Wednesday November 27, 2024
Service honoured
By Frank Neill
Wainuiomata firefighter Wayne Hunt was presented a gold star for 25 years’ service at the Wainuiomata Volunteer Fire Brigade’s honours evening on 23 November.
Wayne was presented his gold star by Senior Fire Fighter Mati Soi, the President of the Wellington Provincial United Fire Brigades’ Association and a member of the Wainuiomata brigade.
Continued on page 2.
Wainuiomata firefighter Wayne Hunt wearing the gold star he had just been presented.
Photo: Frank Neill.
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wainui@wsn.co.nz 027 490 3916
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A great achievement
Continued from page 1
Speakers at the honours evening said that the award recognised Wayne’s significant contribution to Fire and Emergency New Zealand, fire fighting, the Wainuiomata Volunteer Fire Brigade and the community.
“Congratulations, Wayne, on this great achievement,” Wainuiomata’s Chief Fire Officer Peter Thompson said when introducing the award presentation.
“Wayne started his journey with the Wainuiomata Bush Force... on 4 July 1982,” Mati Soi said just before the gold star was presented.
He served with the Wainuiomata Bush Voluntary Rural Fire Force for 12 years, finishing on 6 November 1994. The next day, 7 November 1994, Wayne joined the Department of Conservation where he served – including service as a fire fighter – until 24 November 2000. Following that, Wayne had a break for the next 18 years.
“Then he saw the light” and joined the Wainuiomata brigade on 3 March 2018, Mati Soi said.
“Since he joined he has been absent 12 times, which gives him a 96% attendance record.”
That is a very high attendance rate. Although she was unable to be present, Wayne’s wife Caresse was also honoured at the evening, with many of the speakers noting the important contribution she had made in supporting her husband. Two special awards – Fire
and Emergency New Zealand Value Awards – were presented during the evening.
Anita Nearey was presented a Value Award on the nomination of a Wainuiomata resident whose home was recently totally destroyed by fire.
“A special thanks to the volunteer firewoman Anita, who stayed with me and supported me through this nightmare,” the resident said.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Jacqui Warnes was presented a Value Award for all the work she has done for the Get Firewise programme.
Get Firewise is a learning programme for five and six year olds, designed to give them knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that will keep them safe around fire.
A special presentation was made to former Station Officer Craig Nicholson, who recently retired after 15 years’ service.
Craig was also made an Honourary Member of the brigade at the honours evening.
Three firefighters were presented certificates for their first three years of service: Eva Parlachief, Solomon Daniel and Roger Whioke. Eight firefighters were presented two year silver and gold bars for two years’ additional service. Matthew Taylor, Magnus Huber and Jacqui Warnes were presented two year silver bars for 7 years’ service.
Donald Underdown was presented a two year silver bar for 9
years’ service. Andrew Robertson and Trent Holden were presented two year silver bars for 11 years’ service. Colin Hamilton was presented a two year silver bar for 17 years’ service. Cliff George was presented a two year gold bar for 31 years’ service. Two firefighters were not present to receive their two year silver bars: Rod Wealleans for 13 years’ service and Ahron Eastall for 21 years’ service.
Anita Nearey with the FENZ Value Award she was presented.
Photo: Frank Neill.
Jacqui Warnes with the FENZ Value Award she was presented.
Photo: Frank Neill.
The Wainuiomata firefighters who received their two year gold and silver bars (from left) Eva Parlachief, Solomon Daniel, Roger Whioke, Matthew Taylor, Magnus Huber, Jacqui Warnes, Donald Underdown, Andrew Robertson, Trent Holden, Colin Hamilton and Cliff George. Photo: Frank Neill.
Community Patrol needs volunteers
The Wainuiomata Community Patrol’s new addition, a Haval H2. Photo: Supplied.
By Frank Neill
The Wainuiomata Community Patrol is seeking volunteers so it can provide better coverage of the valley. Every Friday and Saturday, as well as other random days during the week, the patrol is out and about, keeping an eye on Wainuiomata.
“It would be great to get more days out,” the Community Patrol Co-ordinator Tracey Mansfield says. To do that, the patrol needs more volunteers. Ideally, they need enough people so they can patrol every day of the week. To find out more about volunteering for the Community Patrol contact Tracey at wainuipatrol@gmail.com.
“Help keep your neighbourhood safe while making new friends and learning new skills,” Tracey says.
“With flexible hours and support from the team, you can volunteer at a time that works best for you. “Together, we can create a safer and stronger Wainuiomata," Tracey says. The time commitment is not big either. People who can volunteer for four hours a month would be welcome. If they want to, people can also volunteer to serve for longer. “Our main aim is to deter crime – deterring and preventing things before they happen,” Tracey says.
The patrol does this by being visible and highly present.
“Although we can’t measure it, we know that we do deter crime.
“You are not going to break into somebody’s house if you are going to be seen by the community patrol,” she says.
The community patrols provide an “invaluable service” to the community, says Sergeant Patrick Tangipo, Officer in Charge of the Wainuiomata Police. The service “works really well as the eyes and ears of the Police, to see what is going on in the community and to work towards making Wainuiomata a safe place.
“When something happens they are often in the right place at the right time and can pass the information on to us. “They are a good source of intelligence and can alert us to something we need to look at. “With their intelligence and ringing us, they help us build a picture of who’s out and about. “I think they are a great asset to have out there in the community.” The community patrol recently bought a vehicle, a 2018 Haval H2, which is bigger and more suitable for patrolling. The patrol thanks its sponsors and Hutt City Council for helping them achieve this goal.
“We needed a bigger vehicle so we are over the moon,” Tracey says.
Women’s Rugby
The Wainuiomata women’s preseason Rugby is now taking place every Monday and Wednesday. Women of all ages and abilities are welcome at the preseason, which kicked off on Monday 25 November. “Bring sport shoes, water and a friend,” the Rugby club says. The training begins at 6:30pm every Monday and Wednesday at the Green Room of the Wainuiomata Rugby clubrooms.
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Christmas Gala at high school
The Wharekura at Wainuiomata High School is hosting a Christmas kai Gala on Friday 6 December from 5pm to 8pm.
The gala will feature fun for the whole wh nau, with live performances, face painting, bouncy castles and a lolly scramble to keep the tamariki entertained, and will be held near the school’s wharenui.
If it is raining, the gala will be held in the gymnasium.
There will also be a range of delicious kai to keep everyone’s puku full, including raw fish, frybread, chop suey, baking and desserts.
The students will be selling Christmas gifts, such as art prints, Christmas decorations and earrings too. The event is taking place thanks to the generous support of the Hutt City Council.
The Wharekura is fundraising to take a group of 50 students, staff and wh nau to Canada in June 2025.
The opportunity to travel to Canada has been created through an invitation for a selection of the Wharekura’s Kapa Haka, Te Tira Whakaau, to perform at the Kamloopa Powwow.
Te Tira Whakaau, who won the regional secondary school competition in 2023, will perform alongside indigenous performers from across the globe, over three nights at the Powwow which each year draws an audience of over 10,000.
Students from the Wharekura’s national winning Ki-o-rahi sides will also run workshops and demonstrations as a part of the festivities.
Students from the M ori Activism and M ori Literature classes will also join the trip and take part in creative writing workshops at the University of British Columbia under the tutelage of Te tiawa scholar and award-winning poet, Professor Alice Te Punga Somerville, who is Head of the English Language and Literatures at the University of British Columbia.
The Wharekura will also host a group from Kamloops in Aotearoa early next year so the students can learn about the shared experiences of colonisation, Treaties and language revitalisation.
People who would like to make a koha to the travelling group can email nicole@ wainuiomatahigh.school.nz.
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Vegetation fire on Wainui coast
By Frank Neill
Firefighters from Wainuiomata’s two fire brigades extinguished a fire at the end of Coast Road during the weekend of 23 and 24 November.
Xmas in the Nui
Christmas in the Nui will come to the Wainuiomata Town Centre, Queen Street, on 30 November.
This event will begin at 11am and run to 3pm.
The fair will feature a wide variety of stalls, both in the Wainuiomata Community Hall and in the outdoors.
The fire burnt through driftwood and tussock between the Coast Road and the beach, covering around 1.4 hectares before it was extinguished.
Firefighters fought the blaze until 5:30am on Sunday 24 November.
The Wainuiomata Bush Voluntary Rural Fire Force and the Wainuiomata Volunteer Fire Brigade were called to the blaze at 11:49pm on 23 November.
The two Wainuiomata brigades then had to return to the scene to extinguish some hot spots at 2:26pm on the Sunday.
The volunteer brigade was at the scene for about 45 minutes on Sunday before handing over to the bush fire brigade, who were there for about two hours.
Wainuiomata’s two Chief Fire Officers, Peter Thompson and Rodney Hargreaves, think that the fire started with a camp fire or bon fire.
Ten appliances attended late on Saturday night – one from the Wainuiomata Volunteer Fire Brigade, four from the Wainuiomata Bush Voluntary Rural Fire Force, four from Remutaka and one from Wellington.
The fire shows “it’s a bit drier than people think,” CFO Thompson told the “Wainuiomata News”.
It will also feature live entertainment throughout the day, including music, dancing and cultural performances. Christmas in the Nui is presented by Kokiri Marae Health and Social Services, Love Wainuiomata and TiHei Rangatahi.
Award for Lunar New Year Festival
The Asian Events Trust has won the Arts and Culture Award at the Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards for the Lunar New Year Festival, which drew in more than 30,000 attendees to Wellington’s waterfront, with an extra 16,000 online.
Stephannie Tims, Trustee of Asian Events Trust, was overwhelmed and honoured to accept the award. “So much work goes into the two-week celebration, created by the community for the community,” Stephannie says.“This award is dedicated to every
volunteer, supporter and participant who makes it all possible.
“We are truly humbled to receive this recognition. It’s a privilege to create something that brings the community together year after year.”
The Lunar New Year Festival is back again in February 2025.
The 2025 festival programme to welcome in the Year of the Snake will be launched on 5 December 2024. For more information visit ww.lunarnewyearfestival.co.nz.
He advises people to be “mindful of the wind” before lighting a fire and also to check that it is all right to light a fire.
People can check this out by visiting www. checkitsalright.nz.
This website provides a three-step tool to let people know whether it is safe to light a fire and if a permit is needed.
AFC, Richard Prouse Park
Women cricketers finally play and win
By Frank Neill
The Wainuiomata women’s premier Cricket XI finally played their first match of the season, scoring a comfortable victory over Upper Hutt United on 23 November.
The team was scheduled to play their first match on 9 November, but instead they beat Upper Hutt United by default.
Their scheduled encounter with the Taita Queens was abandoned on 16 November.
Batting first at Sladden Park on Saturday, Upper Hutt was restricted to 75 for the loss of eight wickets in the division three encounter.
Wainuiomata did not lose a single wicket when overhauling the Upper Hutt score, reaching 75 in just seven overs and five balls.
Matie Witman starred with both the bat and the ball for Wainuiomata.
Matie took all eight wickets to fall, at a cost of 63 runs. She also bowled one maiden over.
Matie was 19 not out, scored from
LETTERS to the editor
Letters on issues of community interest are welcomed. Guidelines are that they should be no longer than 150 words. Email them to news@wsn.co.nz. Please note that your name must also be provided in e mails.
Bad biking
Dear Editor,
In the 1970sI attendedMotocross competition racing. Yourequired acompetition licencefrom the ACU. We took our bikes around on Trailers not on the streets. Youlot are a disgracetothesport of Motocross. If youwere puton a real Motocross circuityou would freak out. Youare so used to riding onflat ground like parksand onstreets. You have
18 deliveries, when Wainuiomata surpassed the Upper Hutt total.
Marina McCarthy batted outstandingly for Wainuiomata, reaching a half century. She was 51 not out, scored from only 32 deliveries, at the end of the match.
The Wainuiomata women’s next match sees them play Naenae Old Boys at Fraser Park on 30 November.
The Wainuiomata men’s team did not fare so well on 23 November.
Batting first on their home ground of Linden Park, North City scored
Working from home
Dear Editor, I want to bring to your attention how certain managers, teams, branches and public service departments are not treating their staff the same when it comes to making people come to the office as per the government’s mandate.
I have seen and heard of this happening from friends, family and people online, but most importantly have been told by both my organisation and direct manager. In my 1-1 meeting, my manager reiterated that the expectation is to
noidea at allyou are just out to cause troubleand trouble you willget if some peoplegive you a beatingit would serve you right. If the Police can’t get you the public will.
As for yourriding behaviouryouneed togrow upand act mature, then you may getrespect. By the wayif you havean encounter with a car or truckguesswho wins. Your badattitudes may cost
come to the office every day now due to reasons XYZ, and in the same breath said they’re “not too worried about XYZ in the team as they have young children and they live further out from the office and need to catch the train or drive in.”
Noting that no one in the team has a formal WFH [working from home] arrangement, I have been asked to come in and would need to provide robust evidence if I need to WFH on a adhoc basis with prior approval. This is ridiculous and extremely unprofessional.
you your lives. I just hopeyou don’thave to end up as astiff for the undertakersthroughshowing offand making badridingerrors. Oh yes it’s your lives, asyou say. Just don’t kill anyinnocentpersonon the footpaths. You willget time to think aboutyour bad errors behind barswith aconvictionof manslaughter. Would your families
ACROSS
1. Be traitorous (6,5)
7. Alien (7)
11. Lowest point (5)
12. Italian wine (7)
13. Latin American dance (5)
14. FIll with delight (9)
15. Abode (9)
16. World’s largest river (6)
18. Mobile home (7)
21. Sinistral (4)
23. For every (3)
25. Jack (in cribbage) (3)
27. Neat (4)
28. Castrated horse (7)
30. Became bitter (6)
32. High mountain (3)
33. Evil spell (3)
34. Puzzle (6)
35. Large grey goose (7)
36. Cross between a grapefruit & a tangerine (4)
37. Deed (3)
39. Petrol(inf) (3)
41. College official (4)
43. Diplomatic (7)
45. Young people (6)
48. Advancement (9)
49. Crouching down (9) 51. Take in & feed(livestock)
245 for the loss of five wickets in their 50 overs of the division two Hazlett Trophy match. They then bowled Wainuiomata out for 155.
Captain Jackson Hemingway was the best of the Wainuiomata bowlers, taking two wickets at a cost of 32 runs.
Craig Foster and Gurpreet Singh featured with both the bat and the ball.
Craig was Wainuiomata’s top scorer with 47 runs and took one wicket for 31 runs.
Gurpreet took one wicket for 40 runs and finished on 15 not out.
Callum Mackaness was the other Wainuiomata wicket taker, and ended with figures of one wicket for 49 runs.
Nikhil Narayanankutty scored 18 runs and Yesh Prashnath scored 17 runs.
Wainuiomata’s next match sees them play Upper Hutt United at Bryan Heath Park on 30 November.
Just because staff may not have young children or live ‘close’ to the CBD (note, it takes an hour for me to get to work on the bus), why are we being discriminated against and not given equal treatment from our colleagues?
Our time, money, and health is just as valuable. The rule should be the same for everyone. I shouldn’t not get the same WFH/flexible informal agreement privileges because I am not a parent or based on where I live in the Wellington region.
be proudof youcausingsomeone to diethrough your recklessdisregard for other people? I hope you don’t get killeddoing your stupid show offtacticson the roads. There was ayoung manoncewhorode amotorbikeinjandalsand no helmet. One dayhehit a car side on.
Theemergencyserviceswere picking up what was left of him.Someneeded counselling
I feel utterly disappointed that I am being required to come in every day whilst others can continue doing what they were prior to these changes without consequences. I understand that agencies and teams have their own ways to put into practice these changes but this unfair behaviour is having a toll on our mental, physical, and financial wellbeing. Our time is just as valuable and just because we don’t have a young child doesn’t mean we don’t have other family commitments. Anonymous
for what they saw. Do youyoung peoplewant to end up like thatrider? Showing offcancauseyou great pain. I know what pain iscoming offon thecircuit.It is worse onthe roadswhere your skingets ripped off through not wearing the right gear. Think aboutit. Is it worthshowing off and losingyour lives or your body parts or end upparalyzed? Peter Wells
for payment (5)
52. Mythical creature (7)
53. Bony plated marine fish(Europe) (5) 54. Skilled workman (7) 55. Hell (6,5)
DOWN
1. Stupid (5) 2. Deceitful (11) 3. Tip of graduates hood (8) 4. Desert plant (6) 5. Yellow-green colour (5)
6. Drink of red wine & fruit juice (7)
Cattle breed (8)
Cure (6)
Vast (7)
Loop (5)
Changed (7)
Overlook (7)
Snake (5)
Posy (7)
Conservative party member (5,6) 32. Wing (3)
Witch (3)
Habitually silent (8)
Left-handed person(inf) (8)
Writer of love (7)
Stress (7)
Adages (6)
Pear-shaped fruit (6)
Italian syndicate (Americas’ Cup) (5)
Sprout (5)
Gluttony (5)
