Proposed cull spares Te Teko
POTENTIAL closing of horse racing tracks around New Zealand could benefit Te Teko Racecourse. A report overseen by top Australian racing administrator and breeder John Messara was released at a public...
View ArticleGenerosity for Daffodil Day
THE Whakatane community gave generously on Daffodil Day with organisers reporting their highest donations in recent years. “We had so many community groups helping, we had Quota, the Lions, the RSA and...
View ArticleFunding for freedom campers
TWO Eastern Bay district councils have been given a share of $8 million to help manage freedom campers during the peak summer season. Both Whakatane and Opotiki district councils have received funding...
View ArticleFlight of the lampshades
A SHADY find on Tern Island has proven to be a tornado dropping. On August 26 – six days after a tornado hit nearby Port Ohope – Ohiwa environmentalist and bird watcher Mike Collins was out on...
View ArticleBerry farm ‘hero’ speaks as gunman jailed for five years
WHEN Rachel Adams pushed the gun from her chest and told the man with his face covered that he had to leave, she was thinking about the other people in the café and not her own safety. Sitting in the...
View ArticleCarrington’s golden half dozen
LISA Carrington has won more medals than the Wallabies have scored tries in recent weeks. The former Waiotahe Valley School student won a gold and four silver medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World...
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Hawai art and history tour
HAWAI artist Roka Cameron took visitors on an interesting journey through Maori art and her own special methods this week. The Opotiki Maori Women’s Welfare League’s kaumatua group were, on Tuesday,...
View ArticleOpotiki’s ownhorse track nears completion
IT has been more than three years in the making but Opotiki’s own horse track is now nearly complete. The track will circle the town and measures about 35 kilometres, spanning from Memorial Park to...
View ArticleNeighbourly offers response to criticism
NEIGHBOURLY operations director Sarah Moore has responded to criticism levelled against the social media platform. Ms Moore denies that Neighbourly puts subscribers on several separate mailing lists in...
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New citizens welcomed
OPOTIKI welcomed two new citizens of New Zealand at Tuesday’s Opotiki District Council meeting. Miroslawa Matthews and Ratchanee Dokpuang were supported by friends and family at the ceremony, and took...
View ArticleSafer roads in the works
WORK to improve the main road between Ohope and Opotiki may begin late next year. This was indicated at Tuesday’s meeting of the Opotiki District Council. The stretch between Ohope and Opotiki...
View ArticleNew proposal in revised harbour plan
OPOTIKI District Council is working on a revised harbour plan following the Government’s rejection of its initial $150 million bid. At Tuesday’s council meeting, chief executive Aileen Lawrie, said the...
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OPAC’s $9m office complex
OPAC is preparing to cut its administration building in half, so it can build a two-storey office complex. In what will be a $9 million investment, the company is increasing its cool storage capacity,...
View ArticleCause of death unclear
AN uncommon pygmy sperm whale was found washed up dead at Ohiwa Harbour on Tuesday. Department of Conservation ranger Pete Livingstone said the cause of death was still unclear. “He has a few scrapes...
View ArticleAnti-P drop-in meet
KAWERAU has a reputation when it comes to methamphetamine, but a local group from the Anti-P Ministry is trying to change this. Themselves recovering addicts, the group members are holding a drop-in...
View ArticleTe reo strategy spotlights reaching the wider community
THE launch of a major new te reo Maori strategy next week to strengthen the use of the Maori language in everyday life will set in motion a series of initiatives including a bilingual community focus...
View ArticleMore officers, less space for group
WITH the arrival of 27 new police officers in the Eastern Bay, space is going to be a premium at its stations. This means that after being at the Whakatane Police Station for 20 years, Neighbourhood...
View ArticleHonourable mention for airline
AIR Chathams gained an honourable mention for Airline of the Year at the Auckland Airport operations awards. Described as a “highly commended airline”, Air Chathams and Hawaiian Airlines were given...
View ArticleThree – two – one – lift-off
JACK Nelson has had a taste of what it is like to launch a rocket into space – and he is hooked. The Trident High School head boy has just got back from his 10-day trip to space camp in Norway. “It was...
View ArticleSchool teams aim high
EASTERN Bay schools will be in the middle of one of the country’s biggest sporting events next week. The annual Aims Games in Tauranga has athletes represent their schools at year 7 and 8 level across...
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