Latest news with #Papamoa
RNZ News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Former MP Brendan Horan runs for council to support 'most qualified mayor'
Brendan Horan is running for a council seat in Whakatāne despite living outside the district in Papamoa. Photo: Supplied/LDR Former 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. Whakatāne born and raised, Horan said though he currently lives in Papamoa, he has kept a close eye on the council - particularly on his old school buddy, Mayor Victor Luca. "I can't sing his praises enough. I've followed his progress as mayor in Whakatāne and I'm aware of the road blocks he's had to face. Whakatāne has the most qualified mayor in the world with Victor Luca." He expressed disappointment in not seeing greater support for him on council, particularly in his advocacy for more affordable rates. "Affordability is vital, and we have to look to the future. There's no reason Whakatāne District Council cannot create new revenue streams. The solar project that Mayor Victor was an advocate for is the perfect example." He is also strongly in support of Luca's proposal for a second river crossing. "It's critical infrastructure. Again, this is an area where councillors have dragged the chain. It's a no-brainer, how important a second bridge is to Whakatāne for the safety of the residents." Though he has no plans to move home, he said it had always been his goal to return to Whakatāne one day, which is also where his wife's family is based. "Whakatāne is a part of me. Apart from being born in Whakatāne, my children's whenua is buried in Whakatāne. My love and responsibility and connection to Whakatāne is unbreakable. I'm there every second weekend anyway, particularly whenever the surf's great. "I've no designs on being mayor, but I do have strong designs to support our mayor to make Whakatāne a home for present and future generations," Having attended St Joseph's Catholic School and Whakatāne High School, Horan represented Whakatāne in sport during his youth, including in swimming, water polo and surf lifesaving. He also represented New Zealand and Australia in water polo, was a New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Ironman champion and New Zealand outrigger canoe champion. Horan went on to become a weather presenter for TVNZ between 2005 and 2007. In 2008, he contested the East Coast electorate as a New Zealand First candidate. He became a New Zealand First list MP in 2011. After being expelled from New Zealand First a year later, he remained as an independent. In 2014 he formed his own party, the NZ Independant Coalition, which failed to win any seats. Returning to study, he earned a post-graduate degree in dispute resolution from the University of Waikato and now does a variety of work. "I help a lot of people if they're have problems with different government departments. A lot of it, the work's altruistic because by the time they get to me they've already exhausted every legal avenue." He has helped people with immigration problems, and also did cultural report writing for the courts. "But a lot of that work has dried up thanks to this government," he said. "I also work with a travel operator taking targeted tours overseas. I've just come back from the United States. I get to travel a lot and keep an eye on what's happening around the world." LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
19-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Coroner takes aim at Runit as man dies after rugby league tackle
Photo: 123rf A Coroner has taken aim at Runit competitions saying they should not be recognised as an official sport. Coroner Bruce Hesketh slated the competition as having "all the hallmarks of perilous activity that makes no attempt to mitigate head injury". He made the comments in a finding into the death of 32-year-old Pāpāmoa man Tere Livingstone, who died from a severe head injury sustained in a tackle during a game of rugby league in June 2023. Livingstone suffered a concussion in an earlier, pre-season game on 27 May which he didn't tell anyone in the team about. However, two days after he was hit in the jaw by an opposing player's forearm, he began suffering a severe headache in the back of his head, and nausea. The young dad went to his GP who advised him not to play contact sport for three to four weeks and that he should discuss the situation with his team's physiotherapist. She also advised him to return immediately if his symptoms, which by the time of the appointment had largely reduced, returned and she would refer him for a CT scan. Livingstone played down the doctor's concern with his partner however he did not play league the next weekend due to being out of town for a family event. Coroner Hesketh said Livingstone did not appreciate the seriousness of his condition because on 6 June he wanted to go to training but his partner convinced him to stay home and rest. The following weekend, on 10 June, Livingstone played another game in a pre-season tournament in Tauranga. In the first half he was tackled, landing on his back and his head hit the ground in a whiplash movement. He went off the field and knelt down on one knee, saying he was fine but within seconds he fell forward and suffered a seizure. An off-duty nurse came to his aid and an ambulance was called. Livingstone was transferred to Tauranga Hospital where he was diagnosed with swelling and a brain bleed. He was flown from there to Waikato Hospital in Hamilton for nuerosurgery but his condition deteriorated and after five days he was declared brain dead. His life support was switched off after organ donation. Coroner Hesketh said although the family objected to a post-mortem, he was satisfied after receiving expert advice, that Livingstone developed a rare condition known as second impact syndrome (SIS), when a person suffered a second head injury before fully recovering from a previous one. "The athlete will rapidly develop altered mental status and a loss of consciousness within seconds to minutes of the second hit, resulting in catastrophic neurological injury," the Coroner wrote. "SIS is described as acute brain swelling and bleeding that occurs when a second concussion is sustained before the first one has healed properly. This can be difficult to treat and can be fatal." In 2021 there had only been 45 cases of SIS recorded - all boys and men between the ages of 10 and 29 with the period between the first and second concussions ranging from one hour to five weeks. Eleven of the injured recovered and 19 died. Coroner Hesketh said if Livingstone had told his coach, team manager or referee about the first head injury, he would have been stood down for the mandatory 21 days required in sports. "Had that occurred and had he followed the graduated recovery and return stages set out on the NZRL (New Zealand Rugby League) website I am satisfied from the literature I have read and the advice I have received, he would not have experienced second impact syndrome." He said Livingstone's death was preventable. Coroner Hesketh was critical of Runit competitions, saying they should not be recognised as an official sport. "As a matter of public interest I record my concern about a developing contact competition in New Zealand called 'Runit'. "There appears to be no governing body, the activity is not regulated, and has no written publicly accessible rules of participation. "Neither is there any information to players around the signs and dangers of concussion or concussion management." He noted the competition was said to be built around the actions seen in rugby union, league, the NFL (American National Football League) and the AFL (Australian Football League). "However, those sports have invested heavily in concussion prevention, identity, and management. The same cannot be said for this latest trending competition. "The principle of operation in Runit requires two opposing individuals, one being the ball carrier and the other the tackler. "The two stand at opposite ends of a 20 metre by 4m field and run full speed at each other and colliding to try and knock each other over." Hesketh said "understandably", medical specialists and organisations assisting those in hospital or in the community recovering from head trauma had expressed concern about the dangers these competitions gave rise to traumatic brain injury and/or chronic traumatic encephalopathy - a brain disorder caused by repeated head injuries. "Runit competitions are attempting to set up in New Zealand as a legitimate sport." However, he said in the sports Runit copied, the object was to avoid being tackled, or to be tackled in a way that the player carrying the ball could protect themselves by side-stepping or turning into the tackler to lessen the blow. There were also strict rules around high tackles. "Furthermore, all the applicable team sporting bodies involved have invested heavily in concussion awareness, prevention, identity, and management." He recommended athletes take head injuries seriously. "This unfortunate and sad case emphasises the need for those who play approved team contact sports to adhere to the concussion guidelines. "Both the NZRL and NZRU websites have significant information around concussion prevention, identification, and management. Significantly more can be found on the ACC website." Symptoms of concussion included:
RNZ News
25-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
The business turning kiwifruit into a leather alternative
KiwiLeather Innovations is turning 50,000 tonnes of kiwifruit waste into a leather alternative. Photo: Supplied A new leather alternative aims to find news uses for the over 50,000 tonnes of kiwifruit that is rejected in New Zealand each year. Shelley Houston founded KiwiLeather Innovations four years ago. Then based in Papamoa, her son had been bringing home an abundance of waste or rejected kiwifruit from his work at one of the orchards. She was surprised to learn just how much kiwifruit waste there was - much of this is used by farmers to help feed stock. "I used to be quite a keen baker, but I found there's only so much baking you can do with kiwifruit." She set about trying to develop new alternatives for the waste byproduct. "I'd seen overseas in Europe that they make a lot of biomaterials and things like that out of mangoes and apples and grapes, so I thought I'd give it a go with kiwifruit. The plant- and bio-based leather alternative can be used for many different products. Photo: Supplied Houston said the resulting prototype had worked better than she thought it would. She's worked with Scion research to perfect the formula and create a more viable product. The kiwifruit leather is plant-based and plastic-free. She said many people had remarked the alternative "smells just like leather". It's durability means it can be used as a leather alternative. Houston said they were targetting the automotive sector, with companies like Tesla using cactus leather, and furniture manufacturers. "There's just not enough product out there, enough bio-materials for these companies to be able to create that sort of thing." Houston has partnered with a number of packhouses who provided her with kiwifruit they can't use. She said it was good to give growers more value while repurposing the byproduct. Houston said people could expect to see prototype products released over the next few months. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
