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Otago Daily Times
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Meet the 86yo sensei who can 'take someone's knee out'
By Eva Kershaw of Frank Film From her backyard in one of the poorest parts of Christchurch, 86-year-old Mary Patu teaches martial arts for $2 per class. The price of Mary's classes haven't changed since she opened her Okinawa te Aranui dojo (practice room) almost 40 years ago. In that time, she estimates having shared the art and discipline of Okinawa-te with about 3000 students. 'We do everything to help this community,' said Mary from her home in Aranui. 'They say it's a poor area, but it's what you want it to be.' Mary Patu outside her home. Photo: Frank Film Mary has lived on the same street for 60 years – 48 of them in her current home, which she renovated with her late husband, Rawiri David Patu (Putt). Along the front fence are painted metal sunflowers that Putt bought from The Warehouse. Inside the property, designs of butterflies, geckos and angels cover the sides of the buildings, the tops of the gates, and even the tree trunks. 'He just liked them,' says Mary. 'But sometimes he put too many up.' Just four years shy of ninety, Patu is sharp as a tack. She's bright-eyed, quick-witted, loves to tell a story and, with her soft face and a warm smile, she appears harmless. 'But I can take someone's knee out,' she told Frank Film. 'I can still take a person down.' Patu has seven children and picked up martial arts after two of her sons joined a karate dojo. 'I'd be sitting in the dojo watching, and I'm not a sitter. I can't just sit there and watch,' she says. 'So I said to sensei Lee is 48 too old to start doing karate?' Mary was told she would get as much out of the practice as she put into it. Mary Patu teaching a class last year. Photo: Geoff Sloan Two years later, she had saved enough money to take herself to America, where she spent three weeks learning with shihan (master instructor) Gordon Doversola – the founder of the Okinawa-te karate system. In Okinawa-te, a student becomes a sensei as soon as they earn their black belt. However, as a purple belt, Mary received a special letter of permission to teach classes for seniors in the Aranui town hall. After securing her black belt several years later, Mary realised she could offer cheaper classes if she built a dojo on her own property. 'We paid $50,000 for the materials to do it, and it took us about 15 years to pay off that mortgage,' says Mary. 'That wasn't from the class fees. We paid it off ourselves.' Photo: Frank Film Mary's husband Putt, who was a carpenter, built the dojo by himself with the help of his sons. Today, in the window of the office, a wooden sign hand-made by a student commemorates the man who brought the space to life. Putt's dojo – fitted out with an office, bathroom, and weapons room – welcomes students of all ages, starting at five years old. 'Big ones, small ones, you name it – they're here,' says Mary. In teaching Okinawa-te long after the age of 'retirement', Mary has found a sense of pride. 'You can see [students] slowly building confidence, but also a little bit of discipline, which will carry them through a lot of other things ... it helps with everything.' Donna Boese, who started out as a student at the dojo in 2016, says Mary's classes turned her life around. 'I used to be a self-harmer, until I came here. Mary is the one who made me stronger,' says Boese who has gained her black belt and now teaches at the dojo. Six other members of her family have also joined classes. Mary says enabling entire families to join the dojo is the reason she keeps her fees so low. 'I look at other places – they're charging $15 a class, and it's only for one person. But, you see, ours is about the community,' she says. 'It's never been a money-making thing.' Mary Patu demonstrates the dragon claw. Photo: Geoff Sloan Mary says taking classes has kept her mentally sharp and physically fit. She has never had to use the skill for her own self-defence, but says the effect of Okinawa-te on her reflexes and bracing has been worth its weight for 'self-protection'. 'Because you're trained to be able to fall, when you do slip over, it comes straight to your head,' she says. 'It stops you breaking bones.' Mary plans to continue running classes for years to come, and doubts she will ever increase their price. 'At my age, you have to adjust to what you can do,' she says. 'As long as I can give the right instructions, I think if I had to be in a wheelchair I'd still teach. I'd get a ramp made into the dojo. 'Do you know what was one of the last things Putt said to me? Dear, I'm so glad I built that dojo for you.' -Frank Film
Otago Daily Times
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Meet the 86yo sensei who can still 'take someone's knee out'
By Eva Kershaw of Frank Film From her backyard in one of the poorest parts of Christchurch, 86-year-old Mary Patu teaches martial arts for $2 per class. The price of Mary's classes haven't changed since she opened her Okinawa te Aranui dojo (practice room) almost 40 years ago. In that time, she estimates having shared the art and discipline of Okinawa-te with about 3000 students. Sensei fighting to keep 'kids off the street' 'We do everything to help this community,' said Mary from her home in Aranui. 'They say it's a poor area, but it's what you want it to be.' Mary has lived on the same street for 60 years – 48 of them in her current home, which she renovated with her late husband, Rawiri David Patu (Putt). Along the front fence are painted metal sunflowers that Putt bought from The Warehouse. Inside the property, designs of butterflies, geckos and angels cover the sides of the buildings, the tops of the gates, and even the tree trunks. 'He just liked them,' says Mary. 'But sometimes he put too many up.' Just four years shy of ninety, Patu is sharp as a tack. She's bright-eyed, quick-witted, loves to tell a story and, with her soft face and a warm smile, she appears harmless. 'But I can take someone's knee out,' she told Frank Film . 'I can still take a person down.' Patu has seven children and picked up martial arts after two of her sons joined a karate dojo. 'I'd be sitting in the dojo watching, and I'm not a sitter. I can't just sit there and watch,' she says. 'So I said to sensei Lee is 48 too old to start doing karate?' Mary was told she would get as much out of the practice as she put into it. Two years later, she had saved enough money to take herself to America, where she spent three weeks learning with shihan (master instructor) Gordon Doversola – the founder of the Okinawa-te karate system. In Okinawa-te, a student becomes a sensei as soon as they earn their black belt. However, as a purple belt, Mary received a special letter of permission to teach classes for seniors in the Aranui town hall. After securing her black belt several years later, Mary realised she could offer cheaper classes if she built a dojo on her own property. 'We paid $50,000 for the materials to do it, and it took us about 15 years to pay off that mortgage,' says Mary. 'That wasn't from the class fees. We paid it off ourselves.' Mary's husband Putt, who was a carpenter, built the dojo by himself with the help of his sons. Today, in the window of the office, a wooden sign hand-made by a student commemorates the man who brought the space to life. Putt's dojo – fitted out with an office, bathroom, and weapons room – welcomes students of all ages, starting at five years old. 'Big ones, small ones, you name it – they're here,' says Mary. In teaching Okinawa-te long after the age of 'retirement', Mary has found a sense of pride. 'You can see [students] slowly building confidence, but also a little bit of discipline, which will carry them through a lot of other things ... it helps with everything.' Donna Boese, who started out as a student at the dojo in 2016, says Mary's classes turned her life around. 'I used to be a self-harmer, until I came here. Mary is the one who made me stronger,' says Boese who has gained her black belt and now teaches at the dojo. Six other members of her family have also joined classes. Mary says enabling entire families to join the dojo is the reason she keeps her fees so low. 'I look at other places – they're charging $15 a class, and it's only for one person. But, you see, ours is about the community,' she says. 'It's never been a money-making thing.' Mary says taking classes has kept her mentally sharp and physically fit. She has never had to use the skill for her own self-defence, but says the effect of Okinawa-te on her reflexes and bracing has been worth its weight for 'self-protection'. 'Because you're trained to be able to fall, when you do slip over, it comes straight to your head,' she says. 'It stops you breaking bones.' Mary plans to continue running classes for years to come, and doubts she will ever increase their price. 'At my age, you have to adjust to what you can do,' she says. 'As long as I can give the right instructions, I think if I had to be in a wheelchair I'd still teach. I'd get a ramp made into the dojo. 'Do you know what was one of the last things Putt said to me? Dear, I'm so glad I built that dojo for you.' -Frank Film
Otago Daily Times
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
'Dear, I'm so glad I built that dojo for you': 86yo sensei 'can still take a person down'
By Eva Kershaw of Frank Film From her backyard in one of the poorest parts of Christchurch, 86-year-old Mary Patu teaches martial arts for $2 per class. The price of Mary's classes haven't changed since she opened her Okinawa te Aranui dojo (practice room) almost 40 years ago. In that time, she estimates having shared the art and discipline of Okinawa-te with about 3000 students. 'We do everything to help this community,' said Mary from her home in Aranui. 'They say it's a poor area, but it's what you want it to be.' Mary has lived on the same street for 60 years – 48 of them in her current home, which she renovated with her late husband, Rawiri David Patu (Putt). Along the front fence are painted metal sunflowers that Putt bought from The Warehouse. Inside the property, designs of butterflies, geckos and angels cover the sides of the buildings, the tops of the gates, and even the tree trunks. 'He just liked them,' says Mary. 'But sometimes he put too many up.' Just four years shy of ninety, Patu is sharp as a tack. She's bright-eyed, quick-witted, loves to tell a story and, with her soft face and a warm smile, she appears harmless. 'But I can take someone's knee out,' she told Frank Film. 'I can still take a person down.' Patu has seven children and picked up martial arts after two of her sons joined a karate dojo. 'I'd be sitting in the dojo watching, and I'm not a sitter. I can't just sit there and watch,' she says. 'So I said to sensei Lee is 48 too old to start doing karate?' Mary was told she would get as much out of the practice as she put into it. Two years later, she had saved enough money to take herself to America, where she spent three weeks learning with shihan (master instructor) Gordon Doversola – the founder of the Okinawa-te karate system. In Okinawa-te, a student becomes a sensei as soon as they earn their black belt. Mary Patu teaching a class last year. Photo: Geoff Sloan However, as a purple belt, Mary received a special letter of permission to teach classes for seniors in the Aranui town hall. After securing her black belt several years later, Mary realised she could offer cheaper classes if she built a dojo on her own property. 'We paid $50,000 for the materials to do it, and it took us about 15 years to pay off that mortgage,' says Mary. 'That wasn't from the class fees. We paid it off ourselves.' Mary's husband Putt, who was a carpenter, built the dojo by himself with the help of his sons. Today, in the window of the office, a wooden sign hand-made by a student commemorates the man who brought the space to life. Putt's dojo – fitted out with an office, bathroom, and weapons room – welcomes students of all ages, starting at five years old. 'Big ones, small ones, you name it – they're here,' says Mary. In teaching Okinawa-te long after the age of 'retirement', Mary has found a sense of pride. 'You can see [students] slowly building confidence, but also a little bit of discipline, which will carry them through a lot of other things ... it helps with everything.' Donna Boese, who started out as a student at the dojo in 2016, says Mary's classes turned her life around. 'I used to be a self-harmer, until I came here. Mary is the one who made me stronger,' says Boese who has gained her black belt and now teaches at the dojo. Six other members of her family have also joined classes. Mary says enabling entire families to join the dojo is the reason she keeps her fees so low. 'I look at other places – they're charging $15 a class, and it's only for one person. But, you see, ours is about the community,' she says. 'It's never been a money-making thing.' Mary Patu demonstrates the dragon claw. Photo: Geoff Sloan Mary says taking classes has kept her mentally sharp and physically fit. She has never had to use the skill for her own self-defence, but says the effect of Okinawa-te on her reflexes and bracing has been worth its weight for 'self-protection'. 'Because you're trained to be able to fall, when you do slip over, it comes straight to your head,' she says. 'It stops you breaking bones.' Mary plans to continue running classes for years to come, and doubts she will ever increase their price. 'At my age, you have to adjust to what you can do,' she says. 'As long as I can give the right instructions, I think if I had to be in a wheelchair I'd still teach. I'd get a ramp made into the dojo. 'Do you know what was one of the last things Putt said to me? Dear, I'm so glad I built that dojo for you.' -Frank Film
NZ Herald
23-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
High praise for Gisborne-East Coast lawn bowls as Stewart heads south
Stewart, 40, was named Bowls Gisborne-East Coast men's player of the year at the centre prizegiving this month. Te Karaka Bowling Club, with whom he has won nine centre titles, is opening the club on Saturday for food, drink, bowls and laughs to mark 'Paddy's Day'. Stewart has been in Gisborne for the past four years and played three seasons of bowls. He worked in kiwifruit orchards for nearly three years and lately has been availability manager at The Warehouse, working nights to ensure the shelves are stocked for the next day. 'I was touring round New Zealand during Covid times, doing some fruit picking, and stopped up here because my grandfather, Harawira Ngata, lives at East Cape,' he said. 'I whakapapa back to Ngāti Porou on my mum's side. She was a Tuhura from Ruatōria. Apirana Ngata was her grandfather's grandfather. On my father's side, we're about eighth-generation colonists. 'I am into a nomadic life of getting to see and experience different parts of New Zealand, going from one extreme to another.' His next port of call will be Dunedin, where he hopes to catch up with Bowls New Zealand national coach Mike Kernaghan. 'I want to tinker with my delivery, and he is probably the best one I know of to help with that,' Stewart said. When he arrived in Gisborne, Stewart had played bowls – mainly in Christchurch – for 15 years. He started bowling as a schoolboy in Waikari, North Canterbury, in 1999, but then had eight years off. He was in his seventh season back on the greens when the 2016 national champs came round. Stewart combined with Kaiapoi clubmates Kerry Becks and Tony Andrews, and Papanui club member Darren Redway, to win the national fours title in Christchurch. Last year, Stewart travelled from Gisborne to Christchurch to team up with Becks in the Rawleigh's Stewart Buttar Invitation Burnside Pairs, and they won it. On the local scene this season, Stewart won the men's open pairs alongside David File, and the champion of champions senior men's triples with File and Steve Goldsbury. He also played in the national intercentre with Malcolm Trowell, Shaun Goldsbury, Steve Goldsbury, Ricky Miller, Andrew Ball, Arthur Hawes and Steve Berezowski. 'Gisborne-East Coast is the second smallest centre [for number of clubs] in New Zealand – Buller is the smallest – but it stretches from Wairoa to Tolaga Bay,' Stewart said. 'The best of the best here are as good as anywhere. The top few are New Zealand-class, but with the small membership, you'll have only one top team per club, whereas the big-city clubs' fourth-tier teams are still strong because they'll have a membership of 150 to 200.' During his time as a Te Karaka club member, being part of the teams that enabled Steve Goldsbury to win his 50th centre title and David File to win his 90th had been 'a joy'. 'Probably less than a dozen bowlers in New Zealand have 50 centre titles, and David is well out in front with his 90,' Stewart said. 'It would have been lovely to stay longer and help him reach the hundred.' A highlight of his time in Gisborne was being treated as 'a sort of mentor' in the representative team. At the national intercentre tournaments, the team had gone close to reaching the quarter-finals in all of the past three years. He also enjoyed helping the junior team at a mid-year tournament held on the Hastings indoor green. The team had grown in stature from the first day to the second, and if they had started the competition as well as they had finished it, they could have won it. Being a member of the Tairawhiti bowls community hosting the Aotearoa Māori Bowls (Fours) Tournament in February was an 'amazing experience', Stewart said. 'Being able to host nearly a hundred teams from around the country was a real joy, and I felt a lot of pride that we were able to look after our guests so well.'
Otago Daily Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Ex-mayor favours district re-think
No to amalgamation but yes to a reorganisation, says a former Gore mayor, who believes it is time for organisation of districts to start making a bit more sense. Southland District Mayor Rob Scott has been pushing for the amalgamation of the four Southland districts into two unitary authorities. This year, Mr Scott and the Southland District Council submitted their proposal "Southland Local Government. Together, for our Future" to the Local Government Commission. Former Gore district mayor Tracy Hicks said he had a different view. "I hate the name 'amalgamation'. I think there's lots of opportunities for reorganisation, but amalgamation has a bad track record. "I'd challenge anyone to point to amalgamations that have saved money and kept services at a similar level, or improved services." However, there was room for a reorganisation of districts to better suit the region's geography, he said. "Let's work in units where we naturally fit, as opposed to trying to force communities together that don't have a lot in common with each other. "If you overlay that with a unitary authority, it would be good. You could have two in Southland, plus the city council." Mr Hicks said his experience in the retail sector had led him to believe the Gore district should be expanded out to all who would seek out services in Gore. "The people who came to shop at The Warehouse were from Lumsden, Browns in the west, Clinton, Wyndham, and as far down as the coast. "That's the natural catchment for a district council based in this part of the world and I think it would work really well," he said. How rural districts and their catchments were organised did not make much sense to him and it was worth looking at, he said. "At the moment we have Waikaia administered by Southland District Council based in Invercargill. It's a long way away. "The likes of Tapanui, most of the business people do, if they can't do it there, they'll come to Gore. They won't go to Balclutha, yet they're a part of Clutha." Mr Hicks said the Southland District Council's proposal had its merits but it required more scrutiny and more options. "I think the time is right. I'm just not sure the scale of what's been talked about so far is one that would deliver value for the community," On the promised savings for the district, Mr Hicks said he was sceptical of the amounts promised, and also it should not just be around saving money. "Could you promise cost savings? I don't think there would be anything like what people believe there might be. "If you're only doing it to save money, I think we'll all be sadly disappointed with what we get." It was about finding the best fit for communities and he wanted more common sense when determining districts' borders. When Gore first amalgamated to include Mataura, Mr Hicks was a staunch opponent, but said he now believed there were benefits to be had with councils joining and reorganising. "I'm very in favour of having the debate, having the discussion. But let's not rush to one option first."
