Māori Women’s Refuge Taupō house manager - Pou Whirinaki - Jaymin (left) and Kaimanaaki Whanau (activities coordinator) Te Rehua. Photo: Dan Hutchinson
With the election just over a week away, it’s easy to get a bit fatigued by everyone’s good ideas.
From the editor Dan Hutchinson
Information overload doesn’t even begin to describe the process of deciding who to vote for but somehow, most of us manage to get involved in the process.
While the politicians have been in our eyeline a lot over the past few weeks, they are not the only ones with a story to tell and this week, we have lined up a bunch of inspirational stories for you to get involved with.
On page 1 this week, we caught up with the wonderful team at the Māori Women’s Refuge in Taupō, who put their heart and soul into providing a better life for their clients every day.
It would be amazing if the community could step up with the goods to make their safehouse a lot more appealing for the families that leave their familiar surroundings to take shelter there.
Mason comes back to earth in Arizona. Photos: Kay Cottingham Robinson
On page three we look at one of the more adrenaline-pumping sports out there – skydiving - and the phenomenal speeds that Taupō’s very own Mason Holden reached (483.62km/h) during a freefall in Arizona recently.
That surely makes him New Zealand’s fastest man.
When it comes to things falling out of the sky into the right place, you don’t have look any further than Kinloch Village golfer Lyndon Andrews.
Most people will go years, or a lifetime without hitting a hole in one, but Lyndon achieved it twice in one round of golf. The odds of that are about 67 million to one according to the people who work out these things. You can read about his feat on page 4.
To check out the artistic endeavours of this year’s Graffiato artists, flip the paper and head to pages 12 and 13 of the Property Guide or head to our website www.tauponews.co.nz.
A tour of all the Graffiato works around town is a must-do activity, especially if you have guests looking for something a bit different to do.
Lyndon Andrews managed to hit an extraordinary two holes in one during a round of golf at the Kinloch Village Golf Club recently. Photo Supplied.
TICKET GIVEAWAY
To help those who are lacking in inspiration we are giving away two tickets to hear motivational speaker Cam Calkoen.
Cam is the Taupō Business Chamber’s speaker for its November 3 (Tuesday) 7am-9am Elevate series at the Great Lake Centre.
Cam lives with cerebral palsy, and his story and energy combine to make him one of the more inspirational speakers.
As a teen, he represented New Zealand at the Paralympics, making it into the top ten athletes in the world for the T36 category of athletes with cerebral palsy.
Despite initially being “terrified” of public speaking Cam has since made a name for himself, inspiring young and old alike.
He has spoken throughout Aotearoa, Australia, Canada, Europe, and the Pacific, with brands and businesses from Toyota to AMP, Heineken, McDonalds, KPMG, Harcourts, TEDx, Microsoft, The Icehouse, and more.
To win the tickets, email news@tauponews.co.nz with the answer to the question: What is the venue for Cam Calkoen’s talk next week? Please put Cam tickets in the subject line.
