The Weekend Sun - 31 July 2026

31 July 2026, Issue 1321

Third time WOW Tauranga costume designer Georgia Chalmers-Jones, pictured left, is returning to the World of WearableArt (WOW) stage for the third time after being named a 2026 competition finalist.

The film and television costumer, who won the New Zealand Design Award on her WOW debut in 2023, is one of

three Tauranga creatives selected for this year’s global showcase in Wellington from September 17-October 4.

Her latest design, inspired by the bold optical illusions of 1960s Op Art, pushed her to master new techniques and think differently.

The Weekend Sun can’t show Chalmers-

Jones’ 2026 entry before the competition so pictured is her winning 2023 ensemble on friend and model Chloe Henry, while make-up is applied.

Chalmers-Jones said in her day job she’s usually given designs and briefs by a designer that she must meet. “With WOW, my only restrictions are stage parameters and gravity.

“Other than that, they really let you make anything your heart and hands can come up with.”

Read how the Bay of Plenty designer has turned creative freedom into another finalist garment – and why she said there’s “literally no show like WOW in the world”.

Read more on pages 14-15. Photo / Supplied

Friday 31 July 2026

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Choosing the baby’s name...

“What’s in a name?” If I’d asked that question, I would have been blessed with literary immortality. But, alas, woe is me, it wasn’t.

The phrase, from Romeo and Juliet, suggests a name doesn’t alter someone’s, or something’s, real value. Their essence is unchanged regardless of what they’re called.

Like the two new Cook Strait ferries.

Regardless of whether they’re called Trevor, Barry, or Peter, they will remain just Cook Strait ferries – $596 million worth of 200 metre long, wallowing, lumbering, seagoing extensions to State Highway 1. Ferries by any other name.

But the names emblazoned on the prows of each vessel when commissioned in 2029 will be ‘Kupe’, for the first Polynesian navigator to discover NZ. And ‘Cook’, British explorer and cartographer.

“Proper names. Historic names. New Zealand names,” said Rail Minister Winston Peters. Who chose them? “History did.”

Very Blokey!

“Well, history must have been a bloke then, cos they’re very blokey names!,” said my friend Thalassa, which, interestingly enough, is Greek for sea. What a coincidence? “What about all the Kiwi women who’ve achieved in the water, on the water and out of the water? Why not a ferry named for some of them?”

Why not?

We were talking, un-noisily, about ferry

names, over a cheeky cab sav and Shropshire blue last weekend. We gargled approval of Kupe. What a guy? He didn’t have sextants, nor the full funding of the Admiralty and Royal Society, when he paddled his canoe for three days and nights, using just smarts and celestial navigation, from Hawaiki to Aotearoa. Most of us couldn’t point to the Southern Cross. Very deserving of a ferry naming.

But at risk of being labelled “snivelling wokists” we ho-hummed Cook. Where’s the fire, the spirit, imagination, the romanticism? Cook already has a mountain, a strait of ill-tempered water, and no less than nine Cook Streets around the country.

And now a ferry. “How much reverence can one man cope with?” chirped Thalassa.

The Good Ship Sandra

Ferries worldwide have wonderfully quixotic, exotic and passionate names Like ‘Liberty Belle’, ‘Caledonian Princess’, and ‘Color Magic’ – romantic names that scream “buy a ticket” even if you have no need to go wherever the ferry’s headed. Like ‘The Shelley Taylor-Smith’ – Perth’s Swan River ferry named for a world marathon swimming champion. So why doesn’t our own open sea marathon swimmer Sandra Blewett get a ferry named for her?

Captain Cook, in his snappy tricorne, probably enjoyed the eponymous strait from the comfort of the quarterdeck. But Sandra got a different perspective – while straining and spitting saltwater, she looked down at all the bluebottles, white pointers and

humpbacks that passed in the 130 metres of strait beneath her while taking 13 hours and 30 minutes to swim the waterway.

She had five cracks at the 22km swim before conquering its notorious tides and moods in 1984. Unlike our sad ferry fleet beset with delays, breakdowns, cancellations, Sandra, as she put it, “plugged on”. Then, sadly, in ‘24 she slipped on her bathing cap and OBE for the last time, loosened the shoulders and struck out for those eternal open waters. Persistence defined her. So ‘Persistence’ on the prow of a new Cookk Strait ferry would be an ideeal epitaph.

Jen, Helen, Whina

“How about Mrs Shipley!, Dame Jen?” offered another colleague over the lip of her fullbodied red. Was she making a joke, or a point, or both? “Or ‘Lisa’ for Lisa Carrington – eight Olympic gold medal paddler. She’s probably more famous globally than Cook.

And what about all our other wahine (women) who have steered this country on extraordinary voyages? The formidable pragmatist, Helen Clark, or revered Maori elder and land rights activist, Whina Cooper, who at 79, trudged 1100km to Parliament to tell Bill Rowling “not one more acre”. Celebrate her, name a ferry for her. Captain Cook wouldn’t mind. Or perhaps Kate Shepherd? The suffragist and social reformer. This raises a point. Most boats are personified as female with the

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pronoun ‘she’, and have, mostly, female names.

Think ‘Queen Mary’, ‘Mary Celeste’, the pilgrim’s ‘Mayflower’, and Drake’s ‘Golden Hind’, the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world. Named for a doe, not a stag. And the sloop called ‘Pumpkin’…Pumpkin sloop. Made that one up.

Apparently sailors are superstitious and soft to the core, and liked to dedicate ships to goddesses to guarantee safe travel. They also named ships after wives, mothers and daughters so when they got scurvy or were shipwrecked they had an emotional connection with home.

Other options are Aunt Daisy, Jean Batten, Janet Frame. The Dames – Sister Mary Leo and Valerie Adams – Barbara Kendall and my personal favourite Lorde. And Eunice Olive – after my Mum. She would like that Minister.

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Friday 31 July 2026

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New private surgical hospital to open 2028 A new $100 million private elective surgical hospital is to be built in Te Puna with plans to open the facility in two years’ time.

Minden Surgical Centre will be located on a 2ha property encircling the White House Restaurant site – which will remain operational.

Its four operating theatres and 38 inpatient beds would see up to 5000 patients every year from the Bay of Plenty, through to Katikati and the Coromandel Peninsula.

Construction on the privately funded 7000sq m hospital was expected to begin in September, with completion targeted for mid-2028.

The hospital would specialise in shortstay elective procedures across ENT (ears, nose, throat), general surgery, gynaecology, plastic, and soft-tissue orthopaedics.

About 200 jobs would be generated during construction and about 100 staff were expected to be employed at the hospital when operational.

A spokesman for Minden Surgical Centre, Paul Williams, said Te Puna was becoming a “major service centre” because of its proximity to Bethlehem.

Williams is a director for Minden Property Ltd and Paul Williams Consultants Ltd – the two companies developing the majority clinicianowned hospital. Dr Luk Chin and Dr Tim Sutton are the project’s founding clinicians.

Williams said the hospital was always intended to be on the property.

However, he said it could not go ahead

Te Puna’s new private elective surgical hospital Minden Surgical Centre is expected to begin construction in September, with completion targeted for mid-2 2028.

without the “critical” expressway due to emergencies and connectivity. The Takitimu North Link is a 6.8km fourlane expressway between Tauranga and Te Puna due to be completed by 2028.

Williams said the expressway would enable the hospital to capture the whole Bay of Plenty.

“About 70% of private elective surgery falls under the short-stay category” – which the hospital would exclusively offer.

Williams said this allowed the hospital to focus on a high-efficiency model and advanced technology, including digitally integrated operating theatres.

He said the total cost of the project was $100 million.

Government contracts had not been

issued for the hospital, but were a possibility. Williams said the Bay of Plenty was a “high-growth area” which had been severely underserviced by healthcare.

“There’s an enormous amount of patients who travel to Hamilton because there’s no capacity here.”

He said Hamilton had three private hospitals for a similar-sized population.

Williams said the hospital would complement Grace Hospital and Tauranga Hospital.

Waipuna Hospice’s David Bryant said the Western Bay of Plenty was one of the country’s “fastest-growing regions”.

The specialist palliative care provider’s chief executive said the region’s ageing

population had increased demand across the entire health system. “As a region, we need a health system that can respond to those changing needs by investing not only in acute hospital care, but also in the community services that help people remain well, independent and supported for as long as possible.”

Bryant said more specialist services available locally should reduce the number of people who need to travel outside the region.

He said Waipuna Hospice worked alongside general practitioners, district nurses, aged residential care providers, and hospitals. “Receiving care closer to home can make an enormous difference to patients and their families. Bijou Johnson

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Friday 31 July 2026

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Mauao base trackk repaiirs conttinue Tauranga acting Mayor Jen Scoular says repair work will continue on Mauao’s base track, after renewed movement at the site of a fatal slip.

It comes as findings of a review into the January 22 slip, which killed six people at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park, are due to be delivered soon.

Tauranga City Council recovery manager Charlie Rahiri said there were “regression movements” in the existing landslides on Mauao over the weekend.

This included a significant regression of the slip above the holiday park last Friday evening.

The council previously said about 8000 cubic metres of earth had newly shifted at that site. The January slip involved 12,000 cubic metres of earth.

The movements started before a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the North Island on Saturday morning, centred in the Manawatū-Whanganui region and felt in Tauranga.

Active and ongoing

A council media release on Tuesday said geotechnical specialists had identified fresh cracking and evidence of groundwater emerging from the slope, indicating the affected areas remained highly susceptible to further movement.

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The site of the Mauao landslide that killed six people in January is being treated as active after renewed movement. Photos / Tauranga City Council

“As a result, the landslide is considered active and ongoing.”

Adams Ave had been closed to traffic, and the Pilot Bay boat ramp was also closed.

The council said safety controls, including the Adams Ave closure, would remain “for the foreseeable future” as expert assessments continued.

Scoular told Local Democracy Reporting the council was comfortable that it was ensuring the safety of people by closing Adams Ave. “We have always said safety is paramount and that we are relying on professional expertise.”

After speaking with some of the community, she said many were saying Mauao was “telling you that he’s not healed yet and just leave it alone”.

She said the recent slips were not what they wanted to see but they remained positive about the recovery works continuing.

Boat ramp closed

She said planned work to clear the carpark of the slip-damaged Mount Hot Pools had been halted due to the recent movement.

Scoular said the boat ramp was closed

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after new slips

due to being in level three of the Trigger Alert Response Plan (Tarp) for the area - a risk management system introduced after the January slip.

Scoular said the lifeguard building reopening was still in the hands of the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service, as the building’s red placard had been removed.

“They’re also waiting for the QLRA (Quantitative Landslide Risk Assessment) to come back because they did a separate one for the area above them.”

Adams Ave

She said decisions were yet to be made regarding the council’s Adams Ave mitigation strategy, and the new slips would “need to be taken into account”.

Shipping containers were placed along Adams Ave after the January slip, and the council has discussed ballasting containers or constructing a temporary bund of earth to reduce disruptions to Adams Ave. Scoular said the findings of the external review commissioned by the council into the January slip would be released to the council within the next week.

The findings would be released to the public after “stakeholder engagement”.

Mount shops still open

Scoular said she had also spoken with Mount Mainstreet chairwoman Jo Veale, who told her the Mount Maunganui area still had a lot to offer other than the mountain, especially with sunny weather in store.

Rahiri said the recent reactivation of the main landslide reinforced the need for

Friday 31 July 2026

5 Tauranga City Council recovery manager Charlie Rahiri.

the cautious and safety-focused approach the council had taken to the recovery and remediation of Mauao. “At this stage, the other known landslide areas on Mauao appear to remain stable, and we are continuing to monitor them closely.”

The council recently completed repairs to the slip-damaged Motukauri 4WD summit track, which remains closed to the public.

Rahiri said the council was not aware yet of any damage to the track following the recent slips and ongoing assessments and monitoring would continue.

“While the reactivation is significant, it does not change the remediation efforts currently underway on Te Ara Tūtanga, the base track.

“Those works will continue as planned, with the safety of contractors, visitors and the wider community remaining our highest priority.”

Continuously monitored

He said Mauao was continuously monitored through a range of geotechnical monitoring systems alongside regular inspections.

He said the monitoring network performed as intended in the latest event, with alarms activating and enabling the council to respond quickly and implement appropriate safety measures.

“This event validates the precautionary approach that has guided our recovery programme.”

Rahiri said significant progress had been made in recent months in stabilising and restoring affected areas of the maunga.

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“We remain committed to balancing restoration efforts with public safety and the long-term care of this important cultural and community landmark.”

Geotechnical assessments of the reactivated slip continued and, until they were complete, Rahiri said it was too early to determine what it may mean for nearby assets including the Pilot Bay boat ramp, Mount Hot Pools, the holiday park and the lifeguard building.

The findings would help to inform any future stabilisation measures.

In the meantime, track remediation

works would continue while the council reassessed the conditions in light of the latest movement.

“We know Mauao holds deep significance for the community, and we appreciate the public’s patience and understanding as we continue our work to safely restore access while protecting both people and the maunga.”Ayla Yeoman – LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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Friday 31 July 2026

Three Omanu athletes in Black Fins team

The Weekend Sun

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Steamers inspired by 1976

Three athletes from Omanu Surf Life Saving Club have been named in the 2026 Black Fins team to compete in the Lifesaving World Championships in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, this December.

Molly Shivnan, Oska Smith and Pipi Te Pania were named in the 12-strong team this week.

Held biennially, the Lifesaving World Championships bring together hundreds of athletes from around the globe for five days of competition across pool, beach and ocean events.

Black Fins campaign lead Steve Kent said the team had earned their places through outstanding performances and were excited for the opportunity ahead.

“Representing NZ as a Black Fin is a huge honour and recognition of years of hard work. We’ve got an incredibly talented team with a great mix of experience and emerging talent, and we’re looking forward to seeing them take on the world’s best later this year.”

Unlike many domestic events that reward specialists, Kent said the World Championships required athletes who could perform across beach, ocean and pool events over an intense competition schedule.

He believes the core challenge is building a team that could perform across multiple events under pressure.

“Worlds is an intense four-day campaign and demands athletes who can adapt, combine strengths, and deliver when it matters most,” he said.

“The Black Fins have a strong mix of experience and fresh talent, and younger athletes pushing the more experienced athletes is exactly what lifts the whole squad.

“With racing not until December, it’s a long build-up.

“Even after the team is named in June, everyone knows things can shift, so we need to stay adaptable and prepared,” he said.

The months ahead would include key performance opportunities, logistical planning, and final preparations before selected athletes come together for a performance camp on the Gold Coast in October.

Bay of Plenty Steamers team members training. Photos / Supplied

The Bay of Plenty Steamers are drawing inspiration from the province’s greatest rugby triumph as they prepare to launch their 2026 NPC campaign.

This year marks 50 years since the Bay of Plenty side lifted the National Provincial Championship in 1976, and head coach Richard Watt said the milestone had become a driving force for this season’s squad.

“It’s been 50 years since we won it – that’s way too long,” Watt said.

The squad embraced the anniversary during their pre-season camp at Waihī Beach, where this season’s playing

jersey and a new heritage jersey were blessed. The team will wear the heritage strip twice this season, and surviving members of the 1976 championship-winning side will reunite at one of the home games.

“The Roman numeral for 50 is the letter L and we have the L on our jersey,” Watt said.

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union patron and former All Black Graeme Crossman, who captained Bay of Plenty during that golden era and was part of the 1976 All Blacks tour to South Africa, presented the jerseys to the current squad.

“It was a really cool moment,” Watt said. “Graeme came up to us at Waihī

Beach, presented the jerseys and helped us bless them. He told the boys about that era and what it meant to wear the jersey. He also told us that the ’76 All Blacks are going to have a reunion based around one of our games.”

The team have two home games in Rotorua on August 8 and 22, and three home games at Tauranga Domain on September 5 and 19, and October 4.

The Steamers have enjoyed just two weeks together in pre-season after several players were involved in Super Rugby and the Māori All Blacks’ tour of Japan, but Watt was pleased with how quickly the squad had gelled.

“We’ve got quite good cohesion from

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Friday 31 July 2026

7

champ pions as new NPC campaign begins season match within the Bay. “I wanted to play inside our region,” Watt said. “We needed one game pre-season; it was great to play in Katikati.”

The Steamers continued their build-up this week with the Chiefs Cup and Nathan

Strongman Memorial Trophy clash against Waikato kicking off their NPC campaign on Thursday, carrying both the legacy of 1976 and the ambition to create another chapter in Bay of Plenty rugby history.

Rosalie Liddle Crawford

The Bay of Plenty Steamers team.

the last couple of years, even though we’ve got quite a few new guys. It’s been a good two weeks, and we’ve come together well.”

Joining the coaching group this season is former Te Puke Sports coach Luther Hirini, who takes on the role of attack coach alongside John Haynes-Dodd.

“Luther’s a good young coach,” Watt said.

“The attack will grow throughout the year.

We’ve focused on the big rocks like defence first, but it’s been a really positive start.”

The Steamers squad combines experienced campaigners with emerging talent.

Captain Kurt Eklund is playing his final season for Bay of Plenty before heading to Japan. Halfback Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi is also playing his last season, while younger players including Reuben Palmer, Sione Tupou and Toby Taylor are beginning their NPC journeys.

“That’s the cool thing about rugby,” Watt said. “You’ve got the old heads and the young guys at the opposite end of their careers, so you get the old bull teaching the young bull all his tricks before he leaves the paddock.”

Bay of Plenty’s success in developing players had also created a unique challenge.

The province has four players selected in the current All Blacks squad – Fehi Fineanganofo, Leroy Carter, Emoni Narawa and Pasilio Tosi – although Watt said that having three international wingers leaves some gaps at NPC level.

“Someone asked me what the challenge was, and I said we’re developing too many All Blacks,” he laughed. “It’s awesome for them, but it’s no good for us.”

With the All Blacks away for most of the NPC season, the Steamers will rely on the next generation, including exciting outside backs and current New Zealand Sevens players Frank Vaenuku, Roderick Solo and Kele Lasaqa.

Watt is confident the depth within the squad will ensure Bay of Plenty remains competitive.

The Steamers opened their preparations with a pre-season fixture against Auckland, beating them 36-31, in Katikati – the first time in several years they have staged a pre-

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Friday 31 July 2026

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8

Packed with love for women’s refuge g A group of Mount Maunganui College students has spent the past month fundraising and assembling care bags to support women and teenagers seeking refuge from family violence.

The initiative was led by 15 Year 13 students in teacher Karen McFarlane’s senior social studies class as part of their social action studies, putting classroom learning into practice to support a local cause.

McFarlane said the project grew out of classroom discussions about ways students could make a positive impact in their own community.

“Social action is a big focus in our senior social studies course,” she said.

“We look at examples around the world as well as here in Aotearoa. Several weeks ago, I began discussing what we could do to support a worthy local cause.”

The class agreed that Tauranga Women’s Refuge was an organisation they wanted to help. After researching the realities of family violence in New Zealand, the students were motivated to act.

“One of the students called Tauranga Women’s Refuge and they loved the idea of the care bags,” McFarlane said. “They told us there had been an increase in the number of teenagers seeking safety and that really resonated with my students.”

Fundraising

During 3-4 weeks, the class organised a school bake sale and sausage sizzle, raising enough money to purchase

essential items including toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, lip balm, combs, pens, water bottles, sanitary products and deodorant, along with a few extra treats.

The wider school community also got behind the initiative, donating new and gently used handbags to fill with the supplies. Additional support came from First Credit Union Tauranga and a staff member who donated dōTERRA care packs.

In total, the students assembled about 26 care bags.

The class said it quickly recognised the importance of supporting Women’s Refuge after learning more about the organisation and its work.

“Women’s Refuge was the first worthy cause that we discussed, then after looking at some statistics, we agreed that this was a perfect opportunity to help.”

While the sausage sizzle was challenging, it was also one of the highlights, they said.

“We enjoyed the sausage sizzle, but it was super stressful! We were stoked that we made heaps of money for our fundraiser. It was a good experience.”

Proud moment

Seeing the finished care bags ready for delivery was a proud moment for the class.

“It felt really good to see our care bags finished. We were stoked with what we managed to do in a fairly short amount of time. They were full of some great things, and they looked great. All were packed with love.”

The project had shown the students

Seven of the 15 Mount Maunganui College Year 13 students who have created care bags for Tauranga Women’s Refuge as part of their social action studies. Photo / Kelly O’Hara how simple it could be to make a “I hope the students understand the importance of giving back to their difference. community, especially those who are “We’ve learned how easy it is to help vulnerable,” she said. “I also hope they others; how good it feels to help and understand how easy it is to fundraise also that other people want to help and because so many people want to help support too,” the class said. and support good causes like Women’s If they could share one message with Refuge.” the women and families receiving the She believed the initiative also bags, it would be: “That people care highlighted the generosity that exists about them, that they were packed with within the local community. love and to hang in there because life “Once you get started, people will get better”. genuinely want to support our Beyond the classroom community. It’s incredibly rewarding to For McFarlane, the project had know you are making a huge difference delivered lessons that would reach well in somebody’s life and potentially their Rosalie Liddle Crawford beyond the classroom. future.”

“It kept working for ages…”

Tony spent 40 years crafting homes for others. When he retired at 62, he finally had time to build what he wanted - toys for grandchildren, furniture for friends, whatever his hands wanted to create.

“Building isn’t just what I did,” he explains, running his hands along the new playhouse he’s building. “It’s who I am.”

But his knees had other plans. The same joints that had carried him up scaffolding for decades began protesting at simple workshop tasks. Standing at his workbench became an endurance test. Kneeling to sand a table leg meant calculating how he’d get back up.

“I started modifying everything,” Tony admits. “Sitting more, shorter sessions. I even thought about selling my larger tools. That felt like giving up part of myself.”

His wife Sandra watched him struggle with growing concern. His daughter noticed too during visits, seeing her father move tentatively around the workshop that had once been his kingdom.

It was her who left a bottle of Koru FX on his workbench. “Natural, made in New Zealand,” she’d said simply. “Just try it, Dad.” Tony was skeptical but applied it one Saturday morning. The cream absorbed quickly with a pleasant peppermint scent – nothing like the medicinal smell of products he’d tried before.

Six hours later, he looked up from his work in amazement. He’d been standing, kneeling, moving freely all day without his usual breaks.

“I’d actually forgotten about my knees,” he says, still incredulous. “For the first time in months, I was just... building.”

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The real test came the following Saturday on his regular hill walk with friends - a tradition he’d been considering abandoning.

“I kept up the whole way. Even overtook a few people on the final stretch,” he grins. “Felt like myself again.”

Word spread through his walking group, with several members trying the cream after seeing Tony’s renewed energy. But it’s in his workshop where the transformation means most.

He’s currently building an elaborate playhouse for his grandchildren, a project requiring hours of detailed work in positions that would have been impossible months ago.

“My daughter says I’m moving like I did years ago,” Tony reflects. “But more importantly, I’m creating again. Not just

managing or adapting, I’m actually enjoying the building.”

His morning routine now includes Koru FX alongside his coffee. “Preventative maintenance,” he calls it, using a builder’s brain for body care.

“I spent months accepting limitations, thinking this was just ageing,” Tony says. “But you don’t have to stop being who you are. This cream gave me back my workshop, my walks, my craft. The relief lasts hours – sometimes I forget I’ve even applied it.”

He pauses at his workbench, surrounded by sawdust and possibility.

“It’s not magic. But when something lets you keep doing what you love... well, that’s close enough for me.”

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Friday 31 July 2026

The Weekend Sun

10

Literacy champions create reading treasure

Meet Macavity!

Don’t let the name fool you – this little Macavity is much easier to find than the “mystery cat” from T.S. Eliot’s famous poem. In fact, he’d much rather be right by your side than disappearing without a trace.

Macavity is a small Huntaway-cross male pup with a big heart, bright eyes, and a curious spirit. He’s eager to explore the world, learn new things and make friends wherever he goes.

Playful, affectionate, and full of energy, he’s likely to grow into an intelligent, active companion that will thrive with positive training, regular exercise and plenty of mental stimulation. He’s looking for a family ready to help him build confidence, learn good manners,

and discover just how wonderful life can be.

This charming youngster has all the makings of a loyal best friend.

If you’re ready to welcome a clever, loving puppy into your life, Macavity is ready to meet you! Phone Tauranga SPCA on 07 5780245. Ref: 670695.

Tauranga author and publisher Debbie McCauley with a copy of Bookrapt’s Treasury. Photo / Supplied

A local literature association is marking its 40th anniversary this year by printing a collection of writing and illustrations by some of New Zealand’s best-loved authors to sell to the public.

Bookrapt (Bay of Plenty Children’s Literature Association) will launch Bookrapt’s Treasury of tales for children and young people written by Bay storytellers next month.

The anthology was collated by Tauranga author and publisher Debbie McCauley and includes 78 stories and poems alongside 202 illustrations and 37 photographs across a broad range of genres, along with much-loved out-ofprint titles.

Bookrapt president Angie Belcher said her group’s members decided to create a taonga (treasure) for families to celebrate the group’s four-decade milestone.

“We wanted to make a book so special that it will be handed down through generations,” Belcher said. “It’s turned out fantastically, with loads of fun and interesting stories for kids to dip into.”

Belcher said the book would be launched August 21 – and was timely with the spotlight on dropping literacy

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rates in Aotearoa.

“Bookrapt (the Bay of Plenty Children’s Literature Association) has championed children’s literacy in the Bay of Plenty for more than four decades,” she said.

“Its members comprise local librarians, teachers, authors and illustrators – all committed to helping children develop a life-long love of reading.”

McCauley said the Bay of Plenty had long been home to some of New Zealand’s best-loved storytellers. Dame Lynley Dodd, an original Bookrapt member, had contributed an original illustration to Bookrapt’s Treasury.

“Other well-known authors and illustrators including Susan Brocker, Rachel Weston, Lee Murray, Sheryl Jordan, Debbie Tipuna and many more, have contributed,” McCauley said.

“We’ve made it a strong, hard-back book, so it will withstand a lot of love from its readers.”

Bookrapt’s Treasury will be available in good bookstores, through Wheelers, and the Bookrapt team.

To pre-order, email the publisher at: mauaopublishing@gmail.com or visit: https://debbiemccauleyauthor.wordpress. com/books

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Friday 31 July 2026

The Weekend Sun

12

Think before you share

Make space for nature in your backyard

The Electoral Commission is advising people to slow down and take a moment to check information about enrolling and voting before sharing it this election.

“We want people to feel more confident to sort fact from fiction when it comes to the 2026 General Election,” chief electoral officer Karl Le Quesne said.

“There is always the potential for a rapid spread of inaccurate information on social media and messaging platforms.

“We’ll be running advertising over the next few months giving people a prompt to pause and look again at information they are seeing before they trust it or share it.”

One of the commission’s key roles is to ensure that voters have clear information about the conduct of the election, including how and when people can enrol and vote.

“The Electoral Commission is the trusted source of information about enrolling and voting in the election. You can check our website vote.nz or call 0800 36 76 56 for key election information,” Le Quesne said.

“We don’t regulate the content of election advertising or campaign materials, but we do have information on our website about what to do if you see information you’re unsure about, and where to direct complaints.”

More information is available at: vote.nz/free-and-fair

Space for Nature project coordinator Rose Riley with the resources gift fted t to new participants. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

Envirohub Bay of Plenty is calling lli on more residents id across the region to join its Space for Nature project after reaching 1000 participants last month.

The programme provides participants with free guidance, resources, and a supportive network to help them succeed whether they are seasoned conservationists or taking their very first steps toward a greener property.

Space for Nature project coordinator Rose Riley said the project is part of Envirohub BOP’s broader mission to connect communities with the environment and support grassroots conservation action.

at a time.”

Space for Nature supports BOP backyards, community groups, schools, and businesses to create and protect habitat for native wildlife on their properties.

From backyard gardens to rural lifestyle blocks, participants can transform private land into thriving sanctuaries for birds, insects, and plants that call Aotearoa home.

Riley said Space for Nature is open to anyone with land or outdoor space – no matter the size.

The project is free to join and participants receive a free native plant, a rat trap and tunnel and access to support, resources and regular workshops, she said.

To find out more about Space for Nature, or to join the project, visit: spacefornature.nz

“Reaching 1000 participants is an incredible achievement achievement, and it belongs entirely to the people of Bay of Plenty.

“Every person who has planted a native tree or committed to predator control has made a real, tangible difference to our local ecosystems. Together, we are stitching a living network of habitat across our rohe [region].”

Riley said the project regularly hears from participants about the joy of spotting a piwakawaka (fantail) in their garden for the first time, or catching their first rat with a free trap through Predator Free Bay of Plenty.

“These are the moments that remind us how important it is for people to connect with nature, and why this mahi [work] matters.

Nature is recovering, one backyard

Pizza fundraiser for fire hit family

The fundraiser applies to all regular pizzas purchased in-store, online or through the Domino’s app, excluding mini pizzas.

Te Wheoro and her family lost everything when fire tore through their Carmichael Rd home on July 6. “A lot of our whakapapa has gone,” she said.

The Bethlehem house, built by her father, had been in the family for three generations.

Domino’s Bureta is rallying the community to help a family rebuild after a devastating house fire destroyed three generations of memories earlier this month.

The Ōtūmoetai pizza store will hold a ‘Raise Some Dough’ fundraiser today, July 31, with $1 from every pizza sold between 4pm and 9pm donated to Aroha Te Wheoro and her family.

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CHT Chief Executive Carriann Hall and pelvic floor physiotherapist Hannah Orr.

NEW GUIDE HELPS OLDER KIWIS TAKE CONTROL OF CONTINENCE HEALTH Continence challenges affect up to one in four older New Zealanders, yet they are often not discussed openly.

For some, concerns are accepted as part of aging yet can greatly impact confidence, independence, social connections, and overall wellbeing.

“This guide reflects our commitment by bringing together practical information, expert guidance, and support to help older people maintain dignity, confidence, independence, and wellbeing. We are incredibly grateful to receive funding to bring this resource to life.”

The CHT Aged Care Fund has provided a grant to Continence NZ to develop a new free guidebook designed to help older people and their families better understand and manage continence issues by providing practical, easyto-understand information and encouraging people to seek support when they need it.

The partnership also reflects the ongoing mission of CHT Aged Care Fund to invest in initiatives that enhance the growing elderly population and the aged care sector by empowering older people to make informed decisions about their own health and wellbeing.

By improving awareness and understanding, the guide strives to reduce the stigma often associated with continence problems, while reassuring older people that these issues are common, manageable, and with the right information and support, can improve to maintain their independence for longer.

An online survey by Continence NZ of over 670 people revealed that feeling embarrassed to talk about continence issues was the leading reason most people said they hadn’t reached out for help before.

“I meet people every day who assume that incontinence is inevitable with age”, says Hannah Orr, pelvic floor physiotherapist. “It is so important to get the message out there that although incontinence symptoms are more common as we age, there is so much that can be done”.

“Whether that is aiming for a complete cure, improving or managing symptoms so that everyone can thrive into older age without being limited by incontinence” Continence NZ Executive Committee President Dr Anna Lawrence, MBChB, FRACS (Urol) says the organisation is committed to empowering people affected by incontinence to thrive.

Feeling worried about continence issues is natural when it comes to older family members says CHT Care Homes Chief Executive Carriann Hall.

“We understand bladder and bowel health can be a delicate subject. This guide for older people is freely and easily accessible to help ensure no one feels embarrassed or isolated by continence challenges, and that everyone has access to the information and support they need to live well.”

CHT Care Homes established the CHT Aged Care Fund in 2019 with a dedication to continuous quality improvement and innovation, and its desire to support delivery of high-quality care across the entire aged care sector. Grants are given each year for projects across research, access to care, and workforce development.

The guide is available to download at continence.org.nz

Friday 31 July 2026

The Weekend Sun

14

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Tauranga designer

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Georgia ChalmersJones with a model wearing her 2023 awardwinning garment and judge Brett Graham.

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Tauranga film and television costumer Georgia ChalmersJones will return to the World of WearableArt (WOW) stage this year as a finalist in the 2026 competition.

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It is the third time she has reached the finals, after debuting in 2023 when her garment The Golden Age of Queens won the New Zealand Design Award.

“It is always such an amazing feeling,” she said. “Each time it is just as exciting as the last. It is both a sigh of relief and intense excitement that my work is accepted.”

Chalmers-Jones is one of three Tauranga designers selected as finalists for the 2026 World of WearableArt Show: GLO!,

which runs from September 17- October 4 at Wellington’s TSB Arena.

The competition features 108 finalist garments created by designers from 18 countries. Her journey into costume making began after attending film school in 2013.

“I originally thought I was going to be an editor, but I got really into art and design and specialised in it at the end of the course,” she said.

Drawn in early

Chalmers-Jones has worked in the film industry for more than 10 years and said she was drawn to costume making early in her career. It was while working in Wellington in 2022 on the television

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Friday 31 July 2026

15

returns to WOW stage for third time series i Time Ti Bandits B dit that th t she h first fi t attended tt d d the WOW show “I was amazed. There was such a diversity of ideas and techniques and materials, yet it was brought together in such a spectacular way. It was hard to know where to look first.”

The experience inspired her to enter the following year. Her first garment, The Golden Age of Queens, drew inspiration from Queen Elizabeth I and other reigning queens of the 16th Century.

Winning the New Zealand Design Award in 2023 encouraged her to continue entering the competition. “It definitely gave me confidence,” she said.

“I don’t enter the show to win anything but to be a part of something very special and to push myself in my own artistic endeavours.”

Op Art

This year’s finalist garment is inspired by the Op Art movement of the 1960s, using geometry and colour contrast to create optical illusions.

Chalmers-Jones said she also challenged herself to develop new painting techniques while making the piece. “I really had to pre-plan everything before I assembled my piece. I am usually more organic with my costume construction.”

The garment took about a month to complete. “I devoted almost every waking second I could to my costume,” she said.

A challenge arose photographing the finished garment for judging. “When I was taking photos to submit the costume, I realised it was too big for the ceiling of the house, so I got my model to wobble

outt to t the th back b k deck d k so I could ld take t k photos.”

Chalmers-Jones said her work in film and television has had a significant influence on her approach to wearable art.

“I work with embroiderers, jewellers, sculptors, seamstresses, dye and textile technicians, art finishers, illustrators and leather workers. There is a wealth of knowledge and shared techniques that I can learn from and experience in my dayto-day.”

While she enjoyed the collaborative nature of film work, she said WOW offered a different creative opportunity.

Less restrictions

“I’m usually given designs and briefs by my designer on the job. With WOW, my only restrictions are stage parameters and gravity. Other than that, they really let you make anything your heart and hands can come up with.”

Chalmers-Jones said the support of family and friends is important throughout the creative process. “There is definitely a moment or two where there is a lot of self-doubt. It is integral to have those people there.”

Her advice for other Bay of Plenty creatives thinking about entering WOW is simple. “Don’t think too hard. It feels overwhelming ... but really you can just start small.”

With the show in September, ChalmersJones said she was most looking forward to seeing her costume on stage. “The models are amazing. They take the story of the costume and add movement and bring it to life.” WOW head of competition

Sarah S h Nathan N th said id oone off WOW’ WOW s strengths was the divversity of its entrants.

“WOW sees the work of everyday people making extraordinarry things stand alongside some of th he world's most exceptional avant-gaarde talent,” she said.

No show like it i

“This year’s 108 fin nalist garments represent an extraorrdinary cross-section of global creative talen nt.”

Nathan said design ners had transformed a wide range of materials into wearaable art, with this year’s desiggns incorporating everytthing from more than 100 0 love letters to emergencyy blankets, milk bottles and chip packets.

Finalists will travel to Wellington n in September for designer events aheaad of the WOW Award ds Night, where more than $200,000 in prizes will be awarded.

For Chalmers-Jonees, the opportunity to be part of the event remained the biggesst reward. “There is literally no show likke WOW in the world d, so it is the coolest thing to be a part.”

The detail of the garment by Georgia Chalmers-Jones Rosalie Liddle Crawfford that won the NZ Deesign Aw ward in 20 023 3.

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The Weekend Sun

16

New Zealand String Quartet Cryptocurrency scam warning at Tauranga Art Gallery

The New Zealand String Quartet will return to Tauranga next month, inviting audiences to experience an evening of musical storytelling in the recently reopened Toi Tauranga Art Gallery.

The Storytellers: Transform concert on Sunday, August 9, is part of the Quartet’s nationwide 2026 season and was designed to appeal to everyone, from seasoned chamber music enthusiasts to those attending their very first string quartet performance.

The programme explores the power of storytelling through music, bringing together classical masterpieces, contemporary works and New Zealand compositions in a concert that celebrates emotion, imagination and human connection.

“The programme is something the quartet has been working on for some time now and the performance will be a masterful one that all can enjoy,” NZSQ Tauranga-based trustee Buddy Mikaere said.

Audiences will hear music spanning more than 300 years, beginning with Henry Purcell’s Fantasias and concluding with Benjamin Britten’s acclaimed String Quartet No. 2, written in the aftermath of World War II. The programme features Anthony Ritchie’s lively Perpetual Motion and Last Dance from String Quartet No. 3, Fanny Mendelssohn’s expressive String

The NZ String Quartet in action. Photo / Maeve O’Connell

Quartet in E-flat major, and Heal by New Zealand composer Salina Fisher, a moving reflection on grief and healing.

Performing in Tauranga will be violinist Peter Clark, violist Gillian Ansell, who has been with the ensemble since its formation in 1987, and the quartet’s new cellist Martin Smith. They will be joined by special guest violinist PeterAndreas Nielsen, who is travelling from Denmark to perform with the ensemble throughout August.

Presented in the intimate surroundings of Toi Tauranga Art Gallery, the concert promises a unique blend of visual art and live performance, offering audiences an opportunity to experience world-class chamber music in one of the city’s newest cultural spaces.

Mikaere said the acoustics in the gallery will enhance the quartet’s performance.

“This concert continues the New Zealand String Quartet’s long association with Tauranga going back to 2014 and a performance marking the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gate Pā,” he said.

Tickets to Storytellers: Transform at Toi Tauranga Art Gallery, 108 Willow St, at 5.30pm on August 9 are for sale at Eventfinda.

Thanks to the NZ String Quartet, The Weekend Sun has one double pass to Storytellers: Transform to give away to one reader who can tell us where the August 9 concert will be performed?

To enter, visit: www.sunlive.co.nz and click on the ‘competitions’ tab. Entries must be in by Tuesday, August 4.

Rosalie Liddle Crawford

Police are warning New Zealanders to be vigilant after a rise in sophisticated scams targeting people who hold cryptocurrency, resulting in victims losing millions of dollars.

Detective Inspector Stuart Mills said in a post on Facebook that scammers are increasingly posing as police officers and as representatives from cryptocurrency companies in order to gain access to victims’ digital assets.

The police have received reports of the scam in recent weeks, which typically begins with a caller claiming to be a police detective.

“The fake detective directs their questions towards establishing if and how the victim holds cryptocurrency, before arranging for a fake representative from the cryptocurrency company to contact the victim,” Mills said.

The scammers often tell victims their personal details or identity documents have been found on someone who has been arrested. Once trust is established, a second scammer posing as a cryptocurrency company representative contacts the victim.

Mills said victims are then persuaded to provide passwords or seed phrases, often through fake webpages designed to resemble legitimate cryptocurrency platforms.

Police urge owners of cryptocurrency to keep their account information private and never share sensitive details with strangers.

“There are instances where legitimate police officers will contact you as part of their duties, but New Zealand Police will never ask you sensitive financial details.”

Police encourage anyone who believes they may have been targeted or fallen victim to a scam to report it immediately by phoning 105 or online at: www.police. govt.nz/use-105

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DMS again lifts its benchmark for kiwifruit performance Bay of Plenty postharvest and orchard management company DMS is celebrating another successful season that progressively delivered on its customer-driven goals, and looks to its priorities for 2026/2027.

DMS chief executive Derek Masters said the company packed a record 2026 crop of more than 21.5 million Class 1 trays packed over its two sites; DMS Te Puna and DMS Pukepack.

packouts later this year, which ultimately provides favourable

consistency, expertise and dedication of the DMS

In their orchard division, DMS achieved exceptional yields per hectare, Masters said.

extremely pleased with what DMS has achieved for them

trays/ha in 2025 jumped to ha in 2026 across the 560ha

orchards and those that don’t perform as well, so it’s a major

Masters said DMS invested automation in its Te Puke packhouse this season

DMS has invested in cutting-edge automation systems Photo / Kelly O’Hara

really robust discussion about our successes, and what our

“Hayward yields were also

by ElectroPak in Te Puke.

Masters said DMS plans to upscale to cater for successful and another two anticipated crop volume units will be installed ready for increases which will include

“All 26 CA Coolstores were

Annually, in July, DMS undertakes a robust seasonal

weeks to ensure favourable

meet with staff and contractors.

“We discuss what we set out to achieve, what went well, reset for the next season and identify what we can improve

investment for us as a business because our focus is on

rooms for next season.

“We currently have 26 CA

Progrowers LTD

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executives “and we have a

Orchard Operations Manager Phil Chisnall +64 27 482 0271 Orchard Manager, Te Puna Lucky Dhawan +64 27 253 2861 Douglas Zstapak +64 27 519 7232 Jagdeep Singh +64 20 412 06534 Sikander Nar +64 27 309 1499

few years. new record level crop for next

people in our company and

Masters said.

“Growers see the value in

DMS expansion plans also

here to ensure the best of their fruit is packed and

team into the Gisborne in that area.

“If you’d like to be involved with us or learn more about proud of the success we

their department reviews to Photo / Supplied

past that which may include

over the next two years

Orchard Manager, Gisborne John Phelps +64 22 086 0392 Chris Haimona +64 27 241 9856 Orchard Manager, Edgecumbe Harry Singh +64 27 248 4640 Orchard Manager, Mohaka, Hawkes Bay Lindsay Wairau +64 21 083 54979

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The Weekend Sun

Friday 31 July 2026

19

New online Women’s Health Hub A new online health hub designed to make it easier for women across New Zealand to find trusted health information has been launched this month.

Developed by the Ministry for Women in partnership with Health New Zealand, the Women’s Health Hub brings comprehensive information about common health issues into one place.

“The online hub brings together reliable information, practical tools and guidance in one place, helping women find what they need more quickly,” Minister for Women Nicola Grigg said.

“Women have told us they’re often overwhelmed by health information and can’t find what they need.

“Th Thiis hub b proviides a cllear startiing poiint, with practical, reliable information and resources that support women to make informed decisions and take an active role in their health and wellbeing.

“It’s also designed to navigate commonly occurring health needs at different life stages.”

Associate Minister of Health Casey Costello said the hub would make it easier for women to find information relevant to their life stage.

“Women’s health needs change over time, and it is important they are supported to look after their health, act early when something does not feel right, and know where to find reliable information and support.”

She said the hub also provides guidance to help women prepare for appointments and make the most of their time with a healthcare provider, and educational videos with healthcare providers sharing practical advice on life stage health considerations.

Women, on average, live longer but spend more of their lives in poor health, and many have fed back that they need clearer, more accessiible infformatiion at key life stages.

The hub and resources are available at: ww www ww.healthnz.govt.nz/WomensHealth w and: www ww ww.women.govt.nz/ w womens-health

Love your hearing aids this winter!

Feeling the cold?

Your hearing aids are too!

They need extra care and maintenance in winter to perform at their best, says Hearing Support Bay of Plenty’s Tauranga manager Helen Rodgers.

“Cold damp air and quick temperature changes – from inside to outside – create moisture and condensation inside hearing aids, much like when glasses ‘fog up’.

“Moisture can mean costly repairs, but simple daily maintenance can keep hearing aids in tip top shape.”

Rodgers said hearing aids owners should check regularly for signs of moisture.

“Listen for crackle, static or buzz, unusual or distorted sounds, or low, muted or fading volume throughout the day. Aids may also cut in and out or batteries may go flat quicker.”

Rodgers has three tips to prevent moisture affecting hearing aids to ensure they last

longer and sound better.

An evening drying routine is vital – it will prevent moisture problems and save repair costs.

“Purchase a ‘drying kit/box’ for rechargeable and non-rechargeable hearing aids. These come in a ‘plug in’ electrical option, or a plastic jar with moisture beads that can be replaced.

“For battery hearing aids, open the battery compartments at night, so moisture can evaporate.”

Second, shield your ears and aids from the elements, Rodgers said.

“A beanie, earmuffs, a hood or umbrella will help keep wind, rain and snow away and reduce condensation forming on or in your devices.”

Lastly, keep batteries warm and dry.

“Cold reduces battery performance and longevity,” Rodgers said.

“Keep spares at room temperature. If you’re going out, carry spares inside a pocket close to your body, rather than in an outside bag.”

An organisation where those with hearing loss are connected, empowered and respected.

We provide free advice, support, education, and information for those living with hearing loss.

Join our FREE Hearing Support Coffee Mornings on September 24th, November 26th 10:30am – Midday At The Mobility Centre, Papamoa, 520 Gloucester Road.

Get free advice and support and meet others in your community living with hearing loss. Call or email us for further information.

Wayne Rush

Bodywork Specialists in injury and illness recovery and prevention

Hearing Support Bay of Plenty is a not-for-profit organisation.

Our services include but are not limited to: Education: Presentations providing awareness and understanding of the causes, prevention, and consequences of hearing impairment.

FREE interactive early childhood and Primary school presentations, promoting ear health and awareness on noise induced hearing loss. In partnership with “Hear This Education”.

Advocacy: To understand the issues faced by those with hearing issues. Information on services available within our community. Education and support for the hard of hearing community.

Coffee Mornings: Members newsletter - Hearing Aid battery sales Hearing Badges Drying capsules

07 578 6476 • tauranga@hearing.org.nz

Friday 31 July 2026

The Weekend Sun

20

Finding the right path starts with a conversation Choosing a career has never been about simply deciding what to study.

“Visitors can connect directly with industry representatives to learn how to get involved in their chosen sector, what qualifications are needed, and the pathways available to them,” It’s about discovering what Boyne said. inspires you, understanding where Industries represented span opportunities exist, and connecting construction, engineering, health, with the people already working in science, finance, media, logistics, Māori those industries. business, horticulture, tourism, fishing, That’s exactly what the Canvas health and beauty, and the trades.

Careers Expo, hosted by The Rotary Universities, tertiary institutions Club of Tauranga and Priority One, and vocational training providers aims to achieve when it returns to from across New Zealand will also be Mercury Baypark next Thursday and exhibiting, Boyne said.

Friday, August 6-7.

“It’s about exploring your interests More than 3500 students from and passions, not just study options,” 13 Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and she said. “Some exhibitors are actively Whakatāne schools will attend this year’s event, which features its largest- recruiting, while many others offer apprenticeships, cadetships and ever industry representation. training opportunities.”

The Rotary Club of Tauranga Priority One’s Instep manager organiser Sue Boyne said the expo Michelle Clarke said parents and gives students and career changers the caregivers play an important role in opportunity to ask the questions that could shape their future. helping rangatahi (youth) make sense of the many pathways in front of them.

“By attending the Canvas LAUNCH WEEK OFFER evening session together, whānau can listen, explore and ask the questions a young person may not yet know to ask.

“It is not about having all the answers, it is about creating space for curiosity

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and starting conversations that can continue long after Canvas is over.”

The Canvas Careers Expo is free to attend and runs next Thursday, August 6 from 9am-2pm and 4pm8pm; and Friday, August 7 from 9am-2pm. Visit: www.canvascareers.co.nz for more event details.

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FR E E E N T

Help your teen work it out.

RY

Finding a job can feel overwhelming, especially when you are starting out.

modern tool for those hungry to get ahead in life.”

The Growth Hungry Employment Platform will be on-site at the Canvas Careers Expo on August 6-7 at Mercury Baypark.

The Growth Hungry Employment Platform is designed to help young adults towards achieving their nexxt sttep ps and/or launching their careeers.

“Designed for young adu ults, it is your complete toolkit for landing your next role,” plaatform founder Nicole Hoeata said d.

“From building optimised d and tailored CVs, creating matching cover letters, practising interviews with personalised coaching, live feedback, application Alyssa Alexander with Nicole Hoeata, tracking and more – this iss founder of Growth Hungry discussing next steps for the future. Photo / Supplied an all-in-one, easy-to-use,

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AUG 6-7

The Weekend Sun

Friday 31 July 2026

21

Meet the region’s young entrepreneurs at the YES Market

BTI students learning together in a collaborative, relational classroom environment. Photo / Supplied

Stand Tall is delighted to bring the YES Market back to the Canvas Tauranga Careers Expo on Thursday, August 6, from 4pm-8pm.

“As the regional delivery partner for the nationwide Young Enterprise Scheme, we support Year 12-13 students to bring a business to life,” YES Bay of Plenty regional co-ordinator Manaia Peina said.

“They begin in February with an idea and a team, then develop a product, build a business model, pitch their concept and take it to market. More than 5000 young entrepreneurs take part each year across New Zealand.”

Peina said the Canvas Careers Expo gives local YES companies another valuable opportunity to trade.

Team SideQuest trading at the 2026 YouthFest Market. Photo / Supplied

Preparing thoughtful, caring, capable graduates

Team Sea Moss trading at the 2025 Envirohub Market. Photo / Supplied

“They will put their products in front of real customers, test their marketing, handle money and receive direct feedback – all while learning how to talk confidently about what they have created.

“For us, entrepreneurship is an important future pathway for young people. Building a business develops practical skills, confidence and resourcefulness that will serve them wherever they go next.

“So come along to Mercury Baypark Arena, explore the expo and visit the YES Market,” she said.

“Bring your curiosity, meet our region’s young entrepreneurs and ask them plenty of questions. You may even discover that entrepreneurship could be part of your own future.”

YES MARKET

CANVAS CAREERS EXPO

MEET THE YES 2026 BUSINESSES SUPPORT YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 6 2026 MERCURY BAYPARK ARENA 4PM-8PM | BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY

At Bethlehem Tertiary Institute (BTI), their motto ‘Great Hearts.

Great Minds. Great Impact” connects who people are, who they are becoming, what they know and how they put that knowledge to work.

BTI marketing co-ordinator Hamish Reid: “The professions our students are preparing for are deeply relational”.

“They require knowledge and judgement, ongoing reflection and ethical practice, alongside an understanding of how people learn, develop and respond to the world around them.

“Whether that work happens in a classroom, counselling room, social service agency or alongside a learner who needs additional support, thoughtful preparation matters right from the beginning.”

Students at BTI bring their faith,

history, professional experience and curiosity into their study, Reid said.

“Within a Christ-centred, collaborative environment, they’re known by their educators and supported to connect rigorous academic learning with the realities of professional practice.”

Some students arrive directly from school. Others bring decades of work and life experience. Programmes may be blended (on-campus and online) or online, depending on the qualification.

BTI’s purpose remains consistent, Reid said. “That is preparing graduates who can work thoughtfully, competently and with care for the people alongside them”.

“Good intentions matter, and people deserve practitioners who are thoughtful, caring, capable and properly prepared.”

Explore BTI’s programmes, entry requirements and study options at: www.bti.ac.nz

Friday 31 July 2026

The Weekend Sun

22

Great results from adopting OAD calf feeding earlier Matt Collier of Probiotic Revolution has a simple message: “See how much milk calves will drink once-a-day with our probiotic – Calf Xtreme – that’s when the magic happens”.

Collier said that the abomasum of a newborn Friesian calf is only 1.2L so on big feeds the milk spills into the calf ’s rumen.

Calf Xtreme was developed to turn this into a positive, he said.

“We’ve refined the probiotic strains, so calves avoid nutritional scours.

“At the same time, we’re establishing beneficial bacteria in the rumen at a young age, improving digestion of meal, hay and grass.

“Therefore, the intake of hard feed is not limited by high milk volumes – they simply grow faster and post-weaning intake of grass is higher.”

Near Morrinsville, Toni Parry, from Parrydise Jerseys, adopted the programme after hearing positive reports from other farmers.

Last season her replacement heifers were fed 3L twice-a-day before transitioning to 6L once-a-day before three weeks of age.

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Parrydise Jerseys at nine weeks raised on 6L once-a-day and heading for 0.9kg liveweight gain/day. Photo / Supplied “Th Thee calves always looked contented and Th production gains can be realised.” full,” Parry said.

Dairy NZ guidelines indicate first-calving “They ate far more meal and hay than I’d heifers typically produce around 75-80% of seen previously – we actually ran out of hay the milk solids achieved by mixed-age cows. because they were eating so much. They Last season, Ashburton farmers Rob and were also eating more grass before and after Hannah Stocker, who milk 1200 Crossbred weaning. I wouldn’t rear calves without this cows on an all-grass system, achieved 412kg product now.” of milk solids from their first-calving heifers Growth rates before and after weaning – equivalent to 87.7% of their mixedalso impressed farmers using Calf Xtreme. age cows average. Their calves had been Collier said Friesian calves had been transitioned on to 6L once-a-day feeding consuming 7-8L once-a-day by around 10 after the first week of life. days of age while averaging 1kg of liveweight This season Hannah will rear the calves, gain per day from birth to Christmas – and to fit in with family commitments she indicating no post-weaning check. will go onto once-a-day feeding right from Parry’s Jersey calves averaged 0.9kg/day, the start. “With Calf Xtreme I am confident he said. they will be on 6L after a couple of days” While early growth was encouraging, As more farmers look for ways to Collier believes the real value comes later. improve labour efficiency and heifer milk “The objective isn’t simply heavier production, once-a-day feeding programmes calves at weaning. Faster early growth supported by nutritional technologies were leads to better developed heifers entering attracting increasing attention across the the milking herd, and that’s where the dairy sector, Collier said.

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The Weekend Sun

Friday 31 July 2026

23

Black Box puts local playwrights centre stage A new season of original short plays will bring fresh voices, new talent and experimental theatre to Tauranga when Black Box Originals August 2026 opens for a two-night season at 16th Ave Theatre.

The production features five original works by local writers developed through the theatre’s revived Black Box writers’ group, which encourages emerging playwrights to develop ideas into performances.

Co-organiser Jaine Kirtley said the concept is designed to encourage local creativity while giving audiences the chance to experience new theatre in an intimate setting.

“We’re nurturing people’s writing and creativity generally,” she said. “Some people come with a finished script, while others just have an idea they want to explore. We workshop those ideas together until they’re ready for the stage.”

The Black Box concept was introduced at 16th Ave Theatre in 2018 as an experimental performance space by former theatre president Sarah Oemcke, Kirtley and others.

Kirtley said the original vision provided a place where local writers could test new work that might not suit a traditional theatre stage. The writers’ group

has been re-established by Kirtley with Oemcke’s support to focus on developing original local scripts.

50 people

Rather than elaborate sets and large casts, Black Box productions rely on strong writing, performance and imagination. The small, flexible performance space, located beyond the theatre’s main auditorium, seats just 50 people, creating a close connection between performers and audience.

“It’s a very small, intimate space which creates a different dynamic,” Kirtley said. “The audience is much closer to the action, and the focus stays on the storytelling.”

The five plays range from 10 to 20 minutes in length, allowing audiences to enjoy a variety of styles and genres in one evening.

The programme includes A Matter of Death and Victim, written by Wayne Gould and directed by Liam Hagan; Lost and The Holiday Let, written

by Jaine Kirtley, with directors Bronwyn Fenwick and Ronan Carroll respectively; and Suburban Legend, written by Tracey-Lynne Cody and directed

by Ronan Carroll.

Kirtley said the format also provided an accessible pathway into theatre for people who may be new to writing, directing or acting.

Wayne Gould and Jaine Kirtley are two of the playwrights who will have their plays performed in August.

Photo / Kelly O’Hara

“Because the plays are short, it’s less intimidating than committing to a full-length production,” she said. “People can dip their toe in, whether they’re writing for the first time, trying theatre directing, or returning to acting after a break.”

Welcoming

The revived writers’ group began earlier this year with an open invitation for anyone interested in writing short plays or monologues. Members meet to share ideas, receive feedback

and workshop scripts before they are staged.

Not every script is ready immediately. Some continue to be developed for future productions, while others may be waiting until the right cast becomes available.

Kirtley hopes more local people will become involved.

“We’re very welcoming. People might be experienced writers, or it might be their very first attempt.

“The whole process is about workshopping ideas and seeing how they come alive on stage.”

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For Methodists, those two things have never been separate.

Our founder, John Wesley, believed that faith was never just a private affair. Loving God naturally led to loving our neighbours in practical ways.

He spoke out against slavery, encouraged education, cared for those living in poverty, and organised support for people on the margins of society. He famously said: “There is no holiness but social holiness”, reminding us that faith is lived out in community.

That doesn’t mean the church has all the answers, or that Christians will always agree on every issue. But it does mean we cannot ignore

the struggles around us.

When families can’t afford groceries, when people are sleeping rough, when loneliness is becoming an epidemic, or when creation itself is under strain, these are not just political questions. They are questions about how we love one another.

Jesus consistently drew close to those who had been overlooked or pushed aside.

He challenged systems that harmed people and called his followers to do the same.

Justice is not an optional extra for Christians. It is one of the ways we put love into action. At its best, the church is not trying to win arguments, it is trying to help build communities

Rosalie Liddle Crawford

Tauranga

Why Methodists keep talking about justice One question I hear from time to time is, ‘Why does the church keep talking about justice?

Shouldn’t it just stick to spiritual matters?’

She believed Black Box had the potential to become a launching pad for new playwrights while providing opportunities for emerging actors and directors to gain experience in a supportive environment.

Black Box – Originals August 2026 is on August 28-29, in the Black Box Experimental Space at 16th Ave Theatre. With seating limited to 50 people each night, early booking is booking recommended via: www.iticket.co.nz

GRAVATT ROAD A NEW LIFE CHURCH

Friday 31 July 2026

The Weekend Sun

24

Farewell New Zealand Zealand’ss busiest drummer During the past two weeks I’ve written about Loserpalooza.

Let’s move on.

Across 6. Native bird (10) 8. Children (4) 9. Droop (4) 10. Shrub (5) 11. Maori war dance (4) 12. Vanish (9) 16. Sea captain and early explorer (5,4) 20. Advantage (4) 22. Machine (5) 23. Pledge (4) 24. Native wood (4) 25. Governor (1845) (6,4) Down 1. Swimsuit (6) 2. True (7) 3. Belt (6) 4. Flower (6)

No. 1995

5. Group (5) 7. Town (NI) (5) 13. Tree (3) 14. Miser (7) 15. Concede (5) 17. Writer (6) 18. Stamina (6) 19. Vent (6) 21. Garden pests (5)

P A U L H E N D E R S O N R F L O U O U M X R T N E E N T E R C M O T U E K A A E R C U K B L R V N P R C R A N N Y G C A N C E L H B C A U S G T I J I E Y Y C H A I R G P S A L M O H X A D E I G E C A K L O O N R U S H G B E L F R Y B R B M C D P S P I A L S N E O N A T E N T R U S T O M U L R E R A I E N V E B A R R Y S I N C L A I R

Solution 1994

Which I’m sure comes as a relief for many whose reaction was probably along the lines of, “I hate that bloody racket those bands make – why don’t you write about proper music?”

Fair enough. Loserpalooza’s celebration of all things loud, alternative and hardcore takes place at Totara Street on August 15. This week let’s look at other options for those wanting to stay as far away as possible.

But first I wanted to mention the passing of Bruce King, who died on July 27, aged 83.

He may not be a household name but King was a drummer whose career lasted more than 60 years.

He was probably the most recorded drummer in the country. He played everything from pop to rock to jazz and country, recording a total of about 10,000 tracks.

From early recordings in 1957 through to 1974, he was ubiquitous.

That’s him on Allison Durbin’s I Have Loved Me A Man and Bunny Walters’ Brandy, on The Chicks’ River Deep, Mountain High, and Howard Morrison’s How Great Thou Art. He recorded with Vince Callaher, Toni Williams, Ricky May, Bill & Boyd, Lou and Simon, Tommy Adderley, Ken Lemon, Gerry Merito, Dinah Lee, Lew Pryme, Maria Dallas, Billy T James, Ray Woolf, Ray Columbus and many more.

Pretty much everything

He also backed a roster of famous overseas visitors, played every musical in Auckland, and pretty much everything else. A brief

The late Bruce King.

Photo / Bruce King Collection

mention here comes no way close to doing him justice. We knew him in Tauranga more recently with various jazz festival bands, including 1932 Jazz Orchestra and Tuxedo Swing.

With the recent deaths of prominent jazz practitioners Mike Walker and Merv Thomas, it’s been a bad year for the jazz community.

RIP Bruce, thanks for the music.

Back to Loserpalooza alternatives.

On August 15 at The Jam Factory the most enjoyable Red Street is playing. Red Street have been around for a few years now but only pop up live occasionally with a great following and gigs that have everyone talking. Their music is very user-friendly, I guess you’d call it AOR (adult-orientated rock), with influences ranging from The Dave Matthews Band to Pearl Jam and James Taylor.

They’re supported by elusive electronica outfit Project Eye and a duo featuring singer Frances Ellen and guitarist Trevor Braunias.

The previous night there, August

14, Hawke’s Bay folk-rock singer Nick Herbison presents a solo show with support from Matty Buxon.

A tribute

Meanwhile, on August 15 Baycourt is hosting a tribute show Running in the Shadows.

Apparently, it’s “Australia’s longestrunning and most authentic Fleetwood Mac tribute act” – roll out the FM hits!

Back to August 14, when Melbourne-based musician Dave McMillan will play for the Katikati Folk Club at The Arts Junction.

McMillan was previously the singing half of popular duo The Wizard & Oz. If you want to kill time while waiting for the music of your choice, remember the Tauranga Food Show is on all weekend at Baypark. Yum!

Hear Winston’s Latest Playlist Scan the QR code, or visit:

www.tinyurl.com/2nr487nd

Vanuatu culture and faith to be celebrated A free Vanuatu Independence Celebration is on tomorrow, August 1, at Oropi Hall from 9am-4pm.

Hosted by the Ni-Vanuatu Association BOP Aotearoa, the event officially closes 2026 Bislama Language Week and the public is invited to celebrate EASY

SUDOKU

2 9 3 8

2

No.2349

6

7 3 6 4 1 9 2

9 3 6 5 9 1 3 5 8 7 9 2 1 How to solve Sudoku!

Fill the grid so that every row and every 3x3 square contains the digits 1 to 9

Solution No.2348

2 7 4 3 5 6 8 9 1 7 8 9 5 1 3 4 6 2 6 3 7 9 2 5 1 4 8

8 6 9 1 7 2 5 3 4 3 4 5 7 2 6 9 8 1 4 5 8 6 1 3 2 9 7

3 1 5 4 8 9 7 2 6 1 6 2 9 4 8 5 3 7 2 9 1 8 7 4 6 5 3

the country’s culture, faith and community in the Western Bay of Plenty.

It also marks 46 years since Vanuatu gained independence on July 30, 1980.

The event’s programme begins with a flagraising ceremony, prayers and singing of the national anthem, followed by a guest speaker.

Cultural performances, entertainment, a best dressed competition and reflection of Bislama Language Week will follow. To close the day, which is funded by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples, an independence cake cutting will take place. All are welcome. Find out more at: www.facebook.com/NiVansBOP

Tauranga Courts host Community Open Day

The Bay of Plenty community is invited to a free open day at Tauranga High and District Court construction site on August 15.

Construction firm Hawkins is hosting the open day at 27 McLean St in Tauranga to offer people a rare behind-the-scenes look at one of the region’s major public projects.

The event from 11am-1pm will offer guided site tours, live crane lift demonstrations and hands-on experiences with diggers and construction equipment. The event will feature a student art showcase, goodies bags, a photo booth and a kids’ activities corner, with prizes to be won. A sausage fundraiser will cost a gold coin donation.

Attendees should note there is no parking on McLean St, people are required to wear closed-in shoes and children under the age of 15 must be supervised.

The Weekend Sun

25

Friday 31 July 2026

Scholars to perform timeless Free public meeting to talk kiwis and conservation classic at Mount concert

Scholars Baroque Aotearoa mid-performance. Photo / Supplied

A richly expressive evening of French elegance awaits those at Scholars Baroque Aotearoa’s upcoming concert on August 8 at Mount Maunganui.

The event highlights Fauré’s beloved Requiem, said conductor Chalium Poppy, who noted the choir is excited to bring this cherished work back to local stages.

“Fauré’s Requiem connects beautifully with singers and audiences,” Poppy said.

“Past performances were described as breathtaking, and we aim to capture that same serenity.”

In contrast, the choir will perform Charpentier’s radiant

Te Deum, a hallmark of French Baroque. “The Te Deum brings grand, majestic brilliance and intricate choral writing,” Poppy said. “It captures the splendour of 17th-century France.”

The choir will be led by Poppy, joined by tenor soloist Iain Tetley and featured ensemble soloists.

“It is a wonderful opportunity for several of our own choristers to step into the spotlight as featured soloists,” Poppy said.

“I find it immensely rewarding to present a programme that highlights the exceptional vocal talent we have within our ranks, allowing audiences to truly marvel at the magnificent, colourful textures of the French

Baroque style.

“The programme also features distinguished musician Dr Jonathan Dunlop on the organ.

“He is highly regarded for his mastery of historic keyboard instruments, and we are delighted to have his expertise anchoring our performance.”

Scholars Baroque Aotearoa’s concert of Fauré’s Requiem and Charpentier’s Te Deum is on August 8 from 7.30pm at St Peter’s Anglican Church, Mount Maunganui. A second concert will be held at Hamilton’s St Peter’s Cathedral on August 9 at 2.30pm. Purchase tickets online at: www.scholarsbaroque.com

Meet and learn to love greyhounds!

With greyhoun nd racing in New Zealand to end d today, July 31, a local organisatiion that facilitates adopting the breed is hosting another Pat & Chat event on August 15 in Bethlehem.

Greyhounds As P Pets Tauranga volunteer Sandy Henderson n has teamed up with promotion agenccy Houndy Helpers to host the event at Décor Gardenworld in Bethlehem froom noon to 2pm on August 15.

Sandy Henderson will be at Décor Gardenworld on August 15 with some greyhounds to meet and greet.

Photo / Brydie Thompson

“What we want to do is get as many people as we can interested in greyhounds because with the racing ban beginning August 1 we have to find homes for these dogs,” she said. The Greyhound Pat & Chat offers people the chance to come along and meet a greyhound, chat to owners and volunteers and learn more about the breed, Henderson said. “We’re looking for fosterers and as well as families to adopt the dogs.” Find out more about Houndy Helpers – a volunteer-led community organisation of passionate greyhound pawrents and admirers – at: https:// houndyhelpers.org.nz

Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust is hosting a special free public evening next month to celebrate its partners, volunteers, supporters and wider conservation community – and everyone is welcome.

The trust’s Annual Public Meeting will be held at Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club at 7pm on August 10. Doors open at 6.15pm.

The night will include a kōrero (talk) from trust representatives, refreshments, a cash bar; and three speakers.

As Department of Conservation’s principal science advisor for predators, Craig Gillies will take event-goers on a journey examining toxoplasmosis in cats, emerging new baiting technologies and the intricacies of monitoring and managing feral cats, mustelids and rodents.

The trust’s kiwi team lead Andrew Poad will speak about the first Great Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Survey taken in early-June.

The event saw hundreds of participants trek and observe and record kiwi calls during late evening hours inside of the ngahere (forest).

Jennie Stenhouse, of the trust, will speak about the process of surveying, monitoring and analysing audio data.

The trust invites volunteers, supporters from afar or those simply curious to learn more. “Everyone is absolutely welcome!”

Friday 31 July 2026

The Weekend Sun

26

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acknowledgements

Friday 31 July 2026

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recently departed

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Greerton Senior Citizens Club AGM Friday 14th August 2026 At 1pm At the Senior Citizens Hall, 33 Maitland Street, Greerton, Tauranga

deaths MOSSOP, Gary Eric. (Jock) Passed away on 20th July 2026. Aged 80 years.

Surrounded by his loved wife and three children.

Loved husband of Betty Ann. Much loved father and father in law of, Maria, Ray, Jane, Jason, Mark and Stephen.

Cherished Poppa of, Hayley, Jamie, Melissa, Shayne, Chevelle, Ryan, Dalton, Brodie, Courtney, Sean, Tegan, Jack, Alexia and Luke. Treasured Great Poppa of, Poppy, Riley and angel babies Mason and Milo.

In accordance with Gary’s wishes a private service has been held.

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public notices TECT Community Trust – 2026 Election Nomination of Trustees The TECT Community Trust (TECT) is administered by six Trustees, three of whom retire by rotation this year. Nominations are sought for the election of three Trustees to hold office for the next four years. Retiring Trustees can stand for re-election if they choose. The Trustees retiring by rotation are Kate Barry-Piceno, Mark Arundel and Peter Blackwell. Peter Blackwell has confirmed he will not be seeking re-election.

To stand for election a candidate must be entered on the parliamentary electoral roll with an address in the TECT District (in Tauranga City or Western Bay of Plenty District Council areas). A nomination form and candidate handbook are available by request from the election helpline on 0800 666 937 or email to vote@electionz.com, by visiting the TECT office at The Kollective, 145 Seventeenth Ave, Tauranga, or from www.tect.org.nz Nominations must be in the hands of the Independent Returning Officer no later than 12 noon on Friday 28 August 2026.

Candidate Information Meeting If you would like to learn more about TECT and what is involved in being a trustee, you are invited to attend a candidate information meeting.

When: 6pm, Wednesday, 19 August 2026 Where: The Kollective, 145 17th Avenue, Tauranga 3112 RSVP: Email info@tect.org.nz or phone 07 578 5094

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