Latest news with #TaieriCollege
Otago Daily Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Bungard's NZ dream comes true
Laura Bungard has always dreamed of representing New Zealand. The competitive swimmer turned long-distance runner told the Otago Daily Times as much during her Class Act interview in 2019. "It'd be cool to represent the silver fern. I'm taking it season by season, trying to keep on improving and see where it takes me," the then Taieri College prefect said. Turning that dream into a reality as she prepares for the world mountain and trail running championships was somewhat of a full-circle moment when she caught up with the newspaper again recently. "For it to be happening six years later, it's a dream come true. "I'm super excited about it ... but also scary, because, you know, I've not raced on the world stage before." The 24-year-old is heading to Canfranc-Pirineos, Spain, next month to race in the senior women's short trail distance. She booked her spot after finishing fifth at the Three Peaks plus one race in Dunedin earlier this year — but it has taken a lot of hard work to get there. Bungard grew up as a competitive swimmer, winning silver medals in the 100m individual medley and the 200m breaststroke at the New Zealand division two championships. Then she was roped in to run for the school cross-country team and immediately caught the running bug. Having a strong sporting background prepared Bungard to take the leap. She walked away from swimming, poured her all into running and started taking it seriously in 2021 when she competed in local 10km races and half-marathons. She moved into ultramarathons, and being part of Leith Harriers stretched her further, including when she ran the last 30km of the Kepler Challenge in 2024 alongside clubmate Kristy Eyles, which pushed Bungard to a big personal best. Ultramarathons are the ultimate test of endurance and one Bungard fully embraced. "I just like being able to push myself and find where my limit is. "You definitely go to some dark places when you're running for over five hours kind of thing. "I just like the challenge of being able to overcome the mental and physical barriers that come with it." She has a good sounding board in her corner in coach and former Otago triathlete Tony Dodds, who competed at the Rio Olympics and Glasgow and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Bungard first crossed paths with Dodds at Moana Pool when he was coaching triathletes while she was swimming, and when she started to take running seriously, she reached out to him. "He's been incredible. If it wasn't for him, I definitely wouldn't be in the position where I am now," Bungard said. "He just knows how to push me to the right point without overdoing it and definitely understands me as an athlete, which makes it so much easier for trainings." Bungard, who has been well supported by the community, is pounding the pavement, training for up to 120km a week. That includes speed sessions with Leith president Chris Sole's running group, running after work — "which is always hard in the Dunedin winter" — and getting out into the hills on her own, or with the Leith Lasses, for four hours at the weekend. All that training is juggled around her career as a medical scientist in histology at Awanui Labs. "That's pretty full on ... but I love it — awesome field to be a part of." Bungard joins a strong southern contingent destined for Spain. Queenstown's Katie Morgan will race in the short course alongside Bungard, and Ryan Carr (Queenstown), Dwight Grieve (Fiordland) and Jack Harris (Hill City-University) will line up for the men's short course. National champion Juliet Chamberlain, who is now in Dunedin, will race in the senior women's long trail, Sarah Douglas, of Queenstown, will race in the senior women's uphill mountain running and Luca Huia (Hill City) will race in the junior men's under-20 mountain run.
Otago Daily Times
19-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
‘Father of gardening' puts away his trowel
Nichol's Garden Centre Dunedin senior shop assistant Davie Dijker holds a garden mum plant at the store in Timaru St yesterday. PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIEN Dunedin's "father of gardening" is hanging up his gloves after almost 50 years. Nichol's Garden Centre Dunedin senior shop assistant Davie Dijker, 65, is retiring after working as a shop assistant in gardening shops for 48 years. Mr Dijker said it felt "a bit weird" to be retiring. "I think I'm going to miss the people after seeing all the things on Facebook." A post on Facebook about Mr Dijker's retirement had attracted more than 100 tributes in the comment section appreciating his work. He said he knew a lot of people and it made a difference in his role. He had served some customers for more than 40 years. "A lot of them are my friends. "People remember me from back when I was at Arthur Barnett and that was over 30 years ago. "That gives me a bit of a buzz." He loved solving people's gardening problems and was referred to as "Dunedin's favourite father of gardening". People often showed him photos of their successes gardening using his tips. Every now and then there were photos of their disasters as well. Mr Dijker said not much had changed with gardening in all the years he had worked in the industry except there was a lot more variety in plants these days. He said gardening was in his genes because his father was Dutch. He got his first taste of it doing horticulture at school at Taieri College and started a job at Arthur Barnett's garden shop in George St when he was just 17 years old. Mr Dijker said he had never wanted to do anything else. "I find gardening quite relaxing." Mr Dijker said he loved planting vegetables, especially potatoes. He was looking forward to helping people in their gardens, fishing and offering his services to the Dunedin City Council to maintain its walking tracks after retirement. "I want to put something back in the community." His last day at Nichol's will be on Wednesday.
Otago Daily Times
16-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Last year's Octacan effort caned
PHOTO: SUPPLIED Taieri College students stand around a New Zealand made out of cans the school collected for the annual Octacan appeal. Teacher Gerry Fuss said the school collected 3200 cans, smashing last year's effort of 2800. Just over 500 cans would go to the Mosgiel foodbank, and the remainder would go to Presbyterian Support Otago, he said.
Otago Daily Times
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
All abilities whānau day
The Halberg Foundation and Parafed Otago are holding an All Abilities Dunedin Whānau Day on Sunday, from 1pm to 3pm at Taieri College. There will be opportunities to try out powerchair football with members of the Dunedin PFC Dragons or hungerball with Hungerball Otago. Email zoe@ for details and registration.
Otago Daily Times
05-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Wetland wins $50k boost for education
Recent visitors from Taieri College volunteer at Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau — Sinclair Wetlands, which has had a boost of almost $50,000. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Clutha Eco-attraction Sinclair Wetlands has just received a $49,800 top up to help manage its growing stream of visitors. The wildlife swamp-sanctuary, formally known as Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau — Sinclair Wetlands, was a successful shortlister for this year's Otago Regional Council (ORC) Eco Fund. "The grant will be to used to help with our education programme," Sinclair Wetlands chairman Ian Bryant said. "We have several schools and volunteer groups already visiting, our aim is to increase the number of schools coming to the wetlands and create a resource to cover our history and restoration, and the role of wetlands, birdlife, aquatic life, native plantings, pests and predators and weeds." He said the resource would likely be a photographic guidebook-style publication — tailor-made for accessibility — and the funds would also help establish a regular, dedicated guide-person role to add to the volunteers promoting and working for the wetland reserve. As well as schools, more businesses and community organisations were scheduling time for staff to volunteer at the marshland, learning how to plant appropriate flora properly and raise awareness of pest control and the environmental value of swamps. "Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau — Sinclair Wetlands once encompassed the whole Taieri Plain from Mosgiel to Waihola and beyond," Mr Bryant said. "Over the years stop-banks have gone up and pumps have gone in and and it's been drained. "Most importantly, they filter sediment, then they provide a healthy food-chain base and environment for whitebait spawning, eels and a wide variety of fish and aquatic bird life, and enable that biodiversity to thrive and spread." He said education on kai gathering, from whitebaiting to duck-shooting was also enabled by the flourishing fenland. "We're very grateful to the council as well as the volunteers, schools and business who come and do so much and Ngai Tahu, who lease us the land." Sinclair Wetlands has received Eco Funding in the past and My Bryant said he found the application process straightforward. "[This] proved to be a worthy community-led environmental project which has been through [our] rigorous selection process," ORC's manager environmental delivery, Libby Caldwell said.
