Pare has XŌtaki to thank for trip of a lifetime

The future of Ōtaki’s health and well-being services is secure, despite the disappointment that no Ōtaki representative is any longer at the MidCentral DHB table. The community thanks Ann Chapman for undertaking that role for the past 19 years. However, our local health system, along with the co-ordination and delivery of our health services,... Keep Reading

The local Cub group got first-hand experience recently of the outdoor space created by the Friends of the Ōtaki River (Fotor). Cub members and leaders Laurie Ann Engels, Andy Paroli, Jodie Perfect, and Annie and Brent Bythell were given a guided tour of the riverbank by Fotor chair Max Lutz. Max told them he had also been a Cub in Ōtaki 55 years... Keep Reading

Receiving financial awards at the Ōtaki College prize-giving on October 31 were:mHunter Austin: Kāpiti Skills Trust Year 11 Award for Outdoor Education. Paikea Bai-Te Kira: Kāpiti Skills Trust Year 11 Award for Outdoor Education; MI Turnbull Award for Top Year 11 Boy. Lauren Blakeley: Sander Scholar Award, Sander Ties; Concrete Doctors... Keep Reading

When I was a child my family moved a lot. I was raised in Wellington and I think it’s fair to say I had a pretty typical “city kid” upbringing. We seemed to move every couple of years, but it never bothered me as we didn’t travel far and I could stay at school with my friends. The only downside of this arrangement was that I never felt... Keep Reading

Keep an eye out for toxic algae in our rivers and streams this summer. During summer, with higher temperatures and lower water levels, the algae (cyanobacteria) can form extensive blooms which can be toxic, particularly to dogs if they eat it. Even a small amount can kill a dog. In rivers, cyanobacteria generally form brown or black mats that grow. Keep Reading

Ōtaki Today cartoonist Jared Carson has produced his third book in time for Christmas called Fish Musicians. With typically quirky use of cartoon characters and rhyming prose, Fish Musicians features well-known musicians depicted as sea-life – think Eelvis Presley, David Buoy and Mackerel Jackson! The story follows the task of Bernard the... Keep Reading

In a secluded spot under a kahikatea tree in the Haruātai bush, tamariki from Ōtaki Montessori Preschool find magic. Every Monday when the weather’s good, the children and teachers take an excited, chattery walk into the surrounding bush from the preschool that sits at Haruātai Park. Tui and other native birds flit among the trees, the... Keep Reading

Pat Futter, widow of Ian, immediate past chairman and founding member of Ōtaki MenzShed, has been inducted as an honorary member. Chairman Tony King presented the membership certificate at a function in honour of her late husband’s extraordinary service to the MenzShed. “We are pleased and proud to present this to Pat, in honour of... Keep Reading

The dedicated sustainable food team from Transition Town Ōtaki have opened their popular seasonal surplus stall outside the Memorial Hall again.  This year marks the 10th anniversary since the group first provided the service for the local community. The stall encourages locals to bring along fruit, vegetables – even herbs and eggs – to... Keep Reading

The photograph is from 1905, when Prime Minister Richard Seddon (bearded centre) visited the Cottage Hospital at Ōtaki. Next to matron Edith Sealy by the door is the shadowy figure of an unidentified man. Is this the ghost that is said to stalk the halls of the old Cottage Hospital, later the Ōtaki Maternity Home and now the base for the... Keep Reading

An understanding of customer needs and encouragement from the top for staff to be innovative led to New World Ōtaki winning the supreme award at the 2019 Electra Business Awards. The supermarket, owned and operated by Steven and Janine Cole since 2017, won the best business award which covers the Kāpiti and Horowhenua regions. They also won... Keep Reading

Aristotle wrote: “Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man.” Aristotle had to wait another decade to get his hands on me, but the New Zealand rural lifestyle didn’t. I don’t much remember Mangaweka, but Tinui stays with me. It wasn’t just the large open spaces in which to roam, but also things like the regular trips... Keep Reading

A petition launched by the Finish Our Roads (FOR) group has gained several hundred signatures, says FOR chair Marilyn Stevens. The group was formed after the Transport Agency announced that a Peka Peka interchange on the expressway would not go ahead. FOR is working with Kāpiti Coast District Council to get the business case presented to the NZTA.. Keep Reading

The Latin America & Spain Film Festival at the Māoriland Hub from October 4-6 made organiser Fernandez Figuera a happy man. “It’s the second year we’ve held the festival at Māoriland and we love it,” he says. “It’s the perfect venue for showing our indigenous films. I am part Chilean, and we are very much a part of the jungle of... Keep Reading

Ōtaki College’s junior netball team finished the season unbeaten in pool games, comfortably winning the Kāpiti colleges competition. In the competition final on September 28, the girls played Kapanui Magic and won 28-9 at Te Ati Awa Park, completing the eight-game regular season unbeaten. Kapanui, however, had delivered Ōtaki its only loss... Keep Reading