College mental health resources stretched after Covid-19

Ōtaki College has benefited from a $350,000 contribution from Kāpiti Coast District Council to refurbish its ageing gymnasium. The council agreed to the grant, which will be spread over six years, on condition that the gym will be available for community use for sporting events and training. The funding, which was agreed through... Keep Reading

It doesn’t seem too long ago that “mental health” was not part of our lexicon. Certainly, when I was a schoolboy it never entered the conversation. That’s not to say it didn’t exist; it was simply that if anyone was feeling “a bit down”, it would be assumed they’d get over it or just needed to harden up. These days, for... Keep Reading

Two heritage-listed brick “beehive” kilns and a four-metre-tall chimney at Te Horo are being dismantled, restored and relocated 30 metres to make room for the  expressway, and form part of a new arts centre. The kilns were hand-built by Czechoslovakian-born potter Mirek Smíšek in 1970 with help from his 2-year-old daughter. Mirek... Keep Reading

A proposal to temporarily close Ōtaki Gorge Road at the intersection with State Highway 1 drew a larger than usual crowd to the expressway’s Southern Neighbourhood Group meeting on July 28. Fletchers construction manager Steve Findlay fronted the meeting, presenting the usual progress report and future works. However, the big crowd, with... Keep Reading

Encapsulating the heart of our town, a new identity for Ōtaki was revealed at an Elevate Ōtaki launch function on Friday night (August 7). Along with a bright new “Ōtaki” logo (as below), also revealed was a plan for big photographic artwork to be installed on buildings around the town and the highway area. They depict people and... Keep Reading

A $50 million investment by Waka Kotahi NZTA for a top-class road surface will have big long-term benefits for the community, road users and maintenance crews. That was the message Waka Kotahi project manager Glen Prince delivered to the Ōtaki Community Board at its June meeting. Glen mentioned some of the roading failures that had occurred... Keep Reading

A funding drought has forced the closure of the Ōtaki Women’s Health Centre. In September Ōtaki Today reported that the centre was struggling to pay operating costs after funding began drying up for sexual and reproductive health services. After 18 years, the PHO and MidCentral DHB decided between them last year to withdraw funding for... Keep Reading

Māoriland Film Festival is one of only four organisations throughout the country to receive $100,000 in funding from the Government’s new Creative and Cultural Events Incubator. “We are powering up,” says Māoriland director Libby Hakaraia. “The funding recognises not only the hard work of the past six years, but also... Keep Reading

Ōtaki Yard is holding a special winter night market supported by an illuminated steam train from Paraparaumu on Saturday, August 1. The Light the Night event is expected to draw hundreds of people to the region with the unique combination of the vintage train journey and winter night market. The event will see up to 1500 passengers travel... Keep Reading

The Repair Café is returning after a successful launch last year. Energise Ōtaki is hosting another pop-up Repair Café at the Memorial Hall from 10am-1pm on Sunday July 25. It’s where people can bring items to be repaired and reused, rather than going to the landfill. Meantime, the group is looking for people who want to... Keep Reading

A loved local charity shop has fallen victim to the times, closing its clothing and second-hand store on the highway, near the BP garage. The Opportunity for Animals shop had been operating for six years, selling a variety of second-hand and donated goods. The shop helped fund the Black Sheep Animal Sanctuary established at Ōtaki Gorge in... Keep Reading

BRIAN ERIC BREGMEN 3.10.34 – 15.6.2020 Brian Bregmen was born at Matamata on October 3, 1934, to Victor and Phoebe Bregmen (nee Atkins). Two more members of the family were to come later, letting Brian become big brother to Penelope (Pen Bertleson) and Loyce (Bartosh). The family moved to the Atkins family farm in Manakau north of Ōtaki... Keep Reading

The new leader of the local Toastmasters club, Neil MacInnes, is a long-time member of the international speaker-training organisation – but he never tires of it. Neil, a Te Horo resident, took over as Toastmasters of Waikanae president on July 1. He hopes to bring new members to the club while maintaining its warm, positive... Keep Reading

Ōtaki’s golfers have been quick to “get back to normal” after the Covid-19 lockdown. Golfers throughout the country were some of the first leisure and sports people to benefit from going to Level 3. They were able to play – with social distancing – but just without the flags and no chance of socialising at the 19th... Keep Reading

By Michael Moore Otaki’s MenzShed is calling out for new members.  In the past year, several have left the club, after they moved away from the area or became unable to continue regular attendance.  The shed brings men together in a community space to share their skills, have a laugh and work on practical tasks either... Keep Reading