Where can your hear a radio show about septic tanks? Paekakakriki of course. On Paekakariki FM 88.2’s Te Pae presented by Mark Amery this week (12noon and 6pm daily) we have local ska band Skapiti, movies with Rachel, and our septic tank issue of the week discussion sees us welcome legendary local plumber Pete MacFarlane, JB’s John Matangi(as their slogan goes No.1 for your No.2s) and permacutlure expert Gary Williams. Community Notices are 1pm and 7pm, Squawk of the Week is from the Community Board, and our Neighbour of the Week interview is Don Polly. Plus a first for 88.2 our first radio play, part one in a five part series written and created by our tamariki: ‘Camp McKay’ by the Chameleons.

Thanks to the Te Pae Production Team of Rebecca Thomson, Meryl Richards, Louise Thornley, Mark Coote and Emily Duizend, and to support from the Beach Road Deli. We welcome your ideas, comments and contributions to [email protected]

MORE INFORMATION ON THIS WEEK’S SHOW

SKApiti

Skapiti are a ska band playing originals on the Kapiti Coast and beyond. Made up of Paul Bognuda on alto sax, Brett Pryor on vocals, Darren Murray on guitar, Phil on drums, Shayne Hurricane Wills on bass and Julia Truscott on keyboard.

Skapiti have recently played at Bodega in Wellington, the Savage Club in Whanganui and had a wild time touring the top of the South Island playing in Picton, Nelson and Westport. Their sole purpose is to live a life of fun and give audiences a skanking good time.

DEMOCRACY ON AIR

In cahoots with Paekakariki Trading, Te Pae wants your questions for a community board candidates panel we are hosting on Sunday 22nd September.  Email us on [email protected] and let’s do democracy together!

Septic Tanks

Paekakariki in many ways, is in a unique position to manage and minimise its environmental impact because of its septic tanks. This means we are responsible for what we put in them, how often we clean them and the waste water that we generate. There are over 700 septic tank systems in Paekakariki and currently, no composting systems.  But how green are we really?  Do we use the right products to clean our house, do we maximise the good bacteria that we need to support a good septic system, how often do we check our soak pits – do we even know what these are?  Do we know where all our waste goes and how it’s then treated?

Joining us in the studio tonight to talk about septic systems are: Peter McFarlane, a local Paekakariki plumber, with experience in waste water

John Matangi from JB’s (No1 for your No2’s) Environmental Ltd and;

Gary Williams, a permaculture expert, water and soil engineer and designer of ‘Wormorators’, a compost alternative to septic tanks.

Neighbour of the Week: Don Polly

Don needs no introduction for most of us – his outstanding reputation and record of service speaks for itself. But for newer residents, the Paekakariki Xpressed community newspaper ran for 10 years until winding up in 2011. When Don and his partner Allie Webber kicked it off, it was a 4-page publication – growing over the years to more than 60 pages.

More than 100 issues of the Xpressed were published, with contributions from 500 community members ranging in age from eight-years-old to mid-80s.

Don and Allie have said the paper’s greatest achievements include: community awards, stories on the 2003 floods, highway surveillance, and helping to keep Whareroa Farm in public ownership.

Don’s volunteer contribution was similar to a half-time job (2 weeks in every month).

When Don served in the US Navy in 1954 to 1956, he hosted two radio shows in the Philippines. The radio had a large listenership – as it was the only English-speaking station in the area, but also because of the Elvis-mania of the time. Don “didn’t much care for Elvis”, but played him a lot to keep the listeners happy.

Don is a founding member of The Prostate Squadron, a local men’s group comprising older gents. Around 12-15 men meet once a week at a Raumati Beach café. Most are ex-servicemen but Don stresses they are not like the RSA. As the members are well-read, a focus of the group is to talk politics and literature. The group has been meeting for over 10 years.