Te Puke News - 3 October 2025

Blazingsuccess

AdedicatedteamfromtheTe PukeVolunteerFireBrigade–GrantScothern,DanTurner,Levi Purdie,CooperPurdie,andJodi

Purdie–representedTePukeatthe AucklandProvincialFireBrigades AssociationFirefighterChallenge inRotorua.Theirhardworkand

teamworkpaidoffwithimpressive resultsacrossmultipleevents.The teamsecuredsecondplaceinthe malerelay,thirdintheco-edrelay,

andseventhinthetandemco-ed category.PicturedhereisLevi Purdietakingpartinthechallenge. Readmoreonpage2. Photo/Supplied

BusyfortnightforTePukefirefighters

AsofMondaySeptember29, wehaverespondedto244calls forthecalendaryeartodate. Wehavehadeightcallsduringthe pastfortnight–onefalsealarm,three medicals,twosmokeinvestigations andtwovegetationfires. Ateamfromourbrigade consistingofGrantScothern,Dan Turner,LeviPurdie,CooperPurdie andJodiPurdierecentlycompeted attheAucklandProvincialFire BrigadesAssociationFirefighter ChallengeinRotorua. Theydidusproud,achieving

secondplaceinthemalerelay event,thirdintheco-edrelayand seventhinthetandemco-ed. Bestindividualresults: CooperPurdie: 2ndopen male,6thmaleindividual,7th individualoverall.

DanTurner: 5thmaleunder 40,10thmaleindividual,11th individualoverall.

Don’tforgettocheckoutour Facebookpage: https://www.facebook.com/ Te.Puke.Fire.Brigade

Smalltowngears upforTaylorSwift celebration

ATaylorSwiftalbumrelease partyinTePuke?Whynot!

That,inanutshell,isthethought processthatledtoalisteningparty forSwift’s‘TheLifeofaShowgirl’ albumthatdropstoday.

ThepartywillbeintheCapitol TheatreinJellicoeSt,whichisbeing transformedforitsreinventionas theKiwifruitCapitaloftheWorld HeritageCentre.

SabrinaHarmsisorganisingthe eventonbehalfofthesocietybehind thecentreandthetransformation.

Hoursofworkhavealreadygone intopreparingtheartdecobuilding foritsnewuse,mostlybypeople volunteeringtheirtimeandexpertise.

“Becausewe’vehadthatinfusion ofsupportfromthecommunity, itmeansweareabletorevitalise theupstairstheatreandstart programming[events].”

Planningandpreparation

Tentativeplanningforthelistening partybeganinJuly,butitwasonly lastweekthatthefinal‘i’wasdotted andthelast‘t’crossed.

Whensheheardaboutthealbum drop,Harmslookedatatimezone mapandrealisedthetimingwould beanevent-friendly5pminNew Zealand.

“Ithought,‘Ohmygosh,this

couldbesocool’.”

Shedid,though,wonderifgetting thosebehindtheoverallprojecton boardwasgoingtobeahardsell.

“Apartfromsomeofthekids helping,Iamdefinitelytheyoungest andIfeltlikeitwasgoingtobeabit ofaleftfieldpitchtoourcrew.

“ButI’mfortunatebecausewe’ve gotsomereallyopen-mindedpeople whowanttopushtheenvelopeon whatwecandoandtheysaid,‘let’s goforit’.”

Withthealbumtitleevokingthe entertainmentofanearlierera, andpublicityshotsincludingthe backdropoftheartdecoarchitecture ofaLosAngeleshotel,the1929builttheatreprovidesafittingvenue fortheparty.

“TheCapitolTheatrehasallthese classic1920slinesandmouldingsand isfromtheshowgirlera,”saidHarms.

Showgirltheme

Inkeepingwiththetheme,a “showgirl”hasbeenhiredtoperform inthelead-uptothealbumlaunch.

FifiOh!fromTheWildUntamed willbeavailableforphotosandthere willbeaquestion-and-answersession exploringthelifeofaperformer.

Doorswillopenat3.30pm,one hourandahalfbeforethealbum drops.“Wearegoingtodosome trivia,someguess-the-Taylor-Swift

Aparadeofculture

TePuke’sroadswereawashwith colourandchatterattheweekendfor theannualNagarKirtan–TePuke’s SikhParade.NagarKirtanistheSikh customofprocessionalsingingof hymnsthroughacommunity.Nagar meansneighbourhoodandkirtan describesthesingingofdevotional hymns.TheparadestartedattheSikh temple,orGurudwaraonNo3Rd andmadeitswaytotheCBDbefore returningtotheGurudwara. TePuke News’ StuartWhitakerwentalongto capturethespectacle.

songs,swapfriendship braceletsandwearehoping peoplewillbeincostumeand dressedup.”

TherewillbeaNewYear’s Eve-stylecountdownbefore thealbumisplayedthrough thecinema’ssurroundsound systemviaSpotify.

“We’vegotback-upplans andcontingenciesbecause thingscanbeabitrisky –theinternethascrashed severaltimeswhenTaylorhas releasedsomething,butwe’re reallyexcited.”

Harmshasheardafew peoplecommentthattheyare surprisedthereisalistening partyinTePuke.

“Myresponseis:‘whynotTe Puke?’There’snoreasonforus nottobeanartsdestination intheBayofPlenty.

“We’vegotabuildingthat

isbeggingtohostthingslike this,andweareexcitedto kickthingsoff,excitedto openourdoorstoshareour inclusiveandpositivespace withfolks.”

Harmssaidwhilesheliked someTaylorSwiftsongs whenshewasateenager,and ‘YouBelongtoMe’and‘Tear DropsonMyGuitar’“could havebeenaboutaboyin myhighschool”,shedrifted awayfromthemusic.

Personalexperience

However,oneSwiftalbum hasaveryspecialsignificance.

“Twoyearsago,Ihad myheartbrokenwhenan 11-yearrelationshipended.

InApril,‘TheTorturedPoets Department’wasreleased, andIcriedthroughthewhole albumonalogonawindy

dayatPukehinaBeach.Itfelt likeshewroteeverythought andfeelingthathadpassed throughme.”

Harmswasdisappointed thatSwift’sinternational Erastourdidn’tmakeitto NewZealandbutwaslucky enoughtoseeitintheUSand itintroducedhertomoreof Swift’swork.

“Icomefromaperformance backgroundandwriting backgroundandoneofthe thingsIenjoythemostisnot justthemusic,butIadorethe writing,there’ssomuchtobe exploredinthat.”

Ticketsforthelistening partyare$30andareavailable throughEventbrite. Theeventisrestrictedto those13-plus.

StuartWhitaker

ProstheticeyecollectionsharedaroundNZ

ItlookslikeTePukeresidentBruceBrown’s eyecollectionisgoingtofindanewhome.

In TePukeNews lastmonth,Brownhighlighted hisdesiretomoveonthecollectionofaround2500 artificialeyesthathadbeenmadebyhisfather. Hehadadvertisedtheiravailabilitywithlittle responseandwasscratchinghisheadaboutwhere theymightgo.

y g g

BruceBrownhas foundhomesfor theprostheticeye collectionheinherited fr f omhisfather. Photos/StuartWhitaker

“Itreallyseemssuchasshameforthemjustto effectivelybeputintostorageorbiffed,”hesaid. JamesBrown,hisfather,wasaprostheticeye makerwhotravelledaroundtheNorthIsland offeringhisservices.

Hehadbeentrainedandbeganhisworkat BurnhamMilitaryCampduringWorldWarIIbefore continuingatChristchurch’sBurwoodHospital. Sincethearticle’spublication,Brownhashadmore andrequeststhanhecanmeet.

Since th inquiries

When T waspacka justone o While t saidhe’s h valued.

“It’sgoi foravarie

TePukeNews caughtupwithhimagain,he agingupsomecasestobesenttoDunedin, ofmanyshipmentstotheeyes’newhomes. thecollectionhashadtobesplitup,Brown happyit’sgoingtoplaceswhereitwillbe ngtoavarietyoforganisationandpeople etyofuses.”

Hehas prosthetic theywill Some w medical h andamu

optome

hadpeoplevisitandcollectsomeofthe ceyesandthinksbytheendofthisweek, allhavegone. willbeputondisplay,includingatthe historymuseumatAucklandHospital useuminChristchurch,aswellasin trists’shops.

Bla

ankeyes

Amongthecollectionwere“blank” eyes,manyofwhichhavegonetoThe IncubatorCreativeHubinTauranga’s HistoricVillage.

unfi greatfor

“Theonestheygotweresomeofthe finishedones,whicharesmoothandwillbe rpeopletopaintinoilpaint. hadsomeschoolsaskingforthemaswell, heyusewater-basedandposterpaints,and won’tsticktothem.”

“We h butth they w The painted “Sever andthe

finishedprostheticeyeswereallhanddbyBrown’sfather. ralpeoplewerejustsotakenwiththeskill artworkandthewaythey’remade–itwasa

veryskilfulthing,”saidBrown.

Hisfatheralmostalwaysmadetwoofeachprostheticeye–evenwhenhiscustomeronlywantedone,and,havingseenthe article,onepastcustomercontactedBrowntoseeifhecould getholdofhissecondeye.

“HecontactedmefromWhanganuiandsaid:‘Yourdadmade aneyeforme’.Itmusthavebeenover30yearsago.”

ThecustomerhadvisitedBrown’sfatherinTaurangatohave theeyemade.

“Hesaid‘IknowhealwaysmadetwoofthemandIquite oftenmisplacemine,willyoubeabletofindmyonethathe mayhavemade?’”

Whilepeople’snameswerewrittenonthebacksoftheextra eyes,Brownewasunabletofinditamongthecollection.

“Ididsendhimacoupleofsimilartypesofeyes,which won’tbesuitable,becausetheyneedtobetherightshapeand everything,butjustreallysohe’sgotsomethingjustincase.But thatwasquiteinteresting.”

Brownhasputtogethersomeinformationabouthisfather thathehassentwiththevariouspackages.

Hesaidhe’spleasedthestoryhadsuchagoodreachthat enabledpartsofthecollectiontogototheSouthIsland,where hisfatherstartedhiswork.

Teacherlaunchesnatureschoolforlocalkids

Primaryschoolteacher MeganWardandmechanic JackReesarelookingtouse theirPaengaroapropertyto provideanatureschoolcalled CuriousbyNature.

Theyhavelivedonthepropertyfor aboutayear.

“Wehaveacoupleofhectaresand wantedtomakeuseofitsomehow,” Wardsaid.

“Wehavefoundfriendscoming tovisitontheweekends,theylove gettingoutofsuburbia,coming outandjustexploringourproperty –that’sprobablywhatgotmy mindticking.”

Becausesheisateacher,Wardalso seesthatclassroomstructureand learningdoesn’tsuitallchildren.

Cateringforprimaryand intermediateschool-agechildren,the ideaistheywillforegooneschool dayaweektoattend.

“Ijustthoughtitwasagreat opportunitytoprovidesome balancetochildren’severydayschool lifestructure.

“Weknowthatchildrenbenefitfrom beingoutdoorsandworkingwiththeir handsandbeinggivenfreereintojust explorealittlebitinnature.”

CuriousbyNaturewillinitially operatetwodaysaweek,witha maximumof12studentsperday.

Thereisalean-tothatwillbeabase andrefugewhenitrains.

“Fromthereweliketoexplore. Wehaveastreamatthebackofour propertywhichhaseels,redwood trees,kawakawaandavarietyof animalswehavecollectedover theyears.”

Amongthemarecows,alamb, rabbits,ducks,andchickens,aswell asadogandacat.

“It’sgreatforkidstolearntocare foranimalsandquitetherapeuticfor kidstobearoundandwithanimals.”

Thereisalsoaccesstothenext-door property,RedwoodValleyFarm.

“Thatissupercoolbecausewecan exploreabitofthebushnextdoor, goonwalks,thatsortofthing.”

Curriculum

Theteachingwillsitoutsidethe NewZealandcurriculum.

“It’snotgovernment-funded; it’sjustaprogrammethatruns independentlyandissupportedby thefamiliesthatjoinus.”

Twoopendayshavebeenheldat thepropertyandWardsaidthere hasbeeninterestfromfamiliesof childrenatschoolandthosewho homeschool.

Shedoesn’tanticipateissueswith childrennotattendingschoolone dayaweek.

“Thesedaysalotofschoolsare onboardwithsomethinglikethis becausetheycanseetheneedforit. Itdoesdependontheschoolandthe principal,butatthisstagewe’vehad noissueswiththepeoplewhoare signingup.”

Whilenotateacher,Reeswillalso beassistingand,fromtheopendays, itseemsclearthereisinterestinareas suchaslookingathowmachinery works,welding,woodworkandother practicalareas.

“Jackhasalotoftradeskillsand wantstodothingswiththeolder kids.”

TheoperatorsofWelcomeBaybasedTeacherinthePaddockhave beenhelpingWardandReeswith theirideasandWardsaidshehoped, ifthere’senoughdemand,torunthe natureschoolfivedaysaweekfrom nextyear.

FormoredetailscontactWardat: admin@curiousbynature.nzorvisitthe CuriousbyNatureFacebookpage.

PopularTePukeclasses expandtointermediatelevel

Aseriesofpopularclassesat TePukeLibraryaretobe repeated,startingnextmonth.

Thedigitalskillsclassesthat raninJulywereaimedat anyonewithadigitaldevice whowasunsureaboutusing it.Anewseriesofclassesfor thosewithbasicskillshave alsobeenscheduled.

“Thepreviousclasswere extremelypopular,andwe receivedpositivefeedback fromtheclassattendeeswhich promptedusintorepeating thesesameclasses,”library andservicecentreteamleader Amanda-JaneMcFaddensaid. Fromthosesessions, presenterKimiKatenetook noteofwhatwasbeingasked forandshehasnowdeveloped aseriesofintermediateclasses thatwilllookatthingslike productivity,everyday digitaltools,creativity, artificialintelligence(AI)and emergingtech.

Thebeginners’classeswill alsoberunagain,lookingat smartphoneandtabletbasics, usefulapps,accessingservices online,digitalskillsandnew technology.

McFaddensaidKatene hadsetasidetimeaftereach sessionforthosetrickyone-off questionstheattendeesmay have,andshewilltrytohelp whereshecan.

Thethreebeginners’sessions

willeachberuntwicein OctoberandNovemberon Tuesdaymornings,withthe sixintermediateclassesrunin theafternoonsonthesame daysasthebeginners’classes. Thesessionsrunfrom October14-November18 andcanbebookedonline at:eventbrite.co.nzorby poppingintotheTePuke Library.

Classesanddates Beginners(10am-12pm) October14,Smartphone andTablets;October21, UsefulAppsandAccessing ServicesOnline;October 28,DigitalSkillandNew Technology; November4,Smartphone andTablets;November11, UsefulAppsandAccessing ServicesOnline;November 18,DigitalSkillandNew Technology. Intermediate(2-4pm) October14,Productivity &EverydayDigitalTools; October21,Communication &Collaboration;October 28,DigitalServices& E-Government;November 4,Creativity&Everyday TechSkills;November11, DigitalSafety&Security (IntermediateLevel); November,Next-LevelAI& EmergingTech.

StuartWhitaker

Justoneweeklefttovote forRealChange

Focus

Ourcouncilmustgetbacktobasics.WeneedanewCEOwhowantstowork closelywiththecommunityandweneedatop-to-bottomreviewofthecouncil.

Efficiency

Wecannotaffordanymorebigratesincreases.Council’soverheadsarehigherthansimilarcouncilsandwecannolongerafford“BusinessasUsual”.

VoteRodney

Openness

Weneedleaderswhocommunicatethenewsofcouncilwithoutspin-thetoughstuffaswellashappynews.Weneedamorehumblecouncil.

Transparency

Weneedgenuineengagementwiththepublic,includingabiggerrolefor communityboards.Youshouldnotbesurprisedbythecouncil’sdecisions.

Mayor

Theperfectstarterlifestyle Lifestyleopportunity!Thisthreebedroom,onebathroom homewithspaciouslivingoffersgoodbonesandrenovation potential.FeaturesincludeaColoursteelroof,double garage,andlargepoweredshed.Seton7.55hectares (approx.)acrosstwotitles,backingontotheMaketuEstuary.

Pongakawa,23ArawaRoad

Spacious2000sqmfamilyhaven Discoverthisdelightfulfourbedroom,twobathroomhome onaspacious2000sqm(approx.)section.Enjoyanew kitchenwithstonebenches,doubleglazing,andawrap arounddeck.Immaculatelypresented.

AdvantageRealtyLtdLicensedAgentREAA2008

Bower August TopAgent_

Honouredtoberecognisedas Bower’sNo.1agentforAugustand nowsitting2ndoverallyeartodate.

Augustwasahugemonthincludingacompanyrecordsale and$31.5mintotalsales.

Amassivethankyoutomy vendorsfortrustingmewithyour properties-it’salwaysaprivilege.

Ifyou’reconsideringsellingyour orchard,residentialorlifestyle property,I’dlovetochat.

471bOldCoachRoad,Paengaroa

4bed|2bath+3.46Can/HaG3

Setintheheartofthegoldentriangle, 471BOldCoachRoadisarareoffering thatcombinesahigh-performingG3 kiwifruitorchardwithaluxurious lifestyleresidence.Thispropertyoffers discerningbuyersthechancetolivein luxurywhileenjoyinganexceptional passiveorchardincomeseldom availableatthisscale.High-yielding, beautifullypresented,andpositioned forbothlifestyleandprofit–opportunitiesofthiscalibrearerare.

DeadlineSale4pm,23October2025

OpenDay-Sun05Oct,11am-12pm bower.co.nz/RX4695460

ConradHeadland 0272721017

ShelterBeltSpecialists AWinnerwithOrchardists

Locally raised brothers Mattand Rob LocallyraisedbrothersMattandRob Duytshoffprovide an invaluable serDuytshoffprovideaninvaluableservicetoBayofPlentyorchardists.

Thebrothersownthebrightgreen Tree Control machinery you have TreeControlmachineryyouhave probablyseentravellingaroundthe country. Their High Reach machincountry.TheirHighReachmachinerywithapurposebuiltgrappleand chainsawsystemhastheabilityto holdandcutbranchesatheights farbeyondothercontractors.The machinerysuitsallapplicationof treework,fromshelterbelttopping, dangeroustreeremovalsandfull shelterbeltremovals.TheHighReach machineryiscomplimentedbyafull rangeoflarge‘fulltree’chippersand mulchers.

Whetherit’satreeleaningtowards abuilding,massiveGumsorPines blockingsunlightandcausingahazard to the orchard or a shelter belt ardtotheorchardorashelterbelt just in the wrong place, Tree Control justinthewrongplace,TreeControl hastheexpertiseandequipmentto handle it handleit.

Tree Control’s specialty is to control TreeControl’sspecialtyistocontrol thejobfromstarttofinishleavingthe customerwithnoproblemstosolveor sub-contractorstoarrange.Havinga PowerCoaccreditation to manage the PowerCoaccreditationtomanagethe jobsaroundPowerlinesandexpertise in minimizing trafficmanagement inminimizingtrafficmanagement requirements,TreeControlcanhandle anything required anythingrequired.

MattSays,“WearetheonlyTree Companywiththe specialisedmachinCompanywiththespecialisedmachinerytomanagethe treespreviously erytomanagethetreespreviously forgottenaboutandarenowcausing significant riskstotheir orchardor significantriskstotheirorchardor otherassetsorblockingtheprecious sunlight sunlight.

Theirclientsarepleasedwiththe resultstoo andlocal orchardist Matt resultstooandlocalorchardistMatt Phillips hadthistosay aboutthe Phillipshadthistosayaboutthe advantagesofusingTreeControl.

“TreeControldeliveredanexceptionalservicefromstarttofinish. Theircommunication was clear, Theircommunicationwasclear, timely,andprofessional,makingthe wholeprocesssmoothandstressfree.Whatreallystoodoutwastheir forward-thinkingapproachandabilitytoproblemsolve—theyliaised itytoproblemsolve—theyliaised

directlywiththepowerboardonmy behalf,savingmetimeandhassle”.

“The team showed up on “Theteamshowedupon schedule,workedefficiently, andlefttheorchardsotidyit’s ready for a zero turn mower”. readyforazeroturnmower”. “Theywentoverandabove”. “TreeControlcomeshighly recommended”.

Foradditionalinformationview their website: treecontrol.co.nz theirwebsite:treecontrol.co.nz

Phone: 0276288762