From Clive Pool upgrade, to Lake Taupō run, to HDC Civic Awards, to Weave fundraising, to new Crisis Respite Centre, to Te Mata Park news, to Peak House sunsets, to farmer support for Helicopter Rescue Trust, here are some notable items you might have missed.
Clive Pool gets upgrade
New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) has awarded Waipureku Clive Primary School a grant of $15,000 to upgrade its community swimming pool. The funding will go towards fibre glassing the ageing concrete structure—reducing costly maintenance, extending the pool’s lifespan, and ensuring ongoing access to vital water safety education for students and the wider community.
The current concrete surface requires frequent and expensive repainting, which cuts into swimming time and strains the school’s budget. Fibre glassing will reduce maintenance needs and provide a long-term solution that benefits students.
Principal Chris Birch says, “With growing numbers of children entering the school and national trends showing a decline in basic swimming ability, we see this project as a timely and necessary investment. This long overdue upgrade is not just about protecting the school’s infrastructure but also ensuring access to lifelong learning. It reflects a deep commitment to community leadership and hauora (wellbeing). The upgraded pool will equip our students with the confidence and respect needed to safely navigate the natural waterways that surround them.”
For Lake Taupō fans
A brand-new endurance event is only weeks away, set to debut on Saturday 7 June 2025 alongside Lake Taupō. Pillar to Pou is a six-hour endurance challenge where participants — either solo or in teams of 2–6 — complete as many 7.3km laps as possible. The breathtaking backdrop follows Taupō’s iconic Great Lake Pathway, stretching from the Two Mile Bay Sailing Club (the Pillar) to Te Ātea before looping back.
Pillar to Pou pioneers — a kids’ event kicks off at 8am. Suitable for ages 4 to 15 years. with age-appropriate distances, either a quarter, half, or full lap of the course.
Hastings Civic Awards
This year’s Hastings Civic Honours Awards honoured three groups and 29 individuals for giving back to their community. Their contributions ranged from feeding the hungry to supporting those less well off, caring for our environment, fundraising, assisting newcomers to our district and country, providing expertise and assistance to sports codes, caring for the elderly, providing pastoral care along with employment, facilitating positive recognition for our district, organising events, and otherwise lending a hand wherever it’s needed.
Here is the full list of honourees.
Weave Hawke’s Bay fundraising campaign
Weave HB (formerly Napier Family Centre) begins a month-long fundraising campaign on 1 June.
The appeal aims to raise awareness and funds to o meet growing demand for essential services such as counselling, financial mentoring, whānau education and social work.
“We’re seeing more and more Hawke’s Bay people struggling with the rising cost of living, mental distress, and the long tail of cyclone recovery,” says Kerry Henderson, CEO of Weave Hawke’s Bay.
Last year, Weave Hawke’s Bay supported around 2,500 whānau across the region, from Wairoa to Waipukurau. Each donation to the appeal directly funds frontline support for local whānau.
Including as Napier Family Centre, Weave has been supporting Hawke’s Bay whānau for over 40 years.
Crisis Respite Service
A new Crisis Respite Service will offer an alternative safe space to go for adults seeking support for mental health and addiction challenges. The service will operate in a repurposed building close to the HB Hospital campus and will be connected to the wider acute care model across the region.
The service is a collaborative approach between agencies including Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga, Health New Zealand, the New Zealand Police, and the Ministry of Social Development.
As a result of this new Service, there will be six new unplanned crisis respite beds opened as an alternative to an admission to an Emergency Department or a mental health inpatient unit.
Respite beds offer a welcoming place where people experiencing mental health difficulties can rest and recover in a home-like environment with clinical oversight and short-term residential support.
News from Te Mata Park
Take a look at Te Mata Park’s latest newsletter.
School visits. Growing seedlings. Grants from Eastern & Central Community Trust (ECCT) and Peak Trail Blazer events. QEII National Trust Board visitors.
Sundowner: Sunset Sessions
Sundowner: Sunset Sessions is a new golden hour gathering held inside the restaurant and across the balcony at Peak House — where good food, soulful house music, and breathtaking views meet high above Havelock North.
‘Heli Livestock’ launches
Hawke’s Bay farmers, local livestock agents and major meat companies are banding together to get behind the launch of the Rescue Helicopter’s latest rural fundraising initiative. ‘Heli Livestock’ enables farmers the option to support their local rescue helicopter service the best way they know how – through the sale proceeds of fat, cull or store livestock.
Hawke’s Bay’s Rescue Helicopter crew conduct around 400 lifesaving missions every year, with rural and remote missions accounting for approximately 40 percent of air medical rescues.
To get behind ‘Heli Livestock’, simply contact your livestock agent or affiliated meat company to make your pledge today.
I suppose Clive School considered the use of Clive Memorial Pool, an indoor heated pool in Farndon Road, before proceeding with the decision to upgrade their pool. Running and maintaining a school pool is a big cost on the school budget for such a short time when children are actually back at school.