JP Neil Sole honoured for community services

Sheer grit saw Katikati's Neil Sole, who is battling terminal cancer, stand to become a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, from Sir Anand Satyanand, Governor-General. Chris Steel reports.
Making the journey to Wellington for the investiture ceremony on April 12 was a very special challenge for Neil Sole, achieved with a wheelchair and the help of his partner Shirley Vincent and a party of friends (one from Australia), including Lynda Sargent and Dave Ross.
Neil, a Justice of the Peace, was honoured for his services to the community having contributed to the Warkworth and Katikati communities for more than 50 years.
He was founding chairman of Community Patrols of New Zealand - and worked to form a strong national body - and was involved in local government in Warkworth and Katikati for eight terms.
He was involved with a range of community organisations in Warkworth, including Scouts and junior rugby, and after moving to Katikati in 1998, helped form Katikati Night Owls, a volunteer patrol that aims to improve community safety.
Neil says when he was first told about his honour he nearly didn't accept it.
"It was like a bolt out of the blue. I had no idea and thought they had made a mistake."
After talking to Shirley he decided to accept on the grounds that it was for the community and for all the people who had helped him throughout those years, including his late wife Naomi who died in 1995.
It was the shock of losing Naomi that brought Neil to Katikati to start a new life.
"I was lucky in that I had come to a beautiful town and that I bought a house which I still live in today."
Within months Neil became a member of the Katikati Community Board. At the time the board was struggling for members and Neil had served five terms on a council in the north.
"I just wanted to disappear into the woodwork."
However, Neil was told to "put his hat in the ring" for the community board.
"I was conscious that I didn't have the numbers and no one knew me," he says.
The board had five candidates for four seats - but one turned out to be not a New Zealand citizen, so Neil was duly elected. During that first term he felt he got there by default, so worked hard to be win the vote at the next election.
Neil was also interested in the local Safer Communities Council and was chairman for six years. "I used that as a stepping stone to set up community patrols in Katikati."
After researching patrols around the country he found they had always started because of something.
"Te Puke's began after a major incident. But I thought why start something after the horse has bolted? Why can't we be proactive rather than reactive?"
Response from the Katikati community was "extremely good".
"I think some minor issues existed here, safety has always been a good call - and we only had three police in town."
A good crowd turned up to a meeting called by Senior Constable John Fitzgerald and Neil, and they got 20 names of people interested in volunteering.
In 1999 Neil set up Katikati Night Owls. At a meeting of similar groups in Taupo in 2000 he was elected chairman of the Community Patrols of New Zealand (CPNZ) working party, set up to look at whether a need existed for a national body.
The following year Neil was elected chairman of CPNZ when it was officially formed, a position he held until he stepped down in 2006. Neil was also an inaugural trustee for seven years from 2002.
During his time as chairman, he needed a secretary and co-opted Shirley.
He worked tirelessly to establish good communication with New Zealand Police and patrols throughout the country. He was also the instigator of many new patrols. In 2000, 30 patrols existed - now there are more than 130.
During this time Neil underwent two operations for cancer, as well as having chemotherapy.
But even undergoing his own battle, Neil never lost sight of his vision that New Zealand would be a better place, if we had safer communities in which to live.
Last year Neil was awarded CPNZ's highest award, the Gold Crest Award, and has life membership of both that organisation and the Katikati Community Patrol.
Neil admits that looking for the next challenge is what has kept him going. "I hope to live long enough to see the number of police officers in Katikati increased."