Working hard, Paihia waka ama paddlers Jessie Davis, 14, in the front and Ko Te Temepara (Tiwai) Apiata, 13 at the back.
Local paddlers gain spots for Hawaii
Several Bay of Islands waka ama paddlers have earned coveted spots to represent New Zealand at the Va’a World Sprint Championships to be held in Hilo, Hawaii, in August 2024.
Ko Tempura (Tiwai) Apiata and Jessie Davis will contest the junior-16s category. They paddle for the Tai Kotuku club which is based at Waitangi.
From the same club, Rhonda Williams qualified for the over-60s division and a club representative said her perseverance and commitment “exemplify the spirit of determination and excellence”.
Across the Bay in Russell, the local waka ama group are fundraising to get two locals to the world event in Hawaii. Richard Fergusson and Henrietta Maioha Sakey qualified (with Williams) by winning nine first place medals at the national championships held recently on Lake Karapiro. It was tough competition with about 3000 paddlers all vying for a place.
Williams paddles once a week with the Kororāreka Club and, since she’s the daughter of local Russell identity Win Williams, the Russell club is fundraising for her as well. She is entered in three Gold Masters events in Hawaii.
Sakey will be taking part in the 500m and 1000m six-person event and the 500m 12-person event.
Fergusson qualified and so did three of his grandchildren. At the nationals he was in a made-up team from around New Zealand so they were all paddling together for the first time in one waka.
He is captain of the Kororāreka Canoe Club and is selling firewood to finance the family’s appearance in the international competition. The Kororāreka Canoe Club is organising fundraising events and selling raffle tickets.
If anyone wants to contribute to the fund, the Kororāreka Canoe Club bank account is 03 0394 0131045 00 and use the reference “WORLDS”.
Making Space in Kerikeri
To celebrate International Women’s Day last week, there was a public exhibition in the Procter Library of local dancers and gymnasts.
It is the brainchild of Jaime Pavlicevic, who is the creative director of Kitted Spaces who worked in collaboration with photographer Claire Gordon.
“We aim to highlight the importance of play, recreational and sports spaces for girls with a focus on valuing young people’s ideas.
“It’s about designing local facilities using a gender and youth lens to overcome structural barriers,” she said.
Gordon said she was able to portray the girls having fun and embracing play, enjoying their youth.
“In the past images of dancers and gymnasts could be insensitive to the needs of girls and as a result detrimental to their self-image, based on dominant peer group expectations.
“There’s a well-being element and creating a safe and welcoming environment where they had a creative voice and photographing them in a way that is both sensitive and empathetic was an important aspect of the shoot.”
The exhibition features portraits of strong girls “claiming space”. They use their friendships, physicality, and imagination to improvise, play, and showcase artistic movement in a way that promotes inclusion.
It’s aimed at local, regional, and global audiences as the exhibition is aligned with International Women and Girls’ Day 2024 themes of “count her in” and “inspire inclusion”.
The exhibition is open during library times and visitors are encouraged to take the opportunity to choose the images that resonate or inspire through paper via an online survey.
Buddies for a cause
Pal Buddies are a special group of young adults who are out and about in the community working and learning.
Pal Buddies was started last year by Roz Adams of Kerikeri when she identified a lack of opportunities for special young adults after leaving school. She wanted them to learn life skills and to gain confidence in accessing their community.
Together with Adams the young adults came up with the name Pal Buddies and went about finding sponsorship to set up their own vegetable gardens.
Mt Pokaka donated the timber, Baker Boys Nursery gave them the space and water to make the garden grow and Marama from The Warehouse gave them seedlings. It all helped to grow the vegetables which are now donated to families and friends.
Their next venture was to bundle up the used garden stakes and sell them through local social media pages as well as setting up a stall outside the AA shop in Kerikeri. They dealt with the public for the first time and learned to handle money.
They then bagged kindling for local firewood businessman, Lawrence Bergman, who included them in his firewood cycle. The Pal Buddies made stylish kindling boxes which are used for other things as well and they sell them for $10 each. By all accounts business is booming.
They dropped 30 of their boxes at Pakaraka School and spoke to the children about how they made them. They also made cakes and delivered them personally to thank sponsors and have painted a fence for an elderly woman in Kaikohe.
Pal Buddies are making a positive change for others as well as learning many useful life skills. They are saving money while doing good deeds but haven’t yet decided what to spend it on.
New garage for Hato Hone St John
A new garage has been built for Hato Hone St John health shuttle vehicles in Russell but it’s not your standard garage.
It’s been designed to “float” because it’s built on a flood plain and the water needs to flow through it when it does flood.
The official opening of the garage took place last week and there was a strong contingent from Hato Hone St John in Auckland including chief executive Peter Bradley. He said he had been with the organisation for 50 years and had never had his name on a plaque. He has now.
Bridget Hughes, the local St John chairperson of the area committee said when a new garage was originally discussed a few years ago the cost was about $50,000.
“A lot of work has gone into it and quite a bit of drama and since then the price has doubled,” she said.
They received money from the St John Op Shop and then had to go back and ask for more funding from the Russell Community Medical Trust.
The St John organisation was established in 1885 and the Russell committee has adhered to one of the original edicts which was to have a doctor on the committee and a vicar.
Heather Lindauer is the registered cleric for the local organisation. She said Russell now has more than 70 volunteers and “it’s getting harder to find a venue for the Christmas parties”.
During the official opening ceremony one of the health shuttles was called out for duty as if proving life goes on regardless of VIP visits and the unveiling of a plaque.
'At what point do we say enough is enough?'