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Ōtaki College Roll

A call-out by Ōtaki Today to discover which former students and staff have died in the past 60 years has revealed a list. READ MORE.

BRIEFS

House prices slipping

Figures for March show the median price for Ōtaki houses has dropped 20.2 percent in the past year. The median according to homes.co.nz is now $620,000, down 15.4 percent from six months ago, and 7.3 percent down from the end of last year. In December 2021, median prices were $770,000 after rocketing up from $520,00 at the start of the year.

Potter residency offered

The Mirek Smíšek Arts Trust is seeking expressions of interest for the inaugural resident potter at what’s to be known as The Kilns at Te Horo. The Kilns is a multi-cultural arts centre being developed as a resource for the local community and visitor attraction on the site of Mirek Smíšek’s former pottery at Te Horo. The residency offers a ceramic artist a rural location connected to a vibrant artistic community to advance Mirek’s legacy. The resident will work in the Doreen Blumhardt Pottery Studio and live in the adjacent old Te Horo Railway Station, which is being restored as living accommodation.The six-month term of the first residency will begin in November when The Kilns at Te Horo expects to open to the public. Applicants need to provide an outline of what they hope to achieve during the residency, including the type of work they want to undertake. To apply or for information, email thekilnsattehoro@gmail.com or call Tony Hartevelt  on 021 449690. See also thekilnsattehoro.co.nz

Police keen on more beat locals

Ōtaki police are keen to see local people serving with them in the community. A recruiting campaign is under way with the aim of encouraging locals to join up now, get their training and return to the district where they might have grown up and have whānau. Ōtaki sergeant Phil Grimstone says police recruits often want to return to familiar territory when they’ve completed their training. “They tend to want to be in the area they know, and local knowledge can be very useful in police work,” Phil says. “It’s also a factor in retaining staff – they’re more likely to stay in the police longer when they’re comfortable with their job location.”