Bay of Plenty sailor Bruce Goodwin pictured on the sand at Waihī Beach shortly after surviving a fatal yachting tragedy in 2019. Photo / Alan Gibson
Bay of Plenty Times is looking back at the stories of 2022. Here’s what made headlines in March:
March 4:
The first ball of the biggest international sporting event to be played in Tauranga was bowled on March 4.
The Bay Oval hosted eight of the best cricketing nations across seven matches over two weeks of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Stands could not be full because of Covid-19, but an audience of more than 180 million viewers was expected to tune in.
Tauranga won the bid to be one of the host cities three years ago. The original tournament date in March last year was postponed because of Covid-19.
New Zealand took on the West Indies in the sold-out opening match in the 12th edition of the Women’s Cricket World Cup.
Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Pakistan and South Africa also played in the tournament.
March 5:
Michael Foster was counting down the days until he could fly to Poland to reunite with his fiance and her children after being apart for two years.
Foster, 34, from Mount Maunganui, said his fiancee, Anna Kaplina, her two children, her parents and her brother, who was part of the civilian militia, all lived in the city of Poltava in central Ukraine.
He said he had unsuccessfully tried to arrange a flight for Kaplina and her children stuck in war-torn Ukraine since the invasion to escape to Hungary’s capital Budapest so he could join.
March 9:
A Bay of Plenty mother and father were desperately trying to fulfil their 3-year-old son’s bucket list of dreams before he died of cancer.
Riding in a helicopter, going for a spin in a sports car and visiting kindy were just some of the wishes on Tutemaungaroa Hillman’s - aka Tu’s - bucket list.
Abbey and Ben Hillman, of Whakatāne, say their lives fell apart in late 2020 when they received the “horrendous” news that Tu had an aggressive rare form of brain cancer.
The couple and their six children, Jerome, 14, Kassius, 11, Braedyn, 10, Nina-Jë , 3, Tu, 3, and 6-month-old Tuhoe-Potiki live in emergency housing. Jerome also has serious health issues.
Abbey Hillman said her son had undergone four surgeries, including two shunt operations and a stem cells replacement, four rounds of chemotherapy, and six weeks of radiation therapy.
March 9:
Armed with a set of nunchucks, Charanjit Dhillon jumped his liquor store counter and chased a thief out the door until the thief’s pants fell down.
The fit Bottle-O Fenton St store owner - who is a former Bollywood movie choreographer, kickboxer and regular runner of up to 20km - was yelling at the thief “run, how far can you run?”.
He only got about 100m down the road, with Dhillon hot on his tail, before the thief fell to the ground. Dhillon told the thief “come on, get up” but when he did, the thief’s pants had fallen down.
The drama unfolded on March 5 about 8.25pm and was captured on CCTV. The footage has been posted on social media and has attracted thousands of comments and shares.
March 11:
The decision to retain a commission in charge of Tauranga City Council for another two years was applauded by some and labelled “devastating” and “plain wrong” by others.
Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta confirmed she intended to extend the existing commission’s term to July 2024, delaying local body elections until then.
She spoke to a room of about 30 invited political, business, iwi, and ratepayer representatives gathered at the city council’s Cameron Rd offices, and more via online yesterday. Former Tauranga mayor Greg Brownless, who had been vocal in his criticism of the original appointment of commissioners, was left sitting outside, uninvited.
Mahuta told them her decision had not been easy but she intended on keeping the existing commission consisting of chairwoman Anne Tolley, Stephen Selwood, Bill Wasley and Shadrach Rolleston.
March 15:
Friends of a missing Pāpāmoa doctor described him as generous, caring and active, saying his disappearance was a shock.
Police said David Holland, 31, had not been heard from since March 11, when he told friends he was going for a swim near the end of Pacific View Rd.
Holland later failed to come to work, which police said was unlike him.
Police, assisted by other agencies, have been combing the coastline for any sign of him, as well as searching by sea and air.
March 19:
In this Q&A session, outgoing Tauranga MP and senior National Party member Simon Bridges shared his thoughts on regrets, hopes, unfinished business, and whether he’d consider the city’s future mayoralty after 14 years in Parliament.
March 23:
Bruce Goodwin still has flashbacks of the fatal yacht sinking he survived off Northland’s coast just over two years ago.
The tiniest things - a word or movement - can trigger memories of the tragedy that took the life of his friend and left him traumatised.
But the Waihī Beach resident has found little things like mowing the lawn and seeing his family have helped him work through what happened.
That was his advice for the five survivors of the sinking of charter fishing boat Enchanter, which took five lives, as they began the process of recovery.
“Connect with family and enjoy the little things.”
Man appears in court after fatal shooting in remote rural location.