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Road Safety Education

We see it in the news almost daily. Accidents, injuries and deaths on our roads are a significant issue, one exacerbated by an ever-increasing number of vehicles and the many regional state highways and rural roads in our region. But for young people, there is an even greater risk. Getting behind the wheel of a car as a young driver or being a young passenger with a novice driver is said to be the most dangerous thing that a person will do in their life. There are many reasons for this. For you...

University of Waikato Tauranga campus thriving despite challenging year

The University of Waikato’s Tauranga campus was officially opened in early 2019. Two years on, and through an exceptionally difficult year with Covid-19, it continues to experience growth across all areas of its development, including campus, students and staff. The Tauranga Tertiary Campus Charitable Trust met this month to receive its annual report from the University of Waikato. The Tauranga Tertiary Campus Charitable Trust is made up of the three key funders of the Tauranga campus developm...

SociaLink - Community Insights Lab

Data. It can make eyes glaze over, mouths yawn, and minds go into a spin.  But a new initiative is helping the social sector realise just how powerful a tool it can be in opening up a world of insight and opportunities. The Community Insights Lab (CIL) has been developed by SociaLink over the past year, aiming to help community groups build the confidence and skills they need to make the most of the data available to them. SociaLink is the umbrella organisation supporting the social and com...

Online support service makes asking for help easier

An online social and wellbeing support service launched in Hamilton during Covid-19 Level 4 lockdown will soon be coming to the Western Bay of Plenty. 'Here to help u' enables people to access a wide range of free support by submitting one help request online. Assistance is available across various areas, including food parcels, prepared meals, collection of items service, general local support, mental health support, and safe social connection. The service works with a simple three-step pr...

Recovery Fund reaches funding milestone

The WBOP COVID-19 Recovery Fund has funded 16 community groups in the past eight months with over $360,000 in funding. It brings the total funded since its inception to over $770,000. The successful recipients include Brave Hearts, Life Education Trust Western Bay of Plenty, Youth Encounter Ministries, Tipu Skills for Life, Tauranga Riding for the Disabled, Bay of Plenty Multiple Sclerosis Society, RRR Rescue Revive Rehome, Ngamuwahine Lodge Trust, SociaLink, Wise Group, Merivale Community Centr...

Tauranga Special School

Many families, staff, and students gathered at Tauranga Special School last week to attend a Mihi Whakatau and blessing of different areas of the school. One of these areas was the new outdoor sensory spaces, which wowed all in attendance with their colourful, interactive elements. The spaces are designed to provide students focused learning opportunities and sensory integration, with plenty to touch, see, hear, and smell; from hanging musical pipes and an enclosed light sensory room, to a water...

Unsafe home transformed thanks to community good

It's a house on the street like any other. One that has had the ultimate makeover inside and out. But it's not the kind of home reno you'll see on TV, but one that has had a lot more love, and community spirit, put into it. Hundreds of volunteer hours and donated resources have transformed the rundown home from completely unliveable, to warm, safe and dry. A kuia and her son lived inside. But like many, her home had gotten away from her. With no hot water, cooking facilities, heating or insula...

Community initiative aims to reduce the digital divide

Shopping online, learning online, working online. It’s the new norm, one we became well-accustomed to during the lockdown last year. But what do those without digital devices do? How do they communicate and access information in a world that is out of reach due to cost? There is a digital divide in the Western Bay of Plenty, one which SociaLink is hoping to reduce with a new initiative that will see Chrome Books distributed and internet connections installed for families and whānau most at ne...

Tauranga Community Housing Trust

As demand for rental properties in our region soars, our community’s most vulnerable are getting left behind. Low-income earners, older people, and those living with a disability or mental illness are struggling to find suitable housing, whether due to sheer unaffordability or lack of accessible properties available. Local charity Tauranga Community Housing Trust (TCHT) is working to change that by improving access to quality, sustainable housing.   As a registered community housing provi...

Parent to Parent Coastal BOP

Shelley Robinson has experienced many ups and downs over her daughter Ruby’s life. 18-year-old Ruby has Global Developmental Delay and Autism, and Shelley had been worried about her future for some time. Leaving school was one of those worries. She was concerned about how her daughter would transition into the real world – a world filled with many physical, social and attitudinal obstacles. Research shows that when people with disabilities finish school, it can be incredibly challenging to ...

Western Bay Museum

It’s a far cry from the museums of old. Modern, bright, and housed inside the instantly recognisable historic landmark that is the old Fire Station in Katikati; the Western Bay Museum is an establishment renowned in our community. The museum’s beautifully curated exhibitions, hands-on experiences, outdoor engagement areas and many passionate volunteers bring to life the stories on which the foundations of the Western Bay of Plenty are built. Exhibitions are updated three times a year, keepi...

Age Concern

When you ask 83-year-old Roland Edwards why he started volunteering 20 years ago, he answers candidly. "I suppose it was quite a selfish attitude really, but I had retired and the thought of getting out and about driving people around on a minibus sounded like it would be lots of fun." That bus was for Age Concern Tauranga, a charity that supports the wellbeing of older people in our community through educational workshops, programmes and social activities. But soon enough, Roland learned there ...

Wild Whiskers

They might be the most popular companion animal in New Zealand, but cats are not so popular in the wild. Stray and feral cats are a widespread problem across the country, with numbers estimated to be in the millions. At this scale, they not only face lives of hunger and poor health, but also wreak havoc on our native birdlife, skink, and gecko population. And it's a problem that can be hard to contain, with a single unspayed female cat and her offspring able to produce more than 400,000 cats in...

TECT to proceed with changes to Trust structure, following consultation

TECT has today announced its decision to proceed with changes to the structure of the Trust, following a month-long consultation period with its beneficiaries. The changes and consultation followed Trustpower’s announcement in January that it was undertaking a strategic review of its retail business, including a possible sale. A sale of Trustpower’s retail business to a third party would mean that TECT beneficiaries would no longer be Trustpower’s 53,000 Tauranga and Western Bay local ret...

National Jazz Festival

It’s a sound unlike any other. It takes you back to a different era, makes you get up and dance, and is the perfect accompaniment to some great food and drink. It’s jazz, and it filled our city’s streets over Easter weekend at the National Jazz Festival. Home-grown in Tauranga, the festival has been a highlight in our region’s calendar of events since 1962. The jam-packed weekend brings with it much anticipation and excitement every year, with over 25,000 people flocking to the city to e...

Te Tai Whanake ki Tauranga Moana

A new project currently in development is establishing a Te Ao Māori Localised Curriculum for all 67 Tauranga Moana schools, early childhood centres and the wider community in partnership with Tauranga Moana Iwi. The project, called Te Tai Whanake ki Tauranga Moana, will be a first for New Zealand, bringing all Tauranga Moana Iwi and schools together in a unique and enduring way. The Te Ao Māori Local Curriculum will encompass foundational Te Reo, our Tikanga, stories and history, and will be...

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union

Rippa Rugby is wrapping up this week after a successful summer of the programme, which saw over 3,300 students aged 5-17 in the Western Bay of Plenty take part. The programme sees girls and boys of all abilities playing the non-contact version of our national game in a fun and relaxed environment. Involving a 6-week after school round-robin, teams play matches against their surrounding schools. Games consist of 12 minutes halves, and substitutions can be rolled throughout. The final week of each...

Youth Mentor helps young men stay on track

Jared Dixon understands just how valuable wrap-around support is when trying to make meaningful change in one’s life.  He has been through it himself, with a life that was once filled with drugs, crime and gangs. His escape out was only made possible thanks to Live for More’s Tai Wātea surf therapy programme and the people who supported him to help turn his life around. The programme consists of weekly surfing sessions, clinical psychology treatment, group work, goal setting, and ...

TECT Community Awards a night of celebration

It was a night of many smiles, congratulations, and heart-warming stories at the TECT Community Awards last night. Around 350 people from across the community came to celebrate the volunteers and community groups that make our region one of the greatest places to live. Finalists were announced late last year, with videos about their work showcased online over the past six weeks. Winners were announced at the event last night, with applause erupting from Baycourt Community & Arts Centre through...

Consultation on TECT Proposal closes today

Today is the final day to submit feedback on TECT’s proposed changes to the structure of the Trust.The consultation period has run from the 18 February and will close at 4pm today (22 March). TECT Chair Bill Holland says around 700 written submissions have been received to date, and the feedback is encouraging. “We’ve been very pleased with the engagement of our beneficiaries throughout this process. We had a great turnout at all three of our information sessions, and have had high numbers...

One week left to have your say about proposed changes to TECT

TECT beneficiaries have one more week to submit their feedback on proposed changes to the structure of TECT, in response to the potential sale of Trustpower’s Retail Business. “Thank you again to all those who have provided feedback and engaged with this process so far. Trustees continue to review feedback prior to their deliberations once the consultation period is complete,” says TECT General Manager Wayne Werder. “We’ve been really pleased with the level of community engagement and...

TECT consultation reaches half-way point

TECT beneficiaries have two more weeks to submit their feedback on proposed changes to the structure of TECT, in response to the potential sale of Trustpower’s Retail Business. TECT General Manager Wayne Werder says three Consumer Information Sessions were held last week for Trustees to provide an outline of the proposal and hear feedback directly from beneficiaries. “Thank you to everyone who attended one of these sessions, and those who have submitted feedback via post or online over the l...

Papamoa Surf Lifesaving Club

The new Papamoa Surf Lifesaving Club is a building that represents a lot for the future. Lives that will be saved, sporting careers that will be developed, and memorable events that will be hosted. While the building may have been a long time in the making, the finish line is now in sight. The final interior fit-out is in progress and set to be complete in May thanks to the hard work of many people, the support of generous local businesses, and significant funding from TECT. Efforts for the new...

Programme empowering young people plays catchup

Young people are our future. But for some children, the future doesn’t seem so bright. One local programme is aiming to change that, empowering young people with the practical skills they need to make a lasting positive difference in their lives.   It all started back in 2011 when Stuart and Prue Caldwell, who run a local youth agency, heard about a group of 10-year-old girls who were smoking with their mothers. Seeing a clear need for early invention to ensure these young girls could bui...

2021 Scholarships awarded to Tauranga Campus students

There were many congratulations and words of appreciation spoken at a scholarship function held last night for a group of University of Waikato Tauranga Campus students. The scholarships, generously donated by the Tauranga Tertiary Campus Charitable Trust (TTCCT) and Acorn Foundation, help students who pursue tertiary education by reducing the financial burden to them. This year’s recipients are spread across many areas of study, including law, engineering, and social work. Key funders of the ...