. To encourage good germination and flower production, place your corms in the fridge prior to planting (four weeks for ranunculi and six for anemones). I find soaking the corms in tepid water (for a few hours or even overnight) before

planting out helps break dormancy. Remember, anemones are planted pointy side down, ranunculi claws are also planted downwards (they look great planted in groups). Both these bulbs are heavy feeders – use a general-purpose fertiliser once a month and keep well-watered. Dutch irises are easy to grow provided they have fertile, well-drained soil and ixias enjoy a sunny spot in freedraining soil. The brightly coloured flowers can last up to two weeks in a vase so they’re well worth considering if you have a picking garden.

When flowering of your spring bulbs has finished, snip off stems but wait until foliage dies down naturally before cutting back plants. At this time bulbs are busy storing their own food reserves so they can flower again the next season.

Ōtaki – Education Town

Kindergarten develops young problem-solvers

BY FRANK NEILL

Ōtaki Kindergarten – probably the oldest preschool in the town – provides high-quality learning for tamariki.

The unique part of the kindergarten’s programme is that it promotes “loose-parts play,” the kindergarten’s Head Teacher, Erin Phelps, says.

“Loose-parts play is where ordinary, everyday, open-ended materials can be manipulated and used in various ways –moved, carried, shared, combined and taken apart in various configurations and designs.

“Loose-parts play offers exploration, problem solving and cognitive development, and can be easily transformed with children’s imagination.

Just three of the items tamariki use in this play [pictured middle right] are milk crates, planks and tyres.

“We believe in an environment where tamariki can learn through play at their own pace,” Ms Phelps says.

“We try to get the children being creative little people. “What we want to see is children who can solve problems,” she adds.

The kindergarten has an outstanding staff that includes six teachers. All are qualified and registered and are mentored to work to the highest standard.

Sixty tamariki are enrolled at the preschool, with up to 42 of them attending on any one day.

One of the key aspects of the Ōtaki Kindergarten is the “strong relationship we have with our community and whānau,” Ms Phelps says.

The preschool invites the whānau of tamariki to become involved in the kindergarten’s community. People are always welcome to stay during sessions – perhaps sharing skills, such as music or sports – or just “hanging out”.

The ideas and feedback of people is also always welcome. “Our whānau manaaki – caring family – is built around parents and caregivers, whānau, kaiako and our communities.”

It is all about relationships.

Ōtaki Kindergarten appreciates the help that parents, grandparents and other whānau provide.

A whānau-based approach ensures tamariki are encouraged to learn together in an environment that deeply embraces kaupapa Māori concepts such as ako, manaakitanga and whānaungtanga.

The high level of community involvement is “very manaenhancing for everyone,” Ms Phelps says.

Ōtaki Kindergarten has a large purpose-built building, an extensive playground and is well resourced with quality equipment.

It offers 20 hours of free education and care for tamariki aged between two and five years old, although a few children stay on until they are six.

When it comes time for tamariki to leave kindergarten and go to school, their farewell is marked by a celebration that includes presenting the child with their pukapuka mahi. Ōtaki Kindergarten was established in 1967 and has been providing early childhood education for 56 years.

It is a member of He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated. This not-for-profit association includes 103 kindergartens in Wellington, the Hutt Valley, Porirua, Kāpiti, Wairarapa, Horowhenua, the Central Plateau and Whanganui, with 6,000 tamariki collectively attending their preschools. Ōtaki Kindergarten supports the Before School Check health programme. Plunket co-ordinators come to the kindergarten in their mobile van to carry out these checks in the year before each child goes to school.

The preschool also visits Raukawa Marae and the Rangiātea Church twice a year and regularly visits Te Kura o Ōtaki and Te Whare Pukapuka o Ōtaki (the library).

From time to time tamariki are taken for short walks near and around the kindergarten, as well as on longer excursions.

Ōtaki Kindergarten Head Teacher Erin Phelps

Ōtaki College News

April 2023

From Principal Andy Fraser

SS Otaki Commemoration

On Friday 10 March, 2023, Ōtaki College held its annual SS Otaki Wreath Laying Ceremony. Distinguished guests included Her Worship the Mayor, Janet Holborow, Mr Rawiri Rikihana, representing Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki, representatives of the merchant navy and related organisations, the New Zealand Shipping Company, the Durham Association, the Royal NZ Navy, Royal NZ Air Force, representatives from the British and German Embassies and the Ōtaki RSA. The ceremony holds a special place in the College calendar as it serves to introduce younger students to the concepts of courage and bravery – not just in war but in everyday life.

This year’s ceremony also honoured the 150-year anniversary of the founding of the New Zealand Shipping Company and its 100 years of service sailing people, mail and cargo between New Zealand and the United Kingdom across the oceans of the world. A full history of the New Zealand Shipping Company is available on the College website – https://www.otakicollege. school.nz/students/otaki-scholar/2023wreath-laying-ceremony.

Swimming Sports and Athletics Day

It was highly rewarding to have our two whole-school sports days back on the school calendar for 2023 after two years of COVID disruptions. Participation was high and house spirit was in full swing. Both sports days ended with Staff vs Year 13 relays with the Year 13s winning both events.

Congratulations to all our year-level champions:

2023 Swimming Champions

Ihaka Cameron – Year 7 Boys Swimming

Champion

Lucy Rasmussen – Year 7 Girls

Swimming Champion

Kapiti Williams – Year 8 Boys Swimming

Champion

Ruby Rasmussen – Year 8 Girls

Swimming Champion

Christian Lange-Gerrard – Year 9 Boys

Swimming Champion

Isla Yaxley – Year 9 Girls Swimming

Champion

Giorgio Bevan – Year 10 Boys Swimming

Champion

Pearl Glanville Hall & Parearohi

Edginton – Joint Year 10 Girls Swimming

Champions

William Fogden – Senior Boys

Swimming Champion

2023 Athletics Champions

Rakapa Epiha-Hall – Year 7 & 8 Girls

Athletics Champion and record holder of the 1500m run

Kapiti Williams – Year 7 & 8 Boys

Athletics Champion

Preslee Miscall – Year 9 & 10 Girls

Athletics Champion

Christian Lange-Gerrard – Year 9 & 10

Boys Athletics Champion

Mina Egger – Senior Girls Athletics

Champion

JT Byrne – Senior Boys Athletics

Champion & Senior Boys 100m Sprint Champion

Ariana Telford – Senior Girls 100m Sprint Champion.

Andy Fraser , Principal

www.otakicollege.school.nz

Fundraising following Cyclone Gabrielle

As a college we wanted to assist after Cyclone Gabrielle and decided to support the small community of Te Karaka, inland from Gisborne.

Thanks to all whānau who contributed through sending food items or koha and to students and staff who baked.

We will be sending our food items through to Te Karaka at Easter time with Koro Don Te Maipi. We will also be giving $1,000 to Te Karaka School.

Rotary

Over the weekend of 17–19 March, Year

11 students Harriet Georgetti and Olivia Fogden were selected to participate in the Rotary Youth Programme of Enrichment (RYPEN) leadership course in Taranaki.

The girls were sponsored by the Ōtaki Rotary Club. They were selected as they met the criteria of sincerity, application and perseverance. The weekend was an opportunity to extend their confidence and leadership skills.

“I was a bit nervous about going but by the end of the weekend, I didn't want it to end. The activities we did got us out of our comfort zone which was really good for us.

I had so much fun, made so many memories, made so many friends and learnt some excellent life skills.” Olivia.

“I was also nervous, but excited at the same time to see how it would be. I loved meeting all the different people there and enjoyed all the super fun activities we did there, I learnt heaps and made so many memories.” Harriet.

Both girls are appreciative to the Ōtaki Rotary club for providing them with this opportunity.

top: The Official Party is welcomed onto the College grounds for the SS Otaki Wreath Laying Ceremony

middle left: Captain Roger Blake, President of the New Zealand Shipping Company Association

middle right: Skye Heenan, Kaingārahu (Associate Head of School), carrying one of the 14 wreaths that were later laid on the SS Otaki Centenary Monument

bottom: (from left to right) Mareikura Kaka, Rose Reynolds, Sophie Carpenter and Jurnee Box fundraising for Te Karaka post Cyclone Gabrielle

Rāhui scores huge victory

BY FRANK NEILL

Two titles for Ōtaki cricketers

BY FRANK NEILL

Ōtaki’s cricketers have completed the 2022-23 season with two titles. In the third competition they finished as runners-up. Playing in the HorowhenuaKāpiti Presidents division, Ōtaki secured its first title playing in the T20 Test competition. In this format, each team has two innings of 20 overs each. They followed that up by winning the T20 title earlier this year.

Ōtaki then qualified for the final of T40 competition when they topped the table following the round robin. They claimed the top spot following a comfortable victory over Paraparaumu B on 11 March.

Batting first, Ōtaki scored 211 for the loss of nine wickets. They then dismissed Paraparaumu for 102 – less than half the Ōtaki team’s total.

Greg Selby top scored with 62 runs, while Jim Fraser was not out on 36 when the team finished its 20 overs.

Kurt Radermacher with 23 and Hunter Topliff with 22 also made useful contributions to the Ōtaki total.

above: Alizay Roach in action for Rāhui. Alizay scored two tries and kicked five conversions in Rāhui’s final pre-season match.

The Rāhui Rugby Club’s premier team has climaxed its pre-season with a convincing 62-0 victory over Freyberg on 18 March.

Rāhui completely dominated the match played at the Ōtaki Domain.

The home team scored 10 tries and kicked six conversions, and led 38-0 at half time.

Ōtaki canoe polo

BY CAM BUTLER

Two slightly different Ōtaki canoe polo teams are in action at the moment.

Firstly, in the National C Grade League, the Ōtaki Aces recently competed in the first of their three competitions. After a promising start the young team faded somewhat in the play-off games to finish 8th out of 14 teams. Next competition is in April in Hawkes Bay.

Alizay Roach scored tries each, while Leon Ellison, Mitchell Lafrentz, Richmond Wells and Tainui Kaihau also dotted down.

Alizay Roach kicked five conversions and Tama Cook kicked one conversion.

The Horowhenua Kāpiti Rugby Football club season began on 25 March.

Rāhui will play for the Ramsbotham Cup in the premier division, which will be contested by seven teams this year. Its first game saw it meet Paraparaumu at the Ōtaki Domain.

Kurt also performed outstandingly with the ball, taking three wickets at a cost of just seven runs. Hunter backed up his good batting by taking two wickets for 39, while Conrad Moeahu took two wickets for 15.

Ōtaki won its previous two matches –against Weraroa on 4 March and Levin old Boys Young Guns on 25 February – by default.

Ōtaki was not able to repeat their convincing victory of the week before when they met Paraparaumu B in the grand final at Haruātai Park on 18 March.

above: Ōtaki’s Captain, Kere Strawbridge in action. Kere bowled well all season.

Batting first, Paraparaumu scored 155 for the loss of six wickets. They then bowled Ōtaki out for 89.

Playing in what will probably be his last match for Ōtaki before moving to Australia, Inder Singh took two wickets at a cost of 37 runs.

Hunter Topliff again batted well for the home team, and was on 25 not out when the Ōtaki innings ended.

Secondly, Ōtaki College have a team in the National Canoe Polo Secondary School Champs for the first time in four years. As the team is made up of both seniors and juniors, the team has to play in the Senior Open division, which will be challenging for the whole team. They will proudly represent Ōtaki College I am sure.

The Ōtaki College canoe polo team competed in Hawkes Bay 24–26th March. After a slow start they started playing some great polo and after narrowly missing out on the Division 2 Senior final they won their 3/4th final match to receive the bronze medal for their division. This was a great achievement for a team that is 50% juniors.

Jonathan Fuimaono, Mason Couchman and

above: members of the Ōtaki College Canoe Polo team (from left to right) William Fogden, Witana Cameron, Louis Bevan, Jericho Housiaux, Finn Butler and Giorgio Bevan Coach (at right): Cam Butler

Titan's big new medal collection

BY FRANK NEILL

The Ōtaki Titans Swimming Club came away with a huge collection of gold medals, podium finishes and personal best times at the two March swimming meetings.

Titans filled the first five places in one event and the first four places in two more events at the Woollahra Trophy Carnival, held at the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre on 19 March.

Jacob Winter won gold when he touched the wall ahead of four other Titans in the mixed 100 metres individual medley. With a time of 1 minute 6.64 seconds, Jacob

finished nearly three seconds ahead of the second placed Ace Van Noort, also a Titan, who clocked 1 minute 9.51 seconds.

Imogen Waite finished third, Cole Woodley fourth and Jacob Townsend fifth to complete the Titans’ dominance in the event.

Phoebe Nelson was the gold medalist in the mixed 100 metres freestyle when she finished more than five seconds ahead of Cole Woodley. Phoebe clocked 55.56 seconds while Cole finished in 1 minute 0.95 seconds.

Jacob Townsend took out the bronze medal

Ōtaki team are tennis champions

BY FRANK NEILL

The Ōtaki Sports Club are the Wellington Tennis mixed A-grade champions. The number one Ōtaki team followed up its first-place finish in the pre-Christmas competition with victory in the postChristmas interclub event to complete a very successful 2022–23 season.

In their final match of the season on 11 March, the Ōtaki 1 team of Craig Eves, Nizar Veerankutty, Jodie Lawson and Hannah Grimmett scored a 6–0 whitewash over Newlands–Paparangi.

A week earlier, with Leonie Campbell playing rather than Jodie Lawson, Ōtaki 1 defeated Churton Park Spices 5–1. The Ōtaki 2 team also performed well in the mixed A-grade competition, finishing in third place.

They also beat the champion Ōtaki 1 en route to gaining a podium finish.

The two Ōtaki teams met on 25 February, with Ōtaki 2 taking out a 4–2 victory.

The Ōtaki 2 team of Callan Nikora, Pataka Moore, Emma Whiterod and Monique Moore defeated Paraparaumu Beach 5–1 on 4 March.

However, they narrowly lost their 11 March encounter with Wellington on a countback

after the two teams were tied at 3–3. Wellington edged ahead by the narrowest of margins, 39 games to 38.

The Ōtaki Sports Club was runner-up in the Wellington men’s B-grade post-Christmas competition.

In their last match of the season, the team of Nizar Veerankutty, Callan Nikora, Scott Henderson and Archie O’Sullivan completely dominated Ngaio C to chalk up a 6–0 victory on 13 March.

It was a much more closely contested encounter when they met Churton Park on 6 March. Ōtaki won the match on a countback by 7 sets to 6 after the scores were tied at 3–3.

Ōtaki beat Khandallah by default on 27 February and defeated Ngaio B 5–1 on 20 February.

The Ōtaki Racketeers scored a podium finish to the post-Christmas competition when they placed third in the Welllington men’s 5th-grade competition.

The team of Archie O’Sullivan, Forest Glanville Hall, Scott Henderson and Nathan Sparrow lost their final match of the season, played on 11 March. Titahi Bay won the encounter 4–2.

and Liam Fu finished fourth, giving the Titans the first four places in the race. Titans also filled the top four places in the mixed 50 metres freestyle.

Kokoro Frost won the event ahead of Phoebe Nelson, Liam Fu and Jacob Townsend.

Ace Van Noort won the mixed 100 metres breaststroke ahead of Cole Woodley, giving the Titans the top two places, while Chelsea Holland finished fourth.

Jacob Winter won a second gold medal in the mixed 50 metres butterfly, and Imogen Waite claimed the bronze medal.

left: The Titans team at the Manawatu Open Championships (from

coach Seuga Frost, Samantha Baillie, Sebastian Yates, Noah Ireland-Spicer and Kokoro Frost.

The Titans other gold medal came when Ruby Rassmussen was first in the mixed 200 metres butterfly. Ruby also claimed a bronze medal in the mixed 400 metres freestyle.

Lilah Eagar won a silver medal in the mixed 400 metres individual medley and the mixed 100 metres butterfly, as did Kokoro Frost in the mixed 50 metres breaststroke, Roselle Eagar in the mixed 25 metres freestyle and Ace Van Noort in the mixed 200 metres individual medley.

Greer Winter won silver in the mixed 100 metres backstroke, while Carys Watkins finished fourth and Samantha Baillie fifth. A silver medal also came Chelsea Holland’s way in the mixed 200 metres breaststroke while Lucy Rassmussen finished fourth. Kokoro Frost led the way for the Titans at the Manawatu Open Championships, held at the Lido Pool, Palmerston North from 10 to 12 March.

Kokoro won three gold medals when he finished first in the 50 metres butterfly, 100 metres backstroke and 50 metres backstroke. He also won a silver medal in the 50 metres freestyle and a bronze medal in the 100 metres butterfly.

Noah Ireland-Spicer put together an amazing swim to win a Manawatu Open men’s bronze medal in the 100 metres freestyle, clocking a personal best time. Noah added a fourth placing in the 50 metres backstroke, a race Kokoro Frost won.

Sebastian Yates won a bronze medal in the 100 metres butterfly, swimming a personal best time. He also clocked personal best times in the 100 metres backstroke, 50 metres backstroke and 100 metres freestyle. Samantha Baillie also swam a new personal best time in the 400 metres freestyle, slashing a massive six seconds off her old best time.

The Racketeers made it a whitewash in their game against Pukerua Bay on 4 March, winning 6–0.

The Ōtaki team also claimed victory on 18 February when they defeated Karori United 5–1.

left)

left: Jodie Lawson, a member of the champion Ōtaki 1 team, in action

Authors–Books Corner: The Following Wind, by Ann Chapman

BY VIVIENNE BAILEY

Ōtaki author, Ann Chapman brings her Southern Murders trilogy to a conclusion in her latest book, The Following Wind We meet up again with the intrepid Sarah and Barbara, sleuthing stars in the writer’s earlier fiction as they attempt to unravel the ugly world of Otago and Southland’s criminal underbelly, along the way unmasking the evil Brendon and his righthand man, the unpleasant Seth.

The Following Wind has plenty of disconcerting sleaze, a great deal of

violence, killing and gore that should make the book a hit amongst those who follow the somewhat saturated crime/thriller genre, but which also includes brilliant, award-winning New Zealand mystery writers such as J.P. Pomare and Tom Baragwanath.

As we follow Brendon and his dissolving relationship with the speed-addicted Seth (the narrative shifts between the main characters, presenting more than one point of view), the reader is taken on several journeys through Southland’s unique, aweinspiring countryside. The iconic mountain range, The Remarkables, is evocatively described as having “a scarf of clouds.”

The writer has sound knowledge of police procedure and makes good use of Kiwi vernacular to set an authentic scene. Harrowing details and betrayal are revealed when the plot twists through tough themes of brutality and murder, intimidation, coercion and control until the story reaches boiling point (although this is cooled somewhat by the final chapters).

Although the prose and exposition are a bit clunky at times, The Following Wind presents as a convincingly written, gritty thriller, less Gothic in style than the previous

two, but nevertheless a darkly satisfying read.

Should you have read the others in the series? I don’t believe this is a requirement, you can get away with reading the book as a stand-alone (reminders of the past are woven through the writing). However, you

will get a better feel for the characters if you’ve read the Southern Murders predecessors, A Kind of Catharsis and The Push

The Following Wind is available from Books & Co., Main Highway, Ōtaki, and www.annchapmanbooks.co.nz

In Book Awards news, we are down to the shortlist of the Ockham NZ Book Awards, with finalists being announced in May. The international Women's Prize for Fiction 2023 longlist is out as is the International Booker Prize longlist.

Books for Cyclone Relief

Booksellers Aotearoa NZ is partnering with School Libraries Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (SLANZA) and a group called Books Back Better to help raise funds to replace school library collections lost or damaged during Cyclone Gabrielle. Donations can be made at: http://www.slanza.org.nz/donate.html and all funds raised will be used to purchase Booksellers book tokens at a discounted rate. Those tokens will then be distributed by Books Back Better to schools based on losses and the sizes of the schools. We hear that it is many of the smaller schools that have been hit hardest by this disaster. The tokens can be used at local Booksellers NZ-member bookshops. The initiative runs until 1st July. [See poster above.]

We have some special children's Easter books in store as well as our Peter Rabbit promotion - buy any Peter Rabbit book and go in the draw to win the giant plush toy Peter Rabbit. This was very popular last year. The lucky winner will be drawn at the end of the school holidays on Saturday 22nd April.

Come and check out our range of activity books, puzzles and games, as well as books, to keep the children entertained in the school holidays.

And, if you enjoy something a little radical, grab a copy of Rat King Landlord: the Renters United Edition, by Murdoch Stephens – only $2.00 for this novel in tabloid form.

Easter Trading hours

Friday 7th April (Good Friday): shop closed

Sat 8th April: 10am – 4pm

Sun 9th April: 10am – 3pm

Mon 10th April: 10am – 3pm

Anzac Day: shop closed

Happy reading, Jacqui and team

above: author of The Following Wind , Ann Chapman

Kia

from the Ōtaki Public Library – Te Wharepukapuka o Ōtaki

The Wintrish Girl

by Melanie La’Brooy

Penn has lived her life as the knot sister of Princess Seraphine. Stolen from her home in Midwinter as a newborn, her name and identity have been taken from her. When the Princess is kidnapped, Penn decides to rescue her with the help of junior librarian Juniper and helpful but awkward Arthur.

Australian author Melanie La’Brooy has written a really exciting fantasy adventure story with lots of plot twists and dramatic developments. The characters are well written and the action is well thought out. It’s the first in a series, and I’m really looking forward to the next one!

[Junior fiction]

The Little Wartime Library

by Kate Thompson

I have always been quite interested in books that shed a bit of light on the wartime experiences that my father may have been experiencing in the East End of London at that time.

The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson is based on a true story and centres on Clara Button, the Librarian of the country’s only underground Library, situated in the disused Bethnal Green tube station (along with her assistant, the feisty Ruby Munroe). Clara knows how important the library is to the shelter community, and she continues to be the saving grace for many of her people - even after suffering her own personal tragedies. One of our lovely customers described the book as a lovely light read, but one where you “learnt stuff!”

Better the Blood

by Michael Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue)

Michael Bennett’s finely tuned thriller opens with an historical atrocity before moving to a contemporary series of murders. Detective Hana Westerman is caught between being a good cop or a kupapa collaborator, and the cases become frighteningly personal. Excellently paced and populated by complex characters, this intricate novel centres on conflict between utu and on the aroha, hūmarie and manaaki needed to move forward.

Kāwai by Monty Soutar (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Kahungunu)

In senior Māori historian Dr Monty Soutar’s powerful novel we learn histories that transport us across place, time, and generations. We become wrapped in the passion and honour of a mid-18th century ao Māori. Tikanga and mātauranga Māori, rangatiratanga, and love for the whenua and the iwi immerse us; butchery, enslavement, and spiritual curses smash. Mana foments the fires of war. Can later generations reassert balance?

The above two titles are shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Fiction Prize in the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2023 . The blurbs are shared from Ockham promotional material.

ora

OTAKI IN THE NEWS - 1890s

Selected from early New Zealand newspapers, as written and published at that time.

August 8, 1892

According to the local paper the Salvation Army are about to build a new barracks at Otaki.

August 8, 1892

One newly-built Shop and Dwelling-house, containing 4 rooms, situated in the main street of Otaki. There being no other Chemist between Otaki and Palmerston or Otaki and Wellington, this should be a good opening, as a properly qualified Chemist and Druggist is much in demand in this district.

Rent, 12s per week.

A pply:- HAKARAIA TE WHENA, Otaki.

August 11, 1892

Mr Wm. E. Woods, the well known chemist of Cuba Street, announces in another column that he has opened a branch establishment at Otaki. Mr Woods has long had a name in this City for the excellent stock of drugs, etc., he has on sale, and our friends of Otaki may rest assured that in giving him a turn they will get what they want, and at prices within the reach of all.

Ōtaki Cub Leader Awarded

BY MARGARET ANDREWS

The Ōtaki Cub pack may be small but they have a very keen Akela–Pack Leader and the Cubs are just as enthusiastic.

Akela Laurie-ann Engels’ enthusiasm was awarded the Bronze Tiki Good Service Award. She started assisting with the Cub Pack meetings and activities 10 years ago and later took on the role of Akela –Pack Leader.

“You have given so much to this generation, thank you,” former Akela Annie Bythell said.

“We have Cubs coming up to Scouts now, through your efforts,” the Scout Troop Leader, Geert cam de Vorstenvach told Laurie-ann. He received his three-year Service Award the same evening. Boys and girls are now accepted in both Cubs and Scouts, Cubs from age 8 and Scouts from 11 years. The two programmes are very different, with the Scouts completing more challenging tasks and camping trips among their programmes. Next January the annual Scout Jamboree will be held at Mystery Creek, Hamilton, and is a great opportunity to meet Scouts from around New Zealand and overseas. Already a large Scout contingent from Australia has said they are coming over for the Jamboree.

“We are currently recruiting Cubs and Scouts for our programmes,” Brent Bythell Group Leader of the Ōtaki Scout Group said. “All Scouts are eligible to attend.”

Ōtaki Cub Akela-Pack Leader Laurie-ann Engels received her Bronze Tiki Good Service Award from Brent Bythell, Group Leader Ōtaki Scout Group

February 17, 1893

The Otaki river is in great flood today. Mr James’ house above the railway bridge is surrounded. And a party has gone out with a boat to rescue the occupants. If the rain continues it will be the largest flood known here.

The following telegram has been received by Inspector Pender from Constable O’Rourke, stationed at Otaki: - “ There has been a terrible flood in this district today, and, consequently, considerable loss of property; but happily, through the heroic actions of Mr Carkeek, J.P., assisted by Hori te Wary and Hoani Tawhiri, no lives have been lost, as they rescued Mr James (settler) and his wife and family by means of a boat. The flood is abating. No others are in danger.”

July 17, 1893

Mr Costello, manager of the Bank of Australasia at Otaki, reports that an attempt was made to rob the bank on Friday night. He states that he discovered a burglar entering the bank, but the intruder exploded something – apparently gun-cotton – and before he (Mr Costello) recovered from the shock the offender escaped. The police are investigating the matter.

August 19, 1893

Particulars which have been received by Inspector Pender from Constable O’Rourke, of Otaki, state that whilst Mr A.E.Lytken was lecturing in the school last night the building caught fire, owing to a defective fire-place. The fire was speedily extinguished, but unfortunately it broke out again after midnight, the result being that the school was destroyed. There is stated to have been no insurance on the building, and the

damage is estimated to be about £150. The Masonic Lodge property destroyed is valued at £50, whilst the Oddfellows lost, among other things, an organ worth about £17. The Knights of Labour have lost property to the value of about £10.

December 30, 1893

The residents of Otaki are raising subscriptions to put a bridge over the Rangiuru creek.

March 9, 1894

An old and respected resident of Otaki, Mr James Wallace, died on March 1st. His widow was the eldest daughter of Mr Knocks, who was Clerk to the Court at Otaki in the sixties.

June 19, 1894

Typhoid fever is prevalent in Otaki at the present time, and its presence is said to be due to the insanitary condition of the town. The latest victim of this epidemic is Mr Morse of the Bank of Australasia, who expired in the Wellington Hospital on Saturday morning.

July 7, 1894

Last night about ten o’clock the premises in Otaki occupied by Mr Byron Brown as an auction room was burnt down. The bulk of the stock was fortunately saved by the assistance of many willing helpers. The stock was insured in the Liverpool, London and Globe Insurance Company for £100. The building was owned by the representatives of Wallace’s estate and was uninsured.

August 25, 1894

The new Otaki school is to be formally opened on Monday. It affords

accommodation for 200 children, the largest classroom having space for 100, and two smaller rooms for 50 each. It was built by Mr Murdoch, of Wellington, from plans and specifications prepared by Messrs T. Turnbull & Son, the Board’s architects. The cost was £777.

September 18, 1894

The Otaki Maori Band, under command of Mr Salvatore Cimino, their conductor, leave for New Plymouth by train tomorrow, en route for Auckland, thence to the King Country, to attend the late King Tawhiao’s funeral.

September 28 1894

Tawhiao’s funeral took place at noon at Taupiri, today. It was an imposing spectacle and about 2000 followed. Tremendous volleys were fired at the grave which made Taupiri reverberate. The Otaki Band played the “Dead March” splendidly.

December 31, 1894

The Otaki Jubilee Bazaar, in aid of the Catholic School was opened on Thursday night by Archbishop Redwood. The hall was crowded. The bazaar is a great success. The hall has a most attractive appearance from the variety and beauty of the fancy work. One of the stalls is devoted exclusively to Maori work, and is the centre of considerable interest. During the evening a very pretty tableau, “Jacobs Ladder,” was produced. The bazaar is to be open today, and will close on New Year’s Day.

Graffiti rears its head again

BY FRANK NEILL

Graffiti has reared its head in Ōtaki in the last few months, with properties damaged in the Main Street, Mill Road and the former State Highway 1 shopping area.

“This is something we have not seen for a number of years,” the officer in charge of the Ōtaki Police, Sergeant Phil Grimstone says.

Around 15 properties were damaged by graffiti in high profile and highly visible locations – including the memorial wall at Raukawa Marae.

A 19-year-old man has been identified for at least some of the offending. The man does not live in Ōtaki but has family connections that do live in the town.

“We are working through an initial process of alternative resolution – restorative justice,” Sergeant Grimstone says. “We need to determine if it is appropriate to continue with that process, considering the volume of complaints.

“Unfortunately with graffiti, once one person starts it often results in other people putting their tag in the same area. Because of that it is important to have it covered up or removed as quickly as we can,” Sergeant Grimstone says.

Police located a vehicle that had been stolen from Rangiuru Road on 11 March. When Police located the vehicle the driver failed to stop for the Police. The vehicle was spiked in Matai Street and stopped, and Police arrested a 17-year-old Ōtaki man. Investigation of the incident is ongoing. “With the opening of the expressway we have seen a significant reduction in traffic complaints and motor vehicles accidents in Ōtaki,” Sergeant Grimstone says, noting that was a relief.

Media Muse

I’m 76 and I’m upside down under a desk looking for the ont. Leastways, that’s what I think he called it.

“Look for the first teleport on the ont,” is what I’m sure he’d said.

“The ont?”

“Yes, the ont. It’s attached to the wall next to the jackpoint.”

Sure enough, I could see a white box that looked like a modem with Chorus written on it and with a stubby aerial pointing downwards.

“Do you mean the modem?”

“No, no, no. The ont.” He was starting to get terse.

Although I am 76 and physically as flexible as a stonechip bench top, I am reasonably tech savvy. Always have been. Learned to drive on a tractor (Massey Ferguson) and could doubledeclutch from the age of seven. Shifting down smoothly through an unsynchronised gearbox held no terror for me.

The advent of the automatic transmission, so significant that some cars used to be proudly badged as “automatic”, was a technological advance equivalent to getting hooked up to fibre broadband and finding out how the internet is supposed to work.

The months’ long struggle to get connected to the fibre-optic cable laid by Filipino peasant labourers across our gateway was coming to an end with me on my back underneath the desk. About half of those months had been spent on the phone to call centres in places you don’t normally hear about until they have earthquakes or riots. On this occasion, after spending 45 minutes on hold — “You are now . . . third . . . in the queue” and 20 minutes later “You are now . . . third . . . in the queue” — I discovered a cunning shortcut. Instead of selecting the “technical help” option in the early multiple choice menu, I chose “sales”. Quick as a flash

By Manakau’s Tom Frewen

there was someone on the line eager to “thank yew for reaching out” and find out how they could “be of service to yew today”. I said: “So sorry, I seem to have pressed the wrong button. I’m looking for technical help”. They said: “No worries. I’ll just pop you through.”

I got popped through to an English-speaking man who grasped the challenge I was facing almost immediately. “You say your internet went down for half an hour and has since come back, but without your landline. Correct?”

Spot on. When we had to relinquish the landline, which we loved, we had to choose between connecting up with the fibre, which could take months; wi-fi from a Vodafone mast about half a kilometre distant but doesn’t work; or using the copper-wire network for a workaround technology called ADSL or VDSL. Being tech savvy these days means keeping up with the jargon. Just as you had to know your distributor from your carburettor and your big end from your differential, it helps in conversations with a call centre or chatbot to know that wi-fi is not the same thing as bluetooth and that VDSL stands for Very Damn Slow, Larry while the sightly cheaper ADSL is still Awfully Damn Slow, Larry.

So damn slow, in fact, that we eventually gave up on Vodafone which, in any case, had our street address down as No 12 when we’re No 11, and we’d got tired of racing out to the gate when a Chorus van arrived and the driver checked his phone then, lacking the wit to get out of his van and come in and ask, drove off. After this happened twice we decided to switch to SKY. The pay-tv company, to which we already subscribed for its TV channels, clearly had a better relationship with Chorus, split from Telecom (now Spark) in 2011 to run the country’s telecommunications infrastructure — the telephone lines and exchanges that are now being

replaced with fast broadband via fibre optic cable buried in the ground or through the air from cellphone towers. To keep our landline number we agreed to pay an extra $10 a month for a digitised VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) connection. This had gone AWOL (Away Without Leave) and was what eventually led to me being upside down under the desk looking for the phone port on the ont.

“I can’t see anything that says ‘phone port’,” I told Derek (not his real name, which he had given me, but which I had immediately forgotten due to stress).

“Take a picture of it with your phone and send it to me,” he suggested.

I was already using the phone as a phone. To turn it into a camera, hit the right button and not the one for selfies, then email the picture which is something I can only do with great difficulty on my laptop, is so far beyond my skill level that it would be quicker for me to enrol in an astronaut training programme with a view to becoming the first resident of Manakau to walk on Mars. Eventually, after bunging the plug from the modem into all the ports on the ont that would take it, Derek reluctantly accepted that the fault was not at our end. The customer, if not always right, was on this occasion probably also blameless. Promising to investigate further at his end, Derek said he would get back to us as soon as he had it sorted.

He didn’t. Back on the phone again and using my cunning shortcut of choosing “sales” I was quickly popped through to one of Derek’s technical-help colleagues who, having accessed our file after the usual exchange of passwords, maiden names, inside-leg measurements and pin numbers, said the cause of the fault had been traced back to — wait for it — a work order that had been opened in December and had not been properly closed.

“That’s a relief,” I said, “So, no fault at our end. No technical glitch at your end.”

“But we can’t do anything,” he said, “until we can get that work order closed and that will take at least two days.”

Reader, I nearly cried.

I hadn’t planned on spending half a day on my back underneath a desk looking for an ont which, I later learned from Google is an Optical Network Terminal. Similar to an ONR (Optical Network Router) it converts optic fibre network signals into copper and electric for use by your router. It’s the telephone on the internet.

I would also rather have been watching the cricket on the television. But that would require a subscription to Spark — a telecommunications company that tried to make money out of putting televised sport on the internet, eventually giving up after losing $52 million.

Among the sports available only on Spark were women’s rugby and men’s cricket. The final of the women’s rugby was seen by about a million viewers, but only because Spark allowed it to be screened on a free-to-air channel. As for the Black Caps’ matches against England and Sri Lanka, two of the most thrilling final overs you’d ever be likely to see, were available only in highlights clips on the news.

Every other country ensures that significant sporting events of national importance are on free-to-air television for everyone to see and enjoy. Australia has what they call anti-siphoning legislation, which covers specific events such as international rugby and cricket tests.

New Zealand doesn’t have matching legislation simply because our politicians are too gutless to stand up to their big-business mates in the telecommunications and television companies. But I do now know what an ONT is, although what it actually does is still a mystery.

Attendance at Meetings

(1) Cancellation - Meetings may be cancelled for a variety of reasons. Not all cancellations can be readvertised. To confirm whether a meeting is occurring, refer to our website or ring the Manager Democracy Services on (04) 296 4700 or toll free on 0800 486 486.

(2) Venue – Please note that all meetings will be held in the Coun cil Chambers, Civic Administration Building, 175 Rimu Road, Paraparaumu, unless otherwise specified.

(3) Public Forum – a 30-minute session may be held before every Council and Strategy, Operations and Finance committee meeting (9.00 am – 9.30 am) if requests to speak have been received.

During public forum attendants can speak on any topic. Bookings are essential. Please book ahead with the Democracy Services Team – an online booking form can be found on our website.

(4) Public Speaking Time – Under Council’s Standing Orders members of the public may request to speak on any items relating to agenda items If you wish to request to speak please book ahead with the Democracy Services team

(5) Live-streaming: Council and Committee meetings are live-streamed.

(6) Agendas are available two days before the meeting at:

• Our website www.kapiticoast.govt.nz;

• Council’s Libraries and Service Centres.

Darren Edwards

Chief Executive

Handy folk to know

ŌTAKI Secure Storage

• Secure storage

• long or short-term

• smoke alarms and security cameras

• any size, from garden shed to house-lots

13 & 19 Riverbank Road 0800 364 632

www.otakisecurestorage.co.nz

BIRTHRIGHT

OP SHOP

23 Matene Street, Otaki Monday – Friday 10am – 4pm Saturday 10am – 1pm

Good/Used clothing for sale

Baby clothing $1 Children’s clothing $2

clothing $4 (or as priced)

Cobwebs Op-Shop

Main Street

Tuesday – Friday 10 – 4pm

Currently needing Good-quality men’s clothes and kitchenware

ŌTAKI LOCKSMITH

Adult shoes $3 - $5 Lots of bric-a-brac from $1 Assortment of antiques for sale

We are always looking for volunteers to help in our shop –please see the Shop Manager for an application form.

Your trusted local crash repair specialist using the latest up-to-date equipment and technology

•PPG Water Borne Paint System

•(Environmentally Friendly)

•Spray Booth

•3D Measuring System

•Chassis Straightening Machine

•Inverter Spot Welder

•Crash Repairs

•Rust Repairs

•Plastic Welding

•Courtesy Cars

•All Insurance/Broker Work

RANCHSLIDER & WINDOW REPAIRS

KEYS cut

RANCHSLIDER: Wheels & Locks - TRACKS REPAIRED

WINDOW: Hinges replaced & new catches fitted

KEYS: cut LOCKS: repaired or new locks fitted

Phone Sam Whitt NOW

021 073 5955

Specialised repair No Travel Charge

Ōtaki Churches welcome you

ANGLICAN

Ōtaki All Saints Church

47 Te Rauparaha Street

Rev. Simon and Rev. Jessica Falconer

Tel: 06 364 7099

Service: Sunday, 10am, Hadfield Hall

For Hadfield Hall bookings, email office@otakianglican.nz

Ōtaki Rangiātea Church

33–37 Te Rauparaha St

Sunday Eucharist: 9am

Church viewing hours, school terms:

Mon–Fri, 9.30am – 1.30pm

Tel: 364 6838

Email: rangiatea.church@xtra.co.nz

Waikanae Whakarongotai Marae

2nd Sunday, 11.30am

Levin Ngatokowaru Marae

4th Sunday, 11am

CATHOLIC Ōtaki St Mary’s ‘Pukekaraka’

4 Convent Road

Fr. Alan Roberts

Tel: 021 0822 8926

Mass Timetable: Tue–Fri: 10am

Sunday: 10am

BAPTIST

Cnr Te Manuao Road/SH1

Tel: 364 8540

Service: 10am

PRESBYTERIAN

249 Mill Rd

Rev. Peter L. Jackson

Tel: 364 6346

Worship: 11am

Cafe Church:

2nd Sunday, 10.45am

Acts Churches The HUB

157 Tasman Rd, Ōtaki

Tel: 364 6911

Family service: 10:15am

Big Wednesday: 10:15am

Otaki

Email: hartleyelectrical@gmail.com

After hours: 06 364 2070

Hartley Electrical Contracting Ltd

Mobile: 021 418 751

Otaki

General electrical contractors for all your electrical requirements

• Preplanning consultations

• Fully qualified staff

Domestic • Commercial Industrial • Farm

General electrical contractors for all your electrical requirements

Domestic • Commercial Industrial • Farm

• Headstones, Plaques & Restoration work

• Personalised, memorable and meaningful services

• Grief support

• Kaitawa Crematorium & Chapel, located in Waikanae Cemetery

Domestic • Commercial Industrial • Farm

Mobile: 021 418 751

Mobile: 021 418 751

After hours: 06 364 2070

After hours: 06 364 2070

Email: hartleyelectrical@gmail.com

Email: hartleyelectrical@gmail.com

General electrical contractors for all your electrical requirements

Otaki

www.waikanaefuneralhome.co.nz 04 293 6844 info@wfhome.co.nz

17 Parata Street, Waikanae

Ōtaki Window Cleaning

• Sparkling clean windows, fast!

• Free window-cleaning assistance for superannuants

• No travel fees for Ōtaki jobs

Ōtaki Surf Lifesaving Club finishes the 2022/23 Surf Season with Gold

BY NIKKI LUNDIE

NZ Surf Nationals 2023, held in Christchurch, were raced in near perfect conditions, which made it a spectacular and exciting four-day event. Our senior competition coach, Walter Maxwell, said, “the swell was consistently big and challenging on all four days. The sun shone brightly; the swell ranged from four to six foot; a seven- to ten-metre northerly sweep was running; and a front and back sandbar created an amphitheatre full of excitement on both low and high tides. Athletes from 43 clubs around the country did not disappointment, with every age group and gender entangled in very close-call racing. It was one of the best senior nationals in the past 15 to 20 years.”

Ōtaki SLSC arrived in Christchurch with a team of eight athletes to contest this penultimate event. We are very proud of each effort across individual and team events in these challenging conditions, with finals made in the open women’s board, ski and ironman – races that Ruby Hikuroa, Sophie Irving and Ella Kingi competed in. Louis Appleby contested the U17 surf race and board semi and finals. It was Khendall Maxwell’s first senior nationals event, as a 15yr-age-group competitor she took part in the surf race, board and diamond races. Special mention must go to Abby Prouty – a native of California – attending her first ever surf-lifesaving event in the women’s U19 category and showing she is one tough cookie racing in these tough conditions. Sterling Maxwell contested the U19 men’s age group in board and ski races, but the weekend belonged to big brother Luther Maxwell who won the open men’s surf race final winning the Otago Jubilee Trophy–Senior Surf Race Champion, and also finishing fourth in the open ironman final.

Our younger competitors did not miss out either. Our final patrol weekend saw a fun carnival at our beach. The junior surf kids took on games both on and off the water, including

Ōtaki Sergeant welcomes new drug-driving law

BY FRANK NEILL

The new law introducing tougher penalties and new infringements for driving while impaired by drugs has been welcomed by the officer in charge of the Ōtaki Police, Sergeant Phil Grimstone.

The new law, which came into effect on 11 March, introduces a schedule of 25 qualifying drugs.

The drugs listed in Schedule 5 of the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Act 2022 include some commonly prescribed drugs, such as Codine, Diasepam, Tramadol and Zopliclone.

Ninety-three people were killed in crashes in 2021 where a driver was found to have the presence of drugs –representing nearly a third of all fatalities that year. The new law “is another step in the right direction to reduce our road toll and the impacts that has on the community,” Sergeant Grimstone says.

“Police will continue to focus on trauma-promoting offences, which includes restraints, impairment, distraction and speed.

“Drugs and alcohol are the impairment aspect,” Sergeant Grimstone says.

The new law is a “significant step against reducing the harm caused on our roads by drug driving,” Police Assistant Commissioner Bruce O’Brien says.

“Data collected from fatal crashes highlights the presence of impairing drugs in a driver’s blood is now generally about equal to alcohol.

“This has more than doubled since 2015.

“Police are ready to enforce these new laws and we will continue to use our current practice to identify drivers using drugs by carrying out compulsory impairment tests,” Assistant Commissioner O’Brien says.

If a driver fails this test, they will be required to give an evidential blood test for analysis which can determine what enforcement action is deemed appropriate for the offence. Police undertook a procurement process to identify a suitable Oral Fluid Testing device to carry out random roadside drug driving testing. After rigorous testing, however, it was found that there was no device available to meet the criteria and intent of the legislation.

“Random roadside drug driving testing will still be implemented following amendments made to the legislation, which is likely to include a confirmatory evidential laboratory test similar to how devices are used in other jurisdictions including Australia,” the Assistant Commissioner says.

“The goal of the legislation is to detect and deter drugdriving that potentially impacts the safety of everyone on our roads.

Window & Door Repairs

the more traditional Surf races such as a beach sprint, beach flags and a run board run interspersed with a ‘dress the lifeguard relay’, big-dig and an obstacle course. The lifeguards followed on with their own traditional and nontraditional races with Max McHugo taking out almost every event.

The real crescendo to the season was a weekend away for the rookies (12-14-year-old junior surf members, soon to be lifeguards) and lifeguards taking a road trip to Fitzroy in New Plymouth. The rookies follow a programme run by Elliot Yaxley and Shea Lenaghan that progresses them towards their lifeguard exam at age 14: extra trainings and team-building activities with the main aim of fun, but building these members into well-rounded, knowledgeable lifeguards. The weekend away is seen as an end-of-season treat, taking the skills learned at our beach to another location. It’s humbling to see what our junior surf kids have learned over the years and how sensible they can be when faced with big West Coast surf (the biggest we have faced all season)! A team of 8 rookies, 23 lifeguards, plus families descended upon New Plymouth for a weekend of swimming, boarding and surfing. The highlights were the 3m waves at Oakura and the dam-dropping at Normanby. What an awesome ending to the season. Bring on next summer!!

“Partnering agencies are working together on implementing the Road to Zero strategy and ultimately, we want to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries that happens on our roads causing devastation to families and whanau,” he says.

Quiet 2023 start for Fire Brigade

BY FRANK NEILL

The Ōtaki Volunteer Fire Brigade has had a very quiet start to 2023.

Following a quiet January, when the brigade received only 20 call-outs, February was even quieter, with just 14 calls. There were no calls for property fires during February. Seven call-outs were for rubbish, grass and scrub fires. There were two medical calls and two calls to motor vehicle accidents.

Private fire alarms activating resulted in one call and the brigade attended one “good intent” call. A “good intent” call is where callers report an emergency, but when the brigade arrives it finds that it is not.

The brigade also assisted the Levin Fire Brigade during February, attending one call.

above: Luther Maxwell, Senior Surf Race Champion, with his Otago Jubilee Trophy