Our People: Mel Taite-Pitama
A catch up with the principal of Tuahiwi School Mel Taite-Pitama.
1. Tell us a bit about your self - where are you from, your family and what are your hobbies?
My father is from Tauranga and my mother from the Waikato. They raised me in Woodend where I did my primary schooling and then attended Rangiora High School. I lived in Tuahiwi most of my adolescent years. I have a brother who is a painter and owns his own painting business, The Paint Boss.
I am married to Mathias Pitama and we have three children: Sheldon, 22, lives in Brisbane and is a semi professional rugby league player doing his apprenticeship in Civil Construction. Jadah is 19 and is at university studying Māori Indigenous Studies and Te Reo Māori hoping to be a teacher, and Halle, 14, who is at Haeata Community Campus hoping to be a journalist and professional rugby player.
My 3 year old grandson Te Koha is the most beautiful boy. I'd walk across coals for him.
I play touch rugby for Canterbury. We are about to go to Auckland for Nationals in March.
I love sport, I rode horses for a long time, good food is important to me and so is travelling, but I'm a girl too...I love dressing up and putting on a great dress and red lippy!
2. What is the best thing about living/working in North Canterbury?
I love that work is close to home and that where I work is like being at home. I have always lived in NC, my husband and I decided when we had children we would never move them away from their grandparents.
It's important to us that our children know who they are and where they belong.
3. What are the three best things about Tuahiwi School?
The whānau and tamariki - they are super cool.
We are unique - There is no other school doing what we are doing in NC and I would say in Chch. Ask me what we do differently and the list is infinite.
The committed, dedicated staff who come to work every day to inspire and motivate our learners whilst nurturing them alongside their whānau.
4. Tell us something wonderful about Tuahiwi that we might not know.?
In the 80's, at the time my husband was about 8 years old, his mum and dad would drop him off at the 5 Cross Roads and he would walk from one end of the pā to the other. He would end up at Aunty Patricia Silk-Anglem's house on the corner of Bramley's Road.
On his journey about 27 of the maybe 35 houses he passed were relations. He would visit aunties and uncles, taua, poua and cousins while his parents were at the marae.
5. What is the best, most rewarding part of your job?
I love creating extraordinary opportunities for people. I'm always looking to see what and how I can help young people succeed.
When you have been in education for as long as I have you cross many people's paths and when they come back to you when they are adults and they still have a love for you, that's cool....you know you have been a positive influence in their lives, and for many made a massive difference.
Every day is different when you are in a kura, I love that...I never know what the day will bring or who I might meet.
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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85.1% Yes
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13.8% No
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Heritage gem or dangerous burden? Bowling club’s dilemma with historic pavilion
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
A Rangiora sports club is frustrated with the increasing maintenance and insurance costs of its 113-year-old pavilion, which can't be demolished due to its historic importance.
The Rangiora Bowling Club approached the Waimakariri District Council last year for help, but was yet to find a satisfactory solution for the pavilion.
It is registered with Heritage New Zealand and listed in the Waimakariri District Plan, leaving the club with few options.
The club’s ex-president Norman Hewett said the pavilion on Good St, north of the town centre, is unsafe and no longer fit for purpose.
Hewett said the council has been supportive and Heritage New Zealand has offered advice, but no funding.
‘‘Everybody thinks the building is worth preserving, but there is a cost and it shouldn’t be put on the bowling club.
‘‘As far as we are concerned it is not fit for purpose and we want to know how we can get round that.
‘‘We want to know what the community thinks and if they want to retain it, are they willing to pay for it?’’
The club has formed a sub-committee to explore what options are available.
Sub-committee member Rodger Wilton said the club has been unable to find any record that the club had a say when the building was given heritage status.
Built in 1911, the pavilion served the Rangiora Bowling, Tennis and Croquet Club, which originally shared the site.
It cost 945 pounds and was opened on October 28, 1911.
The three clubs purchased 1.25 acres on the corner of Blackett and Good streets in April 1905, but later parted company, with tennis and croquet moving to new sites.
While no quotes have been sought, Hewett believed it would cost more than $1 million to bring the pavilion up to code.
Ideally the club would like to demolish the pavilion so it can upgrade its main building and remain on site.
The stairwell was non-compliant and there was no wheelchair access, meaning the club was unable to use the upstairs facilities.
There are loose tiles on the roof which need replacing.
An attached building behind the pavilion is sufficient to meet the needs of the 140 members and for hosting the largest bowls tournament in North Canterbury, Hewett said.
He said the club is open to all options, including a land swap or selling to a developer with the expertise to restore the pavilion.
Waimakariri District Council community and recreation manager Chris Brown said the council is working through various opportunities with the bowling club as part of a feasibility study.
‘‘There are a lot of options to consider. Each have various financial, social and operational implications.’’
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga said it had ‘‘expressed support for the adaptive reuse of the building and supported the club’s intention to investigate options for the pavilion and the associated land parcel’’.
The Rangiora Bowling Club is keen to hear the views of the community. Email rangiorabowling@gmail.com.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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