Latest news with #TaurangaIntermediate
Otago Daily Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Drysdale finally buys house - but mayor not moving in yet
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale has bought a house in Pāpāmoa, but won't move with his family from Cambridge until the end of the school year. Drysdale told Local Democracy Reporting he and his wife Juliette have decided not to 'uproot' their primary school-aged children mid-year to avoid disruption. Juliette was also doing a teacher training course and had a lot of family support in Cambridge, Drysdale said. 'It's a little bit challenging from a family perspective, but we're all looking forward to being together again at the end of the year.' After being elected in July, Drysdale said he would move to Tauranga by the end of last year. 'The plan was to be here this year, but not having a base and finding a home made that challenging.' Drysdale came under fire in February for not living in the Bay of Plenty city he was elected to lead, despite his election comments. He said this week Tauranga's housing shortage and schools that were 'very hard to get into' had made finding a home difficult. 'You've got to be in zone of the schools that you want to go to.' The housing situation was an eye-opener and Tauranga was one of the most unaffordable cities in the country to rent or buy a home, Drysdale said. They had hoped for a house in the Avenues area so the children could go to the same schools he did. Drysdale attended Tauranga Primary, Tauranga Intermediate and Tauranga Boys' College. But they had to pivot and settled on a home in Pāpāmoa, he said. 'Finding the right place was hard, but we're very happy with what we've got.' Despite buying a property, Drysdale said he would continue to stay with his mum when in Tauranga until the family moved. 'Once we made the decision not to uproot our children until the end of this year, and with the limited amount of time I spend at home when working, we made the decision to rent the house out on a short-term basis until we move in.' It also meant he could spend more time with his mum, who had some health challenges. Drysdale was in Tauranga from Monday to Friday, and if he had events at the weekend the family would come to stay. It was hard being away from the family, but not too dissimilar to when he was rowing and would be overseas for three months. Drysdale retired from rowing in 2021 as a two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion in the single sculls. 'We make it work. They [the children] love it here, being with grandma and the beach so they're really excited about coming over', he said. 'I promised to move here, and we will absolutely fulfil that promise. It's just a year later than we hoped.' According to his financial interests declaration, Drysdale was already the beneficiary of a trust that owns seven rental properties - two each in Auckland, Hamilton, and Cambridge, and one in Mount Maunganui. The trust also owned family residences in Cambridge and Mount Maunganui and two commercial properties. Drysdale, who was a financial adviser between his rowing and local government careers, said he was enjoying being Mayor but it was a 'very challenging position'. 'This is a business managing around $8 billion of assets. With the Annual Plan we're looking at spending and investing over $1b in the next financial year.' Tauranga had an infrastructure deficit and the council needed to fill that while balancing affordability for ratepayers, he said. The draft 12% rates rise for 2025/26 has attracted criticism and claims it will be unaffordable for ratepayers. Drysdale has said the council was working to get it down to 10%. 'Some people are struggling and we acknowledge that. On the flip side, there's a lot of people that are very encouraging about what's happening in the city and they want to see more things delivered. 'We're trying to deliver is a city that people want to live in. It's for future generations. We're looking out to 30 years and what do we need in that time.' He said the city's potential was 'pretty exciting'. His favourite part of the job was the monthly citizenship ceremonies. 'It's such a fantastic occasion. Seeing the joy of people that have moved from around the world to choose Tauranga as the place they want to be. 'Overall, I'm really enjoying the role and all that comes with it.' - By Alisha Evans Local Democracy Reporter LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
Scoop
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Tauranga Mayor finally buys home in city – but isn't moving in yet
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale has bought a house in Pāpāmoa, but won't move with his family from Cambridge until the end of the school year. Drysdale told Local Democracy Reporting he and his wife Juliette decided not to "uproot" their primary school-aged children mid-year to avoid disruption. Juliette was also doing a teacher training course and had a lot of family support in Cambridge, Drysdale said. "It's a little bit challenging from a family perspective, but we're all looking forward to being together again at the end of the year." After being elected in July, Drysdale said he would move to Tauranga by the end of last year. "The plan was to be here this year, but not having a base and finding a home made that challenging." Drysdale came under fire in February for not living in the city he was elected to lead, despite his election comments. He said this week Tauranga's housing shortage and schools that were "very hard to get into" had made finding a home difficult. "You've got to be in zone of the schools that you want to go to." The city's housing situation was an eye-opener, Drysdale said. Tauranga was one of the most unaffordable cities in the country to rent or buy a home, he said. They had hoped for a house in the Avenues area so the children could go to the same schools he did. Drysdale attended Tauranga Primary, Tauranga Intermediate and Tauranga Boys' College. They had to pivot and settled on a home in Pāpāmoa, he said. "Finding the right place was hard, but we're very happy with what we've got." Despite buying a property, Drysdale said he would continue to stay with his mum when in Tauranga until the family moved. "Once we made the decision not to uproot our children until the end of this year, and with the limited amount of time I spend at home when working, we made the decision to rent the house out on a short-term basis until we move in." It also meant he could spend more time with his mum, who had some health challenges. He was in Tauranga from Monday to Friday, and if he had events at the weekend, the family would come to stay. It was hard being away from the family, but not too dissimilar to when he was rowing and would be overseas for three months. Drysdale retired from rowing in 2021 as a two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion in the single sculls. "We make it work. They [the children] love it here, being with grandma and the beach so they're really excited about coming over", he said. "I promised to move here, and we will absolutely fulfil that promise. It's just a year later than we hoped." According to his financial interests declaration, Drysdale was already the beneficiary of a trust that owns seven rental properties - two each in Auckland, Hamilton, and Cambridge, and one in Mount Maunganui. The trust also owned family residences in Cambridge and Mount Maunganui and two commercial properties. Drysdale, who was a financial adviser between his rowing and local government careers, said he was enjoying being Mayor but it was a "very challenging position". "This is a business managing around $8 billion of assets. With the Annual Plan we're looking at spending and investing over $1b in the next financial year." Tauranga had an infrastructure deficit and the council needed to fill that while balancing affordability for ratepayers, he said. The draft 12 percent rates rise for 2025/26 has attracted criticism and claims it will be unaffordable for ratepayers. Drysdale has said the council was working to get it down to 10 percent. "Some people are struggling and we acknowledge that. On the flip side, there's a lot of people that are very encouraging about what's happening in the city and they want to see more things delivered. "We're trying to deliver is a city that people want to live in. It's for future generations. We're looking out to 30 years and what do we need in that time." He said the city's potential was "pretty exciting". His favourite part of the job was the monthly citizenship ceremonies. "It's such a fantastic occasion. Seeing the joy of people that have moved from around the world to choose Tauranga as the place they want to be. "Overall, I'm really enjoying the role and all that comes with it."
1News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- 1News
Tauranga Mayor finally buys home in city – why he isn't moving in yet
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale has bought a house in Pāpāmoa, but won't move with his family from Cambridge until the end of the school year. Drysdale told Local Democracy Reporting he and his wife Juliette decided not to "uproot" their primary school-aged children mid-year to avoid disruption. Juliette was also doing a teacher training course and had a lot of family support in Cambridge, Drysdale said. "It's a little bit challenging from a family perspective, but we're all looking forward to being together again at the end of the year." After being elected in July, Drysdale said he would move to Tauranga by the end of last year. "The plan was to be here this year, but not having a base and finding a home made that challenging." Drysdale came under fire in February for not living in the city he was elected to lead, despite his election comments. He said this week Tauranga's housing shortage and schools that were "very hard to get into" had made finding a home difficult. "You've got to be in zone of the schools that you want to go to." The city's housing situation was an eye-opener, Drysdale said. Tauranga was one of the most unaffordable cities in the country to rent or buy a home, he said. They had hoped for a house in the Avenues area so the children could go to the same schools he did. Drysdale attended Tauranga Primary, Tauranga Intermediate and Tauranga Boys' College. They had to pivot and settled on a home in Pāpāmoa, he said. "Finding the right place was hard, but we're very happy with what we've got." Despite buying a property, Drysdale said he would continue to stay with his mum when in Tauranga until the family moved. "Once we made the decision not to uproot our children until the end of this year, and with the limited amount of time I spend at home when working, we made the decision to rent the house out on a short-term basis until we move in." It also meant he could spend more time with his mum, who had some health challenges. He was in Tauranga from Monday to Friday, and if he had events at the weekend, the family would come to stay. It was hard being away from the family, but not too dissimilar to when he was rowing and would be overseas for three months. Drysdale retired from rowing in 2021 as a two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion in the single sculls. "We make it work. They [the children] love it here, being with grandma and the beach so they're really excited about coming over," he said. "I promised to move here, and we will absolutely fulfil that promise. It's just a year later than we hoped." According to his financial interests declaration, Drysdale was already the beneficiary of a trust that owns seven rental properties - two each in Auckland, Hamilton, and Cambridge, and one in Mount Maunganui. The trust also owned family residences in Cambridge and Mount Maunganui and two commercial properties. Drysdale, who was a financial adviser between his rowing and local government careers, said he was enjoying being Mayor but it was a "very challenging position". "This is a business managing around $8 billion of assets. With the Annual Plan we're looking at spending and investing over $1b in the next financial year." Tauranga had an infrastructure deficit and the council needed to fill that while balancing affordability for ratepayers, he said. The draft 12% rates rise for 2025/26 has attracted criticism and claims it will be unaffordable for ratepayers. Drysdale has said the council was working to get it down to 10%. "Some people are struggling and we acknowledge that. On the flip side, there's a lot of people that are very encouraging about what's happening in the city and they want to see more things delivered. "We're trying to deliver is a city that people want to live in. It's for future generations. We're looking out to 30 years and what do we need in that time." He said the city's potential was "pretty exciting". His favourite part of the job was the monthly citizenship ceremonies. "It's such a fantastic occasion. Seeing the joy of people that have moved from around the world to choose Tauranga as the place they want to be. "Overall, I'm really enjoying the role and all that comes with it." LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
NZ Herald
15-05-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale buys home in city but isn't moving in yet
'It's a little bit challenging from a family perspective, but we're all looking forward to being together again at the end of the year.' After being elected in July, Drysdale said he would move to Tauranga by the end of last year. 'The plan was to be here this year, but not having a base and finding a home made that challenging.' Drysdale came under fire in February for not living in the city he was elected to lead, despite his election comments. He said this week Tauranga's housing shortage and schools that were 'very hard to get into' had made finding a home difficult. 'You've got to be in zone of the schools that you want to go to.' The city's housing situation was an eye-opener, Drysdale said. Tauranga was one of the most unaffordable cities in the country to rent or buy a home, he said. They had hoped for a house in the Avenues area so the children could go to the same schools he did. Drysdale attended Tauranga Primary, Tauranga Intermediate and Tauranga Boys' College. They had to pivot and settled on a home in Pāpāmoa, he said. 'Finding the right place was hard, but we're very happy with what we've got.' Despite buying a property, Drysdale said he would continue to stay with his mum when in Tauranga until the family moved. 'Once we made the decision not to uproot our children until the end of this year, and with the limited amount of time I spend at home when working, we made the decision to rent the house out on a short-term basis until we move in.' It also meant he could spend more time with his mum, who had some health challenges. He was in Tauranga from Monday to Friday, and if he had events at the weekend, the family would come to stay. It was hard being away from the family, but not too dissimilar to when he was rowing and would be overseas for three months. Drysdale retired from rowing in 2021 as a two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion in the single sculls. 'We make it work. They [the children] love it here, being with grandma and the beach so they're really excited about coming over', he said. 'I promised to move here, and we will absolutely fulfil that promise. It's just a year later than we hoped.' According to his financial interests declaration, Drysdale was already the beneficiary of a trust that owns seven rental properties - two each in Auckland, Hamilton, and Cambridge, and one in Mount Maunganui. The trust also owned family residences in Cambridge and Mount Maunganui and two commercial properties. Drysdale, who was a financial adviser between his rowing and local government careers, said he was enjoying being Mayor but it was a 'very challenging position'. 'This is a business managing around $8 billion of assets. With the Annual Plan we're looking at spending and investing over $1b in the next financial year.' Tauranga had an infrastructure deficit and the council needed to fill that while balancing affordability for ratepayers, he said. The draft 12% rates rise for 2025/26 has attracted criticism and claims it will be unaffordable for ratepayers. Drysdale has said the council was working to get it down to 10%. 'Some people are struggling and we acknowledge that. On the flip side, there's a lot of people that are very encouraging about what's happening in the city and they want to see more things delivered. 'We're trying to deliver is a city that people want to live in. It's for future generations. We're looking out to 30 years and what do we need in that time.' He said the city's potential was 'pretty exciting'. His favourite part of the job was the monthly citizenship ceremonies. 'It's such a fantastic occasion. Seeing the joy of people that have moved from around the world to choose Tauranga as the place they want to be. 'Overall, I'm really enjoying the role and all that comes with it.'
NZ Herald
21-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Bay of Plenty home to Australasia's biggest intermediate school sporting tournament
The games had more athletes participating last year than the 10,500 at the Paris 2024 Olympics. How the games started In the early 2000s, a couple of local Tauranga principals took a car trip to a conference and discussed how there were no inter-school sports competitions for Year 7 and 8 students. Henk Popping, Ōtūmoetai Intermediate principal and chairman of the Aims Games Trust, and Brian Diver, a former Tauranga Intermediate principal, were the ones in the car that started what is now Australasia's largest intermediate school sporting festival. Popping said the pair thought it would be great to put their schools up against the 'best of the best' in New Zealand rather than just playing against local Tauranga intermediates. 'From that conversation, it led to 'let's start a sporting tournament that will be based in Tauranga and be a national tournament',' he said. 'We started with intermediate schools, but over time that extended to all schools that had Year 7 and 8 students.' He said the tournament had a 'very small beginning' but had continued to grow in size and scope, starting with 17 schools competing to now having over 300 schools. 'It certainly has surpassed our expectations from the beginning, and now you can see how much bigger it is and how far the reach of the sports is. 'I think it gives students an opportunity to learn how to win and lose with grace, how to make friends, and interact with a range of people they wouldn't normally interact with.' Continued growth and its influence on Tauranga's economy Kelly Schischka, tournament director, said managing and adapting to growth over the years came back to event management and looking at operations and logistics. 'Over the last year, we've had record numbers, 395 schools from all across New Zealand, from as far down as Southland, as far north as Northland, every place in between, and eight international schools.' She said Tauranga was proud to host the games and could not do it if it did not have the community buy-in. 'It's been a lot of hard work to continue to keep ahead of the trends of sports, to introduce new divisions, new ideas, looking at participation levels, and also opportunities for kids from different educational contexts.' From September 7 to 13 last year, 12,660 intermediate-aged athletes and supporters took part from throughout New Zealand and the South Pacific. As well, 26,825 attendees came to last year's event, which generated 79,201 visitor nights and a net benefit of $4.33 million, according to economic impact research conducted last year. This jumped from the net benefit of $3.15m, which was recorded by the Aims Games Trust in 2019. The research showed that overall, the annual tournament injected $8.78m into Tauranga's economy. Schischka said the trust was 'so lucky' the local community opened their doors to the games and were incredible hosts. 'We get a lot of feedback about how welcome schools feel when they come here, even when going into shops and business owners talk to them about the games and the sports they're doing, they feel incredibly welcomed when in the city.' Aims Games rewarded by community This year's Tauranga Business Awards recognised the trust as it won two major awards. The trust won the Newstalk ZB People's Choice Award – the only award to be voted by the public - and won the award for excellence in marketing impact. Schischka said for her, it was an 'incredible privilege' to work on the event, and everyone involved with the trust were passionate about the kids and the experience they had. 'The recognition is always really special, particularly when it comes from our local community.' Tauranga Business Chamber chief executive Matt Cowley said the trust was an outstanding organisation delivering a significant positive community impact. 'Their impressive multi-platform marketing approach has driven more engagement and enrichment,' Cowley said. 'They have a clear understanding of the importance of storytelling.' He said the games was a fantastic way of bringing participants together to serve as a central hub for achievements. 'Overall, their impact on enriching participants' enjoyment of the city and engaging locals is incredible, especially for such a small team.' Registrations for 2025 opened in March with more than 140 schools already registered for the games taking place from August 30 to September 5.
