Through tough times and good, Oz’s Bakery has been a constant in Ōtaki for the past 42 years. Baker Osmond Pidduck set up shop in the mid-1980s after learning the bakery trade at the big hot bread shop on the highway at Paraparaumu. As a young boy his father would bring him up to Ōtaki and he would stay with his Uncle Mick and Auntie Ra... Keep Reading
Dave Eastwood has an interesting history for a man who’s an expert in fixing small machinery. He now operates Matai Mower Repairs on Riverbank Road servicing and selling lawn mowers, trimmers, chainsaws and the like, but he started his working life as an telecommunications engineer. He was for several years a telecommunications engineer... Keep Reading
Gary Porter is not the archetypal brash tradie. Quietly spoken, Gary projects a thoughtful demeanor that has no doubt helped him and wife Zara build a successful scaffolding business in Ōtaki. He says that as a local he cares about his family, his staff, and his business – pretty well in that order, no matter the economic or social... Keep Reading
SO WE’RE at Alert Level 3. For anyone who’s rushed out to get their first coffee fix for more than a month, or to get the paint they ran out of during lockdown, this is clearly not back to normal. For retailers and other businesses, this is a time of huge uncertainty. Will the initial rush of people buying after lockdown continue, and. Keep Reading
Ōtaki’s railway precinct is set to experience a little bit of New York and Italy with Antonio’s, a new pizzeria opening soon on Arthur Street. The pizzeria is on the site of the former Traffic Cafe, which has been vacant for several years. Antonio’s owner Murray McKenzie says he’s looking forward to bringing an... Keep Reading
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