Government approves kiwifruit Psa plan

Te Puke Times has been bringing town and district residents their news for 100 years and we proudly continue the tradition of reporting it all - good and bad.

This heartland Kiwi community takes great pride in its local rugby team winning the Baywide championship for two years in a row and in providing the captain of the Maori All Blacks touring the UK.

The district is enjoying a mini building boom despite the ravages of a kiwifruit bacteria, Psa-V, during the past two years.

The local secondary school is rebuilding half its campus at a cost of $13 million while a local supermarket has embarked on a $10-million plus build, resited on the edge of Jubilee Park in the middle of town.

As consequence of that development, a new inter-generational playground where grandparent/parents/big kids can have fun on the same gear that youngsters climb all over, is to be opened after the annual Santa parade, early next month.

Kiwifruit growers firmly believe that plant scientists will nail the underlying cause of Psa and appear optimistic that a breakthrough is only a matter of a season away.

Meanwhile, Te Puke’s vision has moved beyond just the town of about 7000 people, which includes a many Indian and Nepalese families who contribute to the broad ethnic sweep of the area, alongside Maori and Pakeha.

The smaller villages of Waitangi, Maketu, Pukehina, Paengaroa, Pongakawa also contribute news to the Te Puke Times and expect to see their events covered. .