Katikati News

If you ask Katikati News, Jan de Faye, pictured, has one of the trickiest community kitchen jobs She organises the food and cooking for the free weekly Katikati Community Breakfast, and she never knows how many guests will turn up “Some days we have under 20 turn up, other days we ’ ve been close to 40.”

But she doesn’t mind at all – for her, the community breakfast has got people engaging again after Covid Last week the 200th Katikati

Community Breakfast was dished up at Katikati Community Baptist Church on the morning of June 11.

John Bothwell said that, since 2021, the breakfast had served up more than 6000 sausages and half a tonne of bacon – but more importantly it had given elderly and other vulnerable people in the community a chance to meet once a week for fellowship over a cooked meal. Read more on page 5.

Photo / Merle Cave

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Winter still a busy time for local police

Katikati police have been kept busy with items going missing around the district and processing people caught driving while under the influence of alcohol

Please remember: if you see something, say something! Look out for your neighbours, and if you don’t lock it, you could lose it Call 111 if an incident is happening now, or call 105 after the event

Burglaries

May 30: A building site on the corner of State Highway 2 and Te Karaka Drive at Te Puna was entered, and building materials were stolen The same site was also entered on May 27 in the early hours. The offender stole a CCTV camera that time

May 30-31: A starter motor was stolen from a Toyota Wish parked in a carport on Hyde St in Katikati Oddly, the offender opened the bonnet and removed the starter motor

June 1: Jewellery was stolen from a Matahui Rd dwelling at Aongatete while the owner was away for the night Forced entry was made into the house

June 3-4: Three electric bicycles were stolen from underneath a house on Wharawhara Rd The makes were Avanti, Ascent and Melo Yelo

May 30-June 9: Two 45kg gas bottles were stolen from an address in Paparoa Rd at Te Puna

June 7: Three 45kg LPG bottles were

stolen from behind shops on Main Rd, Katikati

Shop thefts

Two minor thefts were reported from Katikati shops One of the offenders was known to police and was dealt with accordingly

Unlawfully taken

motor vehicles

June 7: A blue 2006

Mitsubishi Triton was stolen from Stewart Rd, Whakamārama

Theft

Rd He was charged with driving while disqualified, and his vehicle was impounded He was also arrested for breaching his bail conditions

June 1: A 27-year-old Katikati man was arrested for assaulting a person in a family relationship after an incident in a Beach Rd carpark

Katikati policereport

Sergeant Steve Hindmarsh

May 15-29: A car battery was stolen from the engine bay of a vehicle parked in Stewart St, Katikati

Early June: There was a petrol driveoff at a Te Puna station

Wilful damage

June 1: Damage was reported to a shop sign on Main Rd, Katikati

Found property

Early June: A suitcase full of clothes was found on Nolan Place in Katikati

Arrests and apprehensions

May 27: A 30-year-old Katikati man was charged with driving with excess breath alcohol and was driving while forbidden after being stopped on Waterford Rd in Katikati His vehicle was impounded

May 28: A 22-year-old Katikati man was stopped driving a vehicle on Main

June 1: A 38-year-old Katikati woman was charged with driving with excess breath alcohol after having driven a vehicle on Beach Rd, Katikati

June 1: A 29-yearold Katikati man was charged with driving with excess breath alcohol after being stopped on Beach Rd, Katikati

June 4: A 33-year-old Paeroa man was charged with refusing to accompany a police officer for a breath/blood alcohol test and possessing an offensive weapon The incident occurred on Fairview Rd in Katikati

June 5: A 42-year-old woman of no fixed abode was arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court and breaching her bail conditions She was remanded in custody

June 6: A 73-year-old Katikati man was arrested for trespassing at a Katikati store He also had a warrant for his arrest for failing to appear in court on another charge

June 7: A 51-year-old Waihi man was arrested for assaulting a child in a public place in Katikati

Bringing a century-old Katikati bypass idea to fruition

What will the Western Bay’s new regional deal with the Government mean in practice for residents?

Local democracy reporter Ayla Yeoman spoke with mayors James Denyer and Mahé Drysdale to find out

The Western Bay of Plenty regional deal could help a project percolating for more than a century finally become reality, a mayor hopes

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer said the Katikati bypass, which would remove State Highway 2 from the Katikati town centre, had been proposed since 1923

It has been on and off various Government agendas since.

Five years ago, the council considered building it without assistance, but decided “it was just too much for us ” , Denyer said

The bypass is one of the major project commitments in the Western Bay of Plenty regional and city deal, a 10-year partnership agreement with a 30-year vision

It was signed last month between local and central government

Priorities include transport infrastructure, land and housing development, social infrastructure, export growth and economic diversification

The deal aimed to deliver about 12,000 greenfield homes, 3000 infill homes, 350ha of industrial land and at least 15,000 new jobs

Katikati bypass

Denyer said the bypass had been investigated since the 1960s

“It’s been difficult to get it over the line.”

The regional deal provided a funding pathway, but a timeline had yet to be confirmed

He anticipated it would likely come towards the end of the decade

“I think construction from 2030 to 2035, that sort of timeline ”

He said the details would be confirmed in the implementation plan, which was expected by September

He said the road had already been designated, some of the land was already owned and high-level designs were in place

“With that government assistance, it can become a reality

“It’s been a frustrating process, but

hopefully we ’ re almost there now ”

Tolling

The deal also said new tolls would be explored for the region, which already has two of New Zealand’s three toll roads and more to come

Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the Government had made it clear it was going to toll any new roads

By law, a free alternative route had to be available

“I don’t have an issue with tolling if it brings that investment and the building of these roads forward; however, what I do have a problem with is that we have 67% of the tolls in the country

“There’s been plenty of new roads delivered around the country which haven’t been tolled, and that is not equity”

Drysdale said he was concerned the toll roads would push more commuters onto local roads, which councils maintained

“If people don’t use the toll road, and they use our local road, that’s potentially a bad result for our ratepayers ”

Denyer said higher toll road use would alleviate congestion on local roads

He said the state highways would provide more reliable travel times once complete.

His commute from Katikati to Tauranga could take 80 minutes on some days and 50 minutes on others

“You just don’t know so you end up having to allow a lot of time and waste a lot of time ”

Funding and costs

Drysdale said while the deal introduced new funding tools, it did not remove the

need for residents to ultimately pay for local infrastructure

“At the end of the day, you pay one way or another either through rates or through user fees and charges ”

He said the Government’s proposed rates cap could also limit how much the council could invest in catching up with growth

Visible progress

Drysdale said above-ground progress on some projects in the deal may not be seen for three or four years, with roading and housing development taking time due to underlying infrastructure requirements

He said many of the projects would be

completed closer to the 30-year vision of the deal, rather than the initial 10.

Drysdale said the deal committed to delivering about 15,000 houses within the decade

He said at least 2500 homes should be delivered in Tauriko West and up to 10,000 in eastern growth areas such as Te Tumu, The Sands, Wairākei and Bell Rd. Drysdale said he was confident the deal would help avoid past issues where growth outpaced infrastructure, and would go “ a long way ” toward addressing funding challenges

Densification

Drysdale said the council would need to encourage more people to live and work in the Tauranga CBD, turning it from an eight-hour area to a “24hour city where there’s always people around”

He said living in the CBD reduced reliance on cars and could help ease congestion

“It’s going to take time but there’s some exciting things going ahead ” He pointed to planned University of Waikato Tauranga student accommodation and new apartment developments as examples of progress – LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

Ayla Yeoman

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer and Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale. Photos / NZME

Bay of Plenty Regional Council chairwoman Matemoana McDonald, Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer, Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale, Local Government Minister Simon Watts and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop at the signing of the Western Bay of Plenty regional and city deal. Photo / Supplied

Beach lifeguards to host PRE session this Sunday

Waihī Beach Lifeguard Services Inc

is reminding residents and visitors its Public Rescue Equipment (PRE) community education session is on this Sunday, June 21, from 2pm to 3.30pm.

Waihī Beach senior lifeguard Lucy Scown said d the session will help people understtand what PRE is, where to find it a and how to use it saafely in a water emergency, particullarly when beaches are unpatroolled

“New PRE is being innstalled on beach safety signs along thhe coastline from W Waihī Beach to Bowwentown/ Anzac B Bay, giving the pubblic access to rescue equipment when it may be needed most

“PRE is designed to help bystanders assist in n a water emergency ere are currenttly 12 beach safety signs in place locally, with a further six to eiight planned at key locations ”

The eqquipment is already proving its

value, Scown said Just 60 days after PRE was installed at Anzac Bay, a rescue buoy was used in swift response to a swimmer in difficulty.

On February 18, off-duty surf lifeguard Josh Coombridge used the rescue buoy from a beach safety sign to assist an older man who was struggling to stay afloat, while two others tryying g to help p were also being pulled towards the channel

Scown said

“Using the flotation support, Josh helped all three swimmers return safely to shoore, ”

Learn now w

She said Waihī Beach Lifeguard Services Inc is now encouraging residents and visitors alike to learn what PRRE is, where to find it and how to use it safely

“The key meessage is simple: if yoou see someone in n trouble in the water, call 111 1 and ask for police

“Only attemmpt to assist if you are a strong, confident swimmer and conditions alloow

If you are not confident, do not enter the water Stay y on shore, keep your eyyes on the person, and help guide emergency responders to the correct location ”

Keep rescue-ready

Scown said the PRE event on June 21 from 2pm-3 30pm will include an educational session on rips, hazards, and what to do in an emergency, followed by a short surf safety briefing for strong swimmers who want to participate in a practical session.

“Those wishing to take part in the practical session should bring g wetsuits ” Scown said her club wanted the community to help keep the PRE gear rescue-ready

“If PRE is missing or damaged, contact Waihī Beach Lifeguard Services Inc and, if possible, share the nearest beach access point number.”

Contact Waihī Beach Lifeguard Services Inc on 07 863 5108 or email: info@ waihibeachlifeguards.co.nz

The Public Rescue Equipment insttalled at Waihī Beach.

Senior li eguard Christiaan Maarhius and patrol support person Sharlene Manukau with the PRE gear at Waihī Beach Photos / Supplied

It’s more than just 6000

When Jan de Faye got behind the servery inside one of Katikati’s local churches in 2021 she probably had no idea that she’d go on to help cook up 200 free community breakfasts.

The 200th Katikati Community Breakfast was dished up at Katikati Community Baptist Church on the morning of June 11.

The event served breakfasts to the community, as usual, as well as those who’d helped keep the project cooking for the past five years.

John Bothwell, who thanked everyone for their support and generosity to the project since its inception, said the event began after the Covid lockdowns.

“The [Katikati] community centre, Rotary and Lions identified an ongoing need for the elderly and other vulnerable people in our community to meet once a week for fellowship over a cooked breakfast, care packs and a shower, if needed,” he said.

“The Baptist church offered its facility, with the attached food bank able to assist with a food parcel for those in need.”

Bothwell said since then the free community breakfast, held each Thursday at the church, had served more than

6000 meals.

“That equates to more than 6000 sausages and half a tonne of bacon cooked by the team of Allan, Lindsay and Brian from the Katikati Lions Club

“Jan [de Faye] from the community centre co-ordinates the dozen or so volunteers on a roster, with some attending weekly, fortnightly or monthly as available.”

Bothwell said local businesses had been supportive, with Hume PackN-Cool providing a freezer, Gateway Kitchens building two large storage cupboards, Classic Builders providing a monthly donation to help with food costs, and the food recovery programme, co-ordinated by the community centre

and Woolworths, providing spare food each week.

“The breakfast has provided for an ongoing need for families and elderly alike each Thursday from 7.30-8.30am,” he said.

For de Faye, the community breakfast had got people engaging again, especially those aged 65-plus.

“It’s for everybody – so we often get homeless, who are able to use the showers here, people living in their vehicles, families – it changes every week,” she said.

“You never know who is going to turn up. Some days we have under 20 turn up, other days we ’ ve been close to 40 ”

While that can create a logistical cooking challenge, de Faye doesn’t mind at all. “I think we do need these types of things in our community It’s a chance for people to connect, gather and share food ” Merle Cave