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Pongakawa School’s annual quiz night has officially cemented its place as a highlight on the community calendar
Held on June 7, the ‘Once Upon a Legend’ themed extravaganza brought Greek gods, Barbie dolls, 1990s icons, musical greats and fairy-tale favourites all under one roof for a night of epic fun and fundraising
Costumes were nothing short of spectacular – think Zeus fist-bumping a Spice Girl, or Snow White sharing snacks with Ken and Hercules
The creativity and commitment from our guests were next level, with entire tables transforming into Disney casts and 1990s glam squads, said the organisers.
The night’s energy was electric, from the buzzing quiz competition to the aweinspiring decorations – including magical mushrooms and enchanted forest scenes that transformed the venue into a storybook wonderland But it didn’t stop there
Guests were treated to a fairy-tale-inspired three-course feast that had everyone talking
The evening began with a Snow Whitethemed picnic basket packed with cheeses, fruits and crackers, followed by Cinderella’s pumpkin soup with golden garlic croutons
The main event was a rich Wild Bambi Bourguignon, topped off with a dreamy dessert spread
The kitchen team worked tirelessly to bring the magical menu to life and their efforts were truly appreciated
“The much-anticipated auction action returned with even more excitement this year For the first time ever, our silent auction went digital, using the GalaBid platform – allowing guests to bid from
“They're tackling marriage one
home or mid-quiz on their phones,” organisers said
“The live auction brought all the usual laughs, big bids and generous hearts we ’ ve come to expect from this amazing Pongakawa family
“While final figures are not yet in, we ’ re thrilled to announce about $60,000 in profit was raised – exceeding last year ’ s total by about $10K ”
The funds will go toward much-needed school maintenance and the creation of more shaded and allweather outdoor areas, offering better protection for tamariki throughout the school day
Helping children express themselves is just one of the goals of a series of books by local author Kiri-Michelle Mohi.
The series, christened Real Raw Resources, deals with a range of issues that children may be facing in a way that can help them make sense of the world around them
Mohi’s first book ‘My Colour is Enough’ was published late-2022 and is about identity
She has since produced six more books through her Fruits of Te Arawa publishing company and next month will launch books 8 and 9 in the series
Book 8 is called ‘My Not So Special Touches’ and is a child’s guide and voice around physical and mental touch and what is appropriate or not appropriate and book 9 is ‘My Parents Chase Waterfalls’, dealing with addiction in the whānau Mohi said the books addressed issues from childhood adversity, grief and loss, and diversity, to some pretty tough topics – which was what led to the ‘Real, Raw, Resources’ title
They were designed to be used by teachers or support carers to work alongside a child, read it with the child and encourage
the child to ask questions She liked to emphasise that not all of the books were bedtime reading or your average children’s books and said they were resources created to provoke conversation and awareness and shine a light on some real-life issues tamariki/children were dealing with
“Children’s voices speak from within each book, where the adults working alongside the child can provoke conversation from the book content
“Children often don’t have the language, vocabulary or spoken words to articulate what they want to say or how they feel, that’s where these books come in handy, they give the voiceless a voice ”
Coloured for a reason
Each book was coloured for a reason as the titles were not the easiest for children to remember
“Often, they will ask an adult for the ‘blue book’ or the ‘red book’ ”
The books have been well-received and have led to many opportunities for Mohi
During the past year, she was one of eight Māori and Pasifika writers and creatives to be part of a week of workshops and school visits in Wellington
The event was created by Read NZ, Te Pou Muramura and gave Kiri the opportunity to rub shoulders with Huia Publishing staff and different social influencers
Te Puke Volunteer Fire Brigade has had 172 calls for the calendar year to June 23.
And it’s been another busy fortnight, with 19 calls Just at it seemed things had slowed a little we had the heavy late-evening rain of June 10, resulting in two calls simultaneously at 10.15pm to houses flooding, followed by another two at 11.20pm and a generic request to investigate the town for other flooding incidents.
We had two motor vehicle crashes (neither fatal), one medical assist, six false alarms, a call to a controlled vegetation burn, one rubbish fire (both these were
She spoke at Foxton, Otaki and Levin schools about her journey to becoming an author, helping to fuel a passion in children for reading and writing Her books were now in these schools and in libraries in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty
Mohi was also running a workshop at Paengaroa School in the second week of the July school holidays alongside other writers and illustrators, called Pen Warriors She continued to work in social services while writing as well as visiting and reading to schools when invited, and visited 19 schools in 2024 Her books were available
investigation only) and a smell of gas inside a laundromat with no action required.
We had one cover move to Tauranga station and a call to assist Maketū Volunteer Fire Brigade at a house fire on State Highway 2 near Paengaroa.
This turned out to be minor damage but had the potential to be catastrophic
The house had many occupants and the electrical wiring became overloaded, causing smoke and a strong smell of burning The occupants managed to put it out with an extinguisher before the brigade arrived, but a scan with the thermal-imaging camera showed heat inside the wall lining.
at Paper Plus, Te Puke or directly through a message via Facebook or Instagram to Fruits of Te Arawa Publishing or Kiri-Michelle Mohi
Mohi also allowed a “ pay the books off” system as she believes the books should be accessible to all and the books are published on a not-for-profit basis
Books 8 and 9 will be launched at an event at The Daily Café on July 4, starting at 10 30am, where there will be book readings, spot prizes and treats for children
She said there was no obligation to buy Mohi was hoping to complete the series with book 10 by the end of the year
Removal of Gib board revealed significant burning of electrical wiring. The house had no smoke alarms and with the high number of residents in the home, the consequences could have been tragic.
This is yet another cautionary tale with the message: avoid overloading electrical systems and have working smoke alarms.
Sort your home fire safety by visiting: fireandemergency.nz/home-firesafety/sort-your-home-fire-safety/
Michael Jones may be widely recognised as Te Puke’s beloved town crier, but he laughs off the suggestion that he’s a local icon
“I’m just a Te Puke boy who over the years has been involved in a lot around town, ” he said.
“Many people know me as the town crier, but I’ve also held key roles in the kiwifruit industry and town promotions and been part of Te Puke Repertory for over 65 years. ”
Born in Te Puke in 19 Jones grew up surround by theatre. His parents founding members of t Te Puke Repertory Soci in 1952 “Apparently I there when it all started began in our home,” h with a grin
During the decades, Jo who is now the society’s patron, has taken on eve imaginable – from roma leads to a lifeless corpse year, he’s stepping back the director’s chair for h major production, ‘Call a comedy by New Zeala playwright James Carric
“I’m delighted Te Puke
Repertory chose this hilarious comedy for our July production at Litt Park Theatre,” said Jones “It’s a brilliant, uplifting story set in a small retirement home that’s under threat from a developer and a burgeoning bureaucracy But the women who live there use their wit and cunning to fight back ”
948, ded were the iety was d – it e said ones, s ery role antic This into his 11th l Girls’, and ck ke
co th be sha en t selling Jones began w Te Puk “dragge his pare “Ini ia
The play features a olourful cast of characters, including Leonard, a pompous councillor, and Glen, an inept reporter “It’s fast-paced, packed with sharp one-liners, some adult humour, with a bunch of fascinating characters hat the audience will won over by It’s aping up to be a very ntertaining night out ” He’s quick to credit his team “My assistant Pam Chapman and our brilliant support crew are creating a memorable production. Be in quick because tickets are g fast.”
s ’ own journey in theatre when he returned to ke at age 20 and was ed into” a production by ents ’ friends t ally to do sound effects
and then suddenly I was on stage!”
Since then, he’s directed 10 major productions, written original pieces for short play festivals, and created a local revue titled ‘The First and Final Te Puke Review’, which was a sellout hit despite what he calls “ a total shambles.”
“It was about Te Puke –that was the point,” he laughs. “It had all the local characters in it. People loved it.”
Beyond the stage, Jones served as a Western Bay of Plenty District councillor for the Te Puke Ward from 1998 until his retirement in 2010. “I’ve always been a strong supporter of Te Puke and was grateful for the support I received.”
Jones is also known for his three-decade run as Te Puke’s town crier, a role he began in the mid-1990s while serving as deputy of the Te Puke Promotion Society
“We needed someone to lead the
Christmas parade, and I thought ‘why not a town crier to tell people what’s going on – and how to behave’,” he said “So that’s how it started.”
He officially retired from the role last year due to health reasons, passing the bell to new Town Crier Glen Ward.
‘Call Girls’ features a cast of 15 and centres around four feisty women residents and their manager Sarah
“There are some very experienced actors in the mix, and it will be entertaining for everyone, ” Jones said
He’s also been in contact with the playwright, James Carrick, who originally performed in the show during a successful season at Auckland’s Pumphouse Theatre.
“James a very interesting and skilful playwright – originally from England but now based here in NZ.” ‘Call Girls’ runs from July 15-26 at Litt Park Theatre, Te Puke Tickets are available now and selling fast.
Stuart hitaker went along to e Kete Matariki 2025 – Te Puke’s community Matariki celebrations in Jubilee Park last week to soak up the atmosphere and capture the action e early part of the day featured kapa haka performances from school groups from Te Puke primary, interm di t nd
high schools, aketū School and Fairhaven School
Later in the day iwi-based kapa haka groups from Tūhourangi ki Ōtukawa, aitaha and gā Uri O Te Takapu O Tapuika will take to the stage s well as the stage entertainment there was also be food stalls with a Māori fl
Walk through the doors of the newly-refurbished Poutiri Wellness Clinic in Te Puke, and you are going to hear “ yes ” way more than you are going to hear “no”.
Staff moved out of the building that has frontages on Jellicoe St and Commerce Lane a touch more than 12 months ago to let the refurbishment begin.
Last week, the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua healthcare and community came together to karakia (pray) and bless the new clinic.
The clinic was operational the following day and provides a “ one stop shop” of health, social service, disabilities and
education services to make wellness an easy and affordable process for the community, said Poutiri Trust tumu whakarae (chief executive) Kirsty MaxwellCrawford.
“Our whānau have always been very clear – they want a healthcare provider that says ‘ yes ’ more than ‘ no ’ , so that’s why we operate in response to what our community needs and provide a comprehensive range of health and hauora services in ways that suit them,” said MaxwellCrawford
“Having counsellors, addiction practitioners, rongoā (traditional Māori healing) practitioners, social workers and everyone else alongside our medical centre means the vision is that we can s say yes more than no and when patients or whānau walk throough the door, we can respond to their health priorities ”
The exodus of 2024 resulted in services beinng delivered in different locations around the towwn and, while some services will continue to be offered away from the wellness clinic, Max a well-Crawford said the refurbished building will be the trust ’ s main hub
e healthcare clinic better utilises the space in the building and marks the trust ’ s commitment to providing ongoing care in the community
The clinic offers primary
healthcare, chronic care management, and preventative services
Patients can stop by when it suits, measure their height and weight; get body mass index and blood pressure readings; and access their health records, test results and prescriptions through a secure, online portal
With the refurbishment comes the extension of some services into the evening and Saturday mornings from July
In addition to primary care, the clinic’s broader wraparound services include mental health and addictions services, cancer care, palliative care, rongoā (traditional Māori healing), disability support, pregnancy and maternal health, fitness classes, whānau ora navigation towards wellbeing goals, financial mentoring, workforce development, maara kai (food garden) to build food security, rangatahi services, and education
support. “We want to normalise the fact that if you are coming to the doctors and you want to do something to change your health and wellbeing, we ’ ve got a range of different options to see what’s going to suit you.
“That’s all part of our mission – to equip patients and whānau on their health journey and to provide as much information as we can so they can make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.”
Covid response
The trust expanded and opened the Poutiri Wellness Centre in 2021 in response to the Covid19 pandemic.
The pandemic has influenced the design of the building with an inbuilt capability to allow staff to work in bubbles should there be a new pandemic.
Also integrated into the building design is a consultation room that can be accessed directly from the carpark.
Local GP, Dr Joe Bourne,
who also works as the chief medical officer at the Ministry of Health, has been working with the community for more than 20 years He said working in a frontline health team it is great to have so many of services in one place promotes relationshipbuilding.
“Relationships are really important, so that proximity to other services means we have a high degree of integration and for the future of health care, that’s really how we have to be developing it.”
He said the population is aging and with that comes an increased likelihood of people having multiple conditions.
“The team-based approach, the connection with not only other health care providers but being able to co-ordinate with other parts of the system such as ACC, MSD and housing for example –those things are in line with the vision for where primary health care goes in the future.”
Stuart Whitaker
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