Just for a change we thought it would be nice to pay tribute to someone while they’re still alive. I personally, and CAFCA, had a most productive working relationship with the Bowaters’ Waihi Leader for many years. For instance, in 1990, I accompanied Roger Moody, the UK-based international expert on mining transnational corporations (TNCs), on his New Zealand speaking tour. The Leader gave our visit such a fantastic buildup that Waihi was our biggest public meeting, one that both Roger and I still vividly recall. I made a subsequent solo visit to Waihi in 1993, on a CAFCA speaking tour. The Leader continued to give CAFCA wholehearted support throughout the 90s. Not just of the written kind either – they donated many hundreds of dollars over the years. The Leader was unique among NZ’s media in its support for CAFCA, and, more importantly, in its resolute opposition to the various mining TNCs that have made such a bloody mess of Waihi (one of which was a finalist in the 2003 Roger Award. See the Judges’ Report elsewhere in this issue). It saddens me greatly that this (very) independent paper is now just another subsidiary of one of the two transnational newspaper empires that dominate this country. But many thanks, Annette and Rob, you fought the good fight for many, many years right in the belly of the beast.

It’s ironic and fitting that the "Protecting your right to know" motto on the front page of the Waihi Leader no longer featured after the newspaper was purchased from Rob and Annette Bowater by Australian media giant APN*. Possibly a more appropriate banner now would be "Protecting our right to make a record profit". Currently the new Waihi Leader office sits between two empty shops in the middle of the main street of Waihi; a town the Government spin doctors would have you believe is a rich, gold mining town.

*APN = Australian Provincial Newspaper Holdings Ltd, part of the global media empire of Irish press baron, Sir Anthony O’Reilly. There is a major 39 page update of Bill Rosenberg's article on news media ownership in New Zealand now available on CAFCA's Website. It can be accessed at http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/publications/Miscellaneous/mediaown.pdf Or, if that Link doesn't work, for any reason, go to our Website www.cafca.org.nz Click onto Views, Analyses and Research on the Homepage and you will find the updated Media Ownership paper in the Miscellany subsection of that. Ed.

For 22 years the former Leader provided news and information to residents in Waihi, Waihi Beach, Katikati, Whangamata and surrounding rural areas. With partners Dave and Anne Mackay of Waihou, who had interests in the Te Aroha News, the Bowaters launched the first Waihi Leader on March 4, 1981. It became wholly Waihi owned when the Mackays’ interest was bought out a few years later. The Bowaters have over 40 years experience in journalism. Rob Bowater has previously worked for a number of newspapers including the Waihi Gazette, Wanganui Chronicle and Taumarunui Press.

A substantial mailing list saw the Leader sent out weekly to expat Waihi people and other interested parties nationally and globally. Over the years it received many words of praise for its stance on representing the people’s interests. Despite pressure from advertisers it always provided a voice for action groups fighting for worthwhile causes.

Local bodies will often choose to unfairly impact individuals or small groups in order to save money for the wider community. This is because keeping rates as low as possible is considered the best way to get re-elected. Unfortunately this is often done with the tacit, apathetic approval of the majority of ratepayers.

A good example of this was a serious flooding issue affecting two low-lying properties in Union Street. Council would not take responsibility because they claimed the homes were built on a natural watercourse. It was a natural watercourse but it had a scungy worn out culvert installed by a previous Borough Council, and worse, was being unnaturally fed by a huge drainage network built by the Council. Local councillors weathered a lot of bad press before the problem was eventually rectified.

Waihi is in Hauraki District and Editor Annette Bowater always insisted that reporters attend all Hauraki District Council (HDC) meetings as she believed it was always in the public interest for councillors to know the media were always aware of their activities. The Leader wholeheartedly supported the former councillor, the late Maurice Cowan, and the landowners’ group’s stance against the reintroduction of gold mining to Waihi (see Watchdog 81, April 1996, for my obituary of Maurice Cowan. Ed.).

This stance has been repeatedly vindicated since the revelation in 1986 of an earlier confidential document to the (then) Waihi Borough Council from Philips Industries. Council was advised that the company would definitely remove their manufacturing facility (400 jobs) from Waihi if mining were to recommence on Martha Hill, adjacent to their factory. Its inevitable closure was attributed to economic restructuring and the effects of Closer Economic Relations with Australia. Waihi Gold Mining Co. now owns the ex-Philips or old Pye* building as it is still known in town. It houses their offices, and assaying area as well as being rented out for electronics production, a gymnasium and an art market. *Waihi used to host a TV manufacturing factory. Ed.

Annette Bowater states: "We tired of putting out the Leader each week when we could see that Hauraki District Council was not going to modify its pro-mining stance and will continue to ignore the plight of residents adversely affected by the ever-expanding mine. We believe councils and Government must do more to take these impacts into consideration and compensate the people who, sadly, do not do enough to unite and support themselves. Also we were warned that local business people were about to support a new newspaper rumoured to be setting up, because they did not like our attitude to mining in Waihi. However, though they had from time to time made no bones about their feelings, we were grateful that they had in fact continued to support us with advertising. There are so few forces aligned to help combat the might of the transnationals and the Leader was always cheered by the efforts of CAFCA, Coromandel Watchdog, Ohinemuri Earthwatch, Cath Wallace and Minewatch and the Environmental Defence Society to provide counterbalance".

The original Leader also strongly criticised inappropriate developments that saw the destruction of unique historical features that all but the most simple minded of local body politicians should have seen were vital for exploiting the town’s heritage for tourist attractions. The 1906 drill hall went down for a new events centre that proved so costly the paper inspired townspeople to persuade Council not to install a privately owned gymnasium on its mezzanine floor to help it pay its way. The kauri post office, built during Waihi’s frontier mining heyday, was wrecked, as was the livery stable (for a KFC) and recently an early 20^th Century commercial premises to be a yard for farm supplies.

The Leader always maintained a locally focused and warm attitude to people. It dealt with stories about achievers, youth, the aged, sports, community service, the arts, environmental initiatives, historical features and maintained a substantial free list for advertising for volunteer organisations in service to the community.

The Leader also provided balance with profile articles welcoming new mine managers to town, coverage of college scholarship awards from Waihi Gold and the role of the Martha Mine rescue team, an obvious community asset from the industry. The Chief Reporter through much of the 90s, Cyndy Pratt (nee Bowater), provided a positive insight into the human side of the industry with many stories. For myself, I particularly enjoyed interviewing and writing about long serving HDC General Manager, Keith Laurenson, when he retired in 2001.

On the eve of Tuesday November 18, 2003 Rob and Annette Bowater picked up their last shipment of newspapers from Printcorp in Tauranga and brought them through to Waihi, dropping them off at points in Katikati, Waihi Beach and various locations around town as they had done for so many years before. Rob and Annette still retain their main street premises with its stationery shop and while there is no paper produced any longer they still welcome locals and visitors for a chat and a cuppa in the best tradition of Sam Drucker’s General Store*.