A special thank you to FULLERS GREATSIGHTS for the use of a trailer, PATRICK CRAWSHAW for the amazing interior designs, men from ROTARY who were indispensable, students from QRC, JACQUES JANSEN, SANDY COOK-JANSEN and the team of OP SHOP VOLUNTEERS, and CELLINI’S for the endless supply of much needed coffees.  

Te Hononga (Many connections)
 
Deeply passionate about the Bay of Islands and protecting the environment for the children of our future and inspiring, UPSURGE ARTS FESTIVAL trustee SHELL WILSON and mural artist ERIKA PEARCE, worked collaboratively with the community to create a piece that would inspire stories to be told and to raise awareness of the importance of the health and wellbeing of ourselves, our whenua and our moana.  Both work toward connections.  Connecting stories through the medium of this visual art display, they work toward inspiring our communities to re-connect and to be the change they want to see in the world.

The Koru:  representing Taniwha Hine Riri, to remind us of our coastline, comes in the form that illustrates new beginnings towards making a positive change, the same representation found in the new learnings and knowledge learnt at Motumaire.  The blue represents the swirls created by the waka hoe entering the water. Each stroke carrying the paddlers tupuna. The darkness of the swirl represents the deep part of the Moana and the darkness we have created that need addressing and to move forward with.  The dusting representing the new flow we are all embarking on.

Tangaroa’s Children: placing the viewer of the mural in the depths of the ocean it is hoped that the message of protecting our ocean resonates; the humpback whale was a popular answer when asked what animal of the ocean held the most spiritual significance.  Symbolising creative energies it recognises the need for healing, both physically and emotionally; reminding individuals to rely on their inner strength to navigate emotional depths and distances. Selected as the one of the main features, this migrating giant of the south pacific is also very important for acknowledging the assistance they would provide for navigational paths on waka journeys.  The orca who frequents our shores held the most similar makings of a human whanau. Orca travel as a whanau and have a matriarchal hierarchy, with the grandmother making most of the decisions to oversee her whanau with valuable learnings and teachings, a reminder to acknowledge the teachings and learnings from our kaumatua and our kuia and to in return look after them.  Three prong the bottlenose dolphin is acknowledged and was also a popular answer for what had the most spiritual significance, along with the stingray and striped marlin.
 
Kaitiaki: with hope in her eyes, she represents yesterday, today and tomorrow. She delivers inspiration for positive change.  She encourages unity and positive future actions. 

 The white feather: representing the Taiamai, we also recognise Ranginui and Tawhirimatea.  The feather also carries a symbol of peace and acknowledgment to all our loved ones that have passed away. 
 
Connect with the stories from this area.
1. The Taniwha Hine Riri whose body, according to local legend, forms the ridgeline above the bluff which maori actually named ‘Nihonui’ the big tooth as it forms part of Hine Riri’s body.
2. The southern blue marlin which in te reo is an old name for the bay between Russell, Paihia and Waitangi ‘Takeketonga’.
3. The sea hawks such as Tukaiaia and Tu Te Mahurangi who reign in the skies from Motu Kokako (hole in the rock) to the sacred inland mountain landmark Pouerua.
4. The famous Taiamai, a bird that brought knowledge from the heavens and gifted it to the people of this area. Taiamai is another old maori name for a section of the bay of islands region starting from the coastline stretching all the way inland to Ngawha.
5. Pikopiko I Whiti is a lagoon in Hawaiki (the traditional homeland of the maori). When Kupe arrived here from Polynesia 1000 years ago the name Pikopiko I Whiti was given to the inlet heading up to Waikare and the Taumarere river.
6. Just out from the bluff is Motu Maire, the mystical island that holds a sacredness to the ancient maori priests as it was once a sanctuary set aside as a school of higher learning. The maire is a tree that practitioners performed their wizardry on, not only to kill the tree but to also bring it back to life.
 
Connect with your responsibilities as a kaitiaki.
A kaitiaki is a guardian, and the process and practices of protecting and looking after the environment. Our responsibility to the stories shared, the whenua, the moana and the children that rely on the health of it. The teachings to help raise awareness to our younger generations.  Our job to look after nature. Our job to show our gratitude for preserving for the next generations.

 Connect with the moana and the whenua.
The site sits on the rocky shores of the Moana nestled in the ngahere on Nihonui.  Reminders of the importance of looking after Tangaroa and Papatuanuku.  Reminders to reconnect with nature, to breathe in the air, to be grateful for this moment. Reminders to acknowledge the strength of Marama and Te Ra.  Reminders to stroll to the nearest waters to remember your place, and trust you heart.

Sponsors: this mural was sponsored by the FOCUS PAIHIA COMMUNITY CHARITABLE TRUST and was a free event of the 2019 UPSURGE ARTS FESTIVAL programme.  All paint materials were sponsored by KERIKERI COLOUR SHOP. Accommodation for Erika Pearce was sponsored by KINGSGATE AUTOLODGE HOTEL PAIHIA and THE SCENIC HOTEL BAY OF ISLANDS, PAIHIA.  EXPLORE NZ for providing Erika with an afternoon on the moana. SALT AIR for providing Erika with a bird’s eye view of inspiring colours from our coastlines. Lunches and refreshments for Erika Pearce were provided by EL CAFE, HARURU FALLS CAFÉ/TAKEAWAYS, LETZ CAFE, ANDY’S NOODLE KITCHEN, COUNTDOWN PAIHIA, CHARLOTTE’S KITCHEN, and ALFRESCO’S.Contributions: this community project was collaborated with ERIKA PEARCE’S passion for conserving our ocean, MICHELE WILSON’S passion to connect people through creative processes and the stories shared by NGATI KAWA TAITUHA and whanau, WIREMU CASH, and WIREMU WIREMU.  Ideas were also shared by the tamariki at PAIHIA PRIMARY SCHOOL and the PAIHIA COMMUNITY. A huge thank you and special mention to those who also helped with executing this project through physically giving up their time, providing advice or inspiration or just being there at a drop of a hat:  GRANT HARNISH, BRUCE GORDON, KENT THWAITES, TODD EVERS, KARL WILSON, THE STAFF AT SALT AIR, DEREK MILLER FROM BAY PAINTING SERVICES LTD, LEE FLEE, JOE LATU, REX AND THE PAIHIA FIRE BRIGADE, JOANNE HALLIDAY, SARAH RILEY, DARRON BURT, TAYLOR FROM MAHOLO TRANSPORT, STELLA SCHMID, THE STAFF AT ITM PAIHIA, COWLEYS HIRE WHANGAREI and HIRECORP KERIKERI, to all those who stopped and helped paint the mural and to those who said hello and encouraged her at different times of the day. 

The Village Green had another busy season over the summer and was in need of some TLC to help rejuvenate it and prepare it for next season.  A strong force of 22 volunteers turned up on Sunday 28 April to shovel dirt, fertilise, and lay down new grass seed.  Weather conditions were perfect with a heavy shower of rain coming over just as the working bee finished.  Thanks to BRUCE GORDON bringing along his trusty digger, the dirt was moved around the Green in no time. 
Once again we were spoiled with a yummy morning tea kindly donated by the volunteers and other community members, boy oh boy were the fluffy scones good! 
A lot of the Green is now cordoned off, please stay out of these areas to allow the grass to grow and we’ll soon have a great looking Village Green again.

A massive thanks to the following people and businesses: our project driver KATHY MORTIMER, provider of dirt – ANDREW YOUNGER, provider of the fertiliser and the fertiliser spreader – ALAN from the  WAITANGI GOLF COURSE, GREG JONES for organising the spreader.  All our wonderful helpers on the day – KATHY MORTIMER, CHESTER RENDELL, JILL and ROGER TOPLIS, LOUISE PEARSON, KARINA and MIKE EDMONDS, JEANETTE WOOD, JAN BAKER, SAM MORTON, RICHARD, PAIGE and PHOENIX FERGUSON, JULIE and JANA CUNNINGHAM, JUDY CARTWRIGHT, SARAH TOWNSEND, BASIL UMUROA, STEVE MARTIN, FRITS SCHOUTEN, BRUCE GORDON, and ROY KOMENE.  And to our morning tea providers on top of what our volunteers shared – LOUISE RENDELL, BRUCE and ELIZABETH KILLEN and SCOTT from the PAIHIA FOUR SQUARE and anyone else that provided food but we missed getting your name.

It was a stunning day for the opening of our new community BBQ beside the playground at Te Ti Bay, a time to celebrate and acknowledge all the hard work, most of it voluntary, put in by wonderful people of the community.

This was a joint financial project between WAITANGI LIONS CLUB and FOCUS PAIHIA.  Every year the Waitangi Lions Club holds a major fundraiser with all funds going back to the community.  This year’s funds went to the BBQ, and with the help from Focus Paihia the BBQ project happened.

The BBQ is all electric and free to use! 

We hope many people get enjoyment from this new facility, bringing family and friends together for good memorable times.  Please remember to clean up after yourselves and leave it clean and tidy so it can be enjoyed by many for years to come.

A big thanks to GREG JONES of WAITANGI LIONS and GRANT HARNISH of SALT AIR who were the project drivers to make this happen, JOHNNY from TE ARATIKA DRILLING who thrusted the power cables under the road, ANDREW YOUNGER CONTRACTING, HEINZ MARTI, GARY LUCAS, all giving their time for free!  TROY O’DONOGHUE and DANIEL HILL from SALT AIR, WAITANGI LIONS members, SCOTT JACKSON from PAIHIA FOUR SQUARE who donated all the bread, sauces and serviettes for the sausages supplied by WAITANGI LIONS. BRUCE and KIM from BAY OF ISLANDS ELECTRICAL.

Up until now local resident MAVIS TAKIMOANA has been accommodating up to 18 tamariki in her home on rainy days while they waited for the school bus to arrive.  Project driver STELLA SCHMID got word of this and with the permission of Mavis and her brother Timmy, along with the backing from FOCUS PAIHIA, arranged for a bus shelter to be built on the front yard of the Takimoana’s property. Local resident and builder CHRIS BRITTAIN kindly offered to volunteer his time and talents to guide the building of this project.  

A strong team made up of our community gathered together on the weekend of 5 and 6 May to start building the much-needed bus shelter. There was a strong feeling of kotahitanga (unity) in the air, and the foundations and framing for the shelter were soon completed.

Huge thanks to the following people for coming along and chipping in…and also to those who could not make it due to other commitments but wanted to be there:

CHRIS BRITTAIN & HIS TEAM, MIRA KAKE, TIMMY TAKIMOANA, GAYLENE PETERS, MAVIS TAKIMOANA, FATMAN APIATA, MELISSA MCKIBBIN, TAINUI & DEBS APIATA, WAIRUA TAKIMOANA-KERE, ANA RAMEKA, RICHARD TAKIMOANA, IBANEZ WHAREMATE-TAKIMOANA, TIFFANY HOLLAND, THEA HOLLAND, MARTIN SCHMID, STELLA SCHMID, CRAIG SALMON, BRAD WINDUST, MILLER KAKE-WINDUST, HAMA APIATA, TANA APIATA, JACQUI APIATA, AISHA APIATA GRAHAM BAKER, JOSH SHOTTER, BILL & NINA, THE TOHU WHANAU, HENRY & CHARMAINE TAKIMOANA, KHARLAMIO APIATA, VICKY SAUNDERS, HEPA WAIOMIO, MORI & ROHARIO RAPANA, ARAMA, DAVIS, NGAIRE APIATA and all the children that came to support their parents.

Also, a huge thank you to our local businesses who supported the building of this shelter by donating items:
BAY OF ISLANDS ITM, PAIHIA PHARMACY, WAITANGI COUNTDOWN, PAIHIA FOUR SQUARE, PAIHIA DIVE, GREENS RESTAURANT, PAIHIA MEDICAL CENTRE, SEAHORSE SOUVENIRS, CLASSIQUE SOUVENIRS, WAITANGI NATIONAL TRUST, NORTHLAND KAURI OROMAHOE, PUKETONA QUARRY, COASTAL KAYAKERS and WAITANGI TE TII B3 TRUST.

This bus shelter was designed by STELLA SCHMID with the help from ANDY and the team at BAY OF ISLANDS ITM and has been dedicated to and named after, TE KAHA ME TE KORORIA who recently passed away. She was the granddaughter of MAVIS TAKIMOANA and HENRY and CHARMAINE TAKIMOANA  Noreira e te taonga, kia au to moe (Rest in silence our treasured one).

Mavis and her brother Timmy have gifted the piece of land that the bus shelter has been built on in memory of their parents TIMMY & DIANA TAKIMOANA.
May you always shine down on all the tamariki that use this shelter.

FOCUS PAIHIA COMMUNITY CHARITABLE TRUST, 35° SOUTH and ALONGSIDE are very excited to release BOOMERANG BAGS to the public after starting the project in June this year. PAIHIA FOUR SQUARE have teamed up with us to reduce the amount of plastic bags used within our community. The project has been well received by our community with approximately 100 volunteers donating materials and their services to the campaign over the period of five months. The most recent workshop day on 29 October attracted 15 volunteers who happily sewed, screen printed, cut and ironed their way through the morning.

Once that task was complete, everyone made their way to the PAIHIA FOUR SQUARE for the official launch. The launch managed to generate quite a bit of interest in town and the bags themselves were well received. It appears the bags are quite a hit – we just need to remind customers to return them once they have been used back to the PAIHIA FOUR SQUARE.

We would like to give a massive thanks to SCOTT and ASHLEY from PAIHIA FOUR SQUARE for teaming up with us for the BOOMERANG BAG PROJECT, and also for donating a further 200 bags to the cause which takes our approximate total of Boomerang Bags to 400. Of course the BOOMERANG BAG PROJECT would not have been possible without the amazing effort from our awesome group of volunteers!  Thank you to those of you who took the time out of your day to volunteer your time and skills to the project. 

Looking ahead – heading into our peak summer season, the BOOMERANG BAG PROJECT WORKSHOPS will be on hold until the New Year. We will continue to provide materials for volunteers who want to complete sewing, screen printing or cutting in their own space at home.

You may have seen our FOCUS PAIHIA HARD CORE CREW hard at it in HOROTUTU over the past few days. If you are wondering what is going on, our prized lads are putting in a comprehensive irrigation system, so that we can keep the grass green throughout the Summer – without the many volunteer man hours that have been required hand watering throughout past seasons.

Huge thanks to GREG JONES, GRANT HARNISH, BRUCE GORDON, STEVE MARTIN, HEINZ MARTI, CRAIG BOLES, HEINZ MARTI, VERN WITEHIRA, TROY O’DONOGHUE, BRENDON SMITH and WATENE TITO, who have been expertly guided by irrigation specialist PETER BARWELL of BARWELL ENTERPRISES. Pete is providing labour and expertise at a heavily discounted rate. Thank you also to LEGENDS RESTAURANT for Pete’s meal donations and to OUTRIGGER MOTEL for providing Pete’s accommodation. Thank you to all of the above for your splendid efforts!

FOCUS PAIHIA VOLUNTEERS were hard at it on Saturday 4 November transforming the space between the iSITE and the Paihia wharf. The area has had a fabulous new makeover, with landscape design by Project Driver ANGELA MARINKOVIC. The volunteer team cleared out the old gardens, reshaped them and planted them anew. The awesome new seat was built  by volunteer GREG JONES and was installed with the help of REX WILSON and RICARDO PEREIRA. The seat was surrounded with a boxed shell walkway, built by GRANT HARNSH, HEINZ MARTY and JAKE HARNISH. Thank you to all of these guys – fantastic work!. The patchy old grass was cleared, more top soil laid and grass seed sown. It will look great when grown! A hand carved touch stone is to be installed, but this aspect of the project is still in development.

Thank you ANGELA MARINKOVIC for leading the team and to GRANT HARNISH for his support. Also to the many helping hands –   HEINZ MARTI, JAKE JARNISH, TAUNAHA SMITH, AMUKETI SAMSON, DAYVION TIHI-SHARP, TANIA MCINNES, ROBIN, TIFF, THEA and FREYA HOLLAND and VERN WITEHIRA.  Thank you KAREN YOUNGER for the yummy muffins. It was another very successful and rewarding day  – creating another community friendly space – for us all to enjoy. Magic!

The PONTOON POSSE got together for the annual spruce up of the PAIHIA SWIMMING PONTOON – MOTU ITI – before she want back into the water at Labour weekend. The afternoon of cleaning and re-staining was very successful and the job was done in a jiffy with many little hands on hand. These kids can often be seen swimming out to the Pontoon on a summers day, so it was great to see them do their bit! Thanks to – RICHARD and ASTON DE ROSA, PETE and OAK RICHARDS and TIFF, FREYA and THEA HOLLAND. Huge thanks to BRUCE GORDON  for keeping MOTU ITI safe up the river, for helping us get her up to and down from the winter dock, for replacing the wooden steps on the ladder rungs, staining the deck with the team, and for just generally being an all-round awesome inspiration to our kids!

Due to MOTU ITI’S popularity we had to do some remedial work on the ladder with FELL ENGINEERING coming to the rescue with a heavily discounted job. Thanks to BRONSON, PETE and WADE for their awesome work. The ladder has been reinforced with an extra rung added – making it easier to climb out of the water. Thank you to SCOTT and AMANDA MCCLELLAND for contributing to the cost of the ladder upgrade.

MOORINGS NORTHLAND were called in for routine maintenance on the mooring prior to Motu Iti going back in. They discovered that the mooring and tackle had some issues and readily offered to give us a new block and chain, and the new installation all FOC! $3000 worth of kit and caboodle! Amazing! Thank you to ROB LANG and the MOORINGS NORTHLAND team for their generous donation of materials and labour, but also for their prompt and thorough work. This was tremendous support and it is so greatly appreciated by the many swimmers and bombers in the Bay! So with the new mooring and tackle in place PETE and OAK RICHARDS, MIKE LEVINGS (TOTAL YACHT CARE) and TIFF and THEA HOLLAND towed MOTU ITI carefully down the river and out to her special spot and MIKE jumped in the tide to link her up. Thanks to the BAY OF ISLANDS YACHT CLUB for the use of their tender. MOTU ITI – back in action. Bombs away!

The FOCUS PAIHIA ODD JOBBERS were busy about town on Saturday 30 September – a 36+ strong team had the place gleaming in no time. There was some great work done – the crew stained all the benches in Horotutu, on the Village Green and all the way along to the end of Taiputuputu Pahi beach. The gardens were tidied up in Horotutu, on the Village Green and on Maiki Hill, and Paihia’s Wee Toilet got a fresh lick of paint on the inside, thanks to JIM.

Huge thanks to FOCUS PAIHIA VOLUNTEERS – BRITA and HEINZ MARTI, IAN BUNTON, ROGER HARPER, HENK and JOYCE KUIPER, JULIE and JANA CUNNINGHAM, BRONWYN FOWLER, ANNMARIE CAMERON, BARBARA O’CONNOR, VERN WITEHIRA, LAURA and RYAN STEVENSON, JULIA CRANE, MARGARET RASMUSSEN, ELLY VANASCHE, GARY LUCAS, SARAH and SCARLETT GREENER, ROGER DOLD, JANE BANFIELD, INGRID THOMPSON, JAN BAKER, ROBIN, TIFF, FREYA and THEA HOLLAND, BOB GLEN, REX WILSON, CHESTER RENDELL, JIM LAMB, DAVID RAPLEY, SUZI and GREG JONES

Thank you also: JEANETTE HENWOOD, SUE LARCOMBE, PENNY DOLD, LOUISE RENDELL and DIANE GLEN for the delicious food offerings, sustaining the team, throughout the day. Thanks to CELLINI’S and VINNIE’S for providing free coffees for all involved. The FPCCT Board would like to especially thank HEINZ MARTI for driving this great annual Paihia Placemaking Project.