Whangārei A&P Society has some now officers in charge following its Annual General Meeting last week. Evan Smeath was elected to the role of president, replacing Murray Jagger, who has been in the position for the past eight years, and on the society's governing executive committee since 1999. Smeath, a dairy farmer at Hukerenui, has been a member of the executive since 2001, and last week stepped up from vice president, a role that has been taken over by the society's youngest ever executive member and dairy farmer Sam Moscrip, also from Hukerenui.
Water bottling call
Whangārei District Council's calling for a New Zealand moratorium on water bottling consenting. It said there should be a moratorium on applications to take and or use water for water bottling or bulk export. It said regional councils should be required to review inactive water bottling consents to withdraw these and discourage consent banking. The call is in support of Local Government New Zealand working with the government to achieve this. WDC said there was a need for an assessment of the water bottling industry's impacts. It was also necessary to consider future growth impacts and providing adequate national legislation to allow councils to manage these. A comprehensive national debate on the water bottling issue was needed with legislation and policy changes as required. The WDC call came after a majority decision supported by most councillors with Phil Halse, Greg Martin and Simon Reid voting against the council support for this call.
Kuia laid to rest
A Ngāti Rēhia kuia loved by generations of Kerikeri High School students has been laid to rest. Te Puawaitanga Silich, better known as Blossom, Aunty Bloss and, in more recent years, Nana Bloss, died in Auckland Hospital on Sunday. Students and the cultural group Te Pou Manakō offered a last tribute as she was carried past the school on Monday to Whitiora Marae in Te Tii, where many attended a hui mate adapted to Covid-19 restrictions. Nana Bloss' involvement with the school began as a kapa haka tutor around 1980; she joined the staff in 1988 as a te reo teacher and later became head of department. She also continued to lead and inspire the school's kapa haka group.
