National call up for Whakatane rower
THIRD time was a charm for Whakatane rower Elliott Jenkins. The 17-year-old was named in the Rowing New Zealand junior team last week, earning the black singlet after his third time as a national...
View ArticleBuilding the family’s future in farming
HAVING grown up in Napier, Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee Award winner Zoe Gleeson says living the rural lifestyle is her natural habitat. “I always dreamed about it, I always wanted to be farming,” she...
View ArticleForestry operator fined for reckless harvesting
A FOREST owner and harvesting company responsible for a 197 hectare pine forest in steep mountainous terrain south-east of Opotiki have received a hefty fine for their environmental offending. The...
View ArticleFlavell honoured at opening
HE may have been dumped as Waiariki’s MP but Te Ururoa Flavell’s contribution to the electorate has been immortalised at a housing development near Te Teko. The former Maori development minister was at...
View ArticleOne shot at sevens qualification
YOUTH Olympic Games selection is on the line for the New Zealand women’s under-18 sevens team this weekend. The squad, which includes Opotiki’s Tynealle Fitzgerald, flies to Sydney today ahead of the...
View ArticleGetting plants into the soil
MAKING the shift from working in Whakatane to take up a role with the Opotiki District Council was easy for Josh Hunter. “I live in Opotiki anyway,” he said. Working as the new parks and recreation...
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Nurses take action
AFTER 25 years working as a nurse at three major hospitals, perioperative nurse Gail Thomas is at the top of her salary grade and cannot be paid more. “I get $32 an hour and I cannot earn more unless I...
View ArticleHarbour care cleans up
THE Whakatane harbour care group held a working bee on the weekend. The aim of the working bee was to clear weeds from the harbour area to ensure the local ecosystems are protected. The group clears...
View ArticleNine arrests, $500,000 assets restrained
OPERATION Fauna targeting the manufacturing and distribution of synthetic cannabis and money laundering has resulted in nine arrests – eight in Tauranga and one in West Auckland. Police yesterday...
View ArticleAction-packed holiday for teens
MATATA Blue Light spent the first week of the school holidays taking 28 teenagers through an action-packed programme. Senior Constable Kevin Raynes said the purpose of the programme was to get teens...
View ArticleEnduro a test for cyclist
EVE Smith was in top form at the 2W Gravity Enduro mountainbike race in Rotorua last week. The Trident High School student won the 15-to-18-year-old women’s section. The event was a four-stage race in...
View ArticleFilm scouts visit the Bay
THREE internationally-recognised film location scouts from the United States will visit Whakatane next week. The award-winning scouts have worked on significant Hollywood productions all over the world...
View Article‘Over the top’ pool rules rile homeowners
A MOKORUA couple are wondering whether it would be easier to fill their pool in following a visit by an inspector. Diane and Mike Collings’ fenced-off pool at their Appenzell Drive home has been...
View ArticleAnzac – Malayan emergency veteran
KENDRICK Williams joined the 1st Battalion heading to Malaya after seeing an advertisement in a local newspaper. The Malayan Emergency occurred in the years after World War II, from 1948 to 1960, when...
View ArticleAnzac – A time to remember
FORMER soldier Fraser Shaw, who spent several years in Afghanistan, will be at today’s dawn service with his students. Mr Shaw is the director of Trident High School’s Service Academy, which offers...
View ArticleAnzac – Memorial service to honour many
WHEN Barry Caulfield purchased the Awakeri Memorial Hall, he said the veterans for whom the building was built would always have a place of recognition. During the few months since the purchase was...
View ArticleAnzac display at Golden Pond
GOLDEN Pond rest home has created another impressive Anzac Day display for residents to enjoy. Each year the Anzac display has a different theme, in previous years it has been soldiers and nurses, this...
View ArticleWaste consultation process delayed
WITH two Opotiki District Council meetings cancelled this week, the expected start of the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan consultation process has been delayed. An official consultation process...
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Omarumutu to host dawn parade
OPOTIKI war researcher and author Sonia Edwards will be the guest speaker at the Cenotaph during this year’s Anzac commemorations next week. RETURNING Opotiki RSA president Barry McPhee will act as MC...
View ArticleCouncillor welcomes Kiwibank lead
OPOTIKI district councillor Barry Howe says he wholeheartedly agrees with Kiwibank’s stance to not deal with dodgy lenders. Mr Howe, in April 2015, asked that the council look into the possibility of...
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