Rotorua Daily Post Year in Review: April 2020

Guido Bachmann from Guidough's Bakery was looking forward to offering contactless sales. Photo / File

The Rotorua Daily Post is looking back at the stories of 2020. Here's what made headlines in April.

April 4

Kawhena Wiringi went missing and his brother spoke out. Photo / Supplied

While the nation was in lockdown holding their loved ones tight, Paurini Wiringi was still uncertain where his brother Kawhena Wiringi was.

Kawhena was last seen on November 15, 2019, at his whānau's Ngāpuna marae. He hadn't accessed his phone - he left it behind - or his bank accounts.

Kawhena suffers severely from a mental illness. Before he went missing, he had stopped taking his medication and was mentally unstable.

Kawhena and Paurini are only two years apart, with Paurini aged 32, and as kids, the boys were always tight. Kawhena is a talented artist and dancer.

April 8

Lucas (left) and Dani Green test their homemade swimming pool. Photo / Supplied

The lockdown prompted Kiwi ingenuity for two Rotorua siblings.

Competitive swimmers Dani, 13, and Lucas Green, 10, who swim for Te Arawa Swimming, usually spend much of their free time at the Rotorua Aquatic Centre training.

During the lockdown it was no longer an option. So, they put their heads together to come up with a solution and ended up digging a 3m by 2m swimming pool in the backyard.

While not long enough to swim lengths, the children set up a harness attached to bungy cords which allowed them to swim in one spot, much like running on a treadmill.

April 15

There were fears unemployment rates could jump to 26 per cent after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bay business leaders all agreed moving into alert level 3 for a month after lockdown was the best possible scenario.

Representatives said the consequences of the four-week lockdown would likely be felt for years to come.

April 16

Rotorua mother Stacey Brell has been granted daily access to her 10-week-old son Armani-John Selwyn. Photo / Supplied

For the first two weeks of the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, Stacey Brell cried herself to sleep most nights.

Brell was separated from her now 10-week-old son Armani-John Selwyn who, having been born 15 weeks premature, had to stay in the care of Rotorua Hospital while she went into lockdown to look after her two other children, aged 18 months and 11.

But in April the mum was reunited with the baby.

The need for him to learn how to be breastfed led the hospital to grant Brell daily access to her son. While having to leave him again each time breaks her heart anew, on April 9 she finally held her son in her arms again.

April 28

Rotorua businesses made rapid adaptions to their services to be able to reopen under strict alert level 3 rules.

For many, it was the first non-government revenue flowing into their coffers - via contactless payment, of course - in more than four weeks.

Guidough's Bakery owners Guido and Melanie Bachmann, Palmers Rotorua owner Darryl Pierce and DMC Builders owner Dave Pound shared their stories.

April 29

To encourage people to get back out and support local businesses NZME launched Go Local!

Go Local! Was a call to action for people to support local businesses and organisations, which city leaders said was more important than ever to help get Bay businesses back on their feet.

The campaign shone a light on businesses being innovative and supporting one another during levels 3 and 2 - and beyond, as well as supporting specific buy local initiatives in various communities across the city and region.