More than 200 students from the Te Puke area are set to compete in the 2025 Zespri AIMS Games, Australasia’s largest junior sporting event. Te Puke Intermediate leads with 159 students across 24 sports, including standout teams in boys’ sevens and squash
Sports coordinator Cam Black emphasised personal growth, teamwork, and life skills over winning. Students with disabilities are also proudly represented. Local schools like Ōtamarākau and Te Ranga are embracing the event, with Te Ranga shifting focus
from hockey to netball and orienteering. The proximity of Te Puke to the event offers logistical advantages, especially in poor weather Strong community support through sponsorship and transport helps ensure participation. Smaller schools benefit from
exposure to large-scale competition, inspiring students and promoting school pride. The AIMS Games continue to be a platform for inclusivity, resilience, and development, with events running until September 5. Read more on page 4.
Photo / Stuart Whitaker
Te Puke NEWS
Te Puke rallies for Daffodil Day support
Friday, August 29, is Daffodil Day, but Te Puke has been gearing up for the Cancer Society fundraising event for a while.
There have been donations from businesses, collection boxes on counters and clients from Arohanui Art and Education Trust have been selling daffodils and raffle tickets.
The centre on Commerce Lane offered community participation and meaningful day activities for people aged 18 years and over with a disability
Centre manager Lauda Inamata said part of the programme was for clients to help in the community
“We love the community-based interaction and it’s for a great cause and they love that.
“We’re so lucky to be part of such an amazing and supportive community”
Six clients and two staff members visited businesses selling raffle tickets.
“Some of them [are] able to communicate verbally supported by staff and are capable of promoting the Cancer Society and selling the daffodils and raffles ”
Te Puke Daffodil Day co-ordinator
Maria Moore said there would be four spots for people to contribute to the appeal today
Kiwicoast Lions will be selling fresh daffodils outside Sunny’s, volunteers have a stall at New World and there would also be a stall at Ocean Fresh Fish Market today and tomorrow
Te Puke High School students would be at the stall at Woolworths today.
“They are great students doing great things for their community,” she said
Local businesses have contributed prizes for a raffle and Moore was selling 12kg bags of kibble for dogs, donated by Addiction Pet Foods at half price.
Visit the Te Puke Area Cancer Society Daffodil Day Facebook page for more details
Fundraising
Daffodil Day is today, but anyone can get involved any time in August and can donate via the Cancer Society website.
One in three Kiwis will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.
The generosity of New Zealanders on Daffodil Day helps cancer patients and their families get the care and practical support they need; from crucial help getting to treatment via a free driving service, through to specialist nursing and psychology support, and accommodation for those needing life-saving treatment far from home
Daffodil Day is also about donating to protect future generations of New Zealanders by helping to fund worldleading cancer research and vital prevention programmes.
Stuart Whitaker
The Arohanui Art and Education Trust – Te Puke team out in the community fundraising with smiles and daffodils Photo / Supplied
Community-driven changes in Te Puke election
There have been changes to the area covered by Te Puke Community Board since the last Local Body Elections
The Local Government Commission determined that the board’s coverage would extend to the whole of the Maketū-Te Puke general ward, excluding the area covered by Maketū Community Board. The area covered by the board has been divided into two
Four people are contesting the three seats available in the Te Puke subdivision –current chairwoman Kassie Ellis, current community board members Dale Snell and Karen Summerhays, and Marara Williams Te Puke News’ Stuart Whitaker asked each of them to tell us something about themselves
Kassie Ellis
Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you are standing in the forthcoming Local Body Election. As chairperson, I have been privileged to serve Te Puke with honesty, transparency and a determination to get things done When challenges arise, I don’t sit back, I listen, I act, and I find practical solutions My time with Western Bay of Plenty District Council is not yet complete; there is still important mahi to do for our community While my perspectives have grown, my values and morals remain steadfast I am standing for re-election to keep building a thriving, inclusive, productive and future-focused Te Puke Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini
My strength is not that of an individual, but that of the collective
What issue facing Te Puke do you feel you are best equipped to address and how do you intend to influence it?
I believe in our people and the strength of our community Te Puke is facing real challenges, housing pressures, limited social services, missing community facilities and threats to our environment I am best placed to tackle these because I don’t just talk; I act. By backing community-led initiatives, ensuring fair procurement and working closely with council, iwi and locals, I deliver practical solutions that truly matter My approach is simple: listen, act, get results. I will strengthen social support, improve essential facilities, protect waterways and keep building a resilient, thriving Te Puke for everyone.
Dale Snell
Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you are standing in the forthcoming Local Body Election. Every day for many years, I’ve dedicated my time to the spaces, places, wellbeing and community vibe that is Te Puke Te Puke significantly contributes to our economy But it is the people who bring the heart and pulse to our incredible town Te Puke well and truly deserves a reflective slice of the economic pie Investments and levels of service from the council need to be carefully considered to ensure progressive infrastructure in line with natural growth, with cultural and historic recognition in mind, and by maintaining high values for localism It’s what I’m most passionate about What issue facing Te Puke do you feel you are best equipped to address and how do you intend to influence it?
Community boards don’t have power to solve social issues We do have power to listen, collaborate, advocate and bring collective voices to the table I hear you when I’m advocating for youth, working events; I hear you as I sit on a trust or committee; I hear you on the streets, on social media and when I’m volunteering Te Puke is yelling Our rates are too high, and our level of services are too low What I promise if re-elected, is to continue to fiercely lobby towards a safer, stronger, connected town with localism and community voice at the forefront
Karen Summerhays
Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you are standing in the forthcoming Local Body Election. I have lived in Te Puke for 10 years and am a strong advocate for the town, the people and the environment. I am experienced in all facets of local government and am presently employed as a senior community development adviser I am innovative, pragmatic and articulate I enjoy supporting communities to achieve their aspirations and have wide-ranging understanding of the challenges the not-for-profit sector is facing I have enjoyed working with the current community board members and would welcome the opportunity to continue to make a difference for the residents and whenua of our town
What issue facing Te Puke do you feel you are best equipped to address and how do you intend to influence it?
The challenges of growth and increased industry in Te Puke require careful management to protect our people, our environment, our trees and our heritage from inappropriate development I will champion the Te Puke/Eastern area to local and central government, especially in matters of housing, transport, community development and appropriate social infrastructure
Te Puke is a unique destination with a leafy and village feel so I will focus on bringing our communities together to build on that and create a clear vison for the town
Marara Williams
Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you are standing in the forthcoming Local Body Election Kia ora, I’m Marara Williams, born and raised in Pukehina and Te Puke I care deeply about our people and our place. With a background in social policy and community work, I bring practical experience and a strong sense of responsibility. I am someone who rolls up my sleeves and gets stuck in, whether it’s picking up rubbish or listening to whanau I am standing because I want Te Puke to thrive, starting with the basics
A clean, cared-for town builds pride, wellbeing and connection Together, we can make Te Puke a place we are proud to call home
What issue facing Te Puke do you feel you are best equipped to address and how do you intend to influence it?
Rubbish is a growing issue in Te Puke, especially during kiwifruit season when waste builds up and systems fall short I am best equipped to tackle this because I already act. I pick up litter, encourage others and spark conversations about shared responsibility My approach is simple: lead by example, educate through action, and advocate for better systems I will work with council, local groups and whanau to improve waste management, raise awareness and build community pride A cleaner Te Puke isn’t just about tidiness, it is about health, mana, and creating a welcoming environment for everyone
Te Puke-Eastern Community Board will have three elected community board members from the Te Puke Subdivision, two elected community board members from the Eastern Subdivision, where Sally Benning and Manvir Singh Mann have already been elected unopposed and two appointed councillors from the Maketū-Te Puke General Ward.
VIVA’S WINE AWARDS 2025
Kassie Ellis.
Dale Snell.
Karen Summerhays
Marara Williams
Te Puke students gear up for 2025 AIMS Games
The 2025 Zespri Aims Games start tomorrow with more than 200 students from the wider Te Puke area taking part in Australasia’s largest junior sporting event
Te Puke Intermediate School would be represented by 159 students competing in 24 codes
Traditionally leading the charge for glory has been the school’s boys’ sevens team, which consistently performs well and won the gold medal in 2016, 2018, 2022 and 2023 and took out the third and fourth place play-off last year
Last year the school was named the best in the squash competition and won bronze and silver medals in squash and canoeing.
The school now has sports academies for rugby, netball, hockey and football.
But sports co-ordinator Cam Black said there’s so much more to AIMS Games than winning
“There’s no doubt about it, we want all our teams to compete and do well, but it’s a game-by-game basis – you take every game, and you treat it seriously and try and do your best.
He said coaches were likely to have set their own goals with their teams
“But as a school we just want our students to go along, do their best, be the best version of themselves, represent themselves, their whanau and the school If they do that, everyone ’ s going to have fun and it’s going to be great ”
He said the event also offered opportunities to learn valuable life skills: “Turning up on time, being punctual, being in the right place – those life-organisation skills”.
Resilience
“Sport is a key avenue where win or lose you can only do your best, give it your best shot and still be proud –even if you do lose, you can walk away going ‘ we gave it everything’ and that’s all you can really ask for”
Following in the footsteps of Charlie Ward who last year was the school’s first Athletes with Disabilities representative in the indoor bowls and cross-country, students Dhalia and Mahy (indoor bowls) and Mercedes (cross-country) will represent Te Puke Intermediate in 2025
“They have been working hard and training in the gym and we are really looking forward to them representing TPI and giving it their best shot like everyone else ”
Being, relatively speaking, a stone ’ s throw from the event gives Te Puke Intermediate School students an immediate advantage over some schools.
“They are at home every night, sleeping in their own beds.”
The advantage becomes greater if the weather turns.
“It’s a challenging week for us, for travelling teams it’s really, really hard if the weather doesn’t play its part ”
Black said there was a lot of support from the local business community in terms of sponsorship and from the wider school community when it comes to making sure students get to their events
“While the school puts together vans for the bigger teams, the community and whānau just pool and carpool and do everything for the smaller teams It’s a massive team effort – it’s certainly not just the school doing it, it’s a community effort and I’d like to acknowledge them for that.”
Western Bay of Plenty District Council is encouraging people to get to know their local Community Emergency Hub – before they need it
Recent heavy rain and tsunami threats are a reminder of how quickly things can change and how important it is to be prepared, said Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s community resilience adviser Kurt Waugh.
“Natural events like this can happen with little warning, so knowing your local hub is really important.”
Community Emergency Hubs were in place across the district to help locals connect and support each other when the unexpected happens, said Waugh.
“These are led by the community, not emergency services. In a major emergency, it’s the people around
Larger scale
AIMS Games also gave the opportunity for students from smaller rural schools to experience being part of a large sporting event.
Ōtamarākau School has students competing at indoor bowls and table tennis.
“We always share with our students the opportunity to participate in AIMS and look to see who’s interested, because obviously sport isn’t for all students, for some it’s the arts, ” said principal Aneta Smith.
“Being a small school, we don’t have the numbers to select from to put teams together for the likes of sevens or basketball, so we have to look at the other sports that are being offered.”
Teacher Sean Crotty has been helping the students prepare for the table tennis competition and Tauranga Indoor Bowls secretary Bronwyn Clarke has been assisting the indoor bowlers prepare.
“We’ve been fortunate to have her guidance ”
The school was also looking to the future
“As part of our programmes of learning we ’ ve been working with our Year 4-5 students and they’ve been attending surfing lessons... so that would lead into AIMS once they reach that Year 7-8 group ”
Smith said Aims Games offered an amazing opportunity to students.
“To be part of it is huge. We know from previous years, students always come back motivated and inspired – so that’s the main purpose behind giving students that opportunity, and to see how big sport is out there.”
Sports codes
Traditionally, Te Ranga School has sent a mixed hockey team to the games – but this year things are a little different with the school having a mixed netball team.
“Historically we ’ ve not really had a netball team in our school – historically we are a hockey school. But the hockey cohort basically left last year and now we ’ re onto a new cohort and for this year and the next few years netball is the main sport for a lot of the girls coming through,” said Year 7-8 teacher and sports coordinator Patrick Barret.
The signs were that it could continue
“We’ve got a lot of boys in Year 3-4 and Year 5-6 playing
you who make the biggest difference. “It’s all about locals helping locals – and the more people who know where these hubs are and how they work, the stronger and more resilient our communities will be.”
During the coming weeks, Waugh will be hosting emergency drop-in sessions at Western BOP libraries, where people can find out more about the Hubs and what they can do to stay safe in an emergency
From Pukehina to Waihī Beach, there were 15 Community Emergency Hubs in the Western BOP, run by more than 100 volunteers.
The council provided training to volunteers, and each hub has a guide document which explained the different roles needed and how to organise an emergency response
Located at schools and community facilities, hubs may be opened up by key holders living in the area, when there has been a large-scale emergency
netball and we can see them hopefully sticking with it ” Students would also be competing in squash, crosscountry and orienteering.
Orienteer and ultra-runner Dennis de Monchy visited the school last year and sparked interest in orienteering
“Three or four of them said ‘this is really cool’ and now we have one student who had tried other sports but decided this was her niche.
“It involves problem solving and you ’ ve got to be physically fit at the same time for a sport like that – it’s really cool to have that at AIMS.”
Barret said the goal was always to get as many students as possible involved in AIMS Games.
“We’ve had a big uptake this year in table tennis We’ve always had table tennis in the school, and this year had a mixture of students who are keen, and they want to do a bit more with it.
“I put it to them, and they said were keen and want to get involved and for those guys it’s a way to represent the school ”
“I love to get the school’s name out there in any sort ultimately our goal is to promote our school and showcase that even though we are a small rural school we can actually compete against larger schools.”
Students from Pongakawa and Rangiuru Schools were also taking part in the 2025 AIMS Games, which run until September 5.
“In a major disaster, like a big earthquake or flood, roads and other infrastructure can be damaged, cutting off communities. Emergency services will be focused on the most urgent needs and may not be able to reach everyone right away, ” said Waugh.
“Community Emergency Hubs are places where locals can gather and help each other out, in a coordinated way We’re grateful to all the amazing people in our community who already volunteer their time, and we ’ re always looking for others ready to step up and help when an emergency happens.”
Locally, the hubs are gaining more visibility, with new signs starting to appear throughout the district.
The hubs in the Te Puke district are at Te Puke Memorial Hall, Eastern Districts Rugby Club, Paengaroa, Maketū Gentlemans Club, Pongakawa Hall and Ōtamarākau School.
Stuart Whitaker
Stuart Whitaker
Te Puke Intermediate School students (left to right) Tessa, Sammy, Alex, Georgia, Z Zac, L Liam, Nikau and Trey y are ready for the 2025 Zespri Aims Games. Photo / StuartWhitaker
Te Puke Intermediate School’s boys’ r rugby sevens side warmed up for AIMS Games with a win in the Super 11 sevens competition. The girls’ team finished second in the girls’ tournament. Photo / Supplied
The Hub Te Puke boosts access to fresh produce with Foodtogether
The Hub Te Puke has become the first collection point in the Western Bay of Plenty for a national initiative aimed at making fresh fruit and vegetables more accessible
Foodtogether is a social enterprise that has brought together community groups and organisations to make it easy and convenient to access wholesale fresh fruit and vegetables.
It works by buying on the open market, with a philosophy of “best bang for your buck” while also securing the freshest produce available.
The Hub will be the drop-off point for the bulk produce, the place where it is packed into individual boxes, and the collection point.
While the idea is to make fresh produce as affordable as possible, there are also other spin-off benefits of community connection and encouraging more fresh produce consumption with the associated health benefits
Three different-sized boxes are available, costing $20, $30 or $40 each. Orders are made online at the Foodtogether website, and the first Te Puke collections took place last week.
The Hub Te Puke general manager Scott Nicolson said the initiative helped families
that might otherwise struggle to afford fresh produce but differs from The Hubs other crisis or relief food provision services.
“[We started looking] probably post-Covid, in terms of finding a way to provide affordable and nutritious food into the community”
He says he had been looking at different models and different ways of achieving that goal.
“Then when I came across Foodtogether, it was a no-brainer They’ve got the platform; they’ve got the distribution and sources. It’s outside that food relief space, but it is providing a more affordable option for people to actually connect with fresh produce ”
Relationships
The Hub’s relationship with the Western Bay of Plenty Kai Resilience Group led to the breakthrough.
Outgoing group co-ordinator
Amy Board said one of the benefits of Foodtogether was a consistent supply of food
“A lot of food boxes fold or local food co-ops fold because they can ’ t source the food consistently or through winter, whereas, because Foodtogether is a national programme, they can guarantee top quality food all year round.”
She said she was aware that the Hub was looking at ways
of making it easier for the local community to access fresh produce when she met someone from a community centre where the initiative was working.
“They spoke really highly about how much it has been helping the community and how well it’s been going. I looked more into it and thought this is going to be the best option.”
There were widespread benefits of the initiative open to everyone “I think we see a whole group of people who are struggling to buy food at the supermarket, but then they don’t qualify to access the foodbank or don’t want to access the foodbank There’s a whole portion of our community who fit into that category – this is for them but this is also for everyone ”
Once weekly orders pass 100, there are benefits to The Hub in terms of extra boxes that can be distributed into the community.
“The more people who buy, the better the programme ’ s going to be ”
Broad said the hope was that the service would spread across the Western Bay from the Te Puke initiative.
Kai resilience
Incoming kai resilience co-ordinator Emma van der Molan said there was a lot of potential in the initiative and having the backing of
Foodtogether meant there was less risk for local groups who might want to get involved.
Easy way
She said people from a street or a neighbourhood could potentially organise themselves so one person collects several boxes for neighbours.
“In terms of the broader kai resilience network, it just seems like an easy way to get more fresh fruit and vegetables to more people and enabling people that do have the means to support those who don’t, once it
gets to that [100 box] threshold ”
She said the message would be spread through social media and future Kai Resilience Network meetings and she encouraged people to get involved.
Nicolson said more volunteers were always welcome to help packing the boxes on a Friday morning. “It would be nice to have a team of volunteers to make the packing faster or to allow people to go on a roster ”
Box collection is from lunchtime each Friday from The Hub Te Puke on Jocelyn St.
Stuart Whitaker
The Hub Te Puke manager Scott Nicholson with outgoing and incoming Western Bay of Plenty Kai Resilience co-ordinators Amy Board, left, and Emma van der Molan. Photo / Stuart Whitaker
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