A MAN was transported to Tauranga Hospital after being accidentally shot in the shoulder last night.
A police spokeswoman said police were called to the Otakiri incident at 11.24pm and the caller advised a man had been accidentally shot in the shoulder.
The man was reported to be status 1 or critical condition and was transported to hospital by helicopter.
Police were talking to people who were at the property to confirm exactly what happened.
STUDENTS in the junior class at St Joseph’s Catholic School, Matata were excited after hearing about Team New Zealand’s victory in Bermuda last week. Their teacher, Marie Mason, had them spend the day creating their own yachts, using cardboard boxes.
The children from left to right are, Alarnah Moeke, Tiahomaira Henry, Te Rangimarie Tibble, Lily Hunt, Marama Cliffe, Te Hau Whenua Hape, Te Rangatira Marks and Te Wharau Daly.
Photo supplied
ENGINE TEAM: Jayden Biddick, Harry Rangihika, Nick Wills, Wayne Wills and Tim Jones have all the necessary expertise to recondition motors.
Photo Mark Rieder D5579-02
WITH three decades of experience working with engines, Whakatane businessman Tim Jones took ownership of W & R Wills engine reconditioning knowing it was a solid business opportunity.
Mr Jones said he was impressed with the company’s history and reputation in the community.
Previously a business consultant, Mr Jones said he was glad the business came up for sale at a time when he was looking to start a new career.
“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” he said.
“I’ve spent the last four years advising power companies on running their businesses and putting in new software programmes.”
His background in working with high-performance engines as a hobby made the decision to switch careers easier.
“The experience I bring is I have been involved in the hot-rodding or American vehicle modification scene for 30 years. From a hobbyist point of view, I have experience working on American V8 engines,” he said.
He is supported by a knowledgeable staff, Jayden Biddick, Harry Rangihika and Nick Wills – the son of the company’s founder.
“All his staff have remained so nothing has really changed,” he said.
Founder Wayne Wills is also providing his expertise as a consultant when needed.
“Wayne is certainly offering help as we move forward,” Mr Jones said.
Wayne and his late father Robert started W & R Wills in 1987, just two doors down from their current workshop at 25 McAlister Street.
The company provides service for trade businesses – such as garages and service workshops, which makes up three-quarters of their business – and car enthusiasts who fix and re-build hot rods, vintage cars, jet boats, motorsport racers and drifters.
Mr Jones said technology had changed how engines performed, making it more difficult to recondition them.
“Modern engines are much more complex. The tolerances are much tighter and we have to be much more careful in measuring parts and making sure they are machined correctly,” he said.
The business recently invested $150,000 in new gear.
They have the only crankshaft grinder in the Eastern Bay, which attracts clients from as far as Te Puke and the East Coast.
CONNECTING with a mental health professional is now a four-digit phone number away.
Calling or text messaging 1737 from any landline or mobile phone will contact the National Telehealth Services.
Whakatane police Senior Sergeant Yvonne Parker said nationally police were receiving, on average, 90 calls every 24 hours in relation to mental health and addiction issues.
“This new number will enable people to connect with the right help rather than call 111.”
Health minister Jonathan Coleman said the new free 24-7 number, launched last week, would make it easier for people to connect with mental health and addictions professionals.
“It’s important that we talk about our mental health and wellbeing with our friends and family, but it’s equally as important that there is professional support available when we need it.
“It’s a new and easy way to access the existing National Telehealth Services provided through the Alcohol and Drug, Depression, and Gambling Helplines.”
Dr Coleman said research showed four digit numbers were easier to remember, and they could attract a wider range of people who might feel other specific lines were not suited to their needs.
“The same trained mental health professionals who currently respond to calls, texts, webchat and emails across the existing National Telehealth Service mental health and addiction helplines will be on hand to support people who call or text 1737.”
Dr Coleman said the service would give New Zealand police and ambulance staff the option to transfer 111 callers who need non-urgent social or psychological support to a 24/7 mental health nursing team for assistance.
COSY CLASS: Ahu Williams, Hawaiiki Rangiaho and Kaytlen Tamatea-Kepa sit around a table made for a classroom homework project.
Photo Troy Baker DS5584-01
ADDING a touch of home to the classroom was the focus of a homework challenge for Kawerau Putauaki School students.
This term, students from room Totara have been researching, designing and creating a furnishing for their classroom to make it more comfortable.
As the term comes to an end, the projects are arriving in the classroom, with 10 projects presented for judging.
The winning project, a fishing rod lamp, was made by student Chassis-Haze Wineti.
He created a floor lamp from a fishing rod with a little light bulb at the top.
Other entries included couch covers, a swing, table, mirror, sign and a do-it-yourself table complete with dividers, pencil holders and a home sign.
Ten-year-old students Ahu Williams and Kaytlen Tamatea-Kepa worked together on their project and created a pallet chair with cubby holes in the side to store items.
“We had to build things to come into the classroom to make it feel homely,” Kaytlen said.
Set as a homework challenge, the students were encouraged to use recycled materials.
Ahu said she and her best friend learnt how hard the project was and discovered pallets were a lot bigger than they initially thought.
However, the girls did enjoy hammering nails and looked forward to decorating it.
Student Hawaiiki Rangiaho, nine, made a table fit for a classroom, complete with dividers for books and holders for pens, pencils and other utensils needed for learning.
She said she and her grandfather completed the project together, even putting wheels on it to make it easy to move around the classroom.
The project was set by teacher Chris Slabbert and judged by board of trustees co-chairperson Lynsey Chase.
“The winning project was very creative and it was hard to choose a winner.
“But I had to judge on the [project] brief which said the student had to display something about themselves.”
She said the fishing rod was a creative way of expressing the joy of fishing.
Each student received a certificate for their effort and were each given a chocolate prize.
TOPS AT TILL: Whakatane Pak’nSave manager Stu Seemens is thrilled his team, including Rebecca Muggeridge, Bevan Thrupp, Jarrod Pinkerton, Kashmira McVicker, Libby Marshall and Nerissa Thorburn, has scooped first prize in a checkout competition. Ms Thorburn also took title of Checker of the Year. Photo Louis Klaassen D5565-06
A WHAKATANE Pak’nSave staffer has been crowned Checker of the Year after beating out the competition at an annual competition.
Nerissa Thorburn placed first out of 95 tellers taking part in Foodstuffs’ North Island annual competition involving tellers from New World, Pak’nSave and Four Square stores across the Bay of Plenty region.
Ms Thorburn was part of a team of seven from Whakatane Pak’nSave, which placed first equal with a team from Mt Maunganui New World.
Whakatane team member Rebecca Muggeridge placed fourth as an individual.
Ms Thorburn said she was thrilled to win as this had been the 20th time she had competed. She said she had been employed with Pak’nSave since 1994, when she started out as a teller and grocery packer. Today she is checkout manager, supervising and training tellers.
She will next be up against nine other regional winners who will all be vying for the national title as best checker.
Ms Thorburn will be “mystery shopped” three times between August and November, when her skills will again be judged.
“We are judged on our speed, on our customer service, how accurate we are, are we making eye contact, and even on how we look, our uniform, makeup and hair,” she said.
Ms Thorburn is proud that it took her 46 seconds to process 30 items at the till, including one non-scanning item, and six or seven “smellies”, such as soap, that had to be separated from other goods in the regional competition.
The national winner will be announced at the Foodstuffs North Island Excellence Awards in November.
AWARDS NIGHT: Whakatane Mayor Tony Bonne presents Whakatane Volunteer Fire Brigade members Steve Butler, Andy Robertson and Reece Pickett with long service and good conduct awards. Photo supplied
LONG-serving members of the Whakatane Volunteer Fire Brigade were acknowledged at the brigade’s honours evening recently.
Whakatane Mayor Tony Bonne said he applauded the way the fire service recognised the contribution of its members.
Among the recipients were Tracy Rhodes, Doug Berben and Chris Hands who received life honorary membership awards.
Steve Butler, Reece Pickett and Andy Robertson also received long service and good conduct medals. Mr Berben, Dave Beeching and Steve Mallasch were awarded gold bars, which are awarded every two years after 25 years of service. They have served for 29, 29 and 31 years respectively.
Silver bars, awarded every two years after five years of service, were awarded to Matt Good, Craig Rowson, Grant Farmer, Karl Shillingford, Garth Sunckell and Mr Butler. Zak Hickford received his five-year medal while Adyn Ogle was awarded the three-year certificate.
CAMPS: A Syrian family look through the WhaleAid Aleppo photobook.
Photos supplied
It’s not just locally-funded aid that has made its way from the Eastern Bay of Plenty to Syria as a result of the hugely successful WhaleAid Aleppo campaign.
A photobook, detailing the initiative, has also made the 16,000-kilometre journey and its arrival marked the end of a project that raised $40,000 to help families displaced by civil war.
Throughout the project, photographs were taken of fundraising activities and posted on the WhaleAid Aleppo Facebook page.
Project co-ordinator Anne Bulley – one of a group of athletes who raised funds in a sponsored 10-kilometre swim from Whale Island to Whakatane – said from the growing collection of images came the idea of compiling the photobook.
“We wanted to share the story of the fundraising with the families we are helping in Syria, to let them know how this community cared and wanted to help.”
“The photobook captured the many people involved and the activities that took place in the Eastern Bay to raise funds, everything from the gate-sales of avocados, to the swim, and the finale dinner at Ohiwa Wharf, hosted by Tom Maguire, which took place in early-April.”
The WhaleAid Aleppo project was launched in November 2016, at the time that Syrian families were being forced to flee their homes in Aleppo in the face of the escalating civil war. The aim was to raise funds to support
ReliefAid a NZ based charity working with ShelterBox UK, which was coordinating the distribution of vital shelter supplies to Syrian families living in displacement camps.
The initial fundraising target of $10,000 was quickly achieved. The final total of $40,000, in conjunction with another $4-5000 raised by a Wellington swimmer who also did the Whale Island swim, is covering the distribution cost of shelter kits to 800 families (4800 people) living in nine separate displacement camps outside Aleppo city; 1017 sets of children’s clothing delivered via schools; and 2650 individual packs of educational materials.
The first leg of the photobook’s journey was to a distribution centre in Turkey.
“We hoped it would make it to Turkey, and were excited when we were notified it had got there, but we were over the moon when we got images back showing the book had made it all the way to the displacement camps in Syria,” Mrs Bulley said.
ReliefAid founder Mike Seawright, who was in Whakatane to speak at the finale dinner, has been overseeing the distribution in Turkey and transit from the border into Syria.
“Families forced to flee from the fighting have had to face the horrors of having their homes and families destroyed, only to arrive in camps where the living conditions can only be described as horrific.
“They arrive with nothing, not even the basic needs to protect themselves from the extreme weather conditions. With temperatures expected to reach 50 degrees in summer, the shelter materials will be life-saving.”
“The support provided by the Eastern Bay community not only ensures the provision of practical help to families, but also gives a glimmer of hope to communities who feel all but abandoned.
“After more than five years of fighting, families much like our own are in desperate need of hope.”
DOCTORS and nurses gathered in force outside Whakamax Movies where the controversial film Vaxxed was being screened to a full house on Monday night.
It was the biggest protest action the film had encountered since it premiered in Auckland at the beginning of April. It has been shown across the country since then.
The group of medical professionals was there to hand out information leaflets about the scientific benefits of immunisation to people arriving to see the documentary – which claims the mumps measles and rubella (MMR) vaccination has led to a rise in autism in children.
The action comes amid concerns about declining immunisation rates in the Eastern Bay, and in the wake of a mumps outbreak in Auckland in which 80 percent of cases are not vaccinated.
Vaccination rates in the Eastern Bay have been steadily declining, although the latest statistics for June show a slight increase on the previous months. The region ranks 35 out of 36 in the country for the number of children who are fully vaccinated.
The screening, organised by the Tauranga branch of VaxxedNZ, has also drawn criticism from medical experts across the country.
VaxxedNZ said it had brought the movie to Whakatane because there had been a demand for it. Vaxxed NZ’s Truly Godfrey said they had met with their biggest protest action in Whakatane.
Moviegoers were invited to fill in cardboard hearts and sign them if they have a loved one who they believe has been injured by a vaccine.
Sarah Cox said her son Jacob, who is now 20, had suffered numerous symptoms after his first MMR vaccine, and ended up in a wheelchair after his second vaccine at the age of nine. She said they were asking doctors to include a package insert with information on the side effects of vaccines.
Ms Godfrey said more than 1300 people had been to see the film countrywide.
Outside Whakamax, Whakatane Hospital emergency doctor Matthew Valentine said he and the rest of the group wanted to hand out scientific information about the safety of vaccinations to moviegoers.
They also wanted to show, as parents and members of the community, that they were concerned about the message the movie imparted and, as health professionals, that they cared about the health of the community.
Dr Valentine said the debate over vaccinations should not be an emotional one. He said the scientific evidence around the benefits of vaccinations was solid.
Auckland University microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles has weighed in on the debate, warning the people of Whakatane in a Sciblog that the film is “an emotive piece of anti-vaccination propaganda that will attempt to manipulate you into believing that there is a link between the MMR (measles/mumps/rubella) vaccine and autism”.
“This simply isn’t true. Many, many studies, involving millions of the children all over the world, have shown no link.
“Instead, researchers have found that there are differences in the brains of children with autism well before the age they would receive the MMR vaccine.”
She said most paediatricians and doctors, as well as the advocacy group Altogether Autism support the position that vaccines are safe.
The Immunisation Advisory Centre also said: “There is no scientific basis for the claims outlined in the film and MMR vaccine continues to demonstrate an excellent safety profile”.
It said the film was made by a discredited former gastroenterologist and based on a study he did which was “falsified”.
“When public confidence in the MMR vaccine wavered in the 1990s, vaccination rates dropped and measles cases increased, leading to many hospitalisations and some deaths.”
Bay immunisation rates among lowest
THE Eastern Bay ranks 35 out of 36 in the country for the number of children who are fully vaccinated by the age of eight months, Ministry of Health data reveals.
Of 36 primary health organisations, the Eastern Bay Primary Health Alliance records an 86 percent immunisation coverage for children who turned eight months between January and March this year.
The Ngati Porou Hauora Charitable Trust was the only PHO with lower rates, at 74 percent. The highest rates were in Christchurch and Canterbury at 97 percent.
The Ministry of Health’s target is for 95 percent of children to be immunised by the ages of eight months, two years and five years.
Latest figures for the three-month period until June 30 show that 78 percent of children aged eight months have been vaccinated – up 1 percent on the previous three months. For children aged two years vaccination rates are 90 percent, which is also up 1 percent, and for children aged five years it is down 1 percent to 81 percent.
Immunisation data has also been collated based on social factors such as ethnicity and deprivation.
The Bay of Plenty also ranked among the lowest for immunisations in children aged five by the end of March in data collated based on ethnicity.
In total, 82 percent of children aged five had been immunised in the Bay – placing the region 19th out of 20 district health boards. Northland was the only region with lower rates – at 91 percent.
MidCentral ranked the highest at 93 percent.
On average, 88 percent of children aged five are immunised countrywide.
The rates of immunisation drop further when based on ethnicity. In the Bay, only 80.3 percent of Maori children and 83.3 percent of Pacific Island children aged five are fully immunised. Northland is the only region with lower rates. The highest rates for Maori are Hawkes Bay at 94.3 percent and South Canterbury and the West Coast at 100 percent for Pacific Island people.
Statistics based on social deprivation show that only 77.1 percent of the most impoverished children aged five from the Bay are immunised. Only the West Coast is lower at 60 percent and the highest is the Hawkes Bay at 93 percent.
Immunisation Accountability Group chairwoman, Dr Alison James, said the reasons for the reducing immunisation coverage in the Eastern Bay were “multifactorial”, but the Bay of Plenty District Health Board was working on new initiatives to raise the rates.
“This includes working with midwives to promote validated and scientific sources of information on vaccination to pregnant mothers.
“Increasing vaccination rates is a key priority as winter arrives as the lower number immunised in our community mean there are more vulnerable tamariki out there for diseases such as whooping cough and measles to spread.”
Firefighters work at the scene of the fatal crash. Photo Fairfax
A MAN is dead following a crash between a train and ute at Otamarakau this morning.
Kawerau police Al Fenwick said the incident occurred at 8.35am at the Sandspit Campground.
Mr Fenwick said according to the train driver, the vehicle appeared to be slowing down to stop for the tracks.
But instead, "it drove slowly in front of him and onto the tracks", when the train struck the vehicle on the driver's side.
Mr Fenwick said the vehicle was wrapped around the front of the train for more than 500-metres before it came to a stop.
"The man was badly injured and died before emergency services could free him."
First at the scene was camp caretaker Colin Campbell who heard the collision, the vehicle dragging on the railway tracks and stones flying.
"I was cleaning out the deep freezer in the bus when I heard the horn on the train."
Mr Campbell said the horn sounding was not uncommon as trains had to sound their horn to warn cars at that crossing.
He went out to observe and saw how close the train was to the vehicle on the track and heard a longer hoot of the horn.
Mr Campbell watched the vehicle, wrapped around the front of the train, be pushed by the train carrying 11,000 tonnes of material.
"I quickly ran to the vehicle when it came to a stop and asked the man if he was ok."
The man was in a "pretty bad state", pinned in the vehicle and was unresponsive.
Mr Campbell said the man was breathing short and shallow breaths and another man at the scene dialled emergency services.
"I don't know if he heard me but I told him emergency services were on their way."
Mr Campbell said he retrieved jackets from the rear of the vehicle, rolled them up and put them under his head for comfort.
At that stage, the train driver had exited the train with a first aid kit.
"I told him he's going to need more than that. He needed the jaws of life to be freed."
The train driver was shaken up by the incident.
KiwiRail said in a statement that the freight train was travelling from Kawerau to Mt Maunganui at the time.
"The locomotive driver is understandably distressed but physically uninjured," the spokesperson said.
KiwiRail has shut down the train line that runs along the coastline from the eastern to western Bay of Plenty and into the Port of Tauranga.
A RECENT study by Motu Economic and Public Policy Research Trust is the first research anywhere to put a dollar value on how much sunshine a property receives.
“We found that each additional hour of direct sunlight exposure for a house per day, on average across the year, adds 2.4 percent to a dwelling’s market value,” study co-author Arthur Grimes said.
Whakatane Professionals real estate principal Kathryn Mckay said some people might take the amount of sun a property received into account when buying a house.
“It might be that four-bedrooms or a garage is more important but there will always be those for whom the sun is paramount,” she said.
Mrs McKay agreed that with Whakatane’s reputation for long hours of sunshine, Whakatane home sellers could benefit.
Mr Grimes said there was potential for the scheme to gain support.
“This research is designed to put a value on sunlight, so that the change can be priced, potentially enabling compensation for affected owners and better valuation of development sites,” he said.
The research looked at houses sold in Wellington between 2008 and 2014. Wellington was chosen because the city is small and its local economy and housing market were stable over the study period.
The research used Real Estate Institute of New Zealand data and allowed for number of bedrooms, total floor area, the decade when the house was built, access to off-street parking and the date of sale.
The researchers used fine-resolution topographical models from Wellington City Council to determine how much sun a given property received throughout each day of the year, assuming a clear sky.
Mr Grimes said that in the cases where a neighbouring property is built in such a way as to block sun, the same formula can be used to compensate for that.
FIRST LOAD: Karl Nyman “chains up” after the first load of logs is harvested out of Waikawa Forest. Photo Sven Carlsson OB2079-14
FOREST operations have begun at Waikawa on the Coast with the first two loads of harvested logs freighted out on Tuesday following an early morning blessing.
Waikawa Lands Trustee Ora Tukaki, who owns Apanui Security with her husband Ray, said another blessing took place two weeks earlier to safeguard the road crew and the first tree felling.
She said the real work would begin in October with the initial trees having been felled to help clear space for skids and other operations.
Fellow trustee Karl Nyman, who was born and bred at Raukokore but moved away for schooling and work, said he and his partner had moved home to the coast in 2009 to be part of the venture, starting Whakaari Logistics Limited.
With his nephew, Kotahitanga Log Haulage owner Steven Smith, Mr Nyman will form the backbone of the log transporting operation that will be ongoing for eight years.
Both Mr Nyman and Mr Smith have in the past spoken out about the failure of forestry operators to employ local people, despite this being a condition in the original lease agreements.
Lack of the required skill sets among local people has been cited by forestry managers as the cause of this.
Mr Smith, who started his company back in 2011 and has been steadily building up his resources, said Kotahitanga Log Haulage employed seven local drivers.
“This is the first block to act in the spirit of the lease agreements,” he said.
Whenever possible, work generated from the forestry block would be offered to local residents.
Mr Nyman said that with him and his nephew being willing and able to the work, the log haulage would not be outsourced to out-of-towners.
“This is two trucking companies working together,” he said.
Dr Matthew Valentine was passing out information on the scientific benefits of immunisation at the screening of Vaxxed on Tuesday.
Is Dr Valentine aware that Senator Robert Kennedy junior, son of the late Senator Kennedy has offered $100,000 to anyone “who can find a peer-reviewed scientific study demonstrating that thimerosal is safe in the amounts contained in vaccines currently being administered to American children and pregnant women.”
The $100,000 has not been claimed.
In New Zealand thimerosal (mercury) has been replaced by aluminium and despite numerous requests to health authorities I have been unable to obtain advice on a safe level of aluminium to inject into six-month-old babies or pregnant women.
Perhaps Dr Valentine can point me in the right direction?
Don Richards
NAILING IT: Te Whare Wananga o Aotearoa facilitator Hani Tatu and student Wiana Richmond-Kumeroa work on nailing the job at a space at Kawerau Life Konnect. Photo Louis Klaassen D5521-04
WHEN Janice Sutton opened Kawerau Life Konnect, she had a vision it would offer the community education and training.
A year later, both Toi Ohomai and Te Wananga o Aoteroa offer courses at the River Road site – a dream come true for Mrs Sutton.
“When I look outside now, it’s buzzing. It feels like it’s taken a long time but it’s all happening now,” she said.
As Mrs Sutton walks around the former Kawerau Intermediate School, people fill the rooms.
Through Te Wananga o Aotearoa, an employment placement programme is offered at Kawerau Life Konnect.
The employment placement programme runs in conjunction with the Ministry of Social Development in Kawerau and also at the Whakatane campus.
Facilitator Hani Tatu said the programme aimed to support and prepare job seekers referred by Work and Income New Zealand for work through skills-based learning, interview techniques, CV writing, and coaching.
“It’s all about nailing the job,” Ms Tatu said.
Student and Kawerau resident Wiana Richmond-Kumeroa said it was an advantage to have the education opportunity available in her home town.
Toi Ohomai offered the New Zealand certificate in foundation skills level two.
Head of design and humanities Gill Brocas said the certificate came with an automotive, early childhood or social services focus. The site includes an automotive workshop and garage for students to practise at.
Residents could get a taste for tertiary education and then pursue their chosen qualification out of town.
Mrs Sutton has more dreams to accomplish with the site.
“I dream of an education provider offering culinary courses one day,” she said.
She is also working on adding accommodation and retail to the Kawerau Life Konnect mix.
WRECKAGE: Fire fighters remove the wreckage from the front of the train following a collision at Otamarakau this morning. Photo Fairfax
WITNESSES to a horror crash which claimed the life of 64-year-old Ohope man Arch Delahunty spoke of hearing the train’s urgent honking as it approached the crossing at Otamarakau on Wednesday morning.
The accident happened at 8.35am at the turn-off into the Sandpit camping ground at the western end of the Matata straight.
Kawerau police Sergeant Al Fenwick said, according to the train driver, the vehicle appeared to be slowing down to stop for the tracks.
But instead, “it drove slowly in front of him and onto the tracks”, when the train struck the vehicle on the driver’s side.
Mr Fenwick said the vehicle was wrapped around the front of the train for more than 500 metres before it came to a stop.
“The man was badly injured and died before emergency services could free him.”
First at the scene was camp caretaker Colin Campbell, who heard the collision, the vehicle dragging on the railway tracks and stones flying.
“I was cleaning out the deep freezer in the bus when I heard the horn on the train.”
Mr Campbell said the horn sounding was not uncommon as trains had to sound their horn to warn cars at that crossing.
He went out to observe and saw how close the train was to the vehicle on the track and heard a longer hoot of the horn.
Mr Campbell watched the vehicle, wrapped around the front of the train, being pushed by the train carrying 11,000 tonnes of material.
“I quickly ran to the vehicle when it came to a stop and asked the man if he was okay.”
The man was in a “pretty bad state”, pinned in the vehicle and was unresponsive.
Mr Campbell said the man was breathing short and shallow breaths and another man at the scene dialled emergency services.
“I don’t know if he heard me but I told him emergency services were on their way.”
Mr Campbell said he retrieved jackets from the rear of the vehicle, rolled them up and put them under the man’s head for comfort.
At that stage, the train driver had got off the train with a first aid kit.
“I told him he’s going to need more than that. He needed the jaws of life to be freed.”
The train driver was shaken up by the incident.
KiwiRail said in a statement that the freight train was travelling from Kawerau to Mt Maunganui at the time.
“The locomotive driver is understandably distressed but physically uninjured,” the spokesperson said.
HOME: Edgecumbe residents Martin and Barbara Finucane at their Matipo Place property where they have set up home while their house is rebuilt.
Photo Troy Baker
D5594-03
EDGECUMBE flood victims Martin and Barbara Finucane have returned to their Matipo Place home.
For the past 12 days, they have set up camp at their section while their home continues to dry out.
Their insurance has paid for a caravan which is now their “home away from home”, fitted with all they need to live happily and comfortably.
Mr and Mrs Finucane spent just under three months moving from hotel to hotel and then living in a rental house at Ohope.
When they had the chance to go home, they embraced it with open arms.
“We have had the best sleeps since we have come home.”
Previously, the couple would travel from Ohope to Edgecumbe every other day to feed their cat that no one had been able to catch.
“Travelling was getting to us quite a bit,” Mr Finucane said.
Their new home is complete with beds for them and their daughter, a shower and power.
Outside their caravan is a portable gas oven for cooking and boiling water, a fridge, dryer, table and chairs.
“We are happy and content doing what we are doing. We have a good set up,” Mr Finucane said.
As avid campers, they consider their set up nothing out of the ordinary or their comfort zone.
It is cosy and warm for the Finucanes who keep their dehumidifier going through the night.
Mrs Finucane said their cat was happy to have its family back. It didn’t stop meowing the first night they returned home.
Three dogs and seven cats were next on the list to return home too.
Night patrollers in Edgecumbe were also happy to see another family return as Mrs Finucane said the group called in one night to express their happiness to see another home lit up.
The floor at their home was being installed next week but the foundation was still not dry enough to begin the rebuild.
When the rebuild did begin, they said it would take three months before they could move back in.
Mr and Mrs Finucane said it was easy to return home and set up and they would encourage others to do the same.
We are beginning to wonder if our bureaucrats are out to stymie the development at Shaw Road like they did to the apartment complex on George Street, much to the detriment of the project.
Is it any surprise that our town is languishing in a state of semi-paralysis when roadblocks are thrown in front of every attempt at progress?
Graham Steenson
BEN Smith, Maria Tutaia, Shaun Johnson, Winston Reid and Stacey Michelsen all started on a field just like the one down the road.
More than a way to stay active or sharpen up, sport is part of the fabric of growing up. There is much about Saturday sport that is deeply embedded in our thinking. Why oranges at halftime?
Why do you pull your socks up? What is the process for player of the day? None of the questions need answering, but serve as tradition over pragmatism.
The collective commitment of young athletes is such that whistles and hollering is audible throughout Whakatane on Saturday mornings. But the captivating reach of sport goes far beyond the bridge, the hill and the water treatment plant. They play up the valley, on the plains, under the mountain and on the coast.
To find out the intricate processes and the motivation for charging around frosty fields, sport reporter Adyn Ogle went to the experts.
In this special feature, five Eastern Bay children across five codes tell us their why and, their aspirations.
Summer Jones
10 years old
Having fun is important for Summer and before her football games for Awakeri, she and a friend do a quick countdown, chest bump and yell “United”.
“I play because it is a cool sport and I like kicking the ball around with my friends.”
“You get fitness and ball skills out of playing soccer.”
“When I was a year one, it was the first sport I played and I have loved it ever since.”
“Our season is going good. We won our first game a couple of weeks ago.”
Rawiri Simmons
10 years old
Playing rugby league for the Putauaki Stags, Kawerau South School student Rawiri does not watch league on television. He prefers to get out on the field.
“I play because it is my hobby and I like running the ball into people and getting the try.”
“I like tackling the people low around the legs and making them knock the ball on.”
“We train Wednesdays and Fridays and we are undefeated this year.”
“Our team is so good because of our coach.”
Wheronui Peri
10 years old
The Te Teko under-11 team is on a phenomenal unbeaten run, but Wheronui just likes how the game is played.
“My favourite part is being able to kick the ball and have fun with my team.”
“We have been undefeated for three years and haven’t lost a game this year either.”
“We train hard and work on team runs and moves.”
“One day I would like to be first five for the All Blacks.”
Leon Scholes
10 years old
Playing as a team is important for Leon on the hockey turf, and so is winning.
“I play for the Apanui Cobras and we have gone pretty well, but we have lost a couple of games.”
“I play hockey because I like using a stick instead of hands or feet.”
“Hockey is good for keeping fit and working as a team together”.
“I would like to play at the Olympics and I will need to keep improving and get better at passing because that is how you get around the players.”
Kimiora Elliot
10 years old
Kimiora has no superstitions or little tricks in her pre-game netball routine for Edgecumbe Primary School. She just wants to run.
“I have been playing netball since I was little and I play because I am competitive and I like challenging myself.”
“I get to run around and I like the feeling of the ball going right into my hands.”
“I like playing at centre because I get to run around heaps.”
“One day I want to play for the Silver Ferns but I will need to practise every day and go to every tournament they have.”
Opportunities key to future
FUNDAMENTAL skills are at the core of making champions says Eastern Bay primary director Exia Edwards.
The former Black Fern, who was part of three successful Women’s Rugby World Cup campaigns, has eyes on many junior sportspeople in her role with Sport Bay of Plenty.
Edwards said participation at tournaments was consistently positive.
“There are lots of development opportunities available to the youth with certain sports that have great coaches and systems in place to produce top athletes.
“There are athletes that have great commitment and drive to succeed. The most impact may also come from the fundamental skills that are delivered to school children at a young age.
“Fundamental skills set any athlete up to be able to participate confidently in any sport until they get to a stage where they have to hone in on a particular sport to master.
“I think we are lucky to have lots of safe spaces including the parks, waterways and the bush.
“Our environment is the perfect place to produce great athletes.”
Edwards said a number of opportunities needed to be provided to children to ensure a greater likelihood of having sport for life.
“There are benefits of sport which include social skills, fundamental skills, leadership skills, commitment, values and of course just keeping them away from screens.”
Important lessons learned on the field
A WHAKATANE psychologist believes sport plays an important role in personal development off the pitch.
Doctor Gabriel Rossouw said when young people play sport, they get much more than their dose of physical activity, but also important life lessons.
“Sport helps develop a sense of competence. The characteristics that it instils in you as a person are often what you need when the chips are down in life. That is when those experiences of character building emerge to keep you upright and forging ahead.”
Dr Rossouw also said it provided children with another family to be a part of. “It is important as part of growing up. It teaches you to tolerate frustration, to control impulse and channel energy into positive, co-operative endeavour.
“It also helps you develop perseverance and resolve and teaches you how to suffer. That is something our young people don’t do much of. In sport you suffer physically when you get hurt. You lose, you are called names and at times are almost bullied in sport. Sometimes you don’t get chosen to represent your team. Not getting your own way and having to work for things is an important part of that development.
Dr Rossouw said the competitive side of sport could also be a good thing for young atheltes.
“You could argue the need to be competitive in different ways. In its positive sense, if you are playing sport to develop your competitiveness and you give that free rein to compete, it installs a drive because winning does not come easy.
“You have to train and practise, it brings that resolve and long-term vision. There is no doubt that the stuff you experience in a team on the field, is what you take into life.
He also said having athletes to look up to was important.
“We do need examples of what we are projecting ourselves to being one day. We need people that stand out and we need good leaders.”
GOAL AS
MAGNET: Geerten Lengkeek addresses a group of Whakatane High School students as part of the Sir Peter Blake Trust Dream Team programme. Photo Troy Baker D5596-04
AWAKERI-BASED business consultant Geerten Lengkeek has a message of setting goals and overcoming boundaries to achieve greatness in life for Eastern Bay youth.
“There shouldn’t be any boundaries for yourself or imposed by anybody else,” he told a group of Whakatane High School students yesterday.
“If you set yourself goals and you take small steps towards them, you’ll be amazed by what you can achieve. Don’t let yourself be held back, ever,” he said.
Mr Lengkeek spoke of his experience taking part in a fundraising swim from Moutohora Island to The Heads to illustrate his point.
An avid swimmer, he said he had learned that youth was not a guarantee of better performance – even in sporting competitions. Experience, technique and mental ability were the most important factors in achieving success.
“At 49, I was swimming faster than when I was 20,” he said.
During the 11-kilometre swim, the participants were harassed by a bronze whaler shark that the swimmers later named Bro. Mr Lengkeek said that though the shark appeared to be menacing, it did not harm them.
“Don’t fear the scary things,” he said.
He said that sometimes those who are there to help can be a hindrance. He said at one point, the kayaker who was there to guide him to the shoreline came too close and hit him with a paddle.
“Sometimes you have to be careful of the people who help you,” he said.
Setting goals is an important factor in reaching success.
“If you have a goal that you really believe in, you will do anything to achieve it,” he said
“Use the goal as a magnet.”
But setting goals can also be a double-edged sword. Mr Lengkeek said that during the swim, he chose to use a digger used to dredge the river bar as a landmark to aim for.
Unknown to him was that at the time of the swim, the digger had been moved to the other side of the river, meaning he was swimming toward the wrong place.
“The lesson here is not to be blinded by your goals,” he said.
Whereas it is alright to ask for help, he said it was important for people to own their choices.
“You have to be in charge of the decisions you make in your life,” he said.
Mr Lengkeek, the Intent Group director for Bay of Plenty, was at Whakatane High School as part of the Sir Peter Blake Trust Dream Team to inspire youth to believe you can.
TE Urewera-DoC Tuhoe Partnership won the Prime Minister’s Award at the Deloitte IPANZ Public Sector Excellence Awards 2017, held in Wellington on Wednesday night.
The judges said the programme was “An excellence initiative, demonstrating a transformation in the relationship. Most notably there were no direct examples to draw on anywhere in the world – that is true innovation.”
Working collaboratively, the Department of Conservation (DoC) and Tuhoe implemented ground-breaking new Treaty settlement legislation, which granted Te Urewera legal personhood.
The former national park, comprising more than 2000 square kilometres of native forest, has the same rights and powers as a citizen – a first for New Zealand.
This has led to more Tuhoe employed in Te Urewera, more visitors to Te Urewera, and innovative DoC practices, including secondments with Te Uru Taumatua.
The programme also won the Crown-Maori Excellence Award, by demonstrating how Crown and Maori can work together in the spirit of true partnership.
