teacher Nicole Mills came up with the basic idea and the kids helped develop
5. Photo / Chontalle Musson
Te Puke NEWS
New librarian’s journey from daycare to library
There’s a new face looking after Te Puke’s younger library-going community
Robyn Baker is the new children and teens librarian at Te Puke Library
She has come from an early childhood education background, where, for a decade, she worked mostly in a Steinerbased daycare centre.
Children’s librarian is her first role outside that environment. It’s one that has seen her interact with children of school age for the first time.
“I think that’s the main difference,” she said, “I’m now planning and presenting for primary school children so it’s about finding out what they can enjoy and what they need help with – and I’m still on that learning journey”
A love of books
Baker decided to move away from early childhood teaching because of her love of books
“I love the library and I love to read I think it’s a great way to learn and it’s wonderful to share that with children so they can grow up and have that as well ”
She felt she was laying a foundation for children to develop their life skills, curiosity, a love of learning and reading for enjoyment
Baker said her favourite children’s books were the “sing-songy, rhyming ones and the ones with bright colours and the playful ones with pop-ups ”
There were regular events for children at the library, including story time twice a week, as well as special events such as this week’s Matariki story time, scavenger hunt and colouring competition, and school holiday programmes
Holiday programme
The July school holiday programme at the library would be Baker’s first “flying solo”
She said she’s looking forward to it “I love crafts and we ’ ve got three craft activities that will be lots of fun and to get creative ”
The programme has a pirate theme and includes Lego set-building and challenges, and an afternoon movie
There would be a games morning and the pirate-themed craft activities, scavenger hunt, a teen challenge and colouring competition
See the Western Bay of Plenty libraries website or Facebook page for more details Boo It’s possibl would beco term time.
oking is required le the board game session ome a regular event during
Commun
nity visits
Library team leader AmandaJane McFadden said the children’s librarian role was no only to run children in also to conn community
“For the la we have sup Summer in [events] and visit local d
kindergartens and play centres to present story time ”
She said with parents working more, those centres don’t always have the resources to take groups of children to the library, so the children’s librarian can go to them, into their spaces to promote literacy and learning
She said people may not realise the work required to be a children’s librarian “When you present a one-hour event, it could take three to five hours of planning for that one-hour event, so there’s a lot of planning and research that goes into the role and into the events ”
McFadden encouraged staff at the various pre-school centres k f h
t events for the library, but nect with the y ast few years pported the the Park d also go out to daycare centres, to contact Baker if t ey would like her to visit
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Stuart Whitaker
Robyn Baker is Te Puke Library’s new children and teens librarian.
Photo / Stuart Whitaker
Matariki event shines spotlight on tangata whenua leadership
Organisers of this year ’ s Matariki
celebrations in Te Puke have put tangata whenua at the front of the stage.
Sam Hema, director of Hemasphere Ltd Consultancy, is part of the organising team for the June 20 event that is presented in conjunction with Made in Te Puke Trust.
“We are bringing the tribes and our hapu and surrounding tribes on stage together, which is cool - super cool actually,” he said.
“We are really proud to have our tangata whenua on stage performing.”
Opening proceedings at 10am will be Te Kahui Pūoro o Tapuika playing traditional Māori musical instruments, led by adviser and cultural leader Jo’el Komene.
Performances
The early part of the day will feature kapa haka performances from school groups from Te Puke primary, intermediate and high schools, Maketū School and Fairhaven School.
Later in the day iwi-based kapa haka groups from Tūhourangi ki Ōtukawa, Waitaha and Ngā Uri O Te Takapu O Tapuika will take to the stage
“We’ve got a really good mix and balance this year that includes our iwi
leading from the front with kapa haka ”
Musically there’s a strong line-up led by Northland’s kaupapa-driven eight piece band llumiNgāti whose sound encompasses reggae and RnB.
Music will also come from Bay of Plenty’s Mana Roots, a talented line-up of accomplished musicians also known as the band RnBeast made up of TJ Faaosofia, Fran Kora, Jode, Poi Hakena Reid and Stevie Car Jnr
More local music will come from ADT, led by Waitaha and Tapuika cultural leader Mokoera Te Amo and made up of whānau members, Tauranga based duo TJ and Huri and Whaea and Soul.
Up-and-coming Hutt Valley singersongwriter Sianne, who recently released a single with Israel Starr, will also perform.
“What we ’ ve got is a good mix of local entertainers and a good mix of kapa haka from the iwi and the schools, and the kaupapa is Matariki – that’s front, and centre and it’s always been front and centre ”
Stalls
This year two new members have come on board to help organise the event, Amber Tapsell from Maketū, and educator and teacher, and iwi co-ordinator Haami Te Aute.
As well as the stage entertainment there
This month marks a milestone for Te Puke-based Kiwicoast Lions, which will hold its 30th book fair over Matariki weekend
The book fair is almost a year-round project that culminates in a threeday sale to raise money for various projects, charities and initiatives in the Te Puke district
Always held in June, spokesperson Anne Cole said it’s nice that the sale could be held at the same time as Matariki celebrations on a long weekend
Planning for the next fair begins
almost as soon as the previous one is packed away and since the start of the year, members have been stacking and sorting books, DVDs, CDs jigsaws and magazines for this year ’ s fair
Honorary member Nick de Hoog picked up the books from the Te Puke drop-off spots and did the heavy lifting during the book sorting Williamson Building and Construction and Williamson Kitchens and Joinery were the main sponsors of this year ’ s sale, and Trevelyan’s Pack and Cool had also come on board to help out Sports teams from Te Puke High
will also be food stalls with a Māori flavour
“There will be a hangi of course, and we are definitely trying to lean more towards Māori delicacies and Māori kai,” said Hema
There would be other stalls selling merchandise and highlighting the services and function of local organisations.
“A big shout out to Poutiri Trust who have always been there for us and have always been there promoting the services
they deliver, and they will be front and centre on the day
“The other cool thing is, we ’ ve slightly changed our logo refreshed to represent our next phase.”
Hautapu ceremony
Earlier in the day Tapuika whānau will make their way to the summit of Rangiuru for a traditional hautapu ceremony that acknowledges Matariki.
“We always want to acknowledge and celebrate the uniqueness of that, specifically for Tapuika.”
Where: Jubilee Park, Commerce Lane, Te Puke
Te Kete Matari i – e Pu e 2025
hen: Friday, June 20, 10am-4pm
Cost: Free
Communityspirit:Te Pukegears up for 30thannualbookfair
School will help move the books innto Te Puke Memorial Hall for the sale and will also help with pack down n
“They provide huge amounts of help with unloading all the books and loading whatever is left at the end,” said Cole, “and they do it for r the community spirit”
The fiction section of the sale is sorted in alphabetical order and thhere are also sections on a range of subjects as well as children’s books and a taable of “special” books
The book fair is on June 20-22 and is open on June 20 from 8am-6pmm, June 21 from 9am-5pm and June 22 from 9am-3pm
Stuart Whitaker
Above: A big crowd is once again expected for Te Puke Matariki – Te Puke 2025 on June 20. Photo / Supplied
Left: Whangarei reggae band IllumiNgati gets festival-goers on their feet. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Stuart Whitakker
Nick de Hoog is helping with the collection of books for this year ’ s Kiwicoast Lions Book Fair that starts on June 20. He is flanked by, from left, Pat Cameron, Julie Gallagher, Anne Cole and Mary Jacobi. Photo / Stuart Whitaker
Western BOP rates to rise 8.92% on average
Western Bay of Plenty District Council has set its direction for this year ’ s rates – with an average increase of 8.92%.
This remains below the 10.13 % average rate increase originally forecast in the council’s Long Term Plan 20242034.
Western BOP councillors, at last week’s annual plan and long-term plan committee meeting, agreed to the revised figure ahead of the annual plan being formally adopted on June 26. The updated figure follows earlier indications of a possible 7.42% increase, after taking account of initial
savings and reduced interest and inflation rates
However, financial prudence called for further adjustments, including rebuilding reserves, addressing lower-than-expected revenue in the regulatory space, necessary additional investment in water services, and settling weathertight claims.
Western Bay Mayor James Denyer said the agreed approach reflects a careful balance between affordability for ratepayers, financial prudence, and continuing to deliver the services and infrastructure that communities rely on.
“This continues to be a very challenging economic environment
– for households and for councils,” Denyer said.
Back in February, Western n Bay of Plenty councillors agreed d not to consult on this year ’ s annuaal plan, because no significant or maaterial changes to the Long Term Plan 20242034 were proposed and the focus remained on delivering whaat was already planned
While the revised 8.92% r rates increase is higher than the e earlier 7.42% indication, it remainns below the 10.13% forecast in the longterm plan, and does not triggger a requirement for communiity consultation, said the counccil in a statement.
Essentialwinter firetipsas weather cools down
As of Monday, June 9, we have responded to 153 calls for the calendar year to date, with seven in the last fortnight
These have been to two medical assists, two false alarms, one smoke investigation and two fallen trees blocking Rangiuru Rd late on June 5, just before midnight during the heavy rain and winds that hit Te Puke that night
The weather has definitely turned cooler in recent weeks, so it’s a good time for some winter fire safety tips:
• A metre from the heater: always keep furniture, clothing and other flammables a metre from the heater
• Cool your ash before you stash: ash can reignite for up to five days Ash needs to be properly cooled before being put in the rubbish Once it is cleared out of the fireplace, stash your ash in a metal bucket, saturated with water, for five days
• A clean dryer avoids fire: lint build-up in a dryer can cause excessive heat and a fire Clean the lint filter out every time
• Check the heat before you sleep: check your electric blanket for hot spots before first use
• Chimney all right before first light? Get your chimney cleaned before the first fire of the season Sort your home fire safety by visiting: www fireandemergency nz/home-fire-safety/ sort-your-home-firesafety
Western Bay of Plenty District Council Mayor James Denyer. Photo / Alex Cairns
Dale Lindsay, Te Puke Chief Fire Officer
S Sc oo ’ s inn ng per ormance at S o ques
Imagine it – no TV, no tablets, no tech
Te Puke Primary School students took to the Baycourt stage in Tauranga last week and, with their imagining of what would happen in this scenario, won the junior section of Showquest
Showquest is a nationwide performing arts programme and a platform for youth voices to be heard, with events in 11 towns and cities
Teachers Millie Rowe and Nicole Mills oversaw the preparation and performance
With performances time limited to eight minutes, Rowe said Showquest offered a great opportunity to perform in a big space which, because performances were limited to eight minutes, was manageable
“The more performance opportunities our kids are able to be exposed to, the better.
“We have so many kids that have never been on a big stage before, they’ve never performed under lights, they’ve never performed with a big sound systems, projection all that kind of stuff, so just providing those opportunities and taking as many of those opportunities as possible is really important ”
Keen students
The students taking part were from Years 4 to 8, with 52 on stage in dance roles, six playing ukuleles, two backstage leaders and two light team leaders Rowe said the backstage roles were just as important as the performing roles in
offering opportunities and experiences
“We had so many kids wanting to be part of it, the reality of what we were able to do meant that not all of them could, but that [non-performing roles] gave us an opportunity to pull in as many as we could in different capacities ”
Rowe and Mills came up with the basic idea for the performance
“The kids helped develop the idea more and gave suggestions here and there Then we also had student captains who wrote the blurb that was read as part of the performance:
“Imagine it – Just imagine it! One night, all the lights go out –no TVs, no tablets, no tech at all! At first, everyone is like: ‘What do we do now?’ But then something amazing happens imagination!”
“They make up wild games, tell silly stories, and turn boxes into – well you’ll need to watch to find out This fun performance shows how cool it can be to unplug and let your brain play, something we love doing at our kura Watch the magic happen when the power goes out and creativity lights up!”
Showquest experience
The event involved a whole day at the theatre, with two dress rehearsals for each group during the day and the evening performance which also included the TOI wearable art showcase
The school built on its first experience of Showquest last year when it finished second
“In the first year you learn a lot about different elements you can incorporate to make it better for the next year
that’s why we tried to up our game a bit with live music this year
We also had more kids this year than last year “To come first was phenomenal ”
Awards
Te Puke Primary School also won awards for excellence in music, drama and dance recognition for its art and the best story
Student Lexi Gordon won the Whetū Rangatahi (Star of the Show) award. Showquest producer Kelsey Moller described the school’s performance: “It was such a fun and positive performance with a strong message, and great group of students”.
“Loved the concept and the characters and storytelling in this piece just make me smile I watched you guys have fun and it made me have fun,” said judge Kelsey Andrew Showquest’s goal is to create multiple opportunities for students to be involved in a creative endeavour - whether as performers, choreographers, backstage crew, designers, musicians or dancers
This creates positive experiences for students, developing confidence, leadership skills and a passion for the arts Showquest and TOI are presented by RQP, producers of Smokefreerockquest, Smokefree Tangata Beats, Rockshop Bandquest, OnScreen and Stills
Stuart Whitaker
Te Puke Primary School students on stage at Showquest.
Photos / Chontalle Musson
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