Katikati News - 31 October 2025 by Sun Media

WhenKatikativolunteerfirefighter DanielleLister(pictured)hearsthesiren wail,shenowfeelsmoreconfidentto helpherbrigadeattendMotorVehicle Accident(MVA)callouts.

Listerwasoneoffiveinherbrigade–

KatikatiVolunteerFireBrigadeacting

Readytorescue

and10intotalwithfellowfiriesfrom Waihi,PaeroaandThames–toundertake atwo-dayMotorVehicleAccident(MVA) courseinKatikationOctober18-19at Henry’sRodShoponMarshallRd.

chieffireofficerCraigGrayorganisedthe trainingathisownworkplace,ledbytwo FireEmergencyNewZealand’sNational TrainingCentretutors.

GraysaidtheKatikatibrigadehasone rescuetenderthatattendsMVAcallouts

inthedistrict–andfirefighterson-board needtobequalifiedtooperatesthetools –knowntothepublicasthejawsoflife –toextricatepeoplesafelyfromvehicles afteraccidents.Findoutmoreonpages 4-5. Photo/MerleCave

WanderfulwalksforWBOP doggiesandownersawait!

WanderWalksSummerSeriesfor20252026isnearlyhere.

WesternBayofPlentyDistrict Council’sWanderWalksSummerSeries for2025-2026isnearlyhere–withfive dogwalksacrossthedistrictonoffer.

WBODCteamleaderanimalservices PeterHrsticsaidWanderWalksarefree communityevents,whichprovidean opportunityfordogownerstomeet andconnectwithfellowdogloversina relaxed,friendlyenvironment.

Eacheventfeaturesascenic,guided walkatadog-friendlylocation,with thesummerserieswrappingupwith theDoggyDayOutcelebrationat ŌmokoroaSportsgroundonMarch28.

“OurWanderWalksareagreat wayforyourdogtosocialise,build

confidence,burnoffenergyandlearn goodmanners,whileyougettoenjoy connectingwithotherdogowners,” saidHrstich.

“Witheventsrightsacrossthedistrict, youcanjoinawalkclosetohome,or exploresomewherenew.It’sagreat waytocatchupwithfriends,meetnew peopleandhavefunwithyourdog.”

Tocapturethespiritoftheseevents, peopleareinvitedtotakephotosof theirdogsenjoyingtheWanderWalks andentertheminacompetitionthat willberunviatheWesternBayAnimal ServicesFacebookpage.

TheWanderWalksareare:Te PunaQuarryParkonNovember 8;McloughlinParkinTePukeon November22;PuketokiReserveat WhakamāramaonDecember13; WaitekohekoheReserveatKatikati onJanuary24;andAnzacBayat WaihīBeachFebruary14.Findout moreat:www.westernbay.govt.nz/ rules-regulations-and-licenses/animalservices/wander-dogs-walk-series

MarketDayfundraiser

KatikatiCommunityBaptistChurch ishostingaMarkeyDaythisSaturday, November1,from8.30am-12.30pm. Heldatthechurch,at2Wedgewood St,theMarketDaywillraisedfundsfor ayouthworker.

TheMarketDaywillhaveabiggarage sale,abakesaleandmoreforpeople toenjoy.Findoutmorebycallingthe churchon075490034.

BrickshowonSaturday!

BricksofPlentyishostingaBrick ShowintheKatikatiWarMemorial hallthisSaturday,November1,from 10-4pm.

ForthosewholoveLego–youngand old–therewillbeavarietyofbrick displays,abrickplaypitareaplusa salestable.Entryis$5perperson,and Under-threesgainfreeentry.Findout moreat:boplug.nz

QuiznightforHalloween KatikatiRubgy&SportsClubis hostingaHalloweenQuiztonight, Friday,October31,attheclubrooms from6.30pm.Theeventisafundraiser tosupportworkontheclub’schanging roomrenovations.Atableofsix forthequizis$180oraVIPtable ofsixis$350.Toregister,email: katikatirugbyclub@gmail.comortext: 0275371486.

Workingbeeatmountain biketracks

KatchKatikatiinvitesthecommunity toaworkingbeeonthemountainbike tracksatWaitekohekoheRecreational ParkthisSunday,November2.Those interestedcanmeetatthecarparkat 360ThompsonsTrackat9am.The workwillfinishroughlymidday,with abarbecueafterwards.Allwelcome –findoutmorebyphoningKatch Katikation075495250.

LocatedclosetothetownshipofWaihi, WaihiLifecareVillageisoneoftheregion’s mostidyllicyetaﬀordablelifecarevillages.

Ourco agesaresetinapeaceful,ruralse ngwith extensivelawnandgardenareaswhichcelebratethe heritageofthesite.

Thevillageoﬀersarangeofoneandtwobedroom co agesaswellasa65bedcarefacilityproviding resthomeandhospitallevelcareforcon nuityofcare.

Wehaveco agesavailablesoonsopleasecontactus formoreinforma onortobookaviewing.

Welookforwardtohearingfromyou.

Western of lent District Council’s

Photo/RebeccaMauger

Brotherswrestletheirwaytothetop!

TwoKatikatibrothershavefought theirwaytothetopoftheir favouritesportaftercompetingin the95thNewZealandNational OlympicWrestlingChampionships. BrothersOllie,11andQuinn,9, Clarkbothgrabbedgoldmedalsintheir respectivegradesinthechampionshipin DunedinonSeptember26-27.

“QuinnwasintheUnder-9s’28kg grade,andhegotgold,”saidtheirmother AngeClark.

Ollie,whocompetedintheUnder-13 under-30kggradealsowongold,said Ange.“Olliewaswrestlingkidsupto13 yearsold.Generallyhe’stheshortest,”said Ange.“Quinnweighedbangon28kgand onlyjustmadehisweightrangeforhis grade.”

Olliealreadyknewthegoldenfeeling –hewonhisgradelastyearatnationals duetohavingnoopponents“buthealso wrestledupaweightgroupandplaced fourthlastyear”.

Angesaidthisisthefirstyearthe NZNationalOlympicWrestling Championshipshadtrialledunder-10s competingattheevent.“Normally,it’s under-13sandabove.”

GoingforGold

UnbeknowntotheClarkfamily,was thattheNZOlympicWrestlingUnion (NZOWU)alsoranaGoingforGold competitionforallofitsregistered wrestlersthisyear.Wrestlershadto competeinfourtournaments,withone beingtheNorthIslandorSouthIslandor aclubchampionship.

Angesaidwrestlersaccumulatedpoints forplacingsandparticipation.“You’d

getdoublepointsifyouplacedatNorth IslandorSouthIslandchamps;andtriple pointsifyouplacedatnationals.”

Ollieplacedfirstforunder-13sinGoing forGold,whileQuinnplacedsecondfor under-9s.

“Quinnalsogotanextraawardatthe NZOWUdinneratnationals.Hewas awardedMostScientificUnder-9for thenationalsinalltheUnder-9weight groups,”saidAnge.“Forhimtoget thisawardforthebesttechniquewas amazing!”

Threeyears

TheboysjoinedKatikatiOlympic FreestyleWrestlingClubaboutthreeyears ago–followinginthefootstepsofolder sisterKaylieClark–andhadimmersed themselvesinthesporteversince.

“They’vebeendoingallthe tournaments.Wewenttoallthelocal ones,andtoAucklandandHamiltonplus NorthIslandchampsthisyear–they’ve onlymissedone.”

Theonlythingthatrivalswrestlingin OllieandQuinn’sworldisfootball.“But wrestling–thisyearinparticular,they’ve bothreallygotintoitandhadbigger goalsandhaveimprovedtheirtechnique,” saidAnge.

Theirbigimprovementsthisyearwere alsorecognisedrecentlyattheirclub’s end-of-seasonprizegiving.Olliereceived theRobertsonCupforattitudeand excellenceatlocalandnationallevel.“It’s coolbecausehissisterwonitafewyears agotoo.”

QuinnwasawardedtheJohn GraylingMemorialtrophyforthemost outstandingwrestler–theclub’stop accolade.“Ilikelearningnewmoves,” saidQuinn,wholovesbeingcoachedby

KatikatibrothersOllie,11andQuinn,9,Clark,arestokedtobenationalchampions intheirfavouritesportfor2025. Photo/MerleCave

BenTannerandhisfatherRossTanner. “Atfirstlearningthemoveswashard–I didn’tknowwhattodo–butnowthey’re prettyeasy.”

Nevergiveup

Olliesaidheloves“everything practically”aboutwrestling.“Ialso likelearningnewstuff,learningnew techniques.”

Whatdotheboysthinkaboutwhen they’reintheringabouttofight? “It’sprettyscary,butyoujusthaveto concentrateandtrytoblockoutallthe noisesinthebackground,”saidQuinn. “Witheveryoneyellingatyou,you justneedtolistentoyourcoachinthe corner,”saidOllie.“Butit’salsoexciting too!”theboysreckon.

“It’sdefinitely y taugghtthemtoneverggive

up,”saidAnge.Quinninjuredhisknee fallingsidewaysatnationalswhileneckand-neckinpointswithhisopponent. “Rosstalkedtohiminthebreak–Idon’t whathesaidtoQuinnbuthecameout firingandwon.”

Angesaidtheboysalsopractiseatthe Mountwrestlingclub,thankstoRoss, whichtheydidbeforenationals.

Angeadmittedtheboysalsofightalot athome.“Theykeptfightingsowemade arulethatiftheyweregoingtofightat home–theyhadtouseproperwrestling moves!”

Thisyeartheboysenjoyedwrestlingin differentgrades.ButQuinnwhenturns 10inFebruaryhe’llbegincompeting againsthisbrother,saidAnge.“He’llhave towrestleotherbiggerkidstoo.”Watch thissppace!

ika i Olympic F ees yle e li g Cl b’s 2025 pri egi i g sul s:

Jo Gra li Memorial tr for t e Most O tsta in Wrestler: Quinn Cl rk

Clar Trop for Sportsmans i and Co uct: On Cottrell

Ba of Plent S ield for Most I ro ed Wrestler: E en C ve

obertson Cup for Attitu e an xcelle ce at Local and Nati nal e el: Ollie Cl rk

a er r for Most nt usiastic Ki Wrestler: Dust o es

Ross As b Cup for Most D na ic Wrestler: Sur Sin h

LoweFamilyTrop y forS ill and DisciplineUnder10: AshtonHunter.

MerleCave

ati ati Ol m ic reest le Wrestlin Club coac oss Tanner, with rize ivin winners Ashton Hunter,OOnyx Cottrell,QQuinn Clark,DDusty Boyes,OOllie Clark,EEden Cave and SurajSingh. Photo/Supplied

Volunteerfirefighters

WhenDanielleListerandSiobhanArrow turneduptoHenry’sRodShoponMarshall RdonthemorningofOctober18,theyhad noideawhattheywouldstumbleinto.

Itwasjustlikeareal-lifecallouttoaMotorVehicle Accident(MVA)withtheirKatikatiVolunteerFire Brigade.

Oneaftertheother,vehiclesofallmodels,shapes andsizeswereplacedonallsortsofangles,with differentareasofdamageasifthey’djustbeeninan accidentorcollision.

KatikatiVolunteerFireBrigadeactingchieffire officerCraigGrayhadorganisedthetwo-day MotorVehicleAccident(MVA)courseathisown workplace,ledbytwoFireandEmergencyNew ZealandNationalTrainingCentretutors.

“Iorganiseditheresolocalbrigadescouldattend, trainingwasoutofthepubliceye,andtheyardI workathasheapsofspace.”

Graysaid10firefighterscompletedthecourse–five fromhisKatikatibrigade,threefromThamesand oneeachfromWaihīandPaeroa–onOctober18-19 outsidetheirworkhours.

Infact,arangeoflocalbrigadepersonnelwere presenttohelpwiththeevent–rightdownto cookingmealsforthefirefighters.

Vital

ForfirefighterstoattendMVAsandgethands-on withthetoolsonarescuetenderappliance,theyneed tofirstcompletethisMVAqualification.

WithStateHighway2ontheKatikatibrigade’s doorstep,Graysaiditishugelyimportantfor firefighterstoundertakethisvitaltraining.Ifavehicle accidentoccursina100km/hzoneinthedistrict,

TheBowerChristmas LightTrail isback

usuallytworescuetendersaresenttothescene.This meansthere’sahighlikelihoodKatikatifirefighters willbecalledupon,saidGray.

“Beingarescuetender,wecoverfromWaihī throughtoTauranga.Wehaveback-upfromWaihī andTauranga.Buttoactuallyusetheequipment ontherescuetender–suchasthejawsoflife–firefightershavetoholdthisqualification.”

Gray’sbrigadefounddamagedvehiclesandhad somedonatedbythepublicandMetalCotousefor thetrainingweekend.“Wegothrough10-12cars acrosstwodays.”

Afterwardsthey’recollectedforscrapping.

Differentscenarios

Forthetraining,damagedvehiclesareplacedin differentpositions–includingupsidedown,resting ontheirroofs–sofirefighterscanlearnhowto approachdifferentscenariosthatcouldoccurin reallife.

“Theylearneverythingfromremovingroofsand doorstosmashingwindowssafely,doingadashroll –alltechniquestoextricatesomeonefromavehicle safelyafteranaccident.Whattechniquetheyusewill dependonthemechanismoftheaccident,astowhat theywoulddofirst,”saidGray.

KatikativolunteerfirefighterSiobhanArrowsaid shegained“lotsoflearning”thismonthfromherfirst MVAcourse.

“Itqualifiesyoutousethecuttinggear–sothe toolslikeyourspreaders,cutters,ramsetcthatyou mayneedifthereisanMVA.

“Itwas[about]learninghowdifferenttypesof carswork,what’sinthemandhowwecanextricate peoplesafelyfromthem,”saidthe32-year-old,who joinedthebrigade18monthsago.

“Itwasgoodtogetonthetoolsandknowthatifwe findourselvesinthattypeofsituationthatwecando

Registrationsarenow opentojointheBower ChristmasLightTrail!

Decorateyourproperty,share thefestivespirit,andhelp makethisholidayseasonone torememberforthewhole community.Byregistering, you’llalsogointhedrawtowin fantasticprizesfromTauranga CrossingandChuffedGifts.

Registrationsclose16th November–don’tmissout: bit.ly/bowerchristmaslights

KatikativolunteerfirefighterSiobhanArrowusingtheusingthe jawsoflifeintheMotorVehicleAccident(MVA)course.

Photos/MerleCave

s traintoattendvehicleaccidents

KatikativolunteerfirefighterDanielleListerusingthejawsoflifeinaMotorVehicleAccident (MVA)coursethismonth,asfellowtraineeswatchon.

alltherightthingstogetpeopleoutof vehiclessafely.”

FellowvolunteerfirefighterDanielle Lister,whoalsojoinedthebrigade18 monthsback,foundtheMVAcourse “veryinteresting”anda“bigchallenge”.

“Thetrainingpushedmebeyondmy physicallimits–becauseIamasmalllady –whichwasgood.”

Mostunaware

Listersaidpeoplewerelargelyunaware ofthetrainingvolunteerfirefighters

undertaketoensuretheyareskilledand well-equippedtoattendcallouts–which canrangefromfirestomedicalassistance jobs,weathereventsandvehicleaccidents. Arrowagreed.Shesaidwhilethepublic oftenhearthefiresirenwailthrough Katikati,manywouldn’tknowofthe manycoursesvolunteersneedtotickoff involvedjusttobeabletostepintoafire appliance.

“Thesirengoesoff7pmeveryTuesday –that’sournormalweeklybrigade training.Butwhenyoufirstjoin,youdo

TwoFENZNationalTrainingCentretutorsdiscusswithMVAcoursefirefighters anextricationplanbeforehelmetsgoontoundertakethework.

aseven-dayrecruitmentprogrammeat theNationalTrainingCentre–thisisan intensivecoursetoensureyouhaveallthe basicslearntandbecomeBA(Breathing Apparatus)qualified.

“Youalsoundertakeamedical co-responsetwo-daytrainingcourseso you’reCPR-qualified.Ifyouwantto keepmovinguptheranks,thenextis afive-daycoursetobecomeaqualified firefighter,”saidArrow.

Therearealsocourses,suchaschainsaw skillandworkingatheights,thatneedto

becompletedbyallfirefightersregularly torefreshandupskillthebrigade.

‘Lovingit’

“Soeveryoneisforeverlearning–especiallywithnewtechnologythat comesin,newregulationsandnew equipment.It’sconstant,”saidArrow. Andmuchofitisinthevolunteers’ weekendsorotherperiodsofleisuretime. JustlikeLister,though,Arrowjoinedthe brigadetohelpthecommunityandwas “lovingit!”

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Peacefulcul-de-sacsettingwith stunningmangrove&Kaimaiviews Beautifullymaintained2010build Modernkitchen–breakfastbar,great storage,perfectforfamilyliving Twolivingareasincludingseparate loungeforprivacy&entertaining Slidingdoorstoacoveredpatio Fourdoublebedrooms,master includingensuite&outdooraccess

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Brand-newkitchenwithopen-plan diningandlivingarea

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Characterhomewithmodern updatesblendedwithtimelesscharm

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WAIHIBEACH 8ASCARBOROUGHROAD

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