Issue 933 - 19 January 2021 Phone (07) 866 2090 Circulation 8,000 New Te Korowai doctor welcomed with pōwhiri Dr Ned Azar, the new GP at Te Korowai Hauora o Hauraki in Whitianga, and his family were welcomed to Mercury Bay with a small pōwhiri at the Wharekaho marae on Saturday last week. Pictured are some of those who attended the pōwhiri. From the left - Dr David Wilson (a senior GP in Mercury Bay for many years), Joe Davis (rangatira of Ngāti Hei), Michelle Azar, Aiden Azar, Dr Ned Azar and Ashleigh Battaerd (nurse practitioner at Te Korowai in Whitianga) with her son, Lex. Read the story on page 3. Distributed throughout the Coromandel Peninsula, coast to coast from Thames to north of Colville - www.theinformer.co.nz Several Mercury Bay Golf Club buildings destroyed in fire Only a week after putting out a blaze that destroyed a house in Whitianga, the Whitianga Hahei) as well as the Cooks Beach Brigade’s water tanker were on the scene. Volunteer Fire Brigade were on Saturday last week again called to a building on fire, this time Fire and Emergency New Zealand investigated the scene last Sunday morning. at the Mercury Bay Golf Club. The Mercury Bay Golf Course was closed on Sunday, but reopened for play on Monday this week. With the help of the Cooks Beach and Hahei Volunteer Fire Brigades the fire was successfully In an email sent to Mercury Bay Golf Club members on Sunday, Graham Eccles, club president extinguished, but unfortunately the greenkeeper’s shed, members’ trundler shed and main golf asked all members to give the club greenkeeper “…space as things will not be operating for cart shed have been destroyed. The equipment, golf clubs and golf carts inside the sheds have him as normal.” also been destroyed. Pictured in the photo on the left is former Whitianga fire chief, Merv George, on the scene on Putting the fire out hasn’t been without challenges as several fuel tanks were close to the flames. Saturday. In the photo on the right is Whitianga Station Officer Julian Lee (left) and Hahei Chief At one time four fire appliances (two from Whitianga and one each from Cooks Beach and Fire Office Ian Carter keeping an eye on things. What’s happening in the night sky? Night sky information provided and sponsored by Week of Wednesday, 20 January to Wednesday, 27 January - Summer is the time of the wonderful constellation Orion, the hunter, in the evening sky. It is a huge constellation with the distinctly pinkish star Betelgeuse at its lower right, just below the part of it we call “The Pot.” This star is actually an enormous red giant and if placed where the Sun is would extend out to Jupiter with the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars all inside it. However, the most pinkish object in the sky now is actually Mars, the “red planet,” which is getting rapidly further from us in its two year orbit around the Sun and can be seen low in the northern sky. The International Space Station (ISS) makes some early morning passes this week. Wednesday, 20 January - A first quarter Moon lies directly to the left of reddish Mars in the evening. Thursday, 21 January - The Moon is now directly above reddish Mars all evening. Friday, 22 January - The Moon can be found about halfway between Mars on the left and the Pleiades or Mataraki on Astronomy Tours and B&B the right in the evening. Saturday, 23 January - Early risers can see the ISS from 5:51am in the NW eventually passing right beside Venus. In the evening Phone (07) 866 5343 Matariki lies just below an increasingly bright Moon. Sunday, 24 January - Faint Mercury is at its furthest from the Sun tonight and might be visible very low in the west just after sunset. Tuesday, 26 January - The ISS makes a bright pass from 5:05am in the NW, passing high overhead. www.stargazersbb.com Whitianga and Hot Water Beach tides Tides data sponsored by nzwindows.co.nz 4 Dakota Drive Whitianga Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Tel 07 869 5990 Page 2 The Mercury Bay Informer - www.theinformer.co.nz Issue 933 - 19 January 2021 New Te Korowai doctor welcomed with pōwhiri By Stephan Bosman Dr Ned Azar and his family were welcomed doing their own thing and the kids are mostly to Mercury Bay with a small pōwhiri at theon their phones or in front of their computers. Wharekaho marae on Saturday last week. We knew from first-hand experience that life on Ned will be working as a GP alongside nurse the Coromandel has so much more to offer.” practitioner, Ashleigh Battaerd, at Te Korowai Once the decision was made to move back to Hauora o Hauraki in Whitianga. New Zealand, Ned started looking at available Te Korowai was established by the Hauraki opportunities on the Peninsula. Te Korowai was Māori Trust Board in the mid-1990s. One of the one of his first ports of call. “I loved being part of organisation’s general goals is to “…enhance Te Korowai before,” he said. “The organisation the quality of life of all whānau, hapu, iwi,has a genuine desire to see everyone in the their friends and other persons living within Hauraki area, including the Coromandel, the traditional tribal boundaries of Hauraki.” healthy and happy. Staff and patients are all In addition to Whitianga, the organisation has treated like family. It was fortunate that the offices and clinics in Thames, Paeroa, Te Aroha expected growth in patient numbers stimulated and Coromandel Town. discussions about a GP joining the team at Te In explaining the pōwhiri to everyone present Korowai in Whitianga and I was delighted when on Saturday, Ngāti Hei rangatira, Joe Davis, I was offered a position.” said Ned is the first doctor to join Te Korowai With the coronavirus pandemic still raging in Whitianga and his arrival in Mercury Bay around the world, the family are relieved to be signals a special moment for tangata whenua. in New Zealand. “COVID-19 didn’t influence Following the pōwhiri, everyone enjoyed our decision to come to New Zealand, but now lunch and The Informer have had an opportunity being able to see for ourselves how normal to talk to Ned, his wife, Michelle, and their life is here compared to the UK is even more 11-year-old son, Aiden. The family arrived inconfirmation that we’ve done the right thing,” managed isolation in Auckland from the United said Michelle. Kingdom, their home country, just before Ned agreed. “I’m not much into politics, Christmas last year. It’s not their first time in but the current government in the UK has a lot New Zealand. “I worked for Te Korowai in to answer for,” he said. “They could have done Thames from November 2015 to February much better in the management of the pandemic. 2017,” said Ned. “We’ve moved from ThamesThe New Zealand government has done an to Havelock North for another eight months outstanding job and, as a result, Kiwis are able before returning to the UK late in 2017.” to enjoy summer with almost no restrictions to Michelle first raised the idea of returningspeak of.” to New Zealand with Ned early last year. Not even two weeks out of managed isolation “The Coromandel made a huge impression on and Aiden is already making the most of the us,” said Michelle. “It’s in a roundabout way Coromandel summer. He has completed a surf good that we spent some time in Hawkes Bay lifesaving summer programme in Tairua and is during our first time in New Zealand as it made talking about his ideal surfboard. “Aiden is keen us realise just how special the Peninsula is.” to get into diving too,” said Ned. “I guess it’s Ned said Aiden is an outdoors child who time to become a real Kiwi dad and get a ute. loves the water. “In the UK, families are That will make transporting all the gear around disconnected,” he said. “Everyone is justso much easier.” Issue 699933 - 2719 JulyJanuary 2016 2021 The Mercury Bay Informer - www.theinformer.co.nz Page 3 Whiti Fest summer busking festival to liven up the streets of Whitianga A contribution by Creative Mercury Bay In just over two weeks a new performing Other locations will feature a range of acts, Bay, says the team is excited to share Whiti Fest “Whiti Fest wouldn’t be possible without arts event will hit the streets of Whitianga - some from Mercury Bay’s talented youth with the Mercury Bay community. “We have funding from the Creative Communities Whiti Fest, Mercury Bay’s first busking festival. performers, including 10-year-old violinistbeen absolutely blown away by the number Scheme and Pub Charity,” says Anusha. Whiti Fest will take place on Sunday, Dashiell Wallace, 17-year-old ukulele playerof registrations from performers,” she says. “We are very appreciative to both funding 7 February (Waitangi Day long weekend) from Charli MacDougall and pianist Sarah Morcom. “As a team we have selected a variety of local bodies for their support. The hope is that we 10:30am to 3:30pm across five locations in Some favourites from Creative Mercury performing artists to make Whiti Fest a true can make Whiti Fest an annual tradition in the Whitianga Town Centre. Proudly brought Bay’s successful Bubble Bites series are celebration of the performing arts.” Mercury Bay.” to you by Creative Mercury Bay, the event also performing - poet and artist Pete Delete,Each performer will be paid a modest fee for Creative Mercury Bay’s main purpose will showcase a wide range of performing soul/blues duo Soul Sax and freestyle rock ‘n their performance and like a traditional busking is to facilitate performing arts events that artists from the Mercury Bay area, including roll blues guitarist Scott Burst.