A FRIEND once offered me his thoughts about a public meeting to discuss issues of importance in the local community. “Just a bloody talk-fest” he complained. Undeterred, I managed to persuade him to attend the meeting with me, where he found himself passionately immersed in the discussion and, interestingly, had plenty to say. On... Keep Reading

A book originally published in English in 2006 by Ōtaki author and journalist Queenie Rikihana-Hyland has been re-published in te reo Māori. The new version of Manawa Hine was launched on Monday (December 7) to a large crowd of whānau, friends and contributors at Te Wānanga o Raukawa’s Te Ara a Tāwhaki lecture theatre. Queenie says... Keep Reading

Eight local rangatahi now have jobs at Māoriland after graduating in late November from a six-week course that took them behind the scenes of New Zealand’s top special effects and animation companies. The first graduates from the Māoriland Tech Creative Hub (MATCH) also received one-on-one mentoring from some of the country’s top tech... Keep Reading

The clubrooms of Whiti te Rā Sports Club were finally opened early on the Saturday morning of November 28. The project has been 20 years in the making, but the long length of time seemed only to inspire the nearly 100 club members, players and past players, whānau and supporters who attended the 5am opening. Murray Ropata, who’s chair of... Keep Reading

A long drive from Wellington and an unpredictable weather forecast didn’t deter Wellington students Elia Gibbons and Carter Neal visiting the Black Sheep Animal Sanctuary, situated in Ōtaki Gorge, for the first open day since the Covid-19 lockdown. About 50 visitors, young and old, attended the open day for a sunny Sunday afternoon on... Keep Reading

Some travel businesses, such as YOURTravel & Tours based at Paraparaumu Beach, have survived and even thrived in the post-Covid environment.  The lockdown in March was tough not only on many individual businesses, but also whole industries. With borders having now been closed to both inbound and outbound tourists for months, it wasn’t... Keep Reading

A new group has been launched to encourage residents to reduce the waste going into the Riverbank Road rubbish transfer station.  The initiative is born out of a successful community forum by Transition Town Ōtaki in May 2018 called “What a Load of Rubbish”. The group, Zero Waste Ōtaki, has since then been working on solutions to the... Keep Reading

A stolen white Subaru station wagon ran into the side of a truck and trailer unit in Ōtaki on Friday evening (December 4) after a police chase. The incident occurred about 5.35pm at the highway shops. Being  right outside the Friday night market at Ōtaki Yard, the crash and subsequent arrests provided plenty of drama for people... Keep Reading

The Ōtaki Playgroup based at Haruātai Park is to be wound up because of a lack of interest. A committee meeting attended by only Gemma Rutherford and Rose McLardy on November 25 decided to disband the group, which provides a safe play space for Ōtaki children and their parents. The house is often rented out for children’s... Keep Reading

Ōtaki School pupil Kesha-Rae Falanoe has shown she might just be a bit sharper than the town’s secondary school students after winning a museum competition. Kesha-Rae, 11, won vouchers worth $65 to spend in Main Street shops after successfully answering a series of questions about the Ōtaki Museum’s exhibition, “As Time Goes By: The... Keep Reading

The Ngāti Raukawa iwi confederation presented its treaty claims to the Waitangi Tribunal at Parewahawaha Marae in Bulls for the third week of hearings from November 9-13. Dennis Emery (Ngāti Kauwhata), chairperson of Te Hono ki Raukawa Council, a main claimant group, said it was one of the last big treaty claims in Aotearoa. “The iwi... Keep Reading

Organisers of the Kāpiti Food Fair have partnered with Coastella and youth organisation Zeal to provide entertainment on two stages at this year’s fair.  The fair runs rain or shine from 10am to 4pm on Saturday December 5 at Mazengarb Park in Paraparaumu. It attracts at least 22,000 visitors with up to 250 vendors of packaged foodproducts... Keep Reading