Life + Style 23 June 2017

The Weekend Sun 1

Gated living on the Paradise Peninsula at Waterview Estate Page 2

THE WEEKEND

Sakura

Sally Duncan

Steamed pudding

House of the Year

Tanya Horo

2

life+style The Weekend Sun 21 2015 23August, June, 2017

All you’ve ever wanted Gated living on the Paradise Peninsula

Waterview Estate in Omokoroa combines the best of both worlds – space to breathe with gorgeous views and the comfort and safety of a gated community just on the outskirts of the shops, cafes and the beach.

The gated village is currently being developed with two thirds of the homes already sold and the village expected to be completed by early 2019.

Developed by the Kingdom Group, Waterview Estate is expected to build more than 90 homes for Bay residents looking for a peaceful community lifestyle.

“We have been really fortunate to get some land out at Omokoroa because it’s such a beautiful place,” says the Kingdom Group’s Juliet Allen.

“Sales are steady and we are selling properties that will not have occupation for up to a year.”

With eight housing designs available, from single garage with two bedrooms, to two-bedroom, double garage and separate ensuites and study areas, Waterview Estate offers a selection of comfortable, luxurious homes.

The estate is fully fenced and has an electronically gated boundary so residents can rest in the knowledge their home is safe and secure within the lifestyle living environment.

Kingdom Group believes in creating communities and what makes their communities unique is their freehold titles with no age restriction for residents.

“Our communities are designed to be inclusive rather than exclusive, and to connect people to their environment through a respectful approach, embracing the natural surrounds,” says Juliet.

“We at Kingdom Group believe we are providing an excellent lifestyle opportunity to people from all walks of life.”

Waterview Estate homes are maintenance-free, architecturally-designed homes made of sturdy brick and tile and feature double glazed windows, carpet and tile flooring, with full insulation and sunny courtyards.

There are a number of options in two-bedroomplus-study homes, including semi-attached or free- standing, with single and double garage

Photo Bruce Barnard

If you’ve ever considered running away to the Paradise Peninsula for the sunshine, the beach, and the chance to breathe in the fresh air, now’s the time to look into it.

layouts. The homes also feature designer kitchens.

Waterview Estate is conveniently located on Greystone Place, Omokoroa, meaning easy access to local facilities including a golf course, bowling club, boating facilities, cafe, supermarket and more, within a 5km radius of the community.

Shopping, dining, cafes, boat club, churches, community hall, and a medical centre can all be found locally, with easy travel times.

The estate is only a short drive from Bethlehem, which offers up-to-date shopping and medical facilities.

Tauranga’s city centre is just 15 minutes’ drive away, and Waterview Estate is easy driving distance to other major cities: drive to Hamilton, Rotorua, Auckland, and Taupo in approximately two hours or less.

If the view is a selling point for you, Waterview Estate delivers.

It’s just a short stroll from Waterview Estate to enjoy the spectacular views over Tauranga harbour, across to Motuhoa and Matakana Islands and Mount Maunganui, or the sunsets over the Kaimai ranges.

By day it’s sensational. At night it’s simply breath-taking.

23 June, 2017

life+style The Weekend Sun 3

Warm up with a decadent winter pudding W H I T E C H O C O L AT E AND MACADAMIA NUT STEAMED PUDDING WITH BUT TERSCOTCH SAUCE Ingredients

160g butter, soft 100g brown sugar 4 eggs 80g macadamia nuts, chopped 100g white chocolate buttons 1/2 cup semolina flour

1/2 tsp baking powder 1 cup plain flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 Tbsp ground cardamon 1 cup of milk

Method

Cream butter and brown sugar together well, add eggs one at a time, mix well then fold in dry ingredients. Lastly, add milk to make a smooth batter. Add chocolate buttons and nuts. Place portions of mixture in well-greased coffee cups, cafe style ones are ideal. Arrange cups in a water bath in an open casserole dish or oven tray of sufficient depth. Cover the whole tray with tin foil and bake in a moderate oven at 180 degrees celcius for 35-40 minutes until puddings are firm. Prepare the sauce by melting the butter, adding the sugar, golden syrup, pinch of salt and bringing to the boil, then add the cream and simmer for three minutes. Allow to cool slightly and it’s ready for use. The sauce will thicken as it cools – if it doesn’t taste ‘butterscotchy’ enough, add a shot of butterscotch schnapps. Serve with the steamed puddings and vanilla ice cream.

Recipe by Dazz Switalla

Four large or six small servings

EXCELLENCE IN DERMATOLOGY

Nina Beilby Photography

4

23August, June, 2017 life+style The Weekend Sun 21 2015

Sakura A safe haven Gwen Bryce, a highly-stressed Hong Kong based lawyer, came for a visit to New Zealand with husband Lloyd. They fell in love with the country, and began a new way of living.

Nestled in the heart of pastoral Waikato, only 15 minutes from Cambridge, their newly-built haven, Sakura, is now open for retreats, homestay guests and one-day corporate events. Set on nearly five hectares, this quiet and calming oasis provides the moments of peace, relaxation and rest that can help ease a busy mind into a peaceful state of meditative bliss.

There are times in life when we long to destress, draw aside into a quiet place, and take time out.

Clear the clutter in our mind, and find a place where we hope to catch glimpses of something deeper that will energise and help us connect with the true essence of ourselves.

Some of Sakura’s guests’ online comments capture their own treasured moments.

“An absolutely breathtaking place, filled with immense love, positive energy and happiness. Truly magical and inspirational!”

“A divine retreat to relax and unwind. Gwen and Lloyd were amazing hosts.”

“Gwen and Lloyd created a perfect sanctuary for tired minds and souls.”

“For me Sakura is a safe place to let all my anxieties and stresses melt away whilst I relax and recharge. | So grateful!”

Gwen and Lloyd have created an environment of

romance, beauty and peace. Their guests can experience day stays, or stay longer, and participate in courses, events and retreats. Luxurious accommodation is set among 100 cherry blossom trees, water lily ponds, and water features with the heavenly scent of lavender and roses.

Gwen grew up in Southern Africa, but lived in London and Hong Kong. After a stressful career, she came to understand how to use meditation as a tool for coping as a young mother and lawyer, and developing her goal of living a life of mindfulness that is grounded in the present moment.

Her vision was to create a place for small groups of people to connect and inspire each other, discover themselves at a deeper level and be helped to overcome emotional difficulties and anxiety.

“Lloyd loves being out on the land, planting trees and developing the property. Since being here he has put in hundreds of trees.”

Lloyd’s previous work was in finance, but he now travels the globe working for an accreditation body based in Germany, which deals principally with environmental sustainability schemes.

“Sakura is not a ‘fix all’ – people on retreats come for either four or five days, and it’s about getting them on the right track and introducing them to a healthy lifestyle,” says Gwen.

Clearing the clutter in our minds is as important as clearing physical clutter around us and Sakura provides the place, people and presence of mind to be able to do that.

The wellness retreats focus on nutrition, movement and mindfulness.

June, 2015 2017 2123 August,

“Sakura is an experience designed to help place us back into the heart of who we truly are”

Fitness training is provided by Sandro Thiara Mota, a dedicated fitness and weight-loss specialist who has created and developed his own training method which he applies to his fitness and nutrition business STM Functional Fit. Erin-Monique O’Brien, a medal-winning rower and world record holder joins him to deliver his holistic training schedule to Sakura retreat guests. This is supported by healthy meal options from Neena Truscott and Belinda MacDonald, the cooking duo from The Green Kitchen.

They were the first winners of the New Zealand television series, My Kitchen Rules and give classes on nutrition and food foraging, as well as providing food for the retreats.

“Often people will come and watch them cook, as it’s a very interactive, enjoyable experience for our guests,” says Gwen.

“Our retreats usually include about five people. We like to keep them small and intimate because we get to really know people then and give them the kind of care we want to give them here. It’s a very personal experience for them.”

Gwen provides the mindfulness consultations and Sophie Mckenzie is the yoga instructor.

“So far our guests have been from mostly overseas – Australia and London.”

Gwen has been marketing on Instagram and Facebook, and has a wide network of friends all over the world due to living in Hong Kong for 14 years before this.

“If the weather’s fine, we like to take people out walking at Blue Springs or go to Sanctuary Mountain.”

When not running retreats, Sakura has homestay guests and provides a bed and breakfast.

Sakura is the Japanese cherry blossom tree.

“Because we lived in Asia we loved them so much.

The Sakura tree is symbolic of the impermanent nature of life, as the beautiful blossoms blossom for such a short period in the spring.

“It represents taking note of the impermanent nature of life and living in the present moment.

That’s our whole concept here, teaching people to be mindful and live in the present moment.”

Behind all our busy comings and goings, underscoring the failures and successes, it’s good to be reminded there is a deeper dimension to our lives.

Sakura is an experience designed to help place us back into the heart of who we truly are.

Sakura 9x4

FLORENCE & CO. HOME FURNISHINGS AND DESIGN 55 Ninth Ave, Tauranga 07 281 1409 www.florenceandco.com

life+style The Weekend Sun 5

6

June, 2017 life+style The Weekend Sun 2123August, 2015

Winter fashion at After Hours

23 June, 2017 2015 21 August, See Memories Shoes for a fabulous range of winter boots

Rug up this winter in a range of warm but stylish fashion. Just because it’s cold doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style! From cozy boots to snuggly scarves, Life + Style has collected some of the best winter fashions.

See Style X Lab for Home-Lee range of clothing

Wrap up warm from the range of knitwear and accessories from Paradise @ The Mount

Over 70 scarves instore at Indelible in the CBD

life+style The Weekend Sun 7

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June, 2017 life+style The Weekend Sun 2123August, 2015

Strong families Helping parents support parents Sally Duncan is a starter and a doer, a leader who helped found and pioneer Parent to Parent, one of NZ’s foremost parenting organisations.

Rosalie Liddle Crawford

“Her passion for nurturing and growing strong family support organisations is reflected in her passion for growing roses”

Photos: Bruce Barnard

It came as no surprise to her recently to discover that her family predecessors were also enterprising and hardy, with plenty of initiative.

“My great-grandfather built Halfway House in Porirua.”

Built in 1841 by Anthony and Susannah Wall, Halfway House was the halfway resting-place for travellers journeying between Wellington and Porirua.

“My other great-grandfather arrived at Pahi on the Kaipara Harbour, built a shop there and put in lodgings for the men coming out from England. So he was a starter up there in Auckland.”

These family traits of building a place halfway, of rest, support and help on someone’s journey in life, is reflected in the name and purpose of the organisation Sally helped build and lead.

Parent to Parent was set up to help Kiwi parents with a myriad of parenting challenges. As the founding chairperson in 1985, Sally led Parent to Parent through the early years until 1991 when she became the interim chair until handing over in 1992. She has since been recognised as a life member of the organisation.

Parent to Parent acknowledges the value of parents supporting parents when faced with the challenge of parenting a child with a disability, health impairment, or special need. Operating through a network of regional groups it provides

information and emotional support to parents.

Every year the organisation helps thousands of families whose children have special needs.

“There have been some challenges along the way.

One challenge that has never, and probably will never change, is funding,” says Sally. “It was the recognition of Parent to Parent’s value by IHC that provided the financial support to start Parent to Parent back in 1983.

“Many of us in the early days had no access to a typewriter, correction fluid or video conferencing.

“Most of us had a telephone that could often be red-hot after long hours of talking with others. The telephone was a wonderful resource. Our National meetings were held via telephone conferencing.”

Born in Dannevirke, Sally married her boss’s son, Bill. They met when she was 16 and he 21.

They went on to live in Invercargill, Chile, West Australia, Whanganui and then, when Bill was offered a transfer with IHC to Wellington, they relocated after a few months in Wellington to Tauranga. Sally also supported IHC, becoming treasurer of the IHC Christmas Cards fundraisers.

Because of Sally’s Parent to Parent and IHC connections, she was invited to be a trustee for the Western Bay Mental Health Trust, and eventually went on to work there, helping support many families.

Her passion for nurturing and growing strong family support organisations is reflected in her passion for growing roses, of which she has more than 80 in her garden. Being a doer, she became treasurer of the Bay of Plenty Rose Society while also pursuing her interest in genealogy.

23 June, 2017

life+style The Weekend Sun 9

The best homes Judging House of the Year Bob Wheeler, and Michael Idiens arrived in Bethlehem, Tauranga on their nationwide journey seeking New Zealand’s top quality builds in this year’s Registered Master Builders 2017 House of the Year competition.

Bob Wheeler

Photo: Tracy Hardy

They are judging two of the categories – the ‘$700,000 to $1 million’ category which has 60 entries, and the ‘Alterations and Additions up to $500,000’ category.

Bob, who has his own building company, has been a House of the Year judge for the past nine years and has also judged the National Finals for the past two years.

Michael, a Christchurch architect, was a judge two years in a row about five years ago, then took a break while growing his business, and this year he’s back.

Judging takes about 20 days over three to four months with two days a week judging, averaging about four houses per day.

“There’s normally a story behind most houses we judge,” says Bob looking at the Bethlehem house.

“For example, this is a blended family with seven children so they’ve wanted to bring them all together.

And they’ve been quite successful in the way they’ve gone about laying it all out.

“This works really well,” agrees Michael.

“The parents have their own wing and the children have their rooms down the other end with two lounges, which is fantastic. And they have a communal area where they all come together for meals and gatherings.”

The score sheet is made up of 2000 points based on workmanship and design, and functionality. Under

workmanship the key points judged are structure, external cladding, roofing, installation of products, finishing and general workmanship.

Bob and Michael are quick to point out that the judging is done against the scoresheet, not against a previous house seen a few weeks ago.

Workmanship, design, functionality and style, fitto-site, access, entrance, aesthetic appeal, coherence and future proofing are all scored under design and functionality.

There are local interior design awards, an outdoor living award and special awards for kitchens and bathrooms.

“For the ‘Heart of the Home Kitchen Award’, most kitchens today are almost a bit of furniture in the lounge,” says Michael. “How do the drawers work?

Are they soft closing? Is there ventilation out of the rangehoods? Same principle applies for the Bathroom Excellence Award. Does it work well? Does it have good drainage and ventilation? Does it look good?

Does it relate to the rest of the house?”

Judging concludes this month, with the Bay of Plenty awards announced on July 28. Rosalie Liddle Crawford

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June, 2017 life+style The Weekend Sun 2123August, 2015

New York to Tauranga Growing a new industry When moving back to New Zealand from four years in New York, actor Tanya Horo chose Tauranga rather than Auckland as her new home.

“One thing I took away from New York is that talent is not limited by geography. My industry is film and television, that’s what I’ve done for 15 years.”

Recognisable for her recurring role as Miss Lucy in a series of commercials for House of Travel, Tanya has also acted in Shortland Street and Jackson’s Wharf, and was leading lady in Z Nail Gang.

“I was offered a job in Tauranga that fell through. But that job brought me here. I thought ‘my industry is based in Auckland, I can’t do what I do here so I’ll have to find something else to do’.” * BOP Film director Anton Steel opened Tanya’s eyes to the potential in the Bay of Plenty.

“We have so many talented people here!” says Tanya. “I found out it wasn’t just actors, but there were lighting people, writers, directors, sound people, caterers, props and set design. There’s a whole industry here.”

She thought this would mean there would be an established actors’ agency in Tauranga, but was surprised to learn there wasn’t.

“I woke up one morning with the thought

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of starting an agency. I did some good research and phoned casting agents in Auckland. Asked them ‘look if I start an agency down here are you going to support me?’ The majority of those casting agents are from the Bay of Plenty and they said ‘of course I’m going to support you.’”

She launched BOP Actors about 18 months ago, and recently rebranded as TMH Management.

Friend Gary Banner helped set up a cloudbased system to manage her future pool of talent. Before launching, a local radio announcer interviewed her.

“The agency hadn’t started yet. I sat down with him and the first thing he asked was ‘Are there actors here?’ and I went ‘yeah I’ve met a couple.’ Then he asked ‘but are there enough actors to start an agency?’ I said I didn’t know.”

Tanya now has 150 actors on her books with the majority from Tauranga.

“This industry is huge, bringing in $3 billion annually to NZ. That’s a lot of money.

“We have stories to tell. We need to be able to tell them. There are a lot of things that are going to be replaced by AI, but actors aren’t one of them. Neither are writer or directors.

“It’s a heart industry, you come from the heart and that’s where it will stay.”

When Tanya first started out in acting, her agent had to send a printed headshot to

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June, 2015 2017 2123 August,

life+style The Weekend Sun 11

“It’s a heart industry, you come from the heart and that’s where it will stay.”

America, then wait for a reply.

“Because of the internet, I have actors auditioning for films in Australia, South Africa, and America. An Australian agent who I work with is now a very close friend of mine.

“I’ve never met her, we talk all the time on Skype. She looks after some of my top actors and gets them work in Australia.

“Similarly I have actors in America who I haven’t met, but we’ve talked over Skype. They would really love to get work in NZ so I manage them from here.”

Along with Anton, Tanya sees there is a huge potential to grow a film industry in the Bay of Plenty.

“My vision is to see a production house here. Somewhere for wardrobe, props, prosthetics, acting workshops, where people can come in and watch films.

Bring some of that money here, as we have the talent and the infrastructure here.”

A new industry doesn’t happen without support.

“The Tauranga City Council has been amazing. I think if we were to do this in Auckland we wouldn’t have made it happen.”

Tauranga Deputy Mayor Kelvin Clout says there are massive opportunities and advantages for developing the film industry in the Bay of Plenty. “Economic development, tourism – it’s a great way to showcase the Bay, and film will have massive spinoffs for tourism. And it keeps our younger people here to utilise the talents that they have.”

Anton Steel says when the seeds of BOP Film happened, Tanya was already ahead of the curve.

“When we had a meeting of the local film industry, it was Tanya who had the really big picture view.”

“When I started this agency there wasn’t a lot of work in Tauranga,” says Tanya. “But it’s exponentially growing.”

Rosalie Liddle Crawford

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The Weekend Sun 1

Gated living on the Paradise Peninsula at Waterview Estate Page 2

THE WEEKEND

Sakura

Sally Duncan

Steamed pudding

House of the Year

Tanya Horo

2

life+style The Weekend Sun 21 2015 23August, June, 2017

All you’ve ever wanted Gated living on the Paradise Peninsula

Waterview Estate in Omokoroa combines the best of both worlds – space to breathe with gorgeous views and the comfort and safety of a gated community just on the outskirts of the shops, cafes and the beach.

The gated village is currently being developed with two thirds of the homes already sold and the village expected to be completed by early 2019.

Developed by the Kingdom Group, Waterview Estate is expected to build more than 90 homes for Bay residents looking for a peaceful community lifestyle.

“We have been really fortunate to get some land out at Omokoroa because it’s such a beautiful place,” says the Kingdom Group’s Juliet Allen.

“Sales are steady and we are selling properties that will not have occupation for up to a year.”

With eight housing designs available, from single garage with two bedrooms, to two-bedroom, double garage and separate ensuites and study areas, Waterview Estate offers a selection of comfortable, luxurious homes.

The estate is fully fenced and has an electronically gated boundary so residents can rest in the knowledge their home is safe and secure within the lifestyle living environment.

Kingdom Group believes in creating communities and what makes their communities unique is their freehold titles with no age restriction for residents.

“Our communities are designed to be inclusive rather than exclusive, and to connect people to their environment through a respectful approach, embracing the natural surrounds,” says Juliet.

“We at Kingdom Group believe we are providing an excellent lifestyle opportunity to people from all walks of life.”

Waterview Estate homes are maintenance-free, architecturally-designed homes made of sturdy brick and tile and feature double glazed windows, carpet and tile flooring, with full insulation and sunny courtyards.

There are a number of options in two-bedroomplus-study homes, including semi-attached or free- standing, with single and double garage

Photo Bruce Barnard

If you’ve ever considered running away to the Paradise Peninsula for the sunshine, the beach, and the chance to breathe in the fresh air, now’s the time to look into it.

layouts. The homes also feature designer kitchens.

Waterview Estate is conveniently located on Greystone Place, Omokoroa, meaning easy access to local facilities including a golf course, bowling club, boating facilities, cafe, supermarket and more, within a 5km radius of the community.

Shopping, dining, cafes, boat club, churches, community hall, and a medical centre can all be found locally, with easy travel times.

The estate is only a short drive from Bethlehem, which offers up-to-date shopping and medical facilities.

Tauranga’s city centre is just 15 minutes’ drive away, and Waterview Estate is easy driving distance to other major cities: drive to Hamilton, Rotorua, Auckland, and Taupo in approximately two hours or less.

If the view is a selling point for you, Waterview Estate delivers.

It’s just a short stroll from Waterview Estate to enjoy the spectacular views over Tauranga harbour, across to Motuhoa and Matakana Islands and Mount Maunganui, or the sunsets over the Kaimai ranges.

By day it’s sensational. At night it’s simply breath-taking.

23 June, 2017

life+style The Weekend Sun 3

Warm up with a decadent winter pudding W H I T E C H O C O L AT E AND MACADAMIA NUT STEAMED PUDDING WITH BUT TERSCOTCH SAUCE Ingredients

160g butter, soft 100g brown sugar 4 eggs 80g macadamia nuts, chopped 100g white chocolate buttons 1/2 cup semolina flour

1/2 tsp baking powder 1 cup plain flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 Tbsp ground cardamon 1 cup of milk

Method

Cream butter and brown sugar together well, add eggs one at a time, mix well then fold in dry ingredients. Lastly, add milk to make a smooth batter. Add chocolate buttons and nuts. Place portions of mixture in well-greased coffee cups, cafe style ones are ideal. Arrange cups in a water bath in an open casserole dish or oven tray of sufficient depth. Cover the whole tray with tin foil and bake in a moderate oven at 180 degrees celcius for 35-40 minutes until puddings are firm. Prepare the sauce by melting the butter, adding the sugar, golden syrup, pinch of salt and bringing to the boil, then add the cream and simmer for three minutes. Allow to cool slightly and it’s ready for use. The sauce will thicken as it cools – if it doesn’t taste ‘butterscotchy’ enough, add a shot of butterscotch schnapps. Serve with the steamed puddings and vanilla ice cream.

Recipe by Dazz Switalla

Four large or six small servings

EXCELLENCE IN DERMATOLOGY

Nina Beilby Photography

4

23August, June, 2017 life+style The Weekend Sun 21 2015

Sakura A safe haven Gwen Bryce, a highly-stressed Hong Kong based lawyer, came for a visit to New Zealand with husband Lloyd. They fell in love with the country, and began a new way of living.

Nestled in the heart of pastoral Waikato, only 15 minutes from Cambridge, their newly-built haven, Sakura, is now open for retreats, homestay guests and one-day corporate events. Set on nearly five hectares, this quiet and calming oasis provides the moments of peace, relaxation and rest that can help ease a busy mind into a peaceful state of meditative bliss.

There are times in life when we long to destress, draw aside into a quiet place, and take time out.

Clear the clutter in our mind, and find a place where we hope to catch glimpses of something deeper that will energise and help us connect with the true essence of ourselves.

Some of Sakura’s guests’ online comments capture their own treasured moments.

“An absolutely breathtaking place, filled with immense love, positive energy and happiness. Truly magical and inspirational!”

“A divine retreat to relax and unwind. Gwen and Lloyd were amazing hosts.”

“Gwen and Lloyd created a perfect sanctuary for tired minds and souls.”

“For me Sakura is a safe place to let all my anxieties and stresses melt away whilst I relax and recharge. | So grateful!”

Gwen and Lloyd have created an environment of

romance, beauty and peace. Their guests can experience day stays, or stay longer, and participate in courses, events and retreats. Luxurious accommodation is set among 100 cherry blossom trees, water lily ponds, and water features with the heavenly scent of lavender and roses.

Gwen grew up in Southern Africa, but lived in London and Hong Kong. After a stressful career, she came to understand how to use meditation as a tool for coping as a young mother and lawyer, and developing her goal of living a life of mindfulness that is grounded in the present moment.

Her vision was to create a place for small groups of people to connect and inspire each other, discover themselves at a deeper level and be helped to overcome emotional difficulties and anxiety.

“Lloyd loves being out on the land, planting trees and developing the property. Since being here he has put in hundreds of trees.”

Lloyd’s previous work was in finance, but he now travels the globe working for an accreditation body based in Germany, which deals principally with environmental sustainability schemes.

“Sakura is not a ‘fix all’ – people on retreats come for either four or five days, and it’s about getting them on the right track and introducing them to a healthy lifestyle,” says Gwen.

Clearing the clutter in our minds is as important as clearing physical clutter around us and Sakura provides the place, people and presence of mind to be able to do that.

The wellness retreats focus on nutrition, movement and mindfulness.

June, 2015 2017 2123 August,

“Sakura is an experience designed to help place us back into the heart of who we truly are”

Fitness training is provided by Sandro Thiara Mota, a dedicated fitness and weight-loss specialist who has created and developed his own training method which he applies to his fitness and nutrition business STM Functional Fit. Erin-Monique O’Brien, a medal-winning rower and world record holder joins him to deliver his holistic training schedule to Sakura retreat guests. This is supported by healthy meal options from Neena Truscott and Belinda MacDonald, the cooking duo from The Green Kitchen.

They were the first winners of the New Zealand television series, My Kitchen Rules and give classes on nutrition and food foraging, as well as providing food for the retreats.

“Often people will come and watch them cook, as it’s a very interactive, enjoyable experience for our guests,” says Gwen.

“Our retreats usually include about five people. We like to keep them small and intimate because we get to really know people then and give them the kind of care we want to give them here. It’s a very personal experience for them.”

Gwen provides the mindfulness consultations and Sophie Mckenzie is the yoga instructor.

“So far our guests have been from mostly overseas – Australia and London.”

Gwen has been marketing on Instagram and Facebook, and has a wide network of friends all over the world due to living in Hong Kong for 14 years before this.

“If the weather’s fine, we like to take people out walking at Blue Springs or go to Sanctuary Mountain.”

When not running retreats, Sakura has homestay guests and provides a bed and breakfast.

Sakura is the Japanese cherry blossom tree.

“Because we lived in Asia we loved them so much.

The Sakura tree is symbolic of the impermanent nature of life, as the beautiful blossoms blossom for such a short period in the spring.

“It represents taking note of the impermanent nature of life and living in the present moment.

That’s our whole concept here, teaching people to be mindful and live in the present moment.”

Behind all our busy comings and goings, underscoring the failures and successes, it’s good to be reminded there is a deeper dimension to our lives.

Sakura is an experience designed to help place us back into the heart of who we truly are.

Sakura 9x4

FLORENCE & CO. HOME FURNISHINGS AND DESIGN 55 Ninth Ave, Tauranga 07 281 1409 www.florenceandco.com

life+style The Weekend Sun 5

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June, 2017 life+style The Weekend Sun 2123August, 2015

Winter fashion at After Hours

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life+style The Weekend Sun 7

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June, 2017 life+style The Weekend Sun 2123August, 2015

Strong families Helping parents support parents Sally Duncan is a starter and a doer, a leader who helped found and pioneer Parent to Parent, one of NZ’s foremost parenting organisations.

Rosalie Liddle Crawford

“Her passion for nurturing and growing strong family support organisations is reflected in her passion for growing roses”

Photos: Bruce Barnard

It came as no surprise to her recently to discover that her family predecessors were also enterprising and hardy, with plenty of initiative.

“My great-grandfather built Halfway House in Porirua.”

Built in 1841 by Anthony and Susannah Wall, Halfway House was the halfway resting-place for travellers journeying between Wellington and Porirua.

“My other great-grandfather arrived at Pahi on the Kaipara Harbour, built a shop there and put in lodgings for the men coming out from England. So he was a starter up there in Auckland.”

These family traits of building a place halfway, of rest, support and help on someone’s journey in life, is reflected in the name and purpose of the organisation Sally helped build and lead.

Parent to Parent was set up to help Kiwi parents with a myriad of parenting challenges. As the founding chairperson in 1985, Sally led Parent to Parent through the early years until 1991 when she became the interim chair until handing over in 1992. She has since been recognised as a life member of the organisation.

Parent to Parent acknowledges the value of parents supporting parents when faced with the challenge of parenting a child with a disability, health impairment, or special need. Operating through a network of regional groups it provides

information and emotional support to parents.

Every year the organisation helps thousands of families whose children have special needs.

“There have been some challenges along the way.

One challenge that has never, and probably will never change, is funding,” says Sally. “It was the recognition of Parent to Parent’s value by IHC that provided the financial support to start Parent to Parent back in 1983.

“Many of us in the early days had no access to a typewriter, correction fluid or video conferencing.

“Most of us had a telephone that could often be red-hot after long hours of talking with others. The telephone was a wonderful resource. Our National meetings were held via telephone conferencing.”

Born in Dannevirke, Sally married her boss’s son, Bill. They met when she was 16 and he 21.

They went on to live in Invercargill, Chile, West Australia, Whanganui and then, when Bill was offered a transfer with IHC to Wellington, they relocated after a few months in Wellington to Tauranga. Sally also supported IHC, becoming treasurer of the IHC Christmas Cards fundraisers.

Because of Sally’s Parent to Parent and IHC connections, she was invited to be a trustee for the Western Bay Mental Health Trust, and eventually went on to work there, helping support many families.

Her passion for nurturing and growing strong family support organisations is reflected in her passion for growing roses, of which she has more than 80 in her garden. Being a doer, she became treasurer of the Bay of Plenty Rose Society while also pursuing her interest in genealogy.

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The best homes Judging House of the Year Bob Wheeler, and Michael Idiens arrived in Bethlehem, Tauranga on their nationwide journey seeking New Zealand’s top quality builds in this year’s Registered Master Builders 2017 House of the Year competition.

Bob Wheeler

Photo: Tracy Hardy

They are judging two of the categories – the ‘$700,000 to $1 million’ category which has 60 entries, and the ‘Alterations and Additions up to $500,000’ category.

Bob, who has his own building company, has been a House of the Year judge for the past nine years and has also judged the National Finals for the past two years.

Michael, a Christchurch architect, was a judge two years in a row about five years ago, then took a break while growing his business, and this year he’s back.

Judging takes about 20 days over three to four months with two days a week judging, averaging about four houses per day.

“There’s normally a story behind most houses we judge,” says Bob looking at the Bethlehem house.

“For example, this is a blended family with seven children so they’ve wanted to bring them all together.

And they’ve been quite successful in the way they’ve gone about laying it all out.

“This works really well,” agrees Michael.

“The parents have their own wing and the children have their rooms down the other end with two lounges, which is fantastic. And they have a communal area where they all come together for meals and gatherings.”

The score sheet is made up of 2000 points based on workmanship and design, and functionality. Under

workmanship the key points judged are structure, external cladding, roofing, installation of products, finishing and general workmanship.

Bob and Michael are quick to point out that the judging is done against the scoresheet, not against a previous house seen a few weeks ago.

Workmanship, design, functionality and style, fitto-site, access, entrance, aesthetic appeal, coherence and future proofing are all scored under design and functionality.

There are local interior design awards, an outdoor living award and special awards for kitchens and bathrooms.

“For the ‘Heart of the Home Kitchen Award’, most kitchens today are almost a bit of furniture in the lounge,” says Michael. “How do the drawers work?

Are they soft closing? Is there ventilation out of the rangehoods? Same principle applies for the Bathroom Excellence Award. Does it work well? Does it have good drainage and ventilation? Does it look good?

Does it relate to the rest of the house?”

Judging concludes this month, with the Bay of Plenty awards announced on July 28. Rosalie Liddle Crawford

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June, 2017 life+style The Weekend Sun 2123August, 2015

New York to Tauranga Growing a new industry When moving back to New Zealand from four years in New York, actor Tanya Horo chose Tauranga rather than Auckland as her new home.

“One thing I took away from New York is that talent is not limited by geography. My industry is film and television, that’s what I’ve done for 15 years.”

Recognisable for her recurring role as Miss Lucy in a series of commercials for House of Travel, Tanya has also acted in Shortland Street and Jackson’s Wharf, and was leading lady in Z Nail Gang.

“I was offered a job in Tauranga that fell through. But that job brought me here. I thought ‘my industry is based in Auckland, I can’t do what I do here so I’ll have to find something else to do’.” * BOP Film director Anton Steel opened Tanya’s eyes to the potential in the Bay of Plenty.

“We have so many talented people here!” says Tanya. “I found out it wasn’t just actors, but there were lighting people, writers, directors, sound people, caterers, props and set design. There’s a whole industry here.”

She thought this would mean there would be an established actors’ agency in Tauranga, but was surprised to learn there wasn’t.

“I woke up one morning with the thought

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of starting an agency. I did some good research and phoned casting agents in Auckland. Asked them ‘look if I start an agency down here are you going to support me?’ The majority of those casting agents are from the Bay of Plenty and they said ‘of course I’m going to support you.’”

She launched BOP Actors about 18 months ago, and recently rebranded as TMH Management.

Friend Gary Banner helped set up a cloudbased system to manage her future pool of talent. Before launching, a local radio announcer interviewed her.

“The agency hadn’t started yet. I sat down with him and the first thing he asked was ‘Are there actors here?’ and I went ‘yeah I’ve met a couple.’ Then he asked ‘but are there enough actors to start an agency?’ I said I didn’t know.”

Tanya now has 150 actors on her books with the majority from Tauranga.

“This industry is huge, bringing in $3 billion annually to NZ. That’s a lot of money.

“We have stories to tell. We need to be able to tell them. There are a lot of things that are going to be replaced by AI, but actors aren’t one of them. Neither are writer or directors.

“It’s a heart industry, you come from the heart and that’s where it will stay.”

When Tanya first started out in acting, her agent had to send a printed headshot to

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“It’s a heart industry, you come from the heart and that’s where it will stay.”

America, then wait for a reply.

“Because of the internet, I have actors auditioning for films in Australia, South Africa, and America. An Australian agent who I work with is now a very close friend of mine.

“I’ve never met her, we talk all the time on Skype. She looks after some of my top actors and gets them work in Australia.

“Similarly I have actors in America who I haven’t met, but we’ve talked over Skype. They would really love to get work in NZ so I manage them from here.”

Along with Anton, Tanya sees there is a huge potential to grow a film industry in the Bay of Plenty.

“My vision is to see a production house here. Somewhere for wardrobe, props, prosthetics, acting workshops, where people can come in and watch films.

Bring some of that money here, as we have the talent and the infrastructure here.”

A new industry doesn’t happen without support.

“The Tauranga City Council has been amazing. I think if we were to do this in Auckland we wouldn’t have made it happen.”

Tauranga Deputy Mayor Kelvin Clout says there are massive opportunities and advantages for developing the film industry in the Bay of Plenty. “Economic development, tourism – it’s a great way to showcase the Bay, and film will have massive spinoffs for tourism. And it keeps our younger people here to utilise the talents that they have.”

Anton Steel says when the seeds of BOP Film happened, Tanya was already ahead of the curve.

“When we had a meeting of the local film industry, it was Tanya who had the really big picture view.”

“When I started this agency there wasn’t a lot of work in Tauranga,” says Tanya. “But it’s exponentially growing.”

Rosalie Liddle Crawford

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