Keeping legacies alive
Preston, pictured,
Katikati NEWS
PIES IL BLE FROM:
Barfoot & ompson aihi Beach
Beach rocers Beach aven
Beachhaven Caravan Park
Flat hite Cafe
G S aihi Beach
iSite aihi
Seaforth Park
Seaside Store
aihi Beach 4 Square
aihi Beach Superette
aihi Town Cats
BP Service Station
oolworths Katikati
E ES - Katikati
atikati 4 Square
atikati Information Centre
Katikati Paper Plus
Katikati Primary School
Katikopy Print
Park Road Dairy
Raine & Horne
Preventing home fire danger
Welcome to Katikati Volunteer Fire Brigade’s first column in the Katikati News.
e Centre - Patuki anawa Library
Bower Real Estate atikati
Caltex Service Station
Fresh Choice Supermarket mokoroa
Omokoroa Superette
mokoroa inimart
Story Ideas:
news@katikatiadvertiser.co.nz
dvertising Enquiries:
advertise@nzme.co.nz
As the new fire chief, I want to keep the community informed on what work the brigade is undertaking in the district as well as offering advice, tips and reminders to people on how they can keep themselves, their homes, properties and businesses safe from the risk of fires.
With winter on the horizon, now is the time to prepare your properties for when you need to use heat sources to warm buildings.
If you have a fireplace at home – I urge you to get your chimney/s cleaned by a professional before you start lighting fires for the season. The chimney flue must be cleaned every 12 months.
When you light a fire – or use an electric heater – make sure clothing and other items are at least one metre away from them. DO NOT dry clothing and other items on top of heaters or fireplaces!
Make sure you always use a fireguard or spark guard around a fireplace when a fire is lit, and keep matches and lighters out of reach of children. Hot ashes should be emptied into a metal bin and covered with water and left to cool before disposal. Also – regularly check all your smoke alarms to make sure they are working. Once-a-month press the test button of
Residents are urged to get their chimney cleaned by a professional before lighting fires this winter season. Photo / File
each smoke alarm in your building to ensure the devices are working properly Fire and Emergency New Zealand recommend installing a smoke alarm in every bedroom, hallway and living area. You may also choose to install a heat alarm in the kitchen, laundry, bathroom or garage.
The public can request a free Home Fire Safety Visit from Fire and Emergency New Zealand to gain advice on how to reduce the risk of fires in their own home. Request a visit at: www fireandemergency nz/home-fire-safety/request-a-home-firesafety-visit
Katikati Volunteer Fire Brigade also has new Facebook page up and running, where you can keep up-to-date with our work. Search ‘Katikati Volunteer Fire Brigade’ on Facebook. Stay safe everyone.
Bay of Plenty residents are being invited to gather with friends, family and colleagues this month to host or attend a Pink Ribbon Breakfast to raise vital funds for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ Pink Ribbon Breakfast is the foundation’s largest annual fundraiser, which encourages people to connect over a shared meal to make a difference for New Zealand women affected by breast cancer
About 210 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year across the Bay of Plenty region, according to the foundation
Hosting a Pink Ribbon Breakfast is a meaningful way to support them, helping fund groundbreaking research, free patient services and early detection education
BCFNZ chief executive Ah-Leen Rayner said the flexibility of Pink Ribbon Breakfast means anyone can get involved “We know many households are feeling the pressures of rising living costs right now, but hosting Pink Ribbon Breakfast doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive It can be as simple as a morning tea at home or work, or catch-up at your local cafe What’s important is coming together, because every effort counts ”
Rayner said with BCFNZ being a charity that doesn’t receive any government funding, its desperately needed more Pink Ribbon Breakfast hosts this month to make sure its programmes can continue supporting the thousands of Kiwi women who rely on them “Every dollar raised makes a massive difference – by hosting a Pink Ribbon Breakfast, you ’ re turning coffee and conversation into something powerful ” Pink Ribbon Breakfast Day is May 21, but events can be held any time in May Once registered, people will be sent a free host kit Visit: pinkribbonbreakfast co nz
Gratitude and respect s sho n at da n ser ice
Young and old gathered in darkness at Katikati War Memorial Hall on Saturday morning, April 25, to honour those who gave their lives in war and those who made it home
Katikati’s Anzac Dawn Service began 6am with a short march of veterans, defence and emergency services personnel and community groups to a drum beat from Katikati Band to the hall front where hundreds were waiting to pay their respects
This year Katikati Bowling Club president Bryn Gradwell – a former Royal New Army Medical Corps Lieutenant Colonel –lead the event on behalf on Katikati RSA Major Mike Buist from the Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers (RNZE), and Katikati College head students Mitchell Preston and Coby Taylor were guest speakers
After an opening prayer, Buist addressed the crowd by thanking all service personnel and veterans present, plus those serving overseas He also thanked those who “marched with their family’s medals” and “all of you who made the effort to get out of bed and attend this morning’s service”
“The first Anzac service was held April 25, 1916, at Tainui The service was held to remember those who had given their lives a year earlier at the landing of Gallipoli,” Buist said
“The annual gathering has continued every year since and now serves as a reminder of sacrifice made in all theatres to the current day”
Gallipoli
Buist said he believed Anzacs – Kiwis and Australians – commemorate their service men and women on Anzac Day rather than Remembrance Day of November 11 due to the Gallipoli Landing of World War I
“For me, the answer is that it was at Gallipoli that we emerged as countries in our own right Remembrance day would be poignant in our calendar but it is Anzac Day which sums us up ”
Katikati College Year 13s, Preston and Taylor, also talked of how the anniversary of Australia and New Zealand servicemen setting foot on Gallipoli during WWI was moment that shaped both countries’ identities
like these and in the way that we choose not to forget We will never be able to hear their stories first-hand but we ensure that their memory is never lost
“So this morning I feel a profound sense of gratitude For those who served, those family members who came before me, and especially those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and whose memory and legacy is left to us to continue ”
Embracing freedom
For Taylor, 17, Anzac Day was about recognising those whose stories of war had been told “ as well as the unsung heroes whose stories are yet to be uncovered”
“Subsequent Anzac Days have c a R
“As young people who haven’t directly experienced the effects of war, it is easy for it to feel distant More like something that we are told about rather than something that we ’ ve lived through,” they said
q commemorated those who have died in action on the Western Front and the Arab Revolt of TE Lawrence fame g y “And yet, Anzac Day reminds us
P Pāpāmoa 10-year-
o old Carter Gradwell
w with his grandfather
B Bryn Gradwell –
K Katikati Bowling
C Club president and f former Royal New Army Medical
C Corps Lieutenant
C Colonel – at the RSA b breakfast.
that this history is not as far away as it seems The ripples are seen in our families, our communities, and in the freedoms that we often take for granted ”
Gratitude
For Preston, 16, reflecti Anzac day means, he said forefront of his mind was
“My great-great-grandfa whose medals I’m wearin left behind a book of diar time in Gallipoli
“I’m grateful for these s they give me the oppor honour his sacrifice, a continue his legacy
“Because my grea grandfather return now able to read and wear his m Many of those it home, howev the chance to le descendants wh their service a stories on “And so, t their famili to feel b Th
ng on what d the word at the s gratitude ather Roy F Ellis, ng this morning, ry entries from his stories because rtunity to connect, as well as to at-greatned home, I’m d about his stories medals with pride who didn’t make ver, were denied eave behind ho could honour and carry their the gratitude that ies were destined becomes our duty. Their memory lives on in mornings
“Each family is affected differently by war and has their own story to tell. My story is about my great-great uncle, Allan Taylor who served as a coastwatcher in the Pacific Islands during World War II.”
Taylor told Katikati News that her greatgreat uncle was posted in Kiribati when taken as a Prisoner of War and executed at the age of 22.
“His story represents those who did not physically battle along the frontlines of war, but instead served elsewhere, while still at great risk,” said Taylor
“His life, like so many others during the war, sadly ended much too early But they did not die in vain. They sacrificed their lives so that we could experience a life of freedom. And it is not just today that we remember them.
“We can recognise their efforts and continue to honour their names every day by embracing the freedom that we are gifted. Every family has their story to tell and it is our duty to carry on their legacies to show our gratitude for their service ”
The students then read The Ode of Remembrance in te reo Māori and English, which was followed by The Last Post played by Katikati College deputy head student Jack Smith, and a wreath-laying before a closing prayer and the parade was dismissed.
Merle Cave
Hundreds gathered or Katikati’s Anzac Dawn Service on April 25.
Poppy-laden wreaths left beneath the Rolls of Honour at Katikati’s 2026 Dawn Service Photos / Merle Cave
The teen behind the bugle on Anzac Day
It’s that chilling, distinct sound, which follows a precise note composition that brings us to a standstill each Anzac Day at dawn.
Alone with our thoughts of those who perished, and those who lived but made sacrifices that we just can ’ t get our heads around.
Playing The Last Post on the bugle is probably the most hardest job to do on Anzac Day – usually in front of hundreds of people waiting for every note.
This year it was Katikati College student Jack Smith’s turn at his town ’ s Dawn Service.
As people stood motionless and silence ensued just after 6am Saturday morning, April 25, the 17-year-old nailed it – he didn’t falter. The well-known tune reverberated out flawlessly
“Lucky I had a practice run yesterday,” Smith said, referring to his performance at Ōmokoroa Point School’s Anzac service. “I did have a bung note there – so it was good to get it perfect today, on Anzac Day”
Ironically, the simple brass wind instrument with no valves produces sound via the player’s breath and embouchure, limiting its range to a few notes
The scariest
But boy there’s pressure to get those few notes right if you get called on to play the instrument on April 25. “It [Anzac Day] is the scariest service,” the Katikati College deputy head student said. “Days before, I’m terrified and [when I’m up there] I can tell myself I’m not nervous, but as I’m playing The Last Post, you can hear a slight wobble, and that’s me shaking ”
Smith said he began playing musical instruments when he was in Year 7. “I sort of started playing by chance really One day I got told, ‘Would you like to sign up?’ and I was like, ‘Oh, yeah whatever’ and I sorted of got hooked in from there.
Poripori
“I played trumpet for two years and then I split t into the French horn, the tenor horn, and from there e that grew into the trombone, the flute, the saxophonee, the clarinet.” For him, playing instruments is an adreenaline rush. “It’s one of those things that when you play y a really good piece of music – that gets your foot tapping g – you feel really excited
“That’s what I love about music ”
Recently, he attended The New Zealand Brass B Band Championships 2026 National Contest from Appril 8-11 in Wellington, where he played the double B flat t tuba as part of Tauranga City Brass Band’s B grade entry y Smith said he played in the Katikati Concert Band as a youngster at a previous Katikati Anzac Day but n not on the bugle. “The band asked me to do Katikati’s [Dawn Service] this year because their well-known bugleer Dennis Wilks was away, ” said Smith, who also pllayed instruments with the Bay of Plenty’s youth orcheestra
But he is not totally new to Anzac performancees “I have played the bugle for Tuapiro Marae [on Anzzac Day] for two years, and last year I was asked to d do the Ōmokoroa Anzac Day service.”
Is it difficult to play the bugle? “It’s much like anything…it becomes almost like second nature in a way I mean, at the start, yeah, it’s hard,” he laugghed “It sounds terrible when you start, but once you u sort of go for a little while, it just becomes sort of almmost like walking…”
An honour
While high pressure, the Anzac Day task is an h honour, Smith said. “Once you hit that highest note – beecause that’s the scariest note – you warm up and then you go cold, and you know you don’t play for a while… “Then you have to come back in and you have to hit that high note on a cold bugle. But once you hit it, that sort of like, whoa, you know, you sort of get that wind in you. ” Despite his love for playing music, Smith plans to first go in a different career direction. “My idea is
Road Closure
We’re carrying out important work to repair a roadside slip affecting the stability of Poripori Road.
To complete this work safely, Poripori Road will be closed between Kumikumi Road and Tebbutt Road for around eight weeks from 11 May to 3 July, weather dependent Residents will be able to access their properties from either side of the slip site, located 600m south of Tebbutt Road however, there will be no through access
During this time, please use SH29 and SH2 as a detour.
We will be repairing another roadside slip on Poripori Road, 600m from the SH29 intersection Stop/Go traffic management with be in place and delays are expected. We understand this will cause disruption and appreciate your understanding while we carry out these essential repairs.
Kimihia ētahi anō mōhiohio Find out more
Phone us - 0800 926 732
Email - info@westernbay.govt.nz
Scan the QR code or visit the link at: yourplace.westernbay.govt.nz/poripori-road-slip-repairs
that eventually one day I’ve loved to come back and be a music teacher but my first career path is going to be in the physics direction.”
Merle Cave
Katikati College student Jack Smith with his bugle, still full of adrenalin, after Katikati’s Anzac Dawn Service. Photo: Merle Cave
Ōmokoroa wetland sculpture opens to the public
A newly installed sculpture at the Wāhi ō Waipapa Wetland in Ōmokoroa invites people to connect with the taiao (environment) and reflect on their role as kaitiaki (guardians) of the landscape
The new public sculpture, which celebrates Pirirākau’s enduring connection to land and water, has been unveiled at a purpose-built wetland in Ōmokoroa.
Designed by renowned artist Que Bidois and engineered by Teia Dunster, Te Hokinga Mai o te Kākā stands at the heart of Wāhi ō Waipapa Wetland, a site created to enhance biodiversity, manage stormwater and provide a new shared space for the growing community
Tracing the migration from Tūhua (Mayor Island) to Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), the sculpture represents the flow of knowledge.
Water pouring from the bird’s waha (mouth) is its reo (voice) - a reminder that when the water is healthy, the language of the land remains strong.
The central post represents water as the lifeblood of the land, with the swirling pūhorowai patterns mirror the currents of the Waipapa River
Embedded in the wings are pātiki (flounder) and tuna (eel), highlighting the sacred bond and interconnectedness between the people, land and water
“The kākā is more than a bird; it is a messenger and kaitiaki, carrying the wisdom of the past into the hope of the future,” Bidois said.
“This sculpture reminds us that the health of the environment is inseparable
from our own well-being. By listening to the language of nature, we honour our whakapapa and our collective responsibility as guardians,” Bidois said.
A shelter with a table and seating overlooks the sculpture, and the space as a whole serves as a contemporary marae ātea – a place for people to meet, share stories and strengthen community bonds, he said.
“It is a dedicated space for whānau and visitors to connect through kōrero [conversation] Just as the kākā is a communicator, the area encourages the sharing of ideas and strengthening of social bonds.”
The Wāhi ō Waipapa Wetland, at the end of Prole Rd, is part of Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s Prole Rd urbanisation project and was designed to enhance local biodiversity while providing stormwater management
Linking to the Pahioa cycleway, the wetland reserve also includes boardwalks, a drinking water fountain, public toilet, bike repair station and bike stands
Named by Pirirākau hapū, ‘Wāhi ō Waipapa’ pays homage to the Waipapa River, a historically significant waterway for Māori communities, used for safe navigation and transportation of waka.
Pirirākau facilitated the cultural design and wetland planting, which was done in collaboration with Matakana Island Nursery
“We are proud to see our cultural values reflected in the design and planting of Wāhi ō Waipapa,” Pirirākau’s project manager Julie Shepherd said
“This space is a celebration of our connection to the land and water, and we
hope it encourages everyone who visits to slow down, learn from the environment, and feel a sense of responsibility as kaitiaki.
“It’s a place where people can connect with nature and each other, while reflecting on their own role in caring for the land.”
Western Bay of Plenty District Council infrastructure growth and delivery manager Annelie Badenhurst said the wetland was an example of how urban development could work hand-in-hand
with the natural environment,.
“Whether walking, cycling or spending time with whānau, the wetland provides another space for the Ōmokoroa and wider community to enjoy At the same time, it helps manage stormwater, support wildlife and keep the local environment healthy for generations to come.
“We would like to thank Pirirākau for guiding the design and planting, ensuring the wetland reflects cultural and environmental values for everyone to connect with.”
Te Hokinga Mai o te Kākā (The Return of the Kākā) sculpture at the Wāhi ō Waipapa Wetland in Ōmokoroa Photo / Supplied
Peaceful Minden living with rural views
