Kiwibank Local Heroes Medal Recipients for Rotorua

and Taupo

Beatrice Yates of Rotorua

Beatrice Yates, aka Aunty Bea, has been makiing a difference to the Rotorua community for over 40 years. She is a much respected teacher, community fundraiser and has been instrimental in teaching te reo Maori throughout Rotorua.

Beatrice was the driving force behind the fundraising of over $700,000 for a satellite dialysis unit for Rotorua. And as a teacher at Rotorua Lakes High School she had a soup kitchen in her classroom and made it a safe haven for troubled kids. She is a Maori warden and on top of all of this she has written several childrens books with the profits going to selected charities throughout New Zealand.

Catherine Mott of Rotorua

Cath Mott is currently an Oncology link nurse in the Children’s Outreach Service at Rotorua Hospital. Cath started her nursing career in Napier in the early 80s and moved to Rotorua joining Lakes DHB in 1985. Cath’s role now as a Paediatric Nurse specialist involves the care of children suffering from long term, serious illnesses and disabilities.  Cath has made the children her passion and her life – but she always treats the family as well.

Families have always known that day or night Cath can be called upon for love, support and a shoulder to cry on. In 1992 Cath extended her commitment to children by joining the Child Cancer Foundation. She was instrumental in establishing a Lakes Branch and sat as the Chairperson for many years, is currently a committee member and has been a driving force in fundraising thousandas of dollars for the foundation. Cath’s holistic approach to children’s and families care is remarkable and makes her more than a worthy Local Hero.

Harald Esendam of Horohoro

For many years Harald Esendam has been provding flowers, which he grows in his glasshouse, free of charge to rest homes and other community groups around Rotorua every year at christmas time. Harald says he likes seeing the joy in their faces when you walk in carrying the flowers. PlentyFlora, which is Haralds company also ran a fundraiser for the Child Cancer Foundation in January in which they raised over $1500 for the organisation.

Mark Edmonds of Rotorua –

Mark Edmonds has dedicated over 28 years of voluntary service to the local Rotorua community as a sports coach and he has had a huge influence on the lives of many young people in the region. Mark coaches young people who participate in a number of sports including athletics, rugby, hockey and football and develops programmes to improve their performances.

He coaches children from as young as 5 years old to Adults and has trained a number of succesful sportspeople including All Blacks Caleb Ralph and Liam Messam.

He is currently working with a group of 7 – 14 year old’s competing in local Athletics ribbon days. Mark has been totally dedicated to supporting young people and has a genuine love for what he does.

Sonia Wilson of Rotorua

Sonia began volunteering for Victim Support 18 years ago and now she is one of their longest-serving volunteers, working with anyone from families of murder victims through to tourists who’ve lost their backpacks. Sonia also volunteers for Search and Rescue operations and deals with troubled children and serious child-abuse cases. Sonia also coordinates The Princess of Wales Children's Health Camp for children who have had traumatic experiences in their lives.

Taini Jamison of Rotorua

Taini Jamison is passionate about netball, having dedicated over 60 years of volunteer service to the sport and is an icon of the game locally, regionally and nationally. She has been a coach (she coached the New Zealand Netball team in 1967) , an administrator, a tournament organiser, a fundraiser  and anything else that has needed to be done for the game. 
The quality of her contribution to the game has been recognised by many different community, regional and national organisations.

She is a Life Member of the Rotorua Netball Centre and of Netball Bay of Plenty, and gained a Netball New Zealand Service Award in 1972. In 1994 she was awarded an OBE by Her Majesty the Queen, and in 2006 she was inducted into the Aotearoa Sports Hall of Fame.

In 2008 Netball New Zealand honoured her by instituting the Taini Jamison Netball trophy for competition between the Silver Ferns and international teams other than Australia. She is also a life member of Netball New Zealand. Taini will be remembered not by one but by at least six generations of netballers in Rotorua and in the Bay of Plenty. The contribution to netball, Taini has made is unfathomable.

William Cleghorn of Rotorua

72 year old Bill Cleghorn has been providing voluntary service to a number of groups in the greater Rotorua area for over 40 years that has seen him taken a leadership role in establishing and running 14 organisations. Bill’s current focus is as Chair of the Land Use Futures Board, which acts as advisors to Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

He has been a Justice of the Peace since 1974, a member of the  Hamilton Education Board, a Member and Chairman  of the Rotorua High Schools Board of Governors, a Foundation Member  of Princess of Wales Children’s Health Camp Board, a foundation President and Life Member  of the Geyser Squash Rackets Club, Foundation Vice President of the Lake View Golf Club, a Marriage Celebrant and the Chairman of the Rotorua Community Charity Trust.               

It would impossible to list Bill’s contributions to Rotorua in such a short time, but suffice to say Rotorua and New Zealand would be worse off without Bill’s extensive dedication to people, organisations and fundraising.

Awhimai Fraser of Taupo

15 year old Awhimai Fraser  has provided mentorship, leadership and a positive role model for young people in her region. Awhimai, a student at Taupo-Nui-A-Tia College in Taupo, is heavily involved with youth programmes and organisations such as, Youth Town, Life Education, CAFE Youth for Health and Parachute music festival among others.

She is a member of the Taupo District Youth Council and a leader at teh Lake Taupo Christian camp. She is an acclaimed vocallist, actor and academic winning prizes and awards at her local college, drama society, district council and as a representative for New zealand at the World Championships for Performing Arts in Los Angeles.

Gabrielle Quirke of Taupo

Gabrielle is the Founder and Programme Co-ordinator of the Whakakotahitanga domestic violence programme run out of Taumarunui Police station. Gabrielle has been working with her community and has had considerable success with a couples programme for some of the more difficult family violence call-out couples in her Police District.

Gabrielle relates her programmes methods, efforts and succeses with down-to-earth practicality that requires all to revisit the notions of prevention and intervention and then centre on what works rather than what should work. Gabrielle has worked with 80 couples and domestic violence has dropped by over 50% in 3 years.

Steve Golebiowski of Taupo

Steve began his volunteer coaching duties at Wairakei Primary School in 2006 with Wairakei Grade 6 Football team. Since then Steve has coached numerous teams, organized coaches to attain their level 1 and 2 coaching certification in Football and been a finalist in the SPARC Volunteer Coach Award. Steve has a wonderful relationship with the youth and his special qualities bring the childrens abilities to the fore. All team members and their parents have huge respect for Steve.