Rexine Hawes returns to Chronicle
Rexine Hawes has missed writing so much she has returned to journalism.
She started work as reporter for the Matamata Chronicle on July 4, replacing Abby Brown who has moved to The Hutt News.
Hawes has worked as reporter for the paper previously, from 2004 to 2007.
She said one of the highlights of her time with the Chronicle was meeting her husband Craig, who is the general manager at AGWorx, when she was writing an advertorial feature for the company.
‘‘I was the only single girl in the office and everyone was trying to set me up,’’ Hawes laughs.
‘‘In all seriousness, this community has so many wonderful people in it, and I loved telling people’s stories, I’m very excited to get back to that.’’
She has also worked for TV Central, after which she left her career in the media to raise her two children Amelia, 6, and Malachi, 18 months.
One of the hardest parts about taking on the reporter role again was having to give up her work as Daffodil Day co-ordinator. She has run the fundraiser, including two Balloons of Remembrance fundraising events, for the past five years and is eager to find a replacement.
‘‘Finding someone who has the passion to keep it alive here and represent Matamata and helping raise money for people with cancer is really important. It was really about making as much money as you can so the people who live here, who are affected by cancer, get the best support and to let people who don’t have any support, or family, know that someone cares about them.’’ Chronicle, Abby Brown is moving onto a new role. She will be a reporter at The Hutt News, another community paper owned by Fairfax Media.
She wanted to thank everyone she had interviewed over her time at the Chronicle. Police arrested one man after an incident at a rural property in the Bay of Plenty’s lower Kaimai Range.
Tauranga police attended the incident on July 28 and were assisted by the armed offenders squad and fire crews with a Hazmat truck.
‘‘Officers were visiting the property to execute an arrest warrant this morning when they were threatened by the occupants and AOS were subsequently alerted,’’ a statement by police said.
Fire Service attended the scene after a small fire broke out in one of the buildings at the property.
Police said the incident was contained at the property and there was no risk to the wider public.
Police attended the property to execute an arrest warrant this morning and the Armed Offenders Squad were called to assist after officers were threatened on arrival.
The matter was resolved without incident and occupants of the property were assisting police with their enquiries.
A local had said at the time that a lot of police cars have been seen ‘‘screaming up State Highway 29’’.
The witness was unsure what was happening at the time, but had reported that smoke was seen coming from a property near Old Kaimai Road.