Latest news with #Tauranga-based
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
UB40 to headline Kingston Calling 2026 at Bay Oval on Waitangi weekend
'We've been talking to Kelvin [Jones, Bay Oval manager] working out how we could make it happen. Now we've got it!' The Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. Photo / Photosport Burrows said Bay Oval was an iconic venue and he wanted the event 'to be something special'. It had to be a summertime show but also something that fitted in with Bay Oval's cricket schedule. 'It's a major part of the Mount with a beautiful backdrop and an international cricket ground that's hosted big events. It's our home city. 'It's where we're based – so we thought it would be incredible to put an international artist like UB40 with Ali Campbell at such an iconic venue on a long weekend in summer.' Bay Oval general manager Kelvin Jones said the facility had not hosted a music event before. 'This is very much a first for us – and something we've been strategising that we'd like to add to the oval's repertoire for many years, so it's great that we've worked with Toby and his team to make it a reality.' Jones said Bay Oval's biggest event so far was this year's Anzac Day Chiefs game, which 'a tick over 12,000' people attended. Bay Oval general manager Kelvin Jones and Tauranga-based Toby Burrows, who is director of Fabrik NZ and Trademark Live can't wait for 'Kingston Calling 2026' at Bay Oval on February 7. Photo / Brydie Thompson 'We're unashamedly a cricket ground first and foremost … but we're funded by the community and it's a multimillion-dollar facility so the more things we can do to get the community to value and use it, the better.' Jones said Bay Oval was run by its own trust 'so making it pay and covering our costs [for core cricket offerings] is always a key factor too. Being as diverse as we can helps that'. With Kingston Calling 2026 within the cricket season, Jones said the event would be a learning curve: 'We don't know what we don't know but we haven't done it lightly. We've done our research and these [swapping activities at a venue] happen the world over – the key for us is the cricket pitch is protected.' Jones said Bay Oval wants to be a viable venue option for non-cricket events but won't be hosting many due to the nature of the venue. Kingston Calling 2026's headline act is UB40 featuring Ali Campbell. Photo / Supplied 'So we're focusing on quality rather than quantity.' Burrows said Kingston Calling 2026 would not just be a concert but a music festival. 'We have support acts which we'll announce soon – it will be a full afternoon and evening of music.' Burrows said while it's always a big deal when international artists come to New Zealand, when they perform in regional cities it's massive – 'that's what my team specialise in'. 'UB40 has sold 70 million records worldwide – so they're right up there [in terms of status]. 'Often these types of artists only play indoors in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. So to bring them to an outdoor setting, in summertime, on the grass on a long weekend – it's the perfect recipe. 'It will be the biggest summer music event in our region for sure.' Formed in 1979, UB40 became one of the UK's most successful and influential reggae groups. Since departing the original line-up in 2008, Ali Campbell has led his own world-touring ensemble. Burrows said UB40 featuring Ali Campbell would play all their big hits, taking people who love their sound and vibe on the ultimate journey. As a result, he expected Kingston Calling 2026 tour dates to sell out, and advised those interested to secure tickets quickly. 'We also hope to announce another extremely exciting concert for this summer at Bay Oval very soon,' Burrows said. Tickets are on sale at:
NZ Herald
04-08-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Aerocool Rescue Helicopter gala auction offers diamond ring, signed McCaw jersey
The critical work of the Tauranga-based Aerocool Rescue Helicopter team will be celebrated and supported at a charity auction and gala. To date, the helicopter has carried out 5632 missions around the coastal Bay of Plenty.
NZ Herald
26-07-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Des Samuels discovers blueberry success on Matakana Island
It was never Samuels' intention to get into blueberries. He was happy working as kaitiaki kura (school caretaker) of Te Kura o te Moutere O Matakana. 'My idea of looking after plants was Roundup,' he said. 'On paper, I was the most under-qualified person.' One day, he was helping build a plant nursery on the whenua, owned by Hamiora Whānau Trust, when it was suggested he try growing blueberries on a smaller section of the farm. Research efforts Des Samuels (left) with the 'godfather' of Australia's blueberry industry and Mountain Blue Orchards founder Ridley Bell, who visited the Matakana Island for the first time in June this year. Photo / Ant Low Knowing little about how to grow them, Samuels started researching. 'We just winged it, learned it and Googled it,' he said. 'Our advantage is growing up here on the island. 'We have the can-do, fix-it attitude.' By 2019, the whānau had planted their first blueberry plants. But it wasn't easy. In the beginning, cows broke in and ripped up the plants, and howling winds tore down about four blueberry tunnels two months after planting the first trees. Samuels, however, was determined. 'If you had told me what we'd been through, I think I would have turned it down in a heartbeat,' he said. 'But I was never going to start something I wasn't going to finish.' Six years on and the farm has nearly 11,000 blueberry plants, growing world-leading varieties that stand out because of their jumbo size and sweet taste. The varieties are licensed through Tauranga-based global berry marketer BerryCo NZ and marketed under the 'Blue Royal' brand across New Zealand and Southeast Asia. Berries grown by Samuels and his whānau on Matakana Island have been sold as far away as Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City. Peak harvest At peak harvest from October to December, the blueberry farm has about 50 workers. Most are backpackers from Argentina, Chile and Germany, as well as locals who live on the island. 'The blueberries have been a tool to help build relationships, and we are really big on looking after people,' Samuels said. 'We have lots of hāngī, we cook together, we fish together. It's an open-door policy. The importance is whānau.' Samuels' wife Kristy said up to 1.5 tonnes of blueberries are picked each day during the peak season, averaging about 4.5kg per tree. The berries are then delivered to the packhouse in Paengaroa. 'There is no typical day. During peak harvest it's full on,' she said. 'It's a 7am start and we work until lunchtime when it gets too hot. 'The pickers usually go home or have a swim at the beach and come back at 4.30pm and work through until about 7.30pm.' Looking back, Des said he's proud of what he and Kristy have achieved. 'All we do is blueberries. Even the office is in the lounge,' Kristy laughed. But to them, it's a privilege. 'Because it's on our own land we have a sense of ownership,' Des said. 'It's a legacy. I'm starting something up for my children and grandchildren, not just my own but others too.' A family affair Blueberry pioneer Ridley Bell (second left) visiting the Samuels whānau during his recent trip. Photo / Ant Low The island's youngest blueberry picker is Des' niece, Mia Samuels. The 14-year-old began picking blueberries on the farm last year to fundraise for a rugby trip to Hawaii. Mia lives on the mainland with her parents, Leon and Lynda Samuels, and travels to Matakana Island by boat about three days a week to pick berries during harvest. 'I like picking blueberries, and I like being outdoors. It's not like a normal job like in a store,' she said. Kristy said it was a 'whānau-run' multi-generational blueberry business. 'It gives the older ones an opportunity to have a holiday job, especially on the island where there isn't the usual supermarket or cafe job. 'It's cool to know that for them it will forever be their first job picking blueberries on uncle's farm.' Aside from the blueberries business, Des also runs school camps on the island, giving children the chance to disconnect from screens and schedules and reconnect with nature and island life. 'Our camps are a lot of fun and help build resilience and relationships,' he said. 'Some kids don't get the chance to swim or jump off the jetty and just be kids.' It's something Samuels said he learned from his late mother, Mere Matekino Palmer (nee Samuels). Raised on Matakana and neighbouring Rangiwaea Island in the 1930s, Mere later received an MBE in the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours for her services to Kōhanga Reo. She also once worked with the Tabulam and Lismore Aboriginal communities as an early childhood education adviser, sharing the same community as Mountain Blue Orchard blueberry farms, whose berry varieties Samuels grows on the island today. 'That was a pretty special moment of discovery,' he said. 'What mum demonstrated through her work is what was sowed into me.' As for the future, Samuels hopes to continue expanding the blueberry business. 'We have a passion to be the best we can be. 'That's what gets us up in the morning.'
Scoop
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Joy On Display: Taupō Museum Opens Uplifting New Exhibition
'Every time I walk past that painting of yours, I smile,' a collector once told artist Lianne Adams. That single expression helped inspire the theme of Joy, the latest exhibition at Taupō Museum. Opening this Friday 18 July, Joy celebrates the simple but powerful emotion of happiness, and invites visitors to pause, breathe, and reconnect with the uplifting energy that art can bring. The title of the exhibition also reflects the feeling that the three artists experienced when they made the life-changing decision to leave the daily work grind to pursue careers in the arts. Lianne began her painting journey at Active Arts in Taupō creating modern acrylics, whimsical collages, and mixed-media pieces that evoke nostalgia and warmth. Nicki Mclaren, a familiar face at Market Central Taupō with her handcrafted resin domestic ware, presents a striking selection of large-scale resin art and contemporary paintings. Alison, a Tauranga-based metal artist and painter, celebrates female strength and creativity through works crafted with a welder, blowtorch, and brush. Despite their distinct styles, the three artists are united by a shared passion and a desire to spread joy through their work. Joy opens with a special launch event on Friday 18 July at 6pm at Taupō Museum. The public is warmly invited to attend. The exhibition will be on display from 19 July to 31 August. Taupō Museum is open daily from 10am to 4.30pm and entry is free for locals with proof of address. Come along, take a moment, and experience the joy for yourself.
NZ Herald
27-06-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Former MP Brendan Horan eyes Whakatāne council role in elections
Former Tauranga-based MP, TVNZ weather presenter and New Zealand Iron Man champion Brendan Horan says he plans to stand for a seat on Whakatāne District Council in this year's local body elections. Horan was a list MP for NZ First and was stood down in 2012 he took large sums of money from his late mother's account. He was cleared of any wrongdoing in 2016 following a two-year police investigation.
