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To CHB, with Love

By Chris Proctor and Hannah WebsterPhoto by Hannah WebsterIf you were to go and search for Central Hawke’s Bay’s district’s biggest champion, you wouldn’t have to look much further than its mayor. Sitting amidst the breakfast rush at the local café, we asked Alex Walker everything about the mayoralty, district and beyond, and we started with her. Who is Alex in two sentences? “Two sentences? Is that all?”, she replies laughing. “My name is Alex Walker…” Alex has lived in ...

CHB Duck Day - Celebrating 30 years 2024

Another Duck Day has been and gone and the focus is now on for 2024 to be even bigger than this year. Mark Drake, who with his wife Meredith and a dedicated team of helpers have been part of this iconic community event since the very beginning.  Early days when the Waipawa Chamber and then Lions Club first set it up, 29 years on, the event has only got bigger and better.Reflecting on 2023s event, Mark notes the highlights, seeing people from out of the area sponsor a duck, newcomers to CHB ...

Henare O’Keefe - Humble human, loudly and proudly for Hastings

Mention Henare O’Keefe and there would be only a few people who wouldn’t know his name. Even more so if you live in Hastings .Be it at an event representing Hastings as the City’s Ambassador, mentoring youth at the Flaxmere Boxing Academy, to even opening a petanque court, Henare’s actions spread a message: Be loud and proud; you live in Hastings. Henare loves what he does, and the people he meets every day. At any occasion, if Henare is invited, he will be there. He’s often leavi...

Dawn Bedingfield- Super Gran and Community Advocate

Dawn Bedingfield- Super Gran and Community AdvocateNapier Nan local Dawn Bedingfield may seem a fairly quiet person should you meet her during the day, often helping out with her 12 grandchildren but when community calls, Dawn will be the first to respond, especially if it is around helping the needs of others.When there was talk of many Napier senior housing residents struggling to understand the possible change to their living situation, Dawn jumped in, placard and all, taking the challenge on...

Changing your stars - Tim Clayton

Story by Tobey HughesTim Claytons story is one we can all find inspiration from.Today he is a paralympic skier with the goal of representing NZ at the world games in Italy 2025.Growing up 10 minutes away from Turangi Mt Ruapehu become a second home for Tim as he started skiing at the age of 5. Now he’s been skiing for 25 years and been to Nationals twice. But Tim had hardships like the rest of us to get here. Highschool was a hard point in Tims life as he was severely bullied. But Tim says he ...

Not your everyday Sausage Roller

Photos and words by  Mia SutherlandAre you a new or experienced sausage dog owner? And have you heard of The Hawkes Bay SausageRollers? They may be just the bunch for you and your furry friend!The Hawkes Bay Sausage Rollers are a group of happy Dachshund dog-owners. They meet once amonth to go on lengthy walks around Park Island and Pakowhai Dog Park, alternating locations eachmonth. Over five + years, The Hawkes Bay Sausage Rollers have accumulated 200 members, mostmembers owning more than...

Tylers Review Corner

Uproar Starring Julian Dennison (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), Rhys Darby and Minnie Driver, Uproar follows Josh, a young student who gets wrapped up in the events surrounding the 1981 Springbok Tour. As he is forced to stand up for himself, his whanau and his future, Josh discovers what Māori and Pakeha ancestry means for him. This movie has a heartwarming and funny vibe with a powerful message woven throug...

Making the Bay a better place

How do you sum up so much awesomeness in one human? Dewald Botha is one amazing humble dude!You will find Dewald delivering furniture for Resource, a not for profit organisation that redistributes household goods into the community .It’s his job to load up the van and deliver to those in our community that need a hand up . Dewald reckons he feels that he unfairly gets all the gratitude from the grateful recipients as he is the one dropping them off although many others have worked hard to make...

Changing the world one bike ride at a time

Photos by Mia SutherlandMeet Dawn the cycle pilot and Enid her triobike passenger. While it may sound like a plane ride somewhere it’s a lot simpler than that, and is all to do with a Napier based organisation that has brought the trio bikes here for our community to enjoy.That organisation is the Napier registered charity - Cycling Without Age Napier Trust of the global based organisation called Cycling without Age.Created in 2012 in Copenhagen, Napier is one of more than 3000 chapters as the...

Kindness begins at home - Raewyn and Richard Lawrence

For many having a vege garden can be hard work but for locals Richard and Raewyn Lawrence it's been a lifetime of a love of the land for them both.It started on a farm, which led to producing their own crops, branching into flower growing and production.Some may say Richard has green fingers but the knowledge they both bring to their love of ‘fruit and veg’’ is something pretty special.Following simple organic principles you can see the results alongside the love and care Richard puts into...

Redefining the skateboarding demographic.

Story by Lena Ormsby | Photos by Tyler HeestermanThrough the work of Sarinah Hurford and her initiative called Wellness Riders, she is redefining the skateboarding demographic.After discovering her love for the sport Sarinah has co-founded Wellness Riders to empower rangatahi to recreate sporting stereotypes. Growing up she felt as though she has been “missing out” and so has dedicated incredible effort to ensure rangatahi today, don’t missout on life opportunities and experiences.Before c...

Highlighting and erasing stationery inequity’s.

Story by Esta Chaplin | Photos by Tyler HeestermanHastings teens Claudia and Florence Patel-Gaunt have unzipped a new charitable service aimed at keeping Hawke’s Bay students fully stocked with school essentials.Launched last year, Project Pencil Case creates the perfect kit for students from community donations. Each case equips students with pens, pencils, books and many other items essential to students' success at school. The two girls identified the stationery gap when they were involved ...

Tyler's Media Corner Winter 2023

A free login is all it takes to watch The Dog House on TVNZ+. The Dog House is a show full of cuteness, warmth and fun. Each week, households of all sizes and dynamics come to The Dog House to be paired with an abandoned dog, (typically pregnant, or a puppy), and take one to their forever homes where the dogs are given a new chance at being a human’s best friend. Filmed just north of Auckland, at Poehuehue’s Country Retreat Animal Sanctuary, The Dog House NZ is the Kiwi version of ...

Vik to the Rescue

Sixteen years ago, Vik’s Rescue began as a dog rescue. With $163 dollars, Vicky rescued her first animal—a hunter way cross named Jed. Her first rescue kitten was Sammie, he was found almost lifeless in a garden in Rissington. “I was put on this planet to rescue animals, simple as that,” she says smiling. Vicky has had a passion for caring for animals since she was a youngster, and Vik’s Rescue embodies that enormous love of helping animals. Vicky said she has this rule “they fight, ...

Who let the hounds out

What you notice firstly on arriving at Homewood Kennels is that there is no barking. 20 plus Greyhounds and some extras on holiday and not a woof to be heard.The country life must be working as everyone onsite including the animals are in their happy place and why wouldn't you be in such beautiful surroundings as this.Situated just out of Waipukurau and run by a dedicated team of animal lovers, overseen by Rachel and Fatima you will find Homewood Kennels.Set on an amazing park-like property, wha...

From Waipuk to the World - Lachie Kirk

Sometimes odds and records are there to be broken, and everything previously thought to be out of reach is defied. That is the story of Lachie Kirk, an 18-year-old boy from CHB who did just that.Lachie grew up in the small rural town of Waipukurau, in the heart of Central Hawke's Bay, where at an early age, as a way to celebrate scoring Rugby tries, he began practising how to backflip on the family trampoline. Those were the beginnings of a sporting career beyond what Lachie thought possible. "I...

The Community Couple

We all know those people that are just so worthy of receiving accolades and credit for what they do. May it be for something they have said or the difference they have made in their community. Mark and Meridith Drake of Central Hawkes Bay are those people. Meridith manages a gift shop, while two doors down, Mark serves up fish and chips for hungry locals. Earlier this year, the couple was nominated for Seven Sharp’s ‘Good as Gold’ award - $10,000 for them and their family. They were hugely...

Scooter fun raises serious money

Earlier this year a group of keen as people jumped on their scooters and headed from Napier to Wellington to raise money for charity.The idea all started over a group of friends wanting to do something to support mens health and so began the very first Napier Scooter Chal- lenge raising close to an amazing $80,000 raising funds for local Awhi Trust and I am Hope. With a few pit stops along the way, and a few break- downs the group arrived safely in Wellington with an average time of 5 1⁄2 hour...

Opinion Piece

We are living in uncertain times; a pandemic that has changed our way of life forever, a global climate crisis of which we are already experiencing major repercussions, an unprecedented invasion of a sovereign country, which is posed go down in history books and record inflation, topped by outrageous housing unaffordability.  When I consider the times that we live in, I get a sense of trepidation and frustration, but above all, a sense of great uncertainty. Where are we heading? What will m...

Focus on CHB

Covid, lockdowns and restrictions have been incredibly tough for so many people, especially when prices at the supermarket are through the roof. One local organisation, however, is making a difference by working hard to support not only those in need, but the environment as well. Andrea Mooney has been involved with the Food basket Waipukurau for several years, saying that she was part of a large team of volunteers that helped out. The system works by providing people with the opportunity of pic...

Hawkes Bays Forrest Gump

Local EIT tutor, Andrew McCrory, did what you might only dream of achieving, running the equivalent length of New Zealand. Running 50km each day for 40 days—that’s 40 ultramarathons. Andrew was aiming to fundraise $20,000 for kids with cerebral palsy to get selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery. This procedure is done on the lower spinal cord to reduce stiffness in the legs allowing for more movement. He began his epic journey early December last year but due to Covid-19 restrictions, Andre...

Planting the seed to change

Aaronsstones is a local greenstone carving business that Aaron Greaves runs out of his studioin Hastings. Aaron was taught to carve by his mentor Sam Wilkinson while he was still at Karamu High school. Sam invited him to look over his workshop and Aaron quickly began to work for Sam as often as he could using what ever he could find from his offcut bin to practice his carving. For Aaron carving became a full-time career in 2016. His first claim to fame was in 2012 when he was commissio...

Dedicated Service

When it comes to long service, few can say that they still wish to continue after nearly 30 years of work. Mrs Margaret Knight, however, is an exception. Margaret’s day begins well before that of most New Zealanders. She gets up at 3:30 am and arrives at her cleaning job at Lindisfarne College by 4:30 am. I asked Margaret what made her get up in the morning, and she promptly said, “I just love coming to work because each day is just completely different. I love interacting with the staff and...

Tylers Media Corner

PodcastAvailable to watch on YouTube, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.In A Word: Quirky  Ben and J Carlin, otherwise known as the Super Carlin Brothers on YouTube, host this brilliant podcast, discussing all things nerd. The pair of brothers, Jon and Ben talk about their fandoms, from Harry Potter, Marvel, Pixar and Disney and their film theories for which they are best known on the internet. They converse about their childhood together, their pastimes and social experiences t...

'Funner communities together"

Words and image by Esta Chaplin Ange Mentzer is serious about fun.She is a mum of three daughters, the best snack provider, a fan of Olivia Rodrigo – and a community treasure.Her official role at the New Zealand Red Cross is Community Activator but she goes well beyond the job description. Last Ange noticed ”there was no dedicated, regular youth voice” in the Red Cross. She set out to change that!The Red Cross Youth Ambassadors was born!With the Ambassadors, Ange e...